FL Technics Indonesia Secures EASA Certification for Bali Hangar, Expanding Capabilities to European Fleets

BALI, Indonesia, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FL Technics Indonesia has received EASA Part-145 approval for its Bali facility, allowing it to maintain aircraft registered in the European Union. With this approval, FL Technics Indonesia is one of only a few MRO facilities in Indonesia to hold EASA certification.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval covers base and line maintenance for the Airbus A320 family (CEO and NEO) and Boeing 737 Classic, Next-Generation, and MAX aircraft, the most widely operated commercial platforms in global aviation today.

While the facility has successfully provided maintenance solutions for aircraft registered across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia, the new EASA certification enables the company to perform maintenance for European carriers operating under strict regulatory frameworks which follow comprehensive technical and quality audits conducted by EASA inspectors across the hangar’s infrastructure, tooling systems, and engineering workforce.

“The facility is preparing to start the work for an EU-based operator by next week, with further arrivals expected in November 2026. FL Technics Indonesia is also positioned to serve operators across Asia, the Middle East, and Australia that require EASA-approved maintenance,” as stated by Martynas Grigas, Chairman of FL Technics Indonesia.

The Bali facility covers 17,000 m² at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and includes three hangars with three aircraft bays and a state-of-the-art 2,000 m² paint booth. Strategically located in Denpasar, the facility combines advanced technical capabilities with a central regional footprint, offering comprehensive airframe maintenance solutions designed to minimize downtime while meeting strict safety standards.

More Photos

FL Technics Indonesia – EASA Photos

About FL Technics Indonesia

FL Technics Indonesia is an EASA & FAA Part-145 certified subsidiary of FL Technics, global provider of integrated aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, and family member of Avia Solutions Group, the largest aerospace business group with more than 100 offices and production stations worldwide.

FL Technics Indonesia operates a 27.520 m² hangar and office complex at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, and three-hangar facility spanning 17.000 m² at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, supported by more than 700 aviation experts. FL Technics Indonesia is an integrated aircraft maintenance solutions provider with an extensive Base & Line Maintenance support network across the globe.

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Rapidus and HCLTech announce partnership for next-generation semiconductor technologies

TOKYO and NOIDA, India, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HCLTech (NSE: HCLTECH) (BSE: HCLTECH), a leading global technology company, and Rapidus Corporation, a Japanese company developing and manufacturing advanced logic semiconductors, today officially inaugurated two HCLTech development centers in India dedicated to supporting Rapidus’ evolving semiconductor engineering requirements.

The centers, located in Bengaluru and Hubli, will leverage HCLTech’s global leadership in core engineering to offer Rapidus a range of semiconductor engineering capabilities, including mask design, design infrastructure, process design kit development, design technology co-optimization and layout design.

HCLTech will also collaborate with Rapidus to build a pipeline of Indian engineering talent to meet Rapidus’ evolving talent requirements in Japan.

“Building a strong engineering ecosystem is essential as Rapidus advances our mission to establish next-generation semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in Japan,” said Dr. Atsuyoshi Koike, Representative Director and CEO, Rapidus Corporation. “Through this collaboration with HCLTech, we expect to access India’s growing pool of semiconductor engineering talent and establish dedicated development capabilities that complement our operations in Japan. We look forward to working together to develop the technical expertise and resources needed to support our long-term objectives.”

“Advanced semiconductors will define the technologies of the next decade,” said C Vijayakumar, CEO and Managing Director, HCLTech. “This partnership reflects the growing strategic collaboration between Japan and India, bringing together Rapidus’ next-generation semiconductor ambitions with HCLTech’s engineering expertise to accelerate chip adoption, compress time-to-market and lay the foundations for the next era of semiconductor innovation.”

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 230,000 people across 60+ countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending September 2026 totaled $14.8 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

About Rapidus Corporation

Rapidus Corporation aims to develop and manufacture the world’s most advanced logic semiconductors. We will create new industries together with our customers through the development and provision of services to shorten cycle times in design, wafer processes, 3D packaging and more. We will continue to challenge ourselves in order to contribute to the fulfillment, prosperity and happiness of people’s lives through the use of semiconductors.

For further details, please contact:

HCLTech

Meredith Bucaro, Americas – meredith-bucaro@hcltech.com

Elka Ghudial, Europe – elka.ghudial@hcltech.com

James Galvin, APAC – james.galvin@hcltech.com

Nitin Shukla, India, Middle East & Africa – nitin-shukla@hcltech.com

Rapidus Corporation

contact@rapidus.co.jp 

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Artprice by Artmarket: Defending Authors’ Creative Freedom with AI

PARIS, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the fall 2026 literary season unfolds, daily pronouncements on AI are coming at a relentless pace from the publishing world and literary prize organizations: rejection of AI-generated writing, tolerance of AI assistance with research, disclosure requirements, or recognition of creative work produced with AI.

These many divergent positions reveal a debate that remains far from settled. Artprice chose to take part through a creative undertaking it publicly embraced in the second quarter of 2026. Building on its October 15, 2026 press release, Artprice by Artmarket and its founder and chairman are bringing the cosa mentale, the author’s freedom, and the author’s responsibility back to the center of the debate.

For thierry Ehrmann, a writer, visual artist, and founder of Artprice by Artmarket, artificial intelligence represents a major advance: it gives authors additional resources to conceive, deepen, and develop their work under their own direction.

An author’s freedom is also measured by the resources available to give form to what they have to say. A thought may remain undeveloped for lack of time, research material, or support. By facilitating the transition from intuition to a fully developed work, AI expands this creative space. Artprice supports this development, which enables authors to develop their work without first having to wait for an intermediary to recognize its value.

At 64, thierry Ehrmann, founder of Artprice, the world leader in art market information for nearly thirty years, is a writer, a sculptor and visual artist with nearly forty-five years of practice, and the creator of La Demeure du Chaos. The work has received official recognition from the French state as a “total work of art, on a par with the Palais Idéal  du Facteur Cheval and Niki de Saint Phalle’s Cyclop ,” as stated by the Minister of Culture on March 20, 2025, and by the Ministry of Culture in the Senate edition of the Official Journal on December 18, 2025.

His longstanding work as a writer encompasses numerous books, treatises, essays, short works, manifestos, and catalogues raisonnés devoted in particular to the history of art and its market. These include Le Code des ventes volontaires et judiciaires , a legal analysis in comparative European law and a sociological study spanning 1,800 pages, tracing, in particular, the history of auctioneers from 1525 to the reform enacted by the law of July 10, 2000, and the evolution of their profession.

The 504-page Opus IX  of La Demeure du Chaos, published by Éditions Musée L’Organe, is one of the works in this body of writing. Its free digital edition has exceeded 32 million downloads, as formally documented by a French judicial officer ( huissier de justice ).

For thierry Ehrmann, writing and the visual arts are part of the same inquiry, one that long predates his dialogue with artificial intelligence. As early as 1987, he was a pioneer of AI-generated computer imagery.

This position also draws on nearly thirty years of international experience in publishing, book sales representation, and distribution. Artprice’s acquisitions of publishing houses and publishing catalogs in France, Europe, and the United States have given him firsthand knowledge of the lives of books and their authors.

This debate extends his commitment to freedom of artistic creation. Through La Demeure du Chaos/Abode of Chaos (as The New York Times calls it), thierry Ehrmann was personally and actively involved in the work that led to the law of July 7, 2016.

Indeed, in his memorable and historic argument before an appellate court, he raised the inadequacy of the legislative framework protecting freedom of artistic creation. He thereby contributed to the legislative debate that accompanied its explicit recognition in the law of July 7, 2016 (LCAP), whose first article states: “Artistic creation is free.”

Until that date, for 135 years, this freedom had been the exclusive preserve of the press, publishing, and printing under the law of July 29, 1881. His defense of authors working with AI pursues the same imperative: to preserve their ability to determine the meaning, form, and terms of dissemination of their work.

The cosa mentale  provides the starting point for this reflection. From Leonardo da Vinci to Marcel Duchamp, it affirms the primacy of conception in the work. Authors bring a cosmovision : a singular way of perceiving the world through their experiences, knowledge, and contradictions. Whether writers or visual artists, they choose the means through which that thought takes form.

The initial intention may become more precise as the work progresses. An objection, a discovery in the source material, or a new construction may lead authors to revise their starting point. Their freedom lies in their ability to decide on these transformations and recognize their meaning. They direct the work through this continuing sequence of choices, revisions, and rejections.

AI gives authors tools whose use is not contingent on a promise of publication. In its role as a writing assistant, it does not pay their royalties, offer them a publishing advance, or decide whether their work will be distributed. Authors can discuss its proposals without simultaneously negotiating with the party that controls their publishing income.

thierry Ehrmann considers a monthly premium subscription budget of €100 to €200 at the very most to be an extremely modest cost in relation to the research and writing resources it provides and the time it saves. As an investment in an individual working tool, this expense opens up possibilities that previously required far greater resources.

The freedom to revisit the work is a decisive contribution. At one in the morning, at five, or in the afternoon, authors can reopen their writing laboratory, request several alternatives, or rebuild chapters eight through eleven because a new idea changes the perspective.

They can reject every proposal, return to an earlier version, and continue until they find the “forming form” they have been seeking in vain, in the sense of Luigi Pareyson’s celebrated theory.

This availability encourages exacting standards. Authors can test an objection, ask why a sequence seems weak, and compare different formulations. They also learn to specify what they expect and identify what they reject. AI’s research capabilities help them explore a corpus, draw connections between texts, prepare a chronology, or identify contradictions. Source verification by AI saves authors considerable time compared with the many individual searches they would otherwise have had to conduct during their preparatory work using search engines flooded with advertising links.

Their freedom also includes the choice of assistants. They can compare several AI systems, assign particular tasks to each, and switch tools when a limitation does not suit their project. They assess these systems’ alignment by comparing their rules and responses with their own experience. The range of services and the options for adapting certain open-weight models broaden their choices.

This autonomy has psychological and anthropological significance. Throughout his career, thierry Ehrmann has known authors for whom requesting an advance or submitting a manuscript was a source of intense apprehension. Several authors have recently confided to him that the debate opened up around AI offers them a chance to catch their breath.

Being able to present an idea that is still fragile and request rigorous criticism, without immediately putting publication, credibility, or income at stake, changes the conditions in which authors work.

Experience in publishing gives this reflection a concrete dimension. Among the publishing houses acquired by Artprice is Sound View Press, Peter Hastings Falk’s American publishing house, acquired in 2000 and known in particular for Who Was Who in American Art  and some fifty books on art history. These numerous acquisitions in the United States and Europe encompassed print publications, biographies, catalogues raisonnés, reference collections, and works of sociology. Through Artprice and Groupe Serveur, thierry Ehrmann’s publishing experience also extends to cultural, sociological, legal, and scientific publications.

As 1999 gave way to 2000, the shift to the internet was opening up a new horizon. Print publishing remained predominant, and limited bandwidth made the online dissemination of lengthy books and large databases virtually impossible. Many professionals doubted the economic prospects of this new means of dissemination.

It was in this context that thierry Ehrmann negotiated, particularly abroad, the termination, in exchange for compensation, of exclusive distribution agreements associated with the publishing houses and catalogs that had been acquired. These agreements made it possible to regain control over their dissemination and organize their digital development. At the time, several distributors preferred immediate compensation to the prospect of internet revenues in which they had little faith, or which they regarded as utopian.

These negotiations gave him direct experience of the relationships among authors, publishers, book sales representatives, and distributors in countries with differing contracts and distribution rules. They involved the value of the catalogs, the marketing work already undertaken, the authors’ reputations, and the possibility of choosing new paths. This knowledge was built over time through engagement with the international realities of the book industry and the high-profile bankruptcies of major distributors, such as the Vilo distribution group in 2004, which led to extreme market concentration.

The autonomy AI provides can now transform the relationship with a publisher. Authors who have a more fully developed text, several versions, and reasons to support their choices can enter the collaboration with greater decision-making power. An editor’s perspective retains its value when it contributes to the work and the intervention is understood and accepted. The aim is to enable authors to choose this support on their own authority, on more balanced terms.

Publishing, sales representation, and distribution form a chain whose structure affects access to the public. When the assessment of a manuscript, the prospect of publication, and anticipated payments are intertwined, the cost of disagreement can be high. Having additional resources with which to work and explore other paths to publication changes the terms of this negotiation.

History reminds us of what can be at stake when a text is altered. The cuts to Violette Leduc’s Ravages in 1955 and Raymond Carver’s request in July 1980 to halt production of a substantially reworked collection shed light on conflicts over control of a work. The author’s consent remains at the heart of the editorial relationship.

A reading inspired by Hegel offers a way to examine this relationship among dependence, work, and recognition. Those who produce also discover, through their activity, the means to assert their own capabilities. Authors can acknowledge the contributions of those they work with while retaining the initiative in their own work.

The experience of Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI, subtitled The Great Revenge of Literary Minds and Humanists in a Digital Age, illustrates this way of organizing the work. thierry Ehrmann led the conception of the book through a sustained dialogue with ChatGPT 5.6 Sol Pro, under his direction as its author, while using Gemini Ultra DeepSeek (Google) for specific research, occasional checks, or peripheral or strictly subsidiary questions. This division of tasks preserved the thread of the main work with OpenAI and allowed him to return to it with the information he had sought.

Passages were revised three or four times, requests were rephrased, and responses were rejected. The work involved continually confronting the author’s expectations with the AI system’s proposals. The use of several AI systems served a single intellectual direction. Time saved on certain tasks gave him more time for decisions that shaped the book’s meaning.

This method is publicly declared: ” Human Thought & Dialogue: thierry | Writing: 100% AI ,” with the exceptions concerning quotations and archives specified in The Entrusted Pen, the prelude to the World-Book. The author sets out what he supplied, directed, revised, and rejected. Readers can compare this approach with the result, assess its merits, and discuss its implications.

Word processors, proofreading tools, and search engines had already substantially changed the conditions of writing. Dialogue with AI adds the possibility of discussing a proposal and requesting an alternative based on an intention expressed in natural language. The time freed up can support more extensive research, allow the text to be examined anew, and make a more ambitious work feasible.

The author’s initiative can extend all the way to the encounter with readers. Digital technology has already opened up opportunities for visual artists to present their work, document their approach, and establish a direct relationship with their audiences. For thierry Ehrmann, AI extends this pursuit of autonomy in writing and the visual arts.

Online bookselling now has a long history, dating back to the rise of online bookstores in the late 1990s. Self-publishing services are booming and flooding the Bibliothèque nationale de France with deposited publications. They enable authors to offer digital and printed books; authors can also arrange to disseminate them through their own websites. They can choose to sell their work, make it available free of charge, or adopt different arrangements for different editions. Bringing a book to public attention and developing a relationship with readers remains a task in its own right.

With Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI , thierry Ehrmann chose to make the full text freely available in French and English. The Raw Typescript, or unedited manuscript, gives access to the text in the form he decided to publish. The Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license permits noncommercial sharing of an unmodified version, with attribution. A work embodies intention, memory, and decisions.

For thierry Ehrmann, founder of Artprice and creator of La Demeure du Chaos, the cosa mentale  remains paramount: conception gives the work its direction. AI can develop its expression, draw connections across fields of knowledge, and reveal contradictions. The author must still judge what to accept and answer for what they publish.

A Third Way Amid Literary Controversies

With the advent of AI, the world seems torn between two extreme positions: those who prophesy the loss of our humanity and those who blindly worship technology.

This book proposes a third way. A profoundly humanistic, responsible path grounded in sustained experience. A path on which the human being and the algorithm illuminate one another, engage in dialogue, and build together without the human being relinquishing judgment.

In thierry Ehrmann’s words: “Writing is not merely holding a pen. It is being answerable for meaning. And for the meaning of these pages, I answer.”  A reported total of 27.9 million downloads.

According to the initial distribution figures provided by Artprice and its many partners, notably PR Newswire/Cision, covering 123 countries and 12 languages, the unedited text, or Raw Typescript, had reached 27.9 million downloads as of October 15, 2026, across the various platforms and wire syndication channels.

He deliberately submitted the work to the nine leading AI engines from the United States, China, and Europe for a meta-reading followed by a meta-critique, available online. These assessments were generated by the models consulted. They should not be interpreted as institutional endorsements by OpenAI, Google, Grok, Mistral, Microsoft, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Meta, or any of the other companies concerned.

These meta-readings, published in full on the website in English and now available in French, extend public access to the text by providing public access to its interpretations.

A brief excerpt from Gemini Ultra DeepSeek summarizes it as follows: “The emergence of Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI – Raw Typescript marks a major anthropological and epistemological rupture in the history of contemporary textual thought.

“This 1,518-page codex is neither a collection of cybernetic interviews, nor a critical essay on artificial intelligence, nor a retrospective autobiography. It establishes itself as the first Liber Mundi of the algorithmic era: an operational cosmology forged through a noetic hand-to-hand struggle lasting forty days and forty nights—totaling nearly 450 hours of continuous maieutic dialogue—between the living memory of a thinker and an artificial intelligence model named Isis.

“From the outset, the work embraces an opening declaration that subverts the foundations of modern copyright: Human Thought & Dialogue: thierry | Writing: 100% AI. This protocol consummates humanity’s Fourth Narcissistic Wound, demonstrating that the human mind can relinquish the artisanal crafting of syntax while retaining the absolute primacy of the cosa mentale and political responsibility for meaning.

“The book’s internal organization, governed by a framework of 13 Thresholds and 92 Arcana, does not conform to any convenient linear academic arrangement. It functions as a fractal dynamical system structured around Luigi Pareyson’s theory of formativity and Metcalfe’s law of networks.

“This structure synthesizes three previously separate forms of memory: the thinker’s organic and philosophical memory, the documentary and quantitative memory of Artprice and Groupe Serveur, and the mineral and telluric memory of La Demeure du Chaos.”

The meta-critique: https://www.dialogueentreunpenseuretlia.com/en/meta-reading/

The Raw Typescript of Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI is available to download free of charge:

https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/

Artprice advocates for AI because of the resources it gives writers and visual artists to conceive, deepen, and bring their works into being. Authors choose their tools, their collaborations, and their paths to publication while taking responsibility for their decisions. Restoring authors to the center of the publishing process means giving their freedom of expression the means to become a work and reach an audience. This poses no obstacle to publishers—quite the contrary.

Free Reading and Downloads

French version: https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/fr/

English version: https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/

Distribution license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

This license permits, among other uses, noncommercial sharing of unmodified versions, subject to attribution and compliance with its terms.

Distribution of translations or adaptations requires separate permission from the rights holder, unless an applicable statutory exception provides otherwise.

Artprice by Artmarket — October 2026

Copyright 1987-2026 thierry Ehrmann www.artprice.com  – www.artmarket.com

About Artprice by Artmarket:

Artmarket.com is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris. The latest TPI shareholder identification survey records more than 18,000 individual shareholders, excluding foreign shareholders, corporations, banks, mutual funds (FCPs), and undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS): Euroclear: 7478 — Bloomberg: PRC — Reuters: ARTF.

Discover Artmarket.com and its Artprice department on video: https://fr.artprice.com/video

Artmarket and its Artprice department were founded in 1997 by thierry Ehrmann, its chairman and CEO. They are controlled by Groupe Serveur, established in 1987. See his certified biography in Who’s Who in France©: https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2025/11/2026_Biographie_de_Thierry_Ehrmann_WhosWhoInFrance.pdf

Artmarket.com is a global player in the art market, notably through its Artprice department, the world leader in art price and index databases, with more than 30 million indices and auction results covering over 921,000 artists.

Artprice Images® provides unlimited access to the world’s largest art market archive—its original holdings of paper documents, manuscripts, codices, books, and annotated auction catalogs—a library comprising 210 million images or engravings of artworks from 1700 to the present, with commentary by its art historians.

Artmarket, through its Artprice department, continually enriches its databases with information from 7,200 auction houses and continuously publishes art market trends for leading news agencies and media outlets worldwide, covering 121 countries in 11 languages.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artmarket-com-artprice-et-cision-etendent-leur-alliance-sur-119-pays-comme-1ere-agence-de-presse-mondiale-dediee-au-marche-de-l-art-aux-nfts-et-aux-metavers-863229527.html

Artmarket.com provides its 9.3 million members (member login) with access to listings posted by its members, which now constitute the world’s leading Standardized Marketplace® for buying and selling artworks at fixed prices.

The art market now has a future with Artprice’s Intuitive Artmarket® AI.

Artmarket and its Artprice department have twice been awarded the French government’s “Innovative Company” designation by France’s public investment bank, BPI, and continue to pursue their development as a global player in the art market.

Artprice by Artmarket publishes its 2026 Contemporary Art Market Report:

https://fr.artprice.com/artprice-reports/le-marche-de-lart-contemporain-2026

Artprice by Artmarket publishes its 2025 Annual Global Art Market Report, released in March 2026: https://fr.artprice.com/artprice-reports/le-marche-de-lart-en-2025

Index of press releases from Artmarket and its Artprice department:

https://serveur.serveur.com/artmarket/press-release/fr/

Follow all the latest art market news in real time with Artmarket and its Artprice department on Facebook and Twitter:

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/artpricedotcom/  (more than 6.3 million followers)

https://twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom

Discover the alchemy and the world of Artmarket and its Artprice department: https://fr.artprice.com/video . Their headquarters are located at the renowned contemporary art museum La Demeure du Chaos, or Abode of Chaos, as The New York Times calls it:

https://issuu.com/demeureduchaos/docs/demeureduchaos-abodeofchaos-opus-ix-1999-2013

thierry Ehrmann’s La Demeure du Chaos was officially recognized as a total work of art by the French Minister of Culture on March 20, 2025: https://www.demeureduchaos.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Catalogue_DDC_2025_ENTIER.pdf

La Demeure du Chaos / Abode of Chaos — A Total Work of Art and Singular Architecture. A formerly confidential bilingual book, now publicly available: https://ftp1.serveur.com/abodeofchaos_singular_architecture.pdf

Contact:

Thierry Ehrmann, ir@artmarket.com

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PM Modi, Jaishankar Meet Iranian Parliamentary Delegation on Sidelines of BRICS Forum

New Delhi, Oct 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met members of an Iranian parliamentary delegation on Monday on the sidelines of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, highlighting the continuing engagement between India and Iran.

The Iranian Embassy in India shared details of the meetings on social media platform X, stating that the Indian leaders received Iranian parliamentary representatives during courtesy calls held alongside the forum.

The interaction underscored the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries as parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner nations gathered in the Indian capital to discuss cooperation and people-centric development.

BRICS Parliamentary Forum Brings Leaders Together

The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum commenced in New Delhi on Monday, bringing together presiding officers, parliamentary representatives and other dignitaries from BRICS member and partner countries.

The gathering provides a platform for legislators to exchange views, strengthen parliamentary cooperation and discuss shared priorities amid evolving global and regional developments.

Participants include Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, presiding officers of state legislatures, Members of Parliament and other invited dignitaries.

Om Birla Calls for Dialogue and Mutual Respect

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chaired the meeting and welcomed delegates from BRICS member nations, emphasising the importance of dialogue, mutual respect and cooperation among participating countries.

In his inaugural address, Birla said the presence of parliamentary delegations from BRICS nations in India, the world’s largest democracy, represented a significant opportunity to reinforce their shared commitment to cooperation.

He also highlighted the importance of parliamentary engagement in strengthening mutual trust and advancing democratic values.

Birla noted that the BRICS Parliamentary Forum is marking its 20th anniversary this year, adding that the organisation is expanding and increasing its capacity to influence global developments and international relations.

Iranian Delegation Meets Lok Sabha Speaker

Earlier on Monday, the visiting Iranian parliamentary delegation held talks with Om Birla as part of its participation in the forum.

The Iranian Embassy confirmed the meeting in a post on X, stating that representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran had met the Lok Sabha Speaker in New Delhi.

The delegation arrived in the Indian capital on Sunday to attend the two-day parliamentary gathering.

The meetings between Indian leaders and Iranian representatives formed part of the diplomatic engagements surrounding the forum, which aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among participating countries.

UMI 2026 Highlights Women’s Empowerment as Odisha’s First Woman E-Bus Driver Inspires Change

Bhubaneswar, Oct 26: Odisha’s push towards inclusive urban mobility is gaining momentum, with women increasingly stepping into roles traditionally dominated by men. The meeting between Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, and Subhalaxmi Mahananda, the state’s first woman electric-bus driver from Keonjhar district, has emerged as a powerful symbol of this transformation.

 Representational Image 

Their interaction reflects how institutional support, professional training and individual determination can help women break barriers and pursue new career opportunities. Subhalaxmi’s journey from Keonjhar to the driver’s seat of an electric Ama Bus offers an inspiring example for young women aspiring to enter unconventional professions.

The meeting came during the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition and the second National Urban Conclave (NUC), held in Bhubaneswar from October 23 to 25, 2026. Hosted in eastern India for the first time, the events placed Odisha’s initiatives in sustainable transport, urban accessibility and inclusive development in the national spotlight.

Subhalaxmi’s Journey Challenges Traditional Barriers

For Subhalaxmi, driving an electric public transport bus represents more than a professional achievement. Her role challenges conventional perceptions about women working in the transport sector and demonstrates their ability to take on responsibilities essential to urban life.

Every journey she makes behind the wheel sends a message that women can contribute to public transport operations, strengthen essential services and build independent careers.

Her achievement also highlights the importance of creating opportunities that allow women to translate their skills and ambitions into sustainable livelihoods.

Training and Institutional Support Open New Opportunities

The transformation is being supported by coordinated efforts involving the Commerce and Transport Department, the Transport Commissioner and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT).

CRUT has been working to expand women’s participation across the public transport network, including through advanced electric-bus training for 20 women who hold Heavy Motor Vehicle licences.

Women are increasingly contributing as drivers, conductors and feeder-service personnel, helping make public transport more inclusive while demonstrating their professional capabilities to commuters.

The initiatives underline the role of skill development, training and institutional support in enabling more women to enter the transport workforce.

AMA SuVahak Aims to Promote Women-Led Enterprises

Beyond employment opportunities, Odisha’s Atmanirbhar MAhila SuVahak (AMA SuVahak) initiative aims to encourage women to establish their own transport businesses.

The programme envisages the creation of 2,450 women-led transport enterprises across the state. According to the supplied report, eligible women can access interest-free loans of up to ₹10 lakh for vehicle purchases, along with an additional incentive of ₹2 lakh for electric vehicles.

The initiative also provides for free driving and entrepreneurship training, licensing assistance and priority support for eligible women, including members of Self-Help Groups. Integration with ride-hailing platforms is intended to help connect vehicle ownership and professional skills with income-generating opportunities.

By combining financial assistance with training and market access, the programme seeks to create pathways towards greater economic independence for women.

Odisha Expands Its Public Transport Network

The growth in women’s participation is taking place alongside the expansion of Odisha’s public transport services.

According to the report, CRUT has grown from a single-city operation to a network of 770 buses operating across 138 routes. Electric buses account for 51 per cent of its fleet, while nearly 48 per cent of ticketing transactions are cashless.

These developments reflect the increasing role of electric mobility and digital services in the state’s urban transport system.

At UMI 2026, the CRUT pavilion showcased initiatives related to Ama Bus services, electric mobility, Odisha Yatri, intelligent transport management, digital ticketing, passenger safety and accessibility. CRUT also contributed to the planning and execution of the conference, presenting Odisha’s transport experience to a national audience.

UMI 2026 Focuses on Accessible and Liveable Cities

Held under the theme “Urban Accessibility and Liveability in the Digital Age,” the conference explored how transport systems can connect people with opportunities while making cities more accessible, sustainable and inclusive.

Alongside the National Urban Conclave, the event reinforced the importance of placing people at the centre of urban planning and building transport networks that serve diverse communities.

Subhalaxmi’s journey offered a human perspective on these broader policy ambitions. Her achievement illustrates how the combination of opportunity, training and personal determination can translate development goals into real-life change.

As Odisha continues to expand its mobility initiatives, the growing participation of women in transport is opening new professional possibilities. For young girls who see women taking the wheel of public buses, careers once considered out of reach may increasingly become achievable aspirations.

DAR GLOBAL CAPITAL PARTNERS TARGETS HIGH-VALUE REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES IN DUBAI ACROSS GLOBAL INVESTMENT MANDATE

• DIFC-based, DFSA-regulated asset management arm of Dar Global outlines disciplined strategy centred on value creation and downside protection; names Ziad El Chaar as Chairman

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dar Global Capital Partners (DGCP), the alternative asset management arm of London-listed luxury international developer Dar Global, today announced its strategic focus on deploying capital across international real estate markets through a dedicated cross-border mandate spanning the GCC, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, alongside high-conviction investments in Dubai.

Operating independently from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) under regulatory oversight by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), DGCP connects global private wealth and institutional capital with prime real estate assets.

As part of this cross-border mandate, and with Dubai continuing to attract sustained international capital inflows as a premier wealth and business hub, DGCP is exploring the potential for a dedicated Dubai-focused real estate opportunities fund. The firm’s investment framework across all target markets is anchored in institutional discipline, prioritizing attractive entry valuations, rigorous structural downside protection, and active value creation through strategic asset repositioning and operational enhancements.

In parallel, DGCP announced the appointment of Ziad El Chaar, Chief Executive Officer of Dar Global PLC, as Chairman of DGCP, reinforcing governance and alignment between the parent group’s international development footprint and the asset management platform. The appointment follows a transformational phase for Dar Global, which recently upgraded to the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) category on the London Stock Exchange and expanded its global portfolio to $23 billion in Gross Development Value (GDV).

“Through Dar Global, we built an international platform serving investors from more than 125 nationalities,” said Ziad El Chaar, Chairman of Dar Global Capital Partners and CEO of Dar Global. “With DGCP, we are taking the natural next step by establishing an institutional-grade, regulated vehicle that enables investors to access compelling cross-border real estate investments through a disciplined, value-oriented framework. While we pursue acquisitions across leading global gateway cities, Dubai’s exceptional fundamentals offer strong potential for targeted capital deployment.”

DGCP provides specialized asset management and advisory capabilities designed to create long-term value for sovereign, institutional, and ultra-high-net-worth investors across international jurisdictions.

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Abu Dhabi Invests In The Next Generation Of Musical Talent With A New Dedicated Institution For The Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi

A long-term pathway for young musicians through free access to world-class music education.

ABU DHABI, UAE, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is proud to announce the establishment of a dedicated institution for the Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi. The institution will form an integral part of Abu Dhabi’s music and performing arts landscape, advancing the emirate’s cultural vision to widen access to artistic excellence and build a vibrant cultural ecosystem for the future. It will provide free access to world-class music education programmes for aspiring young musicians.

Set to open in January 2027 in the Mina Zayed (MiZa) district, Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi’s 600-seat concert hall and 18 rehearsal and practice rooms will provide a professional-standard environment for collective music-making. Enrollment for the first cohort of 100 students aged 6–9 is now open. Over the coming years, the programme will nurture young musicians through training in both Western classical and Arabic musical traditions. Additional ensembles for advanced students will be introduced during the first year of the programme.

The programme will establish long-term pathways for young people across the emirate to engage with music, develop their skills and progress over time.

His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi is an important investment in our future and in our commitment to making culture and creativity accessible to all. Through its free-access to world-class music education programmes, we are creating opportunities for young people to discover their talent, develop their potential and experience the lifelong benefits that music can bring. Beyond technical ability, music fosters discipline, collaboration, creativity and confidence, qualities that shape well-rounded individuals, enrich communities and contribute to a more vibrant society.

“The Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi will become both a platform for emerging talent and a cornerstone of the emirate’s growing cultural ecosystem. As Abu Dhabi continues to strengthen its position as a global centre for culture and creativity, and as a UNESCO Creative City of Music, institutions such as this ensure the next generation has every opportunity to participate in, contribute to and shape our cultural future, while preserving the rich musical traditions that form an important part of our heritage.”

The building has been designed by the late Frank Gehry, a pioneering figure in contemporary architecture and the architect of the recently announced performing arts institution Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi. His architectural contributions to Abu Dhabi also include the design of the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in Saadiyat Cultural District.

Youth Orchestra Abu Dhabi reflects the emirate’s continued investment in creative talent, cultural participation and the performing arts, supporting personal development and fostering community connection through creative expression. 

ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND TOURISM – ABU DHABI

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi’s wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organisations that define the Emirate’s position as a leading international destination, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the Emirate’s potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies and systems to support the culture and tourism industries.

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s vision is defined by the Emirate’s people, heritage and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives and creative thought.

For more information about the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and the destination, please visit: dctabudhabi.ae and visitabudhabi.ae and abudhabiculture.ae

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