LG Group to spend over $100M for advanced AI tech development

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LG Group to spend over $100M for advanced AI tech development

LG Group said on Monday it will invest more than $100 million for the next three years to establish massive high-performance computing infrastructure for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) development.

LG AI Research, the group’s AI R&D hub, plans to develop a “hyper-mega AI” system resembling a human brain that can conduct comprehensive and independent learning, decision-making and actions by processing massive amounts of data.

To set up such an AI system, LG will establish top-class computing infrastructure that can perform 95.7 quadrillion calculations per second.

In the second half of the year, LG plans to unveil its hyper-mega AI system that has 600 billion machine learning parameters, more than triple of that of GPT-3, currently the world’s largest autoregressive language model created by U.S.-based OpenAI.

Parameters play a similar role as synapses in the human brain that connects neurons to learn and memorise information. Bigger parameters mean better AI intelligence, reports Yonhap news agency.

While GPT-3 can create essays and have conversations like humans, LG said its advanced AI system will be able to not only learn languages but also understand images and videos with enhanced data inference capabilities.

LG AI Research, which is joined by 16 group affiliates, including LG Electronics Inc., also plans to develop an AI model with trillion-scale parameters by the first half of 2022.

LG believes its advanced AI system will be useful in various areas from customer counselling to production development. The group is also pushing to develop an AI model that can perform sales activities related to B2B customers.

The conglomerate, which also owns the country’s top chemical firm LG Chem Ltd., plans to utilise its AI system to find new materials in the field of batteries and light-emitting compounds.

It expects the AI model to analyse massive amounts of chemical studies and patents and set up a comprehensive database for new materials, which can lead to development of better electric vehicle batteries and highly efficient TV displays.

The group said it also plans to apply its AI solutions to development of cancer treatment vaccines and environment friendly plastics.

Kumar Sanu: Have memory associated with every song I sang for Nadeem-Shravan

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Kumar Sanu: Have memory associated with every song I sang for Nadeem-Shravan

Playback veteran Kumar Sanu is not against the current trend of remixing old songs, smd he says he likes a remixed number even better if the original voice is retained. He also opened up with nostalgia on his association with composers Nadeem-Shravan.

“I was never against remixes. There are some songs that the new generation does not even know who had composed the music or who had sung them. They get to learn about it through its remix, which is a plus point. Secondly, remix is not bad if the lyrics and composition are kept intact and only the arrangement is changed. Also if a superhit song is remixed and the remix also becomes popular, it is certainly a plus point for today’s music directors and producers. It is good for everyone,” Sanu told

Quizzed if he is personally fond of remixes, the singer replied: “Personally I like remixes when the remix of a song also features its original singer.”

Sanu became popular in the nineties, particularly singing romantic numbers that reigned that charts back then, and among his biggest hits were songs he recorded for Nadeem-Shravan, starting “Aashiqui” in 1990. Shravan Kumar Rathod of the Nadeem-Shravan duo passed away last month. Walking down memory lane, Sanu recalled how he has a special memory with literally every song he sang for them.

“Music composer duos like Nadeem-Shravan are rare and Shravan ji’s demise is a great loss for our industry. I have so many memories with them. Shravan ji was a soft spoken and jovial person, and loved me a lot. They used to call me Tiger. I have a separate memory associated with every song I sang for them, the shows we did together, the tasty food I had at their place, the tips they shared to help me during song recording. I remember how, at times, they would try to make a song a little tougher with a classical touch while I would try to make it easier, and how we celebrated after every recording was completed. These are the things which keep flashing in my mind now,” Sanu recalled.

Any Nadeem-Shravan number close to his heart? “Every song I have sung for them is special to me. Their songs used to have melody and good lyrics, for which people remember me. One song, ‘Zindagi ki talash mein hum maut ke kitne paas aa gaye’, from the film ‘Saathi’ — it’s a
meaningful song and really close to my heart,” revealed the singer.

Times are difficult especially when the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc in India and the veteran singer suggests everyone to get vaccinated at the earliest.

“I have completed my second dose of the vaccine. It has been 12 days since I took my second dose and I haven’t experienced any side effects, which people are talking about, like pain or fever. Everybody should get vaccinated. It is good for you,” Sanu suggested.

What is it that he is missing the most being stuck at home during lockdown?

“I miss live concerts and recordings. I enjoy doing live performances a lot and am definitely missing it,” informed the singer.

Cyclone Tauktae threat shuts Mumbai Airport for 3 hrs

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Cyclone Tauktae threat shuts Mumbai Airport for 3 hrs

Owing to the potential threats created by the raging Cyclone Tauktae, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai has shut all operations for 3 hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday.

An official spokesperson said that the move was necessitated in view of the alerts over the Cyclone Tauktae – currently passing by Mumbai with windspeeds of 75-85 kmph – as the storm hurtles to south Gujarat.

Till now, one flight of private airline SpiceJet was diverted from Mumbai and further details are awaited.

Cyclone Tauktae hit Mumbai with full fury around after midnight of Monday (May 17) bringing with it heavy rains, thunder, lightning and powerful gales, wreaking havoc though there are no human casualties.

Telangana pauses second dose of Covaxin

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Telangana pauses second dose of Covaxin

The health authorities in on Sunday announced that they are suspending distribution of Covaxin in view of inadequate stock of the vaccine.

Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said that in view of inadequate stocks and non-receipt of fresh stocks from Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the second dose drive for persons above 45 years of age is postponed.

Details regarding resumption of vaccination drive will be made available subsequently, he said.

The suspension comes at a time when the state has been focusing on second dose for people above 45 years for over two weeks.

The state has stopped administering of first dose for beneficiaries and has also not taken up vaccination for those above 18 years of age due to lack of sufficient supplies from the Centre.

Telangana, which claims to have capacity to give 10 lakh vaccines every day, is administering 30,000 to 40,000 vaccines daily due to the shortage. On May 14, the health authorities administered about 34,000 vaccines.

The state has so far given 56,25,920 doses. A total of 11.37 lakh beneficiaries received the second dose.

The state government had revealed on Saturday that the Centre decided to increase the quota of Oxygen, Remdesivir injections and supply of vaccines to the state.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao about the decision to increase the quota. The central Minister also responded positively on the demand made by the CM to increase the vaccinations quota.

The state has already conveyed to the Centre that to vaccinate people above 45 years of age, the state requires 1.29 crore doses.

The Chief Minister requested the Centre to supply 2 to 2.5 lakh doses per day. There is an urgent need of 13 lakh vaccines till end of May, the state told the Centre.

3,816 new Covid cases, 27 deaths in Telangana

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3,816 new Covid cases, 27 deaths in Telangana

Telangana’s daily count of Covid-19 cases dropped to under 4,000 with fewer tests conducted on Sunday.

The state reported 3,816 new cases, taking the cumulative tally to 5,28,823.

The authorities conducted 44,985 tests during the 24-hour period ending 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. On weekdays, 65,000 to 70,000 samples are being tested daily.

The virus claimed 27 lives during the period, pushing the death toll to 2,955.

The case fatality rate stands at 0.55 per cent against the national average of 1.1 per cent.

According to the daily media bulletin by the Health Department, the state continues to see more recoveries than the new cases.

As many as 5,892 people recovered from Covid during the period, taking the cumulative recoveries to 4,74,899.

The recovery rate improved further to 89.80 per cent against the national average of 84.2 per cent.

The number of active cases, which had touched 80,000, has now dropped to 50,969.

The authorities conducted 44,985 tests during the period. With this, the number of tests conducted so far rose to 1,40,61,725. Samples tested per million population now moved up to 3,77,800.

Greater Hyderabad reported 658 new cases. Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri, adjoining Hyderabad, reported 326 and 293 cases, respectively.

Karimnagar reported 152 new cases followed by 151 in Khammam, 143 in Sangareddy, 142 in Mahaboobnagar, 138 in Siddipet, 135 in Vikarabad, 131 in Nagarkurnool, 209 in Karimnagar, 198 in Khammam, 189 in Warangal Rural, 179 in Vikarabad, 161 in Warangal Urban, 156 in Nagarkurnool and 150 in Siddipet.

Rakul Preet Singh: I’m a walking talking time table

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Rakul Preet Singh: I’m a walking talking time table

Rakul Preet Singh is gearing up for the release of her new film “Sardar Ka Grandson”. The actress relates to Radha, her character in the film, saying she is a walking talking timetable.

Rakul’s character in the film is a very organized and level-headed person. Is the actress in real life somewhat like her on-screen avatar? “When (director) Kaashvi (Nair) narrated it to me and after she got to know me, she said Radha is Rakul! I am a little punctual about time and I have to do things right. I am a walking talking timetable and I could relate a lot with Radha. So, I do agree to that part,” Rakul told IANS.

“Sardar Ka Grandson” is the story of Amreek played by Arjun Kapoor, who wants to fulfill the wish of his grandmother, essayed by Neena Gupta.

The film is all set to release on Netflix on May 18.

Kelly Brook: I don’t have the instinct for marriage or kids

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Kelly Brook: I don’t have the instinct for marriage or kids

Model-actress Kelly Brook has been with her beau Jeremy Parisi for years but is not desperate to have children or tie the knot.

“I’ve got a bucket list and I have to say a wedding is not on it!” Brook said, adding that motherhood “isn’t on her radar” at the moment.

“I feel like marriage and children are not things I’ve wanted. I like traveling and being with my partner, I like animals working and being independent and I like my freedom. I like being spontaneous,” Brook told Notebook magazine, according to a report in femalefirst.co.uk.

She said having children is a huge commitment.

Brook said: “There are so many things I love, and I think marriage and children would stop me from doing those things. I try to imagine how it would be, and when you have children it’s a huge commitment.”

“It’s very hard to change your ways when you get to your 40s and I don’t think it’s for everyone. I’m not saying, it’s just not on my radar.”

Brook and Parisi started dating in 2015 and while she sometimes thinks about marriage and children, she says she simply doesn’t have the “instinct” for it.

She said: “I think about it every now and again, then I quickly forget about it. I just don’t have that instinct.”

Ireland’s health department under ransomware attack

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Ireland’s health department under ransomware attack

Ireland’s Department of Health has been under a ransomware attack similar to that recently launched on the country’s Health Service Executive (HSE), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on Sunday.

The NCSC said in a statement that it became aware on Thursday of an attempted cyberattack on the Department of Health and that while this attempted attack remains under investigation, there are indications that this was a ransomware attack similar to that which has affected the HSE.

The NCSC is supporting the Department of Health in its response to this attempted cyber-attack, together with other relevant government departments and partners, said the statement, adding that the Department of Health has implemented its response plan including suspending some functions of its IT systems as a precautionary measure, the Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the statement, the NCSC has issued public advice in relation to the cyber attack on the HSE as well as general guidance on ransomware attacks. It has also been providing specific guidance to relevant parties on appropriate measures to reduce the risk of further ransomware attacks on their networks.

The NCSC is also engaging with the European Union and other international partners to share information on this incident, said the statement.

Earlier on Thursday, the HSE, a state agency responsible for providing public health services in Ireland, identified a ransomware attack on some of its IT systems.

Following the attack, many hospitals in the country could not gain access to their electronic systems and records, and doctors had to perform their duties using paper-based systems, according to local media. The attack also impacted some Covid-19 testing work in the country, said the HSE.

Ransomware is a form of malicious software that encrypts a victim’s files. The cyber attacker then demands a ransom from the victim to restore access to the data upon payment.

Yoga, breathing exercises aid children with ADHD to focus

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Yoga, breathing exercises aid children with ADHD to focus

Yoga and breathing exercises have a positive effect on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests.

The researchers, including Sergey Kiselev from the Ural Federal University, say that after special classes, children improve their attention, decrease hyperactivity, they do not get tired longer, they can engage in complex activities longer.

“Exercise has an immediate effect that appears immediately, but there is also a delayed effect. We found that exercise has a positive effect on regulation and control functions in children with ADHD and one year after the end of the exercise,” Kiselev said.

“This happens because the child’s correct breathing is automated, it becomes a kind of assistant that allows a better supply of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the behavior and psyche of a child with ADHD,” Kiselev added.

For the study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the team studied the effect of exercise on functions associated with voluntary regulation and control in 16 children with ADHD aged six to seven years.

The team used a special breathing exercise based on the development of diaphragmatic rhythmic deep breathing — belly breathing.

According to the researcher, such breathing helps to better supply the brain with oxygen and helps the reticular formation to better cope with its role.

“For children with ADHD, as a rule, the part of the brain that is responsible for the regulation of brain activity — the reticular formation — is deficient,” the researcher said.

“This leads to the fact that they often experience states of inadequate hyperactivity, increased distraction and exhaustion, and their functions of regulation and control suffer a second time,” Kiselev added.

In addition to breathing exercises, psychologists used body-oriented techniques, in particular, exercises with polar states “tension-relaxation”.

Madhuri Dixit’s 54th birthday: Husband Shriram Nene pens a note with throwback pic

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Madhuri Dixit’s 54th birthday: Husband Shriram Nene pens a note with throwback pic

Husband Shriram Nene posted a special message for his star wife Madhuri Dixit Nene birthday on Saturday, along with a throwback picture.

“Happy Birthday to my soulmate, Madhuri Dixit Nene. Life has been an amazing journey for us together and I look forward to the road ahead. Much love and many happy returns of the day,” he wrote on his verified Instagram page, drneneofficial, and tagged it with #HappyBirthdayMadhuriDixit and #DrNene.

The throwback image he posted with the note was a photo of the couple that clicked on October 16, 1999. The couple got married a day later, on October 17 that year.

Madhuri and Shriram Nene have two sons, Arin and Ryan.

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