Image of Asia: Inspecting the Indian honour guard in smog

In this photo by Associated Press photographer Manish Swarup, Belgium’s King Philippe inspects a military guard of honour at the Indian presidential palace, surrounded by smog, in New Delhi. The Belgian royal couple is on a seven-day state visit to India.

Air pollution in India’s capital has hit hazardous levels, with air quality index readings indicating the health impact of breathing the air is “severe.”

As winter approaches, a thick, soupy smog routinely envelops most parts of northern India, caused by dust, the burning of crops, emissions from factories and the burning of coal and piles of garbage as the poor try to keep warm.

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This image was made with a lens at a focal length of 200mm, a shutter speed of 1/400, aperture of f10, and ISO 320.