Notes:
London has retained its position as the world’s top financial centre in the 2017 Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI). The index is compiled and published by Z/Yen Group, which ranked 92 financial centres globally on factors such as infrastructure and access to high-quality staff. New York has acquired 2nd position followed by Hongkong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, etc. Meanwhile, Mumbai is the only India that has been listed in the index and acquired 60th rank. The GFCI is a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centres based on over 29,000 financial centre assessments from an online questionnaire together with over 100 indices from organisations such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Notes:
The Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary (SRS) is a nature park in the Yumthang Valley of Flowers north of Lachung in North Sikkim district and covers an area of 43 sq kms. Bird species found in the park include Wood snipe and Hoary-throated barwing.

Notes:
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) has won the 2017 Container Terminal of the Year Award at The Gateway Awards 2017 at Mumbai for its proactive strategies to ease congestion, smooth delivery of containers and revamping of infrastructure to support trade amidst adverse conditions. The 10th edition of the Gateway Awards showcased the outstanding achievements and exceptional accomplishments of individuals and organisations in the Indian Maritime industry. The Gateway Award was instituted to recognise and promote best practices, innovation and motivation in the Indian Maritime industry.

Notes:
The Udawalawe National Park (UNP) is located in Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. The park covers 30,821 hectares and is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. Other animals reside in the park such as Sri Lankan sambar deer, Sri Lankan axis deer, Indian muntjac, water buffaloGolden jackal, Asian palm civet, toque macaque, tufted grey langur, Indian hare, etc.

Notes:
The 5th edition of the ‘Coastal Shipping and Inland Water Transportation Business Summit 2017’ will be held at Hotel Crown Plaza in Kochi, Kerala on September 22. The summit will be an initiative to explore the immense potential of coastal shipping and waterways as well as an effort to build a shared commitment and decipher the role that each stakeholder will have to play in integrating the coastal and waterways transport infrastructure. On this occasion, Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will present the India Seatrade Award for Excellence in Coastal Shipping & Inland Water Transportation.

Notes:
The Phrumsengla National Park (PNP) is located in Bumthang, Lhuntse, Mongar and Zhemgang districts of Bhutan and covers an area of 905.05 square kilometers. The park is home to six species of threatened birds: the rufous-necked hornbill, rufous-throated wren-babbler, satyr tragopan, beautiful nuthatch, Ward’s trogon and Chestnut-breasted partridge as well as the near-threatened wedge billed wren babbler. It has scenic views, including forests ranging with elevations from alpine to sub-tropical.

Notes:
Shripad Yesso Naik, the Union Minister of State for AYUSH, has inaugurated the India’s first State of art virology laboratory at Dr Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata, West Bengal. The laboratory, established at a cost of Rs. 8 crore is the only one in India for conducting basic and fundamental research in Homoeopathy for viral diseases like influenza, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya and H1N1 (swine flu). The laboratory will also be used to create new drugs and technologies in treating these viral diseases.

Notes:
The International Day of Democracy is observed every year on September 15 to provide an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. The 2017 theme “Democracy and Conflict prevention” focuses on the critical need to strengthen democratic institutions to promote peace and stability.

Notes:
Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO of Madison Media & OOH at Madison World, has been elected as the new president of The Advertising Club. Sakhuja will take over from Raj Nayak, who led the Advertising Club for two consecutive terms. The club is a dynamic platform for professionals from the Advertising, Marketing, Media, Research and Communication fraternity to gain from each other’s expertise.

Notes:
The National Engineers Day (NED) is celebrated every year on September 15 in India as a remarkable tribute to the greatest Indian Engineer Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who was born on this day in 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He was not only known for his contributions in the field of engineering but was also called the “precursor of economic planning in India”, according to the Institution of Engineers India (IEI). It stated that he is best known for his discourse “Planned Economy for India and Reconstructing India” which is the first of its kind to describe the country’s planning efforts. The 2017 theme is “Role of Engineers in a developing India”.