2 HCL staffers killed, 19 hurt in Nainital crash

NAINITAL: A weekend getaway to the hills ended in tragedy for a group of 21 HCLTech employees as the large vehicle they were travelling in lost control and overturned near Ghatgarh on the Nainital-Kaladhungi road around 5.30pm on Sunday. While two young women died and two are critical, it was a close shave for the others as the vehicle hit the roadside divider and stopped short of falling into a deep gorge below it.
The group, comprising 14 men and seven women, arrived in Nainital on a leisure trip on Saturday.They were returning to NCR when the accident took place. Cops said the incident, triggered by brake failure, took place around 6km before Kaladhungi. The driver of the vehicle was also injured in the accident. Kaladhungi SHO Nandan Singh Rawat said, “The deceased have been identified asSayoni Dubey (28) and Jaya Shakya (23). The others are being treated at a hospital in Haldwani. The bodies of the dead have been sent for autopsy.”

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Nearly 9% rise in crime against children in 2022 as compared to 2021 | India News

NEW DELHI: Over 1.62 lakh cases of crime against children were registered during 2022, an increase of 8.7% over 2021 when over 1.49 lakh cases were registered, according to the latest NCRB data.
The 2021 data had reflected a sharp increase of 16.2% over 2020 (1.28 lakh cases), a year marked by prolonged periods of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kidnapping and abduction accounted for 46% of the crimes, followed by those under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (40%).The crime rate — cases per per lakh children—was 36.6 in 2022, a marginal increase from 33.6 in 2021. In 2021, kidnapping and abduction accounted for 45% of the crimes against children and while sexual offences, including child rape, were 38.1%. .
In case of sexual offences against children, data again points that most often the perpetrator was known to the victim and took advantage of the vulnerability of the child. Under the penetrative sexual assault category, the accused was known to the victim in 96.8% of cases. Out of the 36682 cases involving a known person, in 3276 cases, the accused was a family member.
The report highlights that a total of 83,350 children (20,380 male, 62,946 female and 24 transgender) were reported missing in 2022, an increase of 7.5% from 77,535 in 2021.

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Indian mapping company gets Saudi contract for 3D digital twin mapping of Mecca | India News

NEW DELHI: In a big boost for the Indian mapping industry, desi company Genesys International’s subsidiary in Saudi Arabia has been awarded a contract for the 3D digital twin mapping of the holy city of Mecca by Saudi Arabia.
The pioneering project awarded to Genesys subsidiary, Genesys Middle East Ltd, is valued at Rs 26 crore and marks a historic venture into using digital twin mapping technology for urban planning, modelling and monitoring, a company statement said.“The contract stipulates the completion of the project within six months from the Letter of Award (LoA), aligning with the goal to use cutting-edge technology. This is a large validation of Genesys’ proprietary platform, Oyster 3D Maps, for the high-precision mapping endeavour. The scope includes crucial aspects such as crowd management, disaster management and planning for one of the most visited spots in the world,” the statement said.
Sajid Malik, CMD of Genesys International, said, “The digital twin of the holy shrine of Mecca is a great responsibility, and our team’s expertise and dedication aim to make it a great testament to our technology platform. We look forward to contributing significantly to Saudi Arabia’s growing infrastructure landscape and continuing to provide exceptional value to the government and our clients.”
In addition to the Mecca project, Genesys has successfully completed the 3D indoor mapping of 27 airports for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia. The company is actively engaged in ongoing projects with GeoSa, the national mapping authority of Saudi Arabia, and NEOM.
Om Hemrajani, principal at Genesys International, said, “This is a great progress for our Saudi Arabia practice. We are increasingly being trusted with important landmark projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which we hope to scale in the coming quarters.”
In India, Genesys has already launched the new India map stack, targeting advanced platforms in consumer, logistics, automotive and infrastructure areas. Recently, Genesys had announced a strategic tie-up with Survey of India (SoI) for a three-dimensional (3D) digital twin-mapping programme in the country.

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Mom files plaint against 3 pals for minor's sex abuse in Mumbai | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: A teenager’s mother has lodged a police complaint accusing three of her friends, two of them women, of sexually abusing her daughter who was then aged 17 at her home in Kurla two years ago. The abuse happened four times over a few days.
The teen, says the complaint lodged in Kerala, has been traumatised and is undergoing psychological treatment in Kerala.The Mumbai police are now handling the case as the alleged crime took place in Kurla.
The single mother, who works as a nurse at a private hospital in Mumbai, has stated in the complaint that three of her friends from the southern state stayed at her Mumbai home for a few days in 2021. The complaint says that the abuse took place when she was on night duty. The two women visitors allegedly sexually assaulted her daughter and threatened the girl, then a minor, with her nude pictures and then the two women let their male friend sexually abuse the girl. The complaint adds the three used to offer the girl drinks laced with alcohol and then indulged in obscene acts that were filmed. “They threatened to kill her mother and would blackmail her with videos of her drinking and being in the nude…” says the complaint.
Subsequently, the mother noticed the girl’s “strange” behaviour and took her to the family home in Kerala where she was taken to a counsellor. Here, t was revealed that the teenager had “severe psychological trauma”. The psychologist discussed the possibility of child sexual abuse and interviewed the girl who told her about the alleged abuse.
The psychologist wrote to the local police station in Kerala, asking officials to register a criminal offence in the medical-legal case. The Kerala police, after a preliminary inquiry, forwarded the complaint to the local police station in Mumbai. A senior official of Mumbai police said that a criminal offence will be registered.
The girl’s advocates, Mariam Nizam and Tanveer Nizam, said that due to jurisdiction of two states, the girl’s plea was ignored.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

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BTS’ Jin thanks ARMY for their outpour of love on his birthday, earns promotion for outstanding military service | K-pop Movie News

ARMY took it upon themselves to celebrate Jin’s birthday in a special manner, while he continued with his mandatory military service. However, the popular k-pop idol made it a point to connect with his fans on December 4, thanking them for their love and support.
Jin penned a heartfelt message on Weverseon December 4, which read, “I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday.I always celebrated my birthday with a live stream with the ARMYs, but unfortunately, I can’t enjoy it this year, so it’s heartbreaking. Even though we can’t be together, I hope you’re having a good time in your hearts.”
Sharing an update about his military service, Jin added, “Already one year has passed since I joined the military. Although there’s still more time left until I return, I’m already excited thinking that I will return soon, since only 1/3 of the military service is left for me. With outstanding military service, I have been promoted once again, and I am currently Sergeant Kim Seok Jin (important).”
He also reportedly revealed that RM and V will join the Nonsan Army Training Center on December 11, while Jimin and Jungkook will join Army’s 5th Infantry Division Training Center on the 12th.

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Animal day 5 advance booking: Ranbir Kapoor starrer adds Rs 10 crore to its humongous total

After a power packed weekend, ‘Animal‘ continues to woo fans through the week days also. The film has recorded strong advance booking for Tuesday. According to sacnilk, ‘Animal’ has earned Rs 10.22 crore in advance booking for day five, from 16,944 shows across the country.
On December1, ‘Animal’ hit the screens and scored Rs 63 crore, over the weekend this film went on to mint over Rs 200 crore.At the end of four days, ‘Animal’ has managed to earn Rs 241.43 crore.
Speaking about his character of an alpha made with grey shades, Ranbir had previously shared, “It’s a new territory for me. It’s a crime drama and a father-son story. It’s something audiences don’t expect me to do. It has got shades of grey. He is very alpha, again something I’m not. So, I’m looking forward to it. It is completely out of my comfort zone. As an actor, such challenges are important as it really shook me up. It made me work hard, and realise how inadequate I’m and how much I needed to work to reach a certain level.”
In recent times, there has been massive buzz about Ranbir Kapoor starring in Kishore Kumar biopic, which will be helmed by filmmaker Anurag Basu. Giving an update about the same, the actor had stated, “The Kishore Kumar biopic has been in discussion for some time. We are still in talks. Basu is working on the script. Apart from that, there is nothing.”

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Visa-free entry to Asian nations pushes up air fares

NEW DELHI: Near is far and far is near this winter holiday season. Hot favourite nearby international destinations like Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia have become ‘visamukt’ for desi travellers, pushing airfares to new highs. On the other hand, almost all international airlines (barring US) have resumed India connections in full force now and desi carriers have added flights abroad this winter that has led to fares to Europe and North America stop defying gravity.
As a result, while Delhi-Phuket economy return this Yuletide starts at Rs 50,000 (much more than than an average Rs 30,000 few months back), Delhi-London begin at Rs 70,000 (much less than almost Rs 90-95,000 this summer).
“In comparison to last year, all international airlines are operational for routes like Delhi-Dubai, or Saudi and to London, hence airfares for these sectors are down by 20-25%. On the other hand, airfares for popular Southeast Asian destinations like Vietnam, Thailand & Malaysia have more than doubled in comparison to last year for this period,” a spokesperson for travel portal Yatra says.
Travel Agents Federation of India VP Anil Kalsi says there is a “serious” demand for both domestic and international destinations this winter holiday. But “southeast Asia is the flavour of the season. Going visa free makes a lot of difference. Thai e-visa, for instance, used to cost about Rs 7,500. For a family of four that meant visa cost of ₹30,000. With that gone (and cheaper hotels), the demand has gone up for visa free destinations. For this reason, Malaysian Airlines’ recent sale saw a lot of takers,” Kalsi said, adding, “India is rocking.”
“Visa on arrival/easy and quick visa destinations are witnessing 30-40% higher demand including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Dubai & Abu Dhabi,” said Daniel D’Souza, SOTC Travel’s president and country head.
Apart from seasonal travel, the wedding season has added to the demand leading to hiked hotel charges and airfares. Yatra Online senior VP (flights & hotel business) Bharatt Malik said: “Room tariffs are up by 20-25% due to bulk bookings related to wedding season. Hotel bookings have doubled, and airfares surge by 40-50% closer to travel dates.”

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Crime rate declines but cyber offences up 24% | India News

NEW DELHI: Crime rate per lakh population declined to 422.2 in 2022 from 445.9 in 2021, even though cyber crime cases registered a 24.4% jump during this period. Nearly 65% of the total 65,893 cyber crimes registered were related to online or cyber fraud.
According to the ‘Crime in India‘ 2022 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau on Monday, crimes registered nationwide under the IPC as well as Special and Local Laws (SLL) witnessed a 4.5% dip to 58.2 lakh in 2022 from 60.9 lakh in 2021.Of the total 58.2 lakh crimes registered last year, 35.6 lakh were IPC crimes, down 2.8% from 2021, and 22.6 lakh were SLL crimes, also down 7%.
Delhi recorded the highest rate of cognisable crimes (IPC & SLL) at 1,518.2, followed by Kerala at 1,274.8, Haryana at 810.4, Gujarat at 738.9 and Tamil Nadu at 617.2. The crime rate in UP was much lower at 322, as was Bengal’s at 182.8. Experts said a high crime rate per lakh population could also point to higher reporting of crime in states like Delhi, as compared to, say, West Bengal.
Offences against the human body – physical assault, including murder, kidnapping, abduction, etc – went up by 5.3% to 11.6 lakh in 2022 from 11 lakh in 2021 and constituted 32.5% of the total IPC crimes. Murders, numbering 28,522 in 2022, showed a marginal decline of 2.6% as compared to the previous year. Disputes were the motive of nearly 35% of the murders, followed by ‘personal vendetta or enmity’ (13%) and ‘gain’ (6%). ‘Hurt’, at 6.27 lakh cases, accounted for over 54% of the offences against the human body, followed by cases of causing death by negligence (13.7%) and kidnapping and abduction (9.3%), as per NCRB data.
Kidnapping and abduction cases rose by 5.8% to 1.07 lakh in 2022, with women making up 88,861 of the total 1.1 lakh victims. Crimes against women increased by 4% to 4.45 lakh cases in 2022; the majority related to ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’ (31.4%), followed by ‘kidnapping and abduction’ (19.2%), ‘assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’ (18.7%) and rape (18.7%).
The crime rate per lakh of women population was up to 66.4 in 2022 from 64.5 in 2021.
Crimes against children recorded a rise of 8.7% in 2022 as compared to 2021. Nearly 46% related to kidnapping and 39.7% were registered under the Pocso Act. The crime rate registered per lakh children population was up at 36.6 from 33.6 in 2021.
A total of 53.9 lakh persons were arrested in 2022 in IPC & SLL cases. Chargesheet was filed against 43.7 lakh accused, 10.5 lakh were convicted, 9.81 lakh acquitted and 1.52 lakh were discharged.
The conviction rate, as per 2022 data, was 43.8 in murder cases, 27.4 in rape cases and 85.3 in the Excise Act cases.
A study of NCRB data over the past five years shows a 37% decline in attacks by Left-wing extremists from 355 in 2018 to 224 in 2022; police personnel killed in such attacks were down by 90%; and civilian casualties by 30%. As many as 417 Left-wing extremists surrendered during this five-year period.
Attacks by insurgents in the Northeast dipped by 62%, from 68 in 2018 to 26 in 202, while The total number of police personnel martyred in such attacks was down to 1 in 2022, and civilian casualties to zero offences against the state increased by 8.6%.

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Revolt in Congress, Revanth Reddy will need to wait for swearing-in | India News

HYDERABAD: The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Congress government in Telangana was delayed on Monday due to a lack of consensus among the party’s 64 MLAs on the choice for CM.
Initially, arrangements were made at Raj Bhavan for Congress state unit chief A Revanth Reddyto take the oath as CM, along with other ministers, including a deputy CM.However, differences emerged among senior leaders, prompting the party to postpone the event. Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Sridhar Babu, and the Komatireddy brothers opposedRevanth as CM, said a leader privy to the developments.

The final decision on the government’s composition, will be made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with special observers. The decision is expected to be announced on Tuesday after discussions in Delhi, sources said.

AICC observers, including Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar and AICC in-charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre, travelled to Delhi to discuss the matter further with the party high command. The observers had been deputed to hold a Congress legislative party meeting and ensure the smooth formation of the government.
Potential CM candidate Revanth faced opposition from some senior leaders, forcing the action to shift to Delhi. Following a unanimous resolution during the CLP meeting, authorising Kharge to decide the CM, individual opinions of the 64 MLAs were then gathered at a private hotel at Gachibowli, a suburb in Hyderabad. While some MLAs suggested Bhatti, Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Sridhar Babu as potential CMs, the majority supported Revanth, sources said.
The initial speculation that AICC had finalised Revanth as the CM was denied by most senior leaders.
Bhatti, who is being tipped as the Dalit CM face of Congress, reportedly opposed the plan to have multiple deputy CMs. He is said to have expressed a preference for a single deputy CM with an important portfolio, if given that role. No consensus has been reached on the speaker, deputy speaker, and Telangana PCC president either. If Revanth is elected CLP leader, the post of PCC chief is likely to be given to a senior leader.
Watch From ABVP to Telangana’s CM candidate, how Revanth Reddy climbed the ladders of success in politics

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Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Bhushan Kumar offer prayers at Vaishno Devi after 'Animal' success Hindi Movie News

The makers of ‘Animal’ took off on a spiritual trip after the humongous success of the movie. ‘Animal‘ minted Rs 202.57 crore at the end of its opening weekend and continues to score big.
On Monday, a picture of the makers of ‘Animal’ was shared on social media, from a trip to Vaishno Devi temple. Producer Bhushan Kumar, director Sandeep Reddy Vangahis father Pranay Reddy Vanga, distributor Anil Thadani and others were seen posing after the spiritual sojourn.
‘Animal’ features the complex relationship between a tycoon Balbir Singh and his son Rannvijay Singh. The film has scored a total of Rs 241 crore till now.
Ranbir is being hailed for his intense performance in the movie. Speaking about his character, the actor had previously shared, “So this character that I’m playing, he behaves out of instinct to protect his family. He is not thinking he is behaving out of instinct, he is impulsive, and I think that’s where the title Animal came and once you see the film you’ll realize that this film suits this title.” Calling the movie an adult-rated Khushi Kabhi Kabhie Gham, Ranbir added, “I am a detached person. I never take my character home. It’s not fair for my loved ones. Agar main jaake is inssan ki tarah act karta toh meri biwi mujhe maarti (Had I acted like this person my wife would have beaten me).”

‘Animal’ success: Ranbir Kapoor dances like no one’s WATCHING, Sandeep Reddy Vanga joins him later

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FTISLAND's Choi Min-hwan and LABOUM's Yulhee announce divorce ending five years of marriage

After five years of marriage, FTISLAND‘s Choi Min-hwan and LABOUM’s Yulhee have announced their separation. The couple, who has three kids, stated that they will continue to co-parent.
Yulhee shared details about her divorce on her social media account. Her statement read, “Today, I’m writing this to share with you a rather heavy topic, and while my heart feels heavy, I want to share it directly with all of you who have supported and loved us.After much time, effort, and discussion, we have decided to support each other on separate paths. Although our journey as a couple has come to an end, our roles as parents to our children persist. Both of us are currently communicating and taking care of our children to the best of our abilities. Following careful consideration, the children are currently living with their father after we decided that it is best for them to stay in the place where they have been living to accommodate realistic issues and minimize any psychological distress. Additionally, I, too, spend time with them frequently to ensure the absence of their mother is felt as little as possible. I was quite worried about delivering this news, knowing that it might come as sudden and bewildering to you considering the support you all have given us. However, as this was a hard decision that we made for each other’s happiness after extensive deliberation, I hope you can watch over us with warm understanding.”
Soon after, Choi Min-hwan posted on Instagram“It is with regret that I have to greet you after a while with rather weighty news. I’m approaching this with caution, having arrived at a difficult decision after careful consideration. After extensive discussions, my wife and I have come to the decision to conclude our marriage. To all those who warmly supported and watched over us when we decided to start a family at a young age, I sincerely apologize (for delivering this news). I am also grateful and genuinely sorry to our families, team members, and the fans who supported us. As a father, I will do my utmost to fulfill my role and ensure our children do not carry any emotional scars. I will strive to greet you again with good news in the future. Thank you.”
After confirming their romance in September 2017, Min-hwan and Yulhee had registered their marriage in May 2018 and followed it with a private wedding ceremony in October 2018. The couple embraced parenthood with the birth of their son Jaeyul in 2018 and in early 2020, they welcomed twin daughters Ahoon and Arin.

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4 men force drug on teen athlete, gang-rape minor

FEROZEPUR: Four men gang-raped a teenage athlete in a village near here on Monday after intercepting her during her morning run and force-feeding her a drug. Moved to hospital in critical condition due to the brutal assault, the girl is now out of danger.
Based on the 15-year-old survivor’s statement, police charged the accused with rape under IPC Section 376 and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act at a local police station.
The girl had left home at 6 am for her morning run when a half kilometre away the gang accosted her and thrust a pill from a plastic bottle into her mouth. They took the unconscious girl somewhere and raped her one after the other. The investigating officer, assistant sub-inspector Jaspal Chandsaid police were searching for the accused.

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‘Cruelty by husband or his relatives’ accounts for majority of cases of crime against women, shows NCRB data | India News

NEW DELHI: As overall cases of crime against women at 4.45 lakh rose by 4% in 2022, ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’, like in the past years, yet again accounted for a majority of the cases at 31.4%. In terms of numbers this adds to up more than 1.40 lakh incidents registered involving 1.44 lakh victims, as per the “Crime In India” report for 2022 brought out by the National Crime Records Bureau.
Delhi registers highest rate of crime against women in the country
With 14,247 cases in 2022, Delhi registered the highest rate of crime against women in the country at 144.4 — way above the country’s average rate of 66.4.Such cases in Delhi stood at 14,277 in 2021 and 10,093 in 2020.In absolute numbers Uttar Pradesh (65,743) registered the maximum cases of crime against women followed by Maharashtra (45,331), Rajasthan (45,058), West Bengal (34,738) and Madhya Pradesh (32,765). These five states together accounted for around 50% of the total cases lodged in the country in 2022.
Reflecting a continuing trend, crimes related to “cruelty by husband or his relatives” accounted for 31.8% (1.36 lakh) of all crimes against women in 2021 too which was nearly 2% more than 2020. This percentage was 30.9% in 2019.
In 2022, the overall crime rate registered per lakh women population stood at a high 66.4 and this was an increase in comparison with 64.5 in 2021. Marking a shift from the previous year’s trend, in 2022, kidnapping and abduction of women accounted for the next big chunk of crimes at 19.2% cases which in numbers accounts for 85,310 cases and 88,243 victims.
This was followed by cases of assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (18.7%), and rape (7.1%).
In 2021, it was cases of assault on women with the intent to outrage her modesty that formed the second big category of crime against women at 20.8% followed by kidnapping and abduction (17.6%) and rape (7.4%). Rape cases accounted for 7.5% of total cases in 2020 and 7.9% in 2019.
The report in a separate section lists cases of murder with rape/gangrape and puts the number of such incidents at 248 involving 250 victims in 2022. There were 284 cases in 2021 involving 293 victims. The case data on rape incidents shows that there were 31,516 cases and 31,982 victims including 1,017 girls below 18 years. As many as 88 minor victims were between 6 to 12 years and 32 girls less than six.

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