Portugal vaccinated 85 per cent of its population against COVID-19: official

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the West Asia region and its impact on air travel between India and countries in the region. Airlines are undertaking necessary operational adjustments in view of the prevailing conditions to ensure passenger safety and the orderly conduct of flight operations.

Speaking during the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India opposes attacks on merchant shipping "from any quarters" and confirmed that several Indian nationals have been affected in recent incidents.

Gobind Gurbani, speaking through video conference, drew attention to the growing gap between the number of patients requiring organ transplants and the limited availability of donated organs.

"There have been maritime incidents involving Indian crew on foreign-flagged vessels. Of these vessels, there were 78 Indian seafarers. Of these, 70 are unhurt and escaped. Four sustained injuries over the last few days, but are stable. Unfortunately, there have been three casualties, and one seafarer is missing," he said.

Pakistan faces a severe shortage of life-saving medicines, including cancer drugs and vaccines, due to government delays in notifying official prices. While global supply remains stable, regulatory hurdles have stalled legal imports, raising concerns over patient survival and the potential rise of unregulated, counterfeit medicines.