Alice Munro, the Canadian writer, won Nobel Prize 2013 in literature

Alice Munro won Nobel Prize 2013 in literature and became the first Canadian woman to take the Nobel Prize since its launch in 1901.

The Swedish Academy which selects Nobel literature winners described her as the master of the contemporary short story.
Alice Munro,82, is 13th women who got Noble Prize.

Life Sketch of Alice Munro
• Alice Munro was born on the 10 July 1931 in Wingham, the Canadian province of Ontario.
• She started writing stories in her teens, but published her first book-length work in 1968, the story collection entitled Dance of the Happy Shades.
• Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). 
• The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. 
• Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012).
• She won the Man International Booker Prize in 2009 for a body of work. 
• She won the Giller Prize twice, for The Love of a Good Woman in 1998 and Runaway in 2004. 
• She is a three-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, for Dance of the Happy Shades, Who Do You Think You Are and The Progress of Love (1986).

Cyclonic Storm Phailin hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

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. 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.

Meanwhile the Odisha government has issued a high alert and cancelled the Dusshera holidays of employees in 14 districts.  It has been decided to deploy Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams in the 14 districts. The State government has also asked all the cyclone-prone district authorities to stock up food and relief materials at cyclone shelters.

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan abducted by Gunmen

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sachin Tendulkar announced Retirement from Test Cricket

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar on 10 October 2013 announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after playing his landmark 200th Test match against the West Indies in November 2013. 

Previously, Sachin Tendulkar announced retirement form one day cricket on 23 December 2012 and from Twenty20 cricket format on 26 May 2013.

About Sachin Tendulkar

• Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian Batsman who is considered one of the greatest batsman of the world after Don Bradman in Test Cricket and the second most successful one day batsman after Viv Richards as per the ranking done by Wisden-the Bible of Cricket. 

• Sachin Tendulkar who belongs to Mumbai Maharashtra made his appearance in six world cups for India and was the member of the 2011 World Cup winning squad of the nation.

• The Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut against arch-rival Pakistan at Karachi in 1989. 

• He currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and One Day Internationals. 

• In 198 Test matches, Sachin Tendulkar scored over Fifteen Thousand Eight hundred runs at an average of 53.86. He slammed 51 Test centuries and an unbeaten 248 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2004 was his best ever. 

• He made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries.

• In 2012, Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score 100 international centuries.

MoEF Constituted a Team for Immediate Site Inspection off the Uran Coast Near Mumbai

Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 10 October 2013 constituted a team to inspect the oil spill from pipelines in an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) installation, off the Uran coast near Mumbai. 

The team headed by member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board J.S Kamyotra, will make an immediate site inspection. It will submit its report to the Ministry by 14 October 2013. The Ministry has also ordered closure of the faulty ONGC pipeline responsible for the spill. 

A show cause notice is also being issued to ONGC to explain why action should not be taken against it under Environment Protection Act, 1986.    

An oil spill was reported at Mumbai-Uran Trunk oil pipeline following a rupture in ONGC's main pipeline that carries crude from the offshore Mumbai High fields to land.

International Day of the Girl Child observed on 11 October

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.

The International Day of the Girl Child promotes girls' human rights, highlights gender inequalities that remain between girls and boys and addresses the various forms of discrimination and abuse suffered by girls around the world.

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. 

UN Data about Girls

• One in three women and girls experience abuse in their lifetime.
• More than half of sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16 years of age. 
• Globally, more than one in three young women aged 20-24 years are married before the age of 18.

China and EU Signed a Bilateral Currency Swap Agreement

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.

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.

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

The new arrangement will provide more liquidity to the Renminbi market in the Euro area, promote overseas use of the Yuan, and help facilitate trade and investment.

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.

MS Swaminathan Selected for Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the Year 2012

Eminent agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan on 10 October 2013 selected for the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2012.
 
About MS Swaminathan

• MS Swaminathan (Born 7 August 1925) is an Indian geneticist and former member of Rajya Sabha.
• MS Swaminathan contributed to the agricultural renaissance in the country and led the nation to achieve green revolution.
• MS Swaminathan has served as Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (1966-72).
• He served as Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (1972-79).

About Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration

The Indian national congress (i), in its centenary year 1985, instituted an Indira Gandhi award for national integration to give recognition to outstanding contribution to this cause by distinguished individuals or institutions.

The award carries a citation and cash award of 5 lakh rupees.

Previous recipients of the Award are Aruna Asaf Ali, P N Haksar, M S Subbulakshmi, A P J Abdul Kalam and Shankar Dayal Sharma and Rajiv Gandhi (posthumously).

OPCW won 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on 11 October 2013 won the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2013 for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.

The award was announced by Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland in Oslo, the capital city of Norway.
 
About the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

• The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an independent, international body set up in 1997 to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention.

• The organisation is presently involved in destroying Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons - the first time the OPCW has worked in a war zone.

• It carries out inspections of destruction procedures, as well as evaluating members' own declarations, in order to verify that the convention is being adhered to.

• It is based in The Hague, Netherland and has 189 member states, covering around 98 percent of the world's population. These member nations have agreed to work together to create a world free from chemical weapons.

• The OPCW employs around 500 people and has a budget of 75m Euros (102m Dollars, 63m Pounds) in 2010.

•It is an autonomous organisation with a working relationship with the United Nations.

• Ahmet Uzumcu  is the  Present Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to 125 Nobel Laureates since 1901. The 1.25 million Dollar prize will be presented to OPCW at Oslo on 10 December 2013.

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.

Report highlights

• The report estimates that the number of social media users by October 2013 will be 86 million and by December 2013, will be 91 million, showing an overall growth of 17 per cent since June 2013.

• The number of social media users in urban India reached 78 million by June 2013.

• Social networking through mobile phones is widely observed with 19.8 million users accessing the websites on mobiles and Facebook was the most accessed website.

• Afforadable mobile Internet plans additionally serve to increase usage levels.

• Non-working women are tipped to be the next emerging demographic segment with nearly 10 per cent of them accessing social media.

• Based on the number of eligible voters, data of actual voter turnout from the Election Commission of India and field interviews, the report estimates that there could be a vote swing of 3 to 4 percent in 24 states – states where the internet users are sizeable.

• The survey was conducted across 35 cities of the country.

About IAMAI

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) was established in 2004 to address the challenges facing the digital and online industry including mobile content and services, online publishing, mobile advertising, online advertising, ecommerce and mobile & digital payments among others. internet and Mobile Association of India is a not-for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Act, 1986