hubballi l thursday l february 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION U.S. will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip, redevelop it: donald Trump gaza bet worth pursuing, says netanyahu Trump said he envisions a redeveloped Gaza like “the Riviera of the Middle East.” “We’ll own it and dismantle all unexploded bombs ... level the site, create economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.” Netanyahu, when asked about the US taking over Gaza, said, “I think it’s something that could change history. it’s worth pursuing this avenue.” Trump made these remarks on Tuesday during a joint press conference in the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Appalled U.S. allies, foes reject idea ■ ■ Egypt, Jordan and other American allies rejected Donald Trump’s idea of relocating more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza. Australia said it supports a two-state solution in the Middle East | P9 Democratic senator Chris Coons said, “This risks the world thinking we are an unreliable partner as our president makes insane proposals” 40 mins length of the presser where Trump got the gaza brainwave CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI India is 2nd largest AI market: Altman Exit poll predictions Source AAP BJP+ Cong Chanakya Strategies 25-28 Total seats 36 A woman takes a selfie after voting at Jamia Nagar in Okhla, New Delhi, on Wednesday | PTI Halfway mark 2-3 DV Research 70 39-44 26-34 36-44 0-0 JVC 22-31 39-45 0-2 Matrize 32-37 35-40 0-1 Mind Brink 44-49 21-25 0-1 P-Marq 21-31 39-49 0-1 People’s Insight 25-29 40-44 0-2 Peoples Pulse 10-19 51-60 0-0 Poll Diary 18-25 42-50 0-2 WeePreside 46-52 18-23 0-1 Poll Of Polls 30 39 1 Pollsters see BJP ‘Capital gain’ P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi With the high-stakes assembly election in Delhi coming to a close on Wednesday, several pollsters predicted the return of the BJP to power after 27 years, with a clear majority. Exit poll predictions often go awry, but they get it right this time around, it will be a huge setback for the ruling AAP, which is seeking a third consecutive term in office. As for the voter turnout, it stood at 60.42% as of 11 pm, creeping towards the 2020 figure of 62.59%. Seven of 10 exit polls predicted anywhere 39-50 seats for the BJP and 20-25 for AAP Sev. en pollsters predicted not more than three seats for the Congress, which is fighting for revival in Delhi. In the 70-member Delhi assembly, 36 is the majority mark. While People’s Pulse gave a sweeping 51-60 seats for the BJP-led NDA, Chanakya Strategies predicted 39-44 to it. The P-Marq exit poll predicted 39-49 seats for the BJP and its allies, 21-31 for AAP and 0-1 for the Congress. However, two surveys — Wee Preside and Mind Brink — predicted a sweeping victory for the AAP. According to Wee Preside, AAP is expected to get 46-52 seats, restricting BJP to 18-23 seats. T he M i n d Brink survey predicted 44-49 seats for AAP and 21-25 for the saffron party . If most of the pollsters get it right, it will be a body blow for the Congress — which was hoping to rise like a Phoenix — after the reverses in Haryana and Maharashtra. The gloves were off as the Congress and the AAP, both INDIA bloc allies, unleashed an all out war against each other during the election campaign. However, most of the other constituents of the bloc, including the Samajwadi Party Trinamool Con, gress and Shiv Sena (UBT) extended support to the AAP. They also endorsed TMC chief Mamata Banerjee for the leadership of the bloc. For the Congress, it is a battle for survival in the city it ruled for 15 years in a row. Express News Service @ New Delhi Holy dip Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela, in Prayagraj on Wednesday | PTI T h e U n ive r s i t y G r a n t s Commission’s (UGC) growing influence over education policies, from primary to higher education, is a cause for concern. Many of the proposals from the National Educa- 18 non-Hindu TTD staff face stern action Express News Service @ Tirumala THE Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has barred 18 employees practising nonHindu rituals from all religious programmes and functions of the temple body until further orders. The disciplinary action, sources said, is in line with TTD’s commitment to preserving the sanctity of its temples. “It has been proved that 18 TTD employees are practicing and participating in nonHindu religious activities, though they have taken an oath that they will follow Hindu Dharma (religion) and traditions only,” said TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao in the memo. The 18 staff members include professors, lecturers and nurses,working in colleges, hospitals and hostels run by TTD. In November 2024, the TTD Board, headed by chairman B R Naidu, said it would write a letter to N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government for taking an appropriate decision on non-Hindus working in Tirumala. It had recommended the transfer of nonHindu employees to other government departments. IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh supported the action and said, “We stand by it.” BJP state vice-president Vishnu Vardhan Reddy welcomed the move, and said on X, “Thank you, Chairman @ BollineniRNaidu Garu, for protecting TTD’s integrity and upholding Hindu values... truly appreciated.” tion Policy (NEP) 2020, which aimed to strengthen regional languages and cultures, have now been contradicted by the new UGC draft regulations, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said. He was speaking at the Higher Education Ministers’ Conclave, where ministers from six states including Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand, participated to o p p o s e t h e U G C ’s d r a f t regulations. Parameshwara questioned why states were not given the freedom to shape their education policies to reflect their regional priorities and culture.  P4 The finance ministry has directed its officers not to use AI tools/ apps such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek in office devices or computers, saying they pose confidentiality risks to data and documents | P10 ally incredible. We’re excited to do much, much more here, and I think it’s (the Indian AI program) a great plan.” During his first visit to India in June 2023, Altman had 1st batch of 104 deportees land from US h a r p r e e t b a j w a @ Chandigarh A US air force aircraft carrying 104 Indian immigrants from different states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump dispensation as part of his crackdown against illegal immigration. Of the deportees, 33 each are from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, Dr G: New UGC regulations contradict NEP Express News Service @ Bengaluru TWO years after dismissing India’s AI potential as ‘hopeless’, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday acknowledged that India has grown to become the second biggest market for his firm’s flagship product, the ChatGPT, after the US. Altman, while discussing India’s progress in AI alongside Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at an event in Delhi, said Open AI has tripled its users in India in the past year. Praising India’s rapid optimisation of the new technology, he said: “The innovation that’s happening, what people are building [in India], it’s re- FinMin asks staff not to use ai apps The proposed changes should not undermine the autonomy of states.... Dr G Parameshwara, K’taka Home Minister The C-17 Globemaster in Amritsar | PTI sources said. The deportees include 19 women and 13 minors. The US action comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington. The C-17 Globemaster landed at the Amritsar airport at 1.55 pm, where a posse of police personnel were deployed, flanked by some anxious relatives of those who were sent back. All deportees were questioned inside the airport by different agencies. Jaspal Singh from Gurdaspur reached home in the evening and told TV channels that he had paid `30 lakh to an agent to reach the US through the ‘donkey route’. “US authorities kept me in a camp. We were handcuffed and put on a plane back to India,” he said. termed the country’s ability to develop a foundational model similar to ChatGPT “totally hopeless”, suggesting that India would be better off without trying to create its own model. He later claimed his words were taken out of context. Altman says training AI models is still expensive but it is becoming increasingly feasible, so India can take the lead in AI development. His shift in tone comes in the wake of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek creating a foundational model at a fraction of the cost of OpenAI’s offerings. The rise of DeepSeek has put pressure on OpenAI and other Western firms to lower prices to remain competitive. express read Five of family killed in accident near Shorapur Yadgir: Five of a family were killed in an accident near Tinthani in Shorapur taluk, Yadgir, on Wednesday. All the five died when their bike rammed into a government bus. The family was from Mettamaradidoddy, Raichur. The victims are Anjaneya (35), Gangamma (28), Hanamantha (1.5 years) and Anjaneya’s brother’s children Pavitra (5) and Rayappa (3). The couple had come to Halisagar in Shahapur and were returning when the accident happened.