The war against COVID-19 is far from over, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday, soon after the central government formally declared both districts of Goa as COVID-free green zones."With the efforts of our #CoronaWarriors and support of the people of Goa, our state has now been classified as a green zone by the Govt of India. The war against COVID-19 is far from over," Sawant tweeted.Sawant also called for a modification in lifestyle and prioritising safe distancing as a way of life to stay safe amid the menacing pandemic."We must continue our fight against this virus by adopting a modified lifestyle which gives priority to safe health norms such as sanitization, wearing of face covers, social distancing and staying at home during the lockdown period," Sawant said.Goa had registered

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

Amravati, May 2 () Four persons, including adeceased patient, tested positive for COVID-19 at Amravati in Maharashtra on Saturday, taking the tally in the city to 47, an official said. Of the 24 swab samples that were tested, results offour have come out positive, district collector Shailesh Navalsaid.A deceased 58-year-old man from Kanwar Nagar was among those who tested positive on Saturday, apart from a man from Taj Nagar and one from Tarkheda, he said.With the death of the Kanwar Nagar resident, the tollof COVID-19 deaths in the city has gone up to eight, while the count stands at 47, the collector said.

New Delhi, May 2 () ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company on Saturday reported a 23.8 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 282 crore for the March quarter. The non-life insurer had posted a net profit of Rs 228 crore in the corresponding period of 2018-19. The gross direct premium income (GDPI) of the company stood at Rs 3,181 crore in Q4 FY20, compared to Rs 3,485 crore in Q4 FY19, ICICI Lombard said in a regulatory filing. For the full year 2019-20, the profit after tax or net profit increased 13.8 per cent to Rs 1,194 crore from Rs 1,049 crore in the preceding fiscal. GDPI of the company stood at Rs 13,313 crore in FY20 compared to Rs 14,488 crore in FY19, a de-growth of 8.1 per cent, it said. Excluding crop segment, GDPI increased to Rs 13,302 crore during the year compared to Rs

Chandrapur, May 2 () Chandrapur district in Maharashtra on Saturday reported its first COVID-19 case after a 50-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus, officials said here. His reports came in positive at around 8:30 pm and the area around his residence in Krishna Nagar in Bengali Camp area has been sealed, said District Civil Surgeon Nivruti Rathod.Collector Kunal Khemnar, in a press release, asked people to ad here to lockdown norms strictly so that the spread of the virus can be stopped.A District Information Office release said three residents of Chandrapur are currently admitted for the infection in Delhi and Nagpur, due to which the district ispart of the orange zone.See Also - Total coronavirus cases in India till May 4Coronavirus hotspot and Containment zones in Hyderabad

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

One of India's top five technology services companies, Tech Mahindra, reported a rather disappointing set of earnings on Friday. However, the stock is still cheap and it can gain another 15% in the next one year, says a report from Kotak Institutional equities, which cut the estimate for the company's earnings per share by up to 22%. Tech Mahindra has reported a drop of 4.3% in dollar revenue in Jan-March 2020, while the net profit fell 32%, compared to three months ago. The company has announced a final dividend of ₹5 per share. 75472021Tech Mahindra derives a large share of revenue, about 8.7%, from business process outsourcing (BPO) unit, which has 46,816 employees, mostly from voice services. "Transition to work-from-home has lagged with customers refusing to give permissions. Work-from-home

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

While the new government guidelines have allowed IT manufacturing units including mobile phones to resume operations from May 4, there has been no official confirmation yet and Realme India is awaiting the nod to open its factory at Greater Noida and begin streamlining overall processes, its CEO Madhav Sheth said on Sunday.Due to the extended lockdown, there are many challenges faced by businesses with huge impact from sales, manufacturing and cost."With the recent extension of the lockdown period for two more weeks, we haven't received any official confirmation on when can the production will resume," Madhav Sheth, Vice President, Realme and CEO, Realme India, told IANS.75515809"We have reached out to the government for approval on opening of factory and now await their decision. We will

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

Ahmedabad, May 3 () One more ward of Ahmedabad city was declared as a COVID-19 containment zone on Sunday, taking the total number of such wards here to 10, a senior civic official said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is taking steps to ensure lockdown rules are strictly followed in these affected areas to contain the spread of coronavirus, he said.The Maninagar ward in south Ahmedabad is the latest to be added in the list of containment zones, the official said.The COVID-19 figures in Ahmedabad till Saturday are as follows: Total cases-3,543, deaths-184, active cases-2,815, discharged-525, total samples tested-30,166 (at the rate of 5,000 samples per million), the official said.Ahmedabad has been declared a red zone by the Centre, and the state government will decide on the lockdown

A rights issue is an invitation to existing shareholders to buy more shares at a discount to the market price. RIL's investors can subscribe to the right to own one new share for every 15 held in the company at ₹1,257 per share, 14% below Thursday’s (April 30) closing price. Even if you expect that RIL shares will be worth a lot more in the future, if the share falls to ₹1,257, or below, investors can buy the shares from the market instead of subscribing to the rights.The rights issue announced by one of India's most valued company, Reliance Industries (RIL), will have to conclude by the end of June, as declared by the company. The company owned by Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, plans to mop up ₹53,125 crore from shareholders. RIL's investors can subscribe to the right to own one new share

Chandigarh, May 3 () Curfew will be imposed in Haryana from 7 pm to 7 am with effect from May 4, state Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora said on Sunday. Haryana's neighbouring state Punjab and common capital Chandigarh had imposed curfew before the nationwide lockdown was announced. "As per the directions issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the curfew will be imposed in the state from 7 pm to 7 am from May 4, 2020," Arora said. Haryana has given relaxations from April 20 to restart the economic activities like opening of industry and the shops in non-containment zones while following the Centre's guidelines. An official release issued on Sunday evening said the Haryana government "is working to bring the health and economic conditions of the people of its state back on track and

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

By Gurdip Singh Singapore, May 4 () Nearly 4,800 Indian nationals, most of whom are living in dormitories for foreign workers, have been tested positive with the novel coronavirus in Singapore till the end of April, the Indian High Commissioner here said on Monday.The total number of coronavirus cases in Singapore are 18,205 with 18 deaths, according to the figures released by Singapore Health Ministry on Sunday."Almost all of the infection among Indian workers is mild and their conditions are improving," Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, told .Over 3,500 Indian nationals, including students, have also registered with the High Commission to return home or to seek assistance for accommodation and food due to their unexpectedly long stay here, he said.Over 90 per cent of the

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

Thane, May 4 () While the number of cases in Thane and Navi Mumbai municipal corporation limits has crossed 300 each, Kalyan Dombivali area, the district's third major civicbody, is close to 200 coronavirus positive cases, health officials said on Monday. As on late Sunday night, the total number of cases in Thane district is 1183.The number of cases in KDMC is 195, while it is 389 in Thane city, 314 in Navi Mumbai and 171 in Mira Bhayander.In Navi Mumbai, over 4,000 people have been tested forthe virus in the APMC market in Vashi, the premier supplier ofgrains, vegetables, fruits and spices to Mumbai MetropolitanRegion.In neighbouring Palghar district, the total number ofCOVID-19 cases stands at 177, which includes 10 deaths so far. CORBNM BNM

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

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

Chinese smartphone brand Realme on Tuesday announced it has resumed online sales of its smartphones and accessory products through online channels which include realme.com, Flipkart and Amazon and has received huge orders.Complying with the Centre's guidelines that allow delivery of non-essential items in the green and orange zones in the country, Realme said it has commenced online orders of its products, starting May 4.Meanwhile, the company's offline channels in green and orange zones have also resumed operations, complying with the directives."We have been receiving massive orders online since Sunday midnight and will be able to meet the current demand through our inventory stocks till factory reopens," informed a company spokesperson.The brand has approached the Uttar Pradesh government

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

Raipur, May 5 () A 26-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Durg district onTuesday, taking the number of such cases in the state to 59,Health officials said.Her sample tested positive at the All India Instituteof Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, this evening, a publicrelations officer of the institute told .The woman is being admitted to the COVID-19 ward of AIIMS where at present, 22 active cases, including a nursing officer of the institute and some migrant labourers, are beingtreated, he added.According to a Durg district official, the woman,along with her two-year-old child reached Durg on Monday from Bhandara district of neighbouring Maharashtra by taking lift on a goods vehicle, amid lockdown restrictions.She is a native of Bhilai town in Durg, he said.The

The notification, however, clarified that the retail price will not rise and that would mean that the state-owned fuel retailers will have to bear the burden. Many states have already hiked value-added tax on fuels this week.The hike in duties on fuel will be effective from May 6. Fuels like petrol and diesel do not come under the GST in India.India's Central government has decided to hike the excise duty on petrol by ₹10, and on diesel by ₹13, with effect from Wednesday (May 6) to fill the gaping hole in the exchequer left by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the notification clarified that the retail price of fuels won't rise to avoid hurting the consumer. That would mean that state-owned fuel retailers like Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), and Hindustan

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—

Coronavirus conspiracies are being spread by far-right groups across the world – from blaming 5G technology to targeting Muslim and other minority communities.Some of the Coronavirus conspiracy theories also say that this pandemic is a population control tool.In India, the Tablighi Jamaat incident has been used by far-right groups to target Muslims using hashtags like #CoronaJihad, using the pandemic to suggest that it is a form of terrorism.Other Coronavirus conspiracies in India suggest that hot weather, clove and herbs, and alcohol can help people avoid contracting Covid-19.The Coronavirus pandemic has forced the Indian government to announce a nationwide lockdown since March 24, but it’s not just the deadly disease that we need to worry about. There have been many conspiracy theories,

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

The Indian government increased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 and ₹13 per litre respectively, hoping to mop up ₹1.6 lakh crore this year.As a result of this, tax on petrol and diesel comprises of 70% of the total price per litreWith the crude oil prices at historically low levels, this could help the government reduce the fiscal deficit at a time when the economy has come to a standstill due to the nationwide lockdown.Amid the falling crude prices, the cash-strapped Indian government has increased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 and ₹13 per litre respectively. The increase in excise duty has now taken the tax component in the auto fuels to almost 70% and with this, the government hopes to mop up ₹1.6 lakh crore this year.Various state governments across the country

“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

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,

The tech major expects a $50 million to $70 million hit in the ongoing quarter due to the ransomware attack.The management projected margins to remain below 16-17% in 2020. Cognizant shares are down 17.80% from the recent peak on February 6. They have under-performed the Nasdaq which is down 0.66% year to date. IT major Cognizant has reported a 16.7% drop in its March quarter net income at $367 million, and said it expects a challenging demand environment throughout 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cognizant follows January-December as financial year. Its net profit was at $441 million in the March 2019 quarter.In 2020, the company plans to continue investments in developing digital skills and wants to hire about 20,000 entry-level hires to adjust the employee cost structure. 41% of the

The first mother’s day was celebrated in 1908 when a school teacher Anna Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She pressed to accept Mother’s day as a modern holiday in the United States. Though she started the idea, she died protesting against the commercialisation of the event.Every second Sunday of May, we celebrate mother’s day to honour our mothers. This year, we will celebrate mother’s day on May 12. It might be different from any other mother’s day as most of us are under lockdown. The first mother’s day was celebrated in 1908 when a school teacher Anna Jarvis held a memorial service for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She pressed to accept Mother’s day as a modern holiday in United

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

Google Lens now allows users to copy handwritten text to their computers, learn new concepts and words.The update is being rolled out to both Android and iOS versions of the app.Google Lens is one of the search giant’s most useful products and now, it is getting some new productivity feature that will help you get some work done while you are stuck at home due to the coronavirus lockdown.The new features include the ability to copy handwritten notes to your computer, learning about new concepts and learning how to pronounce new words. While the first two features will be available for both Android and iOS users, the listen feature that allows you to learn pronunciations is currently limited to Android. 71071246Copy handwritten notes to your computerWhile Google Lens already allows users to

Moody's Investors Service said India’s Baa2 negative rating is unlikely to improve given the economic shock triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.However, the report noted that the COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated the impact of some of India’s existing evils.The $2.7 trillion economy, the seventh largest in the world, is riddled by low household income, high government debt, and weak policy reforms and implementation.Moody's Investors Service said India’s Baa2 negative rating ⁠— while cutting growth estimate for the year to 0.2% ⁠— down from our previous forecast of 2.5%. is unlikely to improve given the economic shock triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. Over the next five years, India’s government debt could be as high as 81% of the country’s gross domestic product, it said.However,

People in Visakhapatnam woke up with irritating throats, breathing problems after a major gas leak in LG Polymers located in the outskirts of the city.The gas tragedy brought back horrific memories of Bhopal Gas Tragedy that happened in 1984. As we hope for the situation to get back to normal, here are some film, documentaries and series to learn from past tragedies.A chemical gas plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, leaked putting at risk the lives of hundreds of people to the toxic styrene. At least 11 have been declared dead, many others faced irritating throats, breathing problems, fell unconscious while walking on the road and some others were trapped inside their tiny homes. The gas tragedy brought back horrific memories of Bhopal Gas Tragedy. As we hope for the situation to get back