Today's GK(11-10-13)

Libyan PM kidnapped, freed

Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was seized and held for several hours on Thursday before being freed unharmed by former rebel militiamen angry at the weekend capture by U.S. special forces of a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect in Tripoli.

The incident underlined the anarchy prevailing in the oil-rich North African state, two years after the Western-backed overthrow of Muammar Qadhafi.

“Libyans need wisdom ... not escalation ... to deal with this situation,” he told his Cabinet in remarks broadcast on television after his six-hour ordeal in the capital.

Gunmen associated with the fragmented Libyan security apparatus had hauled him at dawn from the luxury hotel where he lives under heavy guard. Political sources said the group soon relented in the face of pressure from officials and freed him.

Mr. Zeidan, in his televised remarks, thanked some militia who had helped negotiate his freedom and urged them to join the state’s military forces. That is a plea that Libyan leaders have been making since Qadhafi fell, to little effect. Armed bands see little gain in giving up their guns and freedom.

Justice Goel to be new CJ

Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel would be the new Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. According to sources here, Justice Goel would take oath here on Saturday evening. Prior to his appointment, Justice Goel was working as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court since December 2011. Born on July 7, 1953 at Hissar in Haryana, Justice Goel enrolled himself as an advocate of Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana in July 1974 after obtaining his law degree from Punjab University in Chandigarh

M.S. Swaminathan to get Indira award

Eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration

November 1 is Classical Language Day

Kerala will observe November 1 as Classical Language Day, against the backdrop of Malayalam getting classical status.

Minister for Culture K.C. Joseph told the media here on Friday that the Department of Culture and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi would organise various programmes in all districts in this connection. Special assembly would be held in schools.

The Minister said the government was trying for Central approval for setting up a Central institute of classical language in Thiruvananthapuram. Proposals for starting courses in classical languages in Central universities had also been mooted.

OPCW wins 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for its extensive efforts” to rid the world of such arsenals, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

“The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law,” the committee said. “Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons.”

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.

The organization has 189 member states and Friday’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.

The peace prize was the last of the original Nobel Prizes to be announced for this year. The winners of the economics award, added in 1968, will be announced on Monday.

Social Media users to reach 91 Million by December 2013: IAMAI & IMRB Report

A latest report on Social Media in India – 2013  released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International on 8 October 2013 revealed- the number of social media users in urban India is expected to grow by 17 per cent by December 2013 due to the increasing affordability of smartphones and availability of cost-effective data plans.

International Day of the Girl Child observed on 11 October

11 October 2013: International Day of the Girl Child

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.

The for the year 2013 is Innovating for Girls’ Education

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.

India Signed MoUs with Seven Countries for Nalanda University Project

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

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.

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

About Nalanda University Project

• 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.

• The idea to revive Nalanda University was first mooted in 2005 by then President APJ Abdul Kalam.

• The University is being built near the ruins of the 5th century historic academic place by the same name in Bihar and those involved with this project include Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

• There will be five representatives from the EAS on the Nalanda University governing board.

• 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.

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.

The 10 ASEAN nations are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.