Cameras equipped with AI technology and special bands to protect the neck are among the measures introduced by forest officials in Pune's Junnar area which witnessed nine deaths due to leopard attacks in the past one year.

With the availability of water, the hilly region on the northern end of Pune district, adjoining the Konkan, has ideal conditions for horticulture, but the plantations and orchards also provide a shelter to the big cat, officials said.

The Junnar forest range has witnessed 17 deaths due to leopard attack in the last five years, nine of them in 2024 alone.

With 17 people dying and 41 suffering injuries in five years, the district administration last year declared 233 villages across the tehsils of Junnar, Khed, Ambegaon and Shirur as "highly sensitive" and "potential leopard disaster-prone areas".

According to Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, the Junnar forest division has 6 to 7 leopards every 100 sq km.

"The region, with a hilly terrain and a network of irrigation projects, has seen an increase in cultivation of crops like sugarcane, banana, grapes and pomegranate. These dense plantations provide an ideal cover for leopards to hide and move undetected," Deputy Conservator of Forests Amol Satpute told PTI.

The rising number of domestic animals provide them with easy prey, he noted.

"Human-wildlife conflict has been increasing in the division over the past 24 years due to these reasons. 2024 saw nine fatalities, the highest in 24 years. Local farmers and farm labourers demanded that something be done. We have introduced a slew of measures using the latest technology," said Satpute.

Smita Rajhans, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (Junnar range), said electric fences powered by solar energy are turning out to be useful in stopping leopards from entering orchards and plantations.

"A solar energy fencing with electric current is set up around the house. If the animal tries to cross the fence, it will receive a non-lethal shock and run away," she explained.

Such fences have been installed around 150 houses in the most "leopard-prone" areas, and additional 650 fences have been proposed to be installed, Rajhans said.

The forest department has also installed Artificial Intelligence (AI)-equipped cameras at vantage points, she said.

These cameras can detect leopards. The system triggers a siren which alerts forest officials. "The sound scares the leopard and it will run away," said Rajhans. Officials have also installed 'Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellant Systems' which can detect the presence of a leopard at night time.

"Besides, we have distributed specially designed neck belts to farm labourers in the region. Generally, leopards catch hold of a person by the neck, and the belt will provide protection in such a case," Rajhans said.

Also, there is the Special Leopard Protection Force (SLPF), on the lines of the Special Task Tiger Protection Force.

The Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, home to 44 leopards, provides temporary or long-term care to the big cats injured in attacks by villagers or trapped in conflict situations, but it is running short of space. "There are plans to expand the rescue centre so that around 125 leopards can be accommodated," said an official.

Dnyaneshwar Pawar, a forest guard, said leopards thrived during the COVID-19 as human activity dwindled.

"During this period, the population of the animal grew, leading to more human and leopard confrontation. Several measures have been taken at the ground level, such as creating awareness among locals, discouraging them from venturing out at night, and using nets around cattle farms. Since this is a sugarcane area, a lot of sugarcane cutters come from other regions. We provide them guidance on how to remain safe," he said.

Mayuri Bankar, a resident of Warulwadi, has been using the neck belt, provided by the forest department three months ago.

"I make sure to use it all the time while working in the fields. It has spikes on the exterior which can serve as a deterrent if the leopard grabs you by the neck," she said.

Nitin Bhujbal, a resident of Walanwadi in Narayangaon, installed a solar fence around his house two months ago. The area has large sugarcane fields which are frequently visited by leopards, he said.

"There have been two instances where a leopard attempted to sneak inside but retreated immediately after coming in contact with the electric current," he said, adding the system is completely safe and non-lethal.

[telegraphindia]

While the seismic market moves caused by DeepSeek were short-lived, the release of the Chinese startup’s high-performing and inexpensive large language model is likely to have long-term implications for technology, trade, and economic relations between the US and China.

Here are four predictions about these potentially dramatic impacts.

1. Artificial intelligence costs will continue to plummet

All innovations are fundamentally about doing more for less, or, in economic terms, being unit price deflationary. The AI revolution exemplifies this. Prior to DeepSeek’s release, costs of dominant AI models had already fallen by around 80 per cent on an annualized basis over the past two years. DeepSeek has simply accelerated this trend.

The 30x pricing difference between the token prices, or the cost of use, of DeepSeek and the market leader OpenAI reflect algorithmic improvements by the former and the latter’s more aggressive pricing strategy. This deflationary trend should continue as AI research progresses and more competition enters the field.

2. The AI economic pie will get bigger and be sliced differently

As AI becomes cheaper and more accessible, usage should expand significantly, following Jevons paradox, the idea that demand for a resource increases as technology makes it more efficient.

As foundational models become commoditized, value creation should shift toward applications, meaning more resources will be devoted to inference, or the deployment of AI to specific tasks, as opposed to training.

This, in turn, should increase demand for custom XPUs, chips designed to perform application-specific tasks more efficiently, as opposed to standardized GPUs which are particularly well suited for training.

Nvidia has indicated that this shift may already be starting. In May 2024, the AI leader said that demand related to inference was growing faster than for training, with the former now representing 40 per cent of total demand.

As AI applications widen, the opportunity to participate in AI research will likely no longer be limited to well-funded entities, opening doors for broader innovation across academia and many other areas. For example, DeepSeek’s R-1 model has already spawned thousands of new open-source models based on its architecture.

3. US chip export controls will deserve careful reassessment

DeepSeek’s breakthrough was achieved using far fewer and less advanced chips than its American counterparts, demonstrating how innovation can be born of constraint.

So even though US export controls may limit DeepSeek and its Chinese peers in the short term, these restrictions are unlikely to stop their progress. And these measures risk isolating US technologies from China’s market, possibly on a permanent basis.

Export controls also seem counterproductive for a US administration that places a high priority on addressing structural balance of payment issues with China. As one Chinese minister put it plainly, “If we want to buy from the US, but they … are restricting their exports … How can they cut their deficit?”

True, US politicians on both sides of the political aisle have been calling for more regulations on China in recent years, not fewer.

The decision to adjust chip export controls would thus signal a turning point in US-China economic relations and would not be taken lightly.

Nonetheless, the pros and cons of the current chip export restrictions have become more balanced and deserves a careful reassessment.

4. Interests of US and Chinese tech leaders may become more aligned

While DeepSeek’s breakthrough and open-source approach initially caused angst among US investors, many US tech leaders have welcomed the development.

Major cloud platforms like Microsoft, AWS, and Hugging Face have already integrated various models based on DeepSeek R-1, and many of these companies’ leaders have noted that the development of less expensive LLMs (large language models) should spur demand for their cloud services and thus enhance their revenue streams.

Looking further ahead, businesses stand to benefit massively from the potential productivity boost and cost savings from wider AI applications, regardless of their origins. This is especially true in the US, where wages are elevated compared to the rest of the world and STEM talent is persistently in short supply.

A useful historical parallel may be the frictions between the US and Japanese auto industries in the 1980s. Japanese auto makers eventually introduced their innovative “lean production” method to the US, significantly boosting productivity in the American auto industry.

The evolving AI landscape presents a tremendous opportunity for collaboration between the two global superpowers, especially as the industry pursues artificial general intelligence, a potentially world-changing mission. But the ongoing tensions between China and the US – on trade, technology and other issues – risks hampering progress by fracturing the technology landscape.

It is unclear whether this is the beginning of a new era of technological cooperation or a period of rising global competition, but either way, DeepSeek is a reminder of how rapidly things can, and likely will change, in the age of AI.

[cyprusmail]

… As Catholic priest is kidnapped

Tears flowed freely in Onitsha yesterday as the remains of the murdered member of the Anambra State House of Assembly representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency, Justice Azuka, was laid to rest in his country home Ogbeoza village, Onitsha.

This came on the heels of the kidnapping of   a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr Jude Onyeka on Thursday.

Azuka was kidnapped on 24th December 2024; his abductors never released him alive until they were caught and they led security agencies to recover his decomposing body in a swamp along the second Niger Bridge.

At a burial mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Inland Town, Onitsha officiated by the Onitsha Archdiocesan Chancellor, Rev. Fr Prudentus Aroh who represented Archbishop Valerian Okeke, the homilist, Episcopal Vicar in charge of Onitsha Region, Rev. Fr. John Bosco Okafor reflected on the lack of the sense of the sacred, which he described as one of the greatest problem of human society today.

Fr. John Bosco regretted that the youths of today no longer realise that life is sacred and that any human being created by God doesn’t have any right to take another person’s life. He called for repentance for those who shed human blood, noting that hard work pays instead of the get-rich quick syndrome destroying the society today.

“God created man in his own image and likeness and therefore we must respect that life that God gave man. It is only God that has the power to take that life when He wills and not anyone else. Life is very sacred and we must be very careful about how we treat humans. That is what some of our youths have failed to realise and that is why they are wasting human lives as if they are pouring water away.”

The priest said that even as security is everybody’s responsibility, the governments at all levels must double their efforts and do more to secure lives and properties. 

Governor Chukwuma Soludo in a remark condoled with the immediate family of the late lawmaker, noting that the death was a big loss to the entire state.

He recalled having a cordial working relationship with Azuka and disclosed that there were plans for some strategic partnership with him before the worst happened.

Governor Soludo said that the good thing was that his killers had been apprehended and that justice would surely be served in the matter.

“This is a promising young man with all his dreams cut off. Anambra State is grieving with you, but we shall take steps to ensure that this grief is ameliorated. We will do the needful.

“What is happening is a case of what the Igbo say that ‘when abominable acts last for one year, it becomes a tradition.’ All of us must share in this complicity. When people were applauding those who kill security agencies and snatch their rifles, this is what it has resulted into.

“But light and darkness have nothing in common. We are determined to flush out criminal elements in our midst including the evil native doctors who promote ritual killings and quick money making scams. Surely Anambra will return as the safest state in Nigeria. May we be able to rise up to see something and say something. With combined efforts and partnership, a new Anambra is possible,” Soludo stated.

The burial ceremony was attended by lawmakers both at the state and national levels, labour party stalwarts including the National leader, Mr Peter Obi and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko.

Meanwhile, a priest of Onitsha Archdiocese, popularly known as Fr. Marshal, formerly the Parish Priest of St. Edmund Catholic Church, Nkpor was kidnapped days before the incident. He was recently transferred to St. Dominic Catholic Church, Abatete, Idemili North LGA, Anambra State.

Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Prudentus  Aroh who broke the news in a terse statement sent to the Onitsha Archdiocesan Presbyterium platform, said the sad incident occurred on Thursday evening, 13th February 2025, along Building Material-Ugwunwasike Bypass. Ogidi.

He said that until now, the abductors had not established any contact with anybody.

“His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian M. Okeke, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, invites us to earnestly pray for his quick and safe release as all efforts are being made to secure his freedom. We commend our brother, Fr. Jude, to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, for his speedy release from the hands of his abductors,” the chancellor stated.

When contacted for confirmation, the Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Command, SP Ikenga Toochi said the incident had not been brought to his attention.