India mulls using AI for better governance: Prabhu
Bengaluru, July 12 : India is keen on implementing the disruptive technologies of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for better governance, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday.
"India is keen to take AI as the thrust area and looks forward to implement AI in all governance and across the industry," Prabhu said addressing the 14th India Innovation Summit by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) through video conferencing.
The central government will provide its support for the AI industry to build and maintain a start-up ecosystem that promotes innovation, Prabhu added.
The two-day CII summit from July 12-13 is being held with the theme 'India.AI - Driving the Future for the World', with the participation of Indian industry and government officials.
In a world that is continually evolving with disrupting technology, Karnataka will leave no stone unturned in making the state future-ready, the state's Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT&BT) Minister K.J. George said on the occasion.
"The state is placing emphasis on training and capacity building. New talent development centres and incubation facilities are being set up in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad," George said.
The governments must also make sure to allow the industry to try out AI-based applications in an environment that is safe and secure, added the Chairman of India Innovation Summit and co-founder of software major Infosys Kris Gopalakrishnan.
"AI will be good for the world provided the technology is used appropriately and this is where the government will have a role. We need to create a sand box for AI introduction in India so that we don't slow down progress, while also ensuring regulations are in place," he said.
India has the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the world in AI by educating and re-training its workforce, he added.
The summit will deliberate on topics like impact of AI on smart farming, healthcare and the use of AI in learning, automobiles and the like.
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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
