World’s First Negative Emissions Plant that turns CO2 into stone has opened in Iceland
- The world’s first negative emissions plant that turns carbon dioxide (CO2) into stone has begun operations in Hellisheidi, Iceland. In it, the CO2 is captured from ambient air, bound to water, and sent to more than 700 meters underground.
- There, the CO2 reacts with the basaltic bedrock and forms solid minerals, creating a permanent storage solution. Currently, the pilot system captures only 50 metric tons CO2, each year, about the same emitted by a single US household.
- Audrey Azoulay, a French civil servant and politician, has been elected to become the new Director-General (DG) of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She will succeed outgoing DG Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
- Azoulay was born in Paris to a Moroccan Jewish family from Essaouira, and is the daughter of Andre Azoulay, who is current adviser to king Mohammed VI of Morocco.
World Food India (WFI) 2017 will be held in New Delhi
- The International mega food summit “World Food India (WFI) 2017” will be organised by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi on November 3-5, 2017 to boost food sector.
LNG Producers Consumer Conference 2017 will be held in Japan
- 6th annual LNG Producers Consumer Conference will be held in Tokyo, Japan from Oct 16-18, 2017. From India, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan will participate in the conference to enhance the bilateral engagements in the Oil and Gas sectors within the overall framework of India-Japan Energy Dialogue.
Gautam Bambawale appointed as the India’s new ambassador to China
- Gautam Bambawale, an Indian foreign service officer of the 1984 batch, has been appointed as the India’s new ambassador to China and is expected to take up the assignment shortly. He will succeed Vijay Keshav Gokhale.
- After joining the post, one of the first tasks in front of Bambawale will be to stabilise India-China ties rocked by a military face off in the Dokalam area of Bhutan that lasted 73 days. Currently, he is high commissioner to Pakistan.
India’s ranked 100 in the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI)
- India has been ranked 100th out of 119 countries in the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which is released by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
- As per report, India’s score (31.4) is at the high end of the serious category, and is one of the main factors pushing South Asia to the category of worst performing region on the GHI 2017, followed closely by Africa South of the Sahara.The list is topped by Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chile, Croatia and Cuba.
Yuvraj Singh become the first Indian Brand Ambassador of Laureus
- Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has become the first Indian Brand Ambassador of Laureus and joined a host of cricket legends in the Laureus Family, including Indian Academy members Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Kapil Dev.
“INDRA – 2017” International tri services joint exercise between India and Russia
- The first-ever International tri services joint exercise “INDRA – 2017” will be conducted between Indian and Russian Armed Forces in the Eastern Military District of Russia from 19 to 29 Oct 2017.
- INDRA-2017 will strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operability and enable sharing of best practices between both the armed forces. It will be a landmark event in the history of Indo-Russian defence cooperation.
- INDRA – 2017 marks a major milestone as this Exercise has been upgraded to involve all the three Services of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy & Air Force), which further accentuates the importance of Joint Services in the present world environment.
National Affairs
India’s first-ever All India Institute of Ayurveda come up in New Delhi
- India’s first-ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi on the occasion of 2nd National Ayurveda Day (NAD) i.e. on 17 Oct 2017. It has been set up along the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The purpose of AIIA is to integrate traditional Ayurveda with new diagnostic tools and technology.
World’s largest combustion research centre has inaugurated in IIT Madras
- The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) in Tamil Nadu on October 12, 2017, which is the world’s largest combustion research centre.
- The NCCRD has been established at a total cost of Rs 90 crore.The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was inaugurated by NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat.
- It will develop state-of-the-art capabilities in combustion research involving experts in the country. The establishment of the centre will give a major boost to the Indian scientific community and will provide an impetus to research in ‘Alternative Energy and Environmental Protection’ by focusing on effective utilisation of combustion as a means of thermo-chemical energy conversion. The NCCRD’s research interests will cover automotive, thermal power and aerospace propulsion, besides fire research and microgravity combustion to minor extent.
2017 AYUSH Festival of Stamps Started in Panaji
- AYUSH Festival of Stamps 2017 was inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar at Maquinez Palace in Panaji, Goa on October 17, 2017.
- Two-day exhibition event is being jointly organised by the Goa Postal Region, Indian postal department and the Ministry of AYUSH. The objective of the first-of-its-kind festival is to promote healthy hobbies such as stamp collection among students and healthy lifestyle habits
Kolkata to host International Puppet Festival (IPF-2017)
- The 2017 International Puppet Festival (IPF) will be held at Mohorkunj in Kolkata, West Bengal from October 26 to 31.
- The purpose of the fest is to regenerate the emotions attached to puppetry. Artists from the UK, Germany, Peru, Portugal, Italy, Lithuania, Brazil, Singapore and India would be participating in the festival. The fest will be inaugurated by the West Bengal principal secretary Tourism and Home Affairs Atri Bhattacharya.
India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise “Mitra Shakti 2017” started in Pune
- 5th India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise “Mitra Shakti 2017” has started at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharshtra.
- Mitra Shakti exercise is based on Counter Terrorist Operations (CTO) and an Infantry company from both the countries is participating in the same.
- Mitra Shakti 2017 will be conducted for next 14 days upto 26 Oct 17 & will involve sharing and learning from each others experiences.
Chennai is hosting the 3rd edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF-2017)
- The 3rd edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF-2017) has inaugurated by Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on October 13, 2017.
- The fest is being jointly conducted by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA).
- The Main objective of the 4-day festival is to instill scientific temper among the masses and showcasing India’s contribution in the field of S&T over the years.
Important Days
2017 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17
- 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.
- 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.
World Spine Day (WSD) is observed on October 16
- The World Spine Day (WSD) is observed every year on October 16 to raise awareness about spinal disorders as part of the Bone and Joint Decade’s Action Week.
- The 2017 theme “Your Back In Action” is highlighting the importance of physical activity and improving posture as part of good spinal health and prevention of injury.
World Food Day observed on October 16
- The World Food Day (WFD) is observed every year on October 16 to raise worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all. The day also marks the foundation of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945.
- The global message for WFD 2017 is “Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development”.
International Day of Rural Women is observed on October 15
- The International Day of Rural Women is observed every year on October 15 to recognize the crucial role that women and girls play in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
- The 2017 theme is “Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”.
Global Handwashing Day(GHD) is observed on October 15
- The Global Handwashing Day(GHD) is observed every year on October 15 as an annual global advocacy day to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. The 2017 theme “Our hands, our future!” reminds us that handwashing protects our own health, but also allows us to build our own futures, as well as those of our communities, and the world.
International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is observed on October 13
- The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is observed every year on October 13 to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.
- The day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face.
- The 2017 theme “Home Safe Home: Reducing Exposure, Reducing Displacement” seeks to raise global awareness about effective actions, policies and practices taken to reduce exposure to disaster risk at the community level, thereby contributing to saving homes and livelihoods.
Sports Affairs
Selena Selvakumar won Triple Gold in Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis 2017
- Indian paddler Selena Selvakumar has won triple gold medal at the Egypt Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship 2017.
- In the junior girls’ team event, she won singles and doubles gold medal apart from the team championship gold. Selvakumar remained unbeaten throughout the 2017 ITTF World Junior Circuit event.
Kavita Devi become the India’s First Woman Wrestler to Sign for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Kavita Devi from Haryana has become the first ever woman wrestler from India to sign up for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
- Kavita Devi 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.
India’s first-ever goal in a FIFA U-17 World Cup by Jackson Singh
- Jackson Singh Thounaojam from Manipur is in news recently because he created history at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by scoring India’s first-ever goal in a FIFA U-17 World Cup during India’s match against Colombia on October 9, 2017.
- The moment for which the entire country was waiting with baited breath, came in the 82nd minute of the match when Jackson headed home from a corner and the 48000 odd-crowd erupted in sheer joy.
Roger Federer won the "2017 Shanghai Masters tennis tournament"
- Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Shanghai Rolex Masters tennis tournament by defeating his old rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China.
- It was a 94th title for the Swiss legend, drawing him level with the great Ivan Lendl. Federer is now close to world number one Nadal in terms of rankings points.
UAE to host the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup 2019
- 2019 AFC Asian Cup football tournament will be hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
- It is the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup. The winner of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup will earn the right to participate in the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Awards/Prizes
George Saunders Won the Man Booker Prize 2017 for the Novel “Lincoln in the Bardo”
- 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.
Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2015-16 for T M Krishna
- Carnatic vocalist T M Krishna has won the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2015 -16 for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country. He will be presented with the honour by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on October 31, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary. The award consists of a citation and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
2017 American Bazaar Philanthropy award for Indian-American attorney Ajay Raju
- Indian-American attorney Ajay Raju has been honoured with the 3rd American Bazaar Philanthropy award in recognition of his philanthropic activities in the US. Asif Ismail, publisher of The American Bazaar, an online ethnic news publication about Indian-Americans stated that Raju was honoured for his commitment to revive Philadelphia through the Germination Project.
Book Release
Hema Malini is the author of the book “Beyond the Dream Girl”
- The biography of actress and BJP MP Hema Malini “Beyond the Dream Girl” has been authored by veteran journalist Ram Kamal Mukherjee, which is recently launched on October 16, 2017. The book is published by HarperCollins India and will give readers an in-depth look into her life.