News in Short

• Air pollution caused by hazardous PM2.5 fine particulate matter led to the death of 54,000 people in Delhi last year where pollution levels remained almost six times above the prescribed WHO limits.
• PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter. Exposure to PM2.5 is considered the most important environmental risk factor for deaths globally, and was attributed to 4.2 million premature deaths in 2015.
• Globally, approximate 160,000 deaths have been attributed to PM2.5 air pollution in the five most populous cities of Delhi (30 million), Mexico City (22 million), Sao Paulo (22 million).

• Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi was removed from her post amid a political crisis in the Union territory.
• The direction from the President comes amid the political crisis where the ruling Congress-led government has been reduced to a minority after one more MLA quit the party.
• The President’s order also comes on a day the government led by Congress’ Narayanasamy, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi over a range of issues.

• Naman Ojha, the India wicketkeeper-batsman, announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket. Ojha represented India across all three formats, playing one Test, one ODI, and two T20Is.
• He played 146 first-class games, scoring 9753 runs at an average of 41.67, scoring 22 centuries, 55 fifties, and a highest of 219*.
• He also featured in 143 List A games and 182 T20s, which included 113 IPL appearances - for Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
• Ojha's last appearance though came in 2018, playing for Delhi Capitals against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite giving up the gloves, Ojha's batting form in the last few seasons dipped in domestic cricket.

• Journalist Priya Ramani was acquitted by a Delhi court this afternoon over a defamation case filed by former Union minister MJ Akbar, whom she accused of sexual misconduct in 2018.
• Ramani, in a 2017 Vogue India article, detailed her experiences with a former boss, whom she called a “sexual predator”.
• A year later, in 2018, Ramani named MJ Akbar in a tweet. The article led to more women coming out with their stories, alleging harassment at the hands of Akbar.
• Akbar, who was a junior minister in the first Modi government, filed a criminal defamation case against Ramani. The minister resigned shortly thereafter.