India
India defers resumption of international flights
Amid a global scare over the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, India on Wednesday backtracked on its decision to resume international flights from December 15.
India's civil aviation regulator said that the decision was taken to limit any possible spread of the Omicron variant in the country and an effective date of resumption of scheduled international passenger flights "shall be notified in due course".
Fortunately, not a single case of Omicron variant of coronavirus has been detected in India so far.
Read: India announces new travel rules amid Omicron scare
"In view of the merging global scenario... the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
The regulator's latest move comes barely five days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked officials to review the Civil Aviation Ministry's decision to resumption regular international flights from December 15 over Omicron scare.
After a long Covid-induced hiatus, the Civil Aviation Ministry last Friday said that it would allow regular international passenger flights from December 15.
Read: India to resume regular international flights from Dec 15
"The matter of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services, to and from India, has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health, and it has been decided... may be resumed from December 15," as per the Ministry's order.
The Indian government put curbs on all domestic and international flights in March last year in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdown. Though it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, restrictions prevailed on international flights till it allowed the entry of all foreigners except tourists in October that year.
Dhaka-Delhi ties “crucial for greater regional stability”
Bilateral issues with India need to be resolved amicably with fairness and justice as the Bangladesh-India relations are crucial for greater regional stability and development, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
“The past 50 years are a testimony, with ample evidence, how crucial Bangladesh-India relations are not only for bilateral partnership and peace, but also for greater regional stability and the development of the subcontinent,” he said while addressing a dialogue on Wednesday as the chief guest.
To alleviate the sufferings and save the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on the Teesta River basin, Alam said, it is necessary that Bangladesh receives its fair share of the Teesta waters based on the draft agreement which has already been agreed upon by both the governments in January 2011.
Read: Bangladesh-India relations scale newer heights: Hasina
He said Bangladesh believes in India’s sincere commitment and continued efforts to conclude this agreement at the earliest.
Likewise, the State Minister mentioned, it is necessary that an equitable comprehensive water-sharing agreement on common rivers such as Gumti, Khowai, Kushiyara, Teesta, Feni and Muhuri needs to be concluded so that the people of Bangladesh can perceive that India will be attentive and fair to their needs.
He said the past 50 years will guide them to navigate the course of the next 50 years in the evolving scenario of the regional and global context, where the friendship and partnership would be deeper and more consolidated.
“As we march forward to turn the dream of Sonar Bangla of Bangabandhu into a reality, the partnership and friendship with India signifies a metamorphological transition to transform the region as a role model of peace, prosperity, and development,” he said highlighting the historic transformative journey of shared prosperity.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the dialogue titled “50 Years of Bangladesh-India Partnership: Towards a Journey in the Next 50 Years” in collaboration with the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India.
Bangladesh removed from India’s "red list": FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said Bangladesh has been removed from the "red list" of India following a request from Dhaka.
He said the India High Commission in Dhaka has informed about the removal of Bangladesh from the “red list” following their request.
Read: ‘We've a very transparent democracy’: FM Momen
Countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing (Countries at-risk), are countries in the Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel, said the High Commission.
Bangladesh is out of the list for additional measures at airports on arrival, said the High Commissioner.
New Zealand ekes out dramatic draw in 1st test against India
Rachin Ravindra played out 91 deliveries to help New Zealand eke out a dramatic draw in the first test against India just as the home team’s spinners looked like forcing the win on Monday.
Set 284 to win, New Zealand was 165-9 when umpire Nitin Menon called off play having checked light readings in each of the previous six overs.
Ravindra was unbeaten on 18 runs, while tailender Ajaz Patel faced 23 balls to score 2 not out. The last-wicket partnership faced 52 deliveries to deny India victory late on the fifth day.
Also read: New Zealand 79-1 at lunch on 5th day, chasing 284 to win
Ravichandran Ashwin took 3-35 and fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja had 4-40 as New Zealand lost six wickets for 66 runs either side of the tea break. Axar Patel also took 1-23.
“Ravindra showed great composure (and) Ajaz Patel with his defense,” said Ashwin, who moved to 419 wickets — past Harbhajan Singh’s 417 — and became the third on India’s all-time list after Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434).
“Everybody hangs in there, everybody can defend well these days.”
After lunch, which New Zealand reached at 79-1, the downfall began as Umesh Yadav (1-34) got the elusive breakthrough when nightwatchman William Somerville was caught first ball after resumption for 36 off 110 deliveries.
Somerville put on 76 with Tom Latham for the second wicket, with the pair batting through the first session.
Latham was the top-scorer with 52 off 146 balls for his 22nd test half-century. He also scored 95 in the first innings.
The meltdown began after New Zealand crossed 100 in the 47th over.
Latham played onto his own stumps off Ashwin, sparking a collapse from 118-3 to 128-6 in the span of 15.1 overs.
Jadeja accounted for Ross Taylor (2), while Kane Williamson (24) was trapped lbw as New Zealand went to tea at 125-4.
Also read: Chattogram Test: Pakistan make it close as openers hit fifties
Axar Patel had Henry Nicholls (1) dismissed lbw and New Zealand’s middle order put up little resistance as Ashwin bowled Tom Blundell (2).
Kyle Jamieson (5) and Tim Southee (4) helped Ravindra eat up 11 overs before falling to Jadeja and there were just 10.4 overs remaining in the day.
The umpires checked fading light repeatedly but play carried on until the dramatic call-off with approximately two overs remaining.
Both sides earned four points for a draw in the World Test Championship. The second and final test begins in Mumbai on Friday.
18 killed, 5 injured in road accident in India's West Bengal
At least 18 people were killed and five others injured after a vehicle carrying them collided with a stationary truck in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, officials said Sunday.The accident took place late Saturday night at the Phulbari area of Nadia district, about 164 km north of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal."Late last night a vehicle carrying people collided with a stationary truck laden with stones at Phulbari area, resulting in the killing of 18 people and injuring five others," a police official said.According to police, the victims were mourners heading to a crematorium to cremate the body of a relative.
READ: 2 of a family die in Noakhali road crash
Following the accident, the injured were removed to a nearby hospital.Police officials said preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was being rashly driven and there was dense fog in the area.West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar expressed his grief and said there was a need to promote road safety.Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused by overloading, poor condition of roads and reckless driving.Around 150,000 people are killed every year in around half a million road accidents across India, officials said.
READ: Two Class X students die in Chandpur road crashIndia's federal minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari recently said the government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2024.
Constitutions of Bangladesh, India largely contributed to world politics, jurisprudence: Envoy
The constitutions of Bangladesh and India have largely contributed to world politics and jurisprudence, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami says.
India has emerged from 200 years of experience, and the independence of the judiciary was one of the critical parts of its history, the envoy said.
"The constitution demands interpretation in the light of the spirit of the constitution-makers," Doraiswami said.
He suggested that the provisions of the constitution should be made understandable to everyone as the young people should understand why there is a constitution and how it matters to them.
To understand the goals and purpose of the constitution one has to read its preamble, Doraiswami added.
President Putin to visit New Delhi on Dec 6
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to New Delhi on December 6 for the 21st India-Russia annual Summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The last India-Russia annual Summit was held in September 2019 during the visit of Modi to Vladivostok (Russia).
Read: ‘Practical work’ summit for Biden, Putin: No punches or hugs
The annual summit could not take place in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, according to Indian ministry of external affairs on Friday.
This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders after their meeting on the side-lines of the BRICS Summit in Brasilia in November, 2019.
There have been 6 telephonic conversations between the two leaders since November, 2019 till date apart from virtual meetings for multilateral Summits.
The leaders will review the state and prospects of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Read:Face to face: Biden, Putin ready for long-anticipated summit
The Summit will also afford an opportunity to exchange views on regional, multilateral and international issues of mutual interest.
The visit is in continuation of the tradition of annual summits alternately in India and Russia.
The visit will provide further impetus to the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
India to resume regular international flights from Dec 15
After a long Covid-induced hiatus, India will resume regular international flights from the middle of December. This was announced by India's Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday.
"The matter of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services, to and from India, has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health, and it has been decided... may be resumed from December 15," the Ministry said in an order.
Read:EU wants to stop flights from southern Africa over variant
The Indian government put curbs on all domestic and international flights in March last year in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdown. Though it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, restrictions prevailed on international flights till it allowed the entry of all foreigners except tourists in October that year.
However, restrictions on regular international flights to and from 14 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, China, Botswana and South Africa, will continue, government sources told UNB.
Read:South African scientists detect new virus variant amid spike
The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry's decision to resume scheduled international flights comes amid fears over a new variant of the coronavirus -- the B.1.1.529 strain -- that has spread to Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong since its detection in South Africa.
"All passengers coming to India will need to have downloaded a government contact-tracing app, and they will also be subject to thermal screening. Also, flyers will also need to wear masks and gloves while inside airports," the sources said.
Serum Institute of India to start Covishield supply to COVAX countries
The Serum Institute of India (SII) will start COVID-19 vaccines supply to COVAX countries soon, sources said on Monday.
Serum Institute of India was supposed to start Covishield vaccine supply to COVAX countries from Monday, after it received approval from the government of India, to supply COVID vaccines to other countries, reports ANI.
Read:Made-in-India stealth fighter project set to take off in 2022
"The first consignment from the Pune facility of Serum Institute of India was scheduled to leave for Nepal today. However, due to some reason, it has been delayed by two to three days," said SII sources.
"However the clarity on the exact date of the consignment dispatch is still awaited," sources added.
Earlier, the government of India has allowed the SII to start the supply of vaccines to other countries in the world. The supply of COVID vaccines to other countries was banned by the government in April this year.
Read:Indian PM scraps three contentious farm laws
Earlier, in a tweet Serum Institute of India's chairman, Adar Poonawala had said that around 200 million doses of Covishield are stockpiled with the states in India.
Being the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, SII now produces over 120 million doses of Covishield every month, and according to some sources, there are over 150 million doses stockpiled in the manufecturer'sshalini bhardwaj Pune facility.
Torrential rain claims 17 lives in India
At least 17 people have died and over 100 others washed away in flash floods triggered by heavy showers in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said Saturday.
The worst affected are Kadapa district and the temple town of Tirupati.
"Of the 17 deceased, eight were killed in Kadapa after two state-run buses were swept away in the gushing waters when the Annamayya dam breached Friday," a senior disaster management official said.
READ: Container train service with Bangladesh to boost trade ties: India
"Though 20 passengers were rescued after a day-long operation, some 50 others are still missing. The rescue operations are on," the official told the media.
Local TV channels beamed footage of hundreds of pilgrims stranded in floods in the temple town of Tirupati. Similarly, in Chittoor district, at least four people were killed in flash floods.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has carrying out relief and rescue operations in collaboration with the local police since Friday afternoon. Choppers have been pressed into action in the most-affected areas, officials said.
READ: 10 Bangladeshis return home after serving 2 yrs jail in India
Last month, as many as 23 people were killed in flash floods and landslides caused by heavy post-monsoon showers in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand and the southern states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have been witnessing the heaviest post-monsoon showers this year. In Kerala, at least 28 people died in October.