Junior Digest

New Delhi, October 14,2026: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Delhi government on a public interest litigation alleging that non-dairy products are being sold and served as paneer without clearly informing consumers about their actual composition.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notice on the plea seeking strict enforcement of food safety laws to prevent dairy analogue products from being passed off as genuine paneer in the national capital.Appearing for the petitioners, counsel told the court that customers ordering paneer dishes at hotels and restaurants naturally expect to be served a milk-based product. However, they have no effective way of knowing whether the dish contains genuine paneer or a substitute made from non-dairy ingredients, the counsel argued.
“It can be a replicate. It looks and tastes like paneer. There is no disclosure or way of knowing or discovering,” the counsel submitted.When the bench asked which statutory rights had been violated, the petitioners’ counsel referred to the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, which prescribe standards for food products and their ingredients.The counsel argued that consumers should be clearly informed when a product being sold or served as paneer is made from ingredients other than milk. The plea also raises concerns over the difference in nutritional composition between genuine paneer and certain non-dairy substitutes.The petitioners sought interim directions for sampling and inspections during the ongoing Navratri and Dussehra festive period, when the consumption of food products is a particular concern.The public interest litigation seeks directions for effective implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations framed under it in Delhi. It calls for stronger inspections, testing and enforcement to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature of products sold or served as paneer. The petitioners have also raised concerns over the use of dairy analogues in restaurants, hotels, eateries and other food-service establishments without adequate disclosure of their ingredients.The plea does not seek a blanket ban on all dairy analogue products but seeks action against their alleged misrepresentation as conventional milk-based paneer.

Oct 05,2026: American scientist Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering discoveries on light and optogenetics that have helped understand ⁠how the brain works.

The Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute medical university said on Monday that Deisseroth, 54, Hegemann, 71, and Nagel, 73, were honoured “for their discovery of a molecular switch for nerve cells”.
Optogenetics involves controlling nerve signals with light, and helps researchers understand how specific cell types contribute to behaviours like learning, fear, addiction and movement.

“Optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain. Every day brings new discoveries, helping to solve one of humanity’s great mysteries: how our incredible brain works,” the Nobel Assembly said.

Thomas Perlmann, the secretary-general of the ⁠Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, added that optogenetics “makes it possible to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain”.

“This method is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain’s mysteries,” Perlmann added.

“Optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that we could once only dream of,” Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel committee, said in a statement.

Researchers also hope optogenetics could improve cochlear implants, allowing more precise stimulation of the auditory nerve than current electrical devices.

Deisseroth, 54, is a professor at Stanford University in the US, while Hegemann, 71, is a neuroscience professor at Humboldt University of Berlin. Nagel, 73, is a biophysics professor at the University of Wurzburg. The three of them will share a prize sum amounting to 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2m).

“All three said the same thing: that they ⁠thought it was absolutely wonderful to receive the prize with the other two who they call their friends – that it’s such an honour to receive the prize together,” Perlmann said.

Nobel laureates are chosen by expert committees appointed by the prize-awarding institutions. The physiology or medicine prize traditionally opens the annual Nobel announcements, with the Nobel Prize for physics announced on Tuesday, followed by the chemistry prize on Wednesday and the literature prize on Thursday.

But perhaps the most keenly anticipated award is that due on Friday, the peace prize – the only Nobel to be awarded in Oslo.
Laureates receive their awards on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, in ceremonies attended by Sweden’s and Norway’s royal families, with banquets held in their honour.

Srinagar, June 21,2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good.

Modi was addressing an event while leading celebrations of International Day of Yoga at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake.

The Yoga celebration was disrupted due to rain and the event was shifted indoors at SKICC. The event was originally slated to be held in the lawns of SKICC.

“The theme of this year’s International Yoga day is ‘Yoga for Self and Society’. The world is looking at Yoga as a powerful agent of global good. Yoga helps us live in the present moment without baggage of the past,” Modi said while addressing the participant.

“Yoga helps us realise that our welfare is related to the welfare of the world around us. When we are peaceful within, we can also make a positive impact on the world.”

The Prime Minister said the expansion of yoga has created employment and said the tourists across the globe were visiting India to learn authentic Yoga.

“People from all over the world are coming to India in pursuit of learning authentic yoga. And as a result of this, sectors related to hospitality, tourism, apparel, etc. are booming from the huge inflow of people. This is creating new avenues for employment opportunities for youth,” Modi said.

Modi said he proposed the celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations in 2014 and the proposal was supported by 177 nations, which was a record in itself.

“Yoga is now being celebrated all over the world,” he said.

He said the attraction towards Yoga in entire Jammu and Kashmir has given a new impetus to the tourism sector.

Modi arrived in Srinagar on Thursday for his first visit to the union territory after being sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time.

Mar 20,2024: The Gambia has taken steps towards lifting a ban on female circumcision, a move that could make it the first country in the world to reverse legal protections against the practice for millions of women and girls.

Politicians in the West African nation’s parliament voted 42 to four on Monday to advance the controversial bill, which would repeal a landmark 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) that made the practice punishable by up to three years in prison

Almameh Gibba, the legislator who introduced the bill, argued that the ban violated citizens’ rights to “practice their culture and religion” in the overwhelmingly Muslim country. “The bill seeks to uphold religious loyalty and safeguard cultural norms and values,” he said.

But activists and rights organisations say the proposed legislation reverses years of progress and risks damaging the country’s human rights record.
Jaha Marie Dukureh, of Safe Hands for Girls, an NGO seeking to end FGM, told Al Jazeera that the practice was “child abuse”. She, herself, underwent the practice and watched her sister bleed to death following the procedure.

“The people who applaud FGM in this country, a lot of them are men. These are men who don’t have the same lived experiences that we do, and women who have been through this practice continue to tell them every single day what their suffering is, what their pain is,” she said.

The debate over repealing the ban, imposed by former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years before being toppled in 2016, has divided the nation.

The debate flared up in August, when three women were fined for carrying out FGM on eight infant girls, becoming the first people convicted under the law.

The bill will now be sent to a parliamentary committee for further scrutiny before a third reading, a process that is expected to take three months. The committee can make amendments to the measure.
Health risks

UNICEF, the UN agency for children, defines FGM as “the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.
Seventy-six percent of Gambian females aged between 15 and 49 have undergone FGM, according to a 2021 report by UNICEF.

It can lead to serious health problems, including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth, and impairs sexual pleasure.

“Girls’ bodies are their own. FGM robs them of autonomy over their bodies and causes irreversible harm,” said the UN’s The Gambia office on X ahead of the debate.

The number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide has increased to 230 million from 200 million eight years ago, UNICEF reported this month.

It said the largest share of those women and girls were found in African countries, with more than 144 million cases, followed by more than 80 million in Asia and the number surpassing six million in the Middle East.

Rights groups believe that The Gambia’s move will set a dangerous precedent for women’s rights.

“There’s the inherent risk that this is just the first step and it could lead to the rollback of other rights such as the law on child marriage … and not just in The Gambia but in the region as a whole,” said Divya Srinivasan, from women’s rights NGO Equality Now.

Criminalisation was a crucial step in the fight against female circumcision, Equality Now said, but noted that more than half of the 92 countries where FGM is practised have laws banning it.

Dhaka (Bangladesh),July 24,2023: Bangladesh is grappling with a deadly dengue outbreak as heavy monsoon rains in the country cause widespread infections and fill hospitals.

Health experts in the South Asian nation of 170 million people say the disease has already reached an “epidemic” proportion, even though the government has not officially declared one.

Until Sunday night, at least 176 people – 31 of them children aged below 14 – had died of the mosquito-borne fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Wednesday was the deadliest day when 19 people died of the disease which has seen nearly 33,000 hospitalisations this year, says the DGHS data.
Officials said the death rate from the disease this year stood at an “alarming” five-year high of 0.53 percent, compared with 0.45 percent last year when a record 281 people had died of dengue in Bangladesh.

DGHS says 115 of the 176 deaths this year happened in the first 23 days of July. There were only 29 deaths last year in the same period.

Experts warn the situation could get worse in the coming days as both dengue hospitalisation and deaths in Bangladesh usually reach a peak in August and September.
On July 16, the Bangladesh Medical Association, the apex body for the country’s doctors, urged the government to declare the dengue outbreak a “public health emergency”.
Thousands of children affected

But fear over the disease is spreading. Social media is flooded with accounts of suffering and deaths from all parts of the country, especially the sprawling capital of Dhaka.
Parents are especially worried about their children. The DGHS data says a total of 7,240 children aged below 14 have already caught the disease.
Doctors say dengue is particularly dangerous for children who are more prone to developing shock syndrome – a condition which prompts the body’s immune system to overreact against the dengue virus, causing plasma leakage, bleeding and severe dehydration.
Dr Shatavisa Dhar of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, the country’s largest state-run hospital for children, told Al Jazeera it takes a day for affected children to turn critical compared with about 48 hours for an adult.
“Besides, a child has 20 percent more risk than an adult to develop shock syndrome,” she said.
The NGO Save the Children on Monday issued a statement, saying Bangladesh is facing its “worst dengue fever outbreak in five years” and children aged five to 14 bear the brunt of the outbreak “as the worst affected age group”.
Dr Yasir Arafat, Save the Children’s senior health and nutrition adviser for the Asia region, warned that with climate change and the predicted effects of El Nino phenomenon, “the situation could get worse”.

New Delhi, November 3,2023: Terming millets as part of India’s ‘Super Food Bucket’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the nutri-rich coarse grain will also reach every corner of the world just as Yoga did.
“In India, we have given it (millets) the identity of Sri Anna. On the initiative of India, today once again an awareness campaign regarding millets has started in the world. I believe that just as International Yoga Day took Yoga to every corner of the world, now Millets will also reach every corner of the world,” PM Modi said after inaugurating the three-day World Food India 2023 here in the national capital.
Millets are also the most secure crops for small farmers as they are resilient and climate-adaptable in both hot and drought environments. India produces all the nine commonly known traditional millets viz. Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet, Foxtail Millet, Proso Millet, Little Millet, Barnyard Millet, Browntop Millet and Kodo Millet.
Millet is a common term for categorizing small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Most of the states in India grow one or more millet crop species. The government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the proposal of India was supported by 72 countries.
In his address, PM Modi said India not only has cultural diversity but also a rich variety of cuisines. This food diversity, according to him, serves as a dividend for investors around the globe.
“There is as much cultural diversity in India as there is food diversity. Our food diversity is a dividend for every investor in the world. Today, the way curiosity towards India has increased in the whole world, it has also brought a huge opportunity for all of you,” PM Modi said.
India is rapidly urbanising, and with the increase in employment opportunities, the demand for packaged food is also on the rise.
“To align with these ambitious policies, your plans should be equally ambitious. In the food processing sector, there are three main factors contributing to its success: small farmers, small industries, and women,” PM Modi said.
In the past nine years, the export of processed food has increased by 150 per cent, PM Modi told the gathering.
“Today, our agri-exports have reached the 7th rank globally. In the food sector, there is no field in which India has not made progress. This growth might seem rapid, but it is the result of consistent and dedicated efforts. During our government’s tenure, India has, for the first time, implemented an agri-export policy. We have established a network of logistics and infrastructure throughout India,” he noted.
The World Food India featured regional cuisines and royal culinary heritage, wherein over 200 chefs would participate and present traditional Indian cuisine, making it a unique culinary experience.
The event aims to showcase India as the ‘food basket of the world’ and celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
The event is poised to host participants from over 80 countries, including CEOs of prominent food processing companies. It will also feature a Reverse Buyer Seller Meet, with over 1200 overseas buyers from more than 80 countries.
The Netherlands will serve as the partner country, while Japan will be the event’s focus country.

Oct 29,2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched health insurance coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 and over, regardless of income, under the flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in honor of Dhanvantari Jayanti and the 9th Ayurveda Day. The launch of the Ayushman Bharat scheme for senior citizens above 70 years was announced last month.

Rs 5 lakh health insurance under Ayushman Bharat for senior citizens above 70 years: Who is eligible, benefits, how to apply

According to the PIB’s social media account on X, “Prime Minister @narendramodi launches the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to extend healthcare coverage to all citizens aged 70 years and above, regardless of socio-economic status. This ensures accessible and affordable care for all senior citizens. With coverage of up to ₹5 lakh annually for free treatment, the scheme sets new standards in healthcare accessibility and inclusivity for our elders.”

According to a post on PMJAY-UP’s (Ayushman Bharat Uttar Pradesh) X page, “The first #AyushmanVayVandanaCard was presented by Honorable PM Shri @narendramodi to beneficiary Panchanan Shukla from #Deoria, #UttarPradesh. All senior citizens aged 70 and above will receive health coverage of 5 lakh.”

AB PM-JAY’s advantages would now be available to all senior citizens who are 70 years of age or older, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Under AB PM-JAY, a new, unique card would be given to the senior citizens who qualify.
Ayushman Bharat: Who are already covered under the scheme

The senior citizens of the age 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY will get an additional top-up cover upto Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves (which they do not have to share with the other members of the family who are below the age of 70 years).
Other health insurance

Senior citizens of the age 70 years and above who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY.
Ayushman Bharat: Who it will benefit

This aims to benefit approximately 4.5 Crore families with six (6) crore senior citizens with 5 Lakh rupees free health insurance cover on a family basis.
Ayushman Bharat card

Ayushman Bharat advantages would be available to all senior citizens who are 70 years of age or older, regardless of their socioeconomic status, as the government has approved health insurance coverage under the flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

How to apply

Visit PMJAY website, click on AM I eligible tab. Verify your mobile number by entering OTP. Select state and scheme. If you get details of your family and eligibility.
Step 1 : The applicant shall open https://ayushmanup.in/ tab and click on ‘# Register Yourself on SETU
Step 2 : The link will be landing the user on NHA’aSetu porta
Step-3:Applicant will register himself button. Step – 4: Applicant will register himself by filling all the mandatory tabs and then clicking on Submiby filling all the mandatory tabs and then clicking on Submit
Step 4: Upon successful registration,Applicant will now do their KYC and wait for the Approval. Once card is ready/approved by competent authority , Beneficiary can download the card
Step- 5:Click on ‘Download Ayushman Card’
Step 6: Select the state and enter your Aadhar card nter your Aadhar card number and verify with OTP
Step 7: Click on the download button.

New Delhi, June 21,2024: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday greeted the entire global community, especially the citizens of India, on the occasion of International Day of Yoga and said that yoga is a way to physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
“Greetings to the entire global community, especially the fellow citizens of India on International Yoga Day! Yoga is India’s unique gift to humanity. In view of rising lifestyle-related problems, Yoga has become far more important today. Yoga is a way to physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Let us resolve to adopt yoga as an integral part of our day-to-day living,” the President posted on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people of the country to make yoga a part of their daily lives as the world celebrated the 10th International Day of Yoga on Friday.
PM Modi performed Yoga at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar today.
“As we mark the 10th International Day of Yoga, I urge everyone to make it a part of their daily lives. Yoga fosters strength, good health and wellness. Wonderful to join this year’s programme in Srinagar,” the Prime Minister posted on social media platform X.
He congratulated all the people of the country and those doing Yoga in every corner of the world and said the world is witnessing a new Yoga economy going forward for the last 10 years.
Speaking at the event in Srinagar, the Prime Minister said that India’s proposal regarding the celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations was supported by 177 nations.
“Today, from the land of Kashmir, I congratulate everyone around the world on International Yoga Day! Ten years ago, I proposed the celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations. India’s proposal was supported by 177 nations, which is a record in itself. In 2015, on Kartavyapath in Delhi, 35,000 people performed Yogasanas together,” he said.
“On International Yoga Day, I have had the privilege of coming to Kashmir, the land of yoga and meditation. In Srinagar, we are feeling the power that yoga gives us. I congratulate all the people of the country and those doing Yoga in every corner of the world on International Yoga Day from the land of Kashmir,” PM Modi said.
He said that in the last 10 years, the expansion of Yoga has changed the perception related to Yoga adding that the world is seeing a new Yoga economy going forward.
“In the last 10 years, the expansion of Yoga has changed the perception related to Yoga. Today, the world is seeing a new Yoga economy going forward. From Rishikesh and Kashi to Kerala, we can witness a new trend of Yoga Tourism emerging in India. People from all over the world are coming to India in pursuit of learning authentic yoga. Accordingly, sectors related to hospitality, tourism, apparel, etc. are booming from the huge inflow of people. This is creating new avenues for employment opportunities for youth,” PM Modi said.
This year’s theme, “Yoga for Self and Society,” emphasizes yoga’s vital role in fostering both individual well-being and societal harmony.
Since 2015, the Prime Minister has led the International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations at various iconic locations, including Kartavya Path in Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ranchi, Lucknow, Mysuru and even the United Nations Headquarters in New York

New Delhi, November 21,2023: Vaccines administered for COVID-19 did not increase the risk of sudden death among young adults in India but it was the post-Covid hospitalisation, family history of sudden death, and certain lifestyle behaviours that are likely the underlying causes, according to a peer-reviewed ICMR study.
The study by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) was conducted through the participation of 47 tertiary care hospitals across India. Cases were apparently healthy individuals aged 18-45 years without any known co-morbidity, who suddenly died of unexplained causes during October 2021-March 2023.
Interviews were recorded to collect data on COVID-19 vaccination, infection and post-COVID-19 conditions, family history of sudden death, smoking, recreational drug use, alcohol frequency and binge drinking and vigorous-intensity physical activity two days before death.
“Lifestyle factors such as current smoking status, alcohol use frequency, recent binge drinking, recreational drug/substance use and vigorous-intensity activity were positively associated with unexplained sudden death,” the study noted.
“As compared to never users, the more the frequency of alcohol use, the higher was the odds for unexplained sudden death.”
The study was done in view of some anecdotal reports of sudden unexplained deaths in India’s, apparently healthy young adults during the once-in-a-century pandemic.
“…past COVID-19 hospitalization, family history of sudden death, binge drinking 48 hours before death/interview, use of recreational drug/substance and performing vigorous-intensity physical activity 48 hours before death/interview were positively associated,” the study document read.
“Two (vaccine) doses lowered the odds of unexplained sudden death, whereas a single dose did not.”
Covid-19 vaccination, it added, by and large, has been documented to prevent all-cause mortality across age groups and settings.
The primary purpose of vaccination is to prevent Covid-19-associated severity. Studies have documented adverse events, predominantly thromboembolic events, following Covid-19 vaccination, it noted.
At a macro level globally, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in excess mortality among certain groups of people and studies have documented them.
In India, there have been several anecdotal reports about sudden unexplained deaths among apparently healthy adults, purportedly linked to Covid-19 or Covid-19 vaccination.
The pathways through which Covid-19 may cause sudden deaths are currently not well-understood, the ICMR study noted. In the Indian context, the reports of sudden death among young adults have not been investigated in detail.
However, the study contended that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“Although there is some evidence for the increased risk of death among COVID-19-recovered individuals and among those with breakthrough infections, the evidence for sudden deaths among such individuals is scarce,” the study noted.

Kampala, Feb. 14,2025: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Thursday announced the release of additional 2 million U.S. dollars to support Uganda’s effort to fight the ongoing Ebola outbreak, bringing the total funding to 3 million dollars in three weeks.

In a post on X social media platform, Ghebreyesus said the funds would further support the East African country’s response to the outbreak. “Our teams are supporting surveillance, laboratories, logistics, infection prevention and control in hospitals, treatment centers and research,” he said.

On Jan. 30, the WHO released 1 million U.S. dollars and mobilized trial vaccines to support Uganda’s national health authorities to contain and end the new wave of Ebola outbreak.

Uganda last month declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old male nurse working at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital of Kampala succumbed to the disease.

According to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, as of Wednesday, the country has registered nine laboratory-confirmed Ebola virus infections, including one death, and at least 265 contacts of the first case are being monitored.

Gandhinagar (Gujarat), August 17,2023: Addressing the World Health Organisation Traditional Medicine Global Summit, which was inaugurated in Gandhinagar on Thursday, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said India has a rich history of traditional medicine.
“India has a rich history of traditional medicine through Ayurveda, including Yoga which has been shown to be effective in alleviating pain,” Tedros said.
Tedros, who arrived in India on Wednesday, added that traditional medicines are being sought by countries to deal with non-communicable diseases, mental health and treatment of many other ailments.
Traditional medicine has made enough contributions to human health and has immense potential for overall wellness, Tedros said further.
Further, at the Inauguration of the Summit, Tedros said, “Yesterday, I had the privilege to visit a wellness and health centre in Gujarat which provides health care services to almost 5000 people from 1000 households. I was so impressed with the way they are using the medicine… expanding the delivery of services and saving vision, time and money on travelling. This is what health for all looks like.”
“…I also saw how traditional medicine is being integrated at the primary healthcare level. One of the great things about traditional medicine is the understanding of…links between the health of humans and our environment that’s why WHO is calling on institutions to support countries to unlock the potential of traditional medicine through the global traditional medicine centre in Jamnagar which I have the honour to launch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year,” he added.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who also graced the event, said he believed that the global summit will provide a unique opportunity for India, to engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and establish international partnerships, advance the agenda of Traditional and Complementary Medicine and to work together toward promoting and leveraging, the potential of traditional healing practices worldwide.
He also stated that traditional and complementary medicine has played, a significant role in promoting health at personal and community levels for many centuries.
“This Global Summit on Traditional Medicine can be the platform to mobilize political commitment and, evidence-based action on traditional medicine, which is the first port of call for millions of people worldwide, to address their health and well-being needs,” he added.

United Nations, Oct 10 (UNI) More than 370 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to sexual violence before age 18, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

“More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18,” the organisation said in a statement on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl.

If “non-contact” forms of sexual violence, such as online violence or verbal abuse, are included, the number of girls and women affected worldwide will be 650 million, or one in five, the statement read.

The largest number of victims is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 79 million girls and women have been affected, the statement said. It is followed by East and South-East Asia with 75 million victims, Central and South Asia with 73 million, Europe and North America with 68 million, Latin America and the Caribbean with 45 million, North Africa and West Asia with 29 million and Oceania with 6 million.

At the same time, an estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men – or about one in 11 – have been victims of rape or sexual abuse as children, the organisation added. This number rises to 410 to 530 million if “non-contact” forms of abuse are included.

Moscow,July 14,2023:Russian politicians have adopted a bill outlawing gender-reassignment procedures amid the Kremlin’s push to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values”.
The toughened version of the bill was passed unanimously on Friday in its third and final reading in Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma.
The bill bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records.
The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.
In its second reading on Thursday, clauses were added that annul marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bar transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The bill must be passed by the Federation Council, Russia’s Kremlin-controlled upper chamber that generally rubber-stamps legislation that the Duma has approved, before being signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It has rattled the country’s transgender community and has drawn criticism not only from LGBTQ rights advocates but from medical personnel as well.

Lyubov Vinogradova, executive director of Russia’s Independent Psychiatric Association, called the bill “misanthropic” in a phone interview with The Associated Press before the final reading.

Gender-affirming procedures “shouldn’t be banned entirely, because there are people for whom it is the only way to “to exist normally and find peace with themselves”, Vinogradova said.

Lawmakers portray the measure as protecting Russia from “the Western anti-family ideology,” with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism”.
Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said in a statement on social media: “This decision will protect our citizens and our children.”

He pointed to what he described as a growing trend of gender reassignment in the United States, and claimed this was leading to the “degeneration” of the country.

“This is unacceptable for us,” he added, explaining why the proposed ban had won the backing of the lower house.

The crackdown on LGBTQ people started a decade ago when Putin first proclaimed a focus on “traditional family values”, a move ardently supported – and fueled, to a certain extent – by the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 2013, the Kremlin adopted the first legislation restricting LGBTQ rights, known as the “gay propaganda” law that banned any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.

In 2020, Putin pushed through a constitutional reform that outlawed same-sex marriage.

Yan Dvorkin, a 32-year-old psychologist who leads a Russian NGO helping transgender people called “Centre T”, told the AFP news agency prior to Friday’s vote he was concerned about a possible rise in suicides as a result of the bill.
He also said the ban on hormone reassignment therapy – also to be made illegal under the rules – risks “creating a black market in hormones”.

China,Dec 2,2023: China’s surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said on Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting strict Covid-19 restrictions.

The spike in illness in the country where Covid emerged in late 2019 attracted the spotlight when the World Health Organization sought information last week, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

Chinese authorities will open more paediatric outpatient clinics, seek to ensure more elderly people and children receive flu vaccines and encourage people to wear masks and wash their hands, Mi Feng, an official with China’s National Health Commission, told a press conference.

Doctors in China and experts abroad have not expressed alarm about China’s outbreaks, given that many other countries saw similar increases in respiratory diseases after easing pandemic measures, which China did at the end of last year.

Lucknow, July 26,2023: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said that though a little bit of cases of Coronavirus were still being reported, the risk factor has ended, but the people should not lower their guard.

In a reply to a question while talking to the reporters, the Union Minister said, “Though a little bit of cases are coming, but generally it is over. Generally, It could be considered that the pandemic is over. The risk factor has ended.”

He said that it doesn’t mean that people should lower their guards. “This does not mean that we should not remain alert. We have to remain alert as of now,” the Minister said.

New Delhi, August 17,2024: After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), a detailed review of the Monkeypox situation and the preparedness was taken by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, J P Nadda in a meeting with the senior officials of the Ministry on Saturday.
There are no reported cases of Monkeypox in India as of date.
In the meeting chaired by the Union Health Minister, it was decided that as a matter of abundant caution, certain measures such as sensitizing the health units at all the airports, seaports, and ground crossings; readying the testing Laboratories; gearing up health facilities for detecting, isolating and managing any case, etc. are to be taken.
In the meeting, it was noted that Monkeypox infections are usually self-limiting lasting between 2-4 weeks and patients generally recover with supportive management. The transmission requires prolonged close contact with an infected case and is generally through the sexual route, direct contact with body/lesion fluid, or contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person.
WHO had earlier declared Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in July 2022 and subsequently revoked the same in May 2023. Globally since 2022, WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to Monkeypox from 116 countries. Since the 2022 declaration by WHO, a total of 30 cases were detected in India with the last case in March 2024.
A Joint Monitoring Group Meeting under the Chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services consisting of experts from relevant fields was held on August 16 to review the situation.
The meeting was attended by experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Directorate General of Health Services (Dte.GHS), Central Government Hospitals, All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS etc.
Although the possibility of a few imported cases being detected in the coming weeks is not entirely ruled out, it was assessed that the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is presently low for India.
The situation is being monitored closely by the Ministry.