Notes:
The 6th annual LNG Producers Consumer Conference has started in Tokyo, Japan from Oct 16-18, 2017. In it, India has signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with Japan to send youngsters there as technical interns for on-the-job training for a period of three to five years. The MoC on Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) was signed by Union Minister of Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan and Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare with Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo on October 17, 2017. The MoC on TITP is expected to significantly expand the bilateral cooperation between India and Japan in the field of skill development. India is the third country with which Japan has signed the MoC. As per the Japan’s official data for 2016-end, approximately 2.3 lakh technical intern trainees from multiple countries are on training in the island nation.

Notes:
The Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) has launched India’s first commodity options in gold and gave stakeholders a new set of financial instruments to hedge their price risks. It is launched by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on October 17, 2017. MCX has currently launched a Gold Option contract, with Gold (1 Kg) futures as the underlying asset, with expiry on November 28, 2017 and January 29, 2018. The options product is unique and the first of its kind, giving buyers the right to buy or sell the underlying asset, but no obligation, at a specified price at the expiry. Thus, for buyers, the risk is limited only to the premium paid to the option seller (i.e. Option writer).

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has launched an online campaign #IamThatWoman to end gender bias in women against women.Through the campaign, the Ministry seeks to highlight the various aspects of women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’ women. The purpose of the campaign is to shed light on the enormous contributions made by women for women. For this, Twitter and Facebook users have been encouraged to tag and share stories of women helping women with a photograph and post online with the hashtag #IamThatWoman. Hence, join the ‘#IamThatWoman’ campaign and spread the message that a woman can move mountains for another woman”.

Notes:
US author George Saunders has won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for his first full-length novel “Lincoln in the Bardo” and became only the 2nd American writer to win £50,000 ($66,000) Britain’s prestigious English-language literary award. The book is a fictional account of US President Abraham Lincoln burying his 11-year-old son Willie at a Washington cemetery. In 2016, American author Paul Beatty became the first American to win the award for his novel ‘The Sellout’, a biting satire on race relations in the US.

Notes:
The Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana and is spread over an area of 28.92 hectares. According to a local legend, the lake in the sanctuary had an ancient link during the epic Mahabharata days when the Pandavas escaped to Haridwar through a tunnel under the lake. It is home to blue peafowl, rufous treepie, greater coucal, Indian grey hornbill and coppersmith barbet.

Notes:
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) is observed every year on October 17 to raise people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The 2017 theme ‘Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies’ reminds us of the importance of the values of dignity, solidarity and voice underscored in the Call to Action to fight to end poverty everywhere. This year’s celebration also marks the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which had adopted the resolution on 22 December 1992.

Notes:
E-commerce major Myntra has launched its CSR initiative in association with the Union Ministry of Textile to work directly with weavers and promote the handloom industry. It will work on bringing artisans and their products online to provide them with access to new customers and opportunities. These products will retail on Myntra via a dedicated online store, creating a one-stop shop for handloom products. Myntra will also launch a new handloom brand during its upcoming annual Brand Summit “The Tech Threads” on November 2 in Bengaluru. So far, about 49 brands associated with Myntra have pledged to be a part of this initiative and source handloom products from the weaver community. These include names like W, Biba, Peter England, Raymond, Welspun, Chennai Silks, Metro and others.

Notes:
Prabha Varma, the well-known poet, lyricist and journalist, has been chosen for the 2017 Padma Prabha Puraskaram for his contribution to Malayalam literature. Varma’s major works include ‘Chandananaazhi’,’Kalaprayaaga’, ‘Avicharithram’ and ‘Manjinotu Veyil Enna Poleyum’. The award carries cash prize of Rs 75,000, a plaque and a citation. It was instituted by Kalpetta-based Padma Prabha Memorial Trust in memory of M K Padmaprabha, a leading socialist and one of the founders of modern Wayanad.

Notes:
Kavita Devi from Haryana has become the first ever woman wrestler from India to sign up for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She also has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to compete in a WWE ring, as she was a featured participant in the Mae Young Classic women’s tournament. She is expected to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida from January 2018. The WWE Performance Center is the home of the developmental system for WWE. With seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities, the Performance Center allows new recruits to hone their skills through a comprehensive program that includes in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development.

Notes:
Shamsher Khan (86), India’s first swimmer who had participated in the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, has passed away at his native village Repalle in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh on October 15, 2017. Mr. Khan had enrolled himself in the Indian Army in 1949. He had taken part in various national swimming competitions. He won a place in the Indian Olympics contingent that had visited Australia in 1956. However, he secured 4th place in the competition. He continued to serve in the Army till he retired in 1973.