Current Affairs Daily Digest – December 19 2017

Latest Current Affairs


  1. Apple appoints Michel Coulomb as India head

Apple has named Michel Coulomb as the head of sales for its operations in India, a key market for the iconic iPhone maker. He succeeds Sanjay Kaul, who has stepped down from the post. When contacted, the company confirmed the development.

Coulomb is a veteran at Apple and has held various roles from 2003 onwards. Most recently, he was the Managing Director (South Asia). He also has the experience of handling the Middle East, Turkey and Africa sales team, according to his LinkedIn profile.

  1. Kaleshwaram irrigation project gets environmental nod

The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has accorded environmental clearance for the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Telangana.

The project is estimated to cost about ₹80,499.7 crore and proposed to be completed in three years.

The project will have a canal system of about 1,832 km. The project lies in the interstate boundary with submergence of 302 hectares in Maharashtra.

  1. Uttar Pradesh government opens its first infertility clinic

UP state’s first infertility clinic at a government hospital was launched in Lucknow at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital by health minister Siddharthnath Singh.

Along with the infertility clinic that will provide treatment to both male and female patients free of cost, a 6-bed cardiac unit was also dedicated to public by the minister.

The infertility clinic will help poor couples in particular who cannot afford the costly treatment at private clinics. There are several infertility clinics and hospitals in the state capital in the private sector that charge high OPD fee and also the medicines are costly.

  1. Bharat Jal launches its Maiden Water ATM’s – India’s gateway to clean drinking water

‘Clean Drinking Water’ was declared as a Human Right by the UNO in the year 2010 and yet, the WHO lists it as one of the Top 10 Global Needs.

India has more people in rural areas – approximately 63.4 million – living without access to clean water more than any other country, according to Wild Water, State of the World’s Water 2017 new report by WaterAid, which is more than the combined population of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand.

  1. Mahatma Gandhi digital museum store inaugurated in Hyderabad

Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museum Store to be first of its kind in the country was inaugurated.

The mobile store at Bapu Ghat, Langar Houz, has over 100 souvenirs, ranging from apparel, books, bags, desktop accessories, figurines, personal accessories, time pieces and writing instruments.

It is an initiative of Visual Quest India, a design and technology firm based and Eternal Gandhi a corporate social responsibility initiative of the Aditya Birla Group.

  1. ICRA launches fixed income indices for debt markets

With an aim to create more depth in the Indian debt market, ICRA Management Consulting Services (IMaCS), an arm of ICRA, launched a set of four fixed income indices including one on corporate bonds.

ICRA Gilt Indices, ICRA Liquid Indices, ICRA Corporate Bond Indices and ICRA Composite Debt Indices, the four indices launched, would help asset managers and financial services companies make objective analysis and provide comprehensive benchmarking of debt portfolios.

  1. India tops list of migrants living abroad at 17 million: UN

India has topped the list of people living abroad at 17 million with about 5 million Indians residing in the Gulf region alone, according to a new UN report.

Mexico, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad, ranging from 6 to 11 million each.

In 2017, India was the largest country of origin of international migrants at 17 million, followed by Mexico at 13 million.

  1. YES Bank, EIB to co-finance $400 mn for clean power projects

YES Bank and the European Investment Bank will co-finance $400-million funding for renewable power generation in the country.

The new financing programme will streamline financing for a range of renewable energy projects being built and operated by leading Indian corporations and private sector developers.

Under this renewable power generation initiative, several solar projects in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka have been identified.

  1. Bharti Airtel to acquire Millicom’s operations in Rwanda

Bharti Airtel has signed a definitive agreement with Millicom International Cellular S.A., under which its subsidiary Airtel Rwanda will acquire the entire stake in Tigo Rwanda.

The acquisition will consolidate the Rwandan telecom market and position Airtel as a strong number two operator in Rwanda.

Consideration for the transaction is based on about six times EBITDA multiple, payable over two years.

  1. MTV acquires broadcast, digital rights of Super Fight League

Youth television brand MTV will bring the second season of Super Fight League (SFL), the world’s first mixed martial arts tournament.

SFL will be exclusively aired from February on MTV, which has acquired the broadcast and digital rights for the league.

SFL is promoted by British businessman and sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh and British professional boxer and two-time world champion Amir Khan, and was launched with a vision to cement Mixed Martial Arts’ position as a mainstream sport with mass appeal in the global sports fraternity.

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