Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder line a drugstore shelf in New York on October 15, 2015. (REUTERS File Photo)
NEW DELHI, February 28 (Reuters): India’s drugs regulator has found no asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talc, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
J&J was recently informed about the findings of a probe by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the sources said.
The regulator and its counterparts in Indian states launched an investigation into J&J’s Baby Powder following a Reuters report in December that the firm knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos could be found in the product.
J&J has described the Reuters article as “one-sided, false and inflammatory”.
The Indian regulator wrote to the U.S. company in December asking it to stop using the “huge quantities” of raw materials stocked in its plants in northern and western India.
New Delhi, February 28 (IANS) The Centre on Thursday approved an additional assistance of Rs 1,604.15 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Jharkhand and Rajasthan for damages incurred in natural disasters during 2018, said a Home Ministry statement.
Of the Rs 1,604.15 crore assistance announced under the National Disaster Response Fund, Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 82.65 crore for damages caused by cyclonic storm “Phethai”, Manipur will get Rs 42.46 crore for rehabilitation post floods and landslides, while Jharkhand and Rajasthan will get Rs 272.42 crore and Rs 1,206.62 crore respectively for drought relief.
The Central assistance was approved by a high-level committee that included Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and senior officers of Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance and Agriculture and NITI Aayog and was chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Chandigarh, February 28 (IANS) Even as a minister in his cabinet continues a pro-Pakistan rant, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has spoken his mind out about the “conspiracies” being hatched by Pakistan, especially its Army and the ISI, to revive terrorism in Punjab.
With the tension between India and Pakistan, in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were martyred, peaking in recent days, Amarinder has minced no words to say that Pakistan deserves to be taught a strong lesson.
Amarinder, who turns 77 on March 10, told IANS in an interview here that not only was Pakistan trying to revive terrorism in Punjab but was pushing hard for militancy from Jammu and Kashmir spilling over into Punjab.
“There is a clear and specific threat to Punjab from Pakistan. As I have repeatedly been saying for the past several months, after Kashmir, it is Punjab that is a pawn for the ISI (Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence) to execute its evil designs against India. They have tried it earlier, and unfortunately, the last time (in the 1980s) they were successful for various reasons.
“The attempts to revive militancy in Punjab have been quite open, as is evident from the number of terror modules the Punjab Police has busted in the last two years alone. But, as I have also repeatedly maintained, the times now are different. We are a bigger force (81,000-strong Punjab Police) in more ways than one, and I have personally vowed not to let them cause any disturbance in my state again,” Amarinder Singh said.
“As a border state, we are in a precarious situation and extremely vulnerable to Pakistan’s nefarious designs. The links are there, and our police force has successfully unravelled most of them. And rest assured, they will unravel the rest and destroy any attempts to again trigger terror in Punjab,” the Chief Minister said.
Asked whether the state government was in touch with the authorites in Canada, where the Khalistanis are quite active, Amarinder said he had directly conveyed his concerns and views to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I told him in no uncertain words that allowing use of Canadian soil for such activities or letting pro-Khalistanis operate from under his nose is not a good policy for his government. It makes him responsible for their crimes.
“I am happy to note that there has been a decisive shift in their policy in recent months, with Canada seeing these elements as a threat to its own stability, peace and future. Terrorism is a global problem which every nation is affected by, and which all nations need to join hands to fight together. That is the message I have given earlier, and would like to reiterate, to the Canadian government,” Amarinder explained.
He also welcomed the move by India and Pakistan to allow pilgrims to offer prayers at the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan through a 4-km dedicated corridor but was apprehensive about the evil designs of the Pakistani establishment.
Dubbing the whole affair initiated by Pakistan on the Kartarpur Corridor as a “bigger conspiracy” hatched by the Pakistani military, Amarinder Singh cited the fact that Pakistan Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, had “broken the news of opening the Kartarpur Corridor to (Punjab cabinet minister) Navjot Singh Sidhu even before Imran Khan was sworn in as the Prime Minister”.
Contending that the whole affair “smacked of a bigger conspiracy”, Amarinder Singh said: “The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is clearly a game plan of the ISI. A bigger conspiracy seems to have been hatched by the Pakistani Army against India. Pakistan is attempting to revive militancy in Punjab and thus everyone should be wary of all of its overtures, no matter how grand they appear to be,” Amarinder added.
New Delhi, February 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold its own order directing eviction of tribals, including forest dwellers whose claim over the forest land was rejected.
Asking states to file details of procedure followed for rejecting the tribals’ claims, a bench of Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Navin Sinha and Justice M.R. Shah put on hold its own February 13 order directing eviction of tribals in unauthorised possession of forest land.
It also pulled up the Centre for going into slumber and then suddenly approaching the bench advancing the tribals rights.
Saying the entire exercise “can’t be left in the lurch”, the court said that those who are not in authorised possession of forest land must go.
However, it made it clear that “mighty people” must not “encroach upon forest land under the guise of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers”.
When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pleaded that there was no procedure for accepting or rejecting claims, Justice Sinha pointed to Section 9 and 10 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
He told Mehta that there was a detailed procedure for deciding the claim over forest land, including review of the decision including appeal against it.
When lawyers representing states pleaded that they should be allowed to file sample orders of rejection and eviction as the cases could go into lakhs, the apex bench said that states must file response in all the cases of rejection.
The apex court reiterating its February 13 order asked the Forest Survey of India to undertake a satellite survey of forest lands.
That order was applicable for the forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers whose claims were rejected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
New Delhi, February 28 (IANS): In a bid to promote digital transactions, the Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Thursday launched its much awaited payment aggregator system ‘IRCTC iPay’.
The exclusive digital payment gateway will provide better digital experience and improved online digital payment convenience to rail passengers availing online travel-related services through the website, IRCTC said in a statement.
“With the launch of IRCTC iPay, the passengers will not need any third-party platforms. IRCTC iPay provides payment options like credit card, debit card, unified payment interface, international card,” it said.
The option of IRCTC prepaid card-cum-wallet and auto debit shall also be available soon.
The IRCTC, which handles catering, tourism, and online ticketing operations of the Indian national transporter said, under this new arrangement, “IRCTC will have full control of the payment system because of its direct relationship with acquiring banks, card networks and other partners”.
“This will help reduce the gap between IRCTC and banks which will eventually lead to substantial reduction in payment failures.
“Moreover, in case an online transaction is unsuccessful or some other error occurs, IRCTC can directly get in touch with the bank instead of relying on an intermediate source which usually delays the process,” the statement said.
IRCTC said iPay promises to be passenger friendly, easy to use, reliable and faster.
A man is silhouetted onto an electronic screen displaying prohibited website in Bangkok, Thailand, in this June 19, 2017 illustration photo. (REUTERS File Photo)
BANGKOK, February 28 (Reuters): Thailand’s military-appointed parliament on Thursday passed a controversial cybersecurity law that gives sweeping powers to state cyber agencies, despite concerns from businesses and activists over judicial oversight and potential abuse of power.
The Cybersecurity Act, approved unanimously, is the latest in a wave of new laws in Asian countries that assert government control over the internet.
Civil liberties advocates, internet companies and business groups have protested the legislation, saying it would sacrifice privacy and the rule of law, and warning compliance burdens could drive foreign businesses out of Thailand.
The military government has pushed for several laws it said would support the country’s digital economy, including an amendment to the Computer Crime Act in 2017, which has been used to crack down on dissent.
Internet freedom activists have called the legislation a “cyber martial law,” as it encompasses all procedures from everyday encounters of slow internet connections to nationwide attacks on critical infrastructure.
If a cybersecurity situation reached a critical level, the legislation allows the military-led National Security Council to override all procedures with its own law.
“Despite some wording improvements, the contentious issues are all still there,” Arthit Suriyawongkul, an advocate with the Thai Netizen Network, told Reuters.
The law allows the National Cybersecurity Committee (NCSC) to summon individuals for questioning and enter private property without court orders in case of actual or anticipated “serious cyber threats.”
An additional Cybersecurity Regulating Committee will have sweeping powers to access computer data and networks, make copies of information, and seize computers or any devices.
Court warrants are not required for those actions in “emergency cases,” and criminal penalties will be imposed for those who do not comply with orders.
Thailand’s military government already censors the internet and often casts criticism as a threat to national security.
DATA PROTECTION
Legislators also unanimously passed the Personal Data Protection Act, intended to imitate the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The legislation does not require international firms to store data locally, but businesses have raised concerns about its territorial applicability.
The data protection law, effective after a one-year transition period, will apply not only to companies located in Thailand, but also overseas companies which collect, use, or disclose personal data of subjects in Thailand, specifically for advertisements and “behavior monitoring.”
“It is unrealistic for any one regime to aspire to centralize the delivery of privacy protections for the entire world in just one regulator,” said Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a Singapore-based group which represents U.S. giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon and seven other major internet companies.
Supporters of the laws hailed them as long overdue.
“The two laws are crucial to help Thailand keep up with neighbors and the world,” said Saowanee Suwannacheep, a chairman of the ad-hoc parliamentary committee that worked on the legislation.
New Delhi, February 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold its own order directing eviction of tribals, including forest dwellers whose claim over the forest land was rejected.
Asking states to file details of procedure followed for rejecting the tribals’ claims, a bench of Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Navin Sinha and Justice M.R. Shah put on hold its own February 13 order directing eviction of tribals in unauthorised possession of forest land.
It also pulled up the Centre for going into slumber and then suddenly approaching the bench advancing the tribals rights.
Saying the entire exercise “can’t be left in the lurch”, the court said that those who are not in authorised possession of forest land must go.
However, it made it clear that “mighty people” must not “encroach upon forest land under the guise of Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers”.
When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pleaded that there was no procedure for accepting or rejecting claims, Justice Sinha pointed to Section 9 and 10 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
He told Mehta that there was a detailed procedure for deciding the claim over forest land, including review of the decision including appeal against it.
When lawyers representing states pleaded that they should be allowed to file sample orders of rejection and eviction as the cases could go into lakhs, the apex bench said that states must file response in all the cases of rejection.
The apex court reiterating its February 13 order asked the Forest Survey of India to undertake a satellite survey of forest lands.
That order was applicable for the forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers whose claims were rejected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
