West Bengal government spent Rs 20,212 crore in 2020-21 on development works
KOLKATA: A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah concluded his two-day visit, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that her ‘Duare Sarkar’ campaign (door-to-door government), envisioned to ensure doorstep delivery of government services and benefits, received enormous response across the state. Banerjee’s remark came just a day after Shah launched a […]
EU regulator says Pfizer vaccine should be considered case by case for pregnant women
AMSTERDAM:The European drug regulator on Monday said the use of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by U.S. company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on pregnant women should be considered case by case. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) does not have enough data from the companies’ clinical trials on the potential risks to pregnant women, […]
Investor wealth tumbles Rs 6.59 trillion as new Covid-19 strain jolts markets
NEW DELHI: Investor wealth eroded by Rs 6.59 lakh crore on Monday as equities tanked after the UK reported a new strain of the COVID-19 virus. The 30-share BSE Sensex plunged 1,406.73 points or 3 per cent to close at 45,553.96. The benchmark hit an all-time high of 47,055.69 during the session. Following the sharp […]
Costa Rican hybrid sailboat aims to reduce shipping industry’s carbon footprint
By Alvaro Murillo PUNTA MORALES: Some 200 workers from 27 nations are building a hybrid sailboat on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica designed to carry 350 tons of goods, hoping to demonstrate that in the 21st century it is possible to transport cargo without polluting the environment. Inspired by the historic Finnish trading schooner […]
SpiceJet to start Mumbai-Male flights from Thursday
NEW DELHI: SpiceJet on Monday said it will start operating flights on Mumbai-Male route in a phased manner from December 24. These flights will operate under the bilateral air bubble arrangement established between India and the Maldives, the airline said in a press release. It will deploy its Boeing 737 aircraft on this route, the […]
Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine
By VICTORIA MILKO JAKARTA:In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a much different concern: Whether the COVID-19 vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law. As companies race to develop […]
Pepsico to set up potato chips unit in Uttar Pradesh
NEW DELHI: ‘PepsiCo’, the multinational food and beverages company is going to set up a new (greenfield) potato chips production unit in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs 814 crore. According to the government spokesman, the unit will be set up on about 35 acres of land provided by the State Industrial Development Authority […]
17 per cent work of Mumbai coastal road completed so far: BMC chief
NEW DELHI: Nearly 17 per cent work of the ambitious eight-lane coastal road project, undertaken to ease traffic woes in Mumbai, has been completed so far, BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Monday. The 29.2 km-long seaside road project has been undertaken by the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to connect Marine Drive […]