Current Affairs 18th & 19th February 2018

Saudi women to start own business without male permission

Women in Saudi Arabia can now open their own businesses without the consent of a husband or male relative, as the kingdom pushes to expand a fast-growing private sector.

The policy change, announced by the Saudi government , also marks a major step away from the strict guardianship system that has ruled the country for decades.

Kochi to host meet on sonar

The Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, will organise ICONS-2018, a two-day global conference on sonar systems and sensors during February 22-24. Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Sivan will inaugurate the conference, which will be held at Adlux convention centre at Karukutty. S Christopher, Secretary, Defence (R&D), and Chairman, DRDO, will preside. NPOL Director S Kedarnath Shenoy said the conference aims to pool the knowledge on sonar and underwater sensors, underwater surveillance and communications from across the world. More than 200 papers will be presented during the three days.

Bharti Airtel, HMD Global tie up for 4G phones

Bharti Airtel and HMD Global today announced a partnership to offer 4G smartphones to customers as part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative.

Wi-Fi provider MarcaTel opens centre in Bengaluru

MarcaTel, a provider of Wi-Fi connectivity in public spaces, has opened its first centre in Bengaluru and is planning to create 2,000 jobs this year.

MarcaTel installs towers that allow Wi-Fi access in a fixed radius and also maintains these towers. It is a division of LaMarca Knowledge and Services, which has a tie-up with BLUETOWN India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Denmark-based BLUETOWN. MarcaTel‘s solution comes with three antennas, a base transceiver station and a power supply unit.

Reliance arm to buy 65% stake in Indian Film Combine for Rs 1,105 cr

Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd (RIIHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries (RIL), will acquire a 65 per cent stake in Indian Film Combine for Rs 1,105 crore. RIIHL will acquire the stake from existing shareholders, while the remaining 35 per cent will be held by Maker Group.

The company will buy 20 per cent from Mauritian arm of Xander Group, based in the US for Rs 340 crore and 45 per cent from entities of RIL’s promoter group for Rs 765 crore

Reliance To Invest ₹60,000 Crore In Maharashtra’s Industrial Revolution 4.0

Starting off the Magnetic Maharashtra Global Investors Summit with a bang, Reliance Industries’ chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani on Sunday announced that his company would be investing ₹60,000 crore in the state in a collaborative initiative over the next 10 years.

Assam worst in MMR, spent just 13.58% of NHM fund in 2017-18

Assam is at the bottom of the list with regard to maternal mortality rate(MMR) with a figure of 300 against the national average of 167, while the fund spending under National Health Mission (NHM) is just 13.58 per cent for 2017-18.

Addressing a press conference here, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey said the government is working to reduce the MMR in Assam.

MMR is the annual number of female deaths per 1,00,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management.

PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Navi Mumbai International Airport 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that Mumbai’s second airport would see its first flight next year, even as he acknowledged that aviation infrastructure in India is lagging growth.

Modi inaugurated the much-delayed Rs 16,000-crore project, seen as an imperative alternative to the existing Mumbai airport, which is bursting at its seams. He mentioned the airport as one of the `10 lakh crore of projects pending since before his government came to power.