In an era of rapid technological advancement, one would assume that losing a mobile phone could be addressed swiftly and efficiently. However, for a close friend of mine, Anura (not his real name), a senior professional and well-connected individual, the ordeal of tracing his lost iPhone 15 exposed a web of systemic inefficiencies, poor communication, and hidden truths. Anura lost his phone on 15 Dec., 2024, while travelling in a Colombo suburb. What followed was a grueling process that highlighted the bureaucratic labyrinth ordinary citizens must navigate. Acting on the advice of two telecommunications veterans, he embarked on a quest to retrieve his phone only to encounter roadblocks at every turn. Ravi, a retired IT engineer with over four decades of experience, outlined a standard procedure: file a police report, present it to the mobile network provider, and let the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) handle the rest. Siri, a board member of a prominent telecom network, confirmed that bypassing the police was not an option due to legal requirements. Despite their expertise, neither expert was aware of a critical fact: the phone-tracking system had been compromised in 2022. Anura’s initial attempts at the police station were equally disheartening. Officers refused to provide him with a copy of his complaint, citing outdated practices, and he spent hours navigating red tape before finally obtaining a certified copy. With the police report in hand, Anura visited the TRC in Narahenpita. The experience was no less frustrating. Initially directed back to the police by security staff, Anura had to argue his way into the premises. Inside, a polite but unhelpful officer informed him that the system for tracing lost phones had not been operational since 2018. The officer defended the TRC’s actions, stating they had informed the Inspector General of Police of the changes, expecting the information to trickle down to individual stations. Anura, however, was unimpressed. “This top-down communication approach is ineffective,” he argued, highlighting the needless time, effort, and money wasted by citizens due to a lack of public awareness. During his discussions, Anura uncovered an unsettling truth: the phone-tracking system was compromised. “Your problem,” Anura told the TRC officer, “is sending people here and there without telling them the truth. If criminals know the system is down, they might exploit it—but hiding it isn’t the solution.” Frustrated but undeterred, Anura vowed to bring the issue to light. He criticised the TRC for its lack of accountability, calling for a more proactive approach to public communication. “If I were the minister or the PM, I would prioritise making citizens’ lives easier and saving public resources,” he said. On his way out, Anura ensured he had proof of his visit by photographing the TRC’s logbook, documenting yet another step in his relentless pursuit of accountability. Anura’s experience serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of poor communication and systemic inefficiencies. It underscores the urgent need for: Transparent Communication: Regulatory bodies like the TRC must ensure critical updates reach all stakeholders, including the public, in a clear and accessible manner. Streamlined Processes: Citizens should not have to endure unnecessary delays and expenses to resolve simple issues. Accountability: Authorities must take responsibility for addressing systemic failures instead of deflecting blame. As citizens, we must demand better. Until then, stories like Anura’s will remain a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done. The aforesaid incident highlights the need for transparent communication, streamlined processes, and greater accountability from regulatory bodies. Anura’s ordeal is a wake-up call for systemic reform to save citizens from unnecessary inconvenience and wasted resources. Eng. P. N. D. Abeysuriya Colombobet99 app 。

The world juniors are about to begin. Why isn't there a women's world junior tournament?Former Pres. Jimmy Carter, Beloved Humanitarian and Diplomat, Dead at 100

Many stocks performed well in 2024, but none better than those powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The technology fueled the bull market this year, with a few dozen stocks powering the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC -1.11% ) to a roughly 27.5% gain (as of Dec. 26). After such a phenomenal run, many popular AI names are expensive, with investors betting that these companies continue to grow at high rates and that their markets only get bigger. A good AI play trading at a reasonable multiple is a rarity these days. However, just a few weeks ago, a new AI stock joined the Nasdaq and could become a Wall Street darling in 2025. Better yet, it doesn't trade at an astronomic valuation. Back in the mix AI infrastructure company Nebius Group ( NBIS -3.46% ) got back in the mix a few months ago when the company rejoined the Nasdaq exchange after a three-year hiatus. The Russian company Yandex previously owned Nebius. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. imposed sanctions on companies linked to Russia. However, earlier this year, Yandex split off its international assets in a $5.4 billion deal. Four AI businesses split off from Yandex and into the Amsterdam-based Nebius company, including cloud, data labeling, edtech, and autonomous vehicles. Nebius essentially offers AI-as-a-service, providing companies and developers building AI models with access to graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters and a cloud platform. AI is expensive to build internally, but is becoming a technology that most businesses can't ignore if they want to stay relative. For instance, ServiceNow used Nebius to increase throughput on their conversational chatbot from 400 evaluation tasks per week to as many as 3,000 tasks a day. Nebius got a huge endorsement when it closed a $700 million private financing that included the large venture capital firm Accel and AI chip king Nvidia . Nebius has a special partnership with Nvidia, and its website says its customers will be the first to access Nvidia's new Blackwell chips. There has already been some excitement about the stock. Nebius came back onto the Nasdaq at $20 in late October, and shares are up over 41% since. Becoming the next AI darling Nebius got another big endorsement from Citron Research's Andrew Left, who said Wall Street has yet to catch on to Nebius' appeal. No analysts cover the stock, which isn't a huge surprise because it only returned to the Nasdaq a few months ago, and it can take analysts a long time to create and publish an initiation report. The company's financials are attractive. In its most recent quarter, Nebius grew revenue by 766% year over year and trimmed its losses by 45%. Nebius also has nearly $2.3 billion of cash and cash equivalents and very little debt. The company is investing $1 billion in GPU clusters in Paris and also doing a major expansion to its data center in Finland. Management expects the company's annualized revenue run rate to increase to the range of $750 million to $1 billion by the end of 2025. Nvidia shares trade at 47 times forward earnings , which isn't exactly unique in AI these days. While Nebius isn't a competitor and leverages Nvidia's chips, the company is expected to turn profitable next year and trades below 8 times forward earnings. Considering the projected growth of revenue and earnings and its growing market, this is a bargain. Left compares Nebius to Coreweave , a similar AI infrastructure company rumored to soon go public at a $35 billion valuation. Nebius has a roughly $6.7 billion market cap right now. The official announcement of Coreweave's IPO and ensuing registration statement could help better define the market for Nebius. Nebius is also likely still tricky for investors due to geopolitical events in recent years and its ties to Russia. However, investments from Accel and Nvidia are an important sign of legitimacy, and it's hard to find a quality name like Nebius trading at valuations this low.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100

Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan agreed Monday to launch talks on a merger seen as a bid to catch up with Chinese rivals and Tesla on electric vehicles. Their collaboration would create the world’s third largest automaker, expanding development of EVs and self-driving tech. But Honda’s CEO insisted that it was not a bailout for Nissan, who last month announced thousands of job cuts and reported a 93 percent plunge in first-half net profit. “This is not a rescue,” Toshihiro Mibe told reporters, stressing that one condition for the merger would be for Nissan to complete its so-called “turnaround” plan. Lacklustre consumer spending and stiff competition in several markets is making life hard for many automakers. Business has been especially tough for foreign brands in China, where electric vehicle manufacturers such as BYD are leading the way as demand grows for less polluting vehicles. The two firms along with Mitsubishi Motors said they had signed a memorandum of understanding to start discussions on integrating their business under a new holding company. Citing “dramatic changes in the environment surrounding both companies and the automotive industry”, a joint statement said the companies planned to list the holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in August 2026. It comes after reports said Taiwanese electronics behemoth Foxconn had unsuccessfully approached Nissan to acquire a majority share. It then asked Renault to sell its 35 percent stake in Nissan — a pursuit now said to have been put on hold. China overtook Japan as the biggest vehicle exporter last year, helped by government support for EVs. Honda and Nissan — Japan’s number two and three automakers after Toyota — already agreed in March to explore a strategic partnership on software and components for EVs among other technologies. This partnership was joined by Mitsubishi Motors in August. The companies want to seal their merger deal in June next year, but it is unlikely to be a marriage of equals. Honda will nominate the president of the new holding company, whose board will be mostly made up of Honda executives, their statement said. Nissan is a majority shareholder of Mitsubishi Motors, which “aims to reach its conclusion by the end of January 2025 on the participation or involvement in the business integration between Nissan and Honda,” it added.

Jimmy Carter: A brief bio

How Warren Buffett Decides When To Sell a Stock: 'If the Competitive Advantage Disappears...We Sell'Lucknow, Nov 21 (PTI) Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh blamed the BJP for the violence in Sambhal, alleging the survey team was sent to the mosque by the party to nurture its "politics of hatred". The BJP, in turn, alleged that the INDIA alliance had been trying to create unrest since the Lok Sabha polls. It said that those who do not agree with judicial orders should take legal recourse. "Nobody has any right to break the law. If a court has passed an order, it will be implemented. The judicial process is available for those who want the order amended," party spokesperson Nalin Kohli said. Another BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok blamed what he called the "ghamandia alliance" (an alliance full of arrogance), a term BJP leaders have often used for the INDIA bloc, for the violence. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav lashed out at the BJP, saying its government and the administration orchestrated the violence "to divert attention from electoral malpractice". "A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the election. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," he said at a press conference in Lucknow. UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said the incidents of violence were increasing day by day in the state under the Yogi Adityanath government. "When the Chief Minister of the state himself gives statements like 'batenge toh katenge,' then how can there be an atmosphere of peace in the state? This is a completely planned incident," Rai in a statement said. The UP unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) called the Sambhal violence a planned conspiracy. Its secretary Heeralal Yadav questioned the hurry behind the survey of the mosque in contention. He accused the BJP of fomenting unrest in the state "in the name of temple and mosque" and appealed to the public to maintain peace. The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) also attacked the BJP, blaming it for the Sunday violence in which three people were killed. Sudhakar Yadav, the party's state secretary, said BJP, emboldened by its recent wins, was fuelling polarisation of communities and wanted to throw the state into the fire of communalism. Tearing the fabric of peace, and polarising communities was all in a good day's work for the "saffron brigade," he alleged. Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with police on Sunday. Protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones at the police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob. "Shots were fired by the miscreants ... the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the police circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence," Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said. He said that a constable also suffered a serious head injury, while the deputy collector fractured his leg. Internet services have been suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours and the district administration declared a holiday on November 25 for all students up to Class 12. Images, purported to be from the spot shared on social media, showed mobs pelting stones at cops from atop buildings and in front of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Later, police were purportedly seen cornering and hitting people as they tried to disperse a large crowd in a narrow alleyway. A lane was shown in a video strewn with a scores of slippers, bricks, and stones. In another purported clip, some policemen in riot gear were seen firing gunshots in a street, while flames leapt and smoke billowed into the air in the background. Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar urged stone-pelters not to indulge in violence. "Do not spoil your future for these politicians," he is heard saying through his megaphone in one of the videos. Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

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