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Check today's top 10 news stories.
India Proposes Import of IT Hardware Only from ‘Trusted Geographies’
- The Indian government is considering a proposal to permit import of IT hardware like laptops, PCs, and servers only from ‘trusted geographies’, primarily to curb imports from China.
- The proposal, currently in draft, is being referred to as an ‘import management system’ that will monitor hardware import sources, replacing an existing licensing requirement.
- India’s imports of electronic goods like PCs and laptops have risen recently, with 70-80% of these imports coming from China; the plan aims to shift this pattern.
OYO CEO Shares Early Struggles During Chat with Movie Producer Ronnie Screwvala
- Ritesh Agarwal, founder of OYO, shares his early entrepreneurial experiences living in Delhi, recollecting the time his belongings were thrown out of his accommodation and he had just Rs 23 in his bank account.
- Agarwal dropped out of college at 19 and became the first Asian recipient of the Theil Fellowship, receiving a $100,000 grant, before establishing OYO.
- He opined that struggles experienced early on become critical ‘chapters of character building’ in a founder’s journey.
Israel Proposes Fiber Optic Cable Infrastructure Linking Asia, Middle East, and Europe
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggests a fiber optic infrastructure ‘corridor’ linking Asia to Europe via Israel and Cyprus, confident in its feasibility.
- Proposal follows 2020’s Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel, UAE, and Bahrain, depended on further normalization with regional countries.
- The proposed link could extend energy collaborations, such as natural gas and undersea electricity cables, with Cyprus and Greece.
Pentagon Introduces Website to Showcase Declassified UFO Footage
- The Department of Defense introduced the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) website, showcasing eight declassified videos of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).
- The site allows government and military employees to report unexplained sky sightings and aims to simplify the UAP reporting process.
- Although the site does not cover civilian sightings, the information contained is set to provide insights on historical UFO/UAP encounters.
Apple Launches ‘Apps by Apple’ Website to Promote In-House Apps Amid Sideloading Debate
- Apple promotes its in-house apps via a website in response to EU’s Digital Markets Act allowing sideloading.
- The ‘Apps by Apple’ site features six categories of apps, highlighting capabilities and built-in privacy, security, and accessibility features.
- Apple continues to bar sideloading outside the 27 EU member countries, maintaining stringent security standards for the App Store.
Tesla car obstructs traffic for nine hours after suddenly stopping near busy UK junction
- The Tesla Model 3 apparently ran out of power while trying to turn off a road near Salisbury in England.
- Despite showing it still had charge, the car couldn’t be moved by police and workers and had to wait for a recovery vehicle for charging.
- Previous incidents have seen a Tesla breaking down in a McDonald’s lot in Canada, and a Model S battery death, causing a lockout.
TUC taskforce to study AI’s impact on workers’ rights
- Gina Neff, a tech expert at Cambridge, co-chairs the TUC taskforce addressing AI risks in the workplace.
- The taskforce, launching next week, aims to formulate groundbreaking legislation to safeguard workers from AI misuse.
- Rapid developments in generative AI have resulted in rising concerns about privacy infringement, work intensification and potential discrimination.
Developer uses OpenAI tools to build mass propaganda demonstration
- An anonymous developer used OpenAI technologies to build an AI-powered ‘propaganda machine’ over two months.
- The CounterCloud project, costing less than $400 a month to run, was designed to expose the ease with which AI can generate convincing disinformation.
- The autonomous system generated credible content 90% of the time, prompting discussions on AI’s threat to democracy through the rapid spread of fake news.
Walmart Acquires Remaining Stakes in Flipkart for $3.5Bn
- Walmart purchases remaining Flipkart stakes from Accel Partners, Tiger Global, and Binny Bansal.
- Flipkart paid $700 million to employees due to PhonePe separation.
- Walmart now holds around 90% of Flipkart, following a $16 billion majority stake acquisition in 2018.
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3: Pragyan Rover Progress and Night Preparations
- Pragyan rover from Chandrayaan-3 mission has travelled 100 meters on Moon’s surface.
- ISRO plans to put the rover and the lander into ‘sleep’ mode to survive lunar night.
- The rover has begun analysis of the Moon’s surface, discovering elements like Aluminium, Sulphur, and Calcium, with investigations on Hydrogen presence ongoing.
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