INDIA & WORLD
India sends 1st Wheat Shipment to Afghanistan via Chabahar port
Iran’s key strategic port of Chabahar became operational with the maiden shipment of wheat from India to Afghanistan. It was flagged off from Kandla port in Gujarat. This is a major push for India’s Afghan outreach bypassing Pakistan for the first time under the 2016 Indo-Afghan-Iran trilateral pact. Chabahar port is strategically located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Iran’s southern coast in Gulf of Oman near its border with Pakistan and can be easily accessed from India’s western coast.
Indian Air force contingent leaves for Israel to Participate in ‘Ex Blue Flag-17’
A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel to participate in exercise ‘Blue Flag-17’. Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos.
India jumps 30 ranks to 100th in World Bank’s ease of doing business list
In accordance with the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business index’, India has risen as much as 30 positions to rank 100th amongst 190 countries. The World Bank Group’s latest report ‘Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs’ recognises India as one of the top 10 improvers in this year’s assessment, though the report does not take into account the big bang reform of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which rolled out on July 1. The index is topped by New Zealand followed by Singapore and Denmark.
India tops list of new TB cases in 2016: Global TB Report
India tops the list of seven nations, accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016, said a Global TB Report 2017, released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa. The report states that an estimated 1.7 million people died from TB in 2016, including nearly 400,000 people who were co-infected with HIV, recording a drop of 4 per cent in comparison to 2015.
India, Japan begin anti-submarine warfare exercise
The naval forces of India and Japan initiated an intensive air anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Indian Ocean. The exercise will conclude on 31 October 2017. The exercise would witness participation from a P-8 I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti Submarine Warfare of Indian Navy and two P-3 Orion Anti Submarine Warfare aircraft of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMDSF).
India and US to implement HOSTAC to strengthen maritime security
India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC). This decision was taken during a meeting between Indian Defense Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis. The meeting between Ms. Sitharaman and Mr. Mattis was held on October 25, 2017, in the Philippines on sidelines of ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting – Plus.
India overtakes US to become Second Largest Smartphone Market: Report
India overtake the US to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market, trailing only China, according to a new report by analyst firm Canalys. In the second quarter of 2017, India’s smartphone market recovered quickly with shipments growing 23% year-on-year in the third quarter to reach just over 40 million units. Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE (long term evolution, or 4G) are the main drivers behind this.
SAP launches Asia Pacific Japan Region’s first Leonardo Centre in Bengaluru
Tech major SAP announced the launch of Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region’s first SAP Leonardo Center in Bengaluru. The fourth SAP Leonardo Center globally, the facility is a go-to place for SAP’s ecosystem for digital inspiration and co-innovation. Other SAP Leonardo Centers locations include New York-US, Paris-France, and Sao Leopoldo-Brazil. It combines a high concentration of customers and partners with one of SAP’s largest market units.
US Senate confirms Ken Juster’s nomination as US envoy to India
A crucial Senate Committee, confirmed the nomination of Kenneth Juster as the next American envoy to India, paving the way for a full Senate confirmation of the old India hand, who played a key role in the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal. The nomination of Juster, 62, now moves to the full Senate before he can be sworn in as America’s new Ambassador to India. Most recently, Juster had served as the Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. He would replace Richard Verma as the top American diplomat to India if confirmed, The position has been lying vacant since January 20 after Verma resigned from the post with the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
70 Indian words added to Oxford English Dictionary
Indian words like ‘Dadagiri’, ‘Jugaad’, Surya Namaskar’, ‘Anna’, ‘Achcha’, ‘Bapu’ and few others were added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in the month of September 2017. These words are among 70 Indian words from various regional languages like Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati that were added to the dictionary. The dictionary added over 1000 new words in its September edition.
India imposes anti-dumping duty on stainless steel from US, ES and China
India has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain stainless steel products from the European Union and other nations including China and Korea, in order to protect the domestic industry from cheap imports. The duty was imposed by the Revenue department following the recommendation by the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD).
World’s oldest maritime astrolabe that guided ships to India found
Britain-based shipwreck hunter has found maritime astrolabe, a navigation tool that guided Portuguese explorers on perilous voyage to India in 16th century. It dates between 1495 and 1500 and has been confirmed as world’s oldest astrolabe. The maritime astrolabe was discovered during from a shipwreck off coast of Oman in 2014 and recently was confirmed world’s maritime oldest by Warwick University based on laser scans.
30th Edition of CORPAT begins between Indian-Indonesian Navy
Indian Navy Ship Sukanya under the command of Commander SA Deodhar has arrived at Belawan Indonesia to participate in the 30th edition of CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) and 3rd Bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy. The exercise is aimed to foster closer maritime ties with countries located on the rim of the Indian Ocean. The two navies have been carrying out CORPAT on respective sides of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002.
Bangladesh signs Gas Oil deal with India
Bangladesh has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement with an Indian refiner to import gas oil to meet the country’s energy demand. The deal between Bangladesh Petroleum Corp. (BPC) and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) was signed in presence of India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who arrived in Dhaka recently on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral issues. Under the deal, BPC will take up to 250,000 tonnes of gas oil each year from NRL for the first three years of the deal to the BPC’s northern fuel depot via a 131-km (79 mile) pipeline, which will be built by India.
Sri Lankan Coast Guard commissions OPV SURAKSHA gifted by India
Sri Lankan Coast Guard has commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) SURAKSHA gifted by India at Colombo port. It is first OPV of Sri Lankan Coast Guard. Sri Lankan Coast Guard Ship (SLCGS) Suraksha earlier belonged to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and was known as Varuna. It was officially handed over to Sri Lanka Navy at ceremony held at Kochi Port in India in September 2017.
North Korea, Pakistan not invited for consumer protection conference in India
India has not invited Pakistan and North Korea to attend the first global conference on consumer protection to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The two-day Regional Conference on Consumer Protection will be held on October 26-27 and will see the participation of 23 countries, besides India, which is organising the event at the request of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Indo-Russia joint exercise INDRA 2017 begins
Exercise INDRA 2017, the first ever tri services joint military joint exercise between India and Russian Armed Forces, began in the Eastern Military District of Russia. The exercise will be held till 29 October 2017. Previously, Exercise INDRA has been conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. This year, the exercise has been upgraded to involve all the three services of the Armed Forces-Army, Navy & Air Force.
India among five countries responsible for 50% newborn deaths
India is among the five countries – Pakistan, Nigeria, Congo and Ethiopia being the others – responsible for half of all new-born deaths in the world, according to a UN report. The report, “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017″, revealed that 5.6 million children died before reaching the age of five in 2016. However, this is a marked decrease compared to 2000 when nearly 9.9 million children had died before turning five. While India was accountable for 24 per cent of these new-born deaths, Pakistan accounted for 10 per cent, Nigeria 9 per cent, the Democratic Republic of Congo 4 per cent and 3 per cent of the deaths occurred in Ethiopia. Also, according to report, India has witnessed 66 per cent decline in the under-five mortality rate from 1990 to 2015 but most of the new-born deaths – 24 per cent of all – still occur in the country.
USA to provide EMALS technology to India for aircraft carriers
Donald Trump Government has promised to provide the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System(EMALS) technology to India for aircraft carriers. S Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be visiting India soon and before his visit, Trump administration has informed of its decision to give EMALS to India. EMALS also weighs less, is expected to cost less and require less maintenance, and can launch aircraft that are heavier or lighter. This EMAL will help to launch heavy combat planes from the short runway of an aircraft carrier using electromagnetic force, instead of the old steam-powered catapults.
India signs pact to send Interns to Japan for Training
India signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with Japan to send youngsters there as technical interns for on-the-job training for a period of three to five years. The MoC on Technical Intern Training Programme was signed by Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Japanese Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare with Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo. India is the third country with which Japan has signed the MoC.
HPCL, First Indian OMC to launch Lubricants in Myanmar
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has become the first Oil Marketing Company (OMC) from India to mark its presence in the lubricant market in Myanmar and to lend more visibility and awareness to the brand. Having achieved the number one position in the domestic market, HP Lubricants sought to prove itself in foreign shore by venturing into Myanmar.
INS Satpura, Kadmatt participates in Passage Exercise in Japan
Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt participated in Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese Marine Self Defence Force (JMSDF) held at Sasebo, Japan. These ships are participating in the exercise in pursuance of India’s Act East Policy and demonstration of India’s commitment to peace and stability in formal calls and also professional, social and sporting interactions.
Safe Cities Index 2017 denotes Tokyo Safest and Delhi ranked 43rd Position
Japanese capital city Tokyo has topped The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index 2017 which ranked 60 cities on parameters including personal and health security. Singapore and Japanese city Osaka have ranked second and third, while Indian cities Delhi and Mumbai have ranked 43rd and 45th respectively.
India-Sri Lanka training exercise on counter-terrorism begins
The fifth India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise “Mitra Shakti 2017” focusing on counter-terrorism operations kicked off at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra. The exercise will be conducted for next 14 days till October 26 and will involve sharing and learning from each others’ experiences.
Make in India: Sweden 2017
Make in India: Sweden 2017, organized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in Stockholm, from October 12-13 aims to enhance Indo-Swedish cooperation. Delegation is led by the Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu. The meeting was held to further strengthen Indo-Swedish economic relationship and explore new avenues of collaboration.
Global Hunger Index 2017: India ranks 100th among 119 nations
India ranked 100th position among 119 countries on Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 report released by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). This year slipped by three positions as compared to 97th rank in 2016 GHI. In 2017 GHI, India scored 31.4 and was placed in high end of “serious” category. India’s low ranking also influences South Asia’s regional score as three quarters of South Asia’s population reside in India. India’s neighbours ranking are Nepal (72), Myanmar (77), Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (84) and China (29) – except Pakistan (106) and Afghanistan (107). Even North Korea (93) and Iraq (78) fared better in hunger parameters and GHI rankings.
India is second largest market for pharma: LinkedIn Report
The 13.7 percent contribution to the global pharmaceuticals and biotechnology workforce India has emerged as the second largest market for the industry, a report by professional networking giant LinkedIn has revealed. The report, detailed in the newly released e-book “The Indian Pharma and Biotech Industry”, showed that while New Delhi, Kolkata, and Chandigarh are thriving grounds for talent in this sector in India, talent migration is highest to the US. Talent migrating to other countries mainly comprises of researchers, scientists, quality assurance professionals, statistics programmers and data analysts.
Germany to help Indian Railways to increase speed of trains on existing corridors
German Railways will assist Indian Railways to make country’s existing rail corridors semi high speed. The semi high speed trains will run at 200 km per hour. A joint declaration of Intent was signed between Ministry of Railways and Germany regarding carrying out of feasibility study on existing 643 km Chennai-Kazipet corridor of Indian Railways by German Railways for increasing the speed of passenger trains to 200 kmph on 50.50 percent cost sharing basis.
India and South Africa Celebrating 20 years of Cooperation
The “Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) – 2017″ was started in India’s 1st World Heritage City i.e Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is a 3 day long diversified cultural carnival. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav was conceived by the Ministry of Culture in the year 2015. Its intent is to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Country in all its rich and varied dimensions, all in one place.
BRICS-themed subway train debuts in China
A BRICS-themed subway train with carriages representing the five member nations including India has started test operations in China’s southeastern Xiamen city. The subway train, which started its test run, has six carriages, five of which represents different cultures of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The Indian carriage depicts elephants and yoga.
The Chinese carriage is red and displays icons such as the Great Wall and Tian’anmen Square.
The Brazilian carriage is green and decorated with images of footballs and football stars.
The Russian carriage shows off the country’s ballet and matryoshka dolls.
The South African carriage displays pictures of diamonds.
The sixth carriage combines cultural elements from all the five BRICS countries.
India to help Myanmar in police training
The Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to a MoU between India and Myanmar on upgradation of the Women’s Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar. It covers upgradation of the Police Centre to further augment the capabilities of the Myanmar government to build capacities of its police force with technical and financial assistance from the Indian government.
First US Crude Oil shipment arrives in Paradip
The first United States crude oil cargo of 1.6 million barrels bought by Indian Oil Corporation from the US reached Paradip Port, Odisha. Indian Oil became the first Indian public sector refiner to source US crude has placed a cumulative order 3.9 million barrel from the US. They will process the crude at its East-Coast base refineries, located at Paradip, Haldia, Barauni and Bongaigaon.
India to be guest country at World Government Summit
India will be the guest of honour during the sixth edition of the World Government Summit scheduled from February 11th – 13th, 2018 in Dubai. The summit is the largest movement to review and share the best experiences, and the first global forum for governments, countries, organizations and private sector leaders interested in the industry of the future.
Nepal, India to conduct joint tiger census in November
Nepal and India will be conducting in November a joint head count of tigers in the national parks, forests and sanctuaries along the international border between the two neighbours using a similar camera tapping method. The tiger is regarded as an endangered animal and is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
India opens two border crossing points
India has opened 2 immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar & Bangladesh. Zorinpui check post of Mizoram has been authorised as immigration check post for entry into or exit from India for all passengers to or from Myanmar. Kawrpuichhuah post of Mizoram has been authorised as immigration check post for entry into or exit from India for all passengers to or from Bangladesh.
Read more: Current Affairs October 2017 Study Material | FreeJobAlert.com http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/october-2017-current-affairs-study-material/27654/#ixzz5VWmoG75v
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