Author: TheStateLine

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday met France's Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence, Anne Bouverot, on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, and discussed expanding collaboration in emerging technologies and research.Taking to X, Pradhan said he was glad to meet the French Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence during the summit in the national capital."Glad to meet Ms. Anne Bouverot, Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence, Government of France, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Productive discussions on deepening Indo-French engagements in AI. Also explored opportunities for more collaborations in research, innovation, science and emerging technologies," he posted.The minister emphasised that human-centric, responsib...

Guwahati, Feb 18 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday indicated that the upcoming Assam Assembly elections could be conducted in a single phase, keeping in mind the convenience of voters and prevailing local conditions.An ECI team, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, which is currently on a visit to Assam to review poll preparedness, briefed the media after a series of meetings with state officials and representatives of political parties.The Commission also hinted that the elections may be held before the Rongali Bihu festival, one of Assam's most significant cultural celebrations, to ensure maximum voter participation and smooth conduct of the polls.Addressing reporters, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that the Election Commission is committed to conducti...

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of acting arbitrarily and appeasing a particular community for political gains.“Mamata Banerjee herself is acting like a Tughlaq, she is not only issuing arbitrary orders but is also oppressing Hindus like Aurangzeb and with support of Bangladeshi Muslims she wants to remain in power, but Hindus of West Bengal are awakened now and people who call her lioness are wrong, she is not a lioness, she is a traitor,” Singh said.He further alleged, “She encourages intruders from Bangladesh and wants to make West Bengal another Bangladesh… she has made a traitor like Humayun who is building Babri masjid. If she would have not wanted, then that inaugur...

Bareilly, Feb 18 (IANS) After RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stated that Muslims living in India are also Hindus and “have not come from Arabia”, All India Muslim Jamiat President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi on Wednesday backed the remarks, saying Bhagwat was correct.He further said it is true that the ancestors of Indian Muslims were Hindus.Mohan Bhagwat had said, “Muslims living in India are also Hindus. They have not come from Arabia. They also need to be converted back to Hindu, but this work will happen gradually.” He made these remarks during a social harmony meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday.Expressing concern over the declining population growth rate among Hindus, Bhagwat also said there should be at least three children in every family. “Currently, the population rate is 2.1. It should be at...

Bengaluru, Feb 18 (IANS) Tension prevailed on the outskirts of Bengaluru city after more than 300 garbage trucks headed towards Doddaballapur were stopped by local residents and BJP leaders opposing the dumping of waste in the region on Wednesday.According to local sources, the trucks were rerouted towards Doddaballapur town following protests against garbage dumping in Mahadevapura in Bengaluru. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) had reportedly issued orders diverting the vehicles. However, the movement of trucks was halted after a recent road accident in which a child lost his life, which intensified public anger.The trucks were stopped near the Dodda Mankala region, where residents, led by BJP MLA Dheeraj Muniraju, blocked their passage. More than 300 vehicles were reportedly prevent...

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 18 (IANS) The Kerala BJP leadership has stepped up Assembly election preparations, drawing up a preliminary short list for 35 constituencies.The probable list, shaped at their state election committee meeting, will now be forwarded to the central leadership, with three names considered for each seat.While some constituencies may still see changes, key faces are already positioning themselves on the ground.State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is set to contest from Nemom, the party's stronghold in recent memory.Union Minister V. Muraleedharan is likely to contest for Kazhakkoottam, while former state chief K. Surendran has been steered towards Manjeswaram after internal discussions.Elsewhere, Shobha Surendran, M.T. Suresh, C. Krishnakumar, actor G. Krishnakumar, R....