ICMR RANDOM TESTS SHOW NO COMMUNITY SPREAD SO FAR, WHO PRAISES GOVTThe first batch of results for tests done by the Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) in March to check for community transmission of coronavirusare negative.The ICMR had picked 1,020 random samples of people with severe acuterespiratory illness pneumonia and influenza-like symptoms for testing forCovid-19. The results of 500 samples are negative, a sign thatcommunity-level transmission of the coronavirus may not be taking place inIndia still. The results of the remaining 520 samples will be available byWednesday.Earlier, another batch of random tests, done uptil February 29, had come outnegative.The 1,020 samples tested in March were collected between the 1st and 15th,and sent to 51 labs. If a positive case turns up in these random samples,the ICMR said, it would indicate community transmission and they wouldenforce localised quarantine and testing measures in the areas from wheresamples were collected.A day after WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said hisadvice to all countries was "test, test, test", the organisation's countryoffice praised India's efforts in handling Covid-19, that includerestricting testing to symptomatic cases that could be traced back to thosewith history of travel.The ICMR's community transmission random test is running parallel to thetesting and tracking of symptomatic travellers, symptomatic contacts ofconfirmed Covid-19 cases, and healthcare workers. Non-symptomatic travellersor contacts are so far not being tested.INDIA, BANGLADESH CREATED GOLDEN CHAPTER OF MUTUAL TIES, SAYS PMPrime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed satisfaction over India's tieswith Bangladesh taking a turn for the better in the past five years and drewa distinction between how much it has progressed and the current state ofits former oppressors (Pakistan) who had perpetrated "genocide".The PM was paying tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on a galaevent in Dhaka via a video link as the coronavirus epidemic forced him aswell as several other SAARC leaders as well as UN Secretary General AntonioGuterres to call of their visit.Without naming Pakistan, he said, "Bangabandhu's life gives a major messagein battling an oppressive, brutal administration that negated democraticvalues and laid waste the land of Bangladesh." Lauding Rahman for crafting apositive and progressive society despite the havoc that was perpetrated andthe genocide that occurred, Modi said this was due to Bangladesh founder'sapproach of shunning negativity and hatred."But his efforts were not to the liking of some people and he was snatchedaway from us."This is a lesson in how a nation is destroyed when it makes violence thebasis of politics and diplomacy. Where are those supporters of terrorismtoday? On the other hand, Bangladesh is reaching new heights which the worldis taking note of.""It gives me happiness that in the past five six years, both sides havescripted a golden chapter in their bilateral ties and increased mutual trustwhich enabled the resolution of the complex land and maritime boundariespeacefully," he added.OPPN PARTIES ASK WHY BENEFIT OF REDUCED OIL PRICE NOT BEING PASSED ONSpeaking during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Adhir RanjanChowdhury said the govt was "looting" the people by not passing on thebenefit of the fall in international oil prices to them.Calling it a "big injustice", Chowdhury said: "Aap logon ki jebh kaat kedesh challa rahe hain (you are running the country by picking the pocket ofthe common man)"Senior TMC leader Saugata Roy also raised the issue in Parliament. Indianeconomy is suffering even more due to govt's miscalculations, he alleged,speaking of the high excise duty on petroleum products. "85 per cent ofIndia 's oil consumption is dependent upon imports. Dropping of pricesshould have brought good news but what the govt has given people is aminuscule benefit, " Roy said.INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS======================TRUMP DEFENDS 'CHINA VIRUS' STATEMENT, CALLS IT 'VERY ACCURATE TERM'US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended calling the coronavirusspreading rapidly across the world the "Chinese Virus" and said that he ispushing back against the false narrative of China that the US military didthis."Well, China was putting out information which was false that our militarydid this to them. That was false. And rather than having an argument, I saidI had to call it where it came from. It did come from China," the Presidenttold reporters at a White House news conference."So I think it's a very accurate term. I didn't appreciate the fact thatChina was saying that our military gave it to them. Our military did notgive it to anybody," Trump said.Trump refuted the notion that his using of the phrase created a stigmaagainst the Chinese.A commentary by the official Xinhua news agency said using "racist andxenophobic names to cast blame for the outbreak on other countries can onlyreveal politicians' irresponsibility and incompetence which will intensifyvirus fears."Trump's comments were also criticized inside the US, with warnings it couldincite a backlash against the Asian-American community."WE ARE AT WAR": FRANCE ANNOUNCES LOCKDOWN TO TACKLE CORONAVIRUSFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered people to stay at home toavoid spreading the new coronavirus, saying only necessary trips would beallowed and violations would be punished. Macron's orders came as France'snational health agency announced 21 more coronavirus deaths and 1,210 newcases of infection in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number offatalities to 148.In the 20-minute address to the nation, he said the French had to "severelyrestrict movements for the next 15 days at least" and limit social contactsas much as possible.Interior Minister Christophe Castaner later said anyone outside would haveto provide proof of their reasons for travelling and 100,000 law enforcementofficers would be enforcing the measures.Anyone who does not observe the confinement, Castaner added, could be fined135 euros ($150).In addition, he said the European Union would close all external borders for30 days from Tuesday to curb the outbreak, though citizens of EU countrieswould be allowed to return.AUSTRALIA PUTS 'INDEFINITE BAN' ON FOREIGN TRAVEL OF ITS CITIZENSAustralia ordered its citizens on Wednesday to halt all overseas travel inan unprecedented move designed to choke off the spread of the coronavirusepidemic.Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced at a press conference what he calledan "indefinite ban" on foreign travel alongside a crackdown on indoorgatherings in Australia of more than 100 people."This is a once-in-100-year type event," Morrison said of the pandemic. "Wehaven't seen this sort of thing in Australia since the end of the firstWorld War." "We are going to keep Australia running, we are going to keepAustralia functioning, (but) it won't look like it normally does," he said,warning that the measures being taken would last at least six months.Australia has so far recorded more than 450 confirmed cases of coronavirus,with the numbers escalating daily. There have so far been just fivefatalities.Morrison rejected calls for the government to order schools to close, as hasbeen done in other countries, saying the impact on society and the economyfrom such a closure would be "severe". "Whatever we do we have to do for atleast six months," he said, adding that among other consequences a longschool closure would remove 30 per cent of workers from the health industryas parents remained home with their kids.THE REST========EX-SC JUDGES SLAM GOGOIA day after former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was nominated toRajya Sabha by the government, retired Supreme Court judges Justices A KPatnaik, Kurian Joseph and J Chelameswar joined Justice Madan B Lokur inboth questioning and expressing disappointment on the decision, saying thenomination and its acceptance have "certainly shaken the confidence of thecommon man" and "will raise a lot of doubt about the independence of thejudiciary"."In my opinion, a former CJI or even a judge of the Supreme Court should notaccept nomination to Rajya Sabha or even contest for Rajya Sabha. Suchnomination or contest will raise a lot of doubt about the independence ofjudiciary. It may have happened earlier, but should be given up now, aspolitical parties are so badly divided. It is imperative for a judge, andthe Chief Justice certainly, to be seen as neutral, objective and havingimpartial views," said Justice Patnaik.Justice Kurian Joseph, a former colleague of Justice Gogoi, said he was"surprised" to see how the latter had "compromised the noble principles onthe independence and impartiality of the judiciary".Justice Chelameswar, also a former colleague, said; "There never was ademocracy that did not commit suicide." He was quoting John Adams, secondPresident of the United States.In January 2018, Justices Gogoi, Lokur, Joseph and Chelameswar, the mostsenior judges then in the Supreme Court, in an unprecedented step, called apress conference to question the conduct of then CJI Dipak Misra, especiallyon the allocation of important cases."'We have discharged our debt to the nation' was the statement made byJustice Ranjan Gogoi along with the three of us on 12th January 2018. I amsurprised as to how Justice Gogoi, who once exhibited such courage ofconviction to uphold the independence of judiciary, has compromised thenoble principles on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary,"Justice Joseph said.Meanwhile, Justice Gogoi told Pratidin Time, an Assamese TV channel andwebsite: "I have accepted the offer of the nomination to Rajya Sabha becauseof strong conviction that the legislature and judiciary must, at some pointof time, work together for nation-building." He added that he would speak indetail once he takes oath in Rajya Sabha.THE 4 STAGES OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKHere is an explainer on the four stages of an outbreakStage 1: This is when cases are imported from affected countries. Only thosewho travelled abroad test positive.Stage 2: When there is local transmission from infected persons. Forexample, relatives or acquaintances of those who travelled abroad. In localtransmission, less people are affected. The source of the virus is known andit is easier to trace the chain, as opposed to community transmission.Stage 3: This is when community transmission takes place and large areas getaffected. Community transmission is when a patient not exposed to anyinfected person or one who has not travelled to any of the affectedcountries tests positive. At this stage, people detected positive are unableto identify where they got the virus from. Italy and Spain are Stage 3.Stage 4: This is the worst stage, when the disease takes the shape of anepidemic with no clear end point. That is what happened in China.54,000 UNDER COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE, HARSH VARDHAN IN RAJYA SABHA"I laud doctors and paramedics who are working honestly with dedicationwhile taking risks in treating these patients. I laud all doctors andparamedics - be it in villages or cities or in private or government incontrolling coronavirus at all levels," Health Minister Harsh Vardhan toldRajya Sabha, while replying to supplementaries during Question Hour.The remarks made by Vardhan were lauded by all members, including those fromthe Opposition, with Congress leader Anand Sharma appreciating the steps.The minister also urged MPs to visit quarantine facilities in their areasand suggest ways to help improve facilities and take care of deficiencies.On reports about poor facilities at some quaratine centres, the ministersaid, "These reports are exceptions, but these are are not the rule. I canagree with you that the facilities may not be good. It is quite possiblethat at some places bathrooms may not be 5-star type. We are conveying instrongest possible manner on such complaints. These are rare complaints andare not frequent complaints received."BHOPAL TUG OF WAR CONTINUESAs the tug-of-war in Madhya Pradesh continued, Speaker NP Prajapati wrote toGovernor Lalji Tandon, urging him to ensure the return of "missing" MLAs.In a letter released to the media this evening, he said doubts persistedwhether these MLAs, currently in Bengaluru, had resigned on their own,pointing out that he had received the resignations of 16 Congress MLAs bypeople "other than their relatives." Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesdayissued notices to Speaker Prajapati, Chief Minister Kamal Nath and GovernorLalji Tandon on a petition by former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and nine otherparty MLAs for immediate floor test for the Kamal Nath government.Interestingly, no lawyer showed up for the Kamal Nath government even as 16rebel Congress MLAs approached the Supreme court to get their resignationsaccepted by the Speaker.A Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud asked the Speaker and the CM torespond to the petition within 24 hours and posted it for hearing onWednesday at 10.30 am. Chouhan and others have challenged the MP AssemblySpeaker's decision to adjourn the House till March 26, defying theGovernor's direction for a floor test on March 16.Within hours, MP Congress Legislature Party Chief Whip Govind Singh movedthe SC seeking direction to the Centre and the BJP-led Karnataka governmentto grant it the access to communicate with its 16 rebel MLAs putting up inBengaluru.CENTRE TO SC: CAA DOESN'T IMPINGE ON CITIZENS' RIGHTSAsserting that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) does not impinge upon anyexisting rights of citizens, the Centre on Tuesday sought to defend the law,saying there was no question of it violating constitutional morality whichis not an "unruly horse".In an affidavit filed in response to more than 143 petitions challenging thevalidity of the CAA, the Centre said it won't affect the legal, democraticor secular rights of citizens and requested the court to dismiss petitionschallenging it."The CAA does not impinge upon any existing right that may have existedprior to the enactment of the amendment and further, in no mannerwhatsoever, seeks to affect the legal, democratic or secular rights of anyof the Indian citizens. The existing regime for obtaining citizenship ofIndia by foreigners of any country is untouched by the CAA and remains thesame," it said.The petitioners contended that grant of citizenship based on religion wasagainst the basic structure of the Constitution.But in its affidavit, the Centre asserted that Parliament was competent toearmark the religious minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan forrelaxation in the grant of citizenship by naturalisation.WILL SHUT TRAINS IF PEOPLE DON'T STOP NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL: MAHA CMAmid rising cases of novel coronavirus in Maharashtra, Chief Minister UddhavThackeray on Tuesday said the government would be forced to take the "harshdecision" to stop bus and train services in Mumbai if people don't avoidunnecessary travel.Talking to reporters, Thackeray also appealed people to avoid unnecessarytravel and gathering.Thackeray the administration was working on allowing functioning ofgovernment offices with 50 per cent strength.As of Tuesday, there are 40 persons in Maharashtra who have testedcoronavirus positive, he said. The condition of 39 coronavirus positivepatients is stable, while one is critical, he said.AVOID SELF-MEDICATION WITH IBUPROFEN AGAINST COVID-19 SYMPTOMS: WHOThe World Health Organisation on Tuesday recommended that people sufferingfrom COVID-19-like symptoms should avoid self-medicating with ibuprofen,after French authorities warned anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen theeffects of the virus.The warnings over the weekend by French Health Minister Olivier Veranfollowed a recent study in The Lancet weekly medical journal thathypothesised that an enzyme that is boosted when taking anti-inflammatorydrugs like ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections."In the meantime, we recommend using rather paracetamol, and do not useibuprofen as a self-medication. That's important," WHO spokesman ChristianLindmeier said.INDICATORSSensex 30,579 (-811), Nifty 8,967 (-230), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores)45,263Nasdaq 7,335 (+430) Dow 21,237 (+1,049), S&P 2,529 (+143)US$-Rs. 73.97 GBP-Rs. 89.85, Euro-Rs. 81.86, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.13, Can$-Rs.52.45, Aus$- Rs. 44.69GBP 0.82 /US$, Euro 0.90 /US$, Jap.Yen 106.99 /US$, Aus$ 1.65 /US$, Sing1.42 /US$, Bang Taka 83.40 /US$, Can$ 1.40 /US$, Mal Ring 4.35 /US$,Pak Re 158.15 /US$, Phil Peso 51.67 /US$, Russian Rouble 74.75 /US$, NZ$1.66 /US$, Thai Baht 32.15 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.63 /US$, Norway NOK10.35 /US$Bitcoin - USD 5,319Dollar Index 99,57 Brent Crude 29.03 BDI 623Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,530 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,020 /3,920, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 39,000THOUGHT FOR THE DAYI did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better. -Maya AngelouOFF TRACKThe drunken passenger staggered from deck to stateroom, sat down and peeredthrough the porthole the entire afternoon. Finally he got up, turned hisback, and mumbled, "What a lousy television show."