Sakshi Dayal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took holy dips in sacred river waters in the northern city of Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions of people at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after dozens died in a stampede at the event.

Nearly 40 people were killed in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and several others injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela - a Hindu religious festival touted to be the largest human gathering in the world.

Thousands of miles from Washington, where the funeral of Jimmy Carter is set for next week, an Indian village named after the former U.S. president fondly remembers his visit almost 50 years ago, paying tribute.

The air quality index reading rose above 400 in Delhi and the city was shrouded in a toxic haze.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the State Department and "deep state" elements in the U.S. of trying to destabilise India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

India eased some restrictions imposed to combat pollution in its north on Thursday as air quality there improved, with smog giving way to blue skies and Delhi recording a "moderate" air quality index reading of 165.

Russian oil producer Rosneft invested $20 billion in India recently, the Indian government quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying in a statement on Thursday, without giving details.

The lower house of India's parliament was suspended temporarily on Friday for a fourth day in a row this week following disruptions as opposition lawmakers sought a discussion on the allegations against Adani Group.

India's government plans to clamp down on polluting farm fires by measuring the areas burnt instead of live blazes, after reports that farmers were burning paddy waste or stubble at times when satellites were not passing overhead.

Indian opposition parties demanded a probe on Thursday into allegations of wrongdoing by the Adani Group and said they would raise the issue in parliament.