9 PM Current Affairs Brief – May 5th, 2018

China, U.S. have agreed on some trade issues: reports What has happened? China and the U.S. have reached “agreements” on some issues, but both sides were still “very divided” on several others during the economic and trade talks held here to end the tariff spat between the trading partners, according to a media report on… Continue reading China, U.S. have agreed on some trade issues: reports

Vice-President to leave for South America tomorrow What has happened? The tour to Panama is significant because of growing engagement between China and Panama. The country also has the highest presence of Indian diaspora of 15,000. In Peru, Mr. Naidu will participate in the celebration of 55 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.… Continue reading Vice-President to leave for South America tomorrow

Sting in the air What has happened? The WHO’s global pollution database, that was released this week, is not the first worldwide survey to give Indian cities a poor report card on air quality indicators. In what should be worrying news for policymakers, the survey counts 13 Indian cities, other than Delhi, as among the top… Continue reading Sting in the air

‘Fasting may boost stem cell regeneration’ What has happened? A 24-hour fast may reverse the age-related loss of stem cell function that regenerates new intestinal cells, according to a study. It breaks down fatty acids, not glucose Researchers, including those from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S., found that fasting dramatically improves stem… Continue reading ‘Fasting may boost stem cell regeneration’

Ministry fast-tracks security clearance What has happened? Among the foreign countries, U.S., China (including Hong Kong), Mauritius, U.K. has received the green signal for the maximum number of projects at 10 each, followed by Germany 6, Bangladesh 3 and two each for Italy, Israel, Netherlands and Switzerland. Overseas investment proposals are getting the nod in… Continue reading Ministry fast-tracks security clearance

Architecture for privacy Context: Privacy protection Data protection requires a strong regulatory framework with a hierarchy of regulators to protect basic rights Fear of Digitization: Mass surveillance Databases linked by unique identities can possibly create an infrastructure for totalitarian observation of citizens’ activities across different domains The mere existence of such infrastructure, if unrestricted, can… Continue reading Architecture for privacy

GST Council approves single form for filing of returns What has happened? The Goods and Services Tax Council on Friday decided to convert the GST Network into a 100% government enterprise, and implement a single form for GST filing from the current three.  Background 27th meeting of GST Council Cess on sugar The Council also… Continue reading GST Council approves single form for filing of returns