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Delhi’s air quality continued to improve but remained in the ‘poor’ category on Saturday, a day after light showers, accompanied with strong winds enabled to bring down the pollution levels.

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 213 (poor) at 7am on Saturday -- an improvement from Delhi’s reading of 279 (poor) at 4pm on Friday.

Strong winds are expected to persist in the national Capital on Saturday, possibly touching 18 km/hr, which is likely to help the AQI improve further, officials said. Though a slight drop in wind is expected on Diwali day (Sunday), it should still be around 8-10 km/hr, they added.

India on Friday conveyed to the US its serious concerns over increasing activities of pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.

India flagged its concerns at the '2+2' foreign and defence ministerial meeting.

"We have made our concerns very very clear," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a media briefing.

In a big victory for the AAP government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Supreme Court on Friday slammed the Punjab governor for “playing with fire” and “putting parliamentary form of government in peril” by withholding assent to four bills passed by the assembly on the erroneous and mistaken ground that the June 19-20 session, in which the bills were passed, was invalid.

Mincing no words in criticising the governor for exceeding his jurisdiction and treading into the domain of the speaker, who alone exercises power to adjourn or prorogue the assembly, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said, “The speaker was within his rights to adjourn the budget session sine die without proroguing it. How can you (governor) say that a bill, which has been passed validly by the assembly, shall not be assented to on the ground that the session itself is invalid? Do you realise the gravity of what you are doing?”

The Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court on Friday 

to discuss the possibility of artificial rainfall through cloud seeding to bring down the high Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city. 

Winter session 2023 of Parliament will take place from December 4-22 with 15 sittings spread over 19 days.

Making the announcement on X, earlier known as Twitter, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, said, "Winter Session, 2023 of Parliament will commence from 4th December and continue till 22nd December having 15 sittings spread over 19 days. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to discussions on Legislative Business and other items during the session."