1. IIT Delhi launches COVID-19 kit, ‘Corosure’ for Rs.650
Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Minister of State (HRD) launched low-cost COVID-19 kit, ‘Corosure’ made by IIT Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology). It has been billed as the world’s most affordable probe free RT-PCR based Covid-19 diagnostic kit. “In line with the Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision, I along with MoS for HRD Shri @SanjayDhotreMP, will be e-launching the world’s most affordable probe free RT-PCR based #COVID19 diagnostic kit, COROSURE, developed in the labs of @iitdelhi tomorrow. #AatmaNirbharBharat,” Pokhriyal tweeted.
2. US scraps its decision of cancelling visas of students even if classes move online
The Trump administration has scrapped off its policy which stated that the international students who took only online courses would have to leave the US. The decision came a week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that students at schools offering only online courses due to the coronavirus pandemic would need to either leave the US or transfer schools. According to the sources, the White House is now focused on having the rule apply only to new students, rather than students already in the US. The White House has refused to comment on an ongoing policy process. According to US District Judge Allison Burroughs, the administration will return to the policy that provided more flexibility to the students taking online classes.
3. No matter which nation makes vaccine, will have to depend on India for production: ICMR
Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said that no matter which country makes the vaccine for COVID-19, it will depend on India and China for its production. India is considered as the “pharmacy of the world” and about 60 percent of the drugs used in the US originate in India. “Any vaccine candidate which is being produced or developed in any part of the world will ultimately have to be scaled up by India or by China. Because these two countries are major producers of vaccines in the world and India supplies 60 percent of vaccines to the world that all developed nations are aware of it. And therefore, they are in communication with India for the vaccine distribution ultimately, if it is developed to the whole world,” Dr Balram Bhargava said.
4. IMA directs Maharashtra govt to make plasma donation by COVID-19 survivors mandatory
The Indian Medical Association has asked the Maharashtra government to make it mandatory for all recovered COVID-19 patients to donate their blood for convalescent plasma therapy for the betterment of recovery rate and reduction in mortality rate in Maharashtra. Convalescent plasma therapy involves extracting plasma from recovered patients 21-28 days after their discharge and injecting it into a critically ill Covid-19 patient. A recovered patient can donate once in every 15 days, for up to four months after discharge.
5. OnePlus Nord to be available for pre-order on Amazon from today
Pre-orders for the OnePlus Nord arriving on July 21 have started off with a bang in India. Pre-ordering for OnePlus Nord will be up from today, July 15, in India via Amazon. Customers will be required to deposit an amount of Rs 499 to pre-book their phones. They can claim gifts worth up to Rs. 5,000 as part of the pre-order process.OnePlus Nord is rumoured to feature a 6.55-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with a 90Hz high-refresh-rate.
6. President Trump terminates US’ special status with Hong Kong
U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end Hong Kong’s special status with the U.S. “Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China, no special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies,” Trump said on Tuesday during a press conference in the White House. “Their freedom has been taken away; their rights have been taken away. And with it goes Hong Kong, in my opinion, because it will no longer be able to compete with free markets. A lot of people will be leaving Hong Kong,” he added as reported by MSN.com. Under the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, the U.S. treats Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous part of China with its own legal and economic system, differently than the Chinese mainland in trade, commerce and other areas.
7. Karnataka’s health staff to be paid risk allowance of RS. 10,000 for 6 months
Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday said all Group D employees in Karnataka’s health departments will be paid a risk allowance of Rs.10000 per month for 6 months in addition to their respective salaries for their contribution in these difficult times of the pandemic. The same applies for all such workers working in Covid Care Centres (CCCs), swab collection centres and fever clinics.
8. German court prohibits Tesla’s usage of words ‘Autopilot inclusive’ in its ads
A German court in Munich has declared that Tesla’s usage of words ‘Autopilot’ for its software creates a false impression in the minds of the customers that the car is self driven. In fact, the court said, Autopilot is a driver-assistance system that requires human intervention. “A legal framework for autonomous inner-city driving doesn’t even exist yet in Germany,” Andreas Ottofuelling, a lawyer for the group, said in a press statement. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, criticizing the ruling, tweeted that Autopilot was named after a term used in aviation to refer to systems that aid but don’t replace pilots.
9. Isha and Akash Ambani unveil JioGlass, a mixed reality product weighing 75 grams
At Reliance Industries Annual General Meeting, Mukesh Ambani’s children Isha and Akash Ambani unveiled the new Jio Glass that can be used for 3D virtual and holographic content as well as normal video conferencing. At Reliance Industries Annual General Meeting, Mukesh Ambani’s children Isha and Akash Ambani unveiled the new Jio Glass that can be used for 3D virtual and holographic content as well as normal video conferencing.
10. Archaeologists discover ruins of an ancient Aztec palace in Mexico City
During renovations at the Nacional Monte de Piedad, a historic pawn shop off the capital’s central plaza, workers found basalt slab floors. “It was part of an open space of the old Axayacatl Palace, probably a patio,” the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said. During excavation, archaeologists also found evidence of the home Cortes had at the site after the fall of the Aztec empire. Archeologists said that the floor was likely made of materials reused from Axayacatl’s palace. Below the subflooring of the house of Cortés, more than three metres deep, the remains of another floor of basalt slabs, but from pre-Hispanic times, were detected,” INAH said.
