DAILY GK UPDATE 11 OCTOBER

1.    Global chemical watchdog OPCW wins Nobel Peace Prize 

i. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won this year's Nobel Peace Prize today "for its extensive efforts" to rid the world of such arsenals, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. 

ii. "The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law," the committee said. 

iii. The organisation is overseeing the destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons in Syria. 

iv. Based in The Hague, Netherlands, the OPCW was formed in 1997 to enforce the Chemical Weapons Convention, the first international treaty to outlaw an entire class of weapons. 

v. The organisation has 189 member states and today's award comes just days before Syria officially joins and even as OPCW inspectors are on a highly risky United Nations-backed disarmament mission based in Damascus to verify and destroy President Bashar Assad's arsenal of poison gas and nerve agents amid a raging civil war. 

vi. The peace prize was the last of the original Nobel Prizes to be announced for this year. 

vii. The winners of the economics award, added in 1968, will be announced on Monday.

Note: The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union (EU) 

2.    India Signed MoUs with Seven Countries for Nalanda University Project

i. Government of India on 10 October 2013 signed agreements with seven countries, who pledged their commitment to the Nalanda University project in Bihar.

ii. The Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Lao PDR and Myanmar in the sidelines of East Asia Summit in Brunei.

iii. These MoUs are important to India's plans to establish Nalanda University in Bihar as an institution of international repute.

iv. Nalanda University will be constructed at Rajgir, which is situated around 100 km away from Patna, Bihar. The construction of the University will take place on 446-acre plot, which is situated 12 km away from the ruins of ancient seat of learning.

v. China has already committed 1 million Dollars for the project, Singapore has pledged 5-6 million Dollars and Australia about 1 million Australian dollars and all these funds have been committed on voluntary basis.

Note: The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a forum for cooperation between various countries of this region with ASEAN and includes Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the US, in addition to the ten ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries.

3.    International Day of the Girl Child observed on 11 October

i. International Day of the Girl Child observed on 11 October 2013 across the world to recognise the girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

ii. The for the year 2013 is Innovating for Girls’ Education

iii. This year’s Day focuses on innovating for girls’ education. Smart and creative use of technology, policies, partnerships and, most of all, the engagement of young people, themselves, are important for overcoming barriers to girls’ learning and achievement.

iv. The United Nations General Assembly on 19 December 19, 2011 adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. 

4.    China and EU Signed a Bilateral Currency Swap Agreement

i. China on 10 October 2013 signed a 350 Billion Yuan (45 billion Euro) currency swap agreement with the European Union, marking a major step in internationalising its currency.

ii. The agreement signed between the People's Bank of China (PBOC) and the European Central Bank (ECB). The pact aimed to support bilateral trade and protect financial stability.

iii. The agreement lasts three years and can be extended if both parties agree.

iv. So far China has signed currency swap deals totaling 2.2 trillion Yuan (358 billion US Dollars) with 22 countries and regions to push the international use of its Yuan.

5.    Mudgal panel submits report on Cinematograph Act

i.   The Empowered Committee led by Retired Chief Justice (High Court of Punjab and Haryana) Mukul Mudgal submitted its report on issues concerning the Cinematograph Act to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

ii. The committee has given its suggestions regarding issues such as advisory panels, guidelines for certification and issues such as portrayal of women, obscenity and communal disharmony. Other issues which the committee has revisited and given its recommendations on include classification of films, piracy and jurisdiction of appellate tribunal, among others. It has also proposed a draft Cinematograph Bill.

iii. The committee had meetings across cities in the past eight months since its inception and also discussed the issues with officials of Central Board of Film Certification, Animal Welfare Board of India, Chairperson of BCCCI, representatives of the Film Federation of India, the Films and Television Producers Guild of India, among others.

6.    Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan abducted by Gunmen

i. Prime Minister of Libya, Ali Zeidan was abducted by gunmen on 10 October 2013. They held him captive for several hours. Ali Zeidan was later rescued. The incident underscored the lawlessness gripping Libya two years after the ouster of autocrat Moammar Gadhafi.

ii. The gunmen who abducted Zeidan were believed to be militiamen. They did that in apparent retaliation for a US special-forces raid that captured an al-Qaida suspect. They accused Zeidan’s government of colluding in the operation.

iii. Ali Zeidan is the Prime Minister of Libya. He was appointed by the General National Congress on 14 October 2012, and took office on 14 November after Congress approved his cabinet nominees.

7.    ‘Tata First Dot’ event launched

i. The Tata group has launched the third edition of ‘Tata First Dot powered by NEN,’ a platform for student entrepreneurship.

ii. Tata First Dot workshops will be held across 20 cities this year, adding five – Raipur, Guwahati, Ranchi, Nagpur and Srinagar - to the list, said Atul Agrawal, vice-president, corporate Affairs, Tata Services.

iii. Regional workshops will start from September 28 at Ahmedabad and then travel to other cities. Nominations for the Tata First Dot national competition for best student start-ups will open December 1.

iv. K. Srikrishna, Executive Director, National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), said that the organisers will mentor, showcase and support start-ups through the January conference and beyond.

8.    BioAsia 2014 to kick off on Feb 17

i. The eleventh annual international life sciences conference, BioAsia 2014, will kick off in Hyderabad from February 17-19.

ii. “Innovate and Evolve”— this will be the theme for the new edition of the international meet, as it involves the entire life sciences industry.

iii. The meet’s focus on innovation will address the increasing disease burden and the growing need for more efficacious and affordable healthcare solutions.

iv. An important feature of the meet will be a parallel event, AgBioAsia, highlighting the health and nutritious aspects of the industry.

v. The focus of this event will be on harnessing the potential of the global nutraceutical market — this is being hosted by the Andhra Pradesh Government, in partnership with the International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics and Federation of Asian Biotech Associations.

vi. Shakthi Nagappan, CEO BioAsia, said traditionally the Asian Life sciences businesses were centred on established markets for their clearly defined products with little experimentation.

9.    Khurshid to co-chair India-Brazil jt commission meeting next week

i. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will co-chair the sixth India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) meeting during his visit to Brazil beginning October 14.

ii. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that during the meeting, both sides will discuss the entire gamut of India-Brazil Strategic Partnership, including political, economic and commercial, agriculture, science and technology, defence, cultural and hydrocarbon.

iii. Brazil is an important trading partner of India in Latin America and Caribbean. Bilateral trade has grown significantly to $10.6 billion in 2012-13 from from $828 million in 2000.

iv. India’s exports are valued at $6 billion and imports at $4.6 billion. Indian companies have made significant investments in Brazil which are estimated at $ 2.5 billion in the fields of agriculture, IT, pharma, manufacturing and hydrocarbons, among others.

10.  Cyclonic Storm Phailin hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

i. The cyclonic storm Phailin in the second week of October 2013 hit the Andaman and Nicobar islands and moved northwestwards early this morning and presently lay centred about 800 km South East of Paradip in Odisha.

ii. It is expected to reach the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in the next 48 to 72 hours. The system will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. Fishermen have been asked not to venture into sea and those gone deep inside the sea have been asked to return to the coast.

11.  India beat Australia by 6 wkts in the one-off T-20 cricket match in Rajkot

i. India recorded a convincing six wicket victory over Australia in the one-off Twenty-20 International cricket match at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot last night. Set to score 202 runs for a win, India achieved victory in 19.4 overs. Man of the Match Yuvraj Singh remained unbeaten on 77 which came off only 35 balls. Skipper M.S. Dhoni was not out on 24. 

ii. Earlier, put in to bat, Australia made 201 for seven in their 20 overs.

12.  Mumbai to host Tendulkar’s farewell Test

i. Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium is set to host the farewell Test for Sachin Tendulkar after the legendary batsman expressed a wish to play his landmark 200th match against the West Indies next month in front of his home crowd.

ii. “A top BCCI official said that Mumbai is almost certain to host the historic match though it will be made official only after the BCCI’s tours and fixtures committee meets.

iii. Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Wankhede were the frontrunners to host Tendulkar’s farewell Test but the champion batsman’s letter to the board has swung it in favour of Mumbai, the city which gave the sport the greatest cricketer of the modern era.

iv. Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Wankhede were the frontrunners to host Tendulkar’s farewell Test but the champion batsman’s letter to the board has swung it in favour of Mumbai, the city which gave the sport the greatest cricketer of the modern era.