As pandemic unfolded, ties with China came under severe stress: Jaishankar

• Ties with China were stable for three decades as two nations addressed inherited challenges and new circumstances, says EAM
• Peace and tranquillity in border areas provided basis for expanded cooperation with China in other domains, says Jaishankar

ICICI Bank Q2 net profit soars six-fold to ₹4,251 cr; asset quality improves

• The bank held Covid-19-related provisions of ₹8,772 cr at Sept 30, 2020
• The bank said disbursements in mortgage, auto loans in the September quarter reached pre-Covid levels

US elections: After a year of disruption, America set to choose a path ahead

• More than 86 million people have already cast ballots, shattering records for early voting
• Despite the pandemic’s toll on his political fortunes, Trump’s campaign is banking on strategy similar to 2016

NMC releases new regulations for MBBS courses, establishment of medical colleges

• These regulations allow optimization and flexibility in utilizing available resources, and facilitating quality education, even when resources are relatively scarce, says govt
• The new regulations have deleted the quantum of land required for setting up a medical college

DLF says it will be REIT ready in 15-18 months

• DLF director Ashok Tyagi said the company would soon appoint consultants for creating a proper structure of its rental assets
• On Friday, DLF reported 48% decline in its consolidated net profit at ₹232 crore for the Sept quarter

Top 46 US companies file legal challenge to block H-1B visa changes

• The move comes in the wake of the US administration’s proposal to scrap the computerized lottery system to grant H-1B work visas to foreign technology professionals and replace it with a wage-level-based selection process

Amazon tells Sebi its partner Future Retail is misleading public

Amazon is locked in a bitter legal dispute with Future Group, which in August sold its retail assets to Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd for $3.4 bn

Former James Bond actor Sean Connery dies at 90

• The legendary British actor starred in seven Bond films
• Connery won an Oscar for supporting actor for his turn as a tough Irish cop in Brian De Palma’s 1987 'The Untouchables'

UP govt to bring strict law against 'love jihad', says Yogi Adityanath

The chief minister made the remarks while addressing a rally for the November 3 byelections for the Malhani assembly seat in Jaunpur and that of Deoria

Popular Telugu actor invests in new Hyderabad-based electric vehicle company

• The actor has already stepped into the entrepreneurial world with his clothing line 'Rowdy'
• The EV company is slated to begin operations from 2021

Kamal Nath moves SC over revocation of 'star campaigner' status by EC

• The election commission revoked the star campaigner status of Nath on 30 October on the grounds of repeated violations of model code during the by-polls campaigning in Madhya Pradesh

Johnson expected to order lockdown for England as Covid cases top 1 million

The United Kingdom, which has the biggest official death toll in Europe from Covid-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day

The coronavirus pandemic was something as if heaven fell, says CJI Bobde

• The Chief Justice of India said that these facilities are a step in the direction to bridge the inequality of lack of access to technology
• Nyay Kaushal would be the first e-resource centre in the country providing facility of e-filing of cases in the courts

Do not let the 'babu' concept influence you: PM tells civil service probationers

• Modi called the batch of officers as fortunate as it begins service in the 75th year of India’s independence and would continue to be in office till the 100th year
• The PM asked probationers to make sure that their interference in the lives of citizens was reduced and that the common man was empowered

Gold, Bonds failed to protect investors amid stock-market swoon

Investors worry that a lack of protection from traditional safe havens leaves them exposed during the U.S. election and an upsurge in Covid-19 cases

Pensioners can get their PPO No using bank account number in few seconds

At any point, if a pensioner forgets his or her PPO number or want to find PPO, s/he can get it easily by submitting either the bank account number, which is linked to EPF or using Member ID, which is pensioner's PF number given by the EPFO.

On Patel's birth anniversary, Modi calls for nations to unite against terrorism

• PM Modi's comments follow Pakistan and ally Turkey slamming French president Macron for his remarks condemning the beheading of a French teacher by his student after the former reportedly showed caricatures of Prophet Mohammed to his class

LTC cash voucher scheme: Return cash payout to the employer if you spend less

The payment of LTC cash allowance is capped at ₹36,000 per person.

Kamala Harris: On the cusp of US election history

• Harris comes into the November 3 election already a repeat trailblazer as California's first Black attorney general and the first woman of South Asian heritage elected to the US Senate
• Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California, then a hub for civil rights and anti-war activism.

Kerala best governed state, Bihar, UP at bottom: PAC ranking

• In the large state category in terms of governance, 4 southern states -- Kerala (1.388 PAI Index point), TN (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531) and Karnataka (0.468) stood in the first four ranks
• Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar were at the bottom of the ranking, scoring negative points in the category

Impossible to stop COVID spread through lockdown, treat mask as vaccine: Jain

The Delhi health minister flagged that a large number of people in the city had become carefree and were not wearing masks in public places

Passengers can take buses from 1 Nov but none allowed to travel standing: Gahlot

In a tweet, the minister said bus travellers will be required to wear face masks and appealed to people to observe proper physical distancing in view of the Covid-19 threat

Johnson & Johnson plans to test its covid-19 vaccine in ages 12-18 soon

• J&J said in a statement that it is currently in discussions with regulators and partners regarding the inclusion of the pediatric population in its trials
• J&J started testing the vaccine in adults in a 60,000-volunteer Phase III study in late September

The Airbus A320 has become aviation’s last refuge

The European plane maker will increase production rates of the short-haul workhorse next year, throwing a lifeline to a battered industry

How the pandemic has changed city commutes, in six charts

City dwellers are guarded in taking public transport for travel within cities due to the pandemic, and have preferred to rely on private vehicles so far

Virat Kohli, Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings drive IPL popularity this year: Report

• Rahul Tewatia is the most popular all-rounder and Jofra Archer the most popular bowler
• By the time the IPL reaches its finale in November, it is expected to register 60 million conversations, nearly double the 37 million conversations it had notched up last year across several social media platforms

Shapoorji Pallonji group’s latest offer may not find favour with Tatas

• The latest move by the Mistry group to seek cashless settlement marks a departure from an earlier stance where it was considering accepting staggered payments from Tata Sons
• The arrangement will help reduce possibility of any additional debt on Tata group, Mistry family said in the application filed SC

In global first, this country starts testing its entire population for Covid-19

• Some 45,000 medical workers, army and police are being deployed to carry out the tests in the EU member state of 5.4 million people
• Anyone who tests positive has to go immediately into quarantine for 10 days

India's active covid cases dip further to 5.8 lakh, total tally at 81 lakh

India has cured 74,32,829 covid patients with 59,454 new discharges in the last 24 hours.

China wants to build a Tibet with more wealth and less Buddhism

• For China, showcasing Tibetans singing the Communist Party’s praises helps affirm its legitimacy to rule the region
• In Tibet, often called the 'Roof of the World' because of its high elevation along the Himalayas, ethnic Tibetans comprise about 90% of the 3.5 million people spread across an area the size of South Africa

Battleground Raghopur: In Lalu bastion, no walkover for Tejashwi Yadav

• A part of the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, Raghopur assembly segment in Vaishali district will vote in the second phase on November 3
• The Grand Alliance, spearheaded by the RJD and with the Congress and Left parties as its members, has already announced Tejashwi as its CM candidate

Dunkin’ to be sold to Inspire Brands for $8.8 billion

Arby’s owner would become one of the largest U.S. restaurant operators

₹5,000 invested monthly in Axis Midcap Fund became ₹4.30 lakh in five years

• The scheme has remarkably outperformed the category average in the last five years
• 5-year returns of Axis Midcap Fund stood at 12.43%, while the category on an average has generated around 5%

26 dead, buildings collapse as major earthquake hits Turkey, Greece

• The US Geological Survey said the 7.0 magnitude tremor hit 14 kilometres (nine miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos
• Much of the damage occurred in and around Turkey's Aegean resort city of Izmir, which has three million residents and is filled with high-rise apartment blocks

Leaders pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 145th birth anniversary

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary is being celebrated as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day) since 2014
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India, passed away on December 15, 1950

Retail, small biz loans aid credit recovery in September

• While bankers expect credit growth to pick up to 8% by March-end, rating agencies like Crisil say FY21 is likely to be a washout year
• On a year-on-year basis, bank credit rose just 5.8% in September, compared to an 8.2% growth in September 2019