North Korea appointed a new Defence Minister, while making no mention of an expected step by Pyongyang to harden its position against Seoul.
No Kwang Chol was named the new Defence Minister at a key parliamentary meeting, succeeding Kang Sun Nam.
No was part of Kim's delegations during visits to Singapore in 2018 and Vietnam in 2019 for discussions with then-US President Donald Trump.
Tunisian President Wins Second Term with Landslide
In an election that was criticised by rights groups, Tunisia's President Kais Saied won a second term with more than 90% of the vote, the electoral commission has said.
Only two candidates out of more than a dozen other hopefuls were allowed to stand against President Saied in the ballot, where only 29% of the more than nine million registered voters took part.
Saied's closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7% of the vote despite being sentenced to 12 years in prison for falsifying documents - just five days before the poll.
Global Skincare Sensation Augustinus Bader Arrives in India through Reliance's Tira
Reliance's beauty platform Tira announced the launch of globally luxury skincare and haircare brand Augustinus Bader for the Indian Market. Known for its scientifically advanced and award-winning formulas, Augustinus Bader products are now available exclusively on Tira.
At Tira Reliance aims to bring the best of global and home-grown brands to the Indian consumer.
The introduction of Augustinus Bader in India is yet another step in our endeavour to offer luxury, high-performance skincare that resonates with India's growing community of beauty connoisseurs.
The Augustinus Bader brand is the brainchild of Professor Augustinus Bader, a world-renowned expert in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, whose scientific background informs the brand's unique approach to skincare.
HDFC Bank Divests 100% Stake in HDFC Education
HDFC Bank announced the divestment of its entire 100% stake in HDFC Education and Development Services Pvt. Ltd (HDFC Edu) to Vama Sundari Investments for Rs. 192 crore. This all-cash transaction aligns with the bank's strategy to comply with regulatory requirements and streamline its operations following the merger with e-HDFC Ltd.
The divestment will occur in two phases: the sale of 91% of HDFC Edu's shares is expected by October 31, 2024, while the remaining 9% must be sold by June 30, 2025. This move comes in response to a directive from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), mandating that HDFC Bank fully divest from HDFC Edu within two years of the merger.
India, UAE to Interlink UPI & AANI for Seamless Cross-border Transactions
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal informed that the Indian and UAE governments are working on interlinking of UPI of India and the AANI of UAE. It will facilitate seamless cross-border transactions between two countries. This will benefit over 3 million Indians residing in the UAE enabling them to use the power of UPI and AANI. Goyal was addressing a press conference after the 12th meeting of the India-UAE high-level joint task force on investment in Mumbai. The meeting was co-chaired by the Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Europe Launches Hera Asteroid Probe on SpaceX Rocket
Europe's Hera asteroid probe blasted off from Florida on a SpaceX rocket, beginning a two-year voyage to revisit an asteroid bashed off course by NASA's DART spacecraft in 2022.
The return visit to the Dimorphos asteroid two years after the historic collision marks the latest step in efforts to see whether an incoming small asteroid could, if needed, be deflected from Earth to prevent potentially widespread damage.
Bangladesh all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah announced his retirement from the T20Is. The third match in Hyderabad will be his last match in this format.
He made his debut in this format in 2007 against Kenya and has played 139 matches. He is just behind Rohit Sharma (157), and the Ireland duo Paul Stirling (147) and George Dockrell (141).
Mahmudullah had previously retired from Tests in 2021. He was Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in the 2023 Men's World Cup in India with 328 runs.
Aashima Narrowly Misses Out on Women's trap Medal
India's woman trap shooter Aashima Ahlawat finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal by virtue of having a higher bib number, on the penultimate day of the ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru. She was by far the best Indian on show on the day, which had both the men's and women's trap finals on the roster.
Bihar: JD(U) Demands Classical Language Status for Maithili
The JD(U), an ally of the ruling NDA at the Centre, demanded that the classical language status be accorded to Maithili.
The demand came days after the BJP-led central government decided to accord classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese.
Janata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said that he would press for the demand.
As per Jha, the Maithili language is about 1300 years old and its literature has developed independently and continuously. Therefore, it should be placed in the category of classical language. But it has not been able to get such a status.
October 2024 is 'Germany ka Mahotsav' in Delhi
The German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann termed October 2024 as 'Germany ka Mahotsav' or Festival of Germany in New Delhi.
This month will see the German chancellor Olaf Scholz travelling to India for the India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC), which happens every two years and alternates between New Delhi and Berlin. Chaired by the German chancellor and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it sees the top cabinet ministers from the two sides sitting together for talks to firm up ties.
The 12th Meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments
The 12th Meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (HLJTFI) took place in Mumbai. It was co-chaired by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India and His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
The HLJTFI was established in 2013 to promote trade, investment and economic ties between India and the UAE. Since its formation, it has provided an effective mechanism to discuss opportunities and prospects for further investments in India and the UAE, while acting as a forum to resolve issues faced by investors of the two countries.
During the 12th HLJTFI meeting, the co-chairs acknowledged the continued growth and strengthening of the bilateral relationship between India and the UAE, including on trade and investment related matters. The India-UAE Bilateral Investment Treaty, signed during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UAE in February 2024, has been ratified by both sides and entered into force with effect from 31 August 2024.
Training Deployment: Indian Navy Ships Land in Muscat
The Indian Naval Ships Tir and Shardul, along with the Indian Coast Guard Ship Veera, from the First Training Squadron (1TS) of the Indian Navy, were in Muscat, Oman, as part of their long-range training deployment. This visit underscored the Indian Navy's commitment to enhancing maritime cooperation and strengthening ties with regional partners.
The visit from October 5 -9, the Indian Navy engaged with the Royal Navy of Oman on various aspects of maritime security and interoperability, including harbour interactions and joint exercises.
The deployment also focused on training exchanges, professional interactions and friendly sports fixtures between the two Navies.
This was the third visit of 1TS to Muscat, Oman in the last decade.
These interactions play a key role in consolidating gains in naval cooperation and keeping the existing partnerships between both the Navies.
Nepal's Nima Rinji Becomes the youngest Climber to Conquer All 14 Peaks above 8,000 Meters
Nepal's teenage Sherpa climber, Nima Rinji Sherpa (18 years) created a world record as the youngest person to summit all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
Expedition organiser, Seven Summit Treks, announced the feat by a teenage climber after he reached the summit of Mount Shishapangma.
His climbing partners Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, who also completed the 14x8000ers.
The teenage climber was waiting for permits from the Chinese side which came in September, opening his way for the record-setting attempt. Nima Rinji started off for his record-setting summit attempt in September 2022 by climbing 8,163 meters of Mount Manaslu. He completed his forte to climb all 14 peaks in two years and ten days.
World Post Day is celebrated annually on October 9 to raise awareness about the role of the postal sector in our everyday lives, as well as its contribution to global social and economic development.
This day commemorates the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874. The UPU was founded in Bern, Switzerland, as a global organisation to streamline international mail services and create a unified postal system, making it easier for countries to exchange mail.
The year 2024 marked 150 years of the UPU, and the world celebrated World Post Day with the theme '150 years of enabling communication and empowering peoples across nations'.
2025 National Anubhav Awards: Honouring Public Service Impact
The National Anubhav Awards Scheme recognises the contributions of retiring and retired government employees by encouraging them to share their valuable experiences and insights. The initiative is spearheaded by the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW), under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, Government of India.
Launched in March 2015, following the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the platform 'Anubhav' allows retiring/retired government employees to share their experiences and significant achievements made during their service period.
The platform contributes to the creation of institutional memory by preserving replicable ideas and suggestions, which can help in future governance challenges.
Since inception, 59 Anubhav Awards and 19 Jury Certificates have been awarded.
For the year 2025, the awards will recognise contributions in 15 categories.
John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton Awarded Nobel Prize 2024 in Physics
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 to John J. Hopfield from Princeton University, USA, and Geoffrey E. Hinton from the University of Toronto, Canada. They were honoured for their foundational discoveries and inventions that have advanced the field of machine learning, particularly through the development of artificial neural networks.
John Hopfield created an associative memory model that can store and recall patterns, such as images.
The network is inspired by physical processes, particularly those related to atomic spin—a property that makes atoms behave like tiny magnets.
Each node in the Hopfield network is similar to a pixel in an image. Nodes influence each other through their connections, similar to how neurons in the brain interact.
Geoffrey Hinton built upon Hopfield's work to develop the Boltzmann machine, a network that can learn and recognize patterns in data.
The Boltzmann machine uses methods from statistical physics, which deals with systems made up of numerous interacting components, to learn patterns.
ICFAI Director Sudhakar Rao Honoured as 'Marketing Maverick 2024' by Dun & Bradstreet
ICFAI Group's Director of Branding & Communications, Sudhakar Rao, was recognised as one of the 'Marketing Mavericks 2024' by Dun & Bradstreet. This prestigious accolade celebrates marketing leaders who have demonstrated exceptional achievements and made significant contributions to the industry.
The award ceremony was held at the Taj Santacruz, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
IIT Madras launches CyStar to Boost Cybersecurity Research and Innovation
In a bid to strengthen India's cybersecurity landscape, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched the Centre for Cybersecurity, Trust and Reliability (CyStar). The centre aims to foster both fundamental and applied research, focusing on safeguarding critical infrastructure and addressing the growing cybersecurity needs of industries such as finance, healthcare, automotive, and electronics.
CyStar will spearhead research in several cutting-edge fields, including blockchain technology, security for AI models, cryptography, quantum security, and IoT security. This research will not only enhance India's cybersecurity infrastructure but also stimulate innovations that can be applied globally.
The centre was inaugurated in a ceremony led by Professor V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, along with CyStar coordinators Professor Shweta Agrawal, Professor Chester Rebeiro, and Professor John Augustine, all from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Madras.
Bihar Government Launches Transfer Policy Focusing on Teachers with Health Issues
The Bihar government unveiled a new policy for the transfer and posting of government school teachers, prioritising individuals with serious illnesses and disabilities. Education Minister Sunil Kumar announced that all transfer applications will now be submitted exclusively online.
"The new transfer policy brings uniformity to transfers and postings of teachers of government schools in the state. It will not only provide relief to teachers but will also improve the quality of education.
The policy prioritises teachers facing health challenges, with preference given to those who are seriously ill, disabled, widowed, divorced, living alone, or part of a husband-wife teaching pair.
IIM Mumbai, Motilal Oswal Foundation Jointly Launch Motilal Oswal Knowledge Centre
The Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai) joined hands with the Motilal Oswal Foundation (MOF) to develop a state-of-the-art learning and research hub.
The new facility, Motilal Oswal Knowledge Centre (MOKC), will act as a catalyst in IIM Mumbai's drive to improve academic infrastructure while reinforcing the Motilal Oswal Foundation's commitment to elevating educational standards nationwide.
This new centre is designed to foster innovation and knowledge sharing in key disciplines such as capital markets, business strategy, and financial research. The collaboration reflects the growing need for industry-aligned education that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, which is crucial for India's evolving workforce.
Central Government Notifies Appointment of Three Lawyers as Gujarat High Court Judges
The Central government cleared the appointment of three advocates as judges of the Gujarat High Court.
The three advocates are: Sanjeev Jayendra Thaker, Deeptendra Narayan Ray and Maulik Jitendra Shelat.
The Supreme Court Collegium comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D. Y. Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice B. R. Gavai had recommended the names in August 2024.
Justice M. M. Sundresh Inaugurates Shiv Nadar School of Law, Chennai
Shiv Nadar School of Law, Chennai was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge, Justice M. M. Sundresh.
The law school has faculty who are alumni of Oxford, Harvard, Yale and Princeton and a curriculum inspired by global best practices.
It offers a five-year B.A LL.B program. Full-tuition waivers are included in the scholarship scheme offered to students. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure including seminar halls, auditoria, libraries, gymnasium, sports complex and hostels for men and women.
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