Amith Hegde

#Elections are the guts of a #democracy. And #VoterRolls, in turn, are the guts of an #election

Seven decades later, the widespread impression that the whims of #officers – and #politicians – are now deciding voter rolls is severely damaging to the idea of #IndianDemocracy
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Forget jobs, AI is taking away much more: Creativity, memory and critical thinking are at risk. New studies sound alarm Artificial intelligence tools are becoming more common. Studies show over-reliance on AI may weaken human skills. Critical thinking and emotional intelligence are important. Businesses invest in AI bu...

AIproficiency comes from #CriticalThinking, #AnalyticalReasoning, #CreativeProblemSolving, & #EmotionalIntelligence —abilities that allow humans to MakeMeaning from what #AI outputs & to question what it CannotUnderstand

OverReliance on AI may weaken #HumanSkills
m.economictimes.com/magazines/pa...

Who Really Pockets India’s Russian Oil Windfall? India’s Russian oil imports tell a striking story in numbers. Over the past two years, India has been importing crude oil at discounts ranging from 25% to 50%, amounting to US$5–USUS$30 per barrel bel...

Who really pockets #India’s #RussianOil windfall?

Despite #oil being #deregulated on paper, RetailPrices are effectively administered

Govts prefer #HighPrices to secure steady #TaxRevenues, while OMCs justify margins by citing past under-recoveries on #LPGsubsidies
www.moneylife.in/article/who-...

Top 10 safest cities in India 2025: Mangalore leads, Delhi ranks at the bottom Top 10 safest cities in India 2025 list: In Gujarat, three cities—Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Surat—ranked in the top 10 safest Indian cities with safety scores of 69.2, 68.2, and 66.6, respectively.

#Mangaluru( #Kudla) has been ranked as the #SafestCity in #India, praised for its LowcrimeRates & strong civic infrastructure —GloballyRanking #49

#Vadodara, #Ahmedabad, & #Surat—rank next

#NewDelhi, #Noida & #Ghaziabad r ranked among the most #UnsafeIndianCities
indianexpress.com/article/tren...

Instagram introduces features that feel oddly familiar The social media app's latest “features” include a Snap Map clone, TikTok-style reposts, and a friend activity tab you might have seen before

#Meta’s latest features r straight out of 2017

#Instagram introduced 3 features to make it feel more #social
1 #FriendMap that shows u where ur friends r in real-time (if they opt in)
2 #Reposts
3 #FriendsTab in #Reels that shows what the people you follow r watching & liking
qz.com/meta-instagr...

Karnataka records 981 farmer suicides in 16 months, BJP, Congress trade blame Karnataka reported 981 farmer suicides between 2024 and mid-2025, with Haveri topping the list, as per official government information. BJP blamed the Congress for neglect, while Congress pointed fing...

#Karnataka records 981 #FarmerSuicides in 16 months

Of these, 825 have been confirmed as eligible #farmer suicides, while 138 were due to other causes

#Haveri tops list; four districts report zero suicides

While the political blame game continues, farmers suffer

www.indiatoday.in/india/karnat...

How #IndianTraditions & #mandala influenced #CarlJung’s #philosophy

In India—he saw parallels in #Tantra’s embrace of life’s dualities—as seen in #Kali’s destructive yet regenerative imagery—which accepts all existence

Today #ShadowWork informs #TraumaTherapy

#Journaling
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Sam Altman warns there's no legal confidentiality when using ChatGPT as a therapist | TechCrunch In response to a question about how AI works with today's legal system, Altman said one of the problems of not yet having a legal or policy framework for AI is that there's no legal confidentiality fo...

"People use #ChatGPT as a #therapist, #LifeCoach & talk all PersonalThings"

#SamAltman warns
"one of the problems of not yet having a legal or policy framework for #AI is that there’s #NoLegalConfidentiality for users’ conversations"

#UserPrivacy #DataPrivacy #OpenAI
techcrunch.com/2025/07/25/s...

Thousands of mosquitoes are being dropped by drone over islands in Hawaii. Here’s why | CNN Native Hawaiian honeycreeper birds are being wiped out by avian malaria. Scientists think they can battle the problem by releasing more mosquitoes.

#Hawaii is releasing #MaleMosquitoes having a strain of bacteria called #Wolbachia— causing NonViableEggs when they mate with wild females

This will help control the #InvasiveMosquitoPopulation, which is decimating #NativeBirdPopulations with #AvianMalaria

#conservation
www.cnn.com/science/hawa...

#ICJ delivers an unambiguous order on #states’ responsibilities to halt #ClimateChange

This lays a stronger #legal foundation for #ClimateAccountability, offering a vital lifeline to #FrontlineCommunities & nations, with far-reaching consequences for #ClimateLitigation
🌏

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Earth’s new seasons!

#Haze & #trash among #Earth’s new #seasons as #ClimateChange & #pollution play havoc

Seasons are more than just divisions of #time–they are our connection with #nature

#HumanActivity is rapidly transforming t once reliable #SeasonalPatterns
theconversation.com/farewell-to-...

Cognitive warfare: why wars without bombs or bullets are a legal blind spot When a foreign power floods your media with false health alerts designed to create panic, isn’t that as threatening as a military blockade?

#CognitiveWarfare can ultimately incite violence based on #FalseInformation or cause injury & death by secondary effects. As it doesn’t directly use bombs or bullets, it exists in a #LegalVacuum

Experts argue we should reconsider what #threats mean in #ModernWars
theconversation.com/cognitive-wa...

Karnataka's Maski Excavation: Researchers find evidence of a 4,000-year-old human settlement in Karnataka's Maski Maski Anjaneya Swamy temple: The researchers, who have been digging around Mallikarjun Hill and the Anjaneya Swamy temple in the town, have unearthed various artefacts and other tools dating back four...

Researchers find evidence of a 4,000 Yr old #HumanSettlement in #Karnataka's #Maski, #Raichur

Excavation around #MallikarjunHill & #AnjaneyaSwamyTemple in the town, have unearthed various #artefacts & tools, hinting at what must have been a thriving #settlement
www.deccanherald.com/india/karnat...

Denmark Just Proposed a Law to Let You Own Your Face and Voice Denmark’s groundbreaking AI law lets you sue over deepfakes—whether you’re famous or not. How it works & why the EU could adopt it next.

#Denmark has proposed a #law that gives people #copyright-like protection over their face, voice, & #appearance to fight the rising threat of #deepfakes & #AiGeneratedMisinformation

People could stop others from using their #DigitalLikeness without #consent

#privacy
legaldesire.com/denmark-just...

Thank you

Landmark #KeralaHighCourt judgment recognises existence of #TransgenderFamilies

It directed that a new #BirthCertificate be issued for their #daughter, Zabiya—one that removed columns for father & mother & simply listed Zahhad & Ziya as her #parents

#SocialContextJudging
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#German researchers create a material that has never existed before, a stable #alloy made from #carbon, #silicon, #germanium, & #tin

#CSiGeSn is being hailed as a potential game-changer for the future of #electronics, #photonics, & #QuantumComputing

#Semiconductor
www.fz-juelich.de/en/news/arch...

Nato chief targets India for buying Russian oil, but the money Europe wires to Putin exceeds Ukraine aid Even as Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned India, China, and Brazil about the purchase of Russian oil, the fact remains that European nations —29 of 32 Nato members are from Europe— have given more mone...

#Nato chief #MarkRutte warns #India, #China, & #Brazil about purchasing #RussianOil

Fact:
European & Nato members (29of32 r from #Europe)—continue to b large buyers of #RussianEnergyExports & hv given more money for EnergyImports than they hv given #Ukraine in aid
www.firstpost.com/world/nato-c...

How #Hindi emerged as the #LinguaFranca of the #HindiHeartland at the cost of other #languages

“Once the #British linked Hindi with #employment, people #surrendered their languages.”

An excerpt from ‘The Hindi Heartland: A Study’, by #GhazalaWahab

#Culture #Books #Dingal
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How urban birds respond to heat and green cover Heat is a key driver of bird distribution in Bengaluru, with all 19 studied species avoiding hotter urban areas.

Study explores how #GreenCover & #heat affected #BirdSpecies presence across #Bengaluru

It suggests the need for #NativeVegetation, #GreenCorridors,& the recognition of #GreenUrbanSpaces like campuses, as #ConservationZones

#UrbanPlanning #BioDiversity #Karnataka
india.mongabay.com/2025/07/how-...

Musakeena Bhavi Gadag, Karnataka, 12th century. | Claudio Cambon

Kund Mailacherla, Andhra Pradesh, 17th-18th century. | Claudio Cambon

Shakti Kund Akhaj, Gujarat 10th century | Claudio Cambon

Queen Rudabai Vav Adalaj, Gujarat, 1498 CE. | Claudio Cambon

Almost everywhere in the world, the #BuiltEnvironment meets the #water with a hard, almost defensive edge

But in #India, at any #ghat, we see steps that meet the water, descend beneath it & let it wash over them, writes #ClaudioCambon (📸 by him)

#Stepwells #Architecture
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#Baldness cured?

#PP405 is a non-invasive, #topical molecule that reactivates #FollicleStemCells that keeps the cells dormant—it works across genders

The 3 #UCLA scientists behind the breakthrough have co-founded a company called #Pelage, backed by #GoogleVentures
newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/bal...

If North Indians need to come to Maharashtra for jobs, Marathi should be taught there: MNS chief Raj Thackeray On Sunday, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced the withdrawal of government resolutions mandating the teaching of Hindi in schools from Class 1. Following this, a protest rally scheduled for Ju...

#Maharashtra CM announced withdrawal of govt resolutions mandating t teaching of #Hindi in schools from Class 1

The move introducing the #3LanguagePolicy had drawn severe criticism from #RegionalParties, #CivilSociety, & prominent #Marathi figures

#HindiImposition
indianexpress.com/article/citi...

Bangalore Startup Builds India’s First AI-Driven Local Shopping App To Help Small Retailers Compete With E-Comm Giants; Has 2 Lakh+ Users Discover how Nearwala, a Bangalore-based tech startup, is transforming India’s retail market with its AI-driven local shopping app and empowering small retailers to compete with online giants. Here’s ...

#BengaluruStartup builds #India’s 1st #AIdriven #LocalShoppingApp to help #SmallRetailers compete with #eCommGiants

#Nearwala provides #ProductDiscovery, AI-DrivenDiscounts, InventoryManagement, #SalesAnalytics, #CRMtools, in-app #CustomerEngagement & #PaymentSystems
startuppedia.in/startup-stor...

The city of 700 languages New York is the most linguistically diverse city on the planet. Can it stay that way?

#CityOf700Languages

#NewYork is the most linguistically diverse city on the planet

Given accelerating #LanguageLoss even in the #languages’ homelands, threats to #immigration, & the rising costs of city life, #time may be running out

#EndangeredLanguages
www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/arti...

Scientists use bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol Genetically modified E coli used to create painkillers from material produced from plastic bottles

#GeneticallyModified #Ecoli have made #paracetamol out of #PlasticBottles—by merging chemistry & biology in this way for the first time

Scientists discovered that a ChemicalReaction called a #LossenRearrangement, a process never seen in nature, was #biocompatible
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

New lab, old problem: India’s new Rs 9 crore black box lab fails first big test, as govt plans to send Air India crashed plane black box to US India's new aircraft accident investigation lab is currently in the process of decoding crashed Air India's black box. The damaged recorder maybe sent to the United States for analysis. The UK's Air...

#India's new ₹9crore #BlackBoxLab fails first big test, as govt plans to send #AirIndia crashed plane #BlackBox to #US

Inability of the newly opened #AAIBlab to handle this case has raised questions about its readiness to deal with complex #CrashScenarios

#AI171
m.economictimes.com/industry/tra...

Plastic bag bans and fees reduce harmful bag litter on shorelines Plastic pollution threatens marine and freshwater ecosystems and the services they provide. Although plastic bag bans and taxes are increasingly implemented worldwide, their effectiveness in reducing ...

#PlasticBagBans & fees reduce harmful #BagLitter on shorelines

These contributed to a 25% to 47% decrease in #PlasticBagLitter

There's suggestive evidence that #fees may hv a greater impact than #bans, especially #PartialBans

#PlasticPollution #WildlifeEntanglement
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

First methane-powered sea spiders found crawling on the ocean floor | CNN Scientists on the US West Coast say they discovered three previously unknown species of deep-sea spider that could have a rare diet fueled by a common greenhouse gas.

#SeaSpiders who feast on #methane observed off the #coasts of #California & #Alaska

In a #SymbioticRelationship, #bacteria hitchhike on the spider’s #exoskeletons, and in return, the #microbes convert #CarbonRich methane & #oxygen into #sugars & #fats the spiders can eat
www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/s...

Degrowth and fashion: how upcycling innovators show us how to rethink and reuse waste Local efforts to transform discarded garments and textile waste into valuable products are evidence that fashion and degrowth are compatible.

#Degrowth & #fashion: how #UpcyclingInnovators show us how to rethink & reuse #waste

LocalEfforts to transform #DiscardedGarments & #TextileWaste into #ValuableProducts r evidence that fashion & degrowth r compatible

#EquitableLiving #FastFashion#CircularEconomy
theconversation.com/degrowth-and...