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GS 2
Bilateral ties not linked to India’s stance on BRI: China
China on Friday said its ties with India had a “bright future” and they were preparing for a summit between their leaders as a follow-up to last year’s two-day across-the board Wuhan informal summit between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meet between Afghan govt., Taliban postponed
Hopes for a breakthrough in a push to end Afghanistan’s gruelling conflict suffered a major setback on Friday after a key summit between the Taliban and Afghan officials was indefinitely postponed.
Chemists and druggists are passé; from now, all will be pharmacies
First coined in 1945, the words ‘chemist’ and ‘druggist’ are headed for a change, with the Union Health Ministry replacing them with ‘pharmacy’.
GS 3
Ganga has higher proportion of antibacterial agents: study
A study commissioned by the Union Water Resources Ministry to probe the “unique properties” of the Ganga found that the river water contains a significantly higher proportion of organisms with antibacterial properties.
SC to hear petition to end write-offs
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a petition to restrain banks from writing off non-performing assets.
Navy to take part in fleet review in China
The Indian Navy has sent two ships to take part in the International Fleet Review to be held in Qingdao, China, later this month as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. The ships are stealth destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet tanker INS Shakti.
The new IMF programme, the biggest Pakistan is expecting to receive, to be between $6-$10 bn, which is almost a certainty now, is going to make things far worse for all Pakistanis, and especially for the working people already dealing with prospects of a marked economic slowdown and high and rising inflation.
A new law enacted should make a departure and be aimed to expand India’s forests, and ensure the well-being of traditional forest-dwellers and biodiversity in these landscapes.
Gold imports dip 3% to $32.8 bn in FY19
The country’s gold imports dipped about 3% in value terms to $32.8 billion during 2018-19, which trend is expected to keep a lid on the current account deficit.
BBB tags 75 officers for leadership roles in PSBs
From a pool of 450 senior management personnel across nationalised banks, an inaugural batch of about 75 personnel has been identified this year to help these banks take on the current and emerging challenges as well as help create a leadership pipeline, the Bureau said in its activity report for the October 2018-March 2019 period.
Cases of measles show alarming rise, warns WHO
The number of cases of measles — one of the world’s most contagious diseases — is climbing, warned the World Health Organisation (WHO), stating that preliminary global data shows that reported cases rose by 300% in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.
