Rubbish mountain to rise higher than Taj Mahal

NEW DELHI - India's tallest rubbish mountain in New Delhi is on course to rise higher than the Taj Mahal in the next year, becoming a fetid symbol for what the United Nations considers one of the world's most polluted capitals.

Hawks and other birds of prey hover around the towering Ghazipur landfill on the eastern fringe of New Delhi, stray cows, dogs and rats wander at will over the huge expanse of smoking filth.

Taking up the area of more than 40 soccer pitches, Ghazipur rises by nearly 10 meters a year with no end in sight to its foul-smelling growth.