By Wellett Potter, University of New England
LONDON: (Feb 4) Would you create an interactive “digital twin” of yourself that can communicate with loved ones after your death?
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has made it possible to seemingly resurrect the dead. So-called griefbots or deathbots – an AI-generated voice, video avatar or text-based chatbot trained on the data of a deceased person – proliferate in the booming digital afterlife industry, also known as grief tech.
Deathbots are usually created by the bereaved, often as part of the grieving process. But there are also services that allow you to create a digital twin of yourself while you’re still alive. So why not create one for when you’re gone?
NAGPUR: (Feb 4) The Yavatmal district of eastern Maharashtra recorded 21 farmer suicides in January, an activist said on Wednesday, accusing the government of failing to deal with the agrarian crisis.
Kishore Tiwari, former chairman of the state government’s Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM), shared an official list of the farmers who allegedly died by suicide in the district last month.
PESHAWAR: (Feb 4) Armed militants abducted a police constable from his residence and later shot him dead in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, police said.
The attackers raided the house of Constable Dastgir in the Nasar Khel area on the outskirts of Sarai Naurang tehsil in Bannu district, officials said.
The assailants subjected women, children and elderly family members to violence, set the house on fire and held the family hostage before forcibly taking the constable away.
Mumbai | 3 February 2026
By: Real News of India
World Trade Center Mumbai, in association with the All India Association of Industries (AIAI), organised a Post-Budget Discussion Session to deliberate on the implications of the Union Budget 2026–27 for MSMEs, trade, industry, exports, and India’s long-term economic growth trajectory. The event brought together industry leaders, exporters, professionals, policy observers, and diplomats to analyse key budget announcements and their impact on the economy.
Speaking at the session, Mr. Siddhartha Rastogi, Principal Officer, Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Ambit Asset Management, stated that the Union Budget lays a clear roadmap for the coming years. Emphasising inclusive growth, he said that achieving a GDP growth rate of 7.2 percent requires strengthening India’s 6 crore MSMEs, which form the backbone of the economy. He highlighted that linking government spending with the TReDS platform would unlock liquidity and enhance order books for MSMEs, while promotion of digital payments and securitisation would improve credit flow and prevent capital from being stuck in the system.
Mr. Rastogi also welcomed the government’s focus on critical minerals and rare earth elements, noting that such initiatives would ensure stable supply chains, strengthen Atmanirbharta, and safeguard the economy from geopolitical risks.
Explaining indirect tax-related changes, Mr. Pranav Prakash Mehta, Partner, KJM INC and Specialist in Indirect Taxation, said that while the Budget did not introduce major taxation reforms, minor amendments would significantly improve ease of doing business. He noted that changes related to post-supply discounts would increase supplier accountability and ultimately benefit customers. He further added that clarifications on supply invoicing and invoice discounting would reduce litigation and speed up resolution of long-pending tax matters.
Sharing insights on direct taxation proposals, Mr. Arun Kumar Garodia, Former ITAT Member and Income Tax Consultant, said that the tax holiday announced for data centres would attract capital flows into new-age technology investments and strengthen India’s long-term investment climate. He added that changes in the taxation of share buybacks—now to be taxed under capital gains—would benefit both industry and shareholders. Reforms in Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and the decriminalisation of certain tax defaults, he said, reflect the government’s trust in the business community and promote a more collaborative growth environment.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries, stated that the Budget provides a strong roadmap for achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047. He said that incentives for data centres, focused support for technology-driven industries, and policy clarity would help India move towards a USD 10 trillion economy by 2030. He also emphasised that simplification of taxes and resolution of legacy issues would significantly enhance ease of doing business in the country.
The annual Post-Budget Discussion at World Trade Center Mumbai witnessed participation from over 150 business leaders, MSMEs, innovators, and diplomats from several countries. The session concluded with Capt. Somesh Batra, Vice Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai, delivering the vote of thanks.
ETAWAH (UP): (Feb 3) Uttar Pradesh Police arrested five members of an organised gang on Tuesday for allegedly being involved in large-scale Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion through fake firms, uncovering a revenue loss of about Rs 7.03 crore, officials said.
The accused created shell firms and issued fake tax invoices without any actual supply of goods to illegally generate and pass on input tax credit (ITC), Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said.
Three people were arrested earlier in the matter, while five others were held on Tuesday, the officer said.
NEW DELHI: (Feb 2) Suspended secretary general Kamlesh Mehta on Monday said he would approach the court as a last resort after being removed from his post during the annual general meeting of the Table Tennis Federation of India, describing the action as unfair and procedurally flawed.
Mehta was suspended as TTFI Secretary General during the federation’s annual general meeting (AGM) on January 28.
“It is deeply distressing to find oneself penalised simply for doing one’s job correctly, especially in a sport to which I have devoted my entire life,” Mehta, a former international, said in a statement.
NEW DELHI: (Feb 2) An Air India pilot on Monday reported a possible defect with the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 plane, which has now been grounded for checks, and the incident comes amid the ongoing probe into the airline’s Dreamliner crash last June.
The aircraft operated the flight AI132 from London to Bengaluru, and it landed at Bengaluru on Monday morning. There were more than 200 people on board, according to sources.
Another source aware about the incident said the fuel control switch failed to be in the ‘RUN’ position and moved towards ‘CUT OFF’ position.
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Their day started with breakfast at Prime Minister’s residence and ended among a sea of fans who brought the ‘Maximum City’ to a standstill as India’s T20 World Cup-winning cricketers beat the exhaustion of a 16-hour flight to enjoy a euphoric homecoming that resembled a giant street party.
Rohit Sharma and his men landed in the national capital on Thursday morning, expectedly weary as they were returning home five days after winning the trophy, thanks to a category 4 hurricane in Barbados.
But as they made their way out of the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in amid a steady monsoon drizzle, hundreds of fans were their to lift their spirits, chanting their names and waving the tri-colour.
Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader on track to be the UK’s new prime minister, on Friday thanked voters and said the people of the country are “ready for change” and to “end the politics of performance”.
Starmer, 61, in his victory speech after winning from Holborn and St Pancras, said whether people voted for him or not, “I’ll serve every person in this constituency.”
According to the exit poll, which is often quite close to the final tally, Labour could win as many as 410 seats, comfortably crossing the half way 326 mark and notching up a 170-seat majority with the incumbent Tories led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak down to just 131 seats. pti
ALIGARH (UP): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday met here the family members of those who lost their lives in the stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, according to Congress leaders.
Gandhi left from Delhi on Friday early morning by road for Hathras and was accompanied by state Congress chief Ajay Rai, state Congress in-charge Avinash Pande, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and other office bearers.
The senior Congress leader landed in Pilakhna village in Aligarh around 7.15 am after he left by road from Delhi. Later, Gandhi is scheduled to meet families of the stampede victims in Hathras’s Vibhav Nagar area.
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