Coronavirus vaccine update: Countries ahead that are closest in finding a treatment

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Worldwide efforts are on to treat Coronavirus and the treatment for Coronavirus does involve the search for viable vaccines. The Coronavirus incubation period is still on.

Coronavirus cases across the world are rising in numbers despite stringent lockdown and containment measures. The United States has been the worst affected nation, followed by the UK, Italy, and Spain. The spread of Coronavirus does not show signs of slowing down. Efforts are on across the world by researchers and several governments to develop a vaccine.

World leaders as well as organizations, except the United States, have already pledged $8 billion to research, manufacture as well as distribute a vaccine along with required and treatments for COVID-19. At the same time, individual efforts are on by several countries and their respective pharmaceutical firms to develop a vaccine.

Much effort is towards treatment for Coronavirus.

How the world is affected by Coronovairus?

The United States is leading as far as cases are concerned and is trying to develop a vaccine. Pharma giant Pfizer has in fact already injected the first experimental vaccine on patients in the US. Gilead has ramped-up activities to make virus treatment drug Remdesivir, which has been showing ‘very promising’ results. It is also hoped that ‘anti-body’ treatment drug may be made available by this fall. Several top pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and other biopharmaceutical companies are trying to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.

Italian scientists claim they have developed it. Coronavirus cure update highlights these efforts and it is worth knowing more about the issue.

The UK scientists also claim to have made a potential vaccine for Coronavirus. Also, UK biotech company Synairgen’s drug referred to as Interferon Beta has been injected in patients as part of initial trials, which is hoped to show results soon. It is normally used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The UK has in fact set aside 388 million euro to fund vaccine research, tests, and treatments. About 31 active case studies for vaccine development are in fact going on in the UK as of now.

The coronavirus incubation period is on no doubt.

Israel claims that the Israel government’s Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has rather developed an antibody to the novel Coronavirus and is going to patent and mass-produce the potential treatment.

China according to WHO data claims four vaccines under human trials. Except for the DNA-based vaccine tried out US-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals, all the other vaccines are now in the process of undergoing Phase 1 and Phase 2 human trials together for fast development process in treating the virus.

Chinese vaccines that are under development emanate from CanSino Biological Inc-Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Wuhan Institute of Biological Product-Sinopharm, Beijing Institute of Biological Products with Sinopharm, as well as an independent SARS platform-based inactivated vaccine from Sinovac.

Italy is involved in about 59 active case studies. A team of Italian scientists does indeed claim to have discovered the world’s first vaccine that can neutralize the deadly virus. Italian scientists at Rome’s Spallanzani Hospital have rather claimed that they are the first to neutralize the virus via a vaccine. The results are supposed to be promising.

India s also actively involved in developing a vaccine and in fact, more than 30 vaccines are in various stages of development in India. In fact the University of Oxford’s vaccine is also being developed with multiple partners that include India’s Serum Institute of India. The WHO admits that out of the 100 projects under pre-clinical stages, Indian companies such as Zydus Cadila, Codagenix-Serum Institute of India, Indian Immunologicals with Griffith University, Bharat Biotech with the Thomas Jefferson University, Biological E Ltd, and the UW Madison-FluGen-Bharat Biotech are all making attempts to come with a viable vaccine for Coronavirus.

5 little-known facts about the KGF star Yash

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Yash KGF wife Radhika pandit has performed well together in several films. Yash’s performance in KGF chapter 2 was remarkable and got him much fame.

Cine-stars are popular figures and draw much attention from the public.

Kannada star Yash is also a popular name in Indian cinema, and this more so on account of his Hindi version of KGF: Chapter 1 and its box-office success. The actor was no doubt much appreciated for his role and received positive comments from the critics as well as audiences.

Yash at 33, is not celebrating his birthday due to the demise of a veteran actor of Kannada cinema Ambareesh in November last year.

1. Yash happens to be one of the most influential actors in the Kannada cinema. He has gained much fame and has proved his merit on the screen with his fabulous acting skills. He has indeed carved a niche for himself. His real name is Naveen Kumar Gowda. Yash actor height is remarkable.

2. He has been and continues to be active in politics and has campaigned for BJP and JD(S) candidates in Mysuru and Mandya districts in the Karnataka state assembly elections in 2018. Naturally, it is interesting to note that a cine star similar to many others has forayed into politics.

3. His big-screen debut happened with a small role in Jambhada Hudugi that got released in 2007. This paved his way into several other ventures which made his famous and popular with the fans. He is referred to as ‘Rocking star’ among his massive fan-base in Karnataka.

4. Yash and Radhika first met on the sets of television serial Nandagokul and dated for six years before getting married in 2016. They made their film debut together with the 2008 movie Moggina Manasu and have successfully worked together in four films. Yash’s wife has both acted together in several movies. Radhika Pandit has proved herself well on the screen.

5. GF star Yash is known for his hot, handsome, and enviable looks. His image as Rocky Bhai in the huge Kannada film KGF led to his grand popularity as a talented actor. His styles and fashions are watched by one and all and also emulated. In fact, the jackets that Yash used in KGF for his character became very popular with the audience for its unique styling. And in real life too, Yash has an uncanny passion for jackets and has indeed a wardrobe full of them. His stunning looks in jackets are something that makes his female fans simply go gaga over him! KGF Chapter 2 proved well.

Conclusion

Yash, whose film ‘KGF: being a super hit, drew much applause from the audience and also on the social media where he also urged the viewers to adhere to the curfew. He indeed motivates the viewers to stay safe and stick to the ‘wife-friendly rules’.

The actor’s next release ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ is set to be released this year. However, on account of lockdown and the ongoing crisis, there has been no official announcement from the makers of the movie whether they would go ahead with an OTT release or not.

He is known for his roles in the movies Rajadhani, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari and Kirataka. The KGF happens to be his and best film of all time Yash made his feature film debut with Jambada Hudugi and then Moggina Manasu. He played the male lead opposite then future wife Radhika. The film was a success and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in several commercially successful films that include Modalasala, Rajadhani Kirataka, Drama, Googly, Raja Huli, Gajakesari, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Masterpiece and K.G.F: Chapter 1. His fame has been well documented by the media, and he has been acknowledged as a popular actor in South India.

10 Environmental Benefits of Planting a Tree

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Trees are worth planting as the social benefits of planting trees are manifold. The importance of planting trees cannot be negated as there are several benefits of planting plants.

Many people like to build gardens by planting trees. They either do it as a hobby or to make their home surroundings beautiful. Also, trees turn out to be extra shade in the summer months. The social benefits of planting trees are manifold.

No doubt, there are several other benefits of planting trees. However, there are more benefits from trees than one might think. One can relax under a tree and its calming effect improves overall well-being. It helps to live in a conducive environment. It is better not to overlook the importance of planting trees.

1. Reduces Climate Change

Trees breathe out oxygen in the morning hours and therefore it is good to take morning walks. People usually are good at building up excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Harmful CO2 does contribute to climate change, which happens to be the biggest current problem the world has to deal with. Trees do help fight it. They absorb CO2 thus removing it from the air and storing it while at the same time releasing oxygen.

2. Purifying Air

A person wants clean air in the woods or by the seaside. Trees purify the air. Beaches have palm trees and are full of fresh air. Trees absorb pollutant gases such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, ammonia, sulfur dioxide. Trees also in fact absorb odors and act as a filter as little particulates do get trapped in leaves. The benefits of planting plants are worth taking note of.

3. Cooling Down the Streets

Global warming is not new to people. Removing trees and replacing them with heat-absorbing asphalt roads and buildings increases the temperature. Trees are cool cities by up to 10 F by providing shade as well as releasing water.

4. Natural Air Conditioning

The coolness of trees is a good substitute for air conditioning needs. Carbon dioxide and emissions from power plants are reduced. Architects and environmentalists do come out with green roofs. Green roofs are an amazing way to incorporate vegetation to one’s home and provide environmental benefits for one’s community while saving money on cooling bills.

5. Saving Water

Trees do help save water. As they provide shade, water will evaporates slowly from low vegetation. Trees do require about 15 water gallons a week to survive, and they do release about 200-450 gallons of water per day.

6. Preventing Water Pollution

Stormwater is known to be full of phosphorus pollutants and nitrogen. Without trees, stormwater tends to flow into oceans and waters without being filtered. Trees break the rainfall and thus allows water to enter the earth and seep into the soil. Therefore, they do prevent stormwater from polluting oceans. Except for trees, green infrastructure such as green roofs can help soothe the effects of stormwater.

7. Providing Shelters for Wildlife

Trees also do contribute to boosting biodiversity as they do become a food source and natural habitat for wildlife. An apple tree can nourish several birds, insects, and wildlife. Trees that are usually planted as homes for birds, squirrels, and bees are oak as well as sycamore.

8. Renewable Energy Source

Nowadays a major problem is fossil fuels. They do consist of toxic properties. Several companies do focus on renewable sources of energy. If harvested and treated sustainably, trees can indeed become a great renewable source of energy. They are simple to make use of and with the aid of forest management they can indeed become an excellent eco-friendly fuel.

9. Reinforcing Soil

Trees are one of the best partners when it does come to agriculture. They do act positively in several ways: they do reduce soil erosion, increase fertility, and also help soil obtain moisture. Fallen tree leaves lower reduces soil temperature and prevents soil from losing too much moisture. Decaying leaves that fall onto the ground do turn into nutrients for tree growth and promote microorganism development.

10. Erosion Control

Rain and wind are two indeed primary erosion forces that do damage the bare soil. As they fall from heights, drops of rain tend to gain power and momentum, and thus being strong can penetrate the soil once they hit the ground. On the other hand, in case the land is dried out, then the wind can do significant damage. Trees do break droplets of rain and also weaken their strength while roots hold the soil together and protect it from the effects of wind.

Conclusion

There are several environmental benefits of planting a tree. Strategically planting trees around the home can have tremendous benefits on the environment. Not only does it help restore life quality within the community, contribute to the environment, and also help fight climate change. It is worth planning a tree! The social benefits of planting trees are much to be concerned about.

Big B opens up on ‘silence’, ‘uncertainty’ from Covid ward

Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan, who is hospitalized with the novel coronavirus, has shared about life in general from his COVID ward.

Big B took to his blog and wrote: “It is the silence and the uncertainty of the next … it is a wonder of the nature of life .. of all that it brings to us each moment, each living breathing day… In the activity driven past days of normalcy, never was there inclination to assess or sit back and think of what thoughts invade us now.”

“But they do now with a regularity that fills those idle hours, sitting, thinking, looking out into nowhere.

“.. in these conditions thoughts race at greater speed and in a vividity that had eluded us before .. they were always there, but just the presence of them remained silenced by the mind in its other business of existence ..the business is dormant now.

The thespian added that “the mind is freer”.

“It reflects greatly more than ever .. and I wonder if this is correct, admissible pertinent or not.”

He wrote that a wandering mind often leads to “destinations that, because of their complex vagaries, bring on that which at times be not what you may want to hear or see .. but you do .. the eventuality of all that surrounds us blows heavily about us.”

“Ignorance of it would not be a considered act .. so you succumb to it .. bear it .. live it .. caress it at times .. play with it at others.. wish it away, hold on to it, embrace it and accept .. but never be able to desist its presence ..”

He says the time “today gives liberty to stretch the gravitas of the cerebrum.”

“We may never get the opportunity to be involved in this act, but given the circumstance, I would like to believe that each one of us .. each individual has the will and the capacity to be what they may have believed, they would never be.”

Talking about his health, Bachchan wrote: “In the condition of the solace in the room of cure .. the restlessness keeps in the search for a reaction .. for a connect .. for something to respond to .. to do .. to do just more than what the condition dictates ..”

“At times you find it .. at times you stare at barren walls and with empty thoughts .. and you pray that they are filled with the life of existence .. of reaction and company .. All of you push your prayers and concern each hour I know .. and I have only folded hands ..”

2 students who wrote Kerala entrance exam test Covid +ve

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Even as numerous requests were made to postpone the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) entrance examination which was held on July 16, the state government refused to do so and on Tuesday two students who wrote the exam in the state capital have tested positive for the coronavirus.

A third person, another student’s father also has now turned COVID positive, said health authorities.

According to the authorities, a 19-year-old girl student hailing from the capital city was a secondary contact of a positive patient. She wrote the KEAM exam at an educational institution, here and now instructions have been sent to 20 students who appeared for the exam in the same hall, to go into isolation.

Another 18-year-old boy who wrote the exam in another educational institution here has also tested positive, but since he showed symptoms, he was asked to write the exam in a separate hall.

Likewise, a 47-year-old father of a student, from here has also turned COVID positive and he remained outside the examination hall till the exam got over.

The invigilators and volunteers have also been directed to be in-home quarantine.

Despite, numerous requests from various quarters, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was adamant to hold the KEAM as scheduled and after the examination got over, he had appreciated and congratulated all those who worked to see the exam went off well.

Vidya Balan virtually launches first song of ‘Shakuntala Devi’ with 5000 schoolkids

Actress Vidya Balan has virtually launched the song, Pass Nahi to fail Nahi, from her upcoming film Shakuntala Devi. Around 5,000 students from over 100 cities participated in the virtual event.

In addition to participating in the song launch, the school children also took part in a fun interactive session with Vidya, who is essaying the role of the late math wizard Shakuntala Devi, known as the ‘human computer’ for her incredible ability to solve complex mathematical problems within minutes.

Composed by Sachin-Jigar, the peppy song has been sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. The lyrics of the song have been penned by Vayu.

“I am very excited to launch the first song of ‘Shakuntala Devi’ the movie, with 5000 students of DAV schools and colleges, from over 100 cities! Aptly titled ‘Pass Nahi to fail Nahi’, this song is really close to my heart as it brings out an interesting way to interact with numbers, and tries to drive away math phobia that many experiences in a fun and peppy way,” said Vidya.

“It felt incredible to share the platform with young minds over a fun and exciting virtual session. (It was) A different yet amazing experience as we embrace the new normal. I really hope that the audience will continue to shower love and praise on this song as much as they appreciated the trailer,” she added.

Directed by Anu Menon, “Shakuntala Devi” also stars Sanya Malhotra, Jisshu Sengupta, and Amit Sadh. It is set to stream on July 31 on Amazon Prime Video.

COVID-19 Fight: An initiative to re-skill ex-servicemen

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In an attempt to reskill and resettle Indian defense veterans along with helping in the ongoing nationwide fight against COVID-19, a new initiative aims to connect healthcare institutions with ex-servicemen, to ferry doctors and other healthcare workers to hospitals and back home.

The ‘Sainik for Doctors’, a dedicated service for COVID-19 health workers, was launched at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute last week. Started by shared mobility solutions provider MotherPod Innovations, it offers a safe, secure, and sanitized mobility service to facilitate a peaceful commute for health workers.

“Drawing on their oath of lifelong service to the nation, the Sainiks will ensure that the country’s healthcare workers can go about their daily duties without any fears or concerns for their personal well-being,” MotherPod said.

“In the post-COVID scenario, heightened security measures and standards have become critical for safer commutes — whether you consider healthcare workers, or people traveling for business or leisure. Ex-defense personnel is ideal for this challenge since they are disciplined and trained to follow the highest standards of safety protocols. Over time, MotherPod will expand its community of Sainiks and provide many more veterans a supportive ecosystem to move ahead in their careers,” Capt. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Head of Partnerships, MotherPod, shared.

The organization said it will maintain stringent social distancing and safety protocols. “For instance, the maximum number of passengers per ride is fixed at two. A secure acrylic partition of the highest quality has been installed in every vehicle. In addition, a single-use PPE kit with gloves, a sanitizer, and a mask will be given to every passenger before the ride commences. The interiors are completely sanitized after each journey.”

MotherPod aims at re-skilling, resettlement, and economic inclusion of ex-servicemen, of about 100,000 veterans in the next three years.

2 army soldiers injured in landmine blast in J&K’s Rajouri

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Two army soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in J&K’s Rajouri district on Tuesday.

Police sources said two army soldiers identified as sepoy S.K. Minjur Rehman and sepoy Upadhya Prasad Rajindra sustained blast injuries while on duty in forwarding areas of Kalal in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

“S.K. Minjur Rehman was airlifted to Udhampur base hospital while Upadhya Prasad Rajindra was shifted to an army hospital in Rajouri”, sources said.

Reports said the explosion injuring the two soldiers occurred when a landmine went off in the area the two were patrolling in.

Shruti Haasan opens up on playing older woman in ‘Yaara’

Actress Shruti Haasan says it was fun to prepare for her character in the upcoming film “Yaara”, as she was playing an older woman for the first time.

Shruti said: “(The story is set) In the seventies and then in the nineties, so it was lovely to jump time frames. The portion of the nineties is when we are playing older versions of our characters.”

“This was the first time ever that I would be playing an older woman, so it was fun to prepare myself for that,” The actress added.

The film co-starring Vidyut Jammwal, Amit Sadh, Vijay Varma, Kenny Basumatary and Sanjay Mishra, is slated to open on Friendship Day, July 30 on ZEE5.

The Tigmanshu Dhulia directorial is a Bollywood remake of the French film “Gang Story”. The story of the film is set in North India and is about the rise and fall of a group of four friends operating along the Indo-Nepal border.

AMU doctors attacked by patient kin

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Relatives of a suspected Covid-19 patient, who was admitted at the AMU medical college casualty with respiratory distress, allegedly manhandled and assaulted doctors and staff after they were informed of the non-availability of the ventilator at the ICU in the hospital.

Later, the patient Haseena Bano, 55, died in the hospital on Monday.

An FIR was registered and all the four relatives of the deceased, who allegedly manhandled the doctors and staff, were arrested by the police later on Monday.

Hamza Malik, the president of the Resident Doctors’ Association, said the patient was admitted at 1.30 p.m. with a history of breathlessness and dry cough for the past two-three days.

After a few hours, the patient’s oxygen level suddenly started dipping but as a ventilator was not available in the trauma ward at that time, the relatives were informed and advised to shift the patient to some other hospital.

“As soon as we explained this to the patient’s attendants, they started abusing us and became physically violent. They also gave us life threats and made an attempt to tear the PPE of one of the women doctors.

“One of the patient attendants tried to throw an oxygen cylinder at us with the intention to kill but somehow we managed to save ourselves,” she said.

Civil Lines circle officer, Anil Samaniya, said all four accused have been arrested under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person being a public servant in the execution of his duty as such public servant), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC on the basis of a complaint filed by doctors.

He said, two of them were given bail to carry out the funeral of the deceased while the other two will be produced in court.

Siemens, SAP partner to give Industry 4.0 a digital boost

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Technology major Siemens and enterprise application software provider SAP SE have partnered to deliver integrated end-to-end software solutions across the product lifecycle, supply chain, and asset management towards industrial transformation.

SAP will offer Siemens’ ‘Teamcenter’ software as the core foundation for product lifecycle collaboration and product data management while Siemens will offer SAP Intelligent Asset Management solutions and SAP Portfolio and Project Management applications to maximize business value for customers.

According to Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries, this collaboration between two industry leaders is about more than just interoperability and interfaces.

“It is about creating a truly integrated digital thread that unites product and asset lifecycle management with the business that enables customers to optimize production of products,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Combining Siemens’ Teamcenter and SAP S/4HANA software “provides companies an end-to-end process capability from product design to decommissioning,” said Bob Parker, Senior VP of Industry Research at IDC.

Both the companies will be able to complement and integrate their respective offerings in order to offer customers the first truly integrated and enhanced solutions for product lifecycle management (PLM), supply chain, service and asset management.

“As manufacturers design and deliver smarter products and assets, access to real-time business information across networks is critical to bring new and improved innovations to market faster,” said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and responsible for SAP Product Engineering.

SAP’s end-to-end suite of applications and services are currently enabling more than 437,000 business and public customers globally.

Apple may bring touch-integrated OLED for iPhones in 2021

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Apple is reportedly planning to bring touch-integrated OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays on all iPhone models that will be launched next year.

The Cupertino-based tech giant has placed orders for the touch-integrated OLED display panels, reports South Korea-based ET News.

The OLED panels, instead of having touch sensor films, come with inbuilt touch sensors, which will make smartphones thinner. In addition, the cost of the devices will decrease.

As per the report, the new touch-integrated OLEDs will be supplied by Samsung Display.

The iPhone maker is expected to launch four new iPhones under the iPhone 12 series in September which would include two premium variants.

The iPhone 12 Pro will come in 6.1-inch or 6.7-inch sizes. The rear camera module on the device will house four sensors with a LiDAR scanner which was introduced in the recently launched Apple iPad Pro.

All four iPhone models are expected to feature OLED displays and 5G support, as famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously claimed.

de Gea not in a position to be defended, says Ferdinand

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Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has stated that current goalkeeper David de Gea has made glaring errors in big matches and that is why even the most ardent United fans, like himself, cannot defend him amid the criticism that he is receiving.

The Spaniard was guilty of letting two goals in on either side of the half-time against Chelsea — one from Olivier Giroud and another from Mason Mount as Chelsea thumped Manchester United 3-1 last Sunday to secure a place in the FA Cup final.

“When people make mistakes, they’re open to criticism. That’s just natural, that is just how football is,” Ferdinand told BT Sport as per Daily Mail.

“David de Gea is no exception. He’s made mistakes, glaring mistakes in some big games, notably the game against Chelsea in the semi-final at Wembley.

“Yes, he should be doing better. I have played with David, he’s his own biggest critic.

“He’ll be sitting at home mulling over these, going through the situations and making sure that he tries to get rid of these mistakes that he is committing at the moment.

“I watched these games with my boys at home and I was flabbergasted to see them go past David because he’s a top-drawer goalkeeper.

“It is disappointing really, as a Manchester United fan you want to defend your player but at the moment he is not in a position to be defended in that respect,” he added.

Earlier, Newcastle legend and football pundit Alan Shearer had urged Manchester United to bring back Dean Henderson from Sheffield United and make him their number one goalkeeper.

“I think it’s time (to drop De Gea). It keeps happening,” Shearer said while speaking to BBC One.

“I think you bring Henderson back when you think he’s going to be number one. He has to bring him back as number one otherwise keep him out on loan for experience, but, has that time come? Yes, I think it has.”

Vicky Kaushal: I miss machines

Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal shared a throwback photograph of himself at a gym and said that he misses machines.

Vicky’s Instagram image showed him flaunting his perfectly-chiseled body.

The actor completed his look with black basketball shorts, a baseball cap, and sneakers. In the backdrop, gym equipment can be seen as the “Manmarziyaan” actor is posing in front of a large mirror.

“I miss the machines. #majormissingmonday,” he wrote alongside the image, which currently has 7,25,000 likes.

Vicky was last seen in Bhanu Pratap Singh’s “Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship”.

Next, he will bring alive the story of revolutionary Udham Singh, who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 by assassinating General Michael O’Dwyer, who was lieutenant governor of Punjab from 1913 to 1919 and endorsed the action of General Reginald Dyer responsible for killing hundreds of people at a peaceful gathering.

Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder, and hanged in July 1940.

Amazon to run Prime Day in India on August 6-7

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E-commerce giant Amazon has confirmed that it will run its Prime Day annual shopping festival in India on August 6-7, a bit later than usual.

Last year, the sales holiday was conducted in mid-July, but the pandemic this year has disrupted its schedule as the company said that the rollout of the global event for other participating markets will take place even later.

According to a report in TechCrunch on Tuesday, this will be the first time that Prime Day will not run on the same day globally.

The Prime Day dates for other participating markets are still not known.

The event in India which promises deals and savings, including those on entertainment offerings, will start on August 6 at midnight and run until August 7.

“Over the last five years, Prime Day has become a special celebration and time for Prime members to shop incredible deals for themselves and for friends and family — and it’s something we look forward to every year,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

“This year we’ll be holding Prime Day later than usual while ensuring the safety of our employees and supporting our customers and selling partners.

“We are excited Prime members in India will see savings on August 6-7, and that members all around the world will experience Prime Day later this year. We look forward to sharing more details soon,” the spokesperson added.

Glenmark slams allegations on Fabiflu as careless, unsubstantiated

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In a strong rebuttal to the drug regulator, Glenmark Pharma said it has been at the receiving end of careless, unsubstantiated allegations that are devoid of merits related to COVID drug, Fabiflu.

In a reply to V.G. Somani, Directorate General of Health Services, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Glenmark has responded to allegations made in the representation by an unnamed Member of Parliament.

Glenmark said it is “dismayed” by the allegations as it brought an oral anti-viral agent in less than 3 months, being the first and only company to conduct a robust 150-patient randomized controlled trial and launching the drug at an affordable price.

“Glenmark has been at the receiving end of such careless, unsubstantiated allegations that are devoid of merits whatsoever as amply demonstrated above”, it said.

On the concern raised by the MP on unaffordability due to high price, Glenmark said Compared to other therapies approved for emergency use in COVID-19, FabiFlu is much more economical and an effective treatment option.

Further, given that Favipiravir is an oral therapy, patients can be treated on an out-patient basis without incurring additional hospitalization expenses, unlike other approved drugs that are injectable and hence require administration at hospitals.

Favipiravir in India when launched was at the lowest market cost (Rs 103/tab) as compared to the cost of Favipiravir in other countries where it was approved.

Despite investing significantly throughout the process of manufacturing, Glenmark has managed to keep the pricing of Favipiravir lower as compared to the price of Favipiravir in other countries.

Subsequently, on July 13, Glenmark reduced the price of FabiFlu to Rs 75 per tablet. The price reduction was made possible through our efforts to obtain better yield and better scale, and with both API and formulations manufactured at Glenmark’s own facilities in India.

Today, Favipiravir is a part of several state government protocols and thousands of COVID-19 patients have benefited from the prescription of the product, the company said.

There is an allegation of misleading/false claims that Favipiravir is effective in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension as Phase 3 clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy in these co-morbidities.

In its response, Glenmark said the alleged statement pertaining to co-morbidity in the press release dated June 20 was not derived from or alluded to Glenmark’s ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial. On the contrary, the reference to comorbidity was clearly based on data from the Japanese registry — the largest collection of real-world evidence on the clinical use of Favipiravir in COVID-19.

“In fact what is surprising is that the allegation of a false claim is being made that when Glenmark, being a responsible corporate citizen, explicitly referenced upfront the Japanese registry, and at no point linked it to our India Phase 3 clinical trial,” it said.

“In view of the above, it is clear that Glenmark’s communication at the launch of the said Product has been completely misread and/or quoted out of context which is harming our reputation,” Glenmark said.

There is also an allegation that Favipiravir is not tested as monotherapy in Phase 3 clinical trial in India. “At the outset, Glenmark denies having made any such claim at any point in time that “Favipiravir alone” is effective in the treatment of Covid-19 patients with mild to moderate disease,” it said.

In the light of the pandemic, in all COVID-19 trials being proposed/conducted across India, all patients receive standard supportive care as per the guidance of Health Ministry as giving the patients placebo alone in such a situation would be unethical as it would deprive the patients of any care at all.

Globally, a similar approach, including standard supportive care is adopted in clinical trials that are being conducted to consider treatment options for COVID-19 patients.

Similarly, in the Glenmark Study, as per the guidelines issued by ICMR and Health Ministry, patients with mild to moderate COVID 19 symptoms were treated with Favipiravir plus recommended standard supportive care versus standard supportive care alone.

“It is pertinent to note that the standard supportive care in Glenmark Study did not include HCQ or any other anti-viral drug. Consequently, since both arms of the Glenmark Study received standard supportive care under this design, any advantage observed in the treatment arm can solely be attributed to the administration of Favipiravir,” Glenmark rebutted.

1st manned round-trip to Mars could take about 2 years: NASA

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Stressing that human exploration of Mars is on the horizon, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said that the agency is planning its first round-trip voyage to Mars to take about two years during which the crew could spend about a month on the Martian surface.

The US space agency wants to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s.

NASA will use advanced propulsion systems to enable a faster journey to the Red Planet while limiting radiation exposure for its astronauts and other mission risks, Bridenstine said on Monday while participating in a discussion with the Space Foundation, a non-profit organization.

“Our preferred launch window will give the crew about 30 days on the Martian surface, which is ample time to search for life on another world,” he said.

“Other options could require the crew to be on the surface for more than a year and away from Earth for as long as three years, but it will be a long time before we have the funding, technology, supplies, and capabilities to sustain such a mission,” said Bridenstine.

NASA plans to return humans to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis programme.

“Our sights remain set on sending humans to Mars and the Artemis program will give us the experience living on another world closer to home,” the NASA Administrator said.

“Artemis missions on and around the Moon will help us make our next giant leap while robots like the Perseverance rover pave the way for our first human explorers to Mars,” he added.

NASA is targeting July 30 for the launch of the Perseverance Mars rover from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Among the investigations onboard, the rover will carry two that will support future crewed missions to the fourth planet — one to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere and another to aid in the development of weather forecasting.

The mission will also use new terrain navigation and landing technologies as well as study how a potential spacesuit material is affected by the Martian environment, Bridenstine noted.

Current hockey teams best in terms of fitness & co-ordination: Bharat

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Former Indian goalkeeper Bharat Chetri believes both the current men’s and women’s hockey teams have some of the best players in the world, adding that they have the ability to end the medal drought at next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

“We have the best players in the world, and in my opinion, both the teams are quite similar in their composition – given we have both Savita and PR Sreejesh as our experienced goalkeepers, and then a steady defense ahead of them,” Bharat was quoted as saying by Hockey India.

“Midfield and attack for both the teams are quite potent, lively, efficient, and effective, with the right mixture of youth and experience in our ranks. Having worked with both the teams and watched them from close quarters, I feel the current teams are probably the best in terms of their fitness, their style of play, and the coordination.

“When I had seen their coordination on and off the field, it makes me feel so happy because somehow I felt that this level of coordination was something that was lacking in our teams of the past which perhaps was one of the reasons we have been unable to perform exceptionally on occasions,” he added.

According to the former Indian captain, since the London Olympics, both the teams have made a considerable amount of improvement in their games.

“We always had the talent and the opportunity to take that step forward as a team, but the other teams were ahead of us in their respective Olympic processes, and I think we always ended up lacking that authority and edge in big matches.

“Over the past eight years since the London Olympics, I think there has been considerable improvement in our game, and the credit for that also needs to go to all the players and coaches who have been involved, and also Hockey India for doing a great job in providing the best facilities and infrastructure to its athletes to train and stay during their national camps, and play on tours abroad.

He said during his playing days, it was his dream to help his team win an Olympic medal, but now, as a fan of Indian hockey, he wants the current teams to make a podium finish in Tokyo.

Indian men’s hockey team last won a gold medal in Hockey in 1980 in Moscow Olympics. Since then, they have participated in eight Olympic editions but have failed to make a podium finish. On the other hand, the Indian eves have never been able to win a medal in the prestigious quadrennial event.

“It is not just a dream, it is a belief which I have seen in our current players also during the times that I have spent with them as the goalkeeping or assistant coach,” said Bharat.

“I think the talent that we have in our ranks, along with the top fitness levels, we really have a good chance to perform at our best under the guidance of both the respective chief coaches,” he added.

Board of SBI Card approves raising Rs 1,500 cr via NCDs

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The Board of SBI Cards and Payment Services has approved raising of Rs 1,500 crore by issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCD) in one or more tranches over a period of time.

The Board of Directors approved the proposal in its meeting on Monday.

In a regulatory filing on Monday, SBI Card said that its board “approved raising of funds by way of issuance of Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) aggregating to Rs 1,500 crores in one or more tranches over a period of time.”

For the first quarter (April-June) of the financial year 2020-21, the SBI Cards and Payment Services on Monday reported a nearly 14 percent rise in its net profit at Rs 393.29 crore.

The company reported a 4 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth in its revenue from operations at Rs 2,152.20 crore during the period under review.

Shares of the company on the BSE surged on Tuesday. At 12.08 p.m., its shares were trading at Rs 785.30, higher by Rs 33.50 or 4.46 percent from the previous close.

Microsoft to shift Minecraft workloads from AWS Cloud to Azure

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Popular video game Minecraft which has over 126 million monthly users globally will stop using Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud and will shift its workloads to Azure Cloud from its parent company Microsoft.

According to a report in CNBC, the “shift represents an obvious way for Microsoft to cut back on payments to one of its toughest competitors and promote its own product”.

Azure is growing faster than many other Microsoft offerings. Most of its consumer and commercial properties, including the video conferencing app Teams, now run on Azure Cloud.

Microsoft would also “migrate LinkedIn from its own dedicated data centers to Azure,” according to the report on Monday.

Minecraft has topped 200 million sales, with 126 million people playing the game monthly. The game has seen a huge increase in use since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Over the last month, the game has seen an increase of 25 percent in new players, with a 40 percent rise in multiplayer sessions specifically.

When Microsoft acquired Mojang (the game developer behind Minecraft) for $2.5 billion in 2014, the game had sold more than 50 million copies across PC, Xbox 360, PS3, and other platforms.

The sandbox game hit the 100 million mark in 2016, meaning the growth of the game has actually increased in the last four years in comparison to the first five years after it launched in November 2011, according to the company.

Minecraft developer Mojang also announced a new name for the studio in celebration of the 11th anniversary of Minecraft. The new name for the developer is Mojang Studios.

“Mojang Studios has used AWS in the past, but we’ve been migrating all cloud services to Azure over the last few years,” a Microsoft spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.

“We’ll be fully transitioned to Azure by the end of the year,” the spokesperson added.