Education on technology

Encouraged by high-profile successes elsewhere, India wants its private space companies to increase their share of the global launch market by fivefold within the next decade — an effort boosted by the personal support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the year after the country opened the way for private launches in 2020, the number of space startups more than doubled, from 21 to 47. At the end of 2022, Skyroot Aerospace , whose investors include Sherpalo Ventures and Singapore's GIC, launched India's first privately built rocket into space . "Many times initiatives get announced and they die. This is not one of those," said Pawan Goenka, an auto-industry veteran who last year was named head of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), a newly created space regulatory body. "Space is one of the most favourite areas of our prime minister right now, one that he wants to see move." Investors poured $119 million (nearly Rs. 980...

European lawmakers came a step closer to passing new rules regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT , following a crunch vote on Thursday where they agreed tougher draft legislation. The European Union's highly anticipated AI Act looks set to be the world's first comprehensive legislation governing the technology, with new rules around the use of facial recognition, biometric surveillance, and other AI applications. After two years of negotiations, the bill is now expected to move to the next stage of the process, in which lawmakers finalise its details with the European Commission and individual member states. Speaking ahead of the vote by two lawmakers' committees, Dragos Tudorache, one of the parliamentarians (MEPs) charged with drafting the laws, said: "It is a delicate deal. But it is a package that I think gives something to everyone that participated in these negotiations." "Our societies expect us to do something determined about ...

US network gear maker Cisco on Wednesday announced it will manufacture products, including routers and switches, in Tamil Nadu to meet rising demand from Indian customers and to diversify its global supply chain. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins also outlined plans targeting $1 billion (roughly Rs. 8.209 crore) of combined exports and domestic production from here amid the country's aggressive positioning as a manufacturing destination for global players. Robbins, who is currently visiting India met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had a series of discussions with External Affairs Minister, S.Jaishankar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, and Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman. Robbins said his discussion with the PM ranged from manufacturing to skills, and Cisco's programs, and from Artificial Intelligence to 5G, and sustainability. The Cisco CEO also met Reliance Industries Chairm...

EU antitrust regulators are seeking more information on Apple's mobile payment system, the European Commission said on Wednesday, a sign that the enforcer is looking to close any loopholes and boost its case against the iPhone maker. The EU competition watchdog last year accused Apple of restricting rivals' access to its tap-and-go technology, Near-Field Communication ( NFC ), used for mobile wallets, making it difficult for them to develop rival services on Apple devices. "We can confirm the sending of requests for information," a commission spokesperson said, while declining to provide details. Apple declined to comment. Apple has previously pointed to PayPal's success on its iOS mobile operating system as an option for users as well as competition from Danish rival MobilePay, Sweden's Swish and Belgium's Payconiq. Norwegian mobile payment app and complainant Vipps said, however, that alternatives to NFC are cumbersome and not competitive. Th...