Meerut police in Uttar Pradesh have uncovered a major cyber fra¥d racket involving Nigerian students, arresting one suspect, Saifu Mayana Umar, an MSc Nursing student.

Victims across India were reportedly duped with promises of high returns through investments in foreign companies and stock markets. Investigations have linked Umar and his associates, including a Nigerian national named Yusuf, to at least 16 cyber fra¥d cases.

The gang allegedly used an organized network to lure victims, quickly withdrawing transferred funds through multiple bank accounts and ATMs to avoid detection. Authorities have traced transactions totaling approximately ₹45 lakh in Umar’s bank account, connected to cases mainly from southern states.

The probe involved cyber units from Telangana and Tamil Nadu, who coordinated with Meerut police to apprehend Umar from his hostel. During searches, police recovered electronic devices, ATM cards, bank passbooks, a SIM card, a passport, a cheque book, and mobile phones, all sent for forensic examination to trace the wider network.

Investigators noted that one associate attempted to des+roy banking documents, but some financial records were recovered for scrutiny. Transaction details are also being traced to follow international money flows.

During questioning, Umar admitted that some funds in his account were deposited by Yusuf and subsequently withdrawn. Other names have emerged in the investigation, and warrants are being sought, including potential international cooperation.

Umar has since been released on notice, with his passport confiscated and confinement to the university hostel.

A UK health tribunal has removed Ifenyinwa Chizube Ndulue-Nonso from the professional register after finding she falsely presented herself as an experienced dietitian to secure a job with the NHS.

The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) heard on March 2 that Ndulue-Nonso misrepresented her qualifications and displayed serious gaps in basic medical knowledge shortly after starting at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in February 2024.

The tribunal found she made fundamental errors, including claiming urine is stored in the gallbladder, stating radiotherapy treats heart failure, misidentifying the large intestine as following the stomach, and failing to calculate a patient’s BMI. Her supervisor described the gaps as extremely alarming, noting they involved basic anatomy and essential professional knowledge. Concerns were formally raised within three days.

Ndulue-Nonso admitted she had never administered feeding through an intravenous catheter or used nutritional supplement drinks, and was reportedly seen searching online for basic medical terms while on duty. Investigations showed 20 of the 28 competencies she claimed were unsupported. She said she had learned correct responses from previous NHS interviews.

Although she denied deliberate deception, claiming her application reflected her Nigerian experience, the panel ruled her conduct was planned and persistent, posing a serious risk to patients.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has therefore removed her from the UK register of dietitians, barring her from practising in the country.

Russia is taking an unusual step to tackle its falling birth rate, as new health guidelines now recommend psychological counseling for women who say they do not want children.

Under fresh directives from the health ministry, doctors conducting reproductive health checks will ask women how many children they intend to have. If a patient responds with zero, officials advise referring her to a medical psychologist “with the goal of forming a positive attitude towards having children.”

The move comes as Vladimir Putin intensifies efforts to reverse what he has repeatedly described as a national emergency.

Russia’s population decline has been a long-standing concern throughout his 25-year rule, now worsened by the loss of hundreds of thousands of young men sent to fight in Russia-Ukraine War.

Although the guidelines were approved in late February, they only gained widespread attention this week after being reported by state media.

The Kremlin has framed the demographic slump as a matter of survival. In 2024, Putin warned that Russia risked “extinction” if birth rates did not improve.

Currently, the country’s fertility rate stands at about 1.4 children per woman, a 200-year low and well below the 2.1 level experts say is needed to maintain population stability.

In response, authorities have rolled out increasingly aggressive pro-natalist policies. These include tightening ab+rtion laws, banning so-called “child-free propaganda,” and rewarding large families with financial incentives and social benefits.

While officials argue the measures are necessary, critics say they raise serious questions about personal freedom and state interference in private life.