France, Nov. 18 -- India is urging its neighbours, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, to take joint action against their shared problem of air pollution. The appeal, made at the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, comes as smog in the Indian capital Delhi largely exceeded the levels prescribed by the World Health Organization.

Schools switched to online classes on Monday until further notice as worsening toxic smog surged past 60 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.

Levels of PM2.5 pollutants- dangerous cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs- peaked at 921 micrograms per cubic metre at midday on Monday, according to IQAir pollution monitors, with a reading above 15 in a 24-...