India on Monday said it “condemns acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists”, referring to an incident at a Hindu temple in Brampton, in the Canadian province of Ontario, last week, and called on Canada to ensure that all places of worship are adequately protected.

“We also expect that those indulging in such violence will be prosecuted,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters Monday at a press briefing.

The Indian government, Mr Jaiswal, said, remains “deeply concerned” about the safety and security of its citizens in that country, and said diplomatic officers providing consular services to Indians “will not be deterred by intimidation, harassment and violence”.

Formally called the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Democrats (blues) have enjoyed good strength in Pennsylvania since 1992, except in 2016 when the Republican (reds) leader Donald Trump was elected President.
Not getting big numbers in Pennsylvania could worsen Kamala Harris’ chances as no Democrat has entered the White House without Pennsylvania since 1948.
There are six lakh Asian-Americans in Pennsylvania, with Indian-Americans comprising the largest group. The Trump and Harris campaigns have acknowledged they face the toughest challenge in this state.
The major concerns in Pennsylvania include rising inflation and pressure on cost of living. For some time grocery prices have been rising the fastest in Pennsylvania.
Though Pennsylvania is considered a swing state with 19 electoral votes, it is no longer what it used to be a century ago when it had 38 electoral votes, double of what it has now. Many industrial states in the northern parts of the US have seen people migrate to other areas. Pennsylvania was no exception.
To win the US elections, a candidate needs 270 of the electoral college votes. The results in seven battleground states of Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia will decide who will be the next President.
Along with Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia have an inordinate influence on deciding the winner because unlike the other states which are firmly with either party, these states can go either way – with the reds or the blues.
Donald Trump has been talking about illegal migration, crime, bringing back manufacturing and jobs, and inflation while also going off the teleprompter to add impromptu comments. In Pennsylvania, he mostly dumped the machines and went extempore.
A day before the election, the presidential race appears to be hurtling toward a photo finish, with the final set of polls by The New York Times and Siena College finding Kamala Harris gaining new strength in North Carolina and Georgia.
Pennsylvania is also known as a “keystone state”, to mean a central, wedge-shaped stone which holds all the other stones of a structure in place to form an arch. In early America, Pennsylvania played a vital geographic and strategic role in holding together the states of the newly formed Union.

The Air Quality Index in Pakistan’s Lahore stood at 1,900 on Sunday, its highest ever, prompting the country to write a letter to the Indian government to open a dialogue on the issue.

Even as the AQI in the city of 14 million people stood at least six times more than the limit defined by the World Health Organisation, the government imposed emergency measures like closing schools and issuing work-from-home mandates.

The level of deadly PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — peaked at 610 — more than 40 times the limit of 15 in a 24-hour period considered healthy by the WHO.

Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows shut, and avoid unnecessary travel, while smog counters have been set up at hospitals, Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb said. The government has also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce the pollution levels.

Pakistan said the situation has arisen due to winds carrying pollution from neighbouring India. Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar told CNN, “We need climate diplomacy, as a regional and global issue.”

“We are suffering in Lahore in a way due to the eastern wind corridor coming from India. We are not blaming anyone, it’s a natural phenomenon,” he said.

Like in northern India, pollution spikes during the winters in Pakistan, leading to health complications among residents, including breathing difficulties, coughing and burning eyes. Smog is particularly pronounced in winter, when cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories at ground level.

Meanwhile the AQI in Delhi stood at 276 on Monday afternoon.

AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI rating between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI over 300 has been extremely hazardous.

Pollution in excess of levels deemed safe by the WHO shortens the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

According to UNICEF, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution and half of childhood pneumonia deaths are associated with air pollution.