Blog

Facebook is reportedly asking users to share private media from their camera roll to Meta’s cloud servers. As per the report, a pop-up message requesting access appears when users upload a photo or a video to Stories. The social media giant reportedly says that by giving access, Meta AI will suggest collages and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered edits that they can post in Stories. However, it will reportedly also allow the company to analyse facial data and the presence of objects and people in these media files.

Facebook Asks Access to Users’ Camera Roll Media

According to a TechCrunch report, some users have begun seeing a new pop-up message when posting Stories on the Facebook app. Based on an image of the message shared by the publication, Meta wants to access media from a user’s camera roll to recommend AI-powered collages, restyling tools, recaps, and occasion-based posts such as birthdays and anniversaries.

However, for Meta to be able to make these suggestions, users will have to give it access to their unshared images and videos that are saved on their devices. The message states, “To create ideas for you, we’ll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location or themes.

To reassure users about any privacy concerns, the company adds that only the user will see these suggestions, and users’ media will not be used for ad targeting. However, by accepting this, users will also agree to Meta’s AI terms, which state that “Media and facial features can be analysed by Meta AI.” Additionally, the AI models will also collect data such as date and the presence of people or objects.

Meta’s public affairs manager, Ryan Daniels, told The Verge that the company is not going to train its AI models with the unpublished photos and videos. The company’s communications manager, Maria Cubeta, told the publication that the feature is entirely opt-in and that “These suggestions are opt-in only and only shown to you – unless you decide to share them – and can be turned off at any time. Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test”

Additionally, the report stated that while the opt-in only lets Meta retrieve media files from the last 30 days, however, suggestions based on themes, such as pets and weddings, could include media older than 30 days.

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail plea of Ansar Ahmed Siddique, who allegedly shared a Facebook post with the “Pakistan zindabad” slogan.

The court said the judiciary’s showing tolerance towards matters with anti-national overtones is leading to a rise in the number of such cases.

Denying bail to Siddique (62), Justice Siddhartha said, “The commission of such offences is becoming a routine affair in this country because the courts are liberal and tolerant towards such acts of people with an anti-national bent of mind. It is not a fit case for enlarging the applicant on bail at this stage.” 

“Clearly, the act of the applicant is disrespectful to the Constitution and its ideals and also, his act amounts to challenging the sovereignty of India and adversely affecting the unity and integrity of India by sharing an anti-social and anti-Indian post.

“The applicant is a senior citizen and his age shows that he was born in independent India. His irresponsible and anti-national conduct does not entitle him to seek protection of his right to liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the judge said.

However, while denying bail to the applicant, the court directed that the trial against him be concluded as expeditiously as possible.

The Income Tax Department has reiterated that there are “consequences” for those who have not linked their PAN card with Aadhaar. Such PAN cards have become inoperative from July 1, after the deadline for linking the two documents ended. In a tweet shared on its official handle on Tuesday, the department clarified that an inoperative PAN does not mean it’s an inactive card. The Income Tax Department had extended the deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar from March 31 to June 30, adding that those who fail to do so will have to face “certain repercussions”.

Clarifying what those repercussions are, the department said on Twitter:

• PAN cards of such taxpayers will become inoperative
• Both tax deducted at source (TDS) and tax collected at source (TCS) will be deducted/collected at higher rate in such cases
• Any pending refunds and interest on such refunds will not be issued

The Income Tax department has a dedicated FAQ page regarding the procedure to link PAN with Aadhaar to help taxpayers.

However, taxpayers who plan to link the two documents now (to make the PAN card operational), can do so within 30 days “upon intimation of Aadhaar to the prescribed authority after payment of a fee of Rs 1,000”.

How to check PAN-Aadhaar link status?

You can visit the Income Tax e-filing portal and select Quick Links. Then click on Link Aadhaar status and enter your PAN and Aadhaar numbers on the new page. If your PAN and Aadhaar are linked, a message will pop up – “Your PAN is already linked to given Aadhaar”. Otherwise, the pop-up will read, “PAN not linked with Aadhaar. Please click on ‘Link Aadhaar’ to link your Aadhaar with PAN”.

Six women had a miraculous escape after they slipped into the sudden gush of water at the Languriya hill waterfall in Bihar’s Gaya district. The video of the incident that took place on Sunday was captured on camera and has since gone viral on social media, serving as a stark reminder of the dangers near water bodies.

The nearly two-minute clip shows the six women stranded in the middle of the waterfall as water gushed around them. Initially, one woman was saved by crossing a rock. Trying to do the same, three women attempted to cross a rock but were swept into the water. They were, however, pulled up by the villagers – while they were just a few meters away from what looked like a big drop. In the meantime, the fifth woman was rescued from the other side of the waterfall.

Six women had a miraculous escape after they slipped into the sudden gush of water at the Languriya hill waterfall in Bihar’s Gaya district. The video of the incident that took place on Sunday was captured on camera and has since gone viral on social media, serving as a stark reminder of the dangers near water bodies.

The nearly two-minute clip shows the six women stranded in the middle of the waterfall as water gushed around them. Initially, one woman was saved by crossing a rock. Trying to do the same, three women attempted to cross a rock but were swept into the water. They were, however, pulled up by the villagers – while they were just a few meters away from what looked like a big drop. In the meantime, the fifth woman was rescued from the other side of the waterfall.

Controversial Telangana leader T Raja Singh, who has often made headlines for hate speech and communally-charged remarks, has resigned from the BJP. In his resignation letter addressed to Union Minister and state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, the Goshamahal MLA has lodged a strong protest after several reports claimed that the BJP had chosen N Ramchander Rao as the next state boss.

A High Court lawyer and a former member of the state Legislative Council, Mr Rao has earlier worked in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and the BJP’s legal cell. He has also led the party’s Hyderabad unit in the past. An IANS report has said that BJP’s central leadership had cleared his name and no other leader is likely to enter the race. He may be elected unanimously tomorrow.

Controversial Telangana leader T Raja Singh, who has often made headlines for hate speech and communally-charged remarks, has resigned from the BJP. In his resignation letter addressed to Union Minister and state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, the Goshamahal MLA has lodged a strong protest after several reports claimed that the BJP had chosen N Ramchander Rao as the next state boss.

A High Court lawyer and a former member of the state Legislative Council, Mr Rao has earlier worked in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and the BJP’s legal cell. He has also led the party’s Hyderabad unit in the past. An IANS report has said that BJP’s central leadership had cleared his name and no other leader is likely to enter the race. He may be elected unanimously tomorrow.

Tej Pratap Yadav today met Anushka Yadav, the woman whose viral photo with him led his father Lalu Prasad Yadav to snap all family and political ties with him.

“We have family relations, so I have come here. No one can stop me from going anywhere. I am in contact with everyone,” he said after a nearly 5-hour meeting with Ms Yadav.

A photo of the two was shared on Tej Pratap’s Facebook account last month, claiming they had been in a relationship for 12 years. The photo was later deleted, and the former minister of Bihar claimed his account was “hacked” and the photo was posted without his knowledge. The damage, however, was done.

Tej Pratap Yadav today met Anushka Yadav, the woman whose viral photo with him led his father Lalu Prasad Yadav to snap all family and political ties with him.

“We have family relations, so I have come here. No one can stop me from going anywhere. I am in contact with everyone,” he said after a nearly 5-hour meeting with Ms Yadav.

A photo of the two was shared on Tej Pratap’s Facebook account last month, claiming they had been in a relationship for 12 years. The photo was later deleted, and the former minister of Bihar claimed his account was “hacked” and the photo was posted without his knowledge. The damage, however, was done.

The BJP on Monday moved towards rolling out the exercise to have a new national president as the party elected chiefs in some states and is set to announce more on Tuesday that will put the requisite number of state heads at the helm for it to pick the replacement of J P Nadda.

The BJP’s constitution requires the election of its presidents in at least 19 out of its 37 organisational states before the process to elect its national president begins, and the ruling party is set to cross the threshold on Tuesday.

V P Ramalingam and K Beichhua were elected BJP presidents of Puducherry and Mizoram respectively on Monday, while single nomination for the post was filed in states like Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, making their election a mere formality on Tuesday.

The BJP has now new state presidents, including some who were reelected, in 16 states, a figure that will rise on Tuesday. Some big states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh may also follow in the next few days.

The BJP on Monday moved towards rolling out the exercise to have a new national president as the party elected chiefs in some states and is set to announce more on Tuesday that will put the requisite number of state heads at the helm for it to pick the replacement of J P Nadda.

The BJP’s constitution requires the election of its presidents in at least 19 out of its 37 organisational states before the process to elect its national president begins, and the ruling party is set to cross the threshold on Tuesday.

V P Ramalingam and K Beichhua were elected BJP presidents of Puducherry and Mizoram respectively on Monday, while single nomination for the post was filed in states like Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, making their election a mere formality on Tuesday.

The BJP has now new state presidents, including some who were reelected, in 16 states, a figure that will rise on Tuesday. Some big states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh may also follow in the next few days.

The death of ‘Kaanta Laga’ fame Shefali Jariwala, who reportedly died due to a cardiac arrest last week, has once again put a spotlight on the rising cases of heart attacks in adults in India. The disturbing increase of cardiovascular diseases in even those people who keep themselves seemingly fit, is a cause of concern – and triggers a question: are fitness therapies and workouts enough?

Dr Dhirendra Singhania, Principal Consultant of Interventional Cardiology at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospitals in Kaushambi, spoke exclusively to NDTV on the issue, saying the major causes of risk in heart attacks are: steroids, lack of sleep, and hormonal therapies (especially for women).

“Everyone, whether a celebrity or a common man, if they are not following the rules of the body, they will have problems. In celebrities, they all try to maintain their body for fit appearances. Many times, we don’t know what they do to achieve that. Lack of sleep has been known as a cardiac risk factor – many celebrities are awake for almost the whole night at times,” he said.

Dr Singhania added, “Steroids, drug overdoses, and hormonal therapies for women, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT for menopause) and oral contraceptives, can contribute to heart attack risk.”

Additionally, the cardiologist said stress and social media addiction contribute to increased blood pressure and cortisol levels – which eventually lead to cardiovascular diseases.

“Monojit dada is in our hearts (Team MM)” reads a wall graffiti inside the Kolkata law college that has made headlines for a student’s rape on campus. “Monojit dada” here is Monojit Mishra, prime accused in the rape case and an alumnus who wielded huge influence on the campus even after he graduated.

According to Monojit’s profile, he has led the college unit of Trinamool College Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of the ruling party in West Bengal, since 2017. Amid nationwide outrage over the rape case, the Trinamool has claimed he has no links with the party and must face the strictest punishment.

Students of the college say Monojit, called “Mango” by friends, wielded massive clout on campus, to the extent that even teachers and office staff feared him. According to reports, multiple complaints of harassment and molestation had been registered against him in the past, but no action was taken.

“Monojit dada is in our hearts (Team MM)” reads a wall graffiti inside the Kolkata law college that has made headlines for a student’s rape on campus. “Monojit dada” here is Monojit Mishra, prime accused in the rape case and an alumnus who wielded huge influence on the campus even after he graduated.

According to Monojit’s profile, he has led the college unit of Trinamool College Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of the ruling party in West Bengal, since 2017. Amid nationwide outrage over the rape case, the Trinamool has claimed he has no links with the party and must face the strictest punishment.

Students of the college say Monojit, called “Mango” by friends, wielded massive clout on campus, to the extent that even teachers and office staff feared him. According to reports, multiple complaints of harassment and molestation had been registered against him in the past, but no action was taken.

The Trump administration said a US investigation found that Harvard University violated civil rights law in its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students, further endangering federal funding for the school.

“Harvard has been in some cases deliberately indifferent, and in others has been a willful participant in antisemitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” the government said in a letter Monday to the university’s president, Alan Garber. “Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources.”

The finding ramps up pressure on the oldest and richest US university less than two weeks after President Donald Trump said he was nearing a deal with the school following months of attacking it. His administration has scrapped more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding for Harvard, threatened the school’s tax-exempt status and sought to prevent it from enrolling foreign students.

Harvard Dragged Deeper Into Trump’s ‘America First’ Visa Fight

In the letter to Harvard, officials including Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon didn’t specify the additional financial penalties the administration is considering. But the government has other levers it can pull, including Pell Grants for low-income students and access to the federal student-loan program, which at Harvard is used mostly by graduate students.

Harvard said it strongly disagreed with the government’s findings. The school said it “has made significant strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias” and remains committed to ensuring that Jewish and Israeli students can thrive on campus