Technology

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Meta will directly report child safety matters to India's Cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the US-based technology giant said on Tuesday.

The decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of Meta in India over the alleged circulation and promotion of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through advertisements on Instagram.

The government has said the online safety of children is a fundamental principle for every social media platform operating in India and remains non-negotiable, according to government sources. The commitment by Meta is being seen as a first step towards strengthening safeguards for children on social media platforms, they added.

Meta -- in a statement on the ongoing issue -- said protecting children on its platforms is a priority and that it is committed to working with the government to ensure perpetrators of such crimes are held responsible.

"To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cyber crime portal managed by I4C," a Meta spokesperson said.

Social media platforms can be used to circulate or facilitate access to CSAM and other forms of child exploitation.

Reporting such cases to law enforcement agencies would help ensure that such incidents are not dealt with solely through platforms' internal content-moderation systems.

The government has stressed that more needs to be done and that discussions are continuing with other social media platforms to proactively identify and remove harmful content.

It has also warned that action could be taken against platforms that fail to adopt adequate proactive measures to protect children online.

The development comes amid growing global scrutiny of social media platforms over risks to children, including exposure to sexual exploitation, harmful content and online abuse.

In India, social media platforms are governed by the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which prescribe due-diligence obligations for intermediaries.

Meta had faced scrutiny after an investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found that Facebook and Instagram carried paid advertisements featuring child sexual abuse material this year, including AI-manipulated images of real children.

The investigation also found more than 300 advertisements featuring AI-generated child sexual abuse material on Meta's platforms.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Apple on Tuesday announced that it launched latest software updates with a new Siri AI, enhanced Apple Intelligence features and expanded parental controls, while separately announcing that iCloud+ subscribers in India will get access to Apple TV and Apple Arcade at no additional cost.

The new software releases include iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and tvOS 27, the US-based tech firm said. Siri AI -- the next generation of Apple's voice assistant -- is being rolled out as a beta in English.

Apple said support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish will be added in October.

Apart from that, the company has also introduced new tools to help parents manage children's digital experiences such as age-based safeguards for child accounts, approval for new websites and contacts, enhanced Communication Safety features and a redesigned Screen Time experience.

Separately, Apple said iCloud+ subscribers in India will receive access to Apple TV and Apple Arcade as part of their subscription from this month, at no additional cost.

The iCloud+ subscription will start at Rs 75 per month for 50GB of storage. Users will also get access to Apple Music Select, a collection of ad-free music stations.

Apple TV offers access to the company's original films and series, while Apple Arcade provides access to more than 200 games without advertisements or in-app purchases.

The company said iCloud+ with Apple TV and Apple Arcade will roll out in more than 100 countries and regions through the end of September.

However, Apple TV and Apple Arcade will no longer be available as individual subscriptions directly through Apple in India. But existing subscribers to the services will continue to have access through their iCloud+ subscription, with their individual subscriptions cancelled.

Similarly, Apple One will no longer be available to new subscribers in India, while existing Apple One subscribers will continue to have access to their plans, according to the company.

--IANS

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Palampur, Sep 14 (IANS) Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSKHPKV) and Savannah Seeds, a leader in rice seed technology, on Monday announced results from a multi-year study showing that direct-seeded SAVA-134 FullPage can help make rice production more climate-smart and resource efficient.

Compared with conventional transplanted rice systems, the approach reduced methane emissions by nearly 90 per cent, delivered the highest water productivity, improved soil health, and showed the greatest potential for carbon credit generation.

The study, “Popularisation of direct-seeded rice technology for climate change adaptation by reducing GHG emissions and acquiring carbon credit”, was conducted in two major rice-growing regions of Himachal Pradesh.

SAVA-134 FullPage is the commercial name of a rice variety that enables farmers to plant seeds directly into the ground like wheat, instead of growing them in watery mud nurseries and moving them by hand.

Led by Dr Dhanbir Singh, Assistant Soil Chemist, Department of Soil Science, CSKHPKV, and supported by Savannah Seeds, the research compared conventional transplanted rice with direct-seeded rice across multiple growing seasons. The assessment focused on yield, water use, GHG emissions, and soil health.

Among the direct-seeded treatments evaluated, SAVA-134 delivered the strongest overall balance of productivity, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability. It maintained strong yields while using fewer resources and generating a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

Rice is the world’s most important food crop, grown on more than 164 million hectares (405 million acres) and serving as a primary source of energy for more than half of the global population.

Asia produces about 90 per cent of the world’s rice, much of it through transplanted systems that require flooded fields, intensive labour, and large volumes of water. These practices also contribute significantly to methane emissions.

As farmers face rising pressure from labour shortages, water scarcity, production costs, and climate change, more sustainable rice production methods are increasingly important.

“Our goal was to evaluate practical solutions that can help farmers improve productivity while reducing environmental impact,” said Dr Dhanbir Singh.

“The results demonstrate that direct-seeded rice can play an important role in advancing more climate-smart and resource-efficient rice production systems.” “This study is a strong example of a public-private partnership working to develop climate-resilient and sustainable farming practices,” said Dr Vinod Sharma, Director of Research, CSKHPKV.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday met Iranian counterpart Dr Seyed Ali Madanizadeh here and discussed issues related to economic cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

According to the Finance Ministry, FM Sitharaman thanked Iran for its active participation in the BRICS Summit and productive engagement in deliberations under the Finance Track.

The two sides exchanged views on ways to further strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said in a post on X.

Earlier in September, the Finance Minister had met Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Zou Jiayi and discussed opportunities to deepen the India-AIIB partnership.

The discussions included supporting India's infrastructure and transport connectivity priorities, enhancing local-currency financing, increasing private-sector participation and expanding the global presence of AIIB, according to the Finance Ministry.

FM Sitharaman had also met Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, with the two sides discussing ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.

It was agreed to advance negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) to establish a mutually beneficial framework for enhancing investment flows and economic engagement. The two sides also discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the financial services sector.

Apart from that, FM Sitharaman held discussions with Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in the last week to advance negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and explore deeper cooperation in financial services as the two countries seek to strengthen economic engagement and achieve ambitious trade and investment targets.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026 at the 18th BRICS Summit in the national capital. In his closing remarks, Modi said the declaration gives clear direction to the shared resolve of BRICS members and called for translating the agreed resolutions into concrete results.

He described the discussions among BRICS leaders as meaningful and constructive, saying the changing world order cannot be managed by old institutions.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is preparing Aadhaar's infrastructure to handle up to 250-300 million authentications a day from around 100 million currently, Chairman Neelkanth Mishra said on Wednesday, citing rapid growth in adoption of the digital identity platform.

Speaking at the Global Fintech Festival 2026 here, Mishra said Aadhaar is currently processing about 10 crore authentications daily and the pace of growth has exceeded expectations.

I am surprised at the pace at which the authentications are growing. So we are now doing 10 crore authentications a day. We are preparing to be 25 to 30 crore, according to him.

The number of entities using Aadhaar has crossed 600, Mishra said. He said Aadhaar's adoption was increasingly being driven by convenience and trust, enabling identity verification at low cost and over long distances.

"For the efficiency of an economy to come up, you need collaboration. And for collaboration to happen at scale, you need trust," Mishra said. "What Aadhaar has done is it has allowed trust to be established at a distance and at a very low cost."

UIDAI is also pushing adoption of the Aadhaar app as part of a shift from paper-based processes to digital interactions. Downloads of the app have risen to nearly 60 million from about 50 million a few weeks ago, he said.

The app allows users to update information such as mobile numbers and addresses without visiting Aadhaar service centres.

Looking ahead, UIDAI has drawn up a technology roadmap for the next decade through an Aadhaar Vision Committee, with cybersecurity emerging as a key priority.

The authority is implementing post-quantum cryptography to prepare for future threats to existing encryption systems.

"We are going to work on, or we are implementing, post-quantum cryptography," Mishra said, adding that current public and private key systems could face vulnerabilities within the next three to five years.

UIDAI is also deploying artificial intelligence-based fraud detection tools, including facial and fingerprint liveness testing, to counter increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts.

"It is a cat and mouse game. Basically, the fraudsters keep getting smarter, but we are also getting smarter," he added.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) India launched a state‑of‑the‑art ocean research vessel, ORV Sagar Manthan, to expand indigenous oceanographic research and maritime capabilities, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The vessel was launched at Rishi Bankim Shipyard in Kolkata at the virtual presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Earth Sciences, and his spouse Manju Singh, named the vessel, keeping with the tradition.

The ship was designed, engineered and constructed by defense public sector undertaking Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Dr Singh praised the team for achieving the launch within just two years of contract signing and barely five months after keel laying, hailing it as an exceptional display of efficiency.

The vessel features advanced equipment and is integrated with dynamic positioning, multibeam bathymetry, multichannel seismic systems, sub-bottom profiling, weather radar, drop keels, and deployment facilities for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV).

It will support multidisciplinary exploration along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges to identify multi-metal hydrothermal sulphide mineralisation, establish environmental baselines, collect upper-air data, and undertake CTD profiling.

It is engineered to operate in extreme oceanic environments, including the Southern Ocean, with a projected service life of 30 years.

The vessel will gradually replace the 43‑year‑old ORV Sagar Kanya as India’s advanced oceanographic platform, said Dr Singh, commending MoES plans to acquire more oceanographic vessels and a Polar Research Vessel in the near future.

"This fine ship is India’s first advanced Ocean Research Vessel built by GRSE, displaying the required thrust towards Atmanirbharta and self-reliance," the minister said.

"Solid data collected by vessels like ORV Sagar Manthan will allow India to lead the global path in disaster prevention, take corrective environmental measures, and play a pivotal role in global ocean geopolitics," he added.

Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, expressed pride in India’s policy shift from acquiring research platforms abroad to building them domestically.

Ocean research is the foundation for understanding climate challenges, predicting tsunamis, and strengthening maritime capabilities, Kumar said, adding that the new ORV will feature underway swath multibeam surveys, geophysical profiling, atmospheric observations, and water column sampling.

—IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Prosecutors in Belgium said that a 52‑year‑old man with dual Chinese and Belgian nationality has been held in pre‑trial detention since May on suspicion of espionage in a case involving semiconductor technology, as per multiple reports.

Prosecutors said the accused had formerly held a senior position at Belgian microchip maker Belgan — a specialised producer of gallium nitride semiconductors that was declared bankrupt in July 2024, according to them.

He suspected of simultaneously acting as a director of a Chinese company set up months after he joined Belgan and financed by a Chinese investment fund.

While functioning in that role, he has allegedly made illegal transfers of specialised intellectual property and trade secrets abroad relating to the production of gallium nitride chips used in electric vehicles, aerospace and military applications, the prosecutors said.

The accused resided in Belgium and was arrested in May at Zaventem airport, while attempting ⁠to take a flight to Beijing.

Prosecutors said the man remained in detention and that a second suspect ⁠in the investigation remained at large.

A report by July-end said that China had sanctioned two Polish high-tech institutions in response to the European Union's latest sanctions against Russia. The development escalated trade and technology tensions between Beijing and Brussels.

The sanctions target Wrocław University of Science and Technology (WUST), one of Poland's leading technical universities known for its expertise in satellite technologies and space research and Vigo Photonics, a manufacturer of infrared components used in the defence, energy, medical and industrial sectors.

The move follows the European Union's 21st sanctions package against Russia, which included restrictions on several companies from China and Hong Kong over allegations that they supplied technologies and components supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine.

—IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 7 (IANS) Multiplex operator PVR INOX Limited on Monday clarified that a preliminary assessment into allegations of impropriety involving certain employees found no evidence of kickbacks, following reports of an internal probe into alleged Rs 200-crore irregularities.

In a stock exchange filing, PVR INOX said its two promoters received anonymous communications in early April 2026 alleging impropriety by certain employees. The communications did not specifically name former senior executive Pramod Arora, but referred to certain acronyms and initials.

"In early April 2026, the two

promoters of the Company received anonymous communications containing allegations of impropriety by

certain employees. These anonymous communications did not explicitly name Pramod Arora but used

some acronyms/initials instead," it said. "The communications did not provide any specific actionable details, such as

instances, dates or names of developers, who are alleged to have provided kick-backs," the company added in its regulatory filing.

The company said the communications lacked specific and actionable information, including details of alleged incidents, dates or the names of developers who were purportedly involved in providing kickbacks.

The promoters subsequently forwarded the communications to the company for consideration under its established policies. Despite the anonymous nature of the allegations and the absence of verifiable details, PVR INOX said it engaged external third-party experts to conduct a preliminary assessment as part of its corporate governance practices.

The company has now clarified that the preliminary examination did not indicate any evidence of kickbacks.

The clarification also comes in the context of Arora’s departure from the company. According to PVR INOX, Arora resigned on May 4, 2026, citing personal reasons. The company said it accepted his resignation subject to his continuing obligations towards PVR INOX and reserved all its rights and remedies.

PVR INOX further clarified that Arora was not asked to leave the company. His departure was subsequently communicated to the stock exchanges through an intimation dated May 25.

The multiplex operator reiterated that it has established policies, processes and internal controls governing its operations and relationships with stakeholders.

Meanwhile, shares of PVR INOX came under pressure on Monday. The stock closed at Rs 1,157.40 on the BSE, down Rs 69.70, or 5.68 per cent, amid investor reaction to the reports and the company’s clarification.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday approved capital acquisition proposals worth nearly Rs 1.10 lakh crore for the Indian armed forces.

The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), or in-principle administrative approval, to various acquisition proposals of the defence forces.

Of the total AoNs accorded, approximately 98 per cent of procurements will be made from the Indian Industry, according to an official statement.

For the Indian Army, approval was granted for the procurement of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Recce Vehicles, High Mobility Vehicles (HMV), Self-Propelled Mechanical Mine Layers (MML), Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs), Trawl Tanks, and Sarvatra Bridge System.

The official statement said the CBRN Recce Vehicles will be capable of detecting, identifying, monitoring, and marking areas contaminated with CBRN agents.

The HMVs will enhance operational capabilities, logistic support, and mobility in challenging terrains.

The MMLs will achieve the desired operational capability in terms of fast and responsive minelaying in difficult terrains.

Notably, the ALHs will execute complex missions across all terrains and operational situations for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. The Trawl Tanks and Bridge System will be utilised to provide composite crossings to fighting formations during operations in varied terrains.

For the Indian Navy, AoN was accorded for the procurement of Arudhra Radars, design & development and subsequent procurement of Marine Gas Turbines (MGT).

The Arudhra Radar will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various Naval Air Stations, and MGT, a warship propulsion system, will reduce dependency on foreign vendors, the statement said.

The statement further said that for the Indian Air Force, approval was granted to various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports, and helicopters.

Approval was also accorded for procuring Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammer (GBMPJ) and installing the Defence Forces Secure Access Card (DEFSAC) System.

The GBMPJ will provide effective jamming against radars of adversaries, and DEFSAC will replace existing paper-based Identity Card/Passes/Permits with an interoperable Radio Frequency Identification-based smart card system, the statement said.

--IANS

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Chennai, Sep 4 (IANS) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched its advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05 aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, adding a significant new capability to the country’s space-based monitoring system.

The 51.7-metre GSLV-F17 lifted off from the second launch pad at 2.55 a.m. following a 27.5-hour countdown.

The three-stage launch vehicle performed as planned and injected EOS-05 into the designated Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

The approximately 2,367-kg satellite will now undergo a series of orbit-raising manoeuvres before being positioned in its operational orbit.

EOS-05 has been developed to provide advanced Earth imaging capabilities from geosynchronous orbit.

Operating at a much greater altitude than conventional low-Earth-orbit observation satellites, the spacecraft will be capable of repeatedly observing large geographical areas.

The satellite is expected to enhance India’s ability to monitor the Indian subcontinent and adjoining regions and provide data for several civilian and strategic applications.

Its observations can support disaster management, agriculture, environmental assessment, natural resource management and the monitoring of weather-related events.

Frequent imaging from its operational position is also expected to improve the availability of information during rapidly developing natural disasters and other emergencies.

The mission marks another important step for India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle programme. GSLV-F17 is the 19th flight of the GSLV and uses India’s indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage.

The successful launch also represents progress in ISRO’s efforts to establish Earth-imaging capability from geosynchronous orbit. An earlier mission, GSLV-F10 carrying the EOS-03 Earth observation satellite, was unsuccessful in August 2021 after the cryogenic upper stage could not complete its planned operation.

EOS-05 gives ISRO another sophisticated platform in its expanding Earth observation programme and is expected to complement the country’s existing satellite network.

With the successful GSLV-F17 mission, India has strengthened its capacity for sustained observation of large areas from space, providing an important technological resource for disaster response, development planning and national requirements.

--IANS

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