PARIS: UNESCO member states today overwhelmingly approved the nomination of France's former culture minister Audrey Azoulay to head the embattled cultural agency. They confirmed the nomination by the agency's board last month of Azoulay, 45, who becomes UNESCO's second woman director general. "The unity you have shown in this vote is a good omen for the coming period, in which we need to stand shoulder to shoulder," Azoulay told the members after garnering 131 votes with only 19 opposed. She said she had "great faith" in UNESCO, which "bears the genuine power to transform the world." Azoulay said members were "clear-sighted as to the organisation's difficulties (but) know how irreplaceable and essential it is in the face of our world's challenges." Azoulay, who was culture minister under former president Francois Hollande, succeeds Irina Bokova, who was UNESCO's first woman director and whose second term expires this month. Azoulay narrowly defeated Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari of Qatar, also a former culture minister, in last month's politically charged election.

NEW DELHI: As a toxic smog hung over Delhi for a third day and air quality worsened by the hour, the capital has declared a pollution emergency and banned the entry of trucks and construction activity; the odd-even scheme which restricts traffic will apply from Monday to Friday. There are growing calls for bigger government action to tackle what doctors have declared a public health crisis. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Punjab and Haryana to stop their farmers from burning waste as they prep to sow the winter crop of wheat. He said the Chief Ministers of both states have yet to grant him the appointments he has sought. Here are the 10 latest developments in this big story: Residents are complaining of headaches, coughs and smarting eyes. All 6,000 schools in Delhi are closed till the end of the week. A Delhi government advisory has urged anyone with breathing difficulties to remain indoors and said everyone should avoid strenuous activity. The Delhi government has decided to reintroduce the "odd-even" scheme for Monday-Friday under which cars with licence plates ending in an odd number are allowed one day and even-numbered cars the next. Women drivers and two-wheelers are exempt; violators will be fined Rs. 2,000. Thousands of traffic policemen and volunteers will enforce the restrictions. PM 2.5 is particulate matter about 30 times finer than a human hair. The particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. Delhi registered levels of over 600 today - 12 times over the safe limit. Illegal crop burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport, and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The Delhi High Court has ordered an emergency meeting within three days between the top bureaucrats of the central government and those of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Representatives of agencies that handle pollution are also to attend. "I'd like to assure people that the central government shall do everything possible to bring about improvement in air quality in Delhi and the Nation Capital Region," said Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan as authorities faced criticism for failing to take steps to fight a problem that erupts every year. Late yesterday, the Delhi government announced a set of measures to try to clean up the air. Commercial trucks have been banned from the city unless they are transporting essential commodities, all construction has been stopped and car parking charges raised four times to force residents to use public transport. "The situation as it exists today is the worst that I have seen in my 35 years staying in the city of Delhi," said Arvind Kumar, a lung surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "As a doctor, I have no problem saying that the situation today is a public health emergency. If you want to protect people, we should be ordering the evacuation of Delhi. Closing down all schools. Closing down all offices." Farmers in Haryana and Punjab, the two big agrarian states surrounding Delhi, regularly defy a ban to burn millions of tonnes of crop waste around October every year before sowing the winter crop of wheat. State authorities say it is hard to enforce the ban unless farmers, a powerful political constituency, are given funds to buy machinery to clear their land. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the capital, home to about 20 million people, a "gas chamber" as his government sought meetings with the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana to address the issue. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said in a Twitter post: "Situation is serious but Punjab helpless as problem is widespread & state has no money to compensate farmers for stubble management."

Actor Gautam Rode, who is all set to sizzle in an upcoming film, ‘Aksar 2’, recently got engaged to television actress Pankhuri Awasthy in a secret ceremony. According to reports in Bombay Times, a source close to the couple told the publication, "They had a small roka ceremony attended by their families. Both Gautam and Pankhuri are introverts and they have always remained guarded about their personal lives. They have been together for almost two years now and decided to get engaged during Diwali, making it even more special for their loved ones."

It's all rainbows and butterflies for actor Ali Fazal who has upped his career graph by being a part of some interesting projects overseas. The actor's upcoming film 'Victoria & Abdul' also boasts of a unique storyline and an enviable co-actor like Dame Judi Dench. According to reliable sources, Ali is in talks with a Hollywood director for an interesting role in a biopic and it will be the first time an Indian actor will get featured in an international biopic. Although the actor is unwilling to divulge details but admits that he has met a filmmaker to discuss an international project, a biopic, even before he signed up wit his new talent management agency. “It will hopefully roll in 2018. I can’t elaborate further as I am yet to sign on the dotted line,” the actor stated, adding that the world is becoming a smaller place with the market really opening up. “Filmmakers are experimenting with unique topics and I want to grab these opportunities and not get typecast.” Meanwhile, the Indian release of his forthcoming film 'Victoria & Abdul' is on October 13, 2017, where Ali will be seen in the role of Abdul Karim in the movie.

With a long lineup of biopics set to hit the Bollywood box-office, here comes the third biopic on an Indian cricketer and this time around it is none other than Kapil Dev. If reports are to be believed then, Ranveer Singh has been roped in to play the role of former Indian cricketer in a Kabir Khan directorial feature. The movie will reportedly be backed by Phantom films, co-owned by filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena. The film will focus on India's 1983 Cricket World Cup win under Dev's captainship when the Men in Blue defeated West Indies in the final to clinch their first-ever World Cup trophy.