AR Rahman and Saira Banu’s lawyer has opened up on online rumours linking their separation to the composer’s bassist Mohini Dey.
AR Rahman and his wife, Saira Banu, announced their separation after 29 years of marriage on Tuesday evening. Incidentally, on the same day, Mohini Dey, a bassist who has performed with Rahman for years, also announced the end of her marriage. After the two incidents were reported, Rahman and Saira’s legal representative dismissed any link between them. (Also read: Mohini Dey, AR Rahman’s bassist, announces split from husband, hours after composer’s ‘breakup’ with wife)
AR Rahman and his bassist Mohini Dey announced their respective separations on the same day
Rahman-Saira’s lawyer addresses Mohini Dey link
In a conversation with Republic TV, lawyer Vandana Shah said, “There is no connection at all. Saira and Mr Rahman made this decision on their own.” Rahman and Saira Banu announced their separation on Tuesday evening, chalking it down to ‘significant emotional strain in their relationship’.
Mohini, 29, is a bass player from Kolkata who is part of Gaan Bangla’s Wind of Change. She has performed with Rahman in over 40 shows worldwide. She also took to Instagram on Tuesday and announced her separation from her musician husband, Mark Hartsuch, in a joint Instagram post. “The big thing we want to wish is love to everyone out there in the world. We appreciate your support in all of the ways you have given it to us. Please honor the decision we have made by being positive towards us at this time and respecting our privacy. We would appreciate no judgements,” part of her statement read. While many had linked the two announcements, given they came so close to each other, Rahman and Saira’s lawyer has now categorically denied it.
In her conversation with Republic, Vandana Shah also said there is no discussion of financial matters in Rahman and Saira Banu’s split. “Not as yet. It has not come to this stage yet. It would be an amicable divorce. Both of them are extremely genuine, and this decision was not taken lightly. It is not what you would call a sham marriage,” she said.
AR Rahman and Saira’s separation
Rahman and Saira Banu married in 1995 and have three children together. Taking to Twitter a little after midnight on Tuesday, Rahman wrote, “We had hoped to reach the grand thirty, but all things, it seems, carry an unseen end. Even the throne of God might tremble at the weight of broken hearts. Yet, in this shattering, we seek meaning, though the pieces may not find their place again. To our friends, thank you for your kindness and for respecting our privacy as we walk through this fragile chapter.”
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News/Entertainment/Bollywood/ AR Rahman and Saira Banu’s lawyer breaks silence on rumoured link to bassist Mohini Dey: ‘Decision wasn’t taken lightly’
Samsung’s long-awaited XR wearable is expected to be ready for its debut sometime next year. The company is yet to reveal many details about its first extended reality (XR) smart glasses, however, new research coming out of China shows that the Korean brand’s upcoming XR device will share some features with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. The device, reportedly developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm, could be released in the third quarter of 2025. The purported Samsung XR glasses may not have a display and is expected to pack a 12-megapixel camera.
New Details on Samsung’s XR Smart Glasses Surface
A research note by China-based Wellsen XR offers details about Samsung’s first XR smart glasses. As per the report, highlighted by Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) and Maeil Business Newspaper, Samsung has finalised plans to release AI smart glasses, and the company is eyeing to produce 5,00,000 units in the first batch. The smart glasses will reportedly be released in the third quarter of 2025.
The Samsung XR glasses will reportedly pack a Qualcomm AR1 chipset as the main processing unit and an NXP semiconductor as the auxiliary processing unit. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses also run on the AR1 chipset. It is also said to come with a 12-megapixel camera with Sony IMX681 CMOS image sensor and 155mAh battery, similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban offering. It could weigh 50 grams.
The camera on the Samsung XR glasses is said to be capable of scanning QR codes, gesture recognition and “human recognition functions.” These functions could be performed by the pre-installed Gemini giant language model (LLM) in the wearable in collaboration with Google.
Samsung Electronics in its earnings announcement last month confirmed that the XR headset would be launched next year. However, the brand has not revealed the exact launch timeline yet. Samsung is expected to preview the device at its Galaxy Unpacked event for the Galaxy S25 series.
Popular Malayalam actor Meghanadhan breathed his last on November 21, Thursday. He was 60 years old. Meghanadhan was the son of the legendary actor Balan K Nair.
According to Asianet News, Meghanadhan was under treatment for a respiratory-related illness at a hospital in Kozhikode. Reportedly the funeral rites will happen at his residence in Shornur.
Samadhana Pusthakam – Official Trailer
Hailing from Trivandrum, Meghanadhan has two brothers Anil and Ajayakumar, and two sisters Latha and Sujatha. He pursued primary education from an institution in Chennai and has also completed a diploma in Automobile engineering from Coimbatore. Married to Susmitha, Meghanadhan has a daughter named Parvathi. Meghanadhan who made his acting debut with the film Ashtram in the year 1983, has played numerous memorable roles in both Malayalam and Tamil movies. He has acted in more than 50 Malayalam movies and most prominently he played villain characters. After his debut film ‘Asthram’, Meghanadhan played the role of Ravi in the critically acclaimed Hariharan’s directorial ‘Panchagni’ which hit the big screens in 1986. In the same year, he played the most memorable role of Keerikkadan Sunny in the Mohanlal starrer classic film ‘Chenkol’. Meghanadhan was praised for his unique acting skills even in supportive roles. Some of his most prominent movies include ‘Malappuram Haji Mahanaya Joji’, ‘Newspaper Boy’, ‘Oru Maravathoor Kanavu’, ‘Crime File’, ‘Cover Story’, ‘Uthaman’, ‘Nerariyan CBI’, ‘Vaasthavam’, ‘Thanthonni’, ‘Picket 43’, and many more. Recently Meghanadhan played a prominent role in the Asif Ali starrer ‘Kooman’ which received good reviews from the audiences and turned out to be a superhit. He also played the role of Excise Minister K Ramachandran in the Mammootty starrer political thriller ‘One’. The last outing was ‘Samadhana Pusthakam’.
Apple is working on an updated MacBook Air with the company’s current generation M4 chip that is expected to arrive in “early 2025”, according to a report. The Cupertino company is also developing a new Mac Studio model that is also equipped with an M4 chip, but it has reportedly been delayed by a few months. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch new M4-powered Mac models next week, including a new iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, in what is likely to be the company’s last hardware launch of the year.
Apple Could Launch M4 MacBook Air Model in Early 2025
A Bloomberg report citing people aware of the matter states that Apple could soon begin production of new M4 MacBook Air models that could be launched by the company in early 2025, alongside new iPhone SE, iPad, and iPad Air models. The current generation MacBook Air with an M3 chip was introduced in March, and a refreshed model with a more powerful processor could arrive around the same time next year.
Apple’s upcoming MacBook Air models will be available in 13-inch (codenamed J713) and 15-inch (J715) display sizes and will feature the same design as the current generation MacBook Air models, according to the report. These variants are likely to be introduced after a software update that is expected to arrive in December.
Meanwhile, an updated Mac Studio model with an M4 chip (codenamed J575) won’t be announced in the first quarter, according to Bloomberg. It will reportedly be launched between March and June, and there’s no word on when Apple will refresh the Mac Pro with an M4 chip. This claim was first made by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman earlier this year.
Apple Expected to Refresh Mac Models With M4 Chip
Earlier this month, Gurman stated that Apple would launch a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip (codenamed J604), and high-end 14-inch (J614) and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 chips (J616). Similarly, a Mac mini with M4 or M4 Pro chips (J773) along with a refreshed iMac with an M4 chip (J623) could also be launched by the company.
Apple launched a refreshed iPad Mini with an A17 Pro chip — the processor that powered the iPhone 15 Pro — on October 15, while the company has yet to unveil the new Mac models listed above. Previous reports suggest that the upcoming M4 Mac Mini will feature a much smaller body that resembles the Apple TV box. it is currently unclear whether Apple will hold a launch event for these products, or announce their arrival via its website, like the new iPad Mini (2024).
A US congressional commission on Tuesday proposed a Manhattan Project-style initiative to fund the development of AI systems that will be as smart or smarter than humans, amid intensifying competition with China over advanced technologies.
The bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stressed that public-private partnerships are key in advancing artificial general intelligence, but did not give any specific investment strategies as it released its annual report.
The Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the US government and the private sector during World War Two that produced the first atomic bombs.
“We’ve seen throughout history that countries that are first to exploit periods of rapid technological change can often cause shifts in the global balance of power,” Jacob Helberg, a USCC commissioner and senior advisor to software company Palantir’s CEO, told Reuters.
“China is racing towards AGI … It’s critical that we take them extremely seriously,” Helberg added.
Noting that energy infrastructure is a significant bottleneck for training large AI models, Helberg suggested that streamlining the permitting process for data centers might be an example of how a public-private partnership could accelerate AI development.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which last week released a proposed blueprint for US AI strategy, has also called for more government funding for artificial intelligence.
The USCC, established by Congress in 2000, provides annual recommendations on US-China relations. Known for its hawkish policy proposals, the commission aims to guide lawmakers on issues of economic and strategic competition with China.
Other recommendations in this year’s USCC report include repealing the de minimis trade exemption that allows Chinese goods under $800 (roughly Rs. 67,504) to bypass tariffs with minimal paperwork and inspection, ending preferential capital gains treatment linked to Chinese companies on government watchlists and requiring approval of Chinese involvement in biotechnology companies operating in the US.
Commissioner Kimberly Glas said at a briefing on the report that immediate elimination of de minimis treatment for e-commerce goods was one of the most critical recommendations from the panel, given that the enormous volume of packages makes it difficult for Customs and Border Protection to stop the flow of dangerous products into the US, including fentanyl chemicals and pill presses.
“Just to give you a sense of the trajectory, it’s four million boxes a day, estimated to be 1.4 billion de minimis shipments over this past year, according to CBP,” Glas said. “It is impossible to police what is in those boxes.
“In the 1930s de minimis was created so we could bring back trinkets from abroad and not have to pay a tariff. In the e-commerce environment, it has become a funnel for Chinese products to receive duty-free, no-scrutiny treatment,” she said.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have also introduced a series of bills that aim to rein in de minimis, particularly for shipments from China. But bipartisan cooperation has been elusive in a tumultuous election year, and the shipping industry and pro-trade groups have lobbied against such measures, arguing it would disrupt e-commerce.
Last weekend, the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2024 proved to be the most special one, not least because the Hindustan Times you love is now 100 years strong. As it happens every time, this edition of HTLS was also host to some of the most interesting, relevant conversations about the times we live in and the issues we face. collectively. The technical conversation revolved around topics that will be of utmost importance over the next few years – artificial intelligence and its associated questions, data centers and supply chains, India’s role in the technological transformation and how soon artificial general intelligence (AGI) can come into play. Is. Potentially become a reality. I spoke to Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex Ltd., Professor Arvind Narayanan of Princeton University, and Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director, Google DeepMind.
breez-nuuk
I’ll give you the pleasure of reading the detailed conversations, and also watching the video stream (links to which are a few scrolls down), but one takeaway would be to highlight the idea that each of these speakers talked about in our conversation.
AI for broader good: “A farmer may be unable to get a loan from a bank, and hence have to pay a very high interest rate to the loan shop. They are unable to get insurance at a reasonable price and if their crops fail, they fall into debt trap. Our team took this approach of analyzing satellite imagery, which enabled us to create the first model that is now able to identify field boundaries and crops being grown, for the whole of India, through satellite imagery. It provides a foundational layer on which we can create a unique identity for each individual, and then on top of that, you can build a foundation stack, unified payments interface, and more. We can unlock all kinds of use cases for farmers, like loans, recent prices, stock insurance or supplementary programs for the government” – Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director – Research, Google DeepMind.
AI and Jobs: “My thesis is, AI is helpful to humans. Of course, the debate about whether AI takes away jobs is relevant for a company like ours that has a large employee base, but I think it’s somewhere in the middle. I think overall it will have a net zero impact in terms of employment. This is controversial because many people do not believe in it. This (debate) is about AGI that is going to replace humans. I think the productivity boost that AI will give will probably not directly reduce jobs, but rather redistribute them and skill the workforce as a whole” – Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex.
AI and regulation: “I think it is possible to regulate AI, and in thinking about it, we need to remember that AI is not just one thing. There are many types of AI. For example, there is AI that generates our social media feeds, and it has been blamed for a variety of problems, such as increasing polarization, enabling people to use social media to fan the flames of communal violence. , because these AI systems sometimes exceed the maximum. Divisive posts that are being shared online. For example, there is AI behind self-driving cars. So there are many types of AI, and when we think about all of these separately, and we think about regulation separately, I think it becomes a much more practical problem than just asking That’s how we can do AI regulation” – Professor Arvind Narayanan.
Detailed conversation from HTLS 2024, here…
Recalibrate?
As I write this on Tuesday morning, there are rumors that the United States Department of Justice may force Google to sell its Chrome browser product, and more significant unbundling within Android, because of the search monopoly. The next chapter of the results continues. I wrote about it my column a few weeks ago. But why Chrome? Regulators believe Google’s search monopoly is partly fueled by the Chrome browser, which has the highest market share worldwide and can therefore be used effectively to keep users within Google’s service ecosystem. Can be done from. It’s a similar story with Android and Google Play, but asking Google to sell Android can be much more complicated.
Who do you think could be the next owner of Google if it comes to it? A few names come to mind. Perhaps OpenAI, which recently clearly outlined plans for a search engine. Microsoft, because they can merge the Edge browser within Chrome (Edge’s underlying engine is similar to Chrome and maintains continuity specifically for Windows users. Apple? Not likely, as they have rated Safari among the most secure. have developed to make one (and it is a rare breed) web browsers of this generation and have shown no intention of making inroads into the Windows ecosystem with other services may always be a surprising selection, but the key It would be – Chrome itself not money Earns Google, and it won’t be for anyone who wants it unless they have a set of services that plug in seamlessly for them, and for users I have a left field option here. .
Air
Perhaps the time is not right to spend money on a cooling fan, at least if you live north of the Vindhyas. But still, fans haven’t been as smart as I’ve been talking about this week. The seasonal aspect I just mentioned, I will come back to in a moment. The NuUK Hello doesn’t try to make the case by complicating matters like Wi-Fi connectivity and smartphone controls, which only serves to confuse more senior members of the family. Instead, this Indian tech company has done well to focus on improving different elements of the experience – and to be fair, it has worked collectively.
The primary element of this proposal is the use of BLDC motors (or brushless direct current motors; there are 3 of them). These are made by a company called NIDEC Corporation. The collective effort of motor refinement and the way the NUUK Halo has been designed makes it the quietest fan of its kind. Even at speeds of 10 or 11, with a maximum of 12 (this in itself is rare, most such implementations stop at 10). According to the decibel meter on the Apple Watch, the Halo registers the faint whisper of a fan blowing gently at 21 decibels at fan speed 1 (this is about 3 feet away in a typical living room). At fan speed 5, it’s about 33 decibels – some of this will also be wind noise if you’re in direct line of sight. No fan, table or chair, smart or otherwise, has ever been so quiet.
It’s good that Wi-Fi connectivity in NYUK and everything else that follows is not complicated. Instead, it integrates a three-stage illumination lamp with finely diffused light. It’s not perfect for what kind of lighting you’ll be able to read a book in, but it serves the purpose. The company claims this is an element of Scandinavian design influence. Remember I mentioned the seasons earlier in our conversation? This is one fan that may find relevance even after summer. The 90-degree vertical oscillation and 120-degree horizontal oscillation means the Halo can be smartly positioned to enhance the air-conditioner’s cooling over longer periods of time or extend the scope of the heater’s effectiveness in winter.
If any further proof of the attention to detail was needed, it would be the remote control which has a sturdier construction than usual. It looks as if there is a silicone protective case around it, but there isn’t! This proposal with a fan is surprisingly more versatile than I imagined, and most other fans are ready for it. This is reassuring, because you will be separated from Rs 10,999 for this facility.
data
Now that the US elections are over, apparently a few more people have realized that they should try to move away from X or Twitter. I have some thoughts about the elusive quest that Real X alternate humanity is seeking, but I’ll leave that for another day. At the moment, BlueSky says they now have 15 million users, with 1 million people joining in the week since the election results were announced. One can assume that most of those signups are from the US. Now, BlueSky is trying to make its broader approach more attractive. “Many artists and creators have made their home on BlueSky, and we listen to their concerns about other platforms training on their data. “We do not use any of your content to train generative AI and have no intention of doing so,” the company said in a statement.
Assistant
assistant-gemini_ios
Google Gemini, the AI assistant, is now available on iPhone as a standalone app. On iPhones, as opposed to integration within the Google app. Gemini’s push for iOS makes complete sense, so much so that you’ll wonder why Google didn’t do it sooner – there are a lot of iPhone users out there, and Gemini’s relevance has improved significantly. And since this is before Apple’s expected arrival of OpenAI’s GPT model as part of a more sophisticated Siri, it has a better chance of gaining traction and hopefully making it a habit across most of the demographic. There’s also Gemini Live, and Google is clearly not holding back. What’s interesting to note here is that, for example, Google has removed the iPhone checklist before making Gemini available on many of its platforms or devices, including Google TV, Android TV or smart displays.
Microsoft on Thursday announced plans to make Windows more resilient to incidents caused by security firms, such as the global outage caused by CrowdStrike earlier this year that took millions of Windows computers offline for more than a day. At a security summit hosted by the company, the Windows maker said it would assist these security vendors in modifying their solutions to operate outside kernel mode on Windows, which provides an elevated level of access to the system along with more advanced functionality.
In a statement issued after its recently concluded Windows Endpoint Security Ecosystem Summit, Microsoft said that it discussed the creation of new platform capabilities on Windows that would enable security vendors to offer more features outside of the Windows kernel, which in turn would improve security on the operating system.
Existing security solutions for Windows involve the use of software that runs at the Windows kernel level, which provides these apps with a greater degree of access to the system compared to regular applications. They can also scan other apps that are loaded into memory in order to intercept security threats or modify system files if necessary.
While kernel level access offers benefits for security vendors, a badly configured software update can adversely affect systems — such as the one rolled out by CrowdStrike in July that led to a massive global outage. In order to keep customers’ devices protected from these incidents, Microsoft would need to make sure these security vendors operate outside the Windows kernel.
At Microsoft’s security summit, the company discussed the requirements of security vendors and the key challenges to implementing a more secure Windows environment, while allowing these firms to continue offering security features. These include potential performance issues and challenges outside kernel mode, sensor requirements, and anti-tampering protection, according to the Windows maker.
“As a next step, Microsoft will continue to design and develop this new platform capability with input and collaboration from ecosystem partners to achieve the goal of enhanced reliability without sacrificing security,” Microsoft said on Thursday.
Realme GT 7 Pro will make its debut in India on November 26 as the first smartphone to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Ahead of its impending launch, pre-orders of the upcoming smartphone have commenced via select online and offline channels. The Chinese smartphone maker has also announced a list of benefits for prospective buyers, including screen damage insurance, instant discounts, extended warranty, and multiple payment plans.
Realme GT 7 Pro Pre-Booking Offers in India
Realme has detailed the pre-booking offers valid in India on the Realme GT 7 Pro on a dedicated microsite created ahead of the launch. Customers can pre-book the smartphone on Amazon for Rs. 1,000 and for Rs. 2,000 at select offline channels starting today at 12 pm IST. Meanwhile, pre-reservation on the Realme website will begin on the day of the launch; November 26 at 1 pm IST.
Customers will be eligible to receive a discount of Rs. 3,000 on the purchase with bank offers. They can also take advantage of 12 and 24-month no-cost EMI plans. Realme is offering 24 months of warranty and one year of screen damage insurance worth Rs. 6,598 to buyers who pre-book the handset.
In addition to these offers, the company is providing additional benefits for customers who pre-book the smartphone exclusively via its website. It is offering a free upgrade to the Realme VIP Pro+ membership, including benefits such as free shipping, early access, coins redemption and other offline gains. Furthermore, buyers will be eligible to purchase the Realme Buds Air 6, which is usually priced at Rs. 3,299, for just Rs. 2,499.
Realme GT 7 Pro Specifications (Confirmed)
Realme GT 7 Pro is confirmed to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with an AnTuTu benchmark score of over 30,00,000. For photography, it will sport a triple rear camera setup, comprising a 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 primary sensor, a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical and 120x digital zoom, and an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter.
The handset is claimed to have an IP69 rating against dust and water ingress which helps it withstand depths of up to two metres for 30 minutes. It will be backed by a 5,800mAh battery with support for 120W SuperVOOC charging.
AR Rahman announced divorce from his wife Saira Banu recently and that left everyone shocked. The composer has expressed his feelings on this separation and the heartbreak that comes with it, thus requesting for privacy during this time. Rahman and Saira have separated after 29 years of marriage. Here’s recalling the time when he had spoken about their relationship and why he opted for an arranged marriage. Rahman had spoken about Saira during a chat with ‘Rendezvous With Simi Garewal‘. When asked why he chose an arranged marriage, he said, “I didn’t have time to go and search for a bride but I knew it was the right time for me to get married. I was 29. And I told my mother ‘find a bride’.” He further revealed that his mother found Saira’s sister near a Sufi shrine and that led her to Saira. He called their first meeting funny because till then, he didn’t have the intention to see a girl with that look. He further said, “I asked her if she would marry me or if she had anything else on her mind. She said yes. She said she liked one of my songs and we talked about that.” The composer further described Saira as a person. “She is calm when she is calm. When she gets angry, she is angry. There are two sides of her. Initially, she used to get frustrated. I mean not going out… generally you can’t go out for shopping or other things,” said Rahman. That’s when Simi asked him if Saira had to make adjustments in their marriage. “I did tell her in the beginning what kind of life she is going to lead. She was in agreement before,” reacted Rahman.
Apple has announced that a series of new announcements will take place next week. A company official shared a teaser on social media confirming its timeline. While specifics remain unknown, the official teased updates coming to the Mac lineup, with the rumour mill suggesting that Apple could finally transition to the new M4 chip on the iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. Notably, this development comes a month after the company unveiled a series of new products, including the iPhone 16 series, AirPods and Apple Watch models.
Apple October Announcements
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Apple announced that the Cupertino-based tech giant will make a series of announcements related to hardware next week; starting October 28. Attendees will witness announcements related to Mac, in line with Apple’s strategy in previous events held in the same month. However, unlike them, this could be spread over the span of a week instead of a single-day event.
Apple debuted its latest Silicon chipset dubbed M4 in the summer with the new generation iPad Pro models. It is speculated to finally arrive on the latest MacBook Pro models too, starting with the 14 and 16-inch models. In recent weeks, retail boxes of the purported MacBook Pro powered by the M4 chipset have surfaced on YouTube, in what is being called one of the biggest Apple leaks to date. Thus, this laptop is speculated to mark its debut.
Apple Intelligence — the company’s suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features for the iPhone and other devices — is also said to be finally rolled out to the public with the iOS 18.1 update. The features were first previewed at the WWDC 2024 event in June and were expected to headline the new iPhone 16 series, but they have been delayed. The company promised Apple Intelligence’s rollout in October and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested October 28 as the most likely date for its introduction, which coincides with the Apple announcements.
