AI experts warn against apocalyptic rhetoric on risks
Yoshua Bengio said it was important to distinguish between what scientists actually know about AI risks and what can only be plausibly extrapolated from that evidence
Airtel to offer complementary iCloud service to iPhone users
The new offering is available for Airtel customers on family plans of 999 and above
Microsoft Xbox plans to cut hundreds of jobs
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is pushing for the company to return to growth by the end of the 2027 financial year
Alibaba Group unveils new AI chip Zhenwu V900, plans to train new AI model
The Alibaba Group pitched its new Zhenwu V900 AI chip as Chinas most powerful, reported Reuters
Optiemus to do CMFs full-stack smartphone R&D
The JV will now move into a deeper, more comprehensive partnership that will do manufacturing, ownership, and R&D under a single Indian entity with CMF
Palantir, Goldman Sachs and One Peak alumni raise
For two decades, the standard way to modernize auditing has been to build software and sell it to auditors. Benford has decided to skip the middleman and become the auditor. Today, the Oslo- and London-based company Benford announced it has raised 5 million in pre-seed funding to build a tech-focused financial audit firm. The company [] This story continues at The Next Web
Gates Foundation warns AI could widen inequality as foundation pledges $1B to expand access
AI will either be the greatest equalizer or the worst source of injustice wrote Bill Gates in a social media post
China's robot dancers limber up for America's Got Talent final
A 27-year-old Sichuan native, together with his fellow robot performers, has made it to the final of Americas Got Talent
Global AI trade roars back as Metas personal agent fuels optimism
Global AI stocks and chipmakers rallied following the strong debut of Meta's Muse AI agent. The surge boosted semiconductor shares like Samsung, SK Hynix, and MediaTek. Easing geopolitical tensions and lower oil prices further lifted market sentiment across Asian markets and US tech stocks. Shortest Generic
Bill Gates pushes for smart use of AI as his foundation builds more representative language data
The Gates Foundation is convening Anthropic, Google, OpenAI Foundation and dozens of other organisations to help make artificial intelligence more accessible in underrepresented languages
Alibaba plans AI model with up to 10 trillion parameters, unveils new AI chip
The Chinese technology giant is expanding its artificial intelligence infrastructure, combining larger models with new chip technology and a major data centre buildout
OpenAI asks Washington to lead a global AI standards push
OpenAI has called on the United States to lead an international effort on standards for advanced AI, beginning with rules on which incidents must be reported, and suggested routing the work through national AI safety institutes including the US Center for AI Standards and Innovation. Europe legislated incident reporting in Article 55 of the AI [] This story continues at The Next Web
California will fine creators $5,000 a post for hidden political ads
I was hearing from people in the campaign world that theres this new strategy of paying political influencers to post content, said Marc Berman, the California assemblyman. Some were good about disclosure and others were a bit fast and loose. His bill is now law. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1130 on Saturday. In California, paid [] This story continues at The Next Web
AI model costs are pushing startups towards cheaper open weigh
Harveys gross margin fell from about 50% at the start of this year to minus 50% by June as customer usage of its AI agents spiked, and turned positive again only after it released a model of its own built on Moonshots Kimi K3. Abridge, Decagon, Ramp and Rogo are making similar moves, and Sequoia [] This story continues at The Next Web
Corridor launches with $25m to fix health benefits for small businesses
For decades, small businesses have been sold the leftovers of the health insurance market, said Nikhil Aggarwal, chief executive and co-founder of Corridor. His company launched its AI benefits brokerage on Monday with $25m. Its plan is to change that with agents. Bain Capital Ventures led the round. BoxGroup and Definition Capital took part. So [] This story continues at The Next Web
India must emerge as AI innovator, not just consumer: Googles Harsh Dhand
Google has a long-standing presence in India. When we first thought about expanding to APAC, we thought about setting up a lab in India'
As the tech landscape evolves, IBMs focus on regional growth reflects a commitment to harnessing local talent and creating sustainable IT infrastructure.
Rapidly expanding to make India AI hub: Microsoft India
Government urges companies to locate future data centres closer to power plants
Jio partners with T-Mobile and Syniverse to offer worlds first 5G Standalone roaming
Jio users on T-Mobile networks can enjoy 5G-enabled data and voice roaming while T-Mobile users can enjoy the same on Jios network
Weve built a leading energy automation platform in Australia, and this investment gives us the backing to build on that leadership globally, said Chris Thompson, co-founder of Amber Electric. The Melbourne company has raised 49m in a Series E round, Morgan Stanley Investment Management said on Monday. 1GT led the round. It is the private [] This story continues at The Next Web
Bending Spoons opens a Warsaw office after 50,000 Polish applications
Weve received around 50,000 applications from Poland so far this year, more than twice as many as the whole of 2025, said Andrea Maiorana, Bending Spoons talent data lead. The Milan company said on Monday that it has opened an office in Warsaw. It is the companys fourth office in Europe. The others are its [] This story continues at The Next Web
A Microsoft scientist called AI training the largest theft of labor
A 92-page brief unsealed on Thursday opens by quoting the same Microsoft employee twice. Dr Brent Hecht, the companys Director of Applied Science, wrote that people would come to see large models hoovering up their work as an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions. In a second document he called it perhaps the largest theft of [] This story continues at The Next Web
Five makers, one laptop: Googlebook pre-orders open from $899
Pre-orders for the Googlebookopened on Monday,starting at $899, with the first ones reaching shops in the United States on 4 October. In Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia will arrive on 5 October. Google has not said what they will cost in any of those markets, and the only price published is in [] This story continues at The Next Web
Research reveals where the internet really slows down
Most people associate network performance with bandwidth, the amount of data that can be transferred per second. However, for many of today
The EU will rate data centres on energy and water from 2027
Europes data centers are to be graded on how much energy and water they use, under a rating schemeproposed on Monday by the European Commission. Any individual site drawing more than 500 kW is covered. What the rating measures is not only consumption but what a data center puts back: heat recovered and reused, clean [] This story continues at The Next Web
Spain Locks in World Cup-Winning Coach Luis De La Fuente With Deal Through 2032
The new contract will keep De la Fuente in for the 2030 World Cup that Spain will co-host with Morocco and Portugal, and the 2028 and 2032 European Championships
A single git trick beat the safety lock on four AI coding agents
The AI industry already knew attackers could poison plugin marketplaces. Its answer was to lock every plugin to one reviewed version of its code. That lock is what just broke. Researchers at Air Security published a vulnerability on Thursday that they call Plugin4Shell. It affects the four most widely used AI coding agents. Those are [] This story continues at The Next Web
Spain extend De la Fuente contract until 2032 after World Cup triumph
We're talking about the most successful head coach in the history of the national team, and after fourteen years with us, this is something Luis de la Fuente deserves, a long-term future at the RFEF, said Rafael Louzan, chair of the Spanish FA's board of directors.
Ameesha Patel questions hefty entourage costs for female actors: Bigger than their day 1 collection
Ameesha Patel has once again shared her candid views on the Hindi film industry, this time questioning the practice of actors travelling with large entourages during film promotions. In a recent social media interaction with fans, the Gadar 2 actor addressed questions about celebrity entourages and the expenses involved when producers bear the cost. A fan asked Ameesha whether it was fair for stars to bring an additional entourage at a producers expense. Responding to the question, Ameesha wrote, many female actresses are in denial of their stardom their enterouge during film promotions which comes at the cost of the producers are bigger then their day 1 collection. hope they have the same enterouge in their regular life minus a producer paying for it. While making the comment, Ameesha did not mention or identify any particular female actor from the Hindi film industry. Her post focused on what she described as the growing expenses associated with celebrity entourages during promotional activities. Ameesha was also asked by another fan whether she had signed a new project. The actor said she would rather wait for a project she considers worthwhile than take up films simply for the sake of being part of a release. She responded, Dont want to be part of buy one get one free offer films and Rs 99 ticket price films and that too from day 1 on release day. Rather create gadar once in few years then to do RUBBISH filler films and time wil come super soon to create another havoc at the box office. This is not the first time Ameesha has spoken about issues concerning actors and the film industry. In May this year, she had commented on the online trolling faced by Indian actors. She wrote, Actors here in INDIA are more badly trolled by our own people than Hollywood stars are within their country from their own people, which is so sad! Whether its an Indian stars appearance or attire at big events, they sadly become targets of their own people! Such a shame! On the work front, Ameesha was last seen in the 2024 romantic comedy Tauba Tera Jalwa, directed by Akashaditya Lama. The film also featured Jatin Khurana and Angela Krislinzki. Her last major box-office success was Gadar 2, in which she reprised her role as Sakina opposite Sunny Deol. Directed by Anil Sharma, the film reportedly collected Rs 686 crores worldwide and also starred Utkarsh Sharma, Simrat Kaur, Manish Wadhwa and Gaurav Chopra. Also Read : Ameesha Patels parents Mumbai home robbed, jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh reportedly stolen
The Vatican is turning its AI campaign into permanent machinery this week
AI4Peace, a symposium on artificial intelligence and conflict, opened on Monday at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome with a message from Leo XIV. The Pope was not present in the room, and Don Andrea Ciucci, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, read the message on his behalf. The message states that technological progress [] This story continues at The Next Web
Freehand names Krshna Prashant as first marketing lead
Freehand is the company whose autonomous AI Teams manage supply-chain spend for Fortune 500 enterprises. It has announced the appointment of Krshna Prashant as its first Marketing Lead. She is the companys first marketing hire in the United States. The appointment comes weeks after Freehand raised $75 million in funding. Battery Ventures and NewRoad Capital [] This story continues at The Next Web
Incredibly encouraging: healing the scars of traditional anchors in Dorsets seagrass meadows
The ECB will invest in tokenised securities, and settle the trades on its own new rail
The European Central Bank is preparing to put some of its own money into tokenized securities, moving from building the plumbing for digital asset markets to buying in them. Settlement will occur in central bank money, routed through Pontes, the system the Eurosystem has built for trades running on distributed ledger technology. What the bank [] This story continues at The Next Web
UK flight disruptions hits Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England
Flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England faced delays Monday after a technical issue at NATSs Prestwick center. NATS said London and airports south of Manchester were broadly unaffected, while EasyJet called for action to strengthen system resilience
Elli AvrRam recently attended the London premiere of The Cycle Of Love, a documentary based on the real-life love story of PK Mahanandia and Lotta. The London screening took place a month after the documentarys New York premiere, which was hosted by Priyanka Chopra. Ellis presence at the London screening was also linked to her long-standing association with the family. Having known them for several years and connected with their story, the actor attended the premiere to support their journey and the documentarys message of love and humanity. Talking about her association with PK and Lotta and the London screening, Elli said, I have known the family for many years, and we have been trying to meet each other for the longest. PK and Lottas story is so incredibly inspiring and the world needs to hear it because it fills your heart with so much hope to believe in the power of love and humanity. The Cycle Of Love follows the real-life journey of PK, an Indian artist who fell in love with Swedish woman Lotta. After Lotta returned to Sweden following her visit to India, PK decided to reunite with her and travelled from India to Sweden by bicycle. The couple have now been married for 50 years. Reflecting on attending the London premiere following the New York screening hosted by Priyanka Chopra, Elli said, Im happy to have come here to support them, share their story and message that comes with it. Elli also clarified that the documentary is not based on a fictional concept but follows the couples actual love story. She said, Its not a concept, its a documentary based on their love story. How they met and how PK decided to go all the way to Sweden from India, on a bicycle, and he actually did it! Today they have been married for 50 years! All because of PKs determination to take himself to Lotta who had gone back to Sweden after her visit in India. For Elli, meeting PK and Lotta in person added to the experience. She said, Meeting them finally in person and seeing their love still being so alive is heartwarming. The world needs more of this, she says. Ellis connection with the couples story dates back to 2017, when she first read their book. She found a connection with Lottas relationship with India, particularly because Elli herself is Swedish and has spoken about being drawn to India from a young age. Explaining what resonated with her about their story, Elli concluded, What I love so much when I read their book back in 2017 is that I connected so much to Lotta and her calling for India. Since Im from Sweden myself, and have always been drawn to India from a young age, theres so much I relate to, she concludes. Also Read : Elli AvrRam suffers foot fracture after 10-kg dumbbell falls on her foot, postpones shoot schedules
PM heads to UNGA on short visit with minimal entourage: PMO
Four days in US packed with bilateral and multilateral meetings, high-level UN programmes and diplomatic engagements, it says
The US has proposed an AI incident alert system to China
The United States has proposed that Washington and Beijing notify each other of AI incidents serious enough to qualify as national security events, an idea Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put forward to Chinese officials during talks in Manhattan on Sunday. Scott Bessent and Jamieson Greer, the trade representative, met with He Lifeng, the Vice Premier, [] This story continues at The Next Web
McQueen comes home to happy, dark place at London fashion week
ShinyHunters says it hijacked Cl0p
On the night of Friday, September 18, the Tor leak site that the Cl0p ransomware gang used to name and pressure its victims was defaced. Another criminal group claimed responsibility, according to BleepingComputer. When people visited the site, they saw Pokmon artwork, an ASCII Umbreon, above the message THIS SITE HAS BEEN PWN3D BY SHINYHUNTERS [] This story continues at The Next Web
The White House will not say what Trump
Two days after Donald Trump announced plans for an AI Force and an AI czar, the White House has not clarified whether the AI Force would be a military branch, a regulatory agency, or something else. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Saturday, rather than through an executive order or official briefing. He [] This story continues at The Next Web
Govt taking steps to build harmonised data infrastructure: MoSPI Secretary
In a transformative move, India is developing an integrated data framework for enhanced information discovery and application. This process consists of five stages focusing on the unification of governmental data, with a strong emphasis on maintaining vital metadata. Establishing uniform definitions and identifiers will bridge various data pools across ministries and states. Evaluating data quality will be pivotal following harmonization.
Microsoft launches India South Central cloud region in Hyderabad
Hyderabad region is designed to support mission-critical and AI workloads at scale, with three availability zones and resilience aligned to Indias regulatory and seismic requirements.
Chandok said the Hyderabad facility will be Microsofts second strategic hub in India and one of its largest investments in the country in terms of compute capacity
Anthropic considers releasing new AI model ahead of IPO, sources say
The IPO has already been pushed back from earlier plans
Dead Economy: Annamalai Mocks Vijay's London Trip, Says India Is Bigger
The former BJP leader suggested that instead of travelling to the UK, Vijay should travel within the state and meet industrialists.
Refurbished phones gain traction as new smartphone sales slow
India needs to move beyond chip manufacturing, use Indian chips in locally made products: Report
With semiconductor demand projected to reach $200 billion by 2035, India is looking to deepen domestic capabilities across the electronics value chain
AI leaders clash over acceleration versus slowing down
By the end of last week, the alarm had reached the industrys highest ranks
Ameesha Patel questions actresses carrying massive entourages
Ameesha Patel criticised actresses who carry large entourages during film promotions at producers expense. Responding to a fan, she said some entourages are bigger than their films day one collections and hoped they would maintain the same in their personal lives
Vijay's London Investment Visit Sparks Political Row, Annamalai And Udhayanidhi Attack
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's London investment visit has triggered a political row back home. K Annamalai questioned the need for the overseas investment outreach, while DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin attacked Vijay and TVK over their criticism of the DMK. TVK has yet to respond to the latest opposition remarks.
Insta360 spent $298m on memory chips in six months. GoPro
Insta360opened its first American store on Saturday at 1515 Broadway, in the middle of Times Square. It is the companys second self-operated shop outside China, after Tokyo in August. The ribbon-cutting is the least interesting part.Iris Deng interviewed co-founder Max Richter in Shenzhen for the South China Morning Post, and the numbers around the opening [] This story continues at The Next Web
A Chinese developer who writes as Ferstar looked inside ZCodes local directory on Friday and found a 313MB encrypted archive waiting to be sent to Alibabas cloud storage. It had failed 564 times. A smaller file had already gone. Minxiao Chang and Wency Chen reported the account for the South China Morning Post. The archive [] This story continues at The Next Web
Odisha T20 League Kicks Off at Barabati Stadium, Suresh Raina Encourages Young Players
The Odisha T20 League 2026 launched at Barabati Stadium with Suresh Raina urging young cricketers to seize the opportunity. Odisha T20 League Kicks Off at Barabati Stadium, Suresh Raina Encourages Young Players
Trump says the AI backlash is a Democratic hoax. This week
President Donald Trump posted twice about artificial intelligence on Saturday.The first postasked his followers to vote on a new name for the technology.The secondcalled the campaign against it a hoax and promised an AI Force and an AI czar. The rename has taken most of the attention. The second post is the one that contains [] This story continues at The Next Web
Four consumers filed a class action in the Northern District of California on 18 September, naming Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google.Buist v. Anthropic PBCalleges a horizontal agreement to slow the rate at which the four improve competing products, contrary to section 1 of the Sherman Act. Bloomberg Law reported the filing. It seeks treble damages [] This story continues at The Next Web
Indian firms moving AI from pilots towards deployment: Salesforce
Salesforce sees India entering a phase of wider enterprise AI adoption, with companies moving beyond experimentation to production deployments and the country offering significant white space for digital and agentic AI growth, President and CEO, South Asia, Arundhati Bhattacharya, said. In an interview to PTI, she affirmed the shift by Indian firms, sharing that Salesforce will continue to invest in physical infrastructure, upskilling Indian talent and recruitment. So I would say that yes, they (Indian companies) are moving towards putting things in production, Bhattacharya said, responding to a question on whether Indian firms were moving towards large-scale deployment after experimenting with generative AI and AI agents. Elaborating on Salesforce's India plans, Bhattacharya said a new tower in Bengaluru is expected to come on stream next calendar year as one of its investments in the country. We have already invested in a tower in Bangalore, and that should be coming on stre
Karnataka Plans Global Quantum Platform With 2027 Bengaluru Summit
Karnataka minister Ajay Dharam Singh said the next summit would seek greater participation from global researchers, technology companies, startups, investors and policymakers
Vaishnaw cautions industry about cyberattacks, disruption that may target India's growing chip might
India's chip push marks a bold attempt to move beyond packaging and build a broader domestic supply chain, while attracting global companies to manufacture and develop semiconductor technologies in India
India semiconductor market projected to touch $200 billion by 2035: EY-IESA Report
Consumer electronics accounts for 30% of Indias semiconductor market, followed by the automotive sector at 16 per cent and industrial applications at 15%
Trump announces AI Force, plans to appoint AI Czar as he vows to keep US ahead of China
President Trump says that the administration would also seek to address harmful uses of AI through existing legal mechanisms
Lawsuit says Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, Google made illegal agreement on AI slowdown
It's clear that an agreement among the chief rivals in AI that their progress should be slower than competition would otherwise produce has an anti-competitive effect on consumers, the plaintiffs argue
Apple CEO recalls 25-year-old Apple lesson: I wasnt sure I belonged there
John Ternus, now the CEO of Apple, took a profound lesson from his early career 25 years ago. He started as a young engineer in 2001, often feeling daunted by the talent surrounding him. Over the next two decades, he made impactful contributions to various products. Ternus learned the importance of melding confidence with a willingness to absorb knowledge from his peers, earning Tim Cook's complete faith in his leadership.
India seeks agile regulatory framework to speed up semiconductor projects
Customs has also introduced non-intrusive inspection and plans to expand container scanning, with AI-enabled tools being used to support risk assessment
Water could become a constraint on expansion of semiconductor industry
The panel also highlighted the challenges posed by chemicals used in semiconductormanufacturing, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as forever chemicals
Welcome to 9to5Toys Electrified Weekly the best place to find all of this weeks best deals and new releases to electrify your life and protect Mother Nature. Among the many sales currently running, for EVs, the biggest upsets came in the form of increased savings on ENGWEs new E26 3.0 Dual-Motor Full Suspension All-Terrain e-bike with a FREE $343 bundle at a new $1,499 low ($1,243 total savings), and the Heybike ALPHA All-Terrain Mid-Drive e-bike at an exclusive $1,099 low in the brands latest sale. For power stations, running alongside the Anker SOLIX Hurricane-Ready Power Sale is the parallel E10 Whole-Home Backup System sale with exclusive bonus savings that starts things from a $3,799 low , among others. more
ABVP Sweeps Three DUSU Posts, Independent Deepanshu Shokeen Takes Vice President Seat
Man electrocuted while retrieving tool from well in Erode
Road sweeping machine restored to service in Erode
Longing for an Elsewhere: the cultural impulses of our Development Model | In Focus Weekend
Sociologist Chandan Gowda discusses Indias development journey and its cultural roots in the latest episode of In Focus Weekend Podcast.
Welcome to 9to5Toys Fashion Weekly your virtual wardrobe of discounted apparel finds. From top-tier fashion houses and everyday pieces for your work week, right through to super affordable pickups to freshen up your essentials, every week we scour the interwebs for the best deals on footwear and clothing to ensure you never pay full price to update your closet game. Recent headliners include tomtocs 1.5L sling bags from $30.50 , a wide selection of golf pants for $20 , plus a batch of deep discounts on PUMA shoes as low as $35 . Head below to see all of your options. more
KSEB Employees Install Free Power Connection for Elderly Keralam Woman
KSEB workers under its Peruva section office carried out the wiring of the house free of cost, installed lights and a fan and erected an electricity post to provide the connection
Inside the Breakdown of U.K.-Israel Relations Over West Bank Settlements
British officials believed Israel had said it would hold off on moving ahead with construction in E1, a piece of land viewed as vital to a future Palestinian state. Israel said it promised no such thing.
4-Time WWE Champion Says He Accidentally Clogged John Cena's Toilet After Staying At His Home
A 4-time WWE champion shared an awkward story about staying at John Cenas Tampa home with Chelsea Green, revealing he accidentally clogged the WWE stars toilet, couldnt find a plunger and left early after sending Cena an apology text.
4-Time WWE Champion Says He Accidentally Clogged John Cena's Toilet
A 4-time WWE champion shared an awkward story about staying at John Cena's Tampa home with Chelsea Green, revealing he accidentally clogged the WWE star's toilet, couldn't find a plunger and left...
Este Haim has finally spoken about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelces wedding, calling the celebration glorious but refusing to reveal private details about the couples big day or what happened behind closed doors.
Another Depression In Bay of Bengal, Heavy Rain Alert Sounded In Coastal AP Next Week
Under the impact, the SDMA officials sounded an alert that heavy rains are likely to occur in coastal Andhra region
Nani asks women to wear braids instead of being influenced by West, fans react
Nani faced online backlash after suggesting women should wear braids and oil their hair instead of being influenced by Western culture. His comments during The Paradise promotions sparked reactions, with users questioning his views on womens hairstyles
An electricity transformer at Manipurs Power Loom Estate at Lamboikhongnangkhong has remained unrepaired for more than three years, leaving power looms idle and prompting entrepreneurs to allege prolonged administrative neglect during the tenure of former in-charge Director Jeeten Singh. Devenderjeet Haobijam, an entrepreneur associated with the estate, said at a press briefing on Saturday that... The post Unrepaired Transformer Leaves Manipur Power Loom Estate Idle; Entrepreneurs Blame Administrative Neglect first appeared on Northeast Today .
We Will Never Surrender to America: Cuban Ambassador Draws a Red Line in Bhubaneswar
Cuba is a small island with no mountain of minerals and no overflowing treasury. That, its ambassador to India said on Saturday, is precisely why the world should pay attention to what it does have. We will never surrender to America, Juan Carlos Marsn told intellectuals and journalists at the Pragativadi premises here. Marsn, on [] The post We Will Never Surrender to America: Cuban Ambassador Draws a Red Line in Bhubaneswar appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .
Falak Shabir inspires Kashmirs girls to pursue passion, empowerment and success | GKTV
Welcome tighter H-1B scrutiny, but not at the cost of American innovation: FIIDS
FIIDS, an advocacy group, issued a statement shortly after President Trump tightened oversight of the H-1B visa program, citing misuse by some employers, including IT outsourcing firms
Quote of the day by Dr. Seuss teaches us to appreciate life without demanding perfection from it. Dr. Seuss turns the passage of time into something approachable: enjoy the day you have, remember the moments that made it special and then allow yourself to move forward. The quote encourages gratitude without complacency, optimism without unrealistic promises and enjoyment without guilt.
The US air force admitted to deploying weapons in space. Don
If everything needs statehood, why are we in government?: Sunil Sharma
Srinagar, Sep 19: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma on Saturday questioned the Omar Abdullah-led government over what he described as its repeated use of statehood as a response to basic public grievances, asking why the government was in office if it lacked the authority to address routine issues. Addressing a public interaction programme in Srinagar, Sharma said people were approaching the government with problems related to water, electricity, roads, schools, hospitals and jobs but were repeatedly being told that the administration lacked the required powers. For every issue, whether small or big, the only answer that comes from the government and government machinery is that we have no powers, Sharma said. He said the elected government had completed two years but people were still facing frustration and confusion. The popular government has completed two years, and throughout these two years, we have brought the poor people to a position of frustration and confusion, he said. Sharma said the Opposition had a responsibility to engage with people when the government failed to address their concerns. He said his party's legislative group would take up issues raised by people in the upcoming Assembly session and also pursue matters requiring intervention from the Centre. He, however, questioned the government's explanation that several problems could not be addressed because Jammu and Kashmir had not yet regained statehood. Where pipes had to be connected, where poles and wires were required, where schools needed staff, where hospitals needed doctors and paramedics, where potholes on roads had to be filled, for every issue the same answer was received statehood is not there, he said. Sharma then questioned the purpose of the elected government and the Assembly if statehood was being cited as the answer to basic administrative problems. If at the end of two years we say that we need statehood even to install poles, wires and pipes, and we need statehood even to provide staff, then why are we in government? Why are we in the Assembly? he asked. He went further and said the government should consider dissolving the present arrangement rather than continue for the full five-year term if it believed it could not function without statehood. If after two years we still have the same answer, I feel that after five years the same answer will be repeated, Sharma said. He said unemployment, particularly among young people, would be among the major issues for the Opposition during the upcoming Assembly session. Referring to data presented during the interaction, he said people aged between 19 and 29 accounted for more than 32% of Jammu and Kashmir's population. This section is the largest in Jammu and Kashmir's population and is currently under stress and depression, Sharma said, arguing that many young people had no income to support their parents, pay for siblings' education or meet family responsibilities. He also criticised the government's approach to recruitment and outsourcing, claiming that 25,000 jobs had already been occupied through outsourcing. You have occupied 25,000 jobs. I say this with a guarantee that these 25,000 will not be advertised again, he said. Sharma said outsourced employees could themselves begin demanding regularisation in the future, adding that workers from different government schemes and departments were already seeking regularisation. He also accused the government of trying to play the role of the Opposition while retaining the privileges of being in power. The unfortunate thing is that the people sitting in government also want to do the work of the Opposition, Sharma said. The government also wants to remain in the Opposition, but wants to enjoy all the power. On the upcoming Assembly session, Sharma said there were numerous issues to be raised but questioned the limited number of sitting days. He also contrasted the government's claim that Jammu and Kashmir had more Assembly sittings, on average, than some other states, with the region's specific problems. Jammu and Kashmir's issues are different. There are so many issues here on a single platform. So a response like this makes a person ask: where should we go, whom should we speak to? he said. Sharma also defended the Opposition's public outreach programme, saying it was intended to hear people's grievances and take them to the appropriate forums. On statehood, he said the issue should not be used as a blanket explanation for administrative shortcomings. I am raising the slogan of statehood only to strengthen my vote bank, he said, while adding that statehood was not preventing the government from dealing with most of the issues being raised by people. Sharma's remarks came ahead of the upcoming Assembly session, with the BJP seeking to focus attention on unemployment, recruitment, public services and what it describes as the government's failure to address people's day-to-day grievances.
Sewage report flags untapped sewers and STP gap to NGT
Punjab has announced an 8% increase in dearness allowance for eight lakh state government employees and pensioners. CM Mann said his government understands responsibilities shouldered by its employees and the pressures they face in personal and professional lives.
Chirag Paswan Caught Crying At Ganpati Visarjan? Emotional Bappa Farewell Video Goes Viral | Watch
Lord Ganesha is welcomed to people's houses by devotees with great devotion and zeal. At the end of the festival, there is visarjan, which is said to be an emotional event for devotees. There is a video of Union
Trump Says US Is Doing Very Well With China Ahead Of Xi Meeting
US President Donald Trump said the United States is doing very well with China and expects to discuss several agreements with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his upcoming White House visit. Trump also spoke about his relationship with Xi and potential areas of discussion.
LG Saxena empowers Naib-Tehsildars to issue reserved category, income certificates in Ladakh
Leh , Sep 19: In a step towards making essential government services more accessible to people in remote areas of Ladakh, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Saturday empowered Naib-Tehsildars, holding independent charge of a Tehsil, to issue reserved category and income certificates within their respective local jurisdiction. The Revenue Department, UT Ladakh, has issued the notification under the proviso to Section 13 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, investing the designated Naib-Tehsildars with powers to issue Reserved Category Certificates and Income Certificates within the local limits of their respective jurisdiction, a Lok Bhavan spokesperson said. The notification specifically empowers Naib-Tehsildars who are holding independent charge of a Tehsil and exercising the powers of Assistant Collector of the First Class, for issuing such certificates. The powers will be exercised within their respective local limits and jurisdiction, he said. In a Union Territory like Ladakh, where difficult terrain and long distances can make access to government offices challenging, it is our responsibility to take governance closer to the people. By empowering revenue officers at the local level to issue these certificates, we are making an important citizen service more accessible and reducing the need for people to undertake long journeys for routine administrative requirements, the lieutenant governor said. The decision aims to reduce the difficulties faced by residents, particularly those living in remote and far-flung areas, who otherwise have to travel long distances to obtain certificates required to access various government schemes, benefits, reservations, and other services, the spokesperson said. By decentralising the certification process, the administration seeks to make these services more accessible, convenient, and responsive to citizens' needs, he said. The initiative forms part of the administrations broader effort to take governance and public services closer to the people, particularly those residing in geographically remote and difficult-to-access areas of the Union Territory, he added.
Michigan researchers have developed a way to recycle retired wind-turbine blades into useful products, including gummy bears. The innovative resin system can recover materials for making car parts, windows and diaper materials, offering an unusual solution to the growing challenge of disposing of massive wind-turbine blades.
