Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has asked neighbouring Dominica, where fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was caught, to hand the diamantaire over to India directly, local media reported.

After news of Choksi's arrest in Dominica came on Tuesday night (local time), Browne told local media that he has given clear instructions to the Dominican authorities to repatriate Choksi to India.

Cadila Healthcare has sought permission from India’s drugs regulator for starting the next phase of human clinical trials for its biological therapy to treat mild Covid-19 cases.

The company on Thursday said that the therapy named ZRC-3308, which is a cocktail of two SARS-CoV-2-neutralising monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), targets SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It significantly reduces viral load in mild patients and their rate of hospitalisation, said the company after seeking permission from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for phase 1 to 3 trials.

Mumbai local train services are unlikely to resume for the general public anytime soon. State cabinet Minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday, while talking to the media, said the Mumbai local trains may not open their doors for the general public for at least the next 15 days as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

The minister said that social distancing will not be possible in local trains, therefore the trains will continue to ply for essential services staffers only at the moment.

Shares of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) rose 4 per cent and hit a 52-week high of Rs 488 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday after the state-owned oil marketing company's board recommended a final dividend of Rs 58 per equity share, including one-time special dividend of Rs 35 per equity share of Rs 10 each, for the financial year ended March 31, 2021, subject to the approval of the shareholders.

In the past one month, the stock has outperformed the market by gaining 15 per cent, as compared to 5.5 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

A five-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court is scheduled to hear the Narada Scam case on Thursday at 11 am.

On May 24, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court's order which allowed the house arrest of four Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, who are accused in the Narada case.

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 168.1 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.49 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 168,181,146 and 3,494,001, respectively.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the Central government alleging that it worked harder on suppressing this data than it did in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Putting out a report titled on Twitter, Gandhi said: We will never know the true number of COVID-related deaths as the government has worked harder on suppressing this data than they did fighting the pandemic.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced seven-day relief for all families of 128 marooned villages of the Cyclone Yaas-affected districts.

All major roads and 80 per cent electricity supply will be restored for commutation in the next 24 hours.

Seeking a fast-track approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, US major Pfizer has told Indian authorities that its jab has shown high effectiveness against the SARS-CoV-2 variant prevalent in India and on people of Indian ethnicity or nationality, while it is suitable for everyone aged 12 years or above and can be stored for a month at 2-8 degrees, sources said on Wednesday.

Pfizer, which is ready to offer 5 crore doses to India between July and October this year and has sought certain relaxations including indemnification, has held a series of interactions with the Indian government authorities recently including one this week, during which it shared the most recent data points regarding efficacy trials and approvals for its vaccine in various countries and by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the world will not be the same after Covid-19 and noted that the events in the future will be remembered as either pre or post-Covid.

Delivering the keynote address on the occasion of Virtual Vesak Global Celebrations on Buddha Purnima, the prime minister expressed gratitude towards the frontline and healthcare workers who were selflessly risking their lives every day in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and also extended condolences to those who lost their dear ones to the deadly viral infection.

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