CENTRE SLAMS REPORTS CLAIMING EXPERTS NOT CONSULTED FOR COVID-19 RESPONSEAsserting that coronavirus is a "new agent" about which not everything isknown, the govt on Sunday defended the timing of imposition of the lockdownand rejected as "baseless" media reports expressing concerns that it did nottake inputs from technical experts while drawing up its COVID-19 strategy.The government also said it is "fine-tuning" its strategy based on emergingknowledge and experience on the ground.In a statement, the Health Ministry said a section of the media is reportingon the decisions regarding India's approach to the pandemic and assertedthat the decision on the lockdown was taken in the background of rapidescalation of COVID-19 cases."The doubling rate of cases had dropped to a low level, pointing toward adangerous trajectory of high case load and high mortality, as experienced bymany western countries. The possibility that our health systems could soonbe overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients seemed to be real," the ministry said.There was all-round consensus on the lockdown among all state governments,it said.The government has already shared information on the impact of the lockdownand other restrictions to avert lakhs of infections and thousands of deaths,as also enormous gains in the health system and people's preparedness, theministry said.It said policies and strategies need to be calibrated to keep pace with therapidly evolving situation the nation is faced with.The ministry also said there are some reports in a section of the mediaexpressing concern about the government's efforts towards containment andmanagement of COVID-19 to have excluded the larger wisdom of technicalexperts. "These apprehensions and allegations are unfounded and baseless.The government is constantly in consultation with experts for technical andstrategic inputs, scientific ideas and domain-specific guidance to addressthe COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said.A National Task Force for COVID-19 is constituted by Secretary DHR-cum-DG-ICMR with Member (Health) NITI Aayog as Chairperson and Secretary (DoHFW)and Secretary (DHR) as co-chairs, it saidCompared to countries that have eased lockdowns such as UK, Italy, Spain andGermany, India has reported the lowest number of cases per lakh population,at 17.23 cases per lakh population and 0.49 deaths per lakh population, itsaid, citing a WHO Situation Report.TALKS ALONE WILL RESOLVE LAC STAND-OFF: MEAIndia and China would persist with military and diplomatic engagements toresolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the borderareas, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the latest round ofborder talks on June 6 between the army commanders ended in a stalemate."Talks took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere. Both sides agreed topeacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance withvarious bilateral agreements," it said in a statement released on Sunday.The MEA indicated that both sides were in for a long haul and that despitebringing in military reinforcements, the accent would be on dialogue. Inthis respect, it reiterated its earlier stand of May 21 that "peace andtranquillity in the India-China border regions are essential for the overalldevelopment of bilateral relations".Meanwhile., Global Times, widely considered a Chinese govt mouthpiece, whichhas the external audience in mind, maintained its psy-ops by uploading avideo that supposedly showed a Chinese airborne brigade taking just a fewhours to manoeuvre from Central China to "northwestern, high-altitude regionamid China-India border tensions".Otherwise, as is the case with the MEA here, the Chinese officials havemaintained a low profile on the border tension.Statements by the Chinese Foreign Office have rejected the US mediationoffers and reiterated bilateralism as the fulcrum to resolve the situation.MALLS, HOTELS, RELIGIOUS PLACES SET TO REOPEN TODAYA token system for regulated entry and no physical offerings like 'prasad'will be some of the norms as shopping malls, religious places, hotels andrestaurants are set to reopen in most states from today after over twomonths that could pose new challenges to check the spread of thecoronavirus.The SOPs are advisory in nature and the Centre has left it to the states tofinetune the details.The Punjab government for example provides for a token-based entry to mallsas part of its guidelines.In Gujarat, some of the religious places have decided to organise prayers inshifts and even start a token system to specify time slots to devotees forvisits in a bid to maintain social distancing and avoid crowding.Malls in Delhi will be focussing on hourly disinfection of the common areas,contact-less shopping and physical distancing, according to some of the mallowners. Several malls have set up ultraviolet (UV) sterilisation chambersfor the patrons to disinfect their belongings.In line with the central guidelines, the Karnataka government has specifiedconditions such as social distancing, no distribution of 'teertha' (holywater) or 'prasada', no ringing of temple bells for devotees and a bar onspecial 'pooja' or 'archana'.In Goa, churches and mosques in Goa have decided to remain closed for somemore time.The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari said all the safetymeasures have been taken at the historic mosque that will reopen on Mondayfor prayers.AMIT SHAH LAUNCHES BIHAR CAMPAIGN, VIA A VIDEO-CONFERENCELaunching the BJP's election campaign in Bihar, Union Home Minister AmitShah on Sunday exuded confidence that the NDA would form the government with2/3rd majority under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.Addressing the 'BiharJansamvad Rally' through video conferencing, Shah said under Chief MinisterNitish Kumar, the state moved from "lalten raj" to "LED raj", referring tothe RJD's poll symbol of lamp. The BJP will have 75 such meetings, he said.In opening remarks, Shah said the virtual rally was not a political rallybut a medium to bring the people of the country together in the fightagainst the coronavirus pandemic. Bihar is scheduled to go to the Assemblypolls in October-November this year.Protesting against Shah's rally, RJD, led by former Bihar chief ministerRabri Devi and party chief Tejashwi Yadav, observed "Garib Adhikaar Diwas"by beating utensils while the Congress took to posters to urge citizens tomark "Shraddhanjali Diwas". The posters read 'virtual se actual muddon kaencounter'.COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data fromworldometers.info/coronavirus/ )Total Cases 2,57,473 (+10,864) / 70,86,008 (+1,09,963)Total Deaths 7,207 (+261) / 4,06,107 (+3,937)Total Recovered 1,23,848 (+5,153) / 34,59,972 (+48,184)Active Cases 1,26,418 (+5,450) / 32,19,929 (+57,842)Serious / Critical Cases - N.A. / 53,752 (+166)Top impacted nations so far: (And some of India's Neighbours)Country, Total Cases / Total Deaths / Recovered Cases / ActiveCases1 USA 20,07,449 / 1,12,469 /7,61,708 / 11,33,2722 Brazil 6,91,962 / 37,312 /3,02,084 / 3,52,5663 Russia 4,67,673 / 5,859 /2,26,731 / 2,35,0834 Spain 2,88,630 / 27,136 / N/A/ N/A5 UK 2,86,194 / 40,542 / N/A/ N/A6 India 2,57,486 / 7,207 /1,23,848 / 1,26,4317 Italy 2,34,998 / 33,899 /1,65,837 / 35,2628 Peru 1,96,515 / 5,465 /86,219 / 1,04,8319 Germany 1,85,869 / 8,776 /1,69,100 / 7,99310 Iran 1,71,789 / 8,281 /1,34,349 / 29,15911 Turkey 1,70,132 / 4,692 /1,37,969 / 27,47116 Pakistan 98,943 / 2,002 / 33,465/ 63,47620 Bangladesh 65,769 / 888 / 13,903/ 50,97899 Sri Lanka 1,835 / 11 / 941/ 883Top 18 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. OfDeaths)State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /DeceasedMaharashtra 85,975 / 43,601 / 39,314 /3,060Tamil Nadu 31,667 / 14,396 / 16,999 /272Delhi 28,936 / 17,125 / 10,999 / 812Gujarat 20,097 / 5,205 / 13,643 / 1,249Rajasthan 10,599 / 2,605 / 7,754 /240Uttar Pradesh 10,536 / 4,076 / 6,185 /275Madhya Pradesh 9,401 / 2,658 / 6,331/ 412West Bengal 8,187 / 4,488 / 3,303 /396Karnataka 5,452 / 3,257 / 2,132 /61Bihar 5,070 / 2,635 / 2,405 / 30Andhra Pradesh 4,659 / 1,915 / 2,669/ 75Haryana 4,448 / 2,946 / 1,474 /28Jammu and Kashmir 4,087 / 2,830 / 1,216 /41Telangana 3,650 / 1,771 / 1,742 /137Odisha 2,856 / 951 / 1,894 / 11Assam 2,682 / 2,038 / 637 / 4Punjab 2,608 / 451 / 2,106 / 51Kerala 1,915 / 1,096 / 803 / 16INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS======================CHINA ISSUES A WHITE PAPER ON COVID-19; EXONERATES ITSELFA beleaguered China on Sunday exonerated itself from the global allegationsof delay in reporting the Covid outbreak, saying the virus was first noticedin Wuhan on December 27 as a viral pneumonia and human-to-human transmissionwas discovered on January 19, after which it took swift actions to curb it.A White Paper, released by the Chinese government, gave a lengthyexplanation to refute the allegations of cover up and delay by Beijing onreporting the outbreak last year in Wuhan.US President Donald Trump and leaders of several countries have accusedChina of not being transparent in reporting the deadly disease, leading tohuge human casualties and economic crisis across the world.According to the White Paper, after the Covid-19 was identified by ahospital in Wuhan on December 27, the local government called experts tolook into the cases through an analysis of the patients' condition andclinical outcome, the findings of epidemiological investigations andpreliminary laboratory testing results. "The conclusion was that they werecases of viral pneumonia," it said.Researchers from a high-level expert team, formed by the NHC, confirmed thatthe virus was transmissible among humans for the first time on January 19,hours before they notified the public.GEORGE FLOYD: MINNEAPOLIS COUNCIL PLEDGES TO DISMANTLE POLICE DEPARTMENTA majority of Minneapolis City Council has pledged to dismantle the localpolice department, a significant move amid nationwide protests sparked byGeorge Floyd's death last month.Nine of the 13 councillors said a "new model of public safety" would becreated in a city where law enforcement has been accused of racism.The nine councillors read a statement to hundreds of protesters on Sunday."We are here because here in Minneapolis and in cities across the UnitedStates it is clear that our existing system of policing and public safety isnot keeping our communities safe," City Council President Lisa Bender wasquoted as saying. "Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period."Ms Bender said details of the overhaul plan needed to be discussed further,adding that she would try to shift police funding towards community basedstrategies.Meanwhile, security measures across the country were lifted on Sunday asunrest started to ease.NEW ZEALAND BECOMES CORONAVIRUS-FREE COUNTRYNew Zealand has no active cases of COVID-19 in the country for the firsttime since February 28, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement onMonday.The last person who was being monitored for coronavirus has now beenreleased from isolation as he's been symptom-free and is regarded asrecovered, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in astatement.New Zealand will announce later on Monday if it would remove all remainingsocial distancing and economic restrictions, barring border control.THE REST========DELHI OPENS BORDERS FROM MONDAY, RESERVES HOSPITALS FOR CITY RESIDENTSChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that the hospitals run bythe Delhi Government and private entities will only treat Delhiites duringthe coronavirus crisis, while the City's borders will be reopened fromMonday.Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said hospitals run by theCentre will have no such restriction, and if people from other states cometo the National Capital for specific surgeries, they can get medicaltreatment at private hospitals.The announcement comes a day after a five-member panel constituted by theAAP government suggested that the health infrastructure of the city shouldbe used only for treating Delhiites in view of the raging COVID-19 crisis."Over 90 per cent of people want Delhi hospitals to treat patients from thenational capital during the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, it has been decidedthat government and private hospitals in Delhi will only treat patients fromthe National Capital," Kejriwal said.The Chief Minister had last week sought views of the people in Delhi on theissue, while announcing the decision to close the City's borders.The distinction between "outsiders" in order to boost Delhi's healthcarefacilities led to outrage on social media with many wondering what the CMmeant when he said "Delhi residents" since Kejriwal himself was technicallyan outsider.Many on Twitter pointed out that Kerjriwal had himself been born in Haryanaand spent his childhood growing up in Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh.Kejriwal also received education in West Bengal and Jharkhand. Some evenpointed out that the CM had gone to Bengaluru to get treatment for hisailments such as his 10-day 2015 visit to Karnataka to receive naturopathy.SANJAY RAUT SAYS SONU SOOD 'ENACTING POLITICAL SCRIPT BY BJP'Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut Sunday wondered whether the BJP was behindBollywood actor Sonu Sood's recent efforts to help stranded migrant workers,in a bid to show the Uddhav Thackeray government in a poor light.In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana', Rautraised questions on the sudden rise of "Mahatma" Sood.Sena's attack came in the backdrop of Sood arranging buses and charteredflights for migrant workers stuck in Mumbai. "Sood is an actor whoseprofession is to deliver dialogues scripted by someone else and make aliving out of it. There are many people like Sood who would promote anypolitical party if paid well," Raut wrote.He said no wise person would believe in Sood suddenly developing sympathyfor migrants and making arrangements for them to return to their homestates.Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray said Soodhad come to meet Uddhav. "This evening Sonu Sood met up with UddhavThackeray ji along with Minister Aslam Shaikh ji and me. Better Together,Stronger Together to assist as many people through as many people. Good tohave met a good soul to work for the people together," Aaditya tweeted.PETROL, DIESEL PRICE HIKED BY 60 PAISE PER LITRE AFTER 83-DAY HIATUSPetrol and diesel price was on Sunday hiked by 60 paisa per litre, as thestate-owned oil firms restarted daily price revisions after a 82-day hiatus.Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 71.86 per litre from Rs 71.26 a litretill Saturday, while diesel rates were increased to Rs 69.99 per litre fromRs 69.39, according to a price notification of state oil marketingcompanies.While oil PSUs have regularly revised ATF and LPG prices, they had sinceMarch 16 kept petrol and diesel prices on hold, ostensibly on account ofextreme volatility in the international oil markets.8TH DEAL FOR JIO PLATFORMS IN LESS THAN SEVEN WEEKSReliance Industries on Sunday said it sold 1.16 per cent stake in itsdigital unit to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for Rs 5,683.50 crore,taking the cumulative fund raising to Rs 97,885.65 crore from leading globalinvestors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, GeneralAtlantic, KKR, Mubadala and ADIA in less than seven weeks.With these investments, Reliance has sold all of the targeted 21 per centequity in Jio Platforms ahead of a potential IPO.Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd.At the end of March quarter, Reliance had an outstanding debt of Rs 3,36,294crore and cash in hand of Rs 1,75,259 crore. After adjusting cash, the netdebt came to Rs 1,61,035 crore.FPI INVEST `20,814 CRORE IN EQUITIES IN A WEEK, PULL OUT `2.2K CR FROM DEBTSEGMENTForeign portfolio investors (FPIs), who were big sellers in March and April,are back in the stock markets with fresh purchase orders. During the firstfive trading sessions of June, overseas investors put in a net sum of Rs20,814 crore in equities. However, FPIs pulled out a net Rs 2,225 crore fromthe debt segment.The total net investment in debt and equity between June 1 and 5 stood at Rs18,613 crore. Buoyed by the investment from overseas investors, the Sensexalso rose by 1,863 points to 34,287.24 during the week.Prior to this, FPIs were net sellers for three consecutive months. Theywithdrew Rs 7,366 crore in May, Rs 15,403 crore in April and a record Rs 1.1lakh crore in March.Analysts said that FPIs have been investing in fundamentally strong bluechipcompanies and this trend is likely to continue in the near future.Sudhakar Shanbhag, chief investment officer, Kotak Mahindra Life InsuranceCompany, said, "Indian equity markets have been buoyant over the last coupleof weeks. This market rally has come as a surprise to all when nobody wasexpecting it. Indian markets had been laggards in the emerging market basketand are probably catching up and we have seen almost a 33 per cent rallyfrom the low we saw in March 2020."Gradual release of lockdown measures would also have played its part. Thereis, however, a complete dichotomy between the markets and the economy," hefurther said.LAWSUIT AGAINST GOOGLE FOR 'TRACKING INCOGNITO INTERNET USE'On Tuesday (June 2), Google was sued in a proposed class action suit in theUS. The lawsuit alleges that the company tracks people even when they arebrowsing the internet using the "private mode". The class action suitdemands $5 billion from Google's parent firm Alphabet for violating theFederal Wiretap law and the invasion of privacy Act.It also claims that Google's interception of user data is "intentional" and"unlawful". Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesman, told Reuters that thecompany will defend itself "vigorously" against the claims. "As we clearlystate each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able tocollect information about your browsing activity," Castaneda said.The lawsuit, which has been filed by Chasom Brown, Maria Nguyen and WilliamByatt individually and on behalf of all those Google subscribers whoseinternet was tracked from June 1 , 2016 onwards, claims that Google tracksand collects consumer browsing history and other web browsing activity data"no matter what" safeguards consumers may use.THOUGHT FOR THE DAYA nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood inan open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. - John F. KennedyOFF TRACKA woman was walking a very handsome dog when she met an acquaintance."Look at the swell dog I got for my husband," she remarked."Hmm," was the other's terse reply, "you have all the luck. Wish I couldmake a trade like that."