Miscellanea

1. Economy

6. 
Trump administration makes renewal of H1B visas more difficult

The H1-B and L1 work visas
are majorly used by Indian IT professionals. Currently, the cap on H1-B visas
stands at 65,000, out of which 25,000-35,000 are issued to Indian nationals.

The Donald Trump
administration has reportedly made renewal of non-immigrant visas like H-1B and
L1 more difficult. The new directive from the United States says that the
burden of proof lies on the applicant of the visa even when an extension is
sought.

The US H1-B visa is a
non-immigrant visa, which allows firms to hire foreign workers in specialised
occupations. The H1-B and L1 work visas are majorly used by Indian IT
professionals. Currently, the cap on H1-B visas stands at 65,000, out of which
25,000-35,000 are issued to Indian nationals.

The new restrictions were
made even as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that she
had raised the H-1B visa issue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during
their meeting in New Delhi. Swaraj had reportedly asked the US to not do
anything that would adversely affect India’s interests.

(Source:
International Business Times dated 26.10.2017)

7. 
Indian Railways to get 7 lakh metric tonnes of rails to renew old tracks

The decision comes after
reports suggested earlier this month that Indian Railways will spend Rs 1,000
crore over the next six months to replace old and outdated tracks with new
ones.

Indian Railways has sent
out a global tender to get seven lakh metric tonne of rails for revamping old
tracks to ensure safety after several accidents in the recent past.

“So, seven lakh metric
tonne of additional rail (track) is sought to be procured for which a global
tender is already been out on the 12^th of October,” said Union
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.

(Source:
International Business Times dated 26.10.2017)

8.  India projected to
become the third largest aviation market by 2025

IATA expects India to
surpass the UK in 2025. It is projected to add 337 million new passengers in
2036 for a total of 478 million.

All indicators lead to
growing demand for global connectivity. The world needs to prepare for a
doubling of passengers in the next 20 years. It’s fantastic news for innovation
and prosperity, which is driven by air links,” said International Air
Transport Association (IATA) Director General and Chief Executive Officer
Alexandre de Juniac.

The trade association of
the world’s airlines expects India to surpass the UK and become the third
largest airline market with 337 million new passengers for a total of 478
million. China is projected to remain at the top with 921 million new
passengers for a total of 1.5 billion.

(Source:
International Business Times dated 25.10.2017)

2. Technology

 9. 
Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Android Oreo update; here’s when Beta Program is
expected go live in US

Samsung is expected to
release Android Oreo Beta Program for Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ users in the
US next week.

(Source:
International Business Times dated 27.10.2017)  _