Truck drivers are getting sick of memes praising their work.They'd rather just get a pay raise.Instead, their rates are crashing to lows not seen since 2009.Meanwhile, America's grocery stores, gas stations, and ATMs would run dry in two to three days if it weren't for truck drivers. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.When President Donald Trump gave four truckers golden keys and declared them the "foot soldiers" of America's fight against the coronavirus last month, truck driver Joe Plummer felt heard — but still hopeless."We as truckers love the support Trump has given us, but unfortunately that doesn't pay bills," Plummer told Business Insider.A typical rate for Plummer to take a truckload of goods from his home base of North Carolina to Los Angeles has plummeted from $4,700

Tesla will make the Cybertruck and ramp up Model Y production before moving to the $200,000 Roadster, CEO Elon Musk said. The topic came up on Joe Rogan's podcast, where Musk appeared this week for his second guest appearance. There's no clear date on when to expect the Roadster.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.In a Thursday podcast with Joe Rogan, popular guest and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company is prioritizing its other planned cars over the $200,000 Tesla Roadster sports car. Rogan asked Musk when he'd be able to purchase a Roadster, as reported by Reuters, but Musk didn't have a date. Instead, Musk said increasing production of the Model Y midsize SUV and the building of a Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany, were his priorities. "This COVID thing's kind of thrown us

75638703Elon Musk has said he's ridding himself of earthly possessions.But he mostly owns California real estate — millions of dollars worth, an illiquid asset that's hard to sell.His Tesla shares, after a massive run-up, are worth close to $40 billion, but he almost never sells stock. He lives off loans from major banks, using his Tesla stake as collateral.Musk appears to be selling several of his multimillion-dollar homes, but his latest moves aren't really all that weird; he's never cared much about money, seeing it instead as a means to an end.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is sometimes accused of only caring about money, but the truth is that money is almost meaningless to him.That's because he's a multibillionaire, to a degree. As Tim

CEOs of private jet operators are planning for an industry boom after the pandemic subsides as wealthy travelers may rely on private aviation more than before. Executives predict that the health and safety aspect will make more flyers willing to pay the extra cost to fly private as opposed to first-class on commercial. The industry is investing in new cleaning and safety methods to ensure that travelers are protected when flying and encourage more individuals and businesses to make the leap to private.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.The private aviation industry is preparing for a post-pandemic boom as airlines settle in for the slow return to 2019 levels, which some experts say may take years as the industry recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.CEOs from the nation's

New Delhi, May 1 () German luxury car manufacturer Audi on Friday announced complimentary disinfection and general check-up of vehicles for the customers engaged in fighting the coronavirus pandemic from the front line.Audi customers who are leading the battle against COVID-19 from the front line can avail of a complimentary disinfection/cleaning of interiors, exterior cleaning and general check-up of their Audi, along with a courtesy car pick-up and drop, Audi India said in a statement.The offer is being made under the 'Salute to COVID-19 Warriors' initiative in gratitude of the services rendered by essential workers, it added."As we continue to battle this unprecedented crisis, we are pleased to announce that all Audi India dealerships across the country will prioritise vehicle servicing

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani has accelerated the timeframe for wiping out ₹1.61 lakh crore of net debt at his Reliance Industries by bringing in strategic investors in key businesses as well as committing more equity.Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), had in August last year set a target of March 2021 to make the oil-to-telecom conglomerate net debt-free. But thanks to a USD 5.7 billion (Rs 43,547 crore) deal with Facebook, a Rs 53,125 crore rights issue and more stake sale to companies such as Saudi Aramco, the target is likely to be achieved by December.In an investor and media call post announcement of the company's fourth-quarter earnings, RIL's Joint Chief Financial Officer Srikanth Venkatachari said, "The zero net debt target will be achieved within

Travel by rail, air, metro and even inter-state movement by road will continue to be restricted. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will remain closed. There will be zone-wise relaxations for areas that fall into the orange or green zones.The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the nationwide lockdown in India has been extended by another two weeks. Instead of relaxations kicking in on May 3 — the lockdown regulation will remain in place until May 17. The decision has been made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers and other top government functionaries met yesterday (April 30).Travel by rail, air, metro and even inter-state movement by road will continue to be restricted. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will remain closed. This

Nashik, May 2 () At least 19 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Saturday, taking the tally to 316 here, an official said. Of the 19 new cases, seven were from Malegaon and 12 from Nashik, a release from the district administration state.With the fresh cases, the COVID-19 count in the district has gone up to 316, which includes 281 patients in Malegaon, 16 in Nashik city and 17 from other parts of the district, the statement read. As many as 12 patients have succumbed to the infection in the district, while 25 have recovered so far, it was stated.

Nashik, May 3 () The number of coronavirus cases rose to 360 in Maharashtra's Nashik district after 27 more people tested positive for the disease, the district administration said on Sunday. With this, 324 COVID-19 cases have so far been reported from Malegaon town, 16 from Nashik city and 17 from other parts of the district.Besides, three patients from outside Nashik are also under going treatment in hospitals here, the district administration said in a release.The district has so far reported 12 deaths, while 25 people have been discharged after recovery.

A number of aircraft of Indian Air Force conducted a fly past over different parts spanning the length and breadth of the country today (May 3) as a tribute to the frontline staff ⁠— doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police and others ⁠— dealing with the COVID-19 pandeminc in India. This flying activity was combined along with the training activity of the Indian Air Force and opportunity flight for transport aircraft and helicopters who are involved in moving supplies related to COVID-19 task, a government statement said. Watch the video here: Courtesy: The state-run broadcaster Doordarshan.From the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow to Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital in Kerala, the IAF aircrafts showered flower petals

India's National Pension System (NPS) has bucked the downtrend triggered by Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown to contain it. During the first three weeks of April, the scheme along with the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has seen an upsurge in new enrolments and an increase in assets under management (AUM) of these programmes.ALSO WATCH: The CEO of mutual fund house explains how to invest your savings in the post-coronavirus world In financial parlance, NPS and APY are Central government backed schemes which are administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The PFRDA is the statutory authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the NPS and the pension schemes to which this Act applies.75468072The

Two out of the top three military spenders in the world are India and China – and Pakistan was among the top ten countries in terms of military spending as a portion of the GDP in 2019 – and that says something about the tension in the region. Even as the world is struggling to tame the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, India and Pakistan are exchanging fires across the Line of Control in Kashmir. Most recently, two Indian soldiers including a Colonel lost their lives. The appeal for peace from United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres has not eased the tensions so far. From the Korean Peninsula to the South China sea, to the India-Pakistan border, there are many hotspots in Asia involving the three major nuclear powers. So here's a look at how India and its two bitter neighbours have increased

This is an excerpt of an article originally published in the Observer Research Foundation. Viral load matters.Although there’s plenty we still don’t know about all the ways coronavirus ravages the human body, data are telling us at least this much: More than 10 in 100 frontline healthcare workers in the US are getting infected with COVID19.Frontline health care workers who are typically in closest proximity with confirmed COVID19 patients account for 11% per cent of US COVID19 cases according to the first national level data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).7551518275516736Doctors on the cutting edge of COVID19 research have been urging policy makers to factor viral dose and its relationship to severity. This CDC report based on data between February 12–April

The nationwide lockdown has had deep ramifications on economic activity and according to a CEO Snap Poll by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 44.7 per cent of the corporate chiefs believe that it would take more than a year for the Indian economy to recover.According to the snap poll on the 'Impact of COVID-19 on Economy and Industry', as a majority of the firms continue to anticipate a significant decline in their revenues, they now foresee a delay in economic revival and demand recovery.SEE ALSO: Crashing crude oil cracks Reliance Industries fourth-quarter profit by nearly 40%Crashing crude oil cracks Reliance Industries fourth-quarter profit by nearly 40% "The survey results reveal that the country may experience a protracted slowdown in economic activity as a major proportion

Aurangabad (Maha), May 3 () The rise in the number of COVID-19 cases to about 300 over one week in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra can be largely attributed to augmented testing capacity, a senior official said on Sunday. Divisional Commissioner Sunil Kendrekar told that the administration had earlier been testing only primary contacts of coronavirus positive cases but has now included secondary contacts as well.Aurangabad has been classified as one of the 14 'Red'zones in Maharashtra, which has reported more than 12,000 COVID-19 cases so far."Augmented testing is the reason for the rise in the number of cases. This aggressive tracing (of contacts) has also helped us in detecting more patients," he said.Kendrekar also said that since majority of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, the rate

The Bharat Stage 6 or BS6 emission norms have been implemented in India.Here are some BS6 compliant cars that you can buy under ₹10 lakh in India. To help the automakers clear BS4 stocks, the Supreme Court had extended the March 31 deadline for the implementation of BS6 norms to April 24. However, the country has been under lockdown from March 24. The BS6 vehicle emission norms focus on minimizing pollutant emissions from the vehicles.If the automakers approach the apex court again after the lockdown ends, the BS4 deadline may be extended again. However, the companies have already announced BS6 complaint variants of their cars and it’s better to go for these now.Today, we will look at some of the top BS6 compliant cars that you can get under ₹10 lakh in India. 74134283Top BS6 cars under ₹10

In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.In today’s interview, Prashan Agarwal, CEO of Gaana tells us how the app has seen a hike in its Monthly Active Users and a few changes in consumer behaviour that he has observed in the last month. COVID-19 has affected every industry. Today is anything but normal. To escape from this gloomy reality, people are looking for ways to cope. While many are finding new hobbies and developing new skills, there's also been a marked behavioural change in the way people are consuming content now. Since everyone is stuck at home, a lot of people are taking their minds off all negativity by consuming content on different OTT platforms. According

As countries across the world continue to grapple with COVID-19, ZEE5 Global, which is present in 190 countries, sees a 60% surge in subscriptions and 20% growth in viewership in all markets. The platform’s focus this year is going to be on expanding across geographies, localization and strengthening its content strategy.Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global further shares the growth plan, which are the key markets for ZEE5 global, and its retention strategy once the lockdown is lifted. As most countries across the globe continue being under lockdown, viewers are turning to OTT platforms to stay entertained and escape from the much scarier reality. ZEE5 Global has also seen a 60% uptick in the number of subscribers globally and a 20% growth in viewership in the past month due

Previously a top sales director at LinkedIn, Virginia joins JioSaavn to lead global brands partnerships and the company’s growing audio ad platform. She will be responsible for driving adoption of JioSaavn’s innovative advertising solutions for brands, while overseeing agency and client relationships.JioSaavn has on-boarded Virginia Sharma as Vice President of Brand Solutions. Based out of JioSaavn’s Gurgaon office, Sharma will lead the company’s global digital ad monetization efforts across platforms. She will be responsible for driving adoption of JioSaavn’s innovative advertising solutions for brands, while overseeing agency and client relationships. With more than 20 years of experience leading marketing and sales teams, Sharma joins JioSaavn from LinkedIn, where she excelled in the top

Bengaluru, May 4 () A 56-year old man from Kalaburagi became the 26th COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, as the state reported 28 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 642, the Health Department said on Monday. Davangere, which was in the green zone has seen as purt in cases with 21 out of 28 cases coming from the district.The deceased was a known case of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and was admitted on April 29 with complaints of cough and fever, the department said in its mid-day situation update.His chest X-ray showed bilateral patchy pneumonitisand he died at designated hospital in Kalaburagi, it said."Twenty-eight new positive cases have been reportedfrom last evening to this noon...Till date 642 COVID-19positive cases have been confirmed. This includes

The Motorola Razr foldable phone is expected to be launched in India on May 8.The flagship foldable phone will be available exclusively from Flipkart.Lenovo-owned smartphone maker Motorola had launched its flagship foldable phone, the Motorola Razr in India in March this year and the device has now been listed with May 8 as the tentative release date on Flipkart. The smartphone was originally scheduled to be launched in the country on April 2. However, the launch was postponed to May 6 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing nationwide lockdown. While the device has been listed on Flipkart, the smartphone maker has not announced when the device will go on sale. The smartphone is priced at ₹1,24,999 for the single 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. As part of an introductory offer, Citibank

Poynter Institutes International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) on Monday launched its chatbot on WhatsApp to help two billion users of the Facebook-owned instant messaging platform to check veracity of information related to COVID-19.The IFCN's bot connects people with independent fact-checkers in more than 70 countries and also with the largest database of debunked falsehoods related to the new coronavirus.75343540By using the IFCN's bot on WhatsApp, citizens from all over the world will be able to easily check whether a piece of content about COVID-19 has already been rated as false by professional fact-checkers.Since January, more than 80 fact-checking organisations from 74 countries have identified more than 4,000 hoaxes related to the novel coronavirus.All this information now forms the

"Fear is the most contagious disease you can imagine. It makes the virus look like a piker," Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, said.Buffet's net worth is an estimated $72 billion, and his investment firm has a cash pile of $137 billion.Buffett's view, and it is hard to disagree with it, the worst of the coronavirus impact on the global economy and markets may not be over yet."Fear is the most contagious disease you can imagine. It makes the virus look like a piker," Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and more importantly an iconic investor said. "I don’t believe anybody knows what the market is going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year,” he added.The words are from a man whose net worth is an estimated $72 billion, and his investment

Airtel has been one of the resilient stocks over the last few months even as the AGR issue and Coronavirus-fueled market crash has wiped off lakhs of crores of investor wealth.The Airtel stock could rally thanks to the Jio-Facebook deal and the weakening of Vodafone Idea.The Airtel stock has been given a ‘Buy’ rating with a target price of ₹606, which is an upside of more than 20%.Airtel was the market leader before the arrival of Reliance Jio, but it has since ceded its lead position to the Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom company. However, the gap between the two leading mobile service providers may be too huge, according to market experts.When it comes to the market cap, though, Airtel is 1.6 times smaller than Jio. Vodafone Idea, on the other hand, is 39 times smaller than Jio, which is currently

This is an excerpt of an article originally published by the Observer Research FoundationWork will be exactly what it is right now as the ‘future’ has already made its way to our present realities. It is then important to know how to address one of the most prevailing obstacles of our ‘new now’ — building trust within our cyber-relationships (mostly focusing on daily transactions and remote working).We know the world is heading towards an economic recession. We, therefore, need to try to make our new cyber reality as akin to real life as possible. This translates into having digital economies that want to be like the very jobs we used to have.Perhaps blockchain will have the answer. Humans produce data every single day, and there have long been debates about its ownership. Web 3.0 may now

IANS“While the lockdown has helped in flattening the curve, the curve has not shown a downward trend. That is a cause for concern,” Guleria told The Indian Express.He also believes “the next four to six weeks will be very, very important because the lockdown cannot be there forever. The ideal, the dream would be to have zero cases.”Guleria believes “we are better prepared than we were before”, but the pandemic has to be “fought at the community level, not the hospital level.”Lav Aggarwal, the spokesperson, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted the fact that for the first time since the outbreak, India’s COVID-19 cases are doubling every 12 days. Which is a huge improvement since before lockdown began coronavirus cases were doubling every 3.2 days as of March 24. However, the

The International Fact-Checking Network has launched a WhatsApp chatbot to fact check information about Coronavirus.The chatbot allows users to check whether the information received by them is authentic or not.Users can also use the IFCN chatbot to identify fact checkers near them.The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life across the world and over 3.6 million people have been infected. Misinformation has also been a huge problem as social media platforms have been used to spread fake news about Coronavirus.WhatsApp has over 2 billion monthly active users and there have been several instances where the messaging app has been used to spread fake news. To help users stay safe during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has launched a

Columbia UniversityDar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand captured the life inside Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of article 370. Pulitzer Prize is the highest honour US-based journalists can get.On August 5, Modi-government revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status and formed two separate Union Territories.Three photojournalists — Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand — who work at Associated Press in India have won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in feature photography. The three photojournalists won the prize “for striking images of life in the contested territory of Kashmir as India revoked its independence, executed through a communications blackout,” said the Pulitzer website. Thank you Colleagues, friends, brothers. I would just

IANSVAT on petrol was increased to 30% from 27%, previously. In the case of diesel, VAT has been almost doubled to 30% from 16.75% Petrol in Delhi now costs ₹71.26 a litre as against ₹69.59 previously. Previously, the Delhi government imposed a 70% fee on the maximum retail price of all categories of liquor sold through retail licenses for consumption off the premises.A day after imposing the special ‘corona fee’ on liquor, the Delhi government has hiked local sales or value-added tax on petrol and diesel. VAT on petrol was increased to 30% from 27%, previously. In the case of diesel, VAT has been almost doubled to 30% from 16.75%. Old PriceNew PricePetrol ₹69.59₹71.26Diesel₹62.29₹ 69.39Petrol price in the national capital was hiked by ₹1.67 a litre on May 5 and diesel by a steep ₹7.10 per

In our latest episode of BTS with Insiders, Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Ogilvy, talks about four actors, Irrfan Khan, Pushpa Joshi, Atmaram Bhende and Asha Bhende, would are no longer with us but who created magic in some campaigns created by the ad guru.Pandey shares some stories from each of the three ads, while also making an appeal to younger creative professionals to be open to identifying new actors.Last week we collectively grieved the loss of two stalwarts who made a huge impact on Indian cinema, Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor. When I reached out to Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Ogilvy, for our weekly chat show, BTS with Insiders, we initially wanted to talk about three ads that he had worked on over the course of his career that he held close

Apple has announced the new 13-inch MacBook Pro in India starting at ₹1,22,990.The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features increased storage and the improved Magic keyboard.The MacBook Pro will be available from authorised Apple resellers after the lockdown ends. Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has announced the new 13-inch MacBook Pro in India amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The new refresh comes just 10 months after the company had updated the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and True Tone display.The new 13-inch MacBook Pro replaces the existing Butterfly keyboard with the Magic keyboard that has a redesigned scissor mechanism with 1mm of key travel, a physical escape key, Touch Bar and TouchID. The Magic keyboard was first introduced with the 16-inch MacBook Pro.Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro pricing

Nashik, May 5 () A 20-year-old pregnant woman died due to COVID-19 here, taking the toll in Nashik district of Maharashtra to 13, while four more persons tested positive for the infection on Tuesday, officials said. The woman, a resident of Bajrang wadi area of the city,was admitted in serious condition in the District Civil Hospital here on May 2, according to an official release.She died at the hospital after two hours, it said.Her swab report was received on Tuesday and it was found to be positive for the novel coronavirus, the release said.This was the first COVID-19 fatality reported from Nashik city, while the district's toll increased to 13, itsaid.Besides, four more persons - one each from Satana, Sinnar, Yeola and Malegaon towns - tested positive for coronavirus in the district on

As researchers and health workers try out new experiments to stop the spread of coronavirus across the country, an engineering student from Varanasi has designed an 'anti-COVID-19 robot' which will help the security forces shock lockdown violators.Vishal Patel, a third year student of mechanical engineering at the Ashoka Institute in Varanasi, has developed this robot that can not only run on shallow water but can also operate comfortably on smooth and bumpy surfaces.Patel, who built the robot under the supervision of his senior Shyam Chaurasia, claims that the device is also a security shield for police personnel.It will also help the police to crack down on those flouting the lockdown rules. The police who are at a risk from coronavirus infection can maintain social distancing by operating

The Telangana government has extended the Coronavirus lockdown till May 29.The government has issued new guidelines for opening of shops in urban and rural areas in the orange and green zones.Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Malkajgiri-Medchal have been classified as red zones.The Telangana lockdown has been extended till May 29, the state government today announced after a marathon cabinet meeting of around 7 hours. The K Chandrashekhar Rao government has decided that it will not allow any relaxations, and the curfew will continue as is for the lockdown period. The CM added that irrespective of the centre's decision, the lockdown will continue even after the nationwide lockdown ends on May 17. “The situation in the State capital, Hyderabad, and its neighbouring districts, Rangareddy and Malkajigiri-Medchal

In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.Since retail has been impacted severely, we talk to Gitanjali Singh, Vice President Marketing, Select CITYWALK on how the organization is trying to bounce back and preparing for the post-Covid world.The last one month has thrown a lot of unforeseen challenges to the entire world. As people across the globe are trying to cope with this new normal, there are a lot of things that might change forever.The way businesses are being conducted might see a complete overhaul. People might be unwilling to venture out for a long time to come, at least till a vaccine is developed. This is also expected to bring about behavioural changes in

Aarogya Setu has claimed that the Coronavirus tracking app is secure, and no privacy breaches have been found.Elliot Alderson, an ethical hacker had claimed that he had found a security issue in the app.French ethical hacker who goes by the fictitious name Elliot Alderson claimed that there was a security issue in Aarogya Setu, the coronavirus tracking app launched by the Indian government. In his tweet, Elliot Alderson had claimed that a security issue has been found in the Aarogya Setu app and that the privacy of over 90 million Indians was at risk. Soon after this, Alderson was contacted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). After disclosing the issue to them, Alderson said that he would wait for the issue to be fixed before

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/TwitterThe World Health Organisation has been caught in controversies amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.US has accused the multi-lateral platform for health initiatives for acting as China’s ‘proxy’. In a conversation with Business Insider, Parag Khanna, Managing Partner at Future Map and Samir Saran, President of Observer Research Foundation explained the kind of reforms WHO needed to bring to become politically unbiased. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been under fire from the West ever since the coronavirus outbreak. US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of siding with China and even threatened to hold back its funding. There are more experts chiming in and calling for a fixed term for the WHO chief to avoid political partisanship in the future⁠—

BCCLSanofi plans to get thousands of subjects onboard across the world for the trials of experimental coronavirus vaccines that it is developing with GSK. Once enrolled, the company will start early-stage trials in September. The pharma giant has already partnered with GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) and is researching also exploring other options simultaneously. It hopes to introduce the vaccine next year, reported Reuters.Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical company, says it is working on two different projects to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The pharma giant has partnered with GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) and is researching other options as well. It hopes to introduce the vaccine by next year, reported Reuters. The plan is to get thousands of subjects on board across the world to test

“Even after India approves the coronavirus vaccine, it might not be possible to produce more than 10-20 million doses in the first year.”The comments came from the Chairperson of Biocon in an exclusive chat with Business Insider.Syngene, a Biocon subsidiary, is involved in accelerating a bunch of initiatives to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that is spreading around the world.There are at least six vaccines under development in India, of the total 100 around the world including from the likes of Sanofi, Altimmune, and Pfizer. “Indian vaccine programmes will take some time before they get into the clinical trials, I think between 6 to 9 months depending on the programme. At least the ones we are working on, I don’t think they can get to clinics before 9 months,” Kiran Mazumdar

In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.We speak to Aalok Bhan, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance about the impact of the lockdown on the brand, and the life insurance industry in general and all that they have been doing to minimize business impact and ensure business continuity.The recent Covid-19 lockdown has impacted different sectors in different ways. Hospitality, travel, retail and aviation are perhaps the most impacted. With the lockdown now extended by another 2 weeks, its still some time till we understand what things look like in the post-Covid world. At the same time, there are a few sectors like FMCG, Telecom, Healthcare and Life insurance

After coronavirus lockdown, dining experience at restaurants will not remain the same as before. Social distancing norms will be in place as restaurants reduce their capacity by half and bring in new rules for dining.Hard Rock Cafe, which has 185 restaurants across India, has drafted a plan to ensure 3-feet distance between guests. Restaurants in India have been shut for over 40 days now, with only some working in minimal capacity for takeaways. According to reports, as many as half a million restaurants might not survive the extended lockdown.And restaurants are cognizant of the fact that survival won’t come without practicing strict social distancing norms. India’s restaurants are now preparing a post-covid-19 plan to open up. And the dining experience at these restaurants may not be the

Elliot Alderson has claimed that the Aarogya Setu app allows users to find out who is sick in a particular area.He has also contradicted the Aarogya Setu team’s claim that bulk calls to the API are not possible.A French ethical hacker who goes with the alias "Elliot Alderson" earlier claimed that he found security and privacy issues in India’s Covid-19 tracker app Arogya Setu. This was denied by the Aarogya Setu team and they said that the app is secure.After this, Alderson has come up with a post highlighting the issues found by him in the Aarogya Setu app.App allows users to access internal filesIn April, Alderson found that the WebViewActivity allowed users to access internal files of the app by using commands as there was no host validation. However, the issue has now been fixed.Aarogya

The Vizag gas leak has left 10 people dead and more than 300 hospitalised.People ran to save their lives after realizing that they couldn’t breathe even inside their homes.Instead of waiting for official evacuation, people packed up whatever they could and tried to run as far as possible from the LG Polymers chemical plant.The following account is from a person living right next to the LG Polymers chemical plant.“We woke up to the gas smell from the plant,” recalls a Visakhapatnam gas leak survivor Balasouri K, who lives in a colony located right next to the LG Polymers chemical plant.“Living near the plant for many years, we can identify that it is coming from the plant. It happened earlier on a couple of occasions, but it was minor before. This time, it’s a major one,” Balasouri said.“My

ICICI Bank is scheduled to announce its fourth-quarter results on May 9.It's share price inreased by over 2% today morning during early trade.The private sector bank’s retail-focused lending puts it at higher risk of bad loans due to the effects of the coronavirus lockdown than its counterparts.Last quarter, ICICI Bank managed to post a profit of 158% and its provisions were down by 58%.ICICI Bank is set to post its fourth-quarter results on May 9 and the outlook seems grim with the banking sector bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. “Banking is the first sector to get hit and the last one to recover. We’re already in a phase of credit issues,” Siddarth Purohit, a banking analyst with Angel Broking, told Business Insider.ICICI Bank is one of top ten stocks to buy, according to Maquarie,

In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.While the wedding industry has come to a standstill due to the lockdown, Anupam Mittal, Founder & CEO, Shaadi.com tells us how they are ensuring the matchmaking industry doesn't impact too much for the lockdown.Mittal talks about all the things the organization is doing to ensure its seamless functioning while also innovating to bring people together in the midst of a lockdown.It's been over a month since we have been locked up inside our homes, venturing out only if absolutely essential. It has changed the way we lived our lives, went about our professional lives and it is bound to have a far-reaching impact on how we live in

With Mother’s Day around the corner, we reached out to the working mothers from the advertising industry to find out how they are dealing with quarantine blues and their kids being at home 24 hours. They also shared with us some policy ideas that they wish the industry could take into consideration and help them juggle smoothly between work and household chores. In wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown, juggling between both work and home life has taken an even bigger toll on working moms. They have always been swamped but now that the entire family is under one roof, we can only imagine what a storm that must look like. Working parents have lost the privileges of ‘me time’ as there is no external help from grandparents, nannies or schools to share their load. They are

Coronavirus vaccines by the University of Oxford and China are in the most advanced clinical phase and likely the best choice for India according to Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.The US coronavirus vaccine candidates may be more talked about but they will likely be much more expensive.“We’re much more comfortable with a jab and a low-cost vaccine, which is what the Oxford and Chinese vaccines are all about,” explained Shaw.Biotechnology companies around the world are going head-to-head to create the first coronavirus vaccine as the ongoing pandemic continues to wreak havoc on normal life. Some have a headstart over others.“I think the Oxford vaccine and Chinese vaccine are certainly in the more advanced clinical phase as is the German vaccine. The two US vaccines are, of course, much