The selection process for pilgrims for Haj 2022 will be based on several Covid-appropriate criteria, including complete inoculation with all required doses, and in accordance with the guidelines set by the governments of India and Saudi Arabia, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Friday.

After chairing a Haj review meeting here, Naqvi, who is the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, said the official announcement of Haj 2022 will be made in the first week of November and along with that the process of online application for Haj will also be started.

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He said the Digital Health Card, "E-MASIHA" health facility and "E-luggage pre-tagging", providing all information regarding accommodation/transportation in Mecca-Madina, will be provided to all the Haj pilgrims.

Preparations for Haj 2022 have been started keeping in mind the health and Covid protocols of the Saudi Arabian government and the Government of India, he said.

The entire Haj 2022 process in India will be 100 per cent digital, Naqvi stressed, underlining that India sends the second largest number of Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia after Indonesia.

Naqvi said that arrangements for special training for Haj 2022 regarding Covid protocols and health and hygiene are being made in India and Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrims.

National and international protocol guidelines due to pandemic position will be implemented and followed strictly during Haj 2022, he said.

Naqvi said the entire Haj 2022 process will be held according to the necessary guidelines to be issued by the governments of India and Saudi Arabia in view of the coronavirus pandemic to ensure health and well-being of the people of the two countries.

Haj 2022 process is being chalked out after deliberations between the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Haj Committee of India, Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and India's Consul General in Jeddah and other agencies keeping in view all aspects of challenges posed by the pandemic, a statement said.

The arrangements for Haj 2022 are being made under special circumstances with special norms, rules and regulations, eligibility criteria, age restrictions, health and fitness requirements and other relevant conditions of the Saudi Arabia government amid the pandemic.

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Naqvi said the entire travel process for Haj 2022 is being planned with significant and important changes in view of the pandemic and its effect.

These include accommodation, period of stay of pilgrims, transportation, health and other facilities both in India and Saudi Arabia.

Naqvi said more than 3,000 women had applied for Haj 2020 and 2021 under without "Mehram" (male companion) category and their applications will be eligible for Haj 2022 also if they want to go to the pilgrimage next year.

Other women can also apply for Haj 2022 under without "Mehram" category, he added 
All the women under without "Mehram" category will be exempted from the lottery system, Naqvi said.

The Haj Review Meeting was attended by senior officials including Minority Affairs Ministry Secretary Renuka Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed, Joint Secretary of Minority Affairs Ministry Nigar Fatima, External Affairs Joint Secretary (Gulf) Vipul, Civil Aviation Ministry Joint Secretary S K Sharma, Health Ministry Deputy DG Shri P K Sen, Haj Committee of India CEO Mohd Yakoob Shekha; India's Consul General in Jeddah Shahid Alam and Air India Executive Director Melwin D'Silva.

Expected Haj quota for 2022, Haj Air Charter, Corona protocols, vaccination, medical facilities, health card, transport in Saudi Arabia, Haj deputation of officials, Khadim Ul Hujjaj, Haj training, Embarkation Points and other issues were discussed in the Haj review meeting, the statement said.&nbsp;

The selection process for pilgrims for Haj 2022 will be based on several Covid-appropriate criteria, including complete inoculation with all required doses, and in accordance with the guidelines set by the governments of India and Saudi Arabia, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Friday.

The selection process for pilgrims for Haj 2022 will be based on several Covid-appropriate criteria, including complete inoculation with all required doses, and in accordance with the guidelines set by the governments of India and Saudi Arabia, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Friday. After chairing a Haj review meeting here, Naqvi, who is the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, said the official announcement of Haj 2022 will be made in the first week of November and along with that the process of online application for Haj will also be started. Also Read | Grand Mosque in Mecca drops social distancing He said the Digital Health Card, "E-MASIHA" health facility and "E-luggage pre-tagging", providing all information regarding accommodation/transportation in Mecca-Madina, will be provided to all the Haj pilgrims. Preparations for Haj 2022 have been started keeping in mind the health and Covid protocols of the Saudi Arabian government and the Government of India, he said. The entire Haj 2022 process in India will be 100 per cent digital, Naqvi stressed, underlining that India sends the second largest number of Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia after Indonesia. Naqvi said that arrangements for special training for Haj 2022 regarding Covid protocols and health and hygiene are being made in India and Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrims. National and international protocol guidelines due to pandemic position will be implemented and followed strictly during Haj 2022, he said. Naqvi said the entire Haj 2022 process will be held according to the necessary guidelines to be issued by the governments of India and Saudi Arabia in view of the coronavirus pandemic to ensure health and well-being of the people of the two countries. Haj 2022 process is being chalked out after deliberations between the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Haj Committee of India, Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and India's Consul General in Jeddah and other agencies keeping in view all aspects of challenges posed by the pandemic, a statement said. The arrangements for Haj 2022 are being made under special circumstances with special norms, rules and regulations, eligibility criteria, age restrictions, health and fitness requirements and other relevant conditions of the Saudi Arabia government amid the pandemic. Also Read | No excessive make-up, restricted dressing: Saudi Arabia's dress code for Formula 1 sparks controversy Naqvi said the entire travel process for Haj 2022 is being planned with significant and important changes in view of the pandemic and its effect. These include accommodation, period of stay of pilgrims, transportation, health and other facilities both in India and Saudi Arabia. Naqvi said more than 3,000 women had applied for Haj 2020 and 2021 under without "Mehram" (male companion) category and their applications will be eligible for Haj 2022 also if they want to go to the pilgrimage next year. Other women can also apply for Haj 2022 under without "Mehram" category, he added All the women under without "Mehram" category will be exempted from the lottery system, Naqvi said. The Haj Review Meeting was attended by senior officials including Minority Affairs Ministry Secretary Renuka Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed, Joint Secretary of Minority Affairs Ministry Nigar Fatima, External Affairs Joint Secretary (Gulf) Vipul, Civil Aviation Ministry Joint Secretary S K Sharma, Health Ministry Deputy DG Shri P K Sen, Haj Committee of India CEO Mohd Yakoob Shekha; India's Consul General in Jeddah Shahid Alam and Air India Executive Director Melwin D'Silva. Expected Haj quota for 2022, Haj Air Charter, Corona protocols, vaccination, medical facilities, health card, transport in Saudi Arabia, Haj deputation of officials, Khadim Ul Hujjaj, Haj training, Embarkation Points and other issues were discussed in the Haj review meeting, the statement said.

Selection of Haj pilgrims to be based on Covid-appropriate criteria

Apple on Tuesday rejected allegations from Russia&#39;s state competition watchdog it may have been involved in fixing prices for iPhones, saying resellers set their own prices. 
 
Apple reacted a day after Russia&#39;s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said it had opened a case into the allegations after a consumer had pointed out that identical prices had been set for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, which appeared in Russia in October 2015, at 16 major resellers. 
 
Apple, in emailed comments, said it did not oblige Russian resellers to fix prices for its products. 
 
&quot;Resellers set their own prices for the Apple products they sell in Russia and around the world,&quot; the company&#39;s press office said. 
 
FAS said it was looking into the idea that Apple had somehow obliged Russian resellers to treat its recommended product prices as mandatory. It said an investigation had shown that retailers had set identical prices and kept them at that level for a certain time period, including for other models. 
 
FAS has the power to fine firms it finds guilty of price-fixing. 
 
(Reuters)

The Russian state watchdog had opened a case after a consumer pointed out identical prices had been set for the 6s and 6s Plus models

Apple on Tuesday rejected allegations from Russia's state competition watchdog it may have been involved in fixing prices for iPhones, saying resellers set their own prices. Apple reacted a day after Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said it had opened a case into the allegations after a consumer had pointed out that identical prices had been set for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, which appeared in Russia in October 2015, at 16 major resellers. Apple, in emailed comments, said it did not oblige Russian resellers to fix prices for its products. "Resellers set their own prices for the Apple products they sell in Russia and around the world," the company's press office said. FAS said it was looking into the idea that Apple had somehow obliged Russian resellers to treat its recommended product prices as mandatory. It said an investigation had shown that retailers had set identical prices and kept them at that level for a certain time period, including for other models. FAS has the power to fine firms it finds guilty of price-fixing. (Reuters)

Apple dismisses iPhone price-fixing allegations in Russia

North Korea&#39;s first and only law firm set up by a foreigner, Hay, Kalb &amp; Associates, will suspend operations, the firm&#39;s principal said in a statement on Monday, as the country grows increasingly isolated. 
 
The firm is a joint venture between the North Korean state and British-French citizen Michael Hay, who has represented foreign clients in the capital, Pyongyang, for 12 years. 
 
Hay said he had made the decision based on &quot;business and geopolitical principles&quot;. 
 
&quot;This decision has been taken only after lengthy and thorough deliberation and an examination of the continuing deterioration of inter-regional relations pertaining to the Korean peninsula,&quot; Hay said in a statement. 
 
&quot;It is not unreasonable to assume that no meaningful change or indicator of change in relations shall occur, if at all, until well after the United States Presidential Inauguration, on January 20, 2017,&quot; Hay said in the statement. 
 
North Korea has come under growing diplomatic pressure since its January nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch in February, which led to a new UN Security Council resolution in March that tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. 
 
The majority of Hay&#39;s clients are foreign investors, many of whom have been negatively affected by the sanctions, Hay told Reuters. 
 
&quot;Sanctions are hurting legitimate foreign investors. There still is no credible, consistent evidence I see of DPRK companies hurting,&quot; Hay said. DPRK stands for Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea, the North&#39;s official title. 
 
Very few foreigners live or work in North Korea. Those who do are usually members of the diplomatic or NGO community, although a small group of foreign investors have maintained a quiet and steady presence inside the country. 
 
The suspension takes effect from midnight on Monday, Hay said, with an official suspension scheduled for Aug. 14, the firm&#39;s 12-year anniversary. 
 
Hay, who bills his firm as the only foreign-invested firm in North Korea, said he will still maintain an office in Pyongyang. 
 
North Korea has more than 8000 law graduates, according to an official 2008 census, half of whom are based in Pyongyang. Most are employed by the state. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Hay, Kalb & Associates?founder says he had made the decision based on 'business and geopolitical principles'

North Korea's first and only law firm set up by a foreigner, Hay, Kalb & Associates, will suspend operations, the firm's principal said in a statement on Monday, as the country grows increasingly isolated. The firm is a joint venture between the North Korean state and British-French citizen Michael Hay, who has represented foreign clients in the capital, Pyongyang, for 12 years. Hay said he had made the decision based on "business and geopolitical principles". "This decision has been taken only after lengthy and thorough deliberation and an examination of the continuing deterioration of inter-regional relations pertaining to the Korean peninsula," Hay said in a statement. "It is not unreasonable to assume that no meaningful change or indicator of change in relations shall occur, if at all, until well after the United States Presidential Inauguration, on January 20, 2017," Hay said in the statement. North Korea has come under growing diplomatic pressure since its January nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch in February, which led to a new UN Security Council resolution in March that tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. The majority of Hay's clients are foreign investors, many of whom have been negatively affected by the sanctions, Hay told Reuters. "Sanctions are hurting legitimate foreign investors. There still is no credible, consistent evidence I see of DPRK companies hurting," Hay said. DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official title. Very few foreigners live or work in North Korea. Those who do are usually members of the diplomatic or NGO community, although a small group of foreign investors have maintained a quiet and steady presence inside the country. The suspension takes effect from midnight on Monday, Hay said, with an official suspension scheduled for Aug. 14, the firm's 12-year anniversary. Hay, who bills his firm as the only foreign-invested firm in North Korea, said he will still maintain an office in Pyongyang. North Korea has more than 8000 law graduates, according to an official 2008 census, half of whom are based in Pyongyang. Most are employed by the state. (Reuters)

North Korea's only foreign-founded law firm suspends operations

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.` 
 
 
According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable. 
 
&quot;Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today,&quot; said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZikaVirus?src=hash">#ZikaVirus</a> <a href="https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx">https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx</a>
&mdash; dna (@dna) <a href="https://twitter.com/dna/status/736460787665883137">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script> 
The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (&micro;g/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth. 
 
Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks. 
 
&quot;The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure,&quot; Pedersen added. 
 
For the study, published online in Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth. 
 
&quot;With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance,&quot; Pedersen noted. 
 
--IANS

Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.` According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable. "Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today," said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark. WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to #ZikaVirus https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx — dna (@dna) May 28, 2016 The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth. Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks. "The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure," Pedersen added. For the study, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth. "With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance," Pedersen noted. --IANS

Air pollution may up stillbirth risk during third trimester

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