After the squall lashed the Capital on Wednesday, Met officials attributed the sudden change in weather to a low pressure disturbances in the neighbouring region.

With the sudden change in weather on Wednesday morning, chaos reigned at the IGI airport as at least six flights had to be diverted and several delayed due to strong winds. According to sources, strong winds lashed the city during the morning hours and the airport was affected between 9.55 am and 10.27 am. During this period, at least six flights had to be diverted to nearby cities and those flights that were waiting in queue for take-off were delayed by 15-35 minutes.

Windstorms and heavy rainfall often leave Lutyens' Delhi littered with uprooted trees and fallen branches. New Delhi Municipal Council says

A squall with a wind speed up to 104 kmph caught the city unawares on Wednesday morning and left behind a trail of destruction

Strong winds, coupled with rain, played havoc with the green cover of the city. Several trees fell, all across the Capital, leaving people to struggle with snapped power lines and blocked traffic Wednesday's storm ripped through Delhi, playing havoc with the green cover in various parts of the city. Heavy winds followed by rain uprooted trees and left people struggling through heavy branches blocking the roads. In certain areas, trees had collapsed on electric lines and transformers, disrupting power supply.

Officegoers were caught completely unawares on Wednesday morning when the sky darkened within minutes and a squall lashed the city and its neighbouring areas at a speed of over 100 kmph. The storm uprooted scores of trees and electricity poles and brought down roofs and walls of houses taking a toll of at least five lives in the city. In Greater Noida, poor visibility and rain caused a company bus to skid on the road

The government's ban on four agricultural commodities may have hit commodity exchanges hard, but that did not stop the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) from trying to induce vibrancy in its carbon credit trading platform. MCX has roped in IDEAcarbon as its global strategic advisor on climate change policy.

Japanese carmaker Honda on Tuesday cautioned that high interest rates and inflation would impact car sales in India this financial year, though said premium segment would manage a double digit growth. The company, that rolled out its next-generation Accord sedan after the model was discontinued a few months back, said market conditions appear to be tough for the first two quarters of 2007-08.

Coca-Cola Co is seeking more acquisition opportunities in the fastgrowing soft drinks market to expand its revenue, the company's CEO-in-waiting said. Sales of soft drinks are declining in the US as people opt for the likes of bottled water and tea, which they see as healthier. REUTERS

India's $90 billion industrial corridor project is on track, and rising prices of steel and cement will not hamper work, industry minister said. It includes high speed rail freight lines, power plants to supply an additional 4,000 megawatt, three sea ports and six airports, 12 industrial clusters, 10 logistic parks and agricultural hubs. REUTERS

Pages