South Korea wants to build its own AI model that performs at the highest level, and its latest AI spending budget is central to that goal. The plan shows how a country may prefer AI it controls itself rather than relying on tools made abroad.
Quick glossarySouth Korea, sovereign AI model
South Korea
An East Asian country known for large technology companies and electronics exports; the story gives no further detail.
sovereign AI model
An AI system a country builds and controls itself, so it does not rely on foreign companies.
Deep Principle has released Hydrogen-1.0, an AI model built for science work in chemistry, materials and life sciences. It was made by further training an existing model from Z.ai on specialist data and lab records. Its settings are shared openly, so developers can download it and explore new scientific ideas themselves.
A new report finds that most businesses in Africa have started using AI technology. The headline points to growing everyday use of AI in companies across the continent. The story gives a snapshot of how quickly firms are adopting these tools.
Mago is a new desktop app for making AI videos that runs on the user's own graphics card instead of in the cloud. Its founders say it is built for long-form content and large batches of video, and it can be run for free. Being open source, its code is shared publicly for anyone to inspect.
Quick glossaryMago, open source, GPU
Mago
A desktop app for making AI videos, founded by Alvaro and Alex; the story says nothing more about the company.
open source
Software whose code is shared publicly so anyone can freely read, change or reuse it.
GPU
A graphics card, the computer part that does the heavy number crunching needed for AI image and video work.
Apple is reportedly working on a roaming home robot that can make FaceTime calls, switch lights on and even yell at your cat. The robot is backed by CEO John Ternus, but it may come with a hefty price tag and only limited uses.
Quick glossaryApple, FaceTime
Apple
A US tech company best known for the iPhone, Mac computers and iPad tablets.
FaceTime
Apple's built-in app for video calls with other Apple device users, such as iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Websites are increasingly stopping AI agents, the programs that can act for you online, from reaching their pages. This can make it frustrating when you want an agent to help you buy something. The story looks at why sites are doing this and what it means for people who rely on these helpers.
Quick glossaryAI agents
AI agents
Programs that can carry out tasks on a computer for you, such as searching, clicking and buying things, with little help.
The Centre plans to change how minimum support prices work for minor forest produce, such as items collected from forests. The aim is to give periodic price hikes that help tribal communities who depend on this produce. TERI, a research body, has been asked to study the current MSP framework and assess possible changes.
Context
MSP, or minimum support price, is a floor price the government sets so sellers are protected when market prices fall. Minor forest produce covers items like honey, tendu leaves and gum that forest dwellers collect, and many of them come from tribal families.
Saint-Gobain and IIT-Madras plan to set up modern research labs. The news says the labs will support research work, and no other details are given yet.
Context
Saint-Gobain is a French company that makes building materials like glass and construction products, and IIT-Madras is one of India's top engineering institutes in Chennai. Such industry-campus labs are a common way for firms to tap academic research talent.
New grievance redressal rules for the VB-G RAM G scheme set up a multi-tier complaint system at the gram panchayat, block and district levels. Designated officers will receive, register, inquire into and dispose of complaints. Inquiries must be completed within a 15-day deadline, and the rules apply across these three tiers.
Context
Context: VB-G RAM G is the rural employment law passed in 2025 that replaced MGNREGA, the earlier scheme guaranteeing work to rural households. Gram panchayats are village-level councils.
The government is reviewing customs duty concessions on 118 products that are set to expire. Ministries and industry stakeholders are giving their views on these exemptions. Goods under review include materials for power projects, and the review is part of work linked to Budget 2027.
Context
Context: Customs duty is a tax on imported goods, and exemptions are temporary breaks that are often reviewed before they are renewed. Budget 2027 is the Union Budget the government prepares for the coming financial year.
The U.K. has finalised a softer immigration overhaul on November 2. Under it, social care workers earning at least £25,000 a year who arrived before May 2025 could get indefinite leave to remain after five years, which means permanent residency. It applies to those already in the country before that date.
Context
The U.K. has debated migration for years and faces a shortage of care staff for older and disabled people. Indefinite leave to remain is a settled status that lets a person live and work there without a time limit on their visa.
The Supreme Court has allowed certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8 only. Bursting is capped at three hours a day, and areas such as hospitals and schools will be declared no-cracker zones within 300 metres. The order sets firm rules for the festival period for residents across the region.
Context
Context: Delhi-NCR often sees severe winter air pollution, and firecrackers are a major contributor around Diwali. Green crackers are certified versions meant to release fewer pollutants, and courts have repeatedly tightened limits on them.
Delhi's air quality is forecast to stay in the Very Poor category in the coming days, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The spike comes just before Diwali, and GRAP Stage II restrictions have started to apply. The CAQM has asked government agencies and citizens to take steps to reduce pollution.
Context
Context: GRAP is the Graded Response Action Plan, a set of steps that gets stricter as Delhi-NCR's air worsens. Winter smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states and Diwali fireworks often push readings up each year.
Supreme Court Justice PS Narasimha has stepped away from a plea on the Memorandum of Procedure for judicial appointments. The NGO Lok Prahari filed the plea, asking for the procedure, pending since 2015, to be finalised and for Collegium decisions to be brought under the RTI Act.
Context
Context: The Collegium is the body of senior judges that recommends appointments and transfers of judges, and the MoP sets out how that works. The RTI Act lets citizens ask for public information, so the plea is part of a debate on judicial transparency.
India will host foreign ministers from Indian Ocean Region countries later this month. The meeting comes as energy supply is under strain from the conflict in West Asia, and talks will focus on predictable supply chains and steady energy flows.
Context
IORA, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, is a grouping of countries around the Indian Ocean formed to boost cooperation on trade, security and other shared areas. Gulf energy matters to India, which imports much of its crude oil, so supply worries can reach fuel prices.
A committee is working out how government spending should be measured and judged. If it succeeds, Tamil Nadu could show other States a practical way to reform how public money is spent. The piece argues the state could set a useful example, but the outcome still depends on the committee's work.
Context
Expenditure reform means changing how governments plan, track and judge their spending so public money gets better results. Indian states often try new approaches and watch each other, so one state's success can shape others' policies.
India's manufacturing activity slowed in October, as the pace of growth in new orders dropped from the previous month. The sector still stayed above its long-run average, helped by stronger demand from overseas buyers. Around 18% of manufacturers expect an increase in the coming period.
Context
Context: This monthly survey is closely watched because a reading above 50 signals expansion, so a slowdown can still be positive news if activity stays above that line.
Bhutan's King has dedicated Stupa number 76 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a ceremony consecrating 108 stupas in Gelephu Mindfulness City. Union minister Kiren Rijiju attended and conveyed thanks on Modi's behalf, calling it a huge honour for India.
Context
Bhutan and India have long close ties, and Bhutan is a small Himalayan kingdom that treats Buddhist sites as a key part of its identity. Stupas are Buddhist dome-shaped monuments, and dedicating one is a religious and symbolic honour.
