| Major Covid-19 studies used dodgy data Not too long ago, the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was being touted by many, including President Donald Trump, as an antidote to Covid-19. But the optimism was squelched by a Lancet study, published on May 22, which used medical records supplied by a little known Chicago-based data analytics company called Surgisphere to conclude that HCQ's side effects rendered it unfit for Covid-19 treatment. Now, investigations have revealed that the data on which this study was based – the data provided by Surgisphere – could well be garbage. Lancet has issued an Expression of Concern (EOC) over its study, conceding that "important scientific questions have been raised about data" and that "an independent audit" of the data has been commissioned. Meanwhile, another top publication, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), has issued its own EOC about another study that it had published -- about the impact of blood pressure drugs on Covid-19 patients – which too, had used Surgisphere data. It is worth noting here that governments, and even the WHO, have been formulating policies on the basis of studies such as the Lancet one on HCQ, which, it now transpires, was likely based on dubious data. A Guardian investigation into Surgisphere indicates that it would have been almost impossible for it to have legitimately, and so rapidly, accumulated the quantity and quality of data it claimed to possess. Probing deeper into Surgisphere, the Guardian also found that "an employee listed as a science editor appears to be a science fiction author and fantasy artist" while "another employee listed as a marketing executive is an adult model and events hostess." It's CEO, Sapan Desai, has been named in three medical malpractice suits in the US. Two things remain a mystery: how did an unknown firm such as Surgisphere manage to get its hands on a huge trove of patient data? And if the data is suspect, how did a study based on suspect data pass the rigorous peer-review processes of top journals such as Lancet and NJEM? Cyclone Nisarga makes landfall Tropical storm Nisarga, which intensified into a "severe cyclonic storm", made landfall on the Maharashtra coast on Wednesday afternoon at about 1 pm, hitting Alibag in Raigad district. It began its landfall at a speed of 120-140 kmph but by evening, as it crossed Mumbai and Thane and moved toward northern Maharashtra, the wind speeds had dropped to 90-100 kmph. No untoward incident linked to the storm was reported in the southern coast of Gujarat. PLA holds 'infiltration drills'  A People's Liberation Army soldier cleans a shoe next to the entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing on May 18, 2020. China's official media reported on Wednesday that the Chinese military in Tibet has held night-time, high-altitude drills of "infiltration exercises behind enemy lines". The news comes amid the ongoing border tensions with India. The Chinese Communist Party-run Global Times reported that the "PLA Tibet Military Command recently sent troops to a high-altitude region at an elevation of 4,700 metres at night for infiltration exercises behind enemy lines and tested their combat capability under a harsh environment." Reports indicated that the drills were held in the Tanggula Mountains, which is not close to the border but in the central Tibetan plateau, near the eastern border of Tibet and Qinghai province. 'Bharat' plea forwarded to Centre  The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that a plea to change India's name exclusively to 'Bharat' be converted into a representation and forwarded to the Union government for an appropriate decision. "Bharat and India are both names given in the Constitution. India is already called 'Bharat' in the Constitution", Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde orally said in a virtual court hearing. A similar petition filed before the apex court in 2016 had been dismissed. The then CJI T.S. Thakur had orally remarked that every Indian had the right to choose between calling his country 'Bharat' or 'India' and the Supreme Court had no business to either dictate or decide for a citizen what he should call his country. LG Polymers has absolute liability for Vizag gas leak South Korean company LG Polymers India has absolute liability for the loss of life and public health in the gas leak incident at its plant in Visakhapatnam, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has said. It directed that the interim penalty of ₹50 crore be spent on compensation to victims and restoration of the environment.  The LG Polymers plant from where chemical gas leaked in Vishakhapatnam. File The NGT directed that a restoration plan be prepared by a Committee comprising two representatives each of the Environment Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and three representatives from the Andhra Pradesh government. Covid watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 2 lakh on the morning on June 3, and at the time of publishing this newsletter stood at 2,14,389, with the death toll at 6,018. Kerala continued to witness a surge in Covid-19 cases with 82 people, including a doctor and four health workers, testing positive for the virus, taking the infection count to 1,494. Over 1.6 lakh people are under observation. In the highest single day spike, 86 cases were reported in Kerala yesterday. Protests by the AIIMS Nurses' Union over their working conditions entered the third day on Wednesday, as the number of corona-infected workers at the national capital's premier hospital reached 329, with 47 of them being nursing staff. U.S. protests enter eighth day Protests over the killing of George Floyd continued for the eighth straight day on Tuesday as people streamed back to the streets, undeterred by President Donald Trump's threats to call in the military to restore peace. The Associated Press reports that "most protests passed peacefully, and while there were scattered reports of looting in New York City, the country appeared calmer by late Tuesday than it did a day earlier, when violence swept through multiple cities." Meanwhile, cities around the world witnessed anti-racism solidarity protests. People defied lockdown rules that prohibit large gatherings, and hit the streets to show their support for Americans protesters seeking justice for George Floyd. From London and Berlin to Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Sao Paolo, Sydney and Christchurch among others, scores of cities saw thousands participate in rallies holding up signs such as "I can't breathe", "We are all George Floyd" and "No justice, No peace". In brief: As the operation of Shramik Special trains to take migrant labour to their home states winds down, data released by Railways showed that of the 4,040 trains operated till Sunday, 256 had been cancelled by state governments, with Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh making the most cancellations. Maharashtra cancelled 105 trains, Gujarat 47, Karnataka 38, and Uttar Pradesh 30 trains, data showed. The Indian government has approved Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir for emergency use (for five doses) in treating COVID-19 patients, according to Reuters. Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously in hospital, is the first drug to produce improvement in COVID-19 patients in formal clinical trials. "(Remdesivir) approved on June 1 under emergency use with condition for five dose administration," the Drugs Controller General of India said in an email on Tuesday. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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