News

Region takes about a third of all Indian fruit shipment and quarter of vegetables sold abroad; consignments from other states could face ban, too, if virus not contained With Kerala continuing to battle the infectious and deadly Nipah virus, all fruit and vegetables from the state have been banned in the majority of nations across the Arabian Gulf. The region is India's largest export market. Nipah has claimed 17 lives till now. Last week, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had ordered complete import restriction on fruit and vegetables from Kerala. Over this weekend, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait also announced officially that import in both categories would stop till further notice. Since most countries in the region have similar and closely knit Customs rules, media reports from Oman suggest it might also follow. ALSO READ:  Homoeopaths claim to have a cure for Nipah virus, urge govt to test it out The brain-damaging Nipah virus appeared in Kerala ea...

Intruder suspicious vessel, which was found to be registered in Panama, had 8 crew members, no cargo In one of the  Biggest Drugs Haul , an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship seized 1,500 kgs of heroin valued at about Rs 3,500 crore from a merchant vessel off the Gujarat coast, a defence spokesperson said today. Merchant vessel 'Henry' was intercepted and detained off the Gulf of Khambat along the Gujarat coast by ICG ship 'Samudra Pavak,' the coast guard said in a release today. Latest Current Affairs  : The vessel was intercepted at around 12:00 hrs yesterday. "During the initial inspection by the Coast Guard, approximately 1,500 kg of narcotics worth Rs 3,500 crore have been found onboard (ship 'Henry'). This is the biggest catch of narcotics in the present times," it said. The intruder suspicious vessel, which was found to be registered in Panama, had eight crew members onboard and no cargo. It said it was headed to Bhavnagar for break...