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Cipla to price remdesivir below Rs5,000
Indian drugmaker Cipla will price its generic version of Gilead Sciences' anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients at less than Rs5,000 ($92), the company said.
Cipla and privately held Indian drugmaker Hetero Labs on Sunday gained approval to sell generic versions of remdesivir in the country. Hetero expects to price a similar 100 milligram dose of the drug between Rs5,000 and Rs6,000.
Move to curb sales of Chinese products
Amid calls for a boycott of Chinese goods after a border clash, the Central government has instructed sellers to declare the country of origin for goods and services purchased via a state-run online portal - Government e-Marketplace.
Separately, the portal will provide a "Make in India" filter so that the government or its agencies could choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50 per cent local content criterion.
UN recognition for Kerala in Covid-19 fight
Kerala on Tuesday was among those honoured for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic when the United Nations celebrated Public Service Day.
The function, held on a virtual platform, saw the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other top dignitaries who applauded Kerala's leaders, including Health Minister K.K. Shailaja, for effectively tackling the coronavirus.
Fresh locust swarm threat with monsoon onset in Rajasthan
Fresh swarms of locust are likely to invade India from the Horn of Africa in end-June or early July, depending on the strength of the south-westerly monsoon winds.
The onset of monsoon in Rajasthan this weekend is likely to increase their numbers. The Jodhpur-based Locust Warning Organisation authorities are preparing to control the swarms hovering in the desert areas between India and Pakistan.
Goa records first Covid-19 death
Covid-19 claimed its first victim in Goa when an 85-year-old man from Morlem, who had been bedridden for four years, died at the ESI Hospital on Monday.
Later on Monday, officials said a 58-year-old man admitted to the same hospital also died, raising Goa's Covid-19 death toll to two.
Pollution control body withdraws closure notice
Oil India Limited (OIL) on Monday said that Assam's Pollution Control Board has decided to withdraw its notice asking the company to stop operations at its Baghjan oilfield, where a fire broke out on June 9.
OIL said the fire could take weeks to extinguish. Two of the company's firefighters were found dead near the well.
Meghalaya cops use Lennon song as anti-drug anthem
Cops in Meghalaya have turned to rock legend John Lennon's iconic song Imagine to discourage drug abuse.
The Meghalaya Police has been sharing an adaptation of the song on Twitter and Facebook.
CBI summons ex-Manipur chief minister in corruption case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned senior Congress leader and former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh for questioning in connection with the alleged misappropriation of state government funds worth Rs332 crore.
The development comes less than a week after the Congress party staked a claim for forming a government in Manipur under Mr Singh's leadership after three Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs resigned and six others withdrew their support for the Chief Minister Biren Singh-led ruling coalition, reducing the government to a minority.
Chennai worst-hit by cyber attacks
Chennai recorded the highest number of cyber attacks in the country during the January-March quarter of this year as hackers targeted the city with a variety of attacks aimed at exploiting user trust and enterprise vulnerabilities, said a report on Tuesday.
The "infection rate" in Chennai stood at 42 per cent during the quarter, followed by Patna at 38 per cent and Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata at 35 per cent each, said the "Cyber Threat Monitor Report" by home-grown cybersecurity company K7 Computing.
Baba Ramdev told to prove Covid-19 cure claims
A hugely popular Indian guru touting herbal remedies as a $12 cure for coronavirus was told by the Central government on Tuesday that he needed to prove his claims before further marketing.
Baba Ramdev said the remedy would be available from next week through his lucrative Patanjali Ayurveda company, claiming it was 100 per cent successful on nearly 300 test patients.
22 rowers fail doping tests
Twenty-two Indian rowers have failed doping tests in a new blow to the country's battle against performance-enhancing drugs.
All the members of the national Under-18 squad tested positive for probenecid, a drug used to treat gout that is also a masking agent banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, during tests in July last year at a training camp.
Kerala to start online classes in tribal dialects
In a move to make school classes easier for tribal children, Kerala's education department will soon launch online classes in the children's own dialects.
For a start, lessons for Class I students, being broadcast on the KITE Victers channel, have been translated into six tribal dialects of Wayanad.
The department is looking at enabling classes for tribal children in Wayanad, Palakkad and Malappuram districts.
Indians top global streaming list
As content streaming picks up pace during the Covid-19 lockdown, Indian consumers are now hooked to online videos for an average of five hours and 16 minutes every day - which is the highest globally.
Consumers worldwide watch over four hours of online video every day, a study by digital content delivery platform Limelight Networks said.
In India, 97.8 per cent people now use video chats to feel more connected and 65.4 per cent use it several times a day.
"Covid-19 has proved that Indians are always ready to adapt to new technology," said Mr Ashwin Rao, sales director, Limelight Networks.
