18th MARCH

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1971 A 100 feet (30 meter) high wave destroys a Peruvian mining camp and kills hundreds of people
• 1990 East Germany holds its first and only free parliamentary elections
• 1962 The Évian Accords are signed, ending the Algerian War

NATIONAL

• Coronavirus suspects under home quarantine to have their left hand stamped, Maharashtra. Greater Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi has issued an order to all officials at hospitals and the airport, asking them to 'stamp' behind the left palm of the home quarantined person concerned, the dates of isolation, with ink that would last for 14 days. This will identify them easily in case they mingle with the general public.
• Karnataka Assembly passes Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2020. With this amendment, the Lokayukta can delegate cases to any Upalokayukta if he does not want to hear or consider, or in any manner, deal with or dispose of, certain cases or complaints or matters, for reasons to be recorded in writing.
• Bill seeeking extension in upper limit for permitting abortions gets LS nod. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 was passed by a voice vote.

INTERNATIONAL

• China gives go-ahead for human trials of COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers at China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, affiliated to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA),received approval to launch early-stage clinical trials of the potential vaccine starting this week. Researchers will do tests on 108 healthy persons.
• Spain nationalises all hospitals as it scrambles to curb coronavirus. The step was announced by Salvador Illa, Spain's health minister, that all private healthcare infrastructure will now be under public control as the country scrambles to prevent the coronavirus crisis from worsening.
• US begins first human trial of COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is called mRNA-1273 and was developed by the NIAID scientists and their collaborators at the biotechnology company Moderna, Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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