India
Foxconn aims to build EV factories in Europe and India by 2024
Foxconn will build electric vehicle factories in Europe, India and either North or South America by 2024, as the key iPhone assembler looks to rapidly expand its presence in the booming EV industry, the company chairman said.
The Taiwanese tech titan and world's largest contract electronics manufacturer has made EVs a key part of its growth strategy, reflecting a maturing smartphone market, reports Nikkei Asia.
Read: Nine countries to follow additional measures as India revises COVID-19 guidelines for international travellers
"Regional manufacturing will be a key to developing our EV business globally," Foxconn Chairman Young Liu told reporters on the sideline of an industry event in Taipei on Wednesday. "We will share details of a European facility, followed by India and then the South American market."
Liu said all plans will involve partnering with local governments or government-recommended enterprises. "In Europe, through collaboration, we will work indirectly with German automakers."
A new American plant, he added, would serve the South American market though it could end up being located in Mexico, which has become an important hub for automotive supply chains and a key manufacturing base for Foxconn.
Foxconn has already made overseas forays into EVs. It recently acquired a manufacturing plant from Lordstown Motors in the U.S. state of Ohio, which the company will use to produce full-size electric pickup trucks for the American market from April 2022. Foxconn is also building a production facility in Thailand with state-backed oil and gas company PTT to serve Southeast Asia. In China, the company is collaborating with Zhejiang Geely Holding.
Liu said Foxconn can offer open software solutions and chassis designs for carmakers, which they can customize for their target markets.
"In the past, any company set to make a brand-new car will need an investment of at least 10 billion New Taiwan dollars ($359 million), but Foxconn's service could help all the players save on cost and development time."
Read: India hits 1 billion Covid vaccination milestone
The iPhone assembler has vowed to turn its nascent EV venture into a $35 billion business in five years. Foxconn's revenue from its automotive-related business is projected to surpass NT$10 billion for the first time this year.
Foxconn on Monday unveiled three EV prototypes -- an SUV, luxury sedan and bus -- made by Foxtron, its joint venture with Taiwanese automaker Yulon Motors.
Yulon Chairperson and CEO Lilian Chen said her company will be one of the first to adopt Foxtron's prototypes.
Nine countries to follow additional measures as India revises COVID-19 guidelines for international travellers
As part of the revised travel guidelines issued by the Government of India for international passengers arriving in the country, travellers from nine countries need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing (countries at-risk).
According to an order issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, these are countries in Europe including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, reports ANI.
The order further said that a category has been defined with which the Government of India has an agreement for mutual recognition vaccination certificate for individuals fully vaccinated with nationally recognised or WHO recognised COVID-19 vaccine and those exempting Indian citizens fully vaccinated with nationally recognised or WHO recognised vaccines.
Read: Foxconn aims to build EV factories in Europe and India by 2024
"These Countries are The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary, and Serbia," read the order.
It further said, "The existing guidelines (issued on 17th February 2021 with subsequent addendums) for international arrivals in India have been formulated taking a risk-based approach. In view of increasing vaccination coverage across the globe and the changing nature of the pandemic, the existing guidelines for international arrivals in India have been reviewed."
"Standard Operating Procedure shall be valid with the effect of 25th October 2021 till further orders. Based on the risk assessment, this document shall be reviewed from time to time," read the order.
Read: India hits 1 billion Covid vaccination milestone
As per the order, if a person is planning for travel then he/she should submit a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal before the scheduled travel and Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report.
The passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise, it added.
India hits 1 billion Covid vaccination milestone
India Thursday scripted history by hitting the milestone of one billion Covid-19 vaccinations in just nine months after it began its ambitious inoculation drive.
India is the second country in the world to achieve the feat in such "a short period of time". China, however, touched the one billion mark of Covid vaccinations in June.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the milestone as "historic" and described it as "the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians".
Read: FDA OKs mixing COVID vaccines; backs Moderna, J&J boosters
"Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat," he said in the national capital.
According to the Indian Health Ministry, around three-quarters of the country's adults have had one dose of a Covid vaccine while 30 percent are fully jabbed.
And the government aims to get all the country's adults inoculated by this year-end.
India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to hit the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark, as per the Ministry data.
The country took 24 days to reach the 40-crore mark and 20 more days to surpass the 50-crore vaccination mark on August 6. It then took 76 days to hit the 100-crore mark.
"Congratulations India! This is the result of the leadership of our visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.
Read: Covid vaccine: India's Covaxin gets emergency use approval for kids aged 2-18
India's daily case count has also been dropping -- from less than 30,000 new daily cases in the past month to below 20,000 cases in the past 10 days.
India rolled out the world's largest Covid vaccination drive on January 16, with Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield and state-owned Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
India also sent Covid jabs to neighbouring countries. And Bangladesh was the first to receive two million doses of Covishield as a gift from India.
India plans to raise Covid jab production: High Commission
India is looking at an increased monthly production of Covid-19 jabs, a larger basket of vaccine options and a larger proportion of its population fully vaccinated by the end of 2021.
This would translate to a larger potential to share vaccines with the world, contributing toward realisation of the Prime Minister’s vision of 'One Earth, One Health', the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a press release.
India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive has achieved a historic milestone of administering 1 billion vaccine doses. Around 75% of the eligible population (18+) has been given the first dose, while around 30% has been given both the doses.
Read:Indian high commissioner interacts with Buddhist community
India has achieved this mark of 1 billion vaccine doses in less than 40 weeks, said the High Commission.
This milestone exemplifies India’s prowess in various elements in the vaccination journey -- development of new vaccines, production of vaccines, deployment, and technology, it said.
India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive was launched on 16 January, 2021.
But preparations had begun way back in April 2020 with the establishment of the National Task Force for Focused Research on Corona Vaccine, the release said.
Today, India is the only country that has developed multiple vaccines across multiple platforms (Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin uses an inactivated virus platform, Zycov-D is a DNA vaccine, Covishield a viral vector vaccine, Gennova is in the running for being India’s first mRNA vaccine), according to the High Commission.
On the approval of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), three vaccines have been utilised in the programme -- Covishield produced by the Serum Institute of India in collaboration with AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom, Covaxin of Bharat Biotech International Limited and Sputnik V of Russia.
Read:Bangladesh receives 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccine
Nearly all of the 1 billion doses administered have been 'Made-in-India', except for a miniscule proportion of Sputnik V (approximately 0.4 million doses).
Moreover, the High Commission said, more than 95% of those vaccine doses have been delivered by India’s public health system, a testimony to its reach and robustness.
Nevertheless, it said, private healthcare outlets have also been included in the implementation of the vaccination drive.
Death toll passes 150 in Nepal and India floods
More than 150 people have died after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in two Indian states - Uttarakahand and Kerala - and parts of Nepal.
Homes were submerged or crushed by rocks swept into them by landslides, reports BBC.
At least 50 people, including five from a single family, died in Uttarakhand some 77 people died in Nepal, with dozens more missing in both nations.
Read: Floods, landslides kill at least 28 people in southern India
Rains further south in India's Kerala state also triggered deadly floods, leaving another 39 dead there.
Six more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in Uttarakhand, taking the death toll in the Himalayan state, a popular tourist spot, to 52.
Schools have been closed and religious and tourist activities suspended in the state.
The Ganges burst its bank in Rishikesh and the popular Nainital region was severely affected.
Uttarakhand, which normally sees up to 30.5mm (1.2in) of rain for the whole of October, recorded 328mm in a 24-hour period this week.
But the Indian Meteorological Department says the rainfall is now easing.
Rainfall in Nepal may not be so quick to ease.
The worst-affected areas are Panchthar district in east Nepal, and Ilam and Doti in west Nepal.
Read: 21 dead in India floods & landslides
23 dead as heavy rains lash India's Uttarakhand state
As many as 23 people have died in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy post-monsoon showers in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the past two days, officials said on Tuesday.
Of the deaths, 16 occurred in the district of Nainital on Tuesday. "Seven people were killed after the wall of a house collapsed in Nainital, following a cloudburst in the district. Some people are also missing in the district," a senior government official told the media.
The Indian Army has been carrying out relief and rescue operations alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local police. Three Army choppers have been pressed into action in the most-affected areas of the state.
Also read: Floods, landslides kill at least 28 people in southern India
Earlier in the day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took stock of the situation in the hilly state.
The Chief Minister also conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas. "The CM has directed all district magistrates to complete the assessment of crop damage to farmers and send reports at the earliest," the government said in a statement.
Uttarakhand and the southern Indian state of Kerala have been witnessing the heaviest post-monsoon showers this year. In Kerala, at least 28 people have died since Saturday. Some people are still missing in the southern state, according to officials.
Also read: 21 dead in India floods & landslides
The deaths in Kerala occurred mostly in Kottayam and Idukki districts, where several houses were swept away following flooding and landslides on Saturday, rendering hundreds of people homeless. The displaced people are housed in makeshift camps.
Three years ago, in August 2018, over 400 people died in Kerala in what was touted as the state's worst flooding in a century.
Floods, landslides kill at least 28 people in southern India
Officials predicted more rain as the death toll from floods and landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala rose to 28 on Monday.
Since the ferocious downpours began last week, swollen rivers have decimated bridges, and vehicles and homes have been swept away. Several dams were nearing full capacity.
K.J. Ramesh, one of India’s top meteorologists and the former chief of the weather agency, said the increased rainfall was linked to climate change and warmer oceans.
“This is definitely a sign of things to come,” he said.
Also read: 21 dead in India floods & landslides
At least 23 people died in Kottayam and Idukki districts, among the worst hit. More than 9,000 people have taken shelter in over 200 camps across the state, officials said.
The heavy rainfall resulted from a low-pressure area that formed over the southeastern Arabian sea and Kerala. It was expected to ease Monday, but the Meteorological Department warned that new rain-bearing winds would hit the region starting Wednesday, bringing more precipitation.
Heavy rainfall is also predicted across several northern and eastern Indian states.
Also read: Heavy rains, landslides leave 18 dead in south India
The National Disaster Response Force and the Indian army deployed teams in Kerala to help rescue efforts.
“I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
Bangladesh, India to celebrate ‘Maitree Diwas’ in 18 countries Dec 6
Bangladesh and India will jointly celebrate “Maitree Diwas” (Friendship Day) in 18 countries on December 6, marking 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence and 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations.
On December 06, 1971, India recognized an independent Bangladesh, borne out of the nine-month long struggle of the Bangalee people for liberation from oppression, for a life of freedom.
To cherish this landmark day in history, the two friendly countries are hosting a “Maitree Diwas” logo and backdrop design competition.
The contest is open to all citizens of India and Bangladesh, residents in their respective countries or anywhere in the world.
READ: Bangladesh, India planning limited flight operation
The last date for accepting entries is 31 October 2021. The submission of entry is free; and no special qualifications are prescribed, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The entries will be judged on the basis of elements of creativity, originality, composition, technical excellence, simplicity, artistic merit and visual impact and how well the theme is communicated.
For each category of contest, the selected winners will be awarded the first prize of US$ 1,000, second prize US$ 700, third prize US$ 500, and 5 consolation prizes of US$ 200 each; the sum due will be paid in equivalent INR or Tk to only an account maintained in India or Bangladesh.
The contest will take place in two categories -- one for logo and the other for backdrop design.
An entrant cannot submit more than one entry for each category but can submit a separate entry for each of the two categories. Multiple entries from the same entrant for one category will not be considered and will be rejected.
Every entry should be accompanied by a brief written explanation of the Design and how it best symbolizes the concept of ‘Maitree Diwas’.
READ: Bangladesh, India start freight train services on Haldibari-Chilahati route
An entry could be an individual or a team project, provided participating team members are all nationals of India or Bangladesh, or both.
21 dead in India floods & landslides
At least 21 people have been killed and more than a dozen others missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy post-monsoon showers in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said Sunday.
The deaths occurred mostly in Kottayam and Idukki districts, where several houses were swept away following flooding and landslides Saturday, rendering hundreds of people homeless.
Indian armed forces have been carrying out rescue operations alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local police, since Saturday afternoon.
"So far, 21 bodies have been recovered from under the debris but over a dozen people are still missing. Though the showers have subsided, bad weather is hampering rescue operations in some areas," a senior state government official told the local media.
Read: Bangkok braces for possible flooding as rains continue
Kerala's Chief Minister Pinayari Vijayan held a high-level meeting on Saturday itself and asked officials of the two districts to ensure that all the displaced people were shifted to makeshift camps.
"Masks, sanitisers, drinking water, medicines should be made available in camps," local media quoted the Chief Minister as telling the officials.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Moditook to social media to condole the deaths. "It is saddening that some people have lost their lives due to heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families," he tweeted Sunday.
The country's main opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is a lawmaker from the state of Kerala, also tweeted his condolences to the families of those killed in the deluge.
Read: Faridpur flood: Over 2000ha cropland submerged for nearly four weeks
"My thoughts are with the people of Kerala. Please stay safe and follow all safety precautions," Gandhi tweeted.
Kerala and the western Indian state of Maharashtra witnessed the heaviest monsoon rains this year. In Maharashtra, over 100 people died in landslides in July.
Three years ago, in August 2018, over 400 people died in Kerala in what was touted as the state's worst flooding in a century.
Heavy rains, landslides leave 18 dead in south India
At least 18 people have died a day after torrential rains swept through villages and flooded roads in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Officials said rescuers recovered the bodies in two of the worst-hit districts, Kottayam and Idukki, where the heavy downpours triggered massive landslides, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
The National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Army deployed teams to help with rescue efforts as several are still feared to be missing.
Also read: 9 dead as rains trigger landslides in India
On Saturday, when the heavy rains began, television reports showed people wading through chest-deep waters to rescue passengers from a bus that was nearly submerged by the torrents flooding the roads.
The state chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, urged residents on Sunday to exercise extreme caution even though the intense rainfall has since subsided. Over a 100 relief camps have been set up, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to the chief minister and added that authorities were working to rescue those affected. “I pray for everyone's safety and well-being,” he said in a tweet.
Also read: Bangkok braces for possible flooding as rains continue
In 2018, Kerala suffered catastrophic floods when heavy downpours amid the monsoon season killed 223 people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.