Author: Akanksha Upadhyay

PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi election rallies in Delhi today: Here are the routes to avoid

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Delhi Police have implemented special traffic arrangements in preparation for two major political rallies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in North East Delhi, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Chandni Chowk.

In a social media post, Delhi Traffic Police announced, “Traffic Advisory: Special traffic arrangements will be in effect around Ram Lila Ground, Ashok Vihar Phase-IV on May 18, 2024, from 2:00 PM onwards. Kindly follow the advisory.”

The advisory advises commuters to avoid roads such as Chaudhari Gulab Singh Road, KC Goel Marg, Nahar Singh Marg, Satyawati College Road, Swami Narayan Marg, and Nirankari Marg in Ashok Vihar.

Another advisory states, “Traffic Advisory: Special traffic arrangements will be effective around Yamuna Khadar area, Kartarpur (Shastri Park Pusta Road) on May 18, 2024, from 2:00 PM onwards. Kindly follow the advisory.” Commuters should also avoid Wazirabad Road, including Signature Bridge and Pusta Road from Shastri Park to Khajuri Chowk.

With Pusta Road closed from Shastri Park to Khajuri Chowk on both carriageways from 2 PM onwards, commuters are advised to use the Khajuri flyover towards Loni.

Security will be tightened in Delhi, featuring a four-layer security cordon involving the Special Protection Group (SPG), Delhi Police security wing, and local police. Over 2,000 security and traffic personnel will be deployed to manage the crowd, control traffic, and ensure safety during the PM’s rally.

All security measures, including venue and area scanning, have been completed. A final inspection, involving sniffer dogs, bomb detection and disposal squads, and other relevant teams, will be conducted on Saturday before the rally.

The PM’s internal security cordon will be formed by SPG commandos, with Delhi Police’s PM security wing officials in the second layer of security.

Delhi Police Chief Sanjay Arora held a meeting with senior officers on Friday to review security arrangements across the national capital.

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10 dead as bus from Vrindavan catches fire near Nuh in Haryana

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Nearly ten passengers died, and several others were injured after a bus from Vrindavan caught fire on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway near Nuh, Haryana, late on Friday. The injured were taken to Nuh Medical College for treatment.

News agency PTI reported a passenger hearing a cracking sound followed by a burning smell before the fire. A two-wheeler driver alerted the bus driver, prompting a stop.

Passengers quickly deboarded, but the fire rapidly engulfed the bus, reducing it to ashes within minutes, recounted another passenger. The police reportedly arrived three hours after the incident.

Haryana’s Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed expressed condolences, calling it a “very painful, sad, and heart-wrenching incident.” He noted that the victims, including elderly, women, and children, were returning from Vrindavan. Another passenger told ANI that 10 people had died and that there were 64 people on the bus.

This is a breaking story. More details awaited.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bibhav Kumar files complaint against Swati Maliwal for unauthorised entry and disturbance

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, filed a police complaint on Friday, May 17, against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, accusing her of unauthorised entry into the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13, which led to a commotion, according to party sources.

In the complaint sent via email to the SHO of the Civil Lines Police Station, Kumar claimed that Maliwal forcibly breached the security of the CM’s residence and caused a disturbance. When he attempted to prevent her entry, she allegedly hurled abuses at him.

Written Compliant submitted by email by Shri Bibhav Kumar against Ms Swati Maliwal to SHO Civil Lines on 17.05.2024 pic.twitter.com/vCL4LlRKOO

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 17, 2024

Kumar also stated that Maliwal is now trying to falsely implicate him by alleging that he assaulted her during her visit to meet Kejriwal.

Kumar’s complaint detailed that Maliwal “forcefully and illegally trespassed” into the CM’s residence despite objections from security and CMO staff. On May 13, Maliwal reportedly told security personnel that she was a Rajya Sabha MP and, despite being asked to wait for appointment verification, she forcibly entered the premises.

In response, Swati Maliwal filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, accusing him of assault. According to her complaint, she was assaulted by Kumar when she went to meet Kejriwal at his residence.

Based on Maliwal’s allegations, the police booked Kumar under various sections, including 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354B (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insult to the modesty of a woman).

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India to acquire 10,000 GPUs to boost computational power and AI development: Amitabh Kant

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Indian government is poised to bolster the nation’s computational infrastructure by acquiring 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) within the next 18 months. This is expected to enhance India’s processing power, bringing its computational capabilities in line with its data generation, former Niti Ayog CEO and India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said in a tweet.

India currently generates 20% of the world’s data, highlighting the necessity for robust processing resources to handle and analyse this vast amount of data.

Govt is set to enhance India’s computational capabilities significantly by procuring 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) within the next 18 months.

This strategic investment will dramatically boost our processing power, aligning our resources with our data generation…

— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) May 16, 2024

Tesla currently has 35,000 H100 chips — the most powerful and super-expensive graphics processing units designed for AI applications — CEO Elon Musk revealed during the company’s first quarterly earnings for 2024.

Mark Zuckerberg said in January that Meta plans to have about 3.5 lakh H100 chips by the end of 2024, taking Meta’s total stash to about 600,000 by year-end. The second in line is reportedly Microsoft, which ordered 1.5 lakh GPUs in 2023, according to technology research firm Omdia. Oracle, Tencent, Google, and Amazon, which reportedly bought 50,000 each,” the report added.

Moreover, India is fast emerging as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) development. The country ranks second in the world for the number of AI projects hosted on GitHub, contributing to 19% of the global total. This underscores India’s active participation in the international AI community, Kant added.

Kant also emphasised that AI represents a transformative opportunity for India. The advancements in AI are anticipated to revolutionise various sectors, particularly education and healthcare.

In a recent report by CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd., India has emerged as the leading country in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China) for data centre capacity, reaching 950 MW. This surpasses other major nations such as Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore, and Korea.

The report also predicts that India will add 850 MW of data centre capacity between 2024 and 2026, the highest increase in the region.

Data centre, which are large groups of networked servers used for remote data storage and distribution, are central to this growth. According to a March report by CareEdge Ratings, India’s data centre industry is expected to double its capacity from approximately 0.9 GW in 2023 to 2 GW by 2026.

This growth is projected to require an estimated capital expenditure of Rs 50,000 crore over the next three years.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

No more using ‘Bhidu’: Jackie Shroff files suit to protect personality rights

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff has taken legal action by filing a suit in the Delhi High Court against a range of entities, including firms, social media channels, AI apps, and GIF making platforms, for exploiting his name, voice, images, and even his signature catchphrase “Bhidu” without his consent.

Shroff’s plea before the High Court seeks protection for his various monikers including “Jackie,” “Jaggu Dada,” and the endearing “Bhidu,” stressing that unauthorised usage of these identifiers on any platform must cease.

Additionally, Shroff urges the court to direct the Department of Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to remove all infringing links and websites. Shroff already holds the trademark Bhidu across multiple classes along with Apna Bhidu and Bhidu Ka Khopcha.

In today’s proceedings before Justice Sanjeev Narula, the court issued summons to the defendants, scheduling a hearing for tomorrow, May 15, to consider the matter of interim injunction.

Representing Shroff, Advocate Pravin Anand informed the court of the distressing misuse of his client’s persona, citing instances where offensive memes and even pornographic material have been generated using Shroff’s likeness and voice.

Emphasising that Shroff does not seek to stifle parody or satire, Anand underscored the need for restraining merchandising and any defamatory or distorted exploitation of Shroff’s identity.

Shielding identity and monikers

The suit emphasises the distinctiveness and commercial value of Shroff’s voice, image, and mannerisms, arguing that their unauthorized use not only confuses the public but also tarnishes his reputation. Shroff accuses several social media companies, stores, and AI tools of profiting from his unauthorized attributes while damaging his reputation.

Google-owned Tenor, GIF-making company Giphy, and various AI platforms are named as defendants in the suit. Shroff seeks an injunction against these entities from using his attributes to create, train, and monetize AI personalities.

In his argument, Shroff contends that the unauthorised commercial exploitation of any aspect of his persona is not only a violation of publicity rights but also constitutes the tort of dilution, particularly tarnishment. He asserts that such activities tarnish his image and expose him to ridicule, demanding legal intervention to protect his reputation.

Advocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, Dhruv Anand, and Udita from Anand and Naik represented Jackie Shroff in court.

Precedents from Bollywood

In 2022, the High Court issued an interim order prohibiting individuals from violating the personality and publicity rights of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan had petitioned the High Court for a comprehensive order safeguarding his identity, including his name, image, voice, and other attributes, from unauthorised usage.

More recently, the Delhi High Court similarly prohibited the unauthorised exploitation of actor Anil Kapoor’s persona or name for commercial endeavors. Additionally, in 2022, Amitabh Bachchan had also lodged a complaint with the Delhi High Court regarding the unlawful utilisation of his voice and likeness.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Less than 1% arrest rate in cyber fraud cases, reveals government data

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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From AIIMS cyber attack to ICMR data leak and loan lending app frauds, the National Cyber Crime Portal (NCRP) has received 31 lakh complaints related to cyber frauds till February 2024 since 2020. According to an official communication of the Central government, the major concern is the very low number of arrests in cyber fraud cases.

The government data says total arrests in cyber fraud cases amount to not even 1% of the total cases registered by law enforcement agencies. Official data indicates that total cases registered or FIRs filed by different law enforcement agencies related to cyber frauds are over 66,000, but arrests made till this year are just 500.

The matter has been raised in different meetings of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. In a recent meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), the issue of very low arrests was also raised by several stakeholders.

Different officials raised concerns about loan lending apps, which are significantly impacting India’s financial infrastructure and damaging the economic well-being of people, especially those from low-income groups.

The major challenge in arresting individuals behind these cyber frauds is the slow pace of investigation. A senior official who attended the FSDC meeting told News18 on the condition of anonymity that loan lending apps operating from China are a major concern. “Loan lending apps are denting not only financial institutions but also the public’s economic well-being. Low-income groups are the main victims, with significant amounts of their money being transferred to different countries. Indians involved in the crime and aiding China-based operators are also victims,” the official said.

Recently, the central government had asked tech giants to deploy experts to curb the menace. Advertisements orchestrated by organised threat actors, some of whom operate from abroad, have raised serious concerns and the government has urged companies like Google, Meta to take the matter with high importance.

Analysis by a central cyber agency had revealed that numerous mobile applications are running ad campaigns through Meta platforms. There have already been multiple suicide cases reported across India linked to harassment and extortion by illegal app operators and loan recovery agents. The exploitation of users through the misuse of app permissions exacerbates the issue, with harvested credentials and data posing future cybercrime risks.

In the meeting of FSDC, the matter was raised by several stakeholders, and it was decided to bring it to the attention of the Ministry of Home Affairs, official said.

According to sources, the concerns have been flagged to MHA and the ministry is likely to hold a meeting with different agencies to find a solution to increase the pace of investigation and arrests.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

A Singapore oil trader cheated HSBC of $111 million with a false document

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Lim Oon Kuin, founder of collapsed oil firm Hin Leong Trading Pte., has been convicted of three criminal charges after a lengthy trial in Singapore, the Business Times reported.

The former tycoon — popularly known as OK Lim — faced charges of cheating HSBC Holdings Plc and instigating a Hin Leong employee to forge documents, according to the newspaper report. The charges involved a total of $111.7 million, it said, citing a judgment delivered by the State Courts Friday.

Lim, along with his two children and former personal assistant Serene Seng, is also facing a civil suit in the High Court, where liquidators and creditors are suing them for $3.5 billion, the report said. His lenders include HSBC and DBS Group Holdings Ltd. The trial is ongoing.

The fall of Hin Leong rocked Singapore’s close-knit community of oil traders and financiers in 2020, following a series of scandals involving deep losses by Chinese and Japanese traders, the collapse of Noble Group Ltd. and the implosion of Agritrade International Pte. At its peak, Hin Leong was one of Asia’s biggest suppliers of diesel and shipping fuel.

Lim has been slapped with 130 criminal charges of forgery and cheating, with prosecutors proceeding to trial on three of them, the report said. Singapore’s police said Friday he faced imprisonment of up to 10 years for each of the charges.

The 82-year-old businessman is expected to be sentenced on October 3. A bail of $4 million has been extended until then.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

The share of luxury home sales in India has tripled in five years

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Luxury housing is witnessing a remarkable surge in India, reflecting the country’s growing penchant for opulence across various sectors. According to data by Anarock Research, out of 130,170 units sold across the top 7 cities in the first quarter of 2024, luxury homes priced above ₹ 1.5 crore accounted for a notable 21% share, totalling around 27,070 units.

This is a threefold surge from the first quarter of 2019, where luxury homes constituted merely 7% of sales.

In Delhi NCR, out of around 15,645 units sold in the first quarter of 2024, luxury homes priced above ₹ 1.5 crore dominated sales, with approximately 6,060 units sold, comprising 39% of the total.

According to the latest data from Anarock Research, the Indian residential property sector continued its relentless growth momentum in the first quarter of 2024, witnessing notable increases in both sales and new launches.

Anuj Puri, Chairman of the ANAROCK Group said that the mid-range and premium housing segment continued to rule the roost with approximately 76,555 units sold in the period – a near-59% overall sales share. “Affordable housing is nowhere near to recouping its stellar sales share in 2019,” said Puri.

City-wise analysis unveils interesting trends, with NCR witnessing a significant shift from the affordable segment’s dominance in Q1 2019 to luxury housing commanding the highest sales share in Q1 2024. On the contrary, Kolkata maintains its preference for affordable housing.

Puri attributes the growing traction in luxury housing to the increasing demand for larger homes in prime locations by branded developers. In contrast, the retreat of affordable housing is primarily due to lower ticket sizes. He emphasises that any revival in the affordable housing sector would depend on further government incentives and support.

In terms of new launches, approximately 28,020 luxury homes were launched in Q1 2024, constituting 25% of the total, while affordable housing saw a decline to 18% of the total new launches.

Affrodable Vs Luxury – 5-year trend

In 2019, luxury homes constituted approximately 11% of the overall new supply across the top 7 cities. Fast forward to Q1 2024, this share has skyrocketed to 25%.

In 2019, a modest 25,770 units were launched in the luxury segment for the entire year. However, in just the first quarter of 2024, a staggering 28,020 luxury homes were introduced.

On the other hand, affordable housing has witnessed a stark reversal in its trend. In 2019, affordable homes accounted for 40% of the overall new supply additions, totaling approximately 2.37 lakh units across the top 7 cities.

However, data from Q1 2024 indicates a sharp drop in its supply share, plummeting to a mere 18% of the total new launches.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India is the first country to surpass $100 billion in annual remittances

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In 2022, India topped the list of countries receiving the highest remittances, with over $111 billion, setting a historic milestone by surpassing the $100 billion mark. India, was followed by Mexico, China, the Philippines, and France.

This achievement was noted in the World Migration Report 2024, unveiled by the United Nations migration agency on Tuesday.

The global remittance landscape showed a strong recovery in 2022 from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Migrants worldwide sent an estimated $831 billion in remittances, a substantial increase from $791 billion in 2021 and $717 billion in 2020.

Mexico maintained its position as the second-largest recipient of remittances in 2022, surpassing China, historically in that spot since India. France and Germany, part of the G7 nations, remained among the top 10 remittance-receiving countries globally, a trend continuing for over a decade.

The report also emphasises the reliance of certain countries on remittances, measured by the ratio of remittances to their gross domestic product (GDP). In 2022, Tajikistan led this list, followed by Tonga, Lebanon, Samoa, and Kyrgyzstan, underlining the significant role of remittances in these economies.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow