Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Wednesday said the phase I clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D, has been completed and it will commence phase II clinical trials from August 6.

ZyCoV-D was found to be safe and well tolerated in the phase I clinical trial. The company will now commence phase II clinical trials from the 6th of August, 2020.

Continuing the upward trend, Gold prices on Tuesday breached the Rs 54,500-mark as Gold futures on MCX touched crossed a new high.

The yellow metal is currently being traded at Rs 54,560 per 10 gram for October Futures, 0.25 per cent more than the previous session.

Similarly, Silver neared the Rs 70,000 level with September Future being traded at Rs 69,999 per kg.

Pharma major Lupin Ltd on Wednesday announced the launch of Favipiravir in India under the brand name Covihalt for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19.

Favipiravir has received authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use.

Politically volatile West Bengal is likely to witness a showdown on Wednesday, when VHP and other saffron outfits will perform religious rituals in temples and elsewhere to mark the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya amid complete lockdown to be enforced by the state administration.

The Trinamool Congress government on July 28 announced a series of dates in this month when total lockdown would be imposed across West Bengal to contain the spread of Covid-19. Some of the dates were changed later but August 5 and two others were not.

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city's port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said.

The blast struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's geosciences center GFZ, and it was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 200 kilometers (180 miles) across the Mediterranean.

Images of raging protests against Chinese goods appear to have pushed the country’s third-largest smartphone player, Vivo, to temporarily step back from its title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Tuesday, officials of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) said that Vivo had decided to pull out of the IPL’s title sponsorship for a year.

India has recorded highest single-day testing by conducting over 6.6 lakh tests to diagnose Covid-19 in last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday.

In its fight against COVID-19, India scales a new high of 6,61,715 tests in the last 24 hours, said the Health Ministry in a tweet.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has approved setting up of a third power exchange platform in the country, floated by PTC India along with BSE Investments and ICICI Bank. CERC, however, has asked PTC India to comply with power market regulations before the regulator grants registration.

India has two power exchanges — Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India (PXIL).

Gold prices jumped on Tuesday to Rs 53,650 from Rs 53,460 per 10 gram, while silver climbed to Rs 65,400 from Rs 65,120 per kilogram, according to Good Returns website.

Gold jewellery prices vary across India, the second-largest consumer of the metal, due to excise duty, state taxes, and making charges.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), on part of the central government, has issued fresh guidelines for international air passengers arriving in India. The new guidelines are set to come into effect from August 8.

All international air passengers will have to compulsorily submit a self-declaration form on the official online portal of the New Delhi Airport -- www.newdelhiairport.in -- at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel.

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