Latest news with #Plan
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
KMC launches drive against illegal constructions
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has launched drive against illegal and unauthorised constructions, particularly high-rise buildings, within katchi abadis falling under its jurisdiction. According to a formal notification, issued by the office of the senior director katchi abadis, the department has raised serious concerns over the increasing number of multi-storey buildings being constructed without approved building plans from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). These constructions are illegal, violate existing by-laws and pose significant threats to public safety. It was clarified that the Katchi Abadis Department only regularizes possession of land as per the approved Lay-Out Plan (LOP), while the authority to approve building plans rests solely with SBCA. This action is aligned with the Sindh government's policy to ensure a uniform crackdown on illegal constructions and dangerous buildings to prevent any untoward incident. The official communication has also been forwarded to the Commissioner Karachi, chairman Provincial Disaster Management Authority, secretary to mayor, and other key stakeholders for necessary action and follow-up. Employee 'commits suicide' A 50-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Old Golimar. The deceased, identified as Muhammad Afzal, was a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) employee. The deceased's body was shifted to Civil Hospital after it was found with a rope tied around the neck. Family members revealed that the deceased was a father to a son and four daughters, and was struggling with drug addiction. They stated that he, reportedly, went to the rooftop and committed suicide by hanging himself. The family refused to lodge any police complaint, and after legal formalities, took custody of the deceased's body. Further investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
460,000 student loan borrowers to be kicked off from repayment plan? Know the big changes from August 1
Student loan borrowers to be denied repayment plan? Live Events Student loan payments to change from August 1 (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel President Donald Trump has dismantled the Department of Education and this is having significant consequences for millions of borrowers and the broader education system. The department which oversaw federal student loan programs, distributed financial aid and enforces policies meant to protect borrowers from predatory lending eliminating the Department of Education (DOE) means uncertainty into loan servicing, possibly delaying repayments, altering forgiveness programs or making it harder for students to access federal aid. The department will reject nearly a half-million applications from people seeking to make lower payments on their student loans , reports Politico citing internal report suggests that the department will reject applications of 460,000 federal student loan borrowers who selected the lowest monthly option for a payment plan based on their income. They make up about 31 percent of a 1.5 million application backlog for borrowers who are seeking Income-Driven Repayment, one of many options typically available for borrowers having difficulty paying back their loans.A spokesperson for the Education Department told Politico that the SAVE Plan — introduced during the Biden administration — offers the lowest monthly payment option, capping payments at 5% of a borrower's discretionary income for undergraduate loans and 10% for graduate loans. However, the plan has been blocked by the courts since June 2024.'Loan servicers cannot process these applications as SAVE is no longer an option, as it is illegal,' a department spokesperson wrote in a statement to August 1, the Trump administration will resume interest charges on the accounts of around 8 million borrowers, who had previously been granted an interest-free forbearance period under the Biden administration's Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, reports Trump administration said bringing back the accrual of interest rate on loans was to "comply with a federal court injunction that has blocked implementation of the SAVE Plan, including the Department's action to put SAVE borrowers in a zero percent interest rate status."The Trump administration has deemed the SAVE plan "illegal," saying it intends to bring back "fiscal responsibility to the federal student loan portfolio." "For years, the Biden Administration used so-called 'loan forgiveness' promises to win votes, but federal courts repeatedly ruled that those actions were unlawful," McMahon said."Congress designed these programs to ensure that borrowers repay their loans, yet the Biden Administration tried to illegally force taxpayers to foot the bill instead," she put it in simple terms, it means the change will see borrowers being charged more than $27 billion in interest over the next 12 months, which will have wide repercussions on the lives of March, Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that's been a longtime target of conservatives. Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal order says the education secretary will, 'to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.'
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Washington needs to get serious about robotics
After years of treating robotics policy as a novelty or niche concern, Washington is finally beginning to wake up to reality: we cannot win the race for artificial intelligence leadership if we ignore the robotics race. Artificial intelligence is software. Robotics is hardware. The two are inextricably linked. A national AI strategy that doesn't include robotics is not a national AI strategy but a mere half-measure. And as China pours state resources into dominating both AI and robotics — with over $350 billion in planned investment made over the past decade as part of its Made in China 2025 initiative — the United States risks falling behind in the physical deployment of smart systems across our economy, from the factory floor to the battlefield. Fortunately, there are signs of a long-overdue policy shift in the nation's capital. Several major think tanks and associations, including the Special Competitive Studies Project, the Association for Advancing Automation, and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, have all recently called for urgent action and attention toward robotics. This spring, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hosted a 'Robotics Symposium,' which marked one of the most focused congressional discussions to date on robotics competitiveness. And in May, a bipartisan group of lawmakers launched a reinvigorated Congressional Robotics Caucus, aiming to educate their colleagues and shape a comprehensive legislative agenda on robotics. These moves echo growing recognition across government that robotics is essential to our national competitiveness. Just last month, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick rightly called robotics 'the future of American manufacturing' and a critical pillar of domestic industrial revitalization. Over 50 organizations mentioned the importance of robotics in their submissions to the White House's National AI Action Plan, and many expect robotics-related recommendations to be incorporated into the Action Plan. But momentum alone isn't strategy. The U.S. needs a full-fledged national robotics strategy — one that ensures we out-innovate, out-produce, and out-compete global competitors. That means investing in next-generation robotics research and development, rebuilding our advanced manufacturing base, countering unfair trade practices, and equipping the American workforce with the skills to lead in robotics engineering, design, operations, and maintenance. An executive order is one way to do this. An executive order on robotics could meet the moment by mobilizing all relevant government agencies to prioritize robotics policies and unleash America's robotics industry. There are several meaningful actions that could help do so, including, but not limited to: The Office of Science and Technology, as the leading federal science and technology body, could organize and direct a whole-of-government strategy, establish a central robotics office in government and an interagency working group with academic and industry leaders. The Bureau of Industry and Security could investigate unfair trade practices by foreign competitors and recommend policy actions to secure the domestic robotics supply chain. Other agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as the nation's standards setting body, could develop technical standards associated with robotics and automated technologies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as the nation's workplace safety governing body, could issue best practices for the deployment and usage of robotics to give industry increased confidence to buy and sell robotics. The National Science Foundation, as the nation's scientific research entity, could begin to prioritize grants and awards for applied robotics and support training and education opportunities in robotics. Congress could also take a big step this year by establishing a national commission on robotics, akin to successful commissions on key technology fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber and biotechnology, to identify specific recommendations to ensure the U.S. leads and doesn't fall behind other countries. Robotics drives productivity. It underpins national security. And it is poised to transform sectors ranging from agriculture to elder care. In short, robotics is the physical expression of American ingenuity — and it's time our policies and strategy reflected that. Washington must act with urgency. The robotics race is not just a subset of AI — it is the proving ground where AI becomes real. And it's a race we can't afford to lose.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
This most walkable of cities trips up when it comes to fixing sidewalks
Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up A world-class city is only as good as its infrastructure. And there are those who question the city's priorities with its construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of bike lanes even as the backlog of sidewalk complaints lingers. Advertisement 'Every neighborhood should have nice smooth streets and sidewalks. Why are we so far behind?' City Councilor Erin Murphy asked in an interview with the editorial board. 'What other things have become priorities? Bike lanes? Free bus lanes? White Stadium?' Murphy filed an order for a council hearing on the sidewalk issue in April after getting a pile of messages from angry constituents about unanswered 311 complaints about hazardous sidewalks. The hearing is scheduled for July 22, and when she announced that on her Advertisement Like this one from Kristen Sweeney Berry of Roslindale, whose husband uses a wheelchair. 'Boston's sidewalks aren't just inconvenient — they're often impassable and frequently violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. 'Cracked pavement, missing curb cuts, and blocked pathways don't just inconvenience residents — they exclude an entire community from full participation in city life.' Ruthie Burton complained that repeated 311 requests about sidewalks in the Tommy's Rock section of Roxbury have gone unanswered. In fact, the city acknowledges that of the At the time a Then, of course, once a pedestrian has navigated the cracked sidewalk and the deteriorated curb ramp, there's the Advertisement The asphalt hodgepodge lurking at the corner of Tremont and School streets is an obvious one. And Murphy said she is still nursing a sore knee from an unfortunate encounter with a pothole in the Blackstone Block Historic District right near City Hall. All three — sidewalks, curbs, and potholes — are sure to become issues in the mayoral election — right up there with, and not unrelated to, bike lanes. Mayor Michelle Wu's chief rival, Josh Kraft, who has already vowed a The city does have a And it has budgeted some $55 million in its five-year Capital Plan for sidewalk and ramp reconstruction to 'enhance walkability, meet ADA standards, and create a safer, more inclusive public right-of-way.' When it comes to bike lanes, it's not either-or: The city can have bike lanes and safe sidewalks, but that would be an easier case for the mayor to make if the city started meeting its commitments on sidewalks. Advertisement Boston has always ranked high among the nation's Sure, Boston has winters that are rough on infrastructure and a construction and repair season that is shortened by those sometimes long winters. But faulty sidewalks are a scourge that has spared no neighborhood. And while, according to a The city has acknowledged the scope of the problem — and an $800 million backlog is no small problem. If people keep filing 311 complaints but don't seem to get results — well that's a real problem and it cries out for more than a Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Fibre2Fashion
3 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Turkiye unveils 39-point reform plan to strengthen investment climate
Turkiye's Investment Environment Improvement Council (YOIKK) has unveiled its 2025 Action Plan, setting the stage for comprehensive reforms to enhance the nation's investment climate. The plan, comprising 39 targeted actions, focuses on key areas including industrial transformation, renewable energy, the digital economy, and regional development. The plan seeks to stimulate private sector investment, reduce bureaucratic barriers, and align Turkiye's commercial framework with international standards. It places strong emphasis on increasing industrial output, encouraging technological innovation, and establishing legal clarity for investors. The Ministry of Industry and Technology will spearhead the expansion of organised industrial zones under a broader national industrial strategy, while the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources will focus on making energy-intensive zones more sustainable. These efforts are expected to reinforce Turkiye's industrial competitiveness and environmental resilience, according to media reports from Turkiye. Turkiye's Investment Environment Improvement Council (YOIKK) has launched its 2025 Action Plan featuring 39 reforms to boost private investment, streamline regulations, and align with global standards. Key focus areas include industrial transformation, renewable energy, digital economy, and regional development. The highlights include a hydrogen strategy, AI action plan, and vocational training. To streamline procedures, the plan proposes a single-window investment platform. It also includes legal reforms to improve predictability in qualified investments and resolve disputes more efficiently. Revisions to enterprise and SME classification thresholds are also on the agenda to reflect evolving economic realities. Vocational training is another focal point as higher education institutions will be set up within industrial zones in collaboration with local chambers of commerce, promoting university-industry partnerships and addressing workforce needs. In a major push towards clean energy, the Ministry of Industry and Technology will soon launch a national hydrogen strategy, as per the reports. The initiative will cover legislative, safety, and infrastructure frameworks for hydrogen production, supporting research in electrolysers and fuel cells while ensuring EU environmental compliance. Additionally, Turkiye is preparing a 2026–2030 Artificial Intelligence Action Plan to advance ethical AI development and boost its international standing. A National Cloud Computing Strategy and updated National Data Strategy will also address data localisation and infrastructure gaps. The plan also introduced a Local Development Initiative Program aimed at identifying and supporting region-specific opportunities. A nationwide call for proposals under this initiative is expected later in the year. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
