The WHO is urgently trying to work with AstraZeneca, Serum Institute of India (SII) as well as the Indian government to restart shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to countries that had to suspend the rollout of second doses of vaccines amid the disruption in supplies, a senior official at the UN health agency has said.

We have a huge number of countries that have had to suspend rollout of their second doses of vaccines, Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Friday at a press briefing.

Between 30 to 40 countries are unable to provide second doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, especially those expecting jabs from AstraZeneca, officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

We have a huge number of countries currently that have had to suspend the rollout of their second doses of vaccine, Xinhua news agency quoted Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the WHO Director-General on Organizational Change, as saying on Friday.

Fintech major BharatPe, that hit a new high with 106 million monthly transactions in UPI in March this year, is reportedly raising nearly $250 million in its next funding round led by Tiger Global.

TechCrunch on Friday reported, citing sources, that the fresh funding will take the company's valuation to about $2.5 billion.

Diversified conglomerate GMR Infrastucture has posted a consolidated loss of Rs 725 crore for the January to March quarter as compared to a loss of Rs 1,127 crore in the year-ago period.

It posted gross revenue of Rs 2,321 crore in Q4 FY21 as against Rs 2,349 crore in Q4 FY20.

Diagnostics major Neuberg Diagnostics plans to expand its international as well as domestic presence with an investment of Rs 150 crore, said a top company official.

In the international arena the Rs 800 crore turnover Neuberg Diagnostics will expand in African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana) Middle East, G.S.K.Velu, Chairman and Managing Director told IANS.

The Delta variant, first detected in India, constituted over 6 per cent of COVID-19 cases tested for virus variants in New York City, according to official data from the city's health department.

The New York City Health Department said in its recent update that out of the 105 NYC COVID-19 cases tested for variant viruses for the week ending June 5, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) constituted 6.7 per cent.

HDFC Bank on Friday said its board has declared a dividend of Rs 6.50 per share for the year ended March 2021.

A dividend of Rs 6.50 per equity share ( 650 per cent on face value of Re 1) out of the net profits for the year ended March 31, 2021, has been recommended, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the bank at its ensuing Annual General Meeting (AGM), HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing.

Legendary athlete Milkha Singh died on Friday (June 19) at a hospital in Chandigarh. He was 91. The former Asian gold medalist was popularly known as 'Flying Singh'.

The 1958 Commonwealth Games champion and 1960 Rome Olympian had tested COVID-19 positive on May 20. Singh was discharged on May 30 but he was readmitted to the Covid ward at PGIMER on June 3 due to dipping oxygen levels. Earlier on Thursday, Milkha Singh had tested negative for Covid-19 and was shifted from the Covid ICU to the medical ICU at PGIMER.

The price of 22-carat gold on Friday slid to Rs 47,350 for 10 gm from Rs 47,410 and silver tanked to Rs 70,300 per kg, according to the Good Returns website.

Gold jewellery price varies across India, the second-largest consumer of the metal, due to excise duty, state taxes, and making changes.

Former Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Christian minority leader Philip C. Tocher has joined Andhra Pradesh's ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP).

Tocher joined YSRCP in the presence of party founder and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday at his camp office.

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