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Omicron scare: Here’s the list of countries at high risk and guidelines for passengers travelling from THESE nations

These are the countries where Omicron strain cases have been identified. The mutation was discovered for the first time in South Africa. Check the guidelines for passengers arriving from ‘at risk’ countries.

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Omicron variant

The Covid-19 virus, which is extremely infectious, does not seem to be going away anytime soon. After Alpha, Beta, Gama, and Delta, a new severe Covid-19 variant, Omicron has emerged. The first case of the Omicron variant is found in South Africa.

Because of the new Omicron coronavirus strain, the government is hesitant to resume foreign flights. It issued new guidelines on Sunday, identifying nearly a dozen countries as “at-risk” and eliminating the exemption for persons who have been vaccinated. The guidelines are designed to keep the Omicron variant from spreading.

What are the “at-risk” countries?

These are the countries where Omicron strain cases have been identified. The mutation was discovered for the first time in South Africa, and it has spread widely to several countries.

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The countries assigned at-risk by the government are:

  1. Countries in Europe including the United Kingdom
  2. Brazil
  3. South Africa
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Israel
  6. Singapore
  7. Zimbabwe
  8. China
  9. Mauritius
  10. Botswana
  11. New Zealand
  12. Hong Kong

Omicron, which was first discovered in southern African countries, has now been discovered in various European countries, prompting travel bans and other restrictions in several parts of the world.

The variant is believed to be more contagious than previous variants, and experts are concerned that it would weaken the vaccinations’ ability to protect against Covid-19.

covid-19 vaccine

Guidelines for passengers arriving from ‘at risk’ countries

According to new rules released by the Health Ministry, passengers arriving in India from or travelling through at-risk countries would be subjected to an RT-PCR test and will be forced to wait for the outcomes before leaving the airport or boarding a connecting aircraft.

Travellers who test positive will be taken to a medical facility for isolation and will be required to stay there until they test negative if they are infected with the Omicron variant. If they are infected with any of the other variants, a doctor will decide whether or not they can be released, based on their condition.

Read Also: First image of Omicron variant is going viral: Here’s what all you need to know| FAQs answered

People who test negative after arriving from the countries listed will be confined to in-home quarantine and will be required to take another test on the eighth day. If they are positive, they must contact the Covid-19 helpline, according to the guidelines.

These passengers would also be required to disclose their travel history for the previous 14 days.

The government stated on November 26 that regular international commercial flights would resume on December 15 after a more than 20-month break. Currently, flights are being operated via bilateral bubble agreements with countries.

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National Herald row reignites BJP-Congress face-off amid ED chargesheet

BJP has reignited its attack on the Gandhi family, accusing them of a corporate conspiracy in the National Herald case, while Congress dismisses the ED action as a political vendetta by the Modi government.

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A political slugfest has erupted once again between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress following the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet naming Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the alleged money laundering case tied to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. The BJP has termed the case a textbook example of “corporate conspiracy,” while the Congress has decried the move as an act of “political vendetta” by the Narendra Modi-led central government.

BJP questions Gandhi family’s property acquisition through Young India Ltd

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, addressing a press briefing, accused the Congress of orchestrating a corporate arrangement to transfer property into the Gandhi family’s hands. He highlighted that in 2008, after the National Herald ceased publication, the Congress gave ₹90 crore to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the newspaper’s publisher — a transaction he claims violates the norms as political parties are barred from funding private entities.

AJL reportedly failed to repay the loan, after which a non-profit entity, Young India Limited (YIL) — in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38% stake — acquired the company’s shares and, by extension, its properties across several Indian cities. Mr. Prasad questioned YIL’s charitable work and highlighted that a token amount of ₹50 lakh was paid to AJL before the remaining loan was written off.

“This is the Gandhi model of development,” Prasad said, alleging that the arrangement enabled the Gandhi family to take control of property worth thousands of crores.

BJP expands attack to Robert Vadra

The BJP leader also took aim at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra, citing alleged irregularities in land transactions. “Another member buys land for ₹3 crore and sells it for ₹58 crore. The country should learn from this Gandhi model,” he remarked sarcastically.

Congress fights back, terms case a political smokescreen

The Congress has launched protests across the country in response to the BJP’s remarks and the ED’s chargesheet. Senior leader Pawan Khera likened the current actions to pre-Independence times, stating, “Back then, the British hated National Herald, the Gandhi family and the Congress — today the RSS has taken that place.”

Calling the case baseless, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, “There has been no exchange of funds or transfer of property rights. This case is politically motivated, and the Modi government is attempting to silence the voice of the Opposition.” He affirmed that the party has full faith in the judiciary and will fight the case legally.

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Priyanka Gandhi accompanies Robert Vadra to ED office for second day in Gurugram land probe

Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, appeared before the ED for the second day in the Gurugram land case.

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Robert Vadra Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Wednesday as he appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day in connection with the Gurugram land case.

Mr Vadra, the brother-in-law of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was seen exchanging a hug with Ms Gandhi before entering the ED office. He is under scrutiny in a money laundering probe linked to a 2008 land deal in Manesar-Shikohpur area, now known as Sector 83 of Gurugram.

Focus of the probe: land deal from Congress tenure in Haryana

The investigation stems from a land transaction executed by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Mr Vadra was formerly a director. In February 2008, Skylight purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At that time, Haryana was governed by a Congress-led administration under then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In September 2012, four years after the acquisition, Skylight sold the same land to real estate developer DLF for ₹58 crore. The deal later drew public attention after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then heading the Land Consolidation and Land Records department in Haryana, cancelled the land mutation, citing violations of the State Consolidation Act and procedural discrepancies.

Haryana Police registered an FIR to examine the deal in 2018, further intensifying the legal scrutiny.

ED questions Vadra under PMLA

On Tuesday, Mr Vadra was questioned for nearly five hours by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), during which his statement was recorded. The businessman has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political vendetta and emphasized that he has cooperated fully with all investigative agencies, submitting numerous documents over the years.

Calling for a closure to what he described as a decades-old matter, Mr Vadra said cases like these should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

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Congress slams PM Modi, Amit Shah after ED files chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

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The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case.

Labelling it a blatant act of vendetta politics, the grand old party also condemned the seizure of the newspaper’s assets as a “state-sponsored crime disguised as justice,” vowing to fight back against what it calls an attempt to silence its leadership.

In a fiery statement on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi and Shah of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation. “Filing chargesheets against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others is nothing but the politics of vendetta gone wild,” Ramesh posted. “Seizing National Herald’s assets is a mockery of the rule of law.”

Hitting out at Shah, the Congress leader accused him of going “completely berserk.” He asserted that the Indian National Congress and its leadership refuse to be silenced, stating: “Satyameva Jayate.”

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Alongside Sonia and Rahul, it names Congress figures Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda. Special Judge Vishal Gogne reviewed the document for cognisance, scheduling further proceedings for April 25, with the filing handled by ED’s special public prosecutor, N.K. Matta.

Ramesh asserted that the Congress remains undeterred, promising, “We will not be silenced, and the truth will triumph.” The chargesheet reignites a long-standing legal battle tied to the National Herald, a newspaper associated with the Congress since India’s independence era.

The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court has scheduled a hearing for arguments on the ongoing National Herald case for April 25, 2025.

During a recent session, the presiding judge stated, “The present prosecution complaint shall next be taken up for consideration on the aspect of cognisance before this court on April 25, 2025, when the special counsel for the ED and the investigating officer will ensure the production of case diaries for the court’s examination.”

The prosecution complaint, lodged under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, pertains to allegations of money laundering, as outlined in Section 3, in conjunction with Section 70, and is punishable under Section 4 of the same act, as per the report.

This case has garnered significant attention, following a complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul, their associated companies, and other individuals involved.

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