Latest posts
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From cloning romance authors to YouTube piracy, AI is transforming audiobooks
News on AI and audiobooks is coming thick and fast. Australia-based audiobook producer Bolinda recently announced it will create a “bespoke” AI clone of romance bestseller Barbara Cartland’s voice, in partnership with her estate. (She died in 2000.) Two days later, Spotify announced a tool (created by synthetic voice company ElevenLabs) that will allow self-published…
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Bengal: Former minister Jyotipriya Mallick quits TMC posts, party’s Siliguri mayor resigns
Former West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick resigned from his posts in the Trinamool Congress citing health concerns, PTI reported on Friday. Mallick said that his health had deteriorated severely in the past few months and that it would be “impossible to shoulder responsibilities in the party working committee and other positions”. Since losing the Assembly…
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At the bottom of the Indian Ocean, researchers find 5.3-million-year-old whale necropolis
When a whale dies, a very special natural phenomenon can come alive. The carcass might float at the surface for some time, attracting sharks and other predators. As it becomes weathered it may start to sink, falling through the water until it eventually settles on the seafloor where deep sea scavengers feast upon it. The…
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‘Balan The Boy’ review: A gripping study of freedom at any cost
The talents behind two of Malayalam cinema’s recent hits join forces for Balan The Boy. Directed by Chidambaram (Manjummel Boys) and written by Jithu Madhavan (Aavesham), Balan The Boy offers a variation on the survival drama. A former convict and her son go to great lengths to stay under the radar. They assume various names.…
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Rush Hour: HC upholds Telegram ban, school officials booked for ‘Pakistani’ song at event and more
The Delhi High Court upheld the Union government’s decision to ban messaging application Telegram till the day after the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test re-examination for seats in medical colleges. The court held that the government “strictly followed the procedure” under the Information Technology Act given the “emergency nature” of the order. Telegram had…
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Readers’ comments: Ramachandra Guha ignores the hostility of India’s institutions to the Opposition
Thank you for this excellent, perceptive article. Ramachandra Guha is absolutely right in stating that it’s the Gandhis who help keep the present administration in power, albeit as an unintended negative consequence (How the Gandhi family has helped Modi consolidate power). And Priyanka Gandhi can’t be the answer. The continuous harping on the “dynast” note…
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True Story: The link between ‘witch’ murders and ‘love jihad’ in Jharkhand
Jharkhand reports the highest number of ‘witch’ murders in India – crimes in which women are labelled witches and killed. Most of the victims belong to Adivasi and lower caste communities – for a reason. In this episode of True Story, Scroll’s Executive Editor Supriya Sharma speaks to reporter Nolina Minj about the historical forces…
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Addiction, disrupted sleep cycle, tech tantrums: This book shows how digital devices affect toddlers
Your children’s generation will be among the first to have never known life without digital devices (smartphones, tablets, and computers). Technology has become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, so much so that we see these devices in the hands of children who aren’t yet out of diapers. In fact, researchers at the University…
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How India’s long-running Jazz Yatra festival challenged the ideological divisions of the Cold War
Three human heads emerge from vibrant hues of molten lava and are arranged to form another head. Three heads, with one ear, four eyes, and three noses, feature black, brown and beige complexions. This uncanny assemblage is bound together by a single blue turban. One of the men plays a trumpet, another a baritone saxophone,…
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Walking safely on footpaths is a fundamental right, says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Friday held that walking safely on demarcated footpaths is a fundamental right. The persons walking on footpaths take priority over the movement of vehicles, the court said. While the freedom to walk is subject to reasonable restrictions, the authorities must ensure that common spaces are not monopolised by persons driving vehicles,…