The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday (October 10, 2024) declared Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

“The outfit is involved in various acts of terror, including radicalising the gullible youths to join terrorist organisations and raise funds for terror activities, posing a serious threat to the national security and sovereignty of India. The Modi government is committed to securing Bharat by dealing the forces of terror with an iron fist,” the MHA said in a post on X.

HuT is active in Bangladesh also.

The MHA notification said that HuT aims to establish Islamic state and Caliphate globally, including in India, by overthrowing democratically elected governments through jihad and terrorist activities while involving citizens, which is a grave threat to the democratic setup and internal security of the country.

When Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (her first novel to be translated from Korean into English), won the 2016 Man Booker Prize, a friend gifted me a copy. “What’d you think of it?” I asked, pocketing the book with thanks. “It’s a strange book,” my friend said. “But life is strange,” she added, still in a daze from just having finished reading it.

Han Kang—the 2024 Nobel Laureate for literature—is the author of several novels, short stories, poems, children’s books, and essays. Her novels include Human Acts, Greek Lessons, Your Cold Hands, We Do Not Part, The Wind Blows, Go and The White Book. The Vegetarian, exquisitely translated into English by Deborah Smith, earned the South Korean writer international recognition. The book pushes boundaries, defies classification, and much like everything else Han has written, asks the all-important question: How to live a life in this strange world we occupy?

At the Prize announcement ceremony, the Swedish Academy’s Nobel Committee praised Han’s “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life” and “her empathy for vulnerable, often female lives…” Han is the first South Korean writer to be awarded the Nobel for Literature. The win makes her the 18th woman to receive the Prize (among 120 literature Laureates). The world clearly remains a biased place and the fictional worlds Han creates mirror the imbalances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Laos on a two-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits to further deepen engagement with countries in the groupings.

Modi is visiting Lao PDR on the invitation of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. Laos is the current chair of the ASEAN.

During the visit, Modi will participate in the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia summits.

In his departure statement, Modi noted that India is marking a decade of Act East policy this year.

"I will join the ASEAN leaders to review progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of our cooperation," the prime minister said.

India, the sixth largest global contributor of core funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has now committed to give more than $300 million for the organisation’s core programme of work from 2025 to 2028. The biggest chunk of $250 million will be spent on the Centre of Excellence for Traditional Medicine.

So far, WHO has received contribution pledges for over $2.2 billion towards a $7.1 billion funding gap.

Over the next four years, WHO has the mandate to use these funds to save at least 40 million lives through various programmes, such as increasing the number of vaccines delivered to priority countries, supporting 55 countries in educating and employing 3.2 million health workers, and prequalifying 400 health products per year.

Indian Navy’s stealth frigate, INS Talwar, has docked in Simon’s Town, South Africa, to participate in the eighth edition of the IBSAMAR exercise, a crucial trilateral maritime drill involving the navies of India, Brazil, and South Africa. Set to run from October 6 to 18, 2024, the exercise will focus on Blue Water Naval Warfare, covering Surface and Anti-Air Warfare dimensions.

This year’s IBSAMAR takes on added significance as it precedes the upcoming BRICS Summit in Russia later this month, underlining the growing importance of naval cooperation among these influential nations.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat. The project will be completed in two phases. The Cabinet also accorded in-principle approval for Phase 1B and Phase 2, as per master plan by raising funds through voluntary resources/ contributions and their execution after raising of the funds.

The construction of the Light House Museum under Phase 1B will be funded by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL).

A separate society will be set up, for the development of future phases, to be governed by a Governing Council headed by the Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, under Societies Registration Act, 1860 for implementation, development, management, and operation of NMHC at Lothal, Gujarat. The phase 1A of the project is under implementation with more than 60% physical progress and is planned to be completed by 2025. Phases 1A and 1B of the project are to be developed in EPC mode and Phase 2 of project will be developed through land subleasing/ PPP to establish NMHC as a world class heritage museum.

The Indian women’s team made history by securing a monumental bronze medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. This is country’s first-ever medal in the women’s team category. During the semifinals, India registered a 1-3 loss to Japan while in the other semifinal, China lost to Hong Kong by 3-0. In this competition, both losing semifinalists are awarded bronze medals.

In the semifinals, Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Miwa Harimoto in a tightly contested opening singles game by 2-3. Manika Batra however brought back India into the tie with a 3-0 win over Satsuki Odo. In the next game, Suthirtha Mukherjee lost to Mima Ito by 3-0 and Harimoto won against Manika 3-1 to win the tie for Japan.

India had confirmed its medal with a thrilling 3-2 win over South Korea in the quarterfinals yesterday.

The Indian men’s team entered the semi-finals following a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan securing a medal. Manav Thakkar gave India a winning start, recording a straight-game victory over Kirill Gerassimenko in the opening game.

The team will next take on the winner of the quarter-final between Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday announced the tentative dates for the 38th edition of the National Games, set to take place in Uttarakhand from January 28 to February 14 next year.

The picturesque state of Uttarakhand, renowned for its natural beauty and rich culture, is gearing up to host the multi-disciplinary event for the first time. The IOA and the Government of Uttarakhand are working closely to ensure that the 38th National Games will offer an exceptional experience for athletes, officials, and spectators alike.

In a statement, the IOA said, "The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is pleased to announce that the 38th edition of the National Games will be held in Uttarakhand from 28 January to 14 February 2025 (subject to the approval of IOA's General Assembly, which is scheduled to meet in New Delhi on 25 October 2024). The Games, which will see participation from athletes across the nation, will showcase the best of Indian sporting talent across a wide variety of disciplines."

In order to promote the growing popularity of UPI, RBI has proposed to increase the transaction limit through UPI Lite to Rs 1,000 and wallet limit to Rs 5,000. Currently, the transaction limit through UPI Lite is Rs 500 and Rs 2,000. RBI will soon issue guidelines in this regard.

'UPI 123 Pay' facility now available in 12 languages
Giving information about the decision taken in the three-day bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) review, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday said that with continuous innovation and acceptance, UPI has changed the country's financial landscape by making digital payments easy and inclusive. He said that suitable amendments will be made in RBI's framework related to UPI Lite to facilitate small value payments through offline digital means. Apart from this, 'UPI 123 Pay' facility will now be available in 12 languages.

UPI wallet limit increased from Rs.2000 to Rs.5000
Shaktikanta Das further said that in order to further encourage the use of UPI and make it more inclusive, it has been proposed to increase the per transaction limit in UPI 123 Pay from Rs.5000 to Rs.10000. Along with this, it has been decided to increase the limit of UPI wallet from Rs.2000 to Rs.5000 and the per transaction limit will also be increased to Rs.1000. He said that like UPI and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) will also have the facility of verification of account holder's name before finalizing the fund transfer.

RITES Ltd., a PSU transport infrastructure consultancy, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Rail.

The MoU will help in exploring synergies in developing railways and related infrastructure services in the UAE and the broader region.

The partnership aims at leveraging the strengths of both entities to explore collaborative opportunities for supply/leasing of rolling stock, consultancy and project management for railway projects, and services such as repairing rolling stock and operation & maintenance of railway infrastructure to ensure more efficient and modernized rail services in the UAE and across the region.