What’s Tuna export case?
Lakshadweep fishermen are accused of being cheated by MP Mohammed Faizal P P and his relative Abdul Razik, who is based in Colombo.
In the middle of ongoing political and economic turmoil in Sri Lanka, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Mohammed Faizal P P and his relative Abdul Razik for allegedly colluding with a Colombo-based company to cheat fishermen.
The agency searched the NCP MP’s Lakshadweep residence and his New Delhi government-allotted apartment on Tuesday (July 12). Also searched were the residences and offices of other accused spread across Lakshadweep, Delhi, and Calicut.
As reported by the CBI, some public servants of Lakshadweep Co-operative Marketing Federation (LCMF) colluded with Faizal to export tuna fish to SRT General Merchants without following the requisite tender process and other formalities.
The LCMF was established in 1966 as the apex society of all cooperative supply and marketing societies in Lakshadweep. According to its website, the LCMF is also responsible for marketing agricultural products (copra) and fishery products (mass tuna) for the Lakshadweep Administration.
A number of tuna have been alleged to have been procured by the LCMF under the influence of Faizal. A fish shipment was exported by LCMF to SRT General Merchants via another exporter, but no payment was received.
Additionally, SRT General Merchants and LCMF MD M P Anwar are named in the FIR.
Earlier this month, CBI received information about irregularities in the export of fish from Lakshadweep to Sri Lanka. A joint surprise check was managed by the agency along with vigilance officials of the Union Territory at several departments of the Lakshadweep Administration, including the LCMF, the Fisheries and Public Works Departments, the Khadi Board, and the Animal Husbandry Department.
Based on documents recovered in the check, the CBI claims Faizal, the MP, was instrumental in precipitating the situation that resulted in losses for both the LCMF and the fishermen.
According to the CBI, LCMF procured fish and sold it to SRT, where Abdul Razik is an office bearer, under Faizal’s influence.
CBI says that during the surprise checks, Sri Lankan firm SRT General Merchants Importers & Exporters was prepared to purchase massmeen (dry tuna) at a higher rate than the prevailing one, and that LCMF opted to purchase it from fishermen under the false assurance of Mr Mohd Faizal P P, MP, Lakshadweep.
A total of 287 MT of massmeen was procured through co-operative societies of islands. According to the CBI, LCMF assured fishermen they would be paid more than prevailing rates during this process.
According to the CBI FIR, the matter was handled by Mr MP Anwar, the then Managing Director of LCMF without floating a tender, relying only on the assurances of MP Lakshadweep, Mohd Faizal P P.
It was also disclosed that Mr Mohd Abdul Razik Thangal, the relative of Mr Mohd Faizal P P, represented M/s SRT, Colombo, Sri Lanka in this matter.
A subsequent agreement between LCMF and M/s AFDC, the Cochin-based exporter agency, outlined the terms of reference for the export of massmeen, according to the CBI.
However, the project didn’t progress because AFDC had not received Rs 60 lakh for the first shipment of 10 MT it had exported to the Sri Lankan company. As a result of the above, the CBI FIR states that it did not continue lifting Massmeen through LCMF as per the agreement.
The fish stuck at LCMF eventually had to be auctioned, and it fetched only Rs 5.72 crore against the promised amount of Rs 14.65 crore, resulting in a loss of over Rs 9 crore.
In a statement on Tuesday, the MP stated that the CBI had requested some documents, which were provided to them. In fact, they searched my home as well. However, they have not provided any information regarding recovery. Hopefully they will take further action. We’ll see how things go from there.”
Faizal had earlier contrdicted any corruption in the matter. A very good price was offered by the buyers, so the fish was sold to SRT. Prior to that, middlemen were making all the money and fishermen were not getting the right benefits,” he said.
Even made a speech in Parliament in support of cooperative marketing federations. A buyer in Lanka offered very good prices after the federation identified him. Due to some intervention by Thuthookudi middlemen, the buyer backed out later.
Thus, 250 MT of fish were left for the federation to dispose of. Thuthookudi middlemen then purchased it at a local auction. It does not contain any corruption, l.et them enquire, the truth will come out,” he said.
India’s 1st HPV vaccine
Sexually transmitted infections such as cervical cancer are common. Cervical cancer is mostly caused by long-term infection with certain types of HPV.
Cervavac, which is a vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), has recently been approved for sale by the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI). In India, Cervavac is the first quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) to protect women against cervical cancer.
This is a real opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer, and experts are hoping it will be incorporated into national HPV vaccination strategies at a more affordable cost than existing methods.
According to Dr Smita Joshi, senior scientist with Prayas health group, a public charitable trust focused on sexuality, gender, and HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer is preventable, but kills one woman every eight minutes in the country. Early detection and effective management are the keys to preventing it.
Sexually transmitted infections are common causes of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is caused mainly by long-term infection with certain types of HPV.
In women of reproductive age (15–44), cervical cancer is the second most common cancer type and the second most common cause of cancer death. In India, 1.23 lakh cancer cases and around 67,000 cancer-related deaths are reported each year by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), which is part of the World Health Organization.
The screening and vaccination of cervical cancer are two powerful preventative measures. Women are still under-aware of the importance of preventing this cancer, and less than 10% of Indian women are screened for it. In addition, all women aged 30-49 should get screened for cervical cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, and their adolescent daughters should be vaccinated with HPV vaccine, Dr Joshi said.
There are two vaccines licensed globally for use in India – the quadrivalent Gardasil vaccine from Merck and the bivalent Cervarix vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline. For Gradasil (Rs 2,800 per dose) or Cervarix (Rs 3,299), each dose costs Rs 2,800. Despite the introduction of HPV vaccination in 2008, it has not yet been included in the national immunization program.
It was reported in the Indian Journal of Gynecologic Oncology (December 2021) that the vaccine delivery and demonstration project led by the international non-profit organization PATH had to be suspended in 2010 due to public concern over the deaths of seven girls who received the vaccine.
A multidisciplinary expert group of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reviewed available evidence globally regarding HPV vaccine immunogenicity, efficacy, side effects, and cost-effectiveness, and recommended two doses for adolescent girls. Vaccines based on VLP (virus-like particles), like the hepatitis B vaccine, provide protection by generating antibodies against HPV’s L1 protein.
According to experts, the DGCI approval will allow the government to procure enough HPV vaccines at a special price to vaccinate nearly 50 million girls aged 9–14 years who are currently waiting for the vaccine. According to IARC-WHO, this will be a huge step toward eliminating cervical cancer in India and worldwide.
It will be great to see this vaccine included in the national HPV vaccination strategies in India and around the world. The WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan stated, “We have a real opportunity to eradicate cervical cancer, which causes a lot of death and suffering worldwide among women.”.
The DCGI approved SII’s application in the second week of July. SII plans to launch the vaccine by the end of the year, although officials said it was too early to discuss quantities. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said that this vaccine is particularly important for adolescent girls to protect them against cervical cancer.
A colleague of Panahi told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Panahi had been sent to Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. In addition, the director has been arrested and sentenced to long-term imprisonment.
Public outrage has also been expressed over soaring food prices under President Ebrahim Raisi’s hardline government. Indirect US-Iran talks to resurrect a 2015 nuclear accord and lift sanctions have also stalled and the country is sinking deeper into an economic crisis.
In early 2019, clinical trials began at 12 sites across the country, involving thousands of participants. In Phase III trials, 100% of vaccine recipients demonstrated robust immune responses with excellent safety records, according to SII officials. It is possible to start vaccinations as young as nine years old.
Dr Sanjay Gupte, former president of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Society of India. The vaccination is extremely effective when administered before the first sexual contact.
The development is of immense importance because it was difficult to convince women to get screened for cervical cancer.
Importance of Pope’s belonging
With a black felt-tip pen signature from the Pope, the lot is set for sale starting at $25,000. There is a deadline of July 16 for the submission of bids.
An anonymous consignor is auctioning on Heritage Auctions a cassock and silk skullcap worn by Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State since 2013.
The lot has been signed in black felt-tip pen by the Pope and is set for sale for $25,000. There is a deadline of July 16 for submission of bids. We examine the history and significance of the garment, as well as previous instances when Pope Francis donated his belongings to charity.
A lot detail by the auctioneer mentions that the cassock was made from “superfine luxury merino wool” supplied by Holland and Sherry in Savile Row, London. It measures approximately 56.5 inches from collar to hem and 21 inches from shoulder to shoulder, and is made by a shop next to the Vatican called “Mancinelli [Clero].”
Although Ditta Annibale Gammarelli is the official tailor of the papal office, Raniero Mancinelli has designed garments for three Popes and several priests. In addition to the lot, two Papal certificates are attached, each signed by Pope Francis’ private secretary, Don Fabio Salerno, confirming the cassock and zucchetto are “Sua Santità Papa Francesco”.
As an ankle-length cloak, a cassock is traditionally derived from the tunic, worn beneath the toga in ancient Rome and the chiton under the himation in ancient Greece.
In early Christianity, no distinctive garments were worn by church members; however, by the sixth century, the clerics and nobility began to wear more traditional Roman clothing, wearing long tunics and cloaks. According to legend, the cassock originated in France between the fifth and sixth centuries.
According to the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, clerics must wear garments that are closed in front and free of extravagance when it comes to length, such as long flowing capes.
The cassock of a priest is usually black, but it can also be white in tropical climates. Traditionally, a bishop wears a purple cassock, while a cardinal wears a red cassock.
As a member of the Order of Preachers, St Pius V (head of the Catholic Church from 1566 to 1572), wore his white Dominican habit, the custom of the Pope wearing a white cassock.
Cassocks are worn by clerics around the world today in a variety of styles and cuts. A Roman cassock usually has 33 buttons down the front, symbolizing the age at which Jesus Christ was crucified, while an Ambrosian cassock has only five buttons under the neck and a sash around it.
Zucchettos, often worn by Pope Francis, are a type of round skullcap that originated in ancient Greece. A zucchetto is an item of clothing worn by clergy, and its color denotes the rank of the wearer, just as the cassock does. White is the highest colour worn by the Pope, while scarlet is worn by cardinals and amaranth is worn by bishops. Black is the color worn by priests and deacons. A lower ranking member is supposed to remove his or her zucchetto in the presence of a higher ranking member.
Zucchettos are made of silk and feature eight triangular panels. A number of priests, including Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, have given away their zucchetto when they were gifted with a new one as a keepsake.
Previous auctions of Pope Francis’ belongings have taken place as well. Following his election in 2013, Pope Francis has supported several charity auctions, donating his belongings to raise money.
As part of the “We Run Together” auction in June 2020, cycling world champion Peter Sagan donated to the Pope a bike customised with the colours of the Papal States (yellow and white) and the Argentina flag.
Pope Francis signed a Lamborghini Huracan RWD Coupe sold at RM Sotheby’s for € 715,000. A Huracan was presented to the Pope in November 2017 by Automobili Lamborghini. In 2014, a 1,585-cc Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide that the Pope received in 2013 was auctioned for more than £200,000.
During his visit to New York in September in 2015, Pope Francis used a four-door hatchback that sold at auction in 2016 for $300,000. Pope Francis, a supporter of technology, sold his Apple iPad at an auction in 2015 for $30,500. It was engraved with the name “His Holiness Francisco.”. A certificate signed by Fabian Pedacchio Leaniz, the Pope’s personal secretary, was attached.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
