NIR

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged increased investment in artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing. She positioned the sectors as key to India's economic and technological ambitions, aligning with the government's push to attract chip fabrication projects and build AI capacity. The remarks come as countries compete for investment in these strategic industries.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed an IIT Madras dialogue in Bengaluru, making announcements on India's economic growth, technology development and support for startups. The finance ministry's press bureau released details of her remarks, which focused on policy measures aimed at strengthening the innovation ecosystem and sustaining India's growth momentum.

Economy Minister Nir Barkat has signaled he would allow the $4.2 billion sale of Israeli shipping company Zim to proceed, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for one of the country's largest corporate deals. The move paves the way for the transaction to move forward, with attention now on its implications for Israel's shipping sector and investors.

Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show tackled the FCC chairman's threats against him, with Robert De Niro appearing as a parody FCC chairman, a bit about Donald Trump renaming artificial intelligence, and sidekick Guillermo dancing his way to New York. The episode drew a huge online audience, with viewers praising the show's satirical pushback against regulatory pressure on comedians.

France take on Italy today in a football international, with the French side coming up against familiar opponents who caused painful memories in past encounters. Italy are hoping to repeat an upset against Les Bleus, and fans on both sides are gearing up for what promises to be a tense rematch.

A music host is streaming a playlist that moves from Seth David's track 'The Ends' into Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', inviting listeners to like, share and subscribe to grow the audience. The set is tagged alongside NFL, tech and world news themes, suggesting a broader commentary stream with music woven in.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is drawing attention in India, with coverage including a Times of India piece on 'The ABC of MDR', referring to the Merchant Discount Rate charged on digital card payments. The discussion centres on what MDR means for merchants and consumers following the government's push to keep digital transactions zero-cost, a topic Sitharaman has addressed publicly.

Robert De Niro is trending in United States online searches, with over a thousand people engaging with the topic. No specific new event involving the actor has been confirmed, so it is unclear what prompted the renewed interest in the two-time Oscar winner.

Fugitive Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi has lost a legal attempt to block the sale of his London property. The fugitive jeweller, wanted in India over the multi-billion-dollar Punjab National Bank fraud, faces asset disposals as part of efforts to recover funds tied to the case. The ruling marks a further setback in his efforts to hold on to overseas assets while fighting extradition.

Mesa developers are starting work toward removing TGSI, the long-standing intermediate representation used in the open-source graphics driver stack. The effort would retire aging infrastructure that has been superseded by newer intermediate representations such as NIR. The change matters for Linux graphics drivers, as it signals continued modernization of Mesa's compiler internals, though timelines and affected drivers were not detailed in initial coverage.

Readers and literary fans are sharing a line from Milan Kundera's novel "Les Testaments Trahis" (Testaments Betrayed): "the present moment does not resemble its memory." The quote, circulated in French alongside photography, is prompting reflection on how memory distorts lived experience, a recurring theme in Kundera's work. The Czech-French author, who died in 2023, remains widely quoted in literary circles.

Images of the PX store at Kabul's military terminal from 2012 are circulating, showing the shop where NATO troops once bought t-shirts and souvenirs, including 4XL sizes. The snapshots offer a nostalgic look at everyday life on the base, prompting memories among veterans and observers of the international mission in Afghanistan.

French-speaking users are discussing Epsilon, the platform behind the epsilon.social instance, noting that it existed long before becoming a social network. Commenters point out that Epsilon had a substantial career in another field before turning into the online space where people now complain about automated posts, sparking curiosity about its origins and identity.

One year after a deadly attack on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, congregants and church leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building. The event marks a step toward rebuilding for the community, with coverage by Detroit Free Press photographer Niraj Warikoo documenting the milestone.

Moog and Niron Magnetics plan to present motor technology that eliminates rare-earth magnets at AUSA 2026, a major US defense exhibition. The partnership highlights growing interest in supply chains less dependent on rare-earth materials, which are largely sourced from China and have become a strategic vulnerability for defense manufacturers. Details of the specific systems to be demonstrated were not disclosed in the announcement.

Municipalities in the Faroe Islands are missing out on seven million kroner in income, while the national treasury saves the same amount. The figures have drawn attention locally because what one level of government loses is effectively what the other gains, highlighting the tight link between municipal finances and state budgets. Debate is focused on how the balance between the municipalities and the national treasury should be arranged.

The Faroese authorities have again begun issuing police certificates (child certificates) and weapons permits after a temporary suspension lasting several weeks. The pause was put in place because the National Police had identified errors in the automated criminal record checks used in the criminal records register. The resumption means the affected applications are once again being processed as normal.