Architect Creates App to Show Which Pub Gardens are Sunny – Using Shadow Simulations From Buildings (2026-04-17T11:56:00+05:30)

Mo Dawod with his Sunseekr map app SWNS In cloudy old England, an architect has created his own phone app that displays which pubs are currently in the sunshine. Mo Dawod was out in London in April last year when he decided that he wanted an iced coffee in the sunshine, but there was no way to know which cafes would be blanketed in shade. So, later that night, he created his own mobile map using publicly available data, such as a building’s height and footprint, to create a shadow simulation for pubs, restaurants, and cafes. What started as a simple ‘hack’ for himself quickly turned into the number one app in the UK—called Sunseekr—and Mo has since quit his day job in architecture to pursue it full time. “I decided to share it with the community to see if anyone was also struggling like me and would be interested,” said the 34-year-old. “People went crazy. It went so viral on Reddit that night. “I was astonished and shocked. After that I decided to make it as an app.” “The app went number one in the UK in the lifestyle category four days after it became real. It was so surreal that all this happened from me just wanting to have an iced coffee.” Mo, who is originally from Egypt, next looked at how to monetize his invention so he could pay his bills while operating the Sunseekr app—now with over 250,000 users . Sunseekr app screen – SWNS Last summer, he managed to get a sponsorship from Aperol, who used his map to create their own version showing where people could drink an aperitivo of Aperol Spritz in the sunshine. With the app becoming less popular in the winter months, the founder decided to use the time to work on leveling-up the experience with new elements. Venues now have a chance to be more featured, uploading pictures of their venue, mapping the garden, and pushing themselves on the explore page for £350 a year. It uses a moon emoji if the location is in the shade, and a sun if it’s not. The app can also notify you when your favorite spot is getting sun beamed, displays closing and opening times, and offers the ability to leave comments and reviews. “When I built this app it was more of a hack for the problem I had. Now I am trying to take it to the next level. I have rebuilt the whole app for summer 2026. “It has been for me such a crazy journey. It was so unexpected. I never thought I would be running such a platform. I am so happy that I managed to put this together.” Sunseekr was also launched in other countries such as Germany and Spain. “We reworked the app from the ground up to map the actual outdoor areas and show people, hour by hour, how much sun you will be having.” Sunseekr / SWNS The company is now asking the community to help map more pubs because they don’t have the manpower to go and map every single venue in the country. Architect Creates App to Show Which Pub Gardens are Sunny – Using Shadow Simulations From Buildings

New cyber centre opens in UK (2026-04-16T11:48:00+05:30)

(Image: NDA) The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group has launched a specialised cyber facility in Cumbria to accelerate collaboration across nuclear operators and the supply chain, on the adoption of innovative technologies such as AI and robotics and enhancing their collective ability to successfully defend against cyber threats. It said the Group Cyberspace Collaboration Centre (GCCC) provides a space for experts in cyber, digital and engineering to come together and share knowledge and learning on how best to adopt new technologies and defend against evolving threats. Representatives from government, the nuclear sector, regulators and the supply chain attended the official opening which showcased the capability of the centre. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said the GCCC was a multi-functional space for partners to explore how new technologies can support mission delivery and facilitate security operations, cyber exercising and training. "The GCCC is further enhancing our collective ability to keep us safe, secure, resilient and sustainable in cyberspace," said NDA Group CEO David Peattie. "Enabling us to work together more closely means we can defend as one, benefitting the collective security of the individual organisations we serve. "When it comes to security, we are never complacent, and we continually invest in our expertise and our technology to further strengthen our capability." (Image: NDA) The NDA group - which includes Sellafield, Nuclear Restoration Services, Nuclear Waste Services and Nuclear Transport Solutions - has invested in group-wide cyber services and capabilities to ensure systems are better protected and more resilient and delivering a strong, consistent approach to common cyber security threats. The GCCC is part of the group's growing portfolio of digital and cyber capability including a joint Cyber Security Operations facility, which opened in Warrington in August. It is part of a constellation of related leading cyber and digital capabilities, including the Cyber Lab classroom at Energus, the Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence, and the Robotics and AI Collaboration centre (RAICo1). Warren Cain, Superintending Inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation, said: "All nuclear sites must have strong cyber security systems in place to protect important information and assets from cyber threats. Cyber security is a key regulatory priority for the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and we welcome the NDA's commitment to strengthen their cyber defences with this new specialist facility." New cyber centre opens in UK

Coupang unveils $1.17 billion compensation plan over data breach (2026-04-16T11:48:00+05:30)

IANS Photo Seoul, December 29 (IANS): E-commerce giant Coupang announced a compensation plan worth more than 1.68 trillion won ($1.17 billion) on Monday following a massive personal data breach. The compensation plan comes a day after Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk issued his first public apology since the incident, which affected nearly two-thirds of South Korea's population, reports Yonhap news agency. Under the plan, the U.S.-listed company will provide 50,000 won worth of discounts and coupons to each of 33.7 million customers, including paid Coupang Wow members, regular users and former customers who have closed their accounts, the company said in a press release. Compensation payments will be made gradually starting Jan. 15, it added. "Taking this incident as a turning point, Coupang will wholeheartedly embrace customer-centric principles and fulfill its responsibilities to the very end, transforming into a company that customers can trust," Coupang's interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harold Rogers said in the release. The per-person compensation consists of 5,000 won for Coupang's e-commerce platform, 5,000 won for food delivery service Coupang Eats, 20,000 won for Coupang's travel products and 20,000 won for R.LUX luxury beauty and fashion products. Last week, Coupang said it had identified a former employee responsible for the data leak through forensic evidence, recovered the equipment used in the hacking and received a confession from the suspect. The company claimed that data from only about 3,000 accounts was actually saved and later deleted by the suspect. The government, however, has dismissed Coupang's findings as a "unilateral claim," noting that a joint public-private investigation into the incident has yet to release any conclusions. On November 29, Coupang confirmed that the personal information of 33.7 million customer accounts had been exposed, far exceeding the 4,500 accounts initially reported to authorities on Nov. 20. Given that active users of Coupang's product commerce division, including its delivery service, reached 24.7 million in the third quarter, the scale of the breach suggests that nearly the entire user base may have been affected.The company said the compromised data included users' names, phone numbers, email addresses and delivery addresses. Coupang unveils $1.17 billion compensation plan over data breach | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

India’s internet users cross 1.02 billion: TRAI (2026-04-10T13:04:00+05:30)

(AI image/IANS) New Delhi, (IANS) India’s telecom sector continued its growth momentum in the December 2025 quarter, with internet subscribers crossing the 1.02 billion mark and overall telephone connections rising sharply, according to the latest performance report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday. The TRAI released its Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The report showed steady growth in internet users, telephone subscribers, revenues and average earnings of telecom companies. The total number of internet subscribers increased from 1,017.81 million at the end of September 2025 to 1,028.61 million by the end of December 2025, registering a quarterly growth of 1.06 per cent. Out of the total internet users, 983.29 million were wireless subscribers, while 45.32 million were wired users. The broadband subscriber base crossed the 1 billion mark and stood at 1,007.35 million -- reflecting steady demand for high-speed data services. The total number of telephone subscribers in the country saw a strong jump during the quarter. It increased from 1,228.94 million in September to 1,306.14 million in December, marking a quarterly growth of 6.28 per cent and a year-on-year growth of 9.77 per cent. Overall tele-density in India improved from 86.65 per cent to 91.74 per cent during the same period. Wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) users, rose by 76.45 million during the quarter to reach 1,258.77 million. Wireless tele-density also increased from 83.36 per cent to 88.41 per cent. The mobile subscriber base alone grew to 1,244.20 million. Telecom companies also reported improved financial performance. Gross Revenue (GR) of the telecom sector stood at Rs 1,02,475 crore in the December quarter, while Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) was Rs 84,270 crore. Both figures recorded quarterly as well as year-on-year growth. Monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services increased to Rs 194.57 from Rs 190.99 in the previous quarter -- reflecting improved earnings per subscriber. In the broadcasting sector, 920 private satellite TV channels have been permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.As of December 31, 2025, 335 of these were pay TV channels, while the remaining were free-to-air channels. India’s internet users cross 1.02 billion: TRAI | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Singing, slaying and going viral: how KPop Demon Hunters rocked the internet – and the Oscars (2026-03-20T11:22:00+05:30)

Jennifer Stokes, Adelaide University K-pop stars Huntr/x are carb-loading, pre-show, on a private jet, when their snacking is rudely interrupted by demons. Rumi, Zoey and Mira break into song, maintaining the tempo as they defeat the demons, drop to earth, and land in a packed stadium concert to tell the screaming audience that’s “how it’s done, done, done”. This electrifying sequence launches viewers into the world of KPop Demon Hunters. Released in June 2025, engaging action and a catchy soundtrack rapidly led this work to become Netflix’s most watched film of all time. This week, the film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and another for Best Original Song with its identity-embracing anthem Golden. With content that celebrates Korean pop aesthetics and connects with diverse fandoms, KPop Demon Hunters was arguably destined for success. It’s a fine example of a film that is made for, driven by – and which reflects upon – our digitally-run attention economy. A wholesome story of self-acceptance KPop Demon Hunters is a slickly animated musical and supernatural fantasy. The demon-slaying girl group Huntr/x protect humanity, using K-pop songs and physical strength to keep evil in the netherworld. The demons decide the best way to defeat Huntr/x is by establishing a rival K-pop band – the Saja Boys. Through their catchy songs, the Saja Boys capture the public’s attention to feed to the uber-demon Gwi-ma (meaning “evil ghost” in Korean) – positioning the demons for world domination. Huntr/x must use the power of K-pop – and learn to embrace their true selves – to save the world. The theme of battling conflicting internal identities resonates on multiple levels – for young people struggling to make meaning in today’s messy world, and for an Asian diaspora who may have never seen themselves reflected in such a cultural juggernaut. Ear worms to draw people in KPop Demon Hunters has dominated global charts since its release. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed via Netflix, the film was viewed more than 569 million times in eight months. It then made the leap to sing-along screenings around the world. The fast-paced story is propelled by a catchy soundtrack, which fuses Korean lyrics with Western pop elements. The fictional K-pop group Huntr/x became the first girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious in 2001. Frozen’s Let it Go only ever got to number five. Golden won a Golden Globe, and also became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy. A movie for the K–pop generation The film itself is unashamedly pop. When the Saja Boys first perform onscreen, the girls can’t help but join the crowd in wiggling their shoulders. “It is annoyingly catchy,” Rumi concedes. Gen-Z language is embedded throughout the film, such as when Rumi reflects on her journey to become “the Queen” she’s meant to be. When Mira croons, “fit check for my napalm era”, she is both checking her outfit and prepping for an explosive battle. The word play here adds several layers of meaning. Those watching the music charts in the film closely will also spot an in-joke when they see a Huntr/x song rise above real-world group Twice (members of which were vocalists for several Huntr/x songs). The narrative both analyses internet culture and strongly connects with its potential, exhibiting attributes shown to increase viral success. The film’s high energy, fun tone and often celebratory sequences make it very shareable; fans were quick to create TikTok dances, memes and gifs. Its critical and commercial success is also grounded in deliberate cultural policy in the form of hallyu (aka the Korean wave). This cultural export strategy was first implemented by the South Korean government in the late 1990s to exert soft power through cultural products that draw positive attention to – and drive economic interest in – the country. KPop Demon Hunters’ visuals are grounded in Korean cultural references, from the traditional gat hats worn by the demon boy band, to the humour of the tiger-magpie duo Derpy and Sussie – motifs based on hojakdo folk art, which presented an early form of social critique through a bumbling aristocratic tiger and a wise common-folk magpie. Virality balanced with contemporary concerns From Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to the Sailor Moon anime and manga, to Wednesday, supernatural fantasy texts often depict young women fighting monsters as metaphors for contemporary moral dilemmas. So what are the metaphors here? The film’s literal “demonisation” of pop music isn’t subtle. Yet it acts as meta-textual commentary, actively countering narratives that frame pop culture as inherently negative or destructive. It also highlights the outsized power of celebrities and influencers in the world today, and how they can leverage our attention for their own ends. The Saja Boys play with the notion of influencer as “idol” – in both the celebrity and religious sense – causing viewers to reflect on what celebrities sacrifice for fame, and how it’s a misjudgement to see them as more than human. The Korean word saja has a dual meaning of both lion and Grim Reaper, subtly emphasising the risks of idolisation. For generations raised in the shadows of influencers, the film raises important moral questions. At a time when studios are increasingly leaning on safe options such as adaptations, franchises and sequels, KPop Demon Hunters gave us an original, clever story that caters to online cultures and underrepresented groups, while exploring a range of contemporary anxieties. That, indeed, is how “it’s done, done, done”. Jennifer Stokes, Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning Innovation, Adelaide University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

75 pc of consumers, 97 pc of doctors in India trust AI for healthcare: Report (2026-03-16T13:36:00+05:30)

IANS Photo New Delhi, March 6 (IANS): About 75 per cent of consumers and 97 per cent of primary care providers (PCPs) in India are ready to embrace artificial intelligence (AI)-powered healthcare solutions for tasks such as disease prediction, risk assessment, and diagnosis, a new report said on Thursday. The report by, ZS -- a leading management consulting and technology solutions firm -- showed how India is on the brink of a healthcare transformation, driven by unprecedented levels of trust in AI. It highlights that over 60 per cent of Indians are open to adopting virtual care models for services ranging from routine consultations to chronic disease management -- marking a pivotal shift toward digital-first healthcare. Further, more than 63 per cent of Indians show a strong interest in using AI-powered health apps for various healthcare needs including awareness, triage, and adherence. The report also stressed challenges and barriers such as accessibility; increasing pressure on healthcare systems due to ageing populations; overburdened providers and workforce shortages; infrastructure gaps and fragmented care delivery. Regulatory frameworks for data privacy and ethical AI usage also raise significant concerns. “There is a substantial opportunity for healthcare providers and technology companies to capitalise on the high digital health adoption rate. Leveraging data, AI, and technology can transform healthcare by closing care gaps, enhancing patient empowerment, and enabling healthcare providers to deliver flexible care models,” said the report. It recommended stakeholders collaborate to create integrated solutions that align with consumer preferences and relieve strained healthcare systems.The report surveyed more than 12,000 consumers and 1,500 healthcare professionals across India, the US, the UK, China, Brazil, and Japan to reveal critical insights into the current market challenges and future opportunities shaping the global healthcare landscape. 75 pc of consumers, 97 pc of doctors in India trust AI for healthcare: Report | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Karisma Kapoor 'honoured' to be a part of a round table attended by Queen of Jordan (2026-02-27T13:42:00+05:30)

(Source Instagram) Mumbai, (IANS) Actress Karisma Kapoor took to her social media account to share a glimpse from her recent exclusive roundtable attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, further describing the experience as an ‘honour and privilege’. Karisma took to her social media account to post a group photograph from the private gathering, which saw a select group of successful women from different walks of life for a discussion on women’s empowerment, leadership. In the picture shared by Karisma, the actress is seen dressed in a soft yellow traditional ensemble, standing alongside Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Sharing the image, Karisma wrote, “It was an honour and privilege to be part of a private roundtable in the esteemed presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah alongside such inspiring women engaging in heartfelt dialogue on women’s empowerment, leadership and the future.” She added, “Moments like these are a powerful reminder that when women come together with purpose, honesty and vision they don’t just shape conversations they help shape the future for the next generation. Grateful to have been part of something so meaningful.” Talking about Karisma Kapoor's Bollywood journey, the actress made her Bollywood debut with “Prem Qaidi” in 1991 and went on to become one of the leading stars of the 90s era of Bollywood. She delivered several hits including “Raja Hindustani”, “Dil To Pagal Hai”, “Biwi No.1”, “Hero No.1”, “Coolie No.1”, “Saajan Chale Sasural” and “Judwaa”. Apart from commercial projects, Karisma also earned immense critical acclaim for her powerpack performances in “Fiza”, “Zubeidaa” and “Shakti: The Power”. She had also won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for “Dil To Pagal Hai”.On the personal front, Karisma married now late businessman Sanjay Kapur in 2003, post which she took a quick sabbatical from work. The couple has two children, daughter Samaira and son Kiaan. After a decade of marriage, Karisma and Sanjay went seperate ways and were granted divorce in 2016. Karisma Kapoor 'honoured' to be a part of a round table attended by Queen of Jordan | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

News sites are locking out the Internet Archive to stop AI crawling. Is the ‘open web’ closing? (2026-02-26T11:26:00+05:30)

Tai Neilson, Macquarie University When the World Wide Web went live in the early 1990s, its founders hoped it would be a space for anyone to share information and collaborate. But today, the free and open web is shrinking. The Internet Archive has been recording the history of the internet and making it available to the public through its Wayback Machine since 1996. Now, some of the world’s biggest news outlets are blocking the archive’s access to their pages. Major publishers – including The Guardian, The New York Times, the Financial Times, and USA Today – have confirmed they’re ending the Internet Archive’s access to their content. While publishers say they support the archive’s preservation mission, they argue unrestricted access creates unintended consequences, exposing journalism to AI crawlers and members of the public trying to skirt their paywalls. Yet, publishers don’t simply want to lock out AI crawlers. Rather, they want to sell their content to data-hungry tech companies. Their back catalogues of news, books and other media have become a hot commodity as data to train AI systems. Robot readers Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini require access to large archives of content (such as media content, books, art and academic research) for training and to answer user prompts. Publishers claim technology companies have accessed a lot of this content for free and without the consent of copyright owners. Some began taking tech companies to court, claiming they had stolen their intellectual property. High-profile examples include The New York Times’ case against ChatGPT’s parent company OpenAI and News Corp’s lawsuit against Perplexity AI. Old news, new money In response, some tech companies have struck deals to pay for access to publishers’ content. NewsCorp’s contract with OpenAI is reportedly worth more than US$250 million over five years. Similar deals have been struck between academic publishers and tech companies. Publishing houses such as Taylor & Francis and Elsevier have come under scrutiny in the past for locking publicly funded research behind commercial paywalls. Now, Taylor & Francis has signed a US$10 million nonexclusive deal with Microsoft granting the company access to over 3,000 journals. Publishers are also using technology to stop unwanted AI bots accessing their content, including the crawlers used by the Internet Archive to record internet history. News publishers have referred to the Internet Archive as a “back door” to their catalogues, allowing unscrupulous tech companies to continue scraping their content. The cost of making news free The Wayback Machine has also been used by members of the public to avoid newspaper paywalls. Understandably, media outlets want readers to pay for news. News is a business, and its advertising revenue model has come under increasing pressure from the same tech companies using news content for AI training and retrieval. But this comes at the expense of public access to credible information. When newspapers first started moving their content online and making it free to the public in the late 1990s, they contributed to the ethos of sharing and collaboration on the early web. In hindsight, however, one commentator called free access the “original sin” of online news. The public became accustomed to getting their digital editions for free, and as online business models shifted, many mid- and small-sized news companies struggled to fund their operations. The opposite approach – placing all commercial news behind paywalls – has its own problems. As news publishers move to subscription-only models, people have to juggle multiple expensive subscriptions or limit their news appetite. Otherwise, they’re left with whatever news remains online for free or is served up by social media algorithms. The result is a more closed, commercial internet. This isn’t the first time that the Internet Archive has been in the crosshairs of publishers, as the organisation was previously sued and found to be in breach of copyright through its Open Library project. The past and future of the internet The Wayback Machine has served as a public record of the web for more than three decades, used by researchers, educators, journalists and amateur internet historians. Blocking its access to international newspapers of note will leave significant holes in the public record of the internet. Today, you can use the Wayback Machine to see The New York Times’ front page from June 1997: the first time the Internet Archive crawled the newspaper’s website. In another 30 years, internet researchers and curious members of the public won’t have access to today’s front page, even if the Internet Archive is still around. Today’s websites become tomorrow’s historical records. Without the preservation efforts of not-for-profit organisations like The Internet Archive, we risk losing vital records. Despite the actions of commercial publishers and emerging challenges of AI, not-for-profit organisations such as the Internet Archive and Wikipedia aim to keep the dream of an open, collaborative and transparent internet alive. Tai Neilson, Senior Lecturer in Media, Macquarie University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

S. Korea becomes 1st nation to enact comprehensive law on safe AI usage (2026-02-20T12:23:00+05:30)

IANS Photo Seoul, (IANS): South Korea on Thursday formally enacted a comprehensive law governing the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) models, becoming the first country globally in doing so, establishing a regulatory framework against misinformation and other hazardous effects involving the emerging field. The Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Establishment of a Foundation for Trustworthiness, or the AI Basic Act, officially took effect Thursday, according to the science ministry, reports Yonhap news agency. It marked the first governmental adoption of comprehensive guidelines on the use of AI globally. The act centres on requiring companies and AI developers to take greater responsibility for addressing deepfake content and misinformation that can be generated by AI models, granting the government the authority to impose fines or launch probes into violations. In detail, the act introduces the concept of "high-risk AI," referring to AI models used to generate content that can significantly affect users' daily lives or their safety, including applications in the employment process, loan reviews and medical advice. Entities harnessing such high-risk AI models are required to inform users that their services are based on AI and are responsible for ensuring safety. Content generated by AI models is required to carry watermarks indicating its AI-generated nature. "Applying watermarks to AI-generated content is the minimum safeguard to prevent side effects from the abuse of AI technology, such as deepfake content," a ministry official said. Global companies offering AI services in South Korea meeting any of the following criteria -- global annual revenue of 1 trillion won ($681 million) or more, domestic sales of 10 billion won or higher, or at least 1 million daily users in the country -- are required to designate a local representative. Currently, OpenAI and Google fall under the criteria. Violations of the act may be subject to fines of up to 30 million won, and the government plans to enforce a one-year grace period in imposing penalties to help the private sector adjust to the new rules.The act also includes measures for the government to promote the AI industry, with the science minister required to present a policy blueprint every three years. S. Korea becomes 1st nation to enact comprehensive law on safe AI usage | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

India tops global index in AI skills penetration, hiring (2026-02-17T14:02:00+05:30)

(IANS photo) New York, (IANS) India, which is hosting the International Artificial Intelligence Summit next week, ranks at the top in diffusion of AI skills and AI hiring in an international ranking of countries harnessing the power of AI. India comes second in economic competitiveness in the 2026 Global Vibrancy Index (GVI) produced by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centred AI. Only the US has a better score in this category. Overall, in the GVI, India now ranks behind only the United States and China. Within the subcategory of talent within the competitiveness criteria of the GVI, India overtakes the US, propelled by its performance in the AI Skills Penetration and AI Hiring Ratio headers. India is also second in the “AI-Related Social Media Conversations Net Sentiment”, “AI GitHub Projects” and “AI GitHub Projects Stars” sub-categories. GitHubs are used for integrating projects and making components easily accessible. The Institute attributed India’s rankings to renewed major initiatives to strengthen its position in the global AI ecosystem. “This focus illustrates how nations worldwide continue to treat AI as a strategic national priority,” the institution at the heart of Silicon Valley added. India, which ranked seventh in the first GVI released in 2017, overtook countries like Japan, Germany, Singapore and Britain in the latest version, propelled by progress in research and development. India is set to host the India AI Impact Summit from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Being hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the IndiaAI Mission, the summit will bring together governments, industry leaders, researchers, startups, students and citizens from across the world. It is envisioned as a pivotal global platform to shape a future-oriented agenda for inclusive, responsible and impactful AI and aims to move beyond high-level discussions and deliver tangible outcomes that can support economic growth, social development and sustainable use of AI.The Summit will be structured around three core pillars -- People, Planet, and Progress -- with discussions focusing on employment and skilling, sustainable and energy-efficient AI, and economic as well as social development. Seven thematic working groups, co-chaired by representatives from the Global North and Global South, will present concrete deliverables, including proposals for AI Commons, trusted AI tools, shared compute infrastructure, and sector-specific compendiums of AI use cases. India tops global index in AI skills penetration, hiring | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Mithila Palkar didn’t plan her professional journey, says she went with the flow (2026-02-13T13:22:00+05:30)

(Photo : IANS/mithilapalkar/insta) Mumbai, (IANS): Actress-singer Mithila Palkar, who is known for ‘Little Things’, ‘Karwaan’, ‘Chopsticks’, and others, has shared that she didn’t operate under a larger plan to achieve a goal in her professional life. Mithila broke out as a singer on the Internet, later followed it up with acting on OTT, and transitioned into the theatricals. When asked about her conscious choices as an artiste that she took up in her journey, the actress told IANS, “I have always maintained that I went with the flow when it came to navigating my professional life. For me to be an actor, I grabbed it with both hands. What did I know what the internet was going to do? 10 years ago, we were all just starting out on the Internet. The internet revolution was just beginning, in terms of the Internet being a legit medium of entertainment. That time TV and theater and films were the big things. Radio was a big thing. So, we didn't know that the Internet could play out this way. So, I was also experimenting. I was willing to experiment with anything that would let me be an actor and that would give me the creative satisfaction of being an actor”. She further mentioned, “So, I auditioned for anything and everything. The way life has played out for me, is something that I don't think I could have planned better for myself. So, I'm glad I didn't plan it. BecauseI gave myself the freedom to go with the flow and I literally did. I got Filter Copy, who gave me ‘News Darshan’, which was a new satire comedy show after which Dhruv and I did two comedy sketches. And after that, ‘Little Things’ happened, ‘Girl in the City’ happened. So, everything kind of took off from the previous thing. So, I don't think if I would have planned it, I would have planned it this well”.“I do want to mention that I was fortunate that I met the right people at the right time. The people whom I spoke with 8 years ago, we haven't met after that. But 8 years ago, that person mattered a lot in my life, they were very fundamental person in my journey. And I will not forget those people. I'm not mentioning too many of them. But I will not forget what they did for me that helped me push myself. And they have been like, I have had mentors through various phases of my life who have just, you know, stuck by me and said, ‘You don't want to do it? Don't do it’. And maybe after that, we didn't talk because it was just related to one certain project. But they have stuck by me. So, I am very grateful that I did meet the right people at the right time who were kind enough to lead the way for me”, she added. Mithila Palkar didn’t plan her professional journey, says she went with the flow | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Internet shutdowns are increasing dramatically in Africa – a new book explains why (2026-01-10T13:47:00+05:30)

Tony Roberts, Institute of Development Studies Between 2016 and 2024 there were 193 internet shutdowns imposed in 41 African countries. This form of social control is a growing trend in the continent, according to a new open access source book. It has provided the first-ever comparative analysis of how and why African states use blackouts – written by African researchers. The book, co-edited by digital rights activist and internet shutdown specialist Felicia Anthonio and digital researcher Tony Roberts, offers 11 in-depth case studies of state-sponsored shutdowns. We asked five questions about it. How do you define an internet shutdown and why do they happen? Put simply, an internet shutdown is an intentional disruption of online or mobile communications. They’re usually ordered by the state and implemented by private companies, internet service providers or mobile phone companies, or a combination of those. The book argues that internet shutdowns are not legal, necessary or proportional in accordance with international human rights law. Shutdowns intentionally prevent the free flow of information and communication. They disrupt online social, economic and political life. So, each internet shutdown typically violates the fundamental human rights of millions of citizens. This includes their rights to freedom of expression, trade and commerce, democratic debate and civic participation online. Our research looked at case studies from 11 countries between 2016 and 2024. It reveals these shutdowns are timed to coincide with elections or peaceful protests in order to repress political opposition and prevent online reporting. In Senegal five politically motivated shutdowns in just three years transformed the country’s digital landscape. It cut off citizens’ access to online work, education and healthcare information. The Uganda chapter shows how the government imposed social media shutdowns during the election. They were fearful of dissenting voices online including that of musician and politician Bobi Wine. In Ethiopia internet shutdowns are timed to coincide with opposition protests and to prevent live coverage of state violent repression. In Zimbabwe the government cut off the internet in 2019 to quell anti-government demonstrations. It should be a concern that regimes are imposing these digital authoritarian practices with increasing frequency and with impunity. What are the big trends? The report warns that internet shutdowns are being used to retain power through authoritarian controls. Across Africa, governments are normalising their use to suppress dissent, quell protests and manipulate electoral outcomes. These blackouts are growing in scale and frequency from a total of 14 shutdowns in 2016 to 28 shutdowns in 2024. There have been devastating consequences in an ever-more digitally connected world. Internet shutdowns have also increased in sophistication. Partial shutdowns can target specific provinces or websites, so that opposition areas can be cut off. In recent years foreign states, military regimes and warring parties have also resorted to the use of internet shutdown as a weapon of war. This was done by targeting and destroying telecommunications infrastructure. Ethiopia has experienced the most internet shutdowns in Africa – 30 in the last 10 years. They’ve become a go-to tactic of the state in their attempt to silence dissent in the Oromo and Amhara regions. Shutdowns are timed to coincide with state crackdowns on protests or with military actions – preventing live reporting of human rights violations. Ethiopia is a clear example of how internet shutdowns both reflect and amplify existing political and ethnic power interests. Zimbabwe is one of many examples in the book of the colonial roots of shutdowns. The first media shutdowns in Zimbabwe were imposed by the British, who closed newspapers to silence calls for political independence. After liberation, the new government used its own authoritarian control over the media to disseminate disinformation and curtail opposition calls for justice and full democracy. Towards the end of former president Robert Mugabe’s rule, the government imposed a variety of nationwide internet shutdowns. It also throttled the speed of the mobile internet, degrading the service enough to significantly disrupt opposition expression and organisation. Sudan has experienced 21 internet shutdowns in the last decade. These have increased in recent years as the political and military action has intensified. Intentional online disruption has been consistently deployed by the state during protests and periods of political unrest, particularly in response to resistance movements and civil uprisings during the ongoing conflict. Has there been effective resistance to shutdowns? Activists resist by using virtual private network software (VPNs) to disguise their location. Or by using satellite connections not controlled by the government and foreign SIM-cards. They also mobilise offline protests despite violent repression. Nigeria has not suffered the same volume of internet shutdowns as Sudan or Ethiopia. This is partly because civil society is stronger and is able to mount a more robust response in the face of state disruption of the right to free expression. When an internet shutdown has been imposed in Nigeria, the state has not enjoyed the same impunity as the government in Zimbabwe or elsewhere. When Nigerians were unable to work online or participate in the online social and political life of the community, they took decisive action by acting collectively. They selectively litigated against the government. This led to the courts ruling that the internet shutdown was not lawful, necessary or proportionate. The government was forced to lift the ban. How has 2025 fared when it comes to shutdowns? We have seen both positive and negative trends in 2025. The total number of internet shutdowns across the continent continues to grow. The increasing ability of regimes to narrowly target shutdowns on specific areas is of great concern as it allows the state to punish opposition areas while privileging others. On the positive side, we have seen resistance rise: both in terms of the use of circumvention technologies but also in the emerging ability of civil society organisations to stand up to repressive governments. What must happen to prevent shutdowns? The right to work, freedom of expression and association, and the right to access education are fundamental human rights both offline and online. African governments are signatories to both the Universal Convention on Human Rights and to the Africa Union Charter on Human and People’s Rights. Yet, politicians in power too often ignore these commitments to preserve their personal hold on power. In some African countries citizens are now exercising their own power to hold governments to account but this is easier in countries that have strong civil society, independent courts and relatively free media. Even where this is not the case the constitutional court is an option for raising objections when the state curtails fundamental freedoms. And while it is states that order internet shutdowns, it is private mobile and internet companies that implement them. Private companies have obligations to promote and protect human rights. If companies agreed collectively not to contribute to rights violations and refused to impose internet shutdowns, it would be a great leap forward in ending this authoritarian practice. Tony Roberts, Digital Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Web’s inventor says news media bargaining code could break the internet. He’s right — but there’s a fix (2026-01-07T11:43:00+05:30)

Tama Leaver, Curtin University The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has raised concerns that Australia’s proposed News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code could fundamentally break the internet as we know it. His concerns are valid. However, they could be addressed through minor changes to the proposed code. How could the code break the web? The news media bargaining code aims to level the playing field between media companies and online giants. It would do this by forcing Facebook and Google to pay Australian news businesses for content linked to, or featured, on their platforms. In a submission to the Senate inquiry about the code, Berners-Lee wrote: Specifically, I am concerned that the Code risks breaching a fundamental principle of the web by requiring payment for linking between certain content online. […] The ability to link freely — meaning without limitations regarding the content of the linked site and without monetary fees — is fundamental to how the web operates. Currently, one of the most basic underlying principles of the web is there is no cost involved in creating a hypertext link (or simply a “link”) to any other page or object online. When Berners-Lee first devised the World Wide Web in 1989, he effectively gave away the idea and associated software for free, to ensure nobody would or could charge for using its protocols. He argues the news media bargaining code could set a legal precedent allowing someone to charge for linking, which would let the genie out of the bottle — and plenty more attempts to charge for linking to content would appear. If the precedent were set that people could be charged for simply linking to content online, it’s possible the underlying principle of linking would be disrupted. As a result, there would likely be many attempts by both legitimate companies and scammers to charge users for what is currently free. While supporting the “right of publishers and content creators to be properly rewarded for their work”, Berners-Lee asks the code be amended to maintain the principle of allowing free linking between content. Google and Facebook don’t just link to content Part of the issue here is Google and Facebook don’t just collect a list of interesting links to news content. Rather the way they find, sort, curate and present news content adds value for their users. They don’t just link to news content, they reframe it. It is often in that reframing that advertisements appear, and this is where these platforms make money. For example, this link will take you to the original 1989 proposal for the World Wide Web. Right now, anyone can create such a link to any other page or object on the web, without having to pay anyone else. But what Facebook and Google do in curating news content is fundamentally different. They create compelling previews, usually by offering the headline of a news article, sometimes the first few lines, and often the first image extracted. For instance, here is a preview Google generates when someone searches for Tim Berners-Lee’s Web proposal: Evidently, what Google returns is more of a media-rich, detailed preview than a simple link. For Google’s users, this is a much more meaningful preview of the content and better enables them to decide whether they’ll click through to see more. Another huge challenge for media businesses is that increasing numbers of users are taking headlines and previews at face value, without necessarily reading the article. This can obviously decrease revenue for news providers, as well as perpetuate misinformation. Indeed, it’s one of the reasons Twitter began asking users to actually read content before retweeting it. A fairly compelling argument, then, is that Google and Facebook add value for consumers via the reframing, curating and previewing of content — not just by linking to it. Can the code be fixed? Currently in the code, the section concerning how platforms are “Making content available” lists three ways content is shared: content is reproduced on the service content is linked to an extract or preview is made available. Similar terms are used to detail how users might interact with content. If we accept most of the additional value platforms provide to their users is in curating and providing previews of content, then deleting the second element (which just specifies linking to content) would fix Berners-Lee’s concerns. It would ensure the use of links alone can’t be monetised, as has always been true on the web. Platforms would still need to pay when they present users with extracts or previews of articles, but not when they only link to it. Since basic links are not the bread and butter of big platforms, this change wouldn’t fundamentally alter the purpose or principle of creating a more level playing field for news businesses and platforms. In its current form, the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code could put the underlying principles of the world wide web in jeopardy. Tim Berners-Lee is right to raise this point. But a relatively small tweak to the code would prevent this, It would allow us to focus more on where big platforms actually provide value for users, and where the clearest justification lies in asking them to pay for news content. For transparency, it should be noted The Conversation has also made a submission to the Senate inquiry regarding the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code. Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.