The United States on Tuesday announced visa restrictions against 13 individuals linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for allegedly distributing counterfeit prescription drugs containing fentanyl. In a statement, the US State Department said the individuals were close associates of KS International Traders and its owner, which was based in India. “Sanctioned online pharmacies like KS International Traders, based in India, have sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with illicit fentanyl to unsuspecting victims across the US,” the statement said. Read: Iran war to cast a shadow on BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Delhi The department said KS International Traders generated revenue through fentanyl trafficking, noting that US President Donald Trump had designated fentanyl a “Weapon of Mass Destruction.” The statement said the move underscored the US’ and India’s “enduring and shared commi...
A New York Times opinion columnist has reported that Palestinian detainees have been subjected to sexual violence and other forms of abuse in Israeli detention facilities, citing interviews with former detainees and findings from rights organisations. In a column published on Sunday, columnist Nicholas Kristof said he interviewed 14 Palestinian men and women who described alleged sexual assaults, beatings, threats of sexual violence and humiliation during detention or encounters with Israeli forces and settlers. Kristof noted that there was “no evidence that Israeli leaders order rapes,” but argued that Israeli authorities had created “a security apparatus where sexual violence has become,” citing a United Nations report. Read More: 'No home left' for Gazans stranded in West Bank since Oct 7 The article also referenced testimonies from former detainees who alleged abuse during imprisonment, as well as reports by organisations including Euro-Med H...