Geolocated 184 fugitives, trying to bring them back, says CBI | India News

NEW DELHI: The CBI said on Friday that it had geolocated 184 fugitives in various countries and initiated formal proceedings for their return, reports Rajshekhar Jha. In 2023, 24 fugitives have been brought back to India, officials said adding that the figure was one of the highest ever in a year.
“The numbers reflect increased leveraging of Interpol channels and relationship with governments and law enforcement agencies internationally to combat crime and criminals,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
Since 2014, the CBI has brought back 55 fugitives as part of a concerted operation against absconders. In 2014, nine fugitives were brought back to India and the number rose to 12 in 2015. Between 2016 and 2020, the agency secured return of around 40 fugitives, sources said. In 2021, the agency brought back 18 fugitives and 27 absconders in 2022, a spokesperson added.

Read More

Life has come a full circle: Vir Das - Exclusive | Hindi Movie News

Vir Das is enjoying his International Emmy win for his comedy special Vir Das: Landing. The actor- comedian has come a long way in his career where once he was just a supporting actor in a film, who didn’t even have a name to today performing in about 33 countries in a year.But the actor feels life has come a full circle for him.

Vir Das INTERVIEW On EMMY Award Win, TWO INDIAS Monologue, Turning Director & More

Not many know that the actor- comedy when he was establishing himself in the industry would take up small roles in movies, one such movie was Namastey London which starred Rishi Kapoor, Akshay Kumarand Katrina Kaif.He has a scene which barely lasts a minute or two, he is amongst the prospective groomsRishi Kapoor has chosen his daughter Katrina Kaif to meet for arranged marriage purposes. In the credit roles of the film, he was credited as Prospective Groom 2. During an exclusive chat with ETimes, when we reminded him about this film, he said, “ I just met Vipul Shah ( director of Namastey London) at the Emmys, he was there with his wife Shefali Shah who was also nominated , so life has come a full circle.It has been a blessing to reach where I have reached. ”
For is busy adding new feathers in his cap, he is already one of the most sought after comics from India, he is expanding into the field of production and direction. He is currently working on two projects, both of which he’s producing and on one he’s the co-director and acting in both of them.

Read More

Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal gets leaked online | Hindi Movie News

Ranbir Kapoor is currently lapping up the tremendous appreciation and accolades he’s getting for his portrayal of Vijay in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. The man who is known for his chocolate boy image and his light hearted performances was at complete ease with the demands of the role that took him to some very dark places. The film is also expected to do some crazy numbers at the box office, it has already been reported that the film is expected to open at about Rs 61 crore, second just to Shah Rukh Khan’s juggernaut Jawan.But the film has been leaked online.

‘Animal’: CBFC chops off romantic close-up scenes of Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna

The film has been getting mixed responses from the critics and the audience but there is a certain kind of curiosity amongst the audience to know what exactly is packed in the film, for it to get such polarizing reviews. The film as per now is available on various websites, Telegram channels and is being shared on Whatsapp like a regular forward. It is an industry that is growing at a rapid pace, it rather seems helpless when it comes to curbing piracy. Even 1st December’s second release, Vicky Kaushal and Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur, has also been leaked online, in fact Sam was released in less than 6 hours of it’s first show getting completed.
Only time will tell how much of these leaks will cost both the film as far as box office returns are concerned. As of now, both films are expected to jump many folds collection wise over the weekend. Besides Ranbir, Animal also stars Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandana, Triptych Winter and Bobby Deol.

Read More

Punjab governor gives assent to one of 5 pending bills | India News

CHANDIGARH: Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday gave his assent to one of the five pending bills passed by the Punjab Assembly. The governor has approved the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Services) Amendment Bill, 2023, which aims to streamline the functioning of the Punjab Educational Tribunal for government-aided private colleges.
Bills waiting for the governor’s clearance are the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the Punjab State Vigilance Commission (Repeal) Bill, 2022.
On November 24, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann had written to governor Purohit requesting him to give his assent to the pending bills passed by the assembly “forthwith”.

Read More

Firozabad to be called Chandranagar? Civic body approves name change

Months before the Lok Sabha elections, the Firozabad municipal corporation on Friday approved a proposal to rename the city to Chandranagar. The decision, passed during a 12-member executive committee meeting chaired by mayor Kamini Rathoregarnered overwhelming support with 11 members backing the change. A recommendation will now be made to the stategovernment.This move follows a trend, where several cities have been renamed under the Yogi government.

Read More

After supreme court's endorsement, Arif Mohammed Khan picks another Vice chancellor

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday appointed Prof S Bijoy Nandan as the vice chancellor of Kannur University, following the Supreme Court’s annulment of the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran to the key position.
Nandan currently serves as a professor in the department of marine biology, microbiology & biochemistry at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).

Kerala govt’s legal battle with Governor: Bills’ signing delay sparks Supreme Court showdown

The governor, serving as the chancellor of the university, made the decision to appoint Nandan as vice-chancellor, exercising the powers conferred by the provisions of the Kannur University Act, 2018.
The order directed Nandan, who is also the dean of the faculty of marine sciences at the School of Marine Sciences, CUSAT, to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the vice-chancellor of Kannur University with immedi ate effect. This is in addition to his regular duties until further orders.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court nullified the reappointment of Ravindran as the v of Kannur University.

Read More

MoD: Rahul Gandhi's aircraft neither given landing nod nor denied | India News

KOCHI: A defence spokesperson said on Friday that the Union defence ministry had neither accorded nor denied landing permission for an aircraft carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Naval airport in Kochi.
The clarification came after the Congress alleged that the ministry of defence denied landing permission for Gandhi’s chartered flight at the Naval facility early on Friday.The defence spokesperson said that the request for “an unscheduled chartered flight along with the flight plan” was received at INS Garuda air station at Kochi at 9.40 am on Friday and at Navy HQ at about 10.15 am for takeoff from Kannur Airport at 10.45 am.
“Due to the delayed request and paucity of time prior to the departure of the flight, the clearance for the same could not be processed,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas alleged that the Defence Ministry had initially granted permission for the aircraft’s landing at the Naval facility but later withdrew it.
Consequently, the aircraft carrying Gandhi from Kannur was directed to the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in nearby Nedumbassery, he had said.

Read More

Cops find mobile tower that wasn't stolen, hunt on for complainant

PRAYAGRAJ: A day after police in Uttar Pradesh‘s Kaushambi received an online FIR from a technician of a private firm about the “unbelievable” theft of a 50-metre-high mobile towerpolice were faced with another dilemma – how to find an article that wasn’t ever stolen.
Kaushambi superintendent of police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava told TOI, “The company authorities concerned had themselves removed their entire set-up in early January this year through proper documentation after the contract between the company authorities concerned and landowner expired.”
Police have collected all the records and evidence.
However, it remains a mystery why the firm’s technician, Rajesh Kumar Yadav, filed an online FIR in this regard, eight months after the incident. In his online complaint, Yadav had said when he visited the spot for inspection on March 31, 2023, the entire tower, along with other equipment, was gone without a trace. He, however, inexplicably waited for another eight months before lodging the FIR on November 29.
Police conducted searches at Yadav’s residence in Pratapgarh but he was found missing.

Read More

Rs 1 crore plus offers made, but IIT placements off to slow start | India News

MUMBAI: The premier IITs began their placements on a quiet note on Friday. Day 1 saw the crore-plus packages coming in, but it left everyone with a question on whether this will be a happy season for all.
The number of participating companies at IIT-Bombay are almost the same as last year-around 350. The number of job announcement forms (JAFs), however, are fewer as compared to last year.These are forms filled by companies enlisting information regarding job profiles which they are looking for. While 450 JAFs have been filled, last year there were more than 500 JAFs, a source said.
The first day saw around 40 companies holding interviews in two slots. Compared to last year’s Day 1, 80% of the regular recruiters participated this year. Three PSUs -HPCL, C-DOT and ONGC -have already recruited students. The companies that participated on Friday for domestic profiles included GoogleApple and Microsoft.
Barclays is offering Rs 1 crore-plus offers for postings in Singapore. Qualcomm also offered high packages and came with multiple roles -salary packages ranged from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. Of the consultancy firms that descended on the campus in slot 1, some of the regulars that were missing included Bain, BCG, Morgan Stanley, Databricks.
Da Vinci Derivatives, Hudson River Trading, Quantbox Research, NK Securities and Graviton Research are some of the high-frequency trading firms offering crore-plus packages at the institute this season. Jane Streetwhich had made the top offer last year, was conspicuous by its absence.
The institute saw a marginal increase in the number of pre-placement offers (PPOs) accepted-from 194 last year to 200.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday wrote on social media platform X, “Doing many day 0 campus interviews today at IITs. Such bright and energetic young people! Can’t be more excited about the future of our country!!…Will also be at IIT-B tomorrow morning 3am to hire day 0 from my college when I didn’t get a day 0 job myself.”
By the end of the first slot on Day 1 at 1pm, IIT-Roorkee had already secured three international offers and 358 domestic offers. Its statement mentioned that the institute had received the highest international salary as compared to last year. Some of the notable recruiters include Cohesity, Databricks, Flipkart, Google, Hilabs, HPCL, Indus Insights, Intel Technologies, Microsoft, Nvidia, Qualcomm among others.
IIT-Guwahati, till Friday evening, had around 11 offers above Rs 1 crore, as opposed to seven in 2022-23. Around 60 companies had made around 165 offers till 5.30pm on Friday. This was marginally higher than last year. The institute recorded 214 PPOs this year.

Read More

Rs 1 crore plus offers made, but IIT placements off to slow start

MUMBAI: The premier IITs began their placements on a quiet note on Friday. Day 1 saw the crore-plus packages coming in, but it left everyone with a question on whether this will be a happy season for all.
The number of participating companies at IIT-Bombay are almost the same as last year-around 350. The number of job announcement forms (JAFs), however, are fewer as compared to last year.These are forms filled by companies enlisting information regarding job profiles which they are looking for. While 450 JAFs have been filled, last year there were more than 500 JAFs, a source said.
The first day saw around 40 companies holding interviews in two slots. Compared to last year’s Day 1, 80% of the regular recruiters participated this year. Three PSUs -HPCL, C-DOT and ONGC -have already recruited students. The companies that participated on Friday for domestic profiles included GoogleApple and Microsoft.
Barclays is offering Rs 1 crore-plus offers for postings in Singapore. Qualcomm also offered high packages and came with multiple roles -salary packages ranged from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. Of the consultancy firms that descended on the campus in slot 1, some of the regulars that were missing included Bain, BCG, Morgan Stanley, Databricks.
Da Vinci Derivatives, Hudson River Trading, Quantbox Research, NK Securities and Graviton Research are some of the high-frequency trading firms offering crore-plus packages at the institute this season. Jane Streetwhich had made the top offer last year, was conspicuous by its absence.
The institute saw a marginal increase in the number of pre-placement offers (PPOs) accepted-from 194 last year to 200.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday wrote on social media platform X, “Doing many day 0 campus interviews today at IITs. Such bright and energetic young people! Can’t be more excited about the future of our country!!…Will also be at IIT-B tomorrow morning 3am to hire day 0 from my college when I didn’t get a day 0 job myself.”
By the end of the first slot on Day 1 at 1pm, IIT-Roorkee had already secured three international offers and 358 domestic offers. Its statement mentioned that the institute had received the highest international salary as compared to last year. Some of the notable recruiters include Cohesity, Databricks, Flipkart, Google, Hilabs, HPCL, Indus Insights, Intel Technologies, Microsoft, Nvidia, Qualcomm among others.
IIT-Guwahati, till Friday evening, had around 11 offers above Rs 1 crore, as opposed to seven in 2022-23. Around 60 companies had made around 165 offers till 5.30pm on Friday. This was marginally higher than last year. The institute recorded 214 PPOs this year.

Read More

Acting director of Enforcement Directorate Rahul Navin set to be agency chief

NEW DELHI: Rahul Navinacting director of Enforcement Directorate, has been empanelled as additional secretary by the appointments committee of the Cabinet, potentially paving the way for his regularisation as head of the agency.
Navin, a 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer took over as acting director of ED on September 15 after retirement of the then director SK Mishra.Navin was the special director in the agency where he has been on deputation since 2020.
An expert in international taxation, who held the charge of vigilance, Navin has been involved in intelligence gathering and investigation of sensitive money laundering cases.
Mishra’s almost five-yearlong eventful tenure was curtailed bySC on July 11 and he was asked to relinquish charge by the end of July, few months short of his five-year tenure coming to an end on November 17. However, the Centre later moved an application seeking ‘modification’ in the original order allowing him to continue till October 15, which the court agreed, but allowed him time till September 15.
Until 2018, the post of ED director was of additional secretary rank.

Read More

Government bans e-commerce firms from using 'dark patterns' | India News

NEW DELHI: The government has banned the use of “dark patterns“-purposefully designed deceptions-by e-commerce and all other online platforms while selling goods and services that manipulate customers and nudge them into signing up for or purchasing things they didn’t mean to or lure them to buy a more expensive product. The government has notified resorting to this as an “unfair trading practice”.
Under the Consumer Protection Actoffenders can face fines and penal action from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and can also be tried in the consumer commissions.
In a gazette notification issued by the CCPA titled “Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns”, the authority has defined “dark patterns” as any practice or “deceptive design pattern” using user interface or user experience interactions on any platform that is designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do.
The guidelines that have legal backing will apply to all platforms systematically offering goods or services, advertisers and sellers. “No person, including any platform, shall engage in any dark pattern practice,” the notification issued by the CCPA chief commissioner Nidhi Khare said.
Union consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said, “These guidelines would help both e-commerce platforms and consumers clearly understand as to what exactly would be considered as unfair trading practices in this regard.”
A senior executive of an e-commerce firm said the rules need to be fine-tuned. “At present, the guidelines are not very precise and can be open to multiple interpretations,” he said. Another industry executive said they don’t think the rules will lead to any structural difference in the way they operate.
The ministry has defined 13 deceptive practices that will be treated as ‘dark patterns’ and these include creating false urgency by creating an artificial sense of scarcity; basket sneaking, where the inclusion of additional items such that the total amount payable by the user is more than the amount payable for the product as well as subscription trap.

Read More

Tenants urge govt to get sr counsel to defend rent Act in SC | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Tenants associations across the city have written to the chief minister and housing minister urging them to appoint senior counsel and a top firm of solicitors to defend the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, and Chapter VIII of the MHADA Act before the Supreme Court.
“The Property Owners Association (an association of landlords) and others have filed cases before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Rent Control Act and Chapter VIII A of MHADA Act which provides for ownership to tenants over the premises.The matter has been pending since 2000, and now the date for hearing is February 6, before a nine-judge bench. The matter will have a far reaching effect on crores of tenants in Mumbai and Maharashtra,” said Pravin Jain, vice president, JVPD Tenants and Residents Association.
Vidula Warawdekar, a South Mumbai resident of a tenanted building, said, “If the Supreme Court allows the petitions, it could mean the end of rent control in Maharashtra with landlords being able to charge whatever rent they want or throw tenants out. If the Supreme Court dismisses the petitions, tenants would be protected,” she said.
In a letter to CM Eknath Shinde, the tenants have asked for a commitment to protect the rights of tenants, considering the history of rent control in the state and the actual payment of ‘Pugree’ by tenants.
Mumbai guardian minister and BJP MLA from Malabar Hill in South Mumbai Mangal Prabhat Lodha said he would communicate the concerns of the tenants to the CM and the deputy CMs. Lodha said he would also hold a meeting with tenants to understand their issues. “We are committed to protect the interests of the tenants and it is in the interest of the tenants and landlords to carry out redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings,” he said.
Ashish Shelar, BJP Mumbai unit president, said he would be holding a meeting with tenants before the winter session of the state legislature begins on December 7. “The BJP’s stand is to protect the interests of the tenants. We shall pursue the matter with the government to ensure tenants interests are properly represented in court. In case tenants lose in court then we shall take up the issue through the legislature and formulate a law to protect them,” he said.
Varsha Gaikwad, president, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, said the party stands firmly with tenants.

Read More