The Ministry of Railways, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to prevent elephants from being hit by trains.

According to a release, the system uses Distributed Acoustic Sensors (DAS) to detect the presence of elephants on railway tracks and alerts loco pilots, station masters, and control rooms in real time.

The system components include Optical Fibre, hardware and pre-installed signatures of elephant locomotion. The system is designed to generate alerts for loco pilots, station masters, and the Control Room about the movement of elephants in the vicinity of railway tracks, enabling timely preventive action.

Researchers in India have developed a novel lead-free and environmentally friendly photodetector that operates without external power and delivers stable, long-term performance, opening new possibilities for its use in consumer electronics, industrial monitoring, security systems and biomedical imaging.

The breakthrough has been achieved by researchers at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad – an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) – in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad. The findings have been published in the journal Solar Energy (Elsevier).

Photodetectors are essential components in modern cameras, environmental sensors, smart wearables and imaging systems, as they convert light into electrical signals. While many high-performance photodetectors currently rely on lead-based perovskites, these materials pose environmental and health concerns due to their toxicity and also tend to degrade under real-world operating conditions.

Dubai will become the second city after Las Vegas to introduce the Dubai Loop, an underground transport system developed by The Boring Company, with the first phase set to connect the Dubai International Financial Centre and Dubai Mall, the Roads and Transport Authority said.The project was announced at the World Government Summit, where Roads & Transport Authority. (RTA ) Director General Matar Al Tayer described the Dubai Loop as an iconic project aimed at linking high-density areas through one-directional tunnels to enable faster and more efficient travel across the city. The full Dubai Loop network will span 22.2 kilometres, include 19 stations and is estimated to cost around 681 million dollar.

It is expected to be completed within one to two years and is projected to serve about 13,000 passengers per day.Once fully developed, the system is expected to have a total capacity of up to 30,000 passengers per day. The electric vehicle-based system will offer direct travel to destination stations without intermediate stops and is designed to reach speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour.

The Dubai Loop is based on tunnelling technology developed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, which has promoted high-speed, underground transport concepts as a way to ease urban congestion.

V.O. Chidambaranar (V.O.C.) Port has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL), at an event held in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The port has entered into the MoU to explore the financing arrangements of up to ₹15,000 crore for the outer harbour project at V.O.C. Port, comprising construction of bund and breakwater, capital dredging and reclamation and other allied facilities under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

The MoU was inked by Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson, VOC Port, Manoj Kumar Dubey, CMD, IRFC and LVS Sudhakar Babu, Managing Director, SMFCL, in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Ashwini Viashnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shantanu Thakur, Minister of States, MoPSW, Vijay Kumar, Secretary, MoPSW and other senior officials.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has welcomed the rationalisation of the income tax framework governing recognised provident funds announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, saying the move will bring much-needed clarity, reduce litigation, and better serve stakeholders.

Under the existing system, recognised provident funds are governed by Schedule XI of the Income Tax Act, 2025, while exemptions and operational provisions are regulated under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. Differences between the two frameworks – covering eligibility for tax exemption, investment patterns, and limits on employer contributions—have often led to confusion and avoidable disputes.

The Budget 2026-27 addresses these inconsistencies by aligning income tax provisions with the statutory and administrative framework of the EPF Act, 1952, and the Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 1952.

Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB) on Tuesday launched its first-ever Co-Branded RuPay Credit Card in collaboration with its sponsor bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), ushering in a new phase of digital and customer-centric banking, the release said.

With this initiative, Tripura Gramin Bank has become the first Regional Rural Bank (RRB) among the eight PNB-sponsored RRBs and the first RRB in the country to introduce a Co-Branded RuPay Credit Card, setting a significant national benchmark in the rural banking sector.

The historic launch reflects the Bank's growing focus on digital transformation, financial inclusion, and enhanced customer convenience, particularly for rural and semi-urban customers seeking access to modern credit facilities within the indigenous RuPay payment ecosystem.

Noted sociologist and writer Andre Beteille died due to age-related illness at a hospital here on Tuesday night. He was 91.

"My father was ailing for some time. He was in the hospital, where he passed away last night," his daughter, Radha Beteille, told PTI.

His last rites were performed on Wednesday. Beteille was a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Delhi since 2003. He was known for his studies on the caste system and social inequalities in India.

Born in West Bengal to to a French father and an Indian mother, Beteille moved to Delhi after completing his MA from Calcutta University.

Scientists have revised long-held measurements of Jupiter using fresh spacecraft data, revealing the solar system’s largest planet is slightly smaller and flatter than previously believed, according to new research published in Nature Astronomy on Feb. 2.

For decades, Jupiter’s size and shape were based on measurements gathered during brief flybys by NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager missions during the 1970s. Those early observations formed the foundation for planetary textbooks and scientific models worldwide. Now, data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft has allowed researchers to refine those figures with far greater precision, reshaping scientific understanding of the giant planet’s interior.

The Kerala film and music fraternity, joined by political leaders from across the spectrum, came together with thousands of fans on Tuesday to mourn the death of celebrated music director S P Venkatesh. The 70-year-old composer passed away in Chennai due to heart attack, leaving behind an enduring musical legacy that shaped Malayalam cinema for decades.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described his death as an irreparable loss to Kerala’s cultural landscape. According to a PTI report, Vijayan hailed Venkatesh as one of the most significant figures in Malayalam film music, noting that his evergreen compositions continue to resonate deeply with generations of listeners. The chief minister added that Venkatesh’s melodies were integral to Malayalam cinema during the 1980s and 1990s, and that his innovative background scores remain influential to this day.

Manipur MLA Yumnam Khemchand Singh has been elected Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, paving the way for the formation of a government headed by him in the border state where the President's Rule will complete a year on February 13.

The announcement came after the BJP leadership met the party's MLAs from Manipur and leaders of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Delhi.

The BJP's central observer for Manipur, Tarun Chugh, and its northeast in-charge, Sambit Patra, attended the meeting.