Current Affairs 28 october 2017

 Current Affairs

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.

Reliance Industries Limited is First Indian Company to Cross Rs 6 Trillion Market Capital

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs 6 trillion market capitalization after its shares surged over 75% so far this year and hit a fresh lifetime high. Currently, its market cap is at Rs 6.02 trillion. The recent rally in the stock was due to tariff hike by its telecom arm Reliance Jio which, analysts expect, will improve the company’s profitability. Jio increased its tariff by 15% for its popular 84-day plan at Rs 459, under which subscribers get 1GB 4G data at high speed per day.

Jacinda Ardern Officially Sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand

Jacinda Ardern was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. At the age of 37, Ardern is the youngest New Zealand PM in 150 years.  She is also the country's third woman leader. This was the first time New Zealand adopted proportional voting since 1996.

Burundi becomes first country to leave International Criminal Court

African country Burundi has withdrawn from International Criminal Court (ICC) with effect has thus become the first nation. International Criminal Court is an international tribunal (located in Hague, Netherlands) having authority to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. In recent years, governments of three African countries, South Africa, Gambia and Burundi expressed their intent to leave ICC citing the reason that it focuses too much on African nations.

Jeff Bezos Replaces Gates as World's Richest Person with $90.6-bn Fortune

According to Forbes magazine, Jeff Bezos surpassed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world. The fortune of Amazon's founder reached some $90.6 billion, compared with the $90.1 billion that the online edition of the magazine attributes to Gates. This is not the first time that Bezos has outpaced Gates it previously happened in the month of July 2017.

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 Sitharama 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurates International Conference on Consumer Protection

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two-day International Conference on Consumer Protection for east, south and Southeast Asian countries in New Delhi. This conference is being hosted by the Department of Consumer Affairs under Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Theme of this conference is ‘Empowering Consumers in New Markets’.

Karnataka cabinet approves transgender policy

Karnataka state cabinet approved a policy which seeks to provide legal protection to the transgender community and thereby safeguard them from social and sexual exploitation. The objective of this policy is to remove the stigma attached to the transgender community and integrate them into the mainstream of the society. Under the policy, an awareness drive will be conducted to sensitize general public about the rights of transgenders.

India and ADB Signed $65.5 Million Loan to Support Coastal Protection

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $65.5 million loan agreement in New Delhi to continue interventions to check coastal erosion on the Western Coast in Karnataka. The loan is the Second Tranche of a $250 million financing facility under the Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Program. The financing will be used to address the immediate coastal protection needs and for strengthening institutional capacity of Karnataka’s Public Works, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department.

EDII Bags AICTE Award for Supporting Start-Ups

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) received an award from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for supporting start-ups. The premier Institute received the award for its contribution towards promoting and mentoring technology start-ups. The award was given during the International Science Festival’s Start-up Summit 2017 at Chennai.