AI leaders warn UN of security risks as systems grow more powerful

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a high-powered task force to reform the country’s examination system following weeks of student-led protests over alleged irregularities in major entrance exams. The announcement came a day after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, as the government faced growing pressure from students and opposition groups demanding changes to the examination process. Modi said the new task force would be headed by Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of technology company Infosys. The panel will focus on improving the examination system and making it more transparent, reliable and technology-driven. In a video message posted on social media, Modi said the government wanted to restore confidence in upcoming examinations as quickly as possible. He stressed that the system must ensure greater transparency and make effective use of technology. The protests had been led in large part by supporters of the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Thousands of students and young people gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over several weeks, making the demonstrations among the most significant anti-government protests in India in recent years. The movement initially focused on alleged problems and irregularities in examinations, but its demands later expanded. Protesters also raised concerns about unemployment, limited opportunities for young people and what critics described as the government’s increasingly authoritarian approach. The protest site was largely cleared on Sunday. Municipal workers washed the surrounding roads and began repainting walls covered with slogans, posters and graffiti. Some protesters criticised the decision to remove the writings, saying the messages represented an important record of the movement. Rahul, a protester who had visited the site, said demonstrators had photographed and recorded the posters and slogans before they were removed. He said they wanted the material to remain documented and remembered. Some young people who travelled long distances to participate in the demonstrations arrived after the protest had already ended. One 19-year-old participant said he had travelled for around 20 hours after seeing videos of the demonstrations on Instagram. He said he wanted to witness the atmosphere and join other young protesters. Another visitor accused the government of worsening the situation by attempting to suppress the demonstrations. He argued that the crackdown had contributed to the protests becoming larger.

South Korean investigators have launched a major investigation into the National Election Commission after allegations that officials altered voter turnout figures during the June 3 local elections. Authorities searched the commission’s offices on Thursday as part of a widening probe into what could become one of the country’s most serious election controversies in recent years. The investigation follows widespread problems that disrupted voting on election day. Dozens of polling stations ran out of ballot papers, creating confusion for voters across the country. The shortages occurred during the first nationwide local elections held after President Lee Jae Myung took office last year. The incident sparked public criticism, street protests, and growing demands for greater transparency in the country’s election system. The controversy also forced National Election Commission chief Roh Tae-ak to resign. President Lee responded by ordering a full investigation into the failures that affected the election process. Since then, police and prosecutors have been examining whether the problems were caused by simple mistakes or deliberate misconduct. According to investigators, there is evidence that officials from both the National Election Commission and the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission entered false voter turnout figures into the election reporting system. Authorities believe some staff members changed numbers without following the commission’s official approval procedures. Investigators suspect the changes were made to fix earlier reporting mistakes while officials waited for accurate turnout data from polling stations. Instead of correcting the figures through the required process, they allegedly adjusted turnout numbers across several voting locations to make the overall totals appear consistent. Reports suggest one example involved a polling station where officials accidentally recorded 1,000 voters instead of the actual 100. Rather than immediately correcting the mistake, investigators believe the excess figures were temporarily distributed among other polling stations with the expectation that later voter turnout would balance the totals. Authorities are now examining whether similar adjustments were made elsewhere during the election. Under the commission’s regulations, any correction to turnout figures must receive formal approval before being entered into the system. Investigators believe those procedures may have been bypassed in several cases. Officials leading the investigation confirmed that two election workers have already been placed under formal investigation on suspicion of falsifying official electronic records. Authorities are now trying to determine whether the alleged actions were limited to lower level employees or whether senior officials knew about or approved the changes. Analysts say the case has drawn attention to long standing concerns about oversight within South Korea’s election commission. Because the commission operates as an independent constitutional body, critics argue that its internal monitoring and disciplinary systems have not always been strong enough to prevent misconduct. The ballot paper shortages also affected voters directly. Data provided by the commission to lawmakers showed that at least 90 people were unable to cast their ballots because voting papers were unavailable at their polling stations. The controversy has also fueled political tensions. Supporters of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently in jail while facing trial on insurrection charges, have renewed claims that the country’s elections require closer scrutiny. Some far right groups have repeated allegations of foreign interference despite the absence of verified evidence supporting those claims. In recent weeks, university students have joined demonstrations calling for a complete investigation into the election commission. Protesters are demanding stronger safeguards to protect voting rights and restore public confidence in South Korea’s democratic institutions. As the investigation continues, authorities say they will examine every level of the election process to determine whether any broader misconduct took place.