India
India may be entering endemic stage of Covid: WHO
Covid-19 in India may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity with a low or moderate level of transmission going on, according to the chief scientist of the UN health agency.
The endemic stage is when a population learns to live with a virus. It is very different to the epidemic stage when the virus overwhelms a population.
Read:India gives emergency approval for world's first COVID-19 DNA vaccine
"As far as India is concerned that seems to be what is happening and because of the size of India and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of the country in different pockets. It is very feasible that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in different parts of the country, particularly where there are more susceptible populations," World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said in an interview Wednesday.
"We may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where low-level transmission or moderate level transmission is going on but we are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago," Swaminathan said.
During April-May this year, India witnessed a devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read:'India likely to have Covid shot for children by September'
"I hope by the end of 2022, we will be in that position that we have achieved vaccine coverage, say 70%, and then countries can get back to normal, " Swaminathan said.
"Although it is possible that children could get infected in a third wave in large numbers, it is very unlikely that they will fall seriously ill. However, it is advisable to be prepared for more infections in children," the WHO chief scientist said.
Govt relaxes conditions for returnees from India through Benapole
Government has relaxed the existing conditions for Bangladeshi passengers returning from India through Benapole.
A circular signed by Director (disease control) of the Directorate General of Health Services(DGHS) professor Nazmul Islam was sent to the immigration department at Benapole on Sunday.
The circular mentioned relaxation of conditions for four categories of Bangladeshi passengers.
Also read: Indian traders suspend trade through Benapole to protest BSF harassment
According to the notice, cancer and kidney disease patients or pregnant women and fully vaccinated passengers were exempted from the condition of staying in institutional quarantine but the authorities have to ensure they remain isolated at home.
Those who have only received one dose of Covid vaccine will need to stay in 14-day institutional quarantine on their own expenses as per the previous conditions, said the notification.
Every passenger will have to secure a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Bangladesh consulate in Kolkata and will have to manage a Covid-negative certificate within 72 hours.
However, apart from the four categories, all India-returned passengers will have to maintain the mandatory institutional quarantine following the earlier regulations.
Also read: Passengers can travel to India every day, but return on 3 days through Benapole
Ahsan Habib, in-charge officer of the Benapole Immigration said according to the new notice India going passengers will not need to seek prior approval from the Home Ministry anymore.
They have been following the directions of the circular from Sunday, he said.
India Wants to Grow Tiger Population by 35% to Protect Forests, Boost Economy
Among Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s myriad options to help revive his economy from a rare contraction brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, “Project Tiger” is definitely among the most unlikely.
According to Bloomberg, the country intends to grow the wild tiger population by 35% to as many as 4,000 in the next decade, which would protect forests while also boosting economic gains from conservation, according to a top official overseeing the nation’s tiger program.
“Tiger reserves are bringing benefits for society, environment and the economy,” S.P. Yadav, additional director general of Project Tiger, a government-run program for conservation of the species, said in an interview at his New Delhi office. “Economic benefits will increase going forward.”
Read:Tiger population growing in the Sundarbans: PM
Modi, who in 2019 joined British adventurer Bear Grylls on a television show to create awareness about environmental conservation and climate change, has doubled funding for the tiger conservation, which started in 1973. In addition to the economic boost, it’s a tiny part of a broader commitment to care for the country’s environment.
Every tiger successfully protected helps conserve around 25,000 acres (10,117 hectares) of forest, according to estimates from the World Wildlife Fund. For India, which is now home to about 2,967 wild tigers, that means expanding its forest cover by more than 10 million hectares to over 81 million hectares, and adding more tiger reserves to its current total of 51.
As well, one rupee invested in tiger reserves provides 243- to 7,488-times worth of benefits to the country in a year, said Madhu Verma, New Delhi-based chief economist at the World Resources Institute. A study authored by her in 2019 showed monetary value of direct and indirect benefits from 10 tiger reserves ranged from 51 billion rupees ($687 million) to 162 billion rupees in a year.
As the endangered big cats are at the top of the food chain, their conservation is possible only when their entire ecosystem is protected. As well, benefits flow to the population around the reserves as tourism increases and local communities get jobs.
Read:Poacher 'Tiger Habib' held after 20 yrs on the run
“If conservation efforts increase economic benefits would go up,” said Verma. “Investment in reserves will have a whopping impact.”
India now spends about 2.5 billion rupees on tiger conservation efforts every year. Although it’s a fraction of the 35 trillion rupee federal budget, the amount is substantial considering the nation only spent about 11 billion rupees on tigers in total during the four decades prior to 2012.
That spending has so far helped double the country’s wild tiger population from 1,411 in 2006.
India has been using smart technology, including artificial intelligence and drones for patrolling and recording the status of tigers. These tools have helped it reduce poaching, but challenges remain.
Read: Two ‘poachers’ killed in tiger attack in Sundarbans
More than 300 tiger deaths have been reported in last three years, and about a third of these are due to poaching, seizure or accidents. India’s tiger reserves on just about a quarter of the world tiger habitat are also threatened by conflicts with humans, including rise in killing of livestock and people, inadequacy of trained forest staff, as well as development of infrastructure such as roads and hydropower projects.
Tiger-human conflicts need attention and the government is studying how many tigers can be accommodated so that there are substantial benefits to communities, Yadav said, pointing out the significance of wild cats for human health and green infrastructure.
“For water security you need to preserve tigers,” said Yadav. “Several sweet water streams originate in tiger reserves. These are the factories of producing clean water and air for the country.”
India gives emergency approval for world's first COVID-19 DNA vaccine
India's drug regulator has granted emergency use approval for Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine, the world's first DNA shot against the coronavirus, in adults and children aged 12 years and above, repports REUTERS.
The approval gives a boost to India's vaccination programme, which aims to inoculate all eligible adults by December, and will provide the first shot for those under 18, as the country still struggles to contain the virus spread in some states.
Read: Zydus seeks nod for world’s first plasmid DNA Covid vaccine
The vaccine, ZyCoV-D, uses a section of genetic material from the virus that gives instructions as either DNA or RNA to make the specific protein that the immune system recognises and responds to.
Unlike most COVID-19 vaccines, which need two doses or even a single dose, ZyCoV-D is administered in three doses.
The generic drugmaker, listed as Cadila Healthcare Ltd, aims to make 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually and has already begun stockpiling the vaccine.
Read: US to recommend COVID vaccine boosters at 8 months
Zydus Cadila's vaccine, developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, is the second home-grown shot to get emergency authorization in India after Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
The drugmaker said in July its COVID-19 vaccine was effective against the new coronavirus mutants, especially the Delta variant, and that the shot is administered using a needle-free applicator as opposed to traditional syringes. read more
The regulatory nod makes ZyCoV-D the sixth vaccine authorized for use in the country where only about 9.18% of the entire population has been fully vaccinated so far, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Read: Thailand to start trials of homegrown Covid-19 vaccine in September
Zydus Cadila had also submitted data evaluating a two-dose regimen for the shot in July and plans to seek regulatory approval for the same.
The firm had applied for the authorization of ZyCoV-D on July 1, based on an efficacy rate of 66.6% in a late-stage trial of over 28,000 volunteers nationwide.
Over 100 Indians held by Taliban evacuated from Kabul
India on Sunday evacuated all its nationals who were briefly held by the Taliban in Kabul on Saturday.
A C-17 Air Force transport aircraft carrying 168 people -- including the 107 Indians -- from Kabul airport touched down at Hindon air base on Delhi's outskirts at 10am (IST).
Read:All Indian nationals held by Taliban in Kabul released: Reports
Some 26 Afghan nationals, including two prominent senators from Kabul, were also among those evacuated by the Indian Air Force, officials said.
"I feel like crying. Everything that was built in the past 20 years is now finished. It's zero now," Indian-origin Afghan senator Narender Singh Khalsa told the media upon arrival.
Earlier this morning, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted few photos of the evacuation efforts at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
"Evacuation continues! IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul," he wrote.
Apart from the military plane, three other commercial flights evacuating another 100 stranded Indian nationals from Kabul also landed at Delhi airport this morning.
On Saturday morning, these 107 Indian nationals were among some 150 people picked up by armed Taliban fighters from outside the Kabul airport.
Read: Several Indians among 150 kidnapped by Taliban in Kabul: Reports
Quoting sources, multiple media outlets had reported that the Indians were "kidnapped" by the Taliban and taken to a police station, where their travel documents were checked.
These Indians were subsequently released, the reports said, citing the same sources.
On Friday, the Indian Air Force airlifted 85 Indians from Kabul. And three days prior to that, India evacuated all its diplomatic staff, including the Ambassador, from Kabul.
Though Afghanistan has closed its airspace for all civilian flights, military aircraft are still evacuating foreign nationals with the help of the US troops stationed at Kabul airport.
In the past two weeks, India has evacuated all its diplomatic staff and their families from its three consulates in Afghanistan -- Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat.
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan last Sunday, with the American troops virtually ending their 20-year military presence in the South Asian country.
Read:Reports of targeted Taliban killings fuel Afghans' fears
India is worried about the implications of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, given it has so far infused over three billion USD worth development aid into that country.
The horrific memories of the Taliban's role in the hijacking of an Indian airliner in 1999 also worries Delhi. "It's a wait and watch situation for us," a diplomat recently said.
Another Oxygen Express on its way to Bangladesh from India
Another Oxygen Express of Indian Railways has embarked on its journey to Bangladesh on Thursday with 198 MT Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to help address respiratory distress caused by Covid-19.
This is 10th Oxygen Express of Indian Railways which will arrive here with the Liquid Medical Oxygen.
Read:Linde Bangladesh raises awareness on oxygen conservation
Nine other Oxygen Express trains delivered liquid oxygen to Bangladesh in July and August.
Linde Bangladesh is the importer of the medical oxygen exported by Linde India.
On April 24, this year he state-owned Indian Railways started operating the special oxygen trains service to supply liquid oxygen in 480 states across the country.
Read:India's fourth Oxygen Express arrives with 200 MT of medical oxygen
Bangladesh is the first foreign country where the Oxygen Express has been put into operation to deliver the life-saving gas amid rising Covid infections.
'India likely to have Covid shot for children by September'
India is likely to have its indigenous Covid-19 vaccine for children by September, Director of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s National Institute of Virology (Pune) Priya Abraham said.
Abraham's remarks come amid the ongoing phase II and III trials of Covaxin for the 2-18 age group.
"Hopefully, the results (of the trials) are going to be available very soon. The results will be presented to the regulators. So, by September or just after it, we may have Covid-19 vaccines for children," Abraham told India Science, an OTT channel of the science and technology department.
Read: Bangladesh- India flight operation to resume Aug 20: FM
ICMR and Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech co-developed Covaxin, India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
"Apart from Covaxin, Zydus Cadila's vaccine trial is also going on. This can also be applied to children and will be made available. Studies on booster doses have been going on overseas, and at least seven different vaccines have been tried for it," Abraham added.
"Now, the World Health Organisation has put a stop to it till more countries catch up with vaccination. This is because there is an alarming vaccine gap between high-income and low-income countries. But, in future, recommendations for boosters will come," he said.
Read: India hands over 31 ambulences, other medical equipment to Bangladesh
The vaccination programme against Covid-19 started in India on January 16 for people above 18 years. With more than seven months into the drive, so far only 9% of the country's adult population has been fully vaccinated, the figures compiled by Our World in Data showed.
The Indian government aims to vaccinate the entire population above 18 years of age by the end of this year.
India needs to administer 10 million doses a day to achieve its aim of inoculating the adult population by December, experts say.
Biman to resume flights to Delhi and Kolkata from Aug 22
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced a new schedule to operate flights from Dhaka to India from August 22 (Sunday).
Flights will operate on the Dhaka-Delhi route two days a week - Sundays and Wednesdays.
On Dhaka-Kolkata route it will fly three days a week - Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, said a media release on Wednesday.
The state-of-the-art Dash 8-400 aircraft manufactured by Canada's De Haviland will be used on the Dhaka to Delhi and Kolkata routes.
READ: Biman temporarily closes online ticketing
These new aircraft have HEPA filter technology that will make the indoor air bacteria, viruses and other germs free in just four minutes.
Passengers must undergo RT/PCR (Covid test) within 72 hours of boarding the flight and must follow hygiene rules, the release said.
READ: Two Biman chartered flights take off with stuck students, expat workers
Tickets for these routes can be collected through any of Biman's sales offices, Biman Call Center - 01990 996 996 and authorized travel agencies.
Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana to make Bollywood debut soon?
Grapevine is abuzz that superstar Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana is all set to make her debut in Bollywood this year.
Director Zoya Akhtar will cast Suhana in her upcoming romantic comedy 'Archie', an Indian version of the international comic book of the same name, if rumours are true.
Read: Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan invests in American cricket
Suhana is, however, not new to acting. She had earlier worked in the popular 'Romeo and Juliet' play in London and also acted in a 10-minute film, 'The Grey Part of Blue'.
Though Suhana has an interest in films, the 21-year-old is a football freak.
Suhana's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Read: Shah Rukh Khan to produce horror series for Netflix
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
Read: Shah Rukh Khan: Our parents always live within us and their teachings never go away
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Read Shakib Khan at odds with acting association's stance on Pori Moni
India evacuates Kabul embassy
India Tuesday evacuated all its diplomatic staff, including the Ambassador, from its embassy in Kabul on a special flight of the Air Force, some 36 hours after the Taliban seized the capital.
"In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi tweeted in the morning.
Read: 7 killed in Kabul airport chaos as Taliban patrols capital
Though Afghanistan has closed its airspace for all civilian flights, military aircraft are still evacuating stranded foreign nationals with the help of the American troops stationed at Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul.
The Indian government has also introduced a new emergency category of e-visa to fast-track applications from distressed Afghans seeking to come to this country.
"MHA reviews visa provisions in view of the current situation in Afghanistan. A new category of electronic visa called 'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa' introduced to fast-track visa applications for entry into India," a government spokesperson tweeted this morning.
Read: Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans