Baidu has unveiled two powerful new artificial intelligence (AI) models — Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1 — marking a significant advancement in the company's AI capabilities. While Ernie 4.5 is the latest foundation model designed to excel in multimodal understanding, Ernie X1 is Baidu’s first “deep-thinking” AI model focused on complex reasoning and logic. The company has also announced that its popular chatbot platform, Ernie Bot, will now be free to access without

In a rapidly evolving AI landscape, yet another Chinese AI model has made headlines. Following the buzz created by DeepSeek’s R1 model, a new AI system called Manus is now generating significant interest in the tech world. Developed by the Chinese startup Monica, Manus is being compared to some of the most advanced AI models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. Manus is designed to function as an autonomous AI agent capable of completing complex tasks independently. Those who have experi

Houston Independent School District (HISD) has come under scrutiny after failing to report truancy prevention measures to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for four consecutive school years. This revelation has raised concerns about the district's efforts to address student absences and its compliance with state regulations. Truancy Prevention Measures and Compliance Issues

DTC to Be Introduced Separately: Sources have confirmed that the much-anticipated Direct Tax Code (DTC), which seeks to simplify India’s income tax laws, will be introduced separately and not as part of the Union Budget 2025. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to deliver the budget speech on Saturday, but the new tax code will be presented at a later date. This move marks a shift from earlier reports suggesting the DTC would be included with the budg

The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections, set for February 5, 2025, with votes being counted on February 8. Over 1.55 crore voters in the national capital will participate in the election to choose members of the 8th Delhi Assembly. A total of 13,033 polling stations will be set up across 70 constituencies, 12 of which are reserved. The Election Commission revealed that polling will take place in a single phase, with the last date

Alibaba’s Qwen research team has introduced a new experimental open-source AI model, the QVQ-72B, designed to handle both vision-based analysis and advanced reasoning tasks. The model combines the abilities of analyzing visual information from images and answering complex queries through reasoning-focused techniques. According to internal benchmarks, QVQ-72B surpassed OpenAI’s o1 model on the MathVista (mini) benchmark, scoring 71.4% compared to o1’s 71.0%. The mod

Infosys Ltd. has launched its new state-of-the-art development centre in Kolkata, West Bengal, marking a significant milestone in the company's expansion and commitment to innovation in the region. The 320,000 sq. ft. facility, built with an investment of over Rs 426 crore, will host over 4,000 employees who will work on cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital transformation. This centre will cater to a variety of industries, including

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to finalize the hybrid model for the 2025 Champions Trophy during a virtual meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Under this model, India and Pakistan will not travel to each other's countries for ICC events. The 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, will be played in Dubai, with eight teams divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. T

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is currently in turmoil due to the ongoing standoff between India and Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has firmly stated that it will not send its team to Pakistan, citing security concerns and political issues. In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to boycott future ICC events if India does not agree to the proposed hybrid model, where India’s matches are played in Dubai, while the rest of the tournament tak

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalized a hybrid model for next year's Champions Trophy, allowing India to play its matches in Dubai, while Pakistan will co-host the event in the UAE. The decision, reached after informal discussions between ICC President Jay Shah and the Board of Directors, including Pakistan's representatives, is a major step toward resolving venue concerns in international cricket. The 2025 Champions Trophy will be held in the UAE and Pakistan, with In

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it will not accept the Hybrid Model for the upcoming Champions Trophy, a format that would involve some games being played in India and others in Pakistan. The ICC convened a virtual meeting with executive members to address the scheduling dilemma after India refused to send its team across the border. The PCB has been firm in its opposition to the Hybrid Model, arguing that it would give preferential t

Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Education Minister, Nara Lokesh, has announced an ambitious vision to create a distinctive "Andhra Pradesh model" of education, which he claims will surpass the existing educational frameworks of Delhi and Kerala. His reforms aim to bring revolutionary changes to the state's education system, spanning from KG to PG levels, with a focus on quality and holistic development. Lokesh emphasized that his approach would break awa

Tesla Inc. regained a market capitalization of $1 trillion on Friday after its shares surged by 26.1% throughout the week. This surge in stock price was driven by investor optimism surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s recent electoral victory and the potential benefits of his return to the White House for Tesla’s future growth. The company had previously crossed the $1 trillion market cap in October 2021, December 2021, and March 2022, but it had been a while since it reache