1) International Migrants Day- 18 December
•The International Migrants Day is organized across the world on 18th December. The theme for IMD 2017 is 'Safe Migration in a World on the Move.' On 4 December 2000, the General Assembly proclaimed 18 December as International Migrants Day.
•On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
2) Goa Celebrates 56th Liberation Day
•Goa has celebrated its 56th Liberation Day. The state was liberated on 19th December in 1961 from Portuguese control after almost 450 years of colonial rule.
•The main program was organized at the Sports Authority of Goa Ground, Campal in state capital Panaji. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar unfurled the national flag at the Goa Liberation Day celebrations in Panaji.
3) India to Host Meeting of WTO Member Countries on Food Security
•India will host a meeting of WTO member countries in February 2018 to muster support for food security and other issues. The announcement was made by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
•The proposed meeting would be in the backdrop of developed nations forming groupings to prepare ground for pushing investment facilitation, preparing rules for e-commerce, promoting gender equality and reducing subsidy on fisheries.
4) Iraq Overtakes Saudi Arabia as Top Oil Supplier to India
•Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia for the first time to become India's top crude oil supplier in the current fiscal, according to the Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Saudi Arabia traditionally has been India's top oil source but in the April-October period of 2017-18, Iraq dethroned it, supplying 25.8 million tonnes (MT) of oil.
•Iran was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the 7th spot in the subsequent years.
5) Global Innovation Index- India Ranked 60th Most Innovative Country, Switzerland Tops
•India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as compared to 66th rank on GII 2016. The list was topped by Switzerland. NITI Aayog, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) together launched a mega initiative “India Innovation Index”.
•This Index will rank states on Innovations through country’s first online innovation index portal that will capture data on innovation from all Indian states on innovation and regularly update it in real time.
6) Bengali Poet Joy Goswami to Get 31st Moortidevi Award
•Eminent Bengali poet Joy Goswami will be given the 31st Moortidevi Award for the year 2017. The committee, headed by poet and scholar Satya Vrat Shastri, unanimously decided to confer the award upon Goswami for his poetry collection titled Du Dondo Phowara Matro.
•It is the first time the award will be given to a Bengali poet. Du Dondo Phowara Matro is an autobiographical account of the poet's life featuring his close ones including a pet cat. The award consists of a Saraswati Statue, a Citation Plaque and cash award of Rupees 4 lakh.
