Author: Indmedia

Dubai DEWA Services Now Available on ChatGPT: AI-Powered Utility Access/Image: WAM For most Dubai residents, dealing with electricity or water services has long meant logging into an app or visiting a website. That routine is now beginning to change, with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority making its services available through ChatGPT.The launch places DEWA on the ChatGPT Apps Directory, marking a global first for both government bodies and utility providers. Officials said the move reflects a shift toward conversational, AI-led service delivery, moving beyond traditional digital channels, such as websites and mobile applications.Through ChatGPT, customers can now access a…

A tiny crustacean discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands has now been established as a new genus and a new species. The organism, which belongs to the family Laophontidae within the Copepoda class, is so minuscule that it can be properly studied only with a microscope.The crustacean has been named Indiaphonte bijoyi, with the generic name Indiaphonte honouring India and the species name bijoyi named after S. Bijoy Nandan, Dean, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and a former Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.The new organism has been scientifically described by Neelima Vasu…

Saurabh Bharadwaj (PTI image) NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj, along with several party workers was detained by police on Sunday while protesting in west Delhi’s Janakpuri over the death of 25-year-old Kamal Dhyani. The protest was organised to demand justice for Dhyani, who died earlier on Thursday after his motorcycle allegedly fell into an unmarked pit.According to the AAP, Bharadwaj and other leaders had gathered in Janakpuri to pay tribute to Dhyani by lighting candles. However, Delhi police erected barricades across the area and detained the protesters. In a series of posts…

Maharashtra government issues social media guidelines for employees to prevent dissemination of confidential information. | Photo Credit: iStockphoto In a move to curb any potential dissemination of confidential information, the Maharashtra government has issued new social media usage guidelines for its employees, warning that disciplinary action will be taken against anyone violating the new rules, an official notification from the Maharashtra government read. The new guidelines also state that the employees should not criticise the policies or actions of the state government, and of any other government in India. The General Administration Department of the state issued a circular on…

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 14:07 ISTUddhav or BJP or Shinde Sena? Raj Thackeray’s post to mark Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s birth anniversary has given rise to speculation over which party he will support in BMCThe Thackerays had come together for the BMC elections. (X/PTI File)After the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) shocker, will Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena in Mumbai civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ditching his cousin and UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray?His post on X on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena…

New Delhi: The fatal fall of a 25-year-old biker into an op-en DJB pit on Friday has brought back civic worksite safety into focus and rene-wed calls for stronger on-ground monitoring. While a Jan 24 letter from Delhi Jal board on site safety checks was allegedly ignored, Delhi Traffic Police also flagged unsafe civic work practices in the Tilak Nagar-Janakpuri belt on Feb 4. Officials noted that excavation at the west Delhi site began on Feb 5, a day after the Feb 4 communication. The letter, addressed to the executive engineer, Janakpuri, highlighted civic negligence at the worksites in the…

Bengaluru: A 47-year-old terror suspect lodged in Bengaluru central prison died of prolonged illness Friday. The deceased, identified as Sadiq Basha, a resident of Sonnenahalli in Kolar, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020 along with 16 others on charges of forming terror groups, conspiring to carry out attacks, and propagating ISIS ideology in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.In its chargesheet filed in July 2020, the NIA alleged that Basha and the others were involved in spreading the ideology and activities of ISIS through its offshoot outfit, Al-Hind, and were conspiring in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka…

Hyderabad: The all-India strike by app-based transport workers caused mild disruptions in Hyderabad on Saturday, with commuters reporting slightly higher fares and longer wait times on cab and bike taxi apps.However, the impact remained limited, largely due to the weekend lull and the availability of metro rail services, which emerged as a key fallback option for many residents. While the strike led to widespread disruption in several cities across the country, its effect in Hyderabad was uneven. A section of drivers continued to operate despite the shutdown call, citing financial constraints. “We support the protest, but we can’t afford to…

CHENNAI: At least 233 pieces of ivory weighing 206 kg were incinerated by the Tamil Nadu forest department on Saturday, in compliance of a Madras high court order passed in Dec 2025. The move was to prevent the theft of seized ivories kept in the custody of the forest department.The court order came in the wake of a series of TOI reports published in 2024 and 2025 on ivory theft from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur. The court ordered the govt to destroy the ivory by recording the process through photos and videos, and retaining samples of each…

Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday unveiled two significant literary works by former Governor Bishwabhushan Harichandan — the Odia book “E Mati Katha Kahe” and the English historical account “Buxi Jagabandhu: The Great Commander”— at a ceremony held here.During the launch, the CM hailed Harichandan as a “pride of Odisha” whose principles and lifelong service left an indelible mark on Indian politics. Majhi emphasised that the author’s transition from an eminent lawyer to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh reflected a life dedicated to constitutional values and public welfare.Bhubaneswar: Maoist Couple Urges Peace, Asst Prof Suspended, Naveen Criticises…