DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Gen Z hates phone calls, so one $9.7 billion company is pouring money into AI chatbots for customer service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI chatbots are expected to replace 20-30% of customer service agents by 2026, according to Gartner. Despite the potential savings and efficiency, AI customer service has seen limited adoption. AdvertisementGen Z hates talking on the phone, so companies like the $9.7 billion buy-now, pay-later giant Affirm are betting big on AI-powered chatbots. AI customer service hasn't been a panacea for all businesses, though. People tricked and hacked a car dealership's customer service AI in December, and in January, a UK mail service's bot swore at a customer.

Persons: —, Max Levchin, We've, Levchin, chatbots, that's, Deb Cupp, Mihir Shukla, hasn't Organizations: Gartner, Service, PayPal, Tech, Microsoft Locations: Davos

A video showing the aftermath of the strike that killed Shahed captured her sprawled on the ground next to her friends, her pink pants impossible to miss. Every time she came in, she said, ‘Mom.’ I would say, ‘My soul, my soul,’” Awda Talla told CNN. An analysis of the site of the attack, documented by a freelance journalist working for CNN in Gaza, paints a very different picture of Israeli military responsibility. Israeli military’s shifting responseCNN has pressed the Israeli military for details about the strike, which took place on April 16 at about 3:40 p.m., according to video evidence. The Israeli military declined to provide any additional evidence to back up its claims.

Persons: Mona Awda Talla, Shahed, Awda Talla, ’, Chris Cobb, Smith, It’s, ” Cobb, “, Shahed’s, Chris Lincoln, Jones, Cobb, –, Maghazi, ” Mahmoud Beha Abdel Lattif, I’m, ”, —, ” Sama, Ahmed Abu Jayyab Organizations: CNN, ”, British Army, CNN CNN, Artillery, Armament Research Services, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Gaza’s Al, Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Shahed, British, Al, Aqsa

CNN —A Russian missile strike killed and injured more than 70 people in the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine – an attack that could have been prevented if Ukraine was provided with better air defenses, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. At least 14 people were killed in the strike and 61 others were injured, including two children, Ukraine’s emergency services said. Russia’s strike comes after Zelensky has for months warned that Ukraine lacks the air defenses necessary to protect its skies. “This would not have happened if Ukraine had received a sufficient number of air defense systems and if the world’s determination to counter Russian terror had been sufficient,” Zelensky said. There must be equally sufficient determination from our partners and, as a result, sufficient support.”More than 70 people were killed and injured in the Russian strike.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelensky, Alina Mykolayets, Russia’s, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, “, Valentyn Ogirenko Organizations: CNN, Reuters, PBS Locations: Russian, Chernihiv, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

CNN —A lack of air defenses meant Ukraine was powerless to prevent a Russian airstrike last week that destroyed the biggest power plant in Kyiv region, President Volodomyr Zelensky said. Russia fired 11 missiles towards the Trypilska power plant, Zelensky said. We ran out of all missiles,” Zelensky told PBS NewsHour in an interview that aired Monday. Zelensky questioned why Israel has enjoyed such comprehensive support from NATO members despite not being a member of the alliance. The NATO allies, including NATO countries, have been defending Israel.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Zelenksy, Iran’s, wouldn’t, ”, Israel, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Anna Rose Layden Organizations: CNN, PBS, House Republicans, NATO, Conference, “ Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, United States, Israel, Iran, Jordanian, Taiwan, Washington ,

☆ Central Asian migrants face xenophobic backlash in Russia after Moscow terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The men had been in Russia as migrant workers on either temporary or expired visas, authorities said. But in the days since, that emotion – combined with the disturbing videos – appears to have unleashed a wave of xenophobia from some towards Central Asian migrant workers in general. Her organization offers legal assistance to migrants looking for help in Russia, often on a pro bono basis. We need to spread the word.”A user in another channel, with 200,000 followers, suggested there was no space for anyone to feel sorry for migrants in Russia. According to Umerov, there are some 7 million migrants in Russia, of whom around 80% are from Central Asia.

Persons: Moskovsky, “ I’m, Vladimir Putin, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Putin, ”, ‘ It’s, Valentina Chupik, Tong Jahoni, Temur Umerov, don’t, ” Umerov, Umerov, Emomali Rahmon, “ Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Crocus, Central, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Soviet, Kazakhstan —, Human Rights Watch, Central Asia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Hall, Russian, Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, European Bank for Reconstruction, “, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ISIS, Kremlin Locations: Moscow’s Crocus City, Tajikistan, Soviet, Central Asia, Russia, Ivanovo, Russian, Crocus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Illinois, Moscow, Central, Berlin, Ukraine, Kyrgyz, Tashkent, Western

☆ Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. “We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Navalny, Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Maria Pevchikh, “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, it’s, Christo Grozev, Clinton, Grozev, Biden, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Clinton “, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, ” Abramovich Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Kremlin, IK, Aspen Ideas, FSB, US National, National Security, Wall Street, Krasikov, Navalny, US Department of Justice Locations: Russian, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Siberia, Western, Russia, Aspen, Colorado, Berlin, Chechen, Europe, Germans, Brazil

Moscow CNN —Thousands of mourners gathered in Moscow for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention. APAround 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral began, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The live feed organized by Navalny’s team also dropped. Mourners gather around the casket of Alexey Navalny during his funeral in Moscow on March 1, 2024. as the Kremlin critic's coffin is carried to the Moscow church hosting his funeral.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, clapped, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Frank Sinatra’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Maria Pevchikh, Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Putin, Lyudmila Navalnaya –, –, ” Marina, “, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, of, Police, AP, CNN, Navalny’s, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, Borisov, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Siberian, Novosibirsk –, Yekaterinburg, Germany

Moscow CNN —Crowds of mourners have gathered at a Moscow church for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention, a CNN team on the ground reports. Navalny’s team encountered difficulty in retrieving his body from Russian authorities and hiring a venue for his funeral, which began at 2 p.m. local time (6 a.m. Around 20 minutes before Navalny’s funeral was set to begin, the live signal of the CNN team on the ground appeared to be blocked. The feed organized by Navalny’s team was also not showing live coverage of the scene. APBut Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, had said ahead of the funeral that she is concerned police will crack down mourners.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny’s, Dmitry Peskov, ”, clapped, “, ” Maria Pevchikh, ” Marina, …, ’ ”, Tatiana, ” Tatiana, Yulia Navalnaya, “ I’m Organizations: Moscow CNN, CNN, Kremlin, of, Police Locations: Moscow, Russian, Moscow’s Maryino, St . Petersburg, Russia, Germany

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West of the risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight for Ukraine, saying Moscow had the weapons to strike Western targets. In his annual state of the nation address to Russia’s elite on Thursday, Putin said claims that Russia intends to attack Europe are “nonsense” but warned that his country might strike Western countries with nuclear weapons. Putin referenced an idea floated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday said the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.” Several European leaders swiftly rejected the suggestion. Putin has raised the nuclear specter on several occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Russia transferred tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus last year, and CNN reported this month that Russia is attempting to develop a nuclear space weapon that could destroy satellites.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, ” Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, TASS, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Europe, Belarus, Avdiivka, Finland, Sweden

CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said. “Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said. Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich. Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin. Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ” Organizations: CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “ Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “

CNN —The mother of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony last week, said Thursday she had seen her son’s body and was being pressured to hold a secret funeral. Looking into my eyes they say that if I don’t agree to a secret funeral they will do something with my son’s body,” she said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN’s Matthew Chance that he had not seen the comments from Navalny’s mother regarding her son’s body and the issues she claims she is experiencing with investigators. The Russian prison service said Navalny “felt unwell after a walk” in his Siberian penal colony and “almost immediately” lost consciousness. He was initially imprisoned in a penal colony about 150 miles east of Moscow, but his lawyers in December said they had lost contact with him for nearly three weeks.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, Yulia Navalnaya, Vladimir Putin, Alexey, ”, Navalnaya, Voropayev, “, Dmitry Peskov, CNN’s Matthew Chance, ” Peskov, ” Navalny’s, Joe Biden, Sergey Lavrov, ” Lavrov, Navalny’s, ” Navalny, Putin, Kirill Kudryavtsev, –, Navalny “ Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Russian Investigative, Getty, IK Locations: Salekhard, Kremlin, ” Russia, Russian, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, California, Russia, Germany, AFP, Soviet, Moscow, Kharp

CNN —A US-Russian dual citizen has been arrested in Russia on charges of treason for allegedly collecting funds for Ukrainian organizations and openly supporting Kyiv. It also accused the woman of taking part in “public actions in support of the Kyiv regime” while in the US. The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for the accused,” the statement added. Moscow has detained several US citizens in recent years, some of whom have been exchanged for Russian prisoners held in Western countries. The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected Gershkovich’s lawyers appeal and has upheld his pretrial detention until March 30.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, “, Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Natalia Kolesnikova, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson, ”, Brittney, Viktor Bout, Griner, US Marine Paul Whelan Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Federal Security Service, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Embassy, US State Department, Wall Street, Court, Getty, Fox News, basketball, US Marine Locations: Russian, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, “, Lefortovo, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, AFP, United States

☆ Navalny’s widow accuses Putin of killing him and vows to continue his work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The widow of the Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his death and said she would pick up his fight for a “happy, beautiful Russia.”Yulia Navalnaya posted a video on her dead husband’s social media outlets Monday, saying Putin “killed the father of my children, Putin took away the most precious thing that was my closest and most beloved person.”She said Russian authorities were “hiding” Navalny’s body in an attempt to disguise the cause of his death – “lying pathetically” and waiting for “traces of another of Putin’s Novichoks to disappear.”Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent, in August 2020. A CNN and Bellingcat investigation later uncovered an FSB hit squad that planted the poison on his underwear. Navalnaya didn’t provide any evidence to support her claim that a second poisoning was the cause of her husband’s unexplained death in an Arctic penal colony on Friday. The Kremlin has said an investigation into the circumstances around Navalny’s death is “underway,” and the results are currently “unknown.”This is a breaking story. More details to come

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, ” Yulia Navalnaya, Putin “, Putin, Navalny Organizations: CNN, FSB Locations: Russian, Russia, ”

CNN —Russian authorities on Tuesday launched criminal proceedings against Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, charges the leader of the Baltic state alleged were politically motivated. The Kremlin accused Kallas, Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys of destroying or damaging monuments to Soviet monuments in memory of Soviet soldiers, Russia’s state-run Tass news reported. Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Kallas announced that Estonia would remove all of the country’s Soviet monuments from public spaces. A report by the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said Russia may consider doubling the number of troops stationed on its border with the Baltic countries and increasing those on its frontier with Finland, which joined NATO last year. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also on Tuesday delivered his annual foreign policy speech, which included fiery anti-Russian remarks and a full-throated backing for Ukraine.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Peterkop, Simonas, Dmitry Peskov, ” Kallas, ”, Vladimir Putin, Margus Tsahkna, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Kremlin, State, Lithuanian Culture, Russia, Soviet Union, European Union, NATO, Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, Ukraine Locations: Baltic, Estonian, Ukraine, Estonia, Russia, Siberia, Soviet, Finland, “

☆ Can Germany’s sputtering economy be revived in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Europe’s biggest economy shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. And the outlook isn’t much brighter: the International Monetary Fund predicts that Germany will be the slowest-growing major economy in 2024, eking out an increase of just 0.5%. “Germany needs a fundamental economic transformation,” Marcel Fratzcher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin, told CNN. Carsten Koall/Getty ImagesHomegrown troublesAlongside an external environment that has become more hostile to Germany’s outward-facing economy, the country’s internal political climate has worsened. Businesses such as these, which can find new markets and applications for their know-how, may hold the key to reviving Germany’s moribund economy.

Persons: What’s, ” Marcel Fratzcher, ”, Carsten Brzeski, Jens Schlueter, Constanze Stelzenmuller, Christian Lindner, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Carsten Koall, Michael Probst, Karl Haeusgen, ” Sebastian Shukla, Chris Stern Organizations: London CNN — Trains, Lufthansa, International Monetary Fund, European Union, European Commission, German Institute for Economic Research, CNN, ING, Brookings Institution, Volkswagen, Biden, Free Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party and, Green Party, Deutsche, LinkedIn, Investors, SAP, chipmaker Infineon, Intel, MAN Energy Solutions, Germany’s Machinery, Equipment Manufacturers Association Locations: Europe’s, Germany, Ukraine, Berlin, Europe, China, Zwickau, United States, Russia, “, Japan, masse, Frankfurt, ”, Hamburg, Jungheinrich, Augsburg, Munich, Esbjerg, Denmark

☆ Inside a meeting of Germany’s far-right AfD: Beer, bratwurst and conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Outside the hall, people grabbed a beer and a bratwurst before taking their seats inside, ignoring calls from the protesters down the road to come and talk. They came for an evening of conversation with the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), Germany’s leading far-right party. To one camp, this meeting represented a call for political change; to the other, a risk to German democracy. The AfD has officially tried to distance itself from the reports, saying it was not an official party meeting. But the AfD knows it has a struggle on its hands, as opponents of the party vow to keep protesting.

Persons: Germany’s, Adam, “, Chris Stern, Bessin, Lars Hunich, Marlon, Berndt, Hans, Christoph Berndt, he’s, ”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Nouripour, Dr Berndt, Hitler, Conspiracy, wouldn’t Organizations: CNN, Adam Sevens, ”, CNN Coalition of, Green, East Germany –, ” Protesters, Sevens Locations: Brandeburg, Germany, Freienthal, Netherlands, Italy, Berlin, Brandenburg, Potsdam, Brandenburg’s, Frienthal, East Germany, East Germany – Brandenburg, Thuringia, Saxony

CNN —Anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin has been barred from standing in Russia’s presidential election next month, in a move that further clears the country’s political landscape of opponents to Vladimir Putin. According to the CEC, Nadezhdin only collected 95,587 legitimate signatures, 5,000 short of 100,000 benchmark. Nadezhdin has disputed the CEC claims regarding the signatures and said he will appeal the refusal of his registration to the Supreme Court. Boris Nadezhdin speaks to journalists following the Central Election Commission ruling. Boris Nadezhdin/TelegramThe Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term as Russia’s president in next month’s election.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, ” Nadezhdin, Natalia Koleasnikova, Nadezhdin, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Putin, “, Nadezhdin’s, –, Boris Nadezdhin, – Putin, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolai Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Joseph Stalin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova Organizations: CNN, Central, CEC, Supreme, Commission, Getty, Duma, Civic Initiative Locations: Russia, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Europe, London, Paris, Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Soviet

☆ Modi’s ‘divine India’ vision threatens to marginalize millions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“(Today) is the beginning of a new time cycle,” Modi said at the new temple honoring Hindu deity Lord Ram. “After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived.”Modi’s vision of a “divine India” is a far cry from the ideas of the modern country’s founding fathers. “India becomes a de facto Hindu nation, where the task of building national Hindu religious symbols falls to the state. And he reiterated his party’s desire to build the Ram Temple on the contested holy site. Hindu groups have for decades claimed the Mughals destroyed Hindu temples, building mosques and other monuments in their place.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, ” Modi, Lord Ram, “, Ram, ”, Gilles Verniers, officiates, ‘, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Modi’s, ” Modi fasted, ” Narendra Modi, Prakash Singh, Pratishtha ”, –, Sunita Viswanath, “ Modi, tramples what’s, Ravi Agrawal, it’s, Babar, Douglas E, Curran, ” Agrawal, Ritesh Shukla, Aurangzeb, “ Aurangzeb, Policy’s Agrawal, Gilles Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Centre for Policy Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Indian, Human Rights, India’s, Ram Locations: Ayodhya, “, India, New Delhi, Babri, Delhi, India’s, Jammu, Kashmir, South Asia, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi

☆ Ayodhya temple: India’s Narenda Modi hails a new ‘divine India’ as he inaugurates Ram Mandir ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

By moving ahead of building the temple, now we all take the oath of building a national, capable, successful, beautiful, and divine India,” Modi said. His promise to build the Ram Mandir helped spur that initial election success. A devotee gets anoint the name of Lord Ram on his forehead ahead of the Inauguration of the Ram Mandir Temple on January 20, 2024 in Ayodhya, India. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images“I have come here to seek blessings from Lord Ram and Sita, I am very happy today,” she said. “I have come here to seek blessing from Lord Ram, Modi has done so much,” he said.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Lord Ram –, Ram, ” Modi, “ Ram, Modi, Lord Ram, Rafiq Maqbool, Pran Pratishtha, Mohan Bhagwat, ”, Yogi Adityanath, Acharya Mohanjodaro Bharadwaj, Babar, Money Sharma, Maulana Badshah Khan, “, ” Khan, weaponizing, Modi “, Modi fasted, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Chandravanshi, Ritesh Shukla, Sita, Lal Singh Khushwa Organizations: CNN, “, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Human Rights, AP, YouTube Locations: India, India’s Ayodhya, Babri, Ayodhya, Vedika, India's, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, New York, Square, South Asia, Sarayu, New India, US, Tamil Nadu, “, Chhattisgarh

☆ What the global elite are saying about AI behind closed doors
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementThe annual World Economic Forum just wrapped up in Davos, Switzerland, and talk of artificial intelligence was just about everywhere. AdvertisementPlenty of companies touted their AI wares at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. Related storiesAt Automation Anywhere, which, as its name suggests, works on automating work, the customer-service team shrank when AI was implemented. Others I spoke to agreed: Many businesses have small-scale AI experiments running, often with promising results so far. These AI projects are expensive, and not every company has the financial or human capital to pursue an ambitious AI strategy.

Persons: Matt Turner, —, Sam Altman, Rob Goldstein, copilots, Jason Girzadas, he'd, Oliver Wyman, Deb Cupp, Mihir Shukla, Ana Kreacic, Shukla, Becky Frankiewicz, Lareina Yee, WEF, Satish H.C, Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind, Kapilashram, Azeem Azhar, Dan Vahdat Organizations: Economic, Service, Tech, Infosys, IBM, Builder.ai, Cisco, Qualcomm, Salesforce, BlackRock, Deloitte, Microsoft, Oliver Wyman Group, Standard Chartered, McKinsey, Huma Therapeutics Locations: Davos, Switzerland

CNN —Josef Fritzl, the infamous Austrian rapist and sex offender, is seeking to be transferred from prison to a nursing home due to his deteriorating health and a recent psychiatric assessment that deemed him to be no longer a danger to society, according to his lawyer. Fritzl’s lawyer Astrid Wagner told CNN that “expert opinion suggests that his illness has reached a point where the likelihood of committing serious offenses with significant consequences has diminished,” citing the assessment. Fritzl kept four of those children captive in the cellar with his daughter, while allowing the others to live upstairs with his wife. Wagner is hoping that Fritzl will be released into an open prison and subsequently a nursing home. A three-judge panel will now decide whether he should be conditionally released to a regular prison.

Persons: CNN — Josef Fritzl, Astrid Wagner, Fritzl, Wagner, ”, Ferdinand Schuster, Krems, Schuster Organizations: CNN, ” CNN Locations: Austria, Fritzl, Krems

Some 165 photographers working on assignment for National Geographic shot more than 2.1 million images in 2023. The feature — published in the magazine's December issue and online in November — contains "stunning photographs that unearth remarkable, rarely seen moments," according to National Geographic. Louie PaluThe training was conducted in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to National Geographic. A journey homeThis harrowing photograph by Renan Ozturk — a former National Geographic "Adventurer of the Year" — captures a journey home. Today India celebrates "National Technology Day" annually on May 11 to commemorate the 1998 tests.

Persons: Kiliii Yuyan, Kiliii, Yuyan, Louie Palu, Liam Burke, Alexander Semenov, Renan Ozturk —, Renan Ozturk, Michael —, Nenad Sestan, Max Aguilera, Chinky Shukla, Taj Mohammad, Chinky Shukla Mohammad, Jaime Rojo Organizations: National Geographic, Pictures, Geographic, CNBC, NATO, Yale University, Yale, World Health Organization, India Locations: Rock, Palau, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, U.S, Ukraine, Finland, United States, Sandwich Islands, New Delhi, Rajasthan, India, Pokhran

☆ A Golden Treat for Diwali
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Christina Morales | More About Christina Morales | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the past decade, Ms. Mehta said, Indians have integrated some global ingredients into their traditional cooking for Diwali. In the United States, many Indian Americans make Diwali catering orders through Facebook or WhatsApp. Urja Shukla Bhatt, of Warminster, Pa., has been taking catering orders for snacks and dinner since at least August. Her mother-in-law, Daksha Bhatt, helps make the snacks, but Urja Shukla Bhatt cooks the Indian dishes for dinner. The pair is expecting to make at least 20 items, including hundreds of samosas and more than 20 pounds of chakri.

Persons: Bharadwaj, they’re, Nita Mehta, Mehta, Urja Shukla Bhatt, Daksha Bhatt, chakri, Bhatt Organizations: Facebook Locations: United States, Warminster, Pa

☆ Modi's government and some of India's elites are battling for control of one of the country's most elite private clubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Delhi Gymkhana Club is one of the oldest and most elite private clubs in India. AdvertisementAdvertisementMembers of the Delhi Gymkhana — one of the oldest private clubs in India — are trying to wrest back control after India's far-right government seized it in 2022. The club was first established by British colonists in 1913 as a sporting club called the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana, according to its website . Some of the club's members say that the government takeover is part of the BJP's broader agenda to control the country's social institutions. Ajai Shukla, a former army colonel, said the takeover reflects motivations to control "instruments of privilege and hand them out as favors."

Persons: —, Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party —, Ajai Shukla, Atul Dev, Dev Organizations: Delhi Gymkhana, Service, Imperial Delhi Gymkhana, Salute Magazine, Financial Times, Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindustan Times Locations: Delhi, India, Imperial

☆ California caste bill veto a setback for advocates; opponents say stigma averted
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Opponents of caste discrimination say it is no different from other forms of discrimination like racism and hence should be outlawed. In vetoing the bill, officially called Senate Bill 403 or SB 403, Newsom cited existing laws that already prohibit ancestry discrimination, which he said made the bill "unnecessary." U.S. discrimination laws ban ancestry discrimination but do not explicitly mention a ban on casteism. The caste system is among the world's oldest forms of rigid social stratification. The Dalit community is on the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system and members have been treated as "untouchables."

Persons: Carlos Barria, Gavin Newsom's, Newsom, Suhag Shukla, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Soundararajan, Samir Kalra, Kanishka Singh, Mary Milliken, Grant McCool, Mark Porter Organizations: REUTERS, Activists, University of California, Hindu American Foundation, American Foundation, Equality Labs, Migration Policy Institute, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Amnesty, MeToo International, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Berkeley, United States, South, India, Orange County, Washington

Search resuls for: "Shukla"

25 mentions found