UK nationals visiting India this month will have to undergo mandatory quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in retaliation for UK curbs on Indian citizens.
The new rules, which take effect from Monday, follow the UK decision to require Indians vaccinated with AstraZeneca's Covishield to quarantine.
India mainly relies on the Covishield vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute, which is not recognised by Britain under new rules, despite being identical to the doses given to millions of Britons.
AstraZeneca is one of the key providers to Britain's vaccination programme, along with US peers Moderna and Pfizer.
"India has decided to impose reciprocity on UK nationals arriving in India from the UK," the source said, declining to be identified in line with government policy.
Government sources in New Delhi had last month warned of retaliation after Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had urged for an early resolution after a meeting with his British counterpart at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Australia on Thursday passed into law a social media ban for children aged under 16 after an emotive debate that gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.
Israeli military strikes killed at least 17 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, as forces stepped up bombardments on central areas and pushed tanks deeper in the north and south of the enclave.
Israeli tank fire hit six areas in southern Lebanon on Thursday and the Israeli military said its ceasefire with Hezbollah was breached after what it called suspects, some in vehicles, arrived at several areas in the southern zone.
Indonesian rescuers are searching for passengers trapped in a minibus buried in mud after flash floods and landslides hit several locations in North Sumatra province, killing at least 27, an official said on Thursday.
Syrian armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an attack on regime forces in the last opposition enclave in northern Syria on Wednesday, seizing territory in the first such advance in years, army and rebel sources said.
Broadcasting every weekday, Georgia Tolley goes beyond the headlines to speak to government ministers, decision makers, analysts and local experts to find out how the news will impact those of us living in the UAE.
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