New Delhi suffered a rare summer air pollution alert Monday as dust storms and heat over northern India took smog to hazardous levels.

An American tourist has accused two men of raping her in the popular Himalayan hill station of Dharamsala in northern India, police said Thursday, the latest sex attack on a foreigner.

The 46-year-old woman has told police she was walking through a crowded market area of the town, famed for its Tibetan community and home to the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday evening when the attack occurred.

Angry protests broke out in India's capital overnight over power blackouts as summer temperatures soar, fueling concerns of a repeat of an electricity crisis two years ago, police said Wednesday.

Residents took to the streets at around midnight on Tuesday in New Delhi's northeast, attacking vehicles as frustration mounts over the power cuts, a senior officer said.

The Delhi government imposed a blanket ban on the use of all plastic bags on Friday in an attempt to tackle the city's mounting rubbish problems, an official said.

Thin plastic bags -- measuring less than 40 microns thick -- were banned in India's capital in 2009, but the new rules will cover all plastic packaging for items such as magazines and greeting cards as well as garbage bags.

Strutting across the stage wearing red stilettos, red lipstick and a flower in her hat, Samara Chopra was always going to be a hit with the inmates of Tihar high-security jail in New Delhi.

The audience of about 1,000 male prisoners whooped with delight as Chopra, lead singer of the Ska Vengers, ran through a high-energy one-hour set at an afternoon concert inside the prison grounds.

President Asif Ali Zardari became the first Pakistani head of state since 2005 to visit India on Sunday for a one-day trip he described as "very fruitful" in improving ties between the rivals.

During a visit billed as private but of great diplomatic significance, Zardari lunched with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and invited him to visit Pakistan.

"Made in India" clothing is often seen as the product of sweatshop labor, but fashion designer Saloni Lodha, whose fans include film stars Naomi Watts and Emma Watson, wants to give it a luxury tag.

"I have great faith in the made-in-India idea, and wanted to see an Indian, made-in-India brand in the world's best stores," she told Agence France Presse while on a visit to Mumbai to source fabrics.

The Indian capital of New Delhi marked its 100th birthday on Monday without any official celebrations of a day that revives memories of British rule over the country.

On December 12, 1911, visiting King George V told crowds at an elaborate imperial ceremony that India's capital would be moved from the eastern port of Calcutta to a new city to be built next to the ancient settlement of Delhi.

Organizers of India's first "Slut Walk" have changed the name of the event and toned down its dress code because of concern the protest is too provocative, reports said Friday.

"Slut Walks," which have become a global phenomenon to protest sexual violence, see women dress in skimpy clothing to challenge the mindset that victims of sexual assault should be blamed for the crime against them.