Current Affairs December 2017 - Reports

1 - Indian-American Kamala Harris topped Global Thinkers List 2017

Foreign Policy magazine revealed list of 2017 top 50 leading global thinkers, which was topped by Indian-American Senator Kamala Harris. South Korean President Moon Jae-in was ranked at 2^nd place and comedian Minhaj was ranked at 3^rd place. Kamala Harris is first ever Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate. 2017 list included the range of personalities who had created immense influence over various issues.

2 - ‘The silence breakers’ named Time’s Person of the Year for 2017

The Time magazine has named 'the silence breakers' its Person of the Year for 2017 referring to those individuals, mostly women, who came forward this year to publicly expose patterns of sexual harassment and assault by powerful public figures in America. Those recognized by Time range from famous actresses who took on disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to ordinary women who shared their stories of abuse using the hashtag #MeToo and its foreign language equivalents.

3 - National Trachoma Survey Report 2014-17

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, released the National Trachoma Survey Report (2014-17). India is now free from ‘infective trachoma’. The survey findings indicate that the active trachoma infection has been eliminated among children in all the survey districts with overall prevalence of only 0.7%. Trachoma (Rohe/Kukre) is a chronic infective disease of the eye and is the leading cause of infective blindness globally. It affects the conjunctiva under the eyelids.

4 - Forbes' List of best countries for business 2018 topped by UK

UK has been ranked as the best country for business 2018. U.K was followed by New Zealand and the Netherlands, while India was ranked 62^nd. It was calculated on basis of various parameters such as technological readiness, size and education of its workforce, political risk etc. U.K. was ranked 4^th in terms of technological readiness, 3^rd in workforce education and 28^th in terms of political risks. Forbes categorized 153 nations on 15 different factors including property rights, innovation, taxes, and corruption and investor protection.

5 - Uttarakhand government mandates use of LED bulbs in all government offices

In an initiative to conserve energy and save power, Uttarakhand government made use of LED bulbs mandatory in all government offices. The state government will make available 67 LED distribution counters for bulbs distribution in all Municipal corporations and Councils and all districts of Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency. These counters will be increased to 100. Government will make available 10 million LED bulbs in the state. Central government has also provided energy efficiency LED lamps under Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances (UJALA) project.

6 - India ranked 109^th in mobile internet speed by Ookla

Famous internet speed testing firm Ookla unveiled its Speedtest Global Index. Speedtest Global Index measures average internet speeds in different countries, on mobile and home broadband and ranks countries accordingly. Ookla ranked India at 109^th spot in mobile internet speed and 76^th spot in fixed broadband speed. Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index was topped by Norway with an average download speed of 62.66 Mbps in mobile internet and 153.85 Mbps average download speed in fixed broadband. Ookla is the worldwide leader in broadband testing, network diagnostic applications and data.

7 - UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 report

UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 report that unveiled world economic growth at 3%, the highest growth since 2011. The improvement shows only two-thirds of countries worldwide is experiencing stronger growth in 2017. Global growth is expected to remain steady at 3.0 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The report calls for stronger efforts to delink economic growth and environmental degradation. The improved global economic situation provides an opportunity for countries to focus on low carbon economic growth.

8 - India ranked at 100^th place in Global Prosperity Index

According to the Legatum Prosperity Index rankings 2017, India has climbed by 4 positions from 104 to 100. Norway came 1^st, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. In Prosperity Pillar rankings, India performs best on Governance and Economic Quality and scores lowest on the Natural Environment pillar. The biggest positive change came in Business Environment rank: by 21 places. The index is based on pillars such as governance, economic quality, natural environment, personal freedom, social capital, safety and security.

9 - World Migration Report 2018 reported Indian Diaspora as largest in the world

International Organization for Migration unveiled in its World Migration Report 2018 that Indian diaspora is the largest diaspora in the world. The report unveiled that more than 15 million Indians migrated out of India and live abroad, followed by Mexico and Russia. Indian diaspora comprises 6% of total number of international migrants. Around 15.6 million Indians migrate from India to international destinations. According to report, top 5 countries found in as ‘destination spot’ for global diaspora are U.S, Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia and U.K.

10 - Global Hunger Index

As per 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), India ranks 100 out 119 countries. India ranks below many of its neighbouring countries such as China (29^th rank), Nepal (72), Myanmar (77), Sri Lank (84) and Bangladesh (88). The Global Hunger Index scores are based on four indicators – Undernourishment, Child wasting, Child stunting and Child mortality. Government of India has accorded high priority to address the issue of hunger and malnutrition by implementing several schemes/ programmes such as Provision of food grains at highly subsidized prices, National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and National Nutrition Mission.

11 - Income Inequality Highest in India Since 1980s

According to the World Inequality Report 2018, published by the World Inequality Lab, income inequality has risen in India from the 1980s onwards. The top ten percent of the population account for 56% of the national income in 2014 while the top one percent of the population accounted for as much as 22% of the country’s total income in 2014. This rising inequality trend is in contrast to the 30 years that followed the country’s independence in 1947.

12 - India Ranked 60^th Most Innovative Country in the Global Innovation Index

According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 report, published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), India ranks at 60^th spot among 127 countries. India was ranked at 66^th position in the last rankings in 2016. Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US and the UK lead the 2017 GII rankings. China is ranked 22^nd in the list. India also maintained the top spot in the Central and South Asia regions.

13 - Delhi ranked 7^th in the list of most expensive office locations

According to a report published by JLL India, a real estate services firm, Delhi has been ranked at 7^th place in the list of most expensive premium office locations in the world. Mumbai has been ranked 16^th. The list is topped by Hong Kong followed by London (West). New York, Beijing, Tokyo are on the third, fourth and fifth position respectively. Shanghai is at 6^th position and San Francisco at 8^th. Mumbai rentals are higher than cities like Los Angeles, Singapore, Paris, Seoul, Sydney, Frankfurt, Chicago and Toronto.

14 - International Migration Report 2017

According to the International Migration Report 2017, published by the UNITED NATION's, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS, there are now an estimated 258 million people living in a country other than their country of birth — an increase of 49% since 2000. India has topped the list of people living abroad at 17 million. Mexico was second in the list with 13 million. Russia at 11 million, China at 10 million and Bangladesh at 7 million are the other nations in the top -five.