< Back Leading AI companies fail on Safety Index 17 Dec 2024 Five of the six top AI makers got Ds and Fs in the latest Future of Life Institute (FLI) report. In FLI’s latest Safety Report, Google DeepMind and OpenAI got a D+, Zhipu AI got a D, while x.AI got a D-. Meta failed, while Anthropic was the only survivor with a C. An independent panel of seven AI and governance specialists assessed the safety practices of these six AI companies across six parameters – Risk Assessment, Current Harms, Safety Frameworks, Existential Safety Strategy, Governance and Accountability, and Transparency and Communication. Findings revealed that only a few companies have established adequate safety frameworks and done risk assessments. All flagship models are vulnerable to attacks, and all artificial general intelligence (AGI) models are far from safe or under human control. Companies often cut corners on safety parameters to succumb to profiteering. FLI was founded by MIT cosmologist Max Tegmark, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, and others in March 2014. Anthropic’s existing structure and OpenAI’s initial governance structure were deemed promising. Previous Next

< Back Goa-based Fly91 to start operations from March 18th 12 Mar 2024 It will begin flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru from Goa and from Hyderabad and Bengaluru to Sindhudurg. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted the air operator permit to the new regional carrier FLY91 on March 6th. It will commence operations from Goa on March 18th. It can fly on 20 routes in the first year. It will expand to Agatti Airport in Lakshadweep in April and soon connect Pune, Jalgaon, and Sindhudurg from Goa. Next on the list are Noida and Navi Mumbai airports . It has two ATR 72-600 planes and plans to add four more in six months. It leased the planes that Gurugram-based regional airline Fly Big had defaulted on last year. ATRs face night landing issues and try landing before nightfall. This impacts their network and route coverage. FLY91 Founder Manoj Chacko also co-founded Kingfisher Airlines. He managed to secure ₹200 crore from around 40 investors, including Ramesh Damani of Damani Finance and Rajeev Chitrabhanu, Founder of the advisory investment firm Magnetic. Previous Next

< Back 9 of 21 terror camps destroyed in Operation Sindoor 7 May 2025 Flight operations at airports close to the India-Pakistan border were impacted. All flights to and from Srinagar have been cancelled for Wednesday. Avenging the victims of the Pahalgam attack, the Indian Army attacked 9 of 21 terror camps IN Punjab (Pakistan) and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Four Jaish-e-Mohammed camps, including its Headquarters in Bahawalpur, three Lashkar-e-Taiba camps and headquarters in Muridke, and two Hizbul Mujahideen bases were wiped out by the Indian Air Force. A loitering munition, a precision-guided missile, was used in last night’s attack. It hovers over an area before identifying and striking its target. Heavy firing erupted in Kashmir along the LOC after the attack. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif responded that they will refrain from any further action if India stops its border operations. Following the Pahalgam attack, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and blocked the flow of the Chenab River using the Baglihar Dam, resulting in a drop in the water level to 4-5 feet for the first time in decades. Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 Index nosedived 6% today. Never miss another post from SalestorrsNews150. Follow Salestorrs on WhatsApp , LinkedIn , Facebook , X , and Instagram . Previous Next

< Back Ten int’l airlines in India receive show-cause notices over ₹10,000 crore unpaid taxes 8 Aug 2024 The Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) issued notices regarding services imported by their Indian head offices from their headquarters. Ten international airlines, including Lufthansa, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Oman Air, and British Airways, operating in India received show-cause notices from DGGI demanding an explanation on the unpaid GST worth ₹10,000 crores for services imported from their headquarters. International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global trade body governing the movement of airlines worldwide, disagreed with DGGI’s claim that all airline headquarters must pay GST on the expenses incurred for rendering services like crew, rentals, and aircraft maintenance. It highlighted that Indian carriers flying abroad do not face such taxes. The notice covers the period from July 2017, when GST was introduced, to March 2024. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), issued a circular on June 26th, 2024, clarifying the applicability of GST on services provided by international airlines. It makes GST applicable on services imported by Indian carriers from head offices under the reverse charge mechanism. Previous Next

< Back Goa govt to come up with co-working spaces on its beaches Ishita Nigam 3 Nov 2023 Co-working shacks called sea hubs will be set up this quarter; the state government plans to roll out the Homestay Policy this month to push tourism in rural areas. Goa’s state government will launch co-working shacks called sea hubs on its beaches to pull crowds looking for such a space. Workstations will be set up on the beach so people can enjoy the view, indulge in water activities and food, and return to work in the sea hubs. The state government aims to boost internet connectivity by 100% in the next two years. It is in discussions with the central government to consider BharatNet 3.0 to achieve broadband connectivity in even the remotest areas. It has partnered with Airbnb and will sign a deal with MakeMyTrip to make the homestay ecosystem easily accessible online. The move comes as Goa has been receiving visitors under the ‘Digital Nomad’ category, which allows a person to stay in a country for up to a year while working remotely for an employer in a foreign land. Previous Next

< Back RBI brings AI into UPI; raises UPI Lite limit to ₹500 Ishita Nigam 22 Aug 2023 RBI will soon introduce AI-enabled Conversational Payments in your UPI apps. Plus, it has raised UPI Lite limit from ₹200 to ₹500, upper limit ₹2,000. Salestors, you may soon be able to direct an AI chatbot to make UPI payments for you. RBI Governor, Shaktikanta Das, announced on August 17th their plans to introduce Conversational Payments on UPI systems. Initially, the service will be available only in Hindi and English and will include other languages eventually. RBI raised the transaction limit for UPI Lite from ₹200 to ₹500, with the upper limit capped at ₹2,000. UPI Lite is an on-device wallet launched in September 2022 to boost small value transactions. It turned out to be a smashing hit and currently handles ten million transactions monthly. The government plans to introduce transactions using Near Field Communication (NFC) that allow information exchange between phones at a distance of 4 centimetres. It will offer superfast ‘Tap to Pay’ service and minimal declined transactions. Paytm and Cred are already offering this service. Previous Next

< Back EU to hike duties on Chinese EVs by up to 38.1% from July 13 Jun 2024 This comes a month after the US announced its plans to quadruple tariff on Chinese EVs to 100%. To combat excessive subsidies, the European Commission will increase tariffs on electric vehicles from 17.4% for BYD to 38.1% for SAIC, besides the regular 10% duty levied on cars. So, the overall duty on vehicles would be nearly 50%. European automakers have been competing with their Chinese counterparts, whose market share has risen from below 1% in 2019 to over 8%. Chinese EVs are expected to cover 15% of the European market by 2025. Brands like BMW will incur additional duties for EVs made in China and sold in Europe. The Chinese government issued disapproving statements after the announcement. However, the Chinese Passenger Car Association said the hike is within their expectations and will not impact most firms in China. Chinese car exports had surged by over 50% in 2023. Besides, European regulators will consider loans granted by Chinese governmental banks as subsidies subject to additional tariffs. Previous Next

Les supporters de l’Olympique de Marseille (OM) protestent contre cet accord à cause de la rivalité sportive entre les deux villes de Marseille et de Paris. < Back Pernod Ricard abandonner le contrat de parrainage avec le Paris Saint-Germain Les supporters de l’Olympique de Marseille (OM) protestent contre cet accord à cause de la rivalité sportive entre les deux villes de Marseille et de Paris. Après que les supporters de l’OM se sont opposé l’alliance de Pernod Ricard avec le club de la capitale, le Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), l’entreprise française de liqueurs a décidé à terminer l’accord. Elle a annoncé sa décision jeudi, trois jours après avoir confirmé l’alliance. La raison en est que les fans de l’OM ont ressenti l’association avec le PSG comme une trahison. La marque Ricard a été fondée par Paul Ricard à Marseille en 1932. Pernod Ricard est connu pour ses apéritifs anisés, le pastis, boisson Marseillaise par excellence. La société bénéficie d’une présence importante au Musée du Pastis à Marseille, qui célèbre l’histoire et l’importance de la culture du pastis. Pernod Ricard a dû faire face aux protestations des habitants et des fans de l’OM sur les réseaux sociaux. Elle a pris cette décision pour éviter les impacts financiers et rester fidèle à ses racines dans la ville. Previous Next

< Back Rekha Gupta sworn in as Delhi’s 9th Chief Minister 20 Feb 2025 She’s the 4th Woman Chief Minister after Sheila Dixit, Sushma Swaraj, and Atishi. Marking BJP’s return to Delhi after 26 years, Rekha Gupta took oath as Delhi’s Chief Minister on Thursday. She won from Shalimar Bagh with 30,000 votes. Gupta, 50, began her political career as an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad member in 1992 while pursuing BCom at Daulat Ram College, Delhi University. She became the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) President in 1996-97 and completed LLB from Meerut in 2022. A three-time councillor, she developed Delhi’s first women’s park, Sita Vatika, and introduced battery-operated garbage trucks, a sexual harassment helpline, and underground parking. As Chairperson of the Women Welfare and Child Development Committee in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Rekha Gupta launched Sumedha Yojana to offer financial assistance to economically challenged female students. BJP chose her as the MCD mayoral candidate in 2022 against AAP’s Shelly Oberoi. Rekha’s nomination continues the female candidacy for Delhi’s CM position, contrasting Kejriwal’s 10 years. Never miss another post from SalestorrsNews150. Follow Salestorrs on WhatsApp , LinkedIn , Facebook , X , and Instagram . Previous Next

< Back Air India introduces Wi-Fi on domestic, int’l flights 6 Jan 2025 From January 1st, 2025, Air India introduced the service on all flights operated by Airbus A350, a few Airbus A321neo, and Boeing 787-9. On January 1st, Air India became the first Indian carrier to introduce Wi-Fi onboard domestic and international routes. The service will be available to all passengers free of cost during the introductory period. The airline hasn’t yet specified till when the complementary period will last. Users can use Wi-Fi on Android and iOS smartphones, laptops, and tablets and connect multiple devices above an altitude of 10,000 feet. To use Wi-Fi, users can select the ‘Air India Wi-Fi’ network from Wi-Fi settings. On being directed to the Air India portal on the browser, enter the PNR and last name to access complimentary internet service. The national carrier conducted a pilot programme on international routes to New York, Singapore, London, and Paris. In-flight Wi-Fi connectivity depends on satellite systems, routes, government regulations, and bandwidth availability. However, Air India intends to gradually extend the services to more aircraft in its fleet. Previous Next

< Back Zepto targets ₹10,000 cr sales, profitability within one year Ishita Nigam 11 Oct 2023 The quick commerce platform became the first unicorn of 2023. It aims to turn profitable within 10-12 months and go public after that. Quick commerce platform Zepto, which launched operations in 2021, aims to achieve ₹10,000 crore in sales and profitability in the next 12 months. It plans to go public after that to become the youngest Indian company to do so within five years of launch. Zepto raised $200 million in fresh capital at a $1.4 billion valuation in August to become the first unicorn of 2023. It plans to expand its store count by 40% in existing markets and launch fresh offerings like Zepto Café to deliver snacks and beverages from its dark stores within 20 minutes. It has tied up with quick service restaurants like Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters and Chaayos for serving fast meals. Started by 21-year-old Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto operates in 7 cities from 220 dark stores. Earlier this year, it launched the Zepto Bloom app for farmers to facilitate direct produce sales from farmers. Previous Next

< Back Jio to launch satellite internet in India 15 Jun 2024 Orbit Connect India, a joint venture between Jio Platforms and Luxembourg-based SES, will provide satellite internet across India. Orbit Connect India secured the approval of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to offer satellite internet across India. It gathered three approvals between April and June 2024, which allowed it to position satellites above India. However, it will need more approvals, for instance, from the Department of Telecommunications, to begin operations. Amazon’s Kuiper and Elon Musk-owned Starlink are still awaiting approval to offer satellite internet in India. The British Satellite Telecom firm Immarsat and OneWeb, backed by Eutelsat Bharti Enterprises, also obtained approval from IN-SPACe to operate satellite internet in India. Given the demand for satellite internet, especially in rural India, the market is expected to grow by 36% to reach ₹16,000 crore in the next five years. Elon Musk's cancellation of his visit to India in April and departure to Beijing instead seems to have hit a nerve with the government. Previous Next