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Samsung Focuses on AI Innovation and Consumer Finance Growth in India Samsung Electronics will not pursue an IPO for its India operations, choosing instead to enhance AI technology across its product lineup and broaden its consumer finance offerings. This strategy aims to strengthen the company's foothold in one of its key growth markets.CEO JB Park shared with PTI that the South Korean tech giant is committed to expanding its manufacturing presence in India, leveraging the production-linked incentive scheme to manufacture mobile display components. Samsung's Noida facility remains a pivotal export hub.Focusing on operational growth over public listings reflects Samsung's confidence in India's long-term potential and underscores its commitment to maintaining internal control over strategic directions. Key initiatives include AI advancements, showcasing at CES 2026, and extending interest-free financing to more home appliances.

Inauguration of Rashtriya Prerna Sthal: A Tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal, a national memorial and complex in tribute to Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, coinciding with what would have been his 101st birthday.Joining Modi were key political figures including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor Anandiben Patel, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The inauguration ceremony saw Modi warmly received by a crowd, waving the tricolour and chanting slogans in his name.The memorial complex includes statues of BJP icons Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, alongside Vajpayee. A lotus-shaped museum within the 98,000 square-foot site details the legacy of these leaders. Estimated at a cost of Rs 230 crore and spanning 65 acres, the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal aims to inspire future generations with its emphasis on leadership, national service, and cultural values.

Tragic Chitradurga Accident Sparks Investigation and Condolences In a tragic turn of events, a bus accident in Chitradurga claimed at least five lives, prompting Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to pledge a comprehensive investigation into the incident.The state government has committed to compensating the bereaved families with Rs 5 lakh each, while those injured will receive Rs 50,000.Many political figures, including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, have expressed their condolences and shock at the tragedy.

Tragedy in Narayanpur: Police Jawan's Tragic End A tragic event unfolded in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district as a police jawan, identified as Pingal Juri, died by suicide. The incident occurred during his duty at Kodnar police camp, situated in the Naxalite-affected Kohkameta area.Juri reportedly used his service rifle to inflict fatal injuries on himself. Despite being immediately transported to a hospital, he could not be saved and died on the way.Preliminary investigations indicate potential health issues as a motive for this drastic action. However, further inquiries are ongoing to determine the precise factors that led to this tragedy. Alarmingly, nearly 190 security personnel have died by suicide in the state over the past seven years.

The United States still leads the global AI race, with greater investment, infrastructure and superior AI models, but the gap is closing fast. Chinese models like DeepSeek-R1 and the recent Kimi K2 Thinking model have an edge over American models in cost efficiency and certain analytical functions. The United States’ status as the leading technology and innovation superpower has never been more uncertain. With the future of innovation in medicine, cybersecurity and defense hinging on the victor of the global AI race, U.S. policymakers must do all they can to ensure America does not squander its lead. Beijing undoubtedly wants to see China become the global AI superpower. The Chinese government has offered significant state-backed incentives to companies developing AI models and boosted energy subsidies for data centers. Similarly, funding is being poured into data-center projects, with a planned $37 billion investment in the 760-acre “data island” in Wuhu. After AI development was prioritized in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Goldman Sachs forecast that Chinese cloud service providers will increase capital expenditures by 65% in 2025, with $70 billion being invested to support development. Dividends have already been paid, with Moonshot AI’s language model, Kimi K2-thinking, outperforming OpenAI’s GPT-5 and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 in key tests. Worse still for the U.S. AI industry, these models are much cheaper to develop in China than they would have been in America. Beijing also intends to place AI systems at the core of its future national security and defense strategies. Last year, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University won a government contract after researching how artificial intelligence could be used to deploy weapons in automated “kill webs” that adjust in real time during combat at sea. To maintain its lead in the global AI race, the U.S. must create an attractive environment for AI companies, where low regulation and government support enable innovation to flourish. This is already happening, with OpenAI developing a $500 billion data center in Texas that dwarfs the investment in the Wuhu center. Congress needs to pass the 10-year ban on state-level AI regulation that was removed from the Tax Cut and Spending Bill in July. Over-regulation stifles American growth and aids China in this crucial race for global strength. Home to the world’s most powerful AI chip, the Nvidia Blackwell, the U.S. must continue restricting access to its technology. Without the most powerful chips, China may struggle to overtake the U.S. in AI innovation and power. DeepSeek has already faced this problem. Not having access to Nvidia’s strongest chips delayed the release of one of its models, as the domestic chips did not perform as well as the American ones. The AI race is fundamentally about the future of global power, in arenas from defense and security to healthcare. The U.S. is still in the lead, but will only maintain it if policymakers continue to act. Samuel Field is a policy fellow at the Pinsker Centre, a British-based foreign policy think tank focusing on the Middle East and wider international affairs./InsideSources