Cancer Patient Marks Herself 'Terrorist' on Visa Waiver Form, Forced to Shell Out Rs 75,000
Scotland, Sept 29: A 29-year-old cancer patient accidentally ticked herself as a ‘terrorist’ on a visa waiver form, forcing her to postpone her trip to New York.
Mandie Stevenson, who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2015, made the error while filling an online application form that sought to know if she was ‘seeking’ or ever engaged in ‘terrorist activities or genocide’, according to a BBC report.
Stevenson only realised her folly when her application was rejected. The error meant she was forced to postpone her trip and fly to the US embassy in London to prove she was not a security threat.
The 29-year-old, who hails from Falkirk in Scotland, was granted a full visa after several gruelling interview rounds but was informed by the authorities that there was no guarantee her visa would arrive before her flight. She was also advised to book her trip to a later date.
Stevenson, who had to shell out over £800 (Rs 75, 589) for her blunder, said the mistake probably occurred because she thought she had ticked ‘no’ and “then when I scrolled down to click confirm, I think it nudged and moved. That’s the story I’m sticking to”.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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CM Naidu launches quantum facility in Amaravati to boost indigenous hardware ecosystem
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Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday launched a quantum reference facility here aimed at building India’s "first sovereign hardware ecosystem" and accelerating indigenous manufacturing of advanced computing systems.
The CM launched the facility at a private college in the greenfield capital city, dedicating the AQRF, comprising Amaravati 1S and Amaravati 1Q, to the nation.
Developed under the Amaravati Quantum Valley initiative, the systems are India’s "first indigenously built" open-access quantum computers, designed, assembled, and tested domestically with a supply chain spanning multiple institutions.
The launch, held on World Quantum Day, is expected to position Amaravati as a "major global hub for quantum technologies" and the anchor node of a future national network of quantum facilities.
Amaravati Quantum Reference Facility is India’s national quantum hardware testing ground, enabling validation, benchmarking, and certification of quantum components under real operating conditions, according to an earlier press release.
The facility addresses a major global gap where access to quantum hardware remains restricted, expensive, or opaque, limiting India’s ability to test and develop its own components.
AQRF will function as a fully instrumented platform where researchers, startups, and industry can directly access, observe, and test components such as processors, cryogenic systems, amplifiers, and control electronics.
The initiative is built on a predominantly domestic supply chain, with around 85 per cent of components manufactured within India, marking the "first time a full-stack quantum system" has been assembled indigenously, the press release said.
The facility also aims to break "global monopolies" in critical subsystems such as dilution refrigerators, control electronics, and precision hardware.
The project has been executed through a consortium consisting of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and others, which acted as the system integrator.
The manufacturing of quantum systems requires a reference facility where components can be tested at extreme temperatures close to minus 273 degrees Celsius, the lowest possible in the universe, to activate qubits and ensure performance, Chief Minister’s Secretary P S Pradyumna said earlier.
Unlike imported systems that operate as closed "black boxes", AQRF allows full visibility and hands-on access, enabling students and researchers to study and innovate directly.
The facility will also support workforce development, benchmarking standards, and certification frameworks, while enabling government and industry procurement of validated quantum components.
The state government is also focusing on large-scale skilling initiatives and plans to develop a dedicated quantum hardware ecosystem to support manufacturing and innovation, he said.
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