More than 100 people fall sick after consuming adulterated buckwheat flour in Dehradun
Dehradun (PTI): Over a 100 people were hospitalised here due to suspected food poisoning after consuming adulterated 'kuttu' (buckwheat) flour, an official said on Monday.
While 66 people who suffered from food poisoning were admitted to Coronation Hospital and 44 to Doon Medical College and Hospital, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh stated.
The health of some of these individuals deteriorated on Sunday night, while others were brought to the hospital on Monday morning, he said. However, the condition of all the patients is now normal and there is nothing to worry about, he added.
The buckwheat flour, which caused the illness, was supplied from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Based on interrogations with the patients, the police have identified and sealed 22 shops from where the buckwheat flour was purchased. All food items from these shops were confiscated, and the shopkeepers have been called for questioning, the SSP said.
He added that the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police in Saharanpur had been informed and a team had been dispatched to Saharanpur.
Upon receiving information about the incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Coronation Hospital and inquired about the patients’ conditions.
Wishing them a speedy recovery, he directed the District Magistrate of Dehradun and Health Department officials to ensure they received proper treatment. He also instructed that the number of beds in the hospitals be increased if necessary.
Dhami further directed the Health Secretary to investigate the matter thoroughly and take strict action against those responsible.
He emphasised that the Health Department, Food Safety Department and other relevant agencies should collaborate to ensure such incidents do not recur and that appropriate action is taken against all those responsible.
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Canada, US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid-January
Toronto (AP): Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to the review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country's point person for US-Canada trade relations, “will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carney's office said in a statement late Thursday.
The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. US President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.
Carney met with the leaders of Canada's provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks with the US.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the country's southern neighbour. But most exports to the US are currently exempted by USMCA.
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Trump cut off trade talks to reduce tariffs on certain sectors with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump's insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Carney said earlier Thursday that Canada and the US were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on certain sectors of Canada's economy, particularly aluminum, steel, auto and lumber.
Carney also said trade irritants flagged this week by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are elements of a “much bigger discussion” about continental trade. Greer said a coming review of the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal will hinge on resolving US concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.
Carney and the provincial premiers agreed to meet in person in Ottawa early in the new year.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85 per cent of US electricity imports.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Carney said US access to Canada's critical ministers is not a certainty.
“It's a potential opportunity for the United States, but it's not an assured opportunity for the United States. It's part of a bigger discussion in terms of our trading relationship, because we have other partners around the world, in Europe for example, who are very interested in participating,” Carney said earlier Thursday.
