Three people were found dead, and other damages were reported, as heavy rain battered South Korea’s southern regions overnight, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

The body of a man was retrieved from an inundated elevator of the studio apartment building in Nonsan City, South Chungcheong province at about 3.00 a.m. local time (1800 GMT Tuesday), according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, reports Xinhua news agency.

A man in his 70s was found in cardiac arrest inside a collapsed house, caused by a landslide, in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong province at around 3.57 a.m. The man was moved to a hospital but confirmed dead later.

Over 100 mm of downpour pounded the Seocheon county for about an hour until 3.16 a.m.

Another person was found dead in Daegu City, North Gyeongsang province on Wednesday morning for an unidentified reason. The person was estimated to have been swept into a swollen stream.

The death toll was expected to rise as a missing person was reported in North Chungcheong province.

Accumulated precipitation in South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces ranged from 118.5 mm to 255.0 mm between midnight and 5 a.m.

A total of 195 rain damages, including flooded roads and dikes, were reported in public facilities, while 92 damages to private facilities were reported including flooded houses and cars.

The drenching rainfall led to the evacuation of 3,072 people, among whom 1,404 people were allowed to go back home. AGENCIES

Japan’s weather agency on Wednesday warned of torrential downpours in the Tohoku region and eastern Japan through Thursday and in western Japan through Friday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said atmospheric conditions are expected to be unstable in wide areas from the Tohoku region to western Japan due to warm, damp air flowing toward a seasonal rain front stretching from the Sea of Japan to northern Japan, reports Xinhua news agency.

These areas are expected to be intermittently hit by downpours accompanied by thunder, the JMA said.

Rainfall in the 24 hours through Thursday morning is expected to reach up to 150 millimetres in the Tohoku, Tokai and Chugoku regions.

During the 24 hour period through Friday morning, up to 100 millimetres of rain is expected in northern Kyushu, 80 millimetres in the Hokuriku and Chugoku regions and 50 millimetres in the Tohoku region, according to the agency.

Weather officials called for caution against flooding in low-lying areas, landslides, swollen rivers, as well as lightning, gusting wind and hail. AGENCIES

 Introduction of the “sugar tax” in the UK led to a significant reduction of daily sugar intake by around 5 g in children and by around 11 g in adults, revealed a study on Wednesday. 

More than 50 countries have introduced a sugar tax on soft drinks to persuade manufacturers to reformulate their products. In the UK, the sugar tax, also known as the soft drinks industry levy, was announced in March 2016 and came into effect in April 2018.

Researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Bath, and Oxford analysed 11 years of data involving 7,999 adults and 7,656 children from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

The results, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed that one year after the UK sugar tax had come into force, children further reduced their free sugar intake from food and drink combined by around 5 g per day (relative reduction of 10 per cent) and adults by around 11 g per day (a relative reduction of 20 per cent).

Over half of this total was from soft drinks alone — accounting for around 3 g per day (relative reduction of 23.5 per cent) in children and around 5 g per day (relative reduction of just under 40.5 per cent) in adults.

Protein intake remained stable throughout in children and adults.

“In children, a daily reduction of 4.8 g sugar equates to approximately 19.2 kilocalories out of an approximate daily intake of 2,000 kilocalories, which is equivalent to approximately 1 per cent reduction in energy intake,” pointed out the researchers.

There is ample evidence to suggest that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks — a major source of dietary free sugars, particularly among children — results in a heightened risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and premature death.

However, the overall daily energy intake from free sugar levels was still higher than the updated recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) of 5 per cent — equivalent to 30 g/day for adults, 24 g for 7-10-year-olds, and 19 g for 4-6-year-olds, said the researchers. AGENCIES

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan issued an alert for urban flooding in parts of the country’s south Sindh province during the ongoing spell of monsoon rains.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the NDMA quoted its national emergencies operation centre as saying that under the monsoon’s influence, scattered rainfall, windstorms, and thunderstorms are expected across various regions of the province, reports Xinhua news agency.

The NDMA advised the provincial disaster management authority and the local municipal administration to closely monitor the situation and take appropriate measures to safeguard the population at risk.

“People dwelling in low-lying areas are advised to take extra caution and undertake emergency preparation given potential urban flooding,” the statement added.

Communities at risk are also advised to follow instructions from local authorities and download the NDMA’s mobile application for timely disaster alerts, guidelines, and precautionary measures, the statement noted. AGENCIES

A special rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ by Austrian artists greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the hotel Ritz-Carlton in Vienna, where he arrived after a highly successful two-day visit to Russia. 

PM Modi arrived in Austria on Tuesday for a historic visit and he is the first Indian PM to visit the country in over 41 years.

Upon his arrival, PM Modi was welcomed by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer at the airport. The two leaders then proceeded to the Ritz-Carlton hotel, where he was welcomed with the special performance of ‘Vande Mataram’.

The members of the Indian community also greeted the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister will call on Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and later will hold talks with Chancellor Nehammer to discuss the bilateral ties between the two nations.

Earlier, Chancellor Nehammer hosted PM Modi for a private dinner engagement. Sharing a photo of the two leaders on X, the Chancellor wrote: “Welcome to Vienna, PM Narendra Modi! It is a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit!”

Expressing his gratitude, PM Modi thanked the Austrian Chancellor “for the warm welcome” and added, “I look forward to our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good.”

Photos shared on social media showed a warm interaction between the two leaders, including a hug and a selfie taken by Nehammer with PM Modi.

In another post on X, PM Modi said: “Happy to meet you in Vienna, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The India-Austria friendship is strong, and it will get even stronger in the times to come.”

During PM Modi’s visit, India and Austria are set to explore ways to deepen their bilateral relationship and enhance cooperation on various geopolitical challenges. AGENCIES

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Tuesday from Moscow on a two-day visit to Austria and was hosted by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer for a private engagement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“An important milestone in the India-Austria partnership! PM @narendramodi hosted by Austrian Chancellor @karlnehammer for a private engagement. This is the first meeting between the two leaders. Discussions on realising the full potential of bilateral partnerships lie ahead,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, along with photos of the two leaders together in Vienna.

Nehammer posted a photo of him and PM Modi on the microblogging platform X and said: “Welcome to Vienna, PM @narendramodi! It is a pleasure and honour to welcome you to Austria. Austria and India are friends and partners. I look forward to our political and economic discussions during your visit!”

The Prime Minister thanked the Austrian Chancellor “for the warm welcome” and said he looks forward to “our discussions tomorrow as well. Our nations will continue working together to further global good”.

Prime Minister Modi was seen hugging Nehammer in one of the photos while in another, the Austrian Chancellor was seen clicking a selfie with the Prime Minister.

In another post on X, PM Modi said: “Happy to meet you in Vienna, Chancellor @karlnehammer. The India-Austria friendship is strong and it will get even stronger in the times to come.”

During PM Modi’s visit to Austria, the two countries will explore ways to further deepen their relationship and closer cooperation on various geopolitical challenges.

Earlier, PM Modi said on X: “Landed in Vienna. This visit to Austria is a special one. Our nations are connected by shared values and a commitment to a better planet. Looking forward to the various programmes in Austria including talks with Chancellor @karlnehammer, interactions with the Indian community and more.”

Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the airport in Vienna.

In an earlier post on X, the MEA spokesperson said, “As the two countries are celebrating 75th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year, this momentous visit will add renewed momentum to India-Austria ties.”

Prime Minister Modi will call on the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, and hold talks with Nehammer on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor will also address business leaders from India and Austria.

Ahead of his visit to Austria, PM Modi on Sunday said the shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law form the bedrock upon which the two countries will build an ever-closer partnership.

Prime Minister Modi’s remark came a day after Nehammer posted on X: “I very much look forward to welcoming Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, the world’s largest democracy, next week in Vienna.”

“This visit is a special honour as it marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years and a significant milestone as we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India,” he said.

“We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges,” the Austrian Chancellor said.

Responding to Nehammer, PM Modi said, “Thank you, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. It is indeed an honour to visit Austria to mark this historic occasion. I look forward to our discussions on strengthening the bonds between our nations and exploring new avenues of cooperation.” AGENCIES

Yemen’s Houthi group said they have attacked three ships owned by the United States and Israel in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The targeted ships were “Maersk Sentosa, Marthopolis, and MSC Patnaree,” said Yahya Sarea, the Houthi spokesman, in a televised statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Tuesday.

Sarea said that the first operation “targeted the US ship, Maersk Sentosa, in the Arabian Sea with several ballistic and winged missiles,” reports Xinhua news agency.

The second operation “targeted the ship, Marthopolis, in the Arabian Sea with drones” due to the company owning it had entered a port in Israel, he said.

The third operation targeted “the Israeli ship, MSC Patnaree, in the Gulf of Aden with several drones,” he said, adding that “the three operations achieved their goals successfully and the hits were direct and accurate.”

“Our operations will not stop until the Israeli aggression and siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip stop,” he said.

This is the latest in a series of Houthi attacks against ships transiting off Yemen since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out last year.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began in November last year to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group, but this only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships. AGENCIES

 About 73 per cent of Indian organisations plan to harness generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) within the next 12 months to enhance security measures and align IT objectives with broader business goals, a new report said on Monday.

However, only 8 per cent of organisations showed high confidence in effectively implementing GenAI technologies, according to the exposure management company Tenable.

“Despite the rise of AI, many Indian businesses are still developing their technology maturity and often lack the resources or skills needed to properly create, train, and implement AI, as well as maintain high standards of data governance,” said Nigel Ng, Senior VP, Tenable APJ.

The report surveyed 826 IT and cybersecurity professionals, including 52 Indian respondents conducted in October 2023.

Moreover, the report identified two major challenges hindering Indian organisations from utilising or optimising AI technologies — a lack of technological maturity (71 per cent) and uncertainty about the applicability of AI within their operations (54 per cent).

An aspect of concern highlighted by the report was the perception of GenAI as a greater security threat than an opportunity among 40 per cent of Indian organisations.

Internal misuse of GenAI emerged as a major concern, with 67 per cent expressing worry about potential misuse within their organisations. Additionally, 60 per cent said that providing sensitive data to open-source GenAI puts them at risk of intellectual property theft.

Despite facing significant challenges in adopting AI technologies, cybersecurity and IT leaders in India were optimistic about the potential benefits of GenAI.

Around 31 per cent believe GenAI can enhance preventive threat response, 42 per cent think it can automate security measures, and 40 per cent feel it can improve actionability, according to the report.

“The future holds great promise in leveraging GenAI’s evolutionary capabilities for preventive cybersecurity measures. This shift moves the needle on merging IT and security objectives and places importance on prioritising AI governance and using the technology responsibly,” Ng said. AGENCIES

 Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and Chairman of the Ola group, said on Monday that after exiting Microsoft Azure Cloud, it is time for the developers to shun Google Maps, as he announced one-year free access to all developers to Ola Maps on AI-driven Krutrim platform, along with more than Rs 100 crore in free credits.

Last week, the ride-hailing company Ola exited Google Maps and shifted to in-house Ola Maps for cab operations. The move has apparently saved the company nearly Rs 100 crore a year.

“We’ve been using western apps to map India for too long and they don’t get our unique challenges: street names, urban changes, complex traffic, non-standard roads, etc,” Aggarwal said.

He said that Ola Maps tackles these challenges with AI-powered India-specific algorithms, real-time data from millions of vehicles, leveraging and contributing massively to open source “with more than 5 million edits just last year” to the Open Street Maps.

“We’re outperforming competitors on location accuracy, search accuracy, search latency and ETA accuracy,” said the Ola founder.

In a separate blog post, the company said Ola Maps is built to utilise the most diverse set of data and send updates in near real time to ensure the most accurate mapping data as possible.

“Our AI first data systems utilise real time data from millions of vehicles using Ola Maps, fleet of Ola S1’s equipped with 360 cameras, open-source government data repositories, OpenStreetMap, partnerships and proprietary sources to build essential map features such as roads, points of interest, street furniture, building geometry and traffic signals,” the company explained.

Last month, Aggarwal cut all his ties with Microsoft Azure and shifted his company’s entire workload to in-house AI platform Krutrim. AGENCIES

To ensure seamless mobile connectivity for pilgrims participating in the Amarnath Yatra, the government on Monday announced significant improvements in telecom infrastructure.

In collaboration with major telecom service providers (TSPs) including Airtel, BSNL and Reliance Jio, the infrastructure has been upgraded to provide continuous coverage along the Yatra routes, said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

“To ensure coverage, a total of 82 sites (Airtel, RJIL and BSNL) shall be active. A total of 31 new sites have been installed along the Yatra routes, increasing the total number from 51 in 2023 to 82 in 2024. This enhancement aims to provide seamless mobile connectivity to the pilgrims and public,” the DoT informed.

The routes from Lakhanpur to Qazigund and from Qazigund to Pahalgam and Baltal are fully covered with 2G, 3G, 4G, including 5G technology at many places for pilgrims and the public, according to the Department.

Some key points of SIM distribution centres have also been opened, apart from other locations to extend telecom facilitation to the pilgrims.

These centres are located at Lakhanpur, Yatri Niwas Bhagwati Nagar, Chanderkot, Anantnag, Srinagar, Srinagar Airport, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Baltal.

Over 1.82 lakh pilgrims had ‘darshan’ inside the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the last nine days as another batch of 5,803 yatris left for Kashmir on Monday.

Yatris take either the 48 km long traditional Pahalgam route or the shorter 14 km long Baltal route to perform the Yatra.

Those using the Pahalgam route take four days to reach the cave shrine while those taking the Baltal route return to the base camp the same day after ‘darshan’. AGENCIES