Current Affairs : October 20, 2011

Muammar Gaddafi killed in Sirte

• Muammar Gaddafi was killed by fighters of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC)
  in his hometown, Sirte.
  
• Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (June 1942 – 20 October 2011), generally recognized as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi
  
• Official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977
  
• Unofficial “Brother Leader” of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011
  
• Seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1969 and served as the country’s head of state until 1977, when he stepped down from his official executive role as Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council of Libya, and claimed subsequently to be merely a symbolic figurehead. Critics have long described him as Libya’s autocrat or demagogue, despite the Libyan state’s denial of him holding any power and Gaddafi’s self-portrayal as a statesman-philosopher.
  
• In 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya state he established was overthrown in a civil war which consisted of an uprising aided by a NATO intervention.
  
• His 41-year leadership prior to the uprising
  
• 
  4^thlongest-serving non-royal leader since 1900, as well as the longest-serving Arab leader.
  
• He variously styled himself as “the Brother Leader” and “Guide of the Revolution”; in 2008 a meeting of traditional African rulers bestowed on him the title “King of Kings”.
  
• After establishing the Jamahiriya (“state of the masses”) system in 1977, he officially stepped down from power and had since then held a largely symbolic role within the country’s official governance structure.
  

President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar: U Thein Sein visits India

• The President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar: U Thein Sein, visited India from October 12, 2011 to October 15, 2011.
  
• Following the swearing in of a new government in Myanmar March 201, this was the 1^st trip of any political leader from Myanmar to India.
  
• During his visit, the President of Myanmar signed quite a few accords with India counting the collaboration in Oil and Natural gas. A mutual statement was also issued by both the countries.
  

India ranked “132” by the World Bank on Business-friendly Reforms

• The World Bank and IFC’s (International Finance Corporation) release Doing Business 2012: Doing Business in a More Transparent World“. The report evaluated rules touching domestic firms in 183 National Economies and graded the economies in 10 areas of business regulation viz. opening a business, settling insolvency, trading across borders. 
  
• The Rankings was topped by: Singapore on comfort of doing business for the 6^th straight year.
  
• India’s rank improved slightly from 139 in 2011 to 132 in 2012 reports.
  

The 125^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Bern, Switzerland

• The 125th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union was held at Bern, Switzerland from October 16, 2011 to October 19, 2011. Bern was also the headquarters of the IPU from 1892 to 1911.
  

India and Vietnam ink 6 Agreements

India and Vietnam inked 6 agreements during the visit of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to India. The agreements are as following:

1. India and Vietnam signed an extradition treaty
   
2. Oil exploration agreement in South China Sea
   
3. Friendship pact to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relations in 2012
   
4. Agreement in the field of agriculture and fisheries
   
5. Cooperation in sports and tourism
   
6. Agreement on Cultural Exchanges
   

Book by K.P. Srivastava, former advisor to PM and Veteran Journalist released

• “Page from the Past-A journalist looks back”: K P Srivastava
  
• The book was released at a function in the Press Club of India. K.P. Srivastava, a veteran journalist and media adviser to former PM Chandrasekhar mentioned in his book the former era of Indian journalism, politics and social life.
  

Olympic Champion Abhinav Bindra wins Air Rifle Silver in 4^th Asian Air-gun Shooting Championship

• Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra won the air rifle silver behind Asian Games champion Zhu Qinan of China in the 4^th Asian airgun shooting championship in Kuwait on October 19, 2011. In the Beijing Olympic Games, Bindra outperformed Zhu Qinan in by grabbing the Gold.
  

Real-time Train Information System (RTIS) for 12 Important Trains launched by the Indian Railways

• Real-time Train Information System (RTIS) launched by the Indian Railways for 12 key trains.
  
• Via RTIS, passengers can entrée the precise train running information. RTIS is a GPS-based train tracking system. It was jointly developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur to conquer the restrictions of the present Train Running Information System.
  

Austerity bill approved by the Greek Parliament

• The Greek Parliament has gave its opening approval to a new austerity Bill intended to deal with the nation’s intensifying debt crisis.
  
• The bill to slash expenditure and boost taxes came after violent demonstrations in opposition to the methods. These intensely hated austerity methods are part of the price Greece is required to pay for sustained financial support from abroad.
  

Bangalore Metro inaugurated

• Bangalore Metro rail was flagged off. The metro connects Byappanahalli to Mahatma Gandhi Road, a distance of over 7 Km.
  
• The first phase will cover 42.3 km across the city, with 18.1 km on east-west corridor and 24.2 km on north-south corridor, including 8.8 km underground in the city centre.
  

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Month: Current Affairs - October, 2011