Expert panel to review Meril’s price exemption bid for stent

• NPPA verified the company’s submissions and decided that the matter be sent to an expert body for re-examination
• The company says its stents are made of biodegradable material, and are an alternative to the traditional metal stents

New virus in China: Health Ministry seeks info on Indian visa applicants

• The Union health secretary has also written to states and Union Territories to review their preparedness, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance
• Details have been sought of those who have applied for Indian visa since 31 Dec so that they can be counselled

China virus spreads to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi says containment top priority

• Authorities confirmed a total of 217 new cases of the virus in China
• Adding to the difficulties of containing the virus, hundreds of millions of Chinese will be travelling domestically, abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday that starts this week

Asteroid alert! Space rock twice the size of Big Ben to skim past Earth today

• The asteroid with an estimated diameter of 755 feet is larger than the Golden Gate Bridge tower or more than twice the height of London's Big Ben
• The approaching asteroid has been identified as "2020 AQ1

El Nino conditions may remain neutral till spring, suggests global forecast

According to the forecast, the formation of a full-blown El Niño is unlikely so far, which is a good news for India.

Cartosat-3 seen adding strategic depth to India’s military capabilities

• In time, the images captured by Cartosat-3 could be used by the Indian military to carry out drone strikes
• Analysts say the pictures issued by Isro demonstrate only a fraction of what the PAN cameras can actually capture

Chinese virus: Scientists develop 1st diagnostic test

• The Chinese virus, which first emerged in Wuhan, and can cause severe pneumonia, can now be detected in the laboratory
• The test will help scientists to understand whether the new virus is capable of spreading from human to human

India to screen travellers from China at airports for coronavirus

• The government has also issued a travel advisory asking citizens travelling to and from China to follow certain precautionary measures
• As on 11 Jan, as many as 41 confirmed cases of the infection by a novel coronavirus have been reported in China

India's GSAT-30 successfully launched from French Guiana

GSAT-30, India's first space mission in 2020, was successfully launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at 2:35 a.m according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

CARTOSAT-3 strengthens India’s strategic capabilities

• Apart from military use, the satellite would also provide an exhaustive, detailed map of the earth, boosting the currently available spatial and topographical data
• People familiar with the development in defence ministry welcomed the development

India set to boost communication services with launch of GSAT-30

• The launch is scheduled at 2:35 am on Friday, when the Ariane-5 rocket would lift off from the European Spaceport in Kouru, France
• It would be the first Indian satellite to be injected into space this year

Gaganyaan mission: Four astronauts to begin 11-month training in Russia

• In a statement, the minister of state for atomic energy and space said their training in Russia will start from the third week of January
• The ₹10,000-crore ambitious project is expected to be launched in 2022

De-stress and refresh: Govt, corporate bodies may introduce five-min yoga breaks

• Yoga break comprises few 'light' practices that can be done by taking a five-minute break from work
• Nearly 15 institutions, including several corporate houses, have volunteered to join the trial, an official from Ministry of AYUSH said

Exposure to environmental lead can cause Alzheimer’s disease: Study

• The finding is part of a recent research done by scientists at Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition
• Lead’s role as a risk factor in development of neurodegenerative diseases and many dysfunctions of the human central nervous system is established globally

This 17-year-old intern helps NASA find planet in habitable zone

• Wolf Cukier's job was to examine variations in star brightness captured by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• The planet orbits in almost exactly the same plane as the stars, so it experiences regular stellar eclipses

Indian-American among NASA's new astronauts; all set to conquer Moon, Mars

• Chari, 41, was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class
• The astronauts will receive a gold pin once they complete their first spaceflights

Is warming causing rise in vegetation around Mount Everest?

• The increase is ‘small’, but ‘significant’, stated the scientists from University of Exeter, United Kingdom who led the research
• The rate of ice loss in the region has already doubled between 2000 and 2016 and water supplies are threatened as a result of climatic shifts

Govt should ensure adequate funds for immunization programmes

• Immunization is considered the backbone of the health system
• In addition to saving lives, vaccination can free families from catastrophic health spending and lost earnings by preventing illness and the need for treatment

Opinion | We’re still finding the right path to achieve full immunization

Intensified Mission Indradhanush focuses on coverage, not on the outcome