India, US negotiating UAV co-development programme, says Pentagon official

Washington: The US and India are negotiating a co-development programme for the air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a top Pentagon official has said.

Addressing the India Ideas Summit organised by the US-India Business Council on Tuesday, the top Pentagon official said that the US Air Force research labs have signed a cooperative research and development agreement with an Indian startup to support the development of the air-launched UAV.

"I would like to highlight a very exciting project we are currently negotiating -- air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV will be a co-development programme between the US Air Force Research Labs, the Indian Air Force, India's Defense Research and Development Organisation, and ? an Indian startup company," said Ellen M Lord, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment.

The Pentagon's point person for the ambitious US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), Lord said that they were planning to hold the next DTTI group meeting in the week of September 14 and the second meeting of the DTTI industrial collaboration forum the week before.

Often described as the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, Lord said that the US-India defence cooperation has made great strides in the last few years. This cooperation has led to closer relationships between the two governments and also increased stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Noting that US defence sales to India have grown exponentially over the last 10 years, she said the US is striving to become India's first choice in defence solutions. The last year has seen many firsts in DTTI, she said, adding that the first project agreement for co-development is in negotiation.

The first industrial cooperation forum was held, she said. She also announced the release of the industrial guidance for the participation with DTTI. The industrial cooperation is a key focus area for the future of defence collaboration and we think that this industry guidance will increase industrial collaboration within the DDTI framework," she said.

"The United States welcomes any partnership that enhances US national security objectives, decreases defence procurement costs and leads to greater supply chain stability,? Lord said. Noting that the US government reviewed and commented on India's defence procurement procedure or DPP, Lord said they were encouraged to see the procedures for loans and leases added.

?The United States is aware that many countries, including India, use offset in defence sales. The US government will not take part in any negotiation concerning offsets between the industry and a foreign government. "We encourage all governments to ensure that offset processes are transparent and applied equally to all competitors,? Lord said.

China's phase-2 trial finds COVID-19 vaccine safe, inducing immune response: Lancet

China: A phase 2 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate conducted in China has found that the vaccine is safe and induces an immune response, according to a new study published Monday in medical journal The Lancet.

The results provide data from a wider group of participants than the phase 1 trial, which was published in May. Phase 1 trial involved 108 healthy adults and it demonstrated promising results. The phase 2 trial adds further evidence on safety and immunogenicity in a large population than the phase 1 trial. This is an important step in evaluating this early-stage experimental vaccine and phase 3 trials are now underway.

According to The Lancet, the trial of the Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine candidate was conducted in the central Chinese city of Wuhan with 508 participants taking part in. Approximately two thirds of participants were aged 18-44 years, with a quarter aged 45-54 years, and 13 percent aged 55 years or older.

Since elderly individuals face a high risk of serious illness and even death associated with COVID-19 infection, they are an important target population for a COVID-19 vaccine. To battle against COVID-19, scientists around the world are racing against time to accelerate the development of new treatments and vaccines. China has pledged that its COVID-19 vaccine will be made a global public good when it's available.

Govt of India asks 59 Chinese apps to ensure strict compliance to ban orders; warns of action on violation

New Delhi: After banning 59 apps of Chinese origin, the government on Tuesday directed them to ensure strict compliance to its orders, and warned of serious action in case of any violation, according to an official source.

The government on June 29 had banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including TikTok, CamScanner and UC Browser, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. The government source told that the IT Ministry has now written to all these companies, warning that continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, is not only illegal but also an offence under the Information Technology Act and other applicable Acts, which would attract penal provisions.

If any app in the banned list is found to be made available by the company through any means for use within India, directly or indirectly, it would be construed as a violation of the government orders, the source added. All these companies have been directed to ensure strict compliance of the orders of the ministry, failing which serious action will be taken, the source said.

The ministry in a communication sent to these companies has mentioned that the ban imposed was in exercise of the sovereign powers and section 69A of the Information Technology Act, and that the said companies should ensure strict compliance to the order issued in this regard.

The IT Ministry's statement of June 29 on banning of 59 mobile apps had cited numerous complaints received from various sources, including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India".
"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the ministry statement had said.

The ban is also applicable for WeChat and Bigo Live. The list of apps that have been banned include Helo, Likee, CamScanner, Vigo Video, Mi Video Call ? Xiaomi, Clash of Kings as well as e-commerce platforms Club Factory and Shein.

The IT ministry had invoked its power under section 69A of the IT Act and rules to block the 59 apps in view of information available that they were "engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".

Over a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine possible by September: Oxford researcher

Oxford, England: University of Oxford researchers hailed a "really important milestone" on Monday, July 20 as early stage trials indicated its experimental coronavirus vaccine to be safe and effective in producing an immune response.

Lead researcher Andew Pollard said the vaccine was well tolerated by over a 1,000 participants in the trial and that it successfully induces responses from both antibodies and T-cells.

Oxford's vaccine has been produced in partnership with pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca. Early estimates of the production a million doses of the experimental vaccine by September could be an underestimate depending on how quickly late-stage trials can be completed, according to one researcher.

Adrian Hill, the director of the university's Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research, said AstraZeneca's manufacturing capability meant that figured could conceivably be surpassed. He added it was possible that the vaccine would be widely available by the end of the year. The institute's research group leader, Sandy Douglas, said any potential release of the vaccine before the end of 2020 would most like begin with high risk individuals first, before being made open to the rest of the population.

The vaccine, called AZD1222, has been described by the World Health Organization's chief scientist as the leading candidate in a global race to halt a pandemic that has claimed more than 600,000 lives. More than 150 possible vaccines are in various stages of development with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and China's CanSino Biologics also reporting positive responses for their candidates on Monday.

United Arab Emirates launches mission to Mars

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars on Monday, July 20 as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil.

The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center at 1:58 a.m. UAE time/6:58 a.m. Japanese time Monday (2158 GMT Sunday) for a seven-month journey to the red planet, where it will orbit and send back data about the atmosphere. The first Arab mission to Mars was initially due to launch on July 14, but has been delayed twice due to bad weather.

Just over an hour after launch, the probe deployed solar panels to power its systems and established radio communication with the mission on earth. There are currently eight active missions exploring Mars; some orbit the planet and some have landed on its surface. China and the United States each plan to send another this year. 

The Emirates Mars Mission has cost $200 million, according to Minister for Advanced Sciences Sarah Amiri. It aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes. The UAE first announced plans for the mission in 2014 and launched a National Space Programme in 2017 to develop local expertise. Its population of 9.4 million, most of whom are foreign workers, lacks the scientific and industrial base of the big spacefaring nations.

It has an ambitious plan for a Mars settlement by 2117. Hazza al-Mansouri became the first Emirati in space last September when he flew to the International Space Station. To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai's Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) worked with U.S. educational institutions.

The MBRSC space centre in Dubai will oversee the spacecraft during its 494 million km (307 milion mile) journey at an average speed of 121,000 km per hour.

Torrent sites unblocked by all ISPs in India

Web users in India are once again able to access video and file-sharing sites, including The Pirate Bay.The country's Madras High Court has changed its earlier censorship order which centred on the issue of internet copyright.The original ruling made Indian internet service providers (ISPs) block access to entire sites to prevent a single film from being shared online.The new order was issued following an appeal filed by a consortium of ISPs.

It states that only specific web addresses - URLs - carrying the pirated content should be blocked, but not the entire website."The order of interim injunction dated 25/04/2012 is hereby clarified that the interim injunction is granted only in respect of a particular URL where the infringing movie is kept and not in respect of the entire website," reads the updated decision."Further, the applicant is directed to inform about the particulars of URL where the interim movie is kept within 48 hours."

Hacking attacks In late March, Chennai-based Copyrightlabs, an Indian anti-piracy firm, won a court order that made Indian ISPs and phone firms stop their customers reaching websites that were illegally sharing copies of certain Bollywood films.The Ashok Kumar order - similar to a "John Doe" order in the United States and designed to protect the copyright of music, films and other content - allowed copyright holders to request a website be taken down to prevent users from downloading content illegally.

The ruling led to a series of cyber-attacks by the hacker group Anonymous, which targeted a number of Indian websites, including those for government departments and India's Supreme Court. Anonymous said the attacks were carried out in retaliation against blocks imposed on video and file-sharing sites.The internet hacking group then staged numerous protests against "internet censorship" in India.