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Tag: India

  • Military helicopter with Defence chief aboard crashes

    Military helicopter with Defence chief aboard crashes

    Indian Air Force on Wednesday confirmed that there was an accident with an Indian military helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat aboard.

    Earlier, the media had reported that the helicopter crashed, and a search and rescue operation had been launched.

    Nine people were on board the copper and three were rescued, according to the India Today news agency.

    “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

    An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,’’ the air force tweeted.

  • Nigerian actor detained for selling drugs in India

    Nigerian actor detained for selling drugs in India

    Men of the Indian Police Service, attached to the K.G. Halli police division on Wednesday arrested a Nigerian national, Chekwume Malvin, who works as an actor in the Indian film industry for allegedly selling drugs in the city.

    The 45-year-old was caught red-handed near the BDA Complex in HRBR Layout.

    The police seized about 15 grams of MDMA, 250 ml of hashish oil, ₹2,500 (N13, 850) in cash and a mobile phone. The total value of the seized items is estimated to be around ₹8 lakh (N44).

    Inquiries revealed that Malvin had come to India on a medical visa but then enrolled in the New York Film Academy in Mumbai to learn acting.

    According to the police, he had completed a six-month course in acting from the same academy in Abuja in Nigeria, The Hindu reports.

    After completing the course in Mumbai, Malvin joined the film industry and acted in over 20 Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films.

    Some of the more well-known films he had roles in include Vishwaroopam, Singham, Anna Bond, Dilwale and Paramathma.

    He allegedly confessed that he wanted to make quick money and used his network to peddle drugs.

    The police have arrested him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and are analysing his phone details.

     

  • COVID-19: FG removes India from restricted countries, imposes travel ban on passengers who shun PCR tests

    COVID-19: FG removes India from restricted countries, imposes travel ban on passengers who shun PCR tests

    The Federal Government has imposed travel restrictions on passengers who shun the COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

    Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this via a statement on Sunday, adding that the restrictions came into effect on September 14.

    He explained that passengers arriving Nigeria must go through the routine port health screening and present electronic or print-out evidence of pre-boarding COVID-19 PCR test and the Permit to Travel Certificate/QR Code.

    Having done so, the passengers must present their international passports for clearance through the Nigeria Immigration Service System’s Migrants Identification Data Analysis System (MIDAS) and proceed on mandatory seven days self-isolation/quarantine in their selected in-country destination.

    “Passengers who fail to show up for this test will face travel restrictions on their passports for at least six months and will not be able to travel abroad for this period. Non-Nigerian passport holders will have their visas revoked,” the SGF said.

    “Passengers are advised to avoid physical interaction with friends, family, colleagues, and other members of the public. Passengers should check their emails/text messages regularly for updates regarding the arrangement for their repeat COVID-19 PCR test from the laboratory of their choice.

    “During this period, the passenger may be contacted by the COVID-19 Response team to ascertain [the] state of isolation, day-7 testing appointment and health status.”

    The SGF also announced that the government had lifted the ban placed on flights coming into the country from India.

    As precautionary measures to curb the COVID-19 in the country, the Federal Government had banned passengers, who visited India, Brazil, South Africa, and Turkey in the last 14 days from entering the country.

    However, the sanctions placed on airlines that convey passengers from restricted countries and travellers who are Non-Nigerians remain.

    Mustapha added, “Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, Turkey or South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria. This regulation, however, does not apply to passengers who transited through these countries.

    “Airlines who fail to comply shall mandatorily pay a penalty of $3,500 per defaulting passenger; and non-Nigerians will be denied entry and returned to the country of embarkation at cost to the Airline; Nigerians and those with a permanent resident permit who visited Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria shall be made to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine in a government-approved facility at the point-of-entry city and at cost to the passenger.”

  • Army helicopter crashes in dam

    Army helicopter crashes in dam

    A helicopter belonging to the Indian army on Tuesday crashed in a dam in the northern state of Punjab, local media reports said.

    So far there have been no immediate reports of any casualty in the crash.

    The helicopter crashed in Ranjit Sagar Dam of Pathankot district.

    “We received information that an army helicopter has crashed in the lake. We rushed our teams to the spot,’’ police official of Pathankot, Surendra Lamba was quoted by a local news agency as having said.

    Reports said two pilots from the army aviation Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv helicopter on board survived the crash.

    The helicopter was on a routine sortie.

    “The weapon system integrated helicopter had taken off from Pathankot and met with the accident,’’ another report quoting its sources said.

  • Twitter loses immunity over user generated content in India

    Twitter loses immunity over user generated content in India

    Twitter will no more enjoys liability protection against user-generated content in India as the U.S. micro blogging giant has failed to comply with new IT rules.

    The Indian government said in a court filing on Tuesday.

    The statement is the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has officially said Twitter has lost its immunity after repeatedly criticising the company for non-compliance.

    The dispute and the public spat had raised concern that American firms will find it difficult to do business amid a more stringent regulatory environment.

    India’s IT ministry told the High Court in New Delhi that Twitter’s non-compliance amounted to a breach of the provisions of the IT Act, causing the U.S. firm to lose its immunity, according to the filing dated July 5.

    The filing came in a case filed by a Twitter user who wanted to complain about some allegedly defamatory tweets on the platform, and said the company was not complying with the new law that requires appointment of certain new executives.

    Twitter declined to comment, the company has previously said it was making all efforts to comply.

    India’s new IT rules which became effective end of May were aimed at regulating content on social media firms and making them more accountable to legal requests for swift removal of posts and sharing details on the originators of messages.

    Technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has slammed Twitter for deliberately defying the law and said all social media firms must abide by the new rules.

    In recent weeks, as acrimony grew between New Delhi and Twitter, Indian police had filed at least five cases against the company or its officials, including some related to child pornography and a controversial map of India on its career page.

    Police in two Indian states have named Twitter India chief Manish Maheshwari in their complaints.

    Separately, the state of Uttar Pradesh had challenged the Supreme Court a bar on police action against Maheshwari, after a lower court protected him against arrest over an accusation that the platform was used to spread hate.

  • Nigeria extends COVID-19 ban on Turkey, India, Brazil by four weeks

    Nigeria extends COVID-19 ban on Turkey, India, Brazil by four weeks

    The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 has extended the ban on flights from Brazil, Turkey and India by four weeks.

    Speaking at the national briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman, PSC on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said “a few weeks ago, we announced additional measures to be met by passengers arriving from Brazil, Turkey and India.

    ”This action was due to the prevalence of variants of concern and the dangers associated with importation of the such virulent strain.

    Recall that as of May 2021, the PSC banned incoming flights from Brazil, India and Turkey, noting that anyone who had been in those three countries within 14 days of their intended arrival date in Nigeria would be barred from entering the country.

    According to Mustapha, the PSC has been reviewing these restrictions and is of the opinion that they should remain for another four weeks before it is further reviewed.

    ”South Africa has, however, been added to this category once more.”

    Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), disclosed that South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Namibia and Uganda were being monitored as the COVID-19 cases were increasing there.

    “In addition to these three countries, the PSC has also shifted its focus on some African countries.

    ”South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Namibia and Uganda fall in this category.

    “South Africa for example, recorded over 100,000 cases in the last one week while 20,000 was recorded in the last 24 hours.

    ”The four major variants of concern are now classified as Alpha (UK), Beta (SA); Gamma (Brazil) and Delta (India).

    ”The Delta variant which has wreaked devastating havoc, is not yet found in Nigeria hence the need to tighten our borders and be more vigilant,” the SGF said.

    He said that about six months ago, following the violation of the COVID-19 protocols by some inbound passengers to Nigeria, their travel documents were barred for a period of six months.

    “We have received several appeals from those affected while we counselled on the importance of compliance with rules and regulations.

    ”The six-month period of ban for the first batch of 100 is almost complete and we use this opportunity to reassure Nigerians that sanctions will be imposed on violators of measures put in place to protect them and safeguard our nation.

    ”For over six months, federal government employees on GL 12 and below have been observing work-from-home instructions.

    ”This restriction remains in place until further notice in order to avert a third wave,” Mustapha added.

  • Minister attacks Twitter over new social media rules

    Minister attacks Twitter over new social media rules

    India’s information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at Twitter on Wednesday, accusing it of not complying with new regulations for social media sites that came into effect last month.

    The new “intermediary guidelines” were aimed at regulating content on large social media platforms and messaging services like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter that had over five million users.

    The new rules require them to appoint an employee that Indian authorities can turn to if they want content removed.

    This India-based compliance officer would be criminally liable for content published on the platform.

    “There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision.

    “However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May,” Prasad tweeted in a series of posts on Twitter and its Indian rival Koo.

    A spokesperson for Twitter said it was keeping the IT Ministry informed of steps it was taking to comply with the new guidelines.

    It said an interim chief compliance officer had been appointed and details would be shared with the ministry.

    As part of the new guidelines, the firms must also engage in pro-active monitoring of content and share details if required with Indian authorities about the originators of messages.

    If they failed to comply with the new guidelines, these platforms can lose their status as intermediaries, which means they would be open to legal action for something posted on their platform along with the person who posts it.

  • Tainted liquor kills 22 people in India

    Tainted liquor kills 22 people in India

    At least 22 people have died after consuming toxic alcohol in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Saturday.

    The first deaths were reported earlier on Friday and 28 more people were being treated in hospitals in villages in the Aligarh district, senior official Chandra Bhushan Singh said.

    The victims, locals who belong to some three villages as well as truck-drivers, procured the liquor from a government-licensed store.

    The death toll was likely to rise as several victims were in a critical condition.

    Domestic media reported that more people were falling sick after consuming the lethal brew.

    State authorities has ordered a probe and have suspended five state officials while five people including the alleged kingpin of a spurious liquor racket were arrested.

    The illegal liquor trade thrives in India because it is much cheaper than commercially produced alcohol.

    Methanol, a chemical used in antifreeze and wood spirits, is often found in these self-made drinks.

    Hundreds of people, most of them poor, die in India each year after consuming illegally distilled alcohol, government data shows.

  • India COVID-19 cases hit 25 million

    India COVID-19 cases hit 25 million

    India became the second country after the U.S. to report more than 25 million cases of COVID-19 as it registered 263,533 new infections in the past 24 hours on Tuesday.

    The virus claimed 4,329 lives, making this the deadliest day in the country since the pandemic began, Health Ministry data showed.

    The ministry said overall, 278,719 people have died of COVID-19 in India.

    The number of new Coronavirus cases has continued to fall since last week after it reached a peak of 414,188 cases on May 7.

    However, the actual infection figures and death toll may be several times higher as testing rates are low and many people may be dying at home, experts have said, warning India not to let its guard down.

    Case numbers are rising rapidly in rural regions where health facilities are ill-equipped and COVID-19 tests are unavailable.

    A court in northern Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, criticised the authorities about the medical infrastructure in rural areas, saying it seemed as if the entire health system was at “God’s mercy,” broadcaster NDTV reported.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged state officials to focus their efforts on checking transmissions and ensuring health facilities for the poor in remote regions.

    In a bid to boost the country’s floundering inoculation drive, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India will increase vaccine supplies and expects to have 510 million vaccine doses by July.

    Although India is the global hub for vaccine manufacturing, only three per cent of the population of 1.3 billion are fully vaccinated, according to reports.

  • India releases new drug for COVID-19 treatment

    India releases new drug for COVID-19 treatment

    India has begun distribution of a newly developed drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), to treat Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.

    The drug reportedly reduces patients’ dependence on oxygen and hastens their recovery.

    It was developed by a laboratory of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

    The distribution of the new drug started on Monday.

    The first batch of the drug was released by India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, and the Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan, in the Indian capital and would be initially used in hospitals in the city.

    Some experts have however questioned the efficacy of the new drug, saying not enough evidence has been published from the stage two and three of clinical trials.

    A variation of 2-DG has been used earlier on an experimental basis to treat certain strains of cancer, but has not been approved yet for that purpose, molecular biologist Rakesh Mishra said.

    Mishra, who has been involved in the development of the new drug, said it blocked the ability of the virus to multiply in certain cells.

    A significant percentage of patients in the trials could be taken off oxygen support after taking two sachets.

    Mishra said the drug was meant to treat those in early stages so that their condition would not turn more serious.

    The formula, known as 2-DG, went through year-long second and third stage clinical trials and was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 1.

    The drug’s release comes after weeks of harrowing shortages of oxygen which has been increasingly required by patients during a deadly second wave of the pandemic.

    Scores of deaths have been reported in cities across the country including Delhi, Bangalore and the Goa capital, Panaji.

    This happened as oxygen supplies ran out at hospitals and home-care patients paid double and triple the price for concentrators and cylinders.

    While the oxygen shortage continues in some regions, the situation has improved, with supplies almost doubling since the beginning of May.

    Meanwhile, Indian manufacturers are increasing production and some logistical issues are being resolved as international aid in the form of oxygen concentrators, cylinders and plants is pouring in.

    India has an official caseload of about 25 million infections, second only to the U.S. and has suffered 274,390 deaths.

    Experts maintain that both numbers are likely to be much higher in actuality.