Monday, September 07
New Delhi: Iran has suspended its visa-free entry facility for Indian nationals from November 22, following a series of cases in which Indians were lured with fake job offers, trafficked into Iran and later kidnapped for ransom and routed to other countries illegally, including in the West.The suspension applies to all Indian citizens holding ordinary passports. Indian travellers will now need to obtain a visa for both entry and transit through Iran.In an advisory issued on Monday night, MEA said the decision aims to stop the misuse of the waiver by organised criminal networks exploiting desperate job-seekers. In some cases, Pakistani gangs were involved in kidnapping of Indians from Iran, sources alleged.MEA said it had been alerted to multiple incidents where Indians were deceived into t
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out a raid at the Delhi office of Al-Falah University in Okhla as part of its probe into an alleged terror module linked to Faridabad and the November 10 blast near the Red Fort that killed at least 15.The operation began around 5 am and is focused on the university, its trustees and related persons or entities, ET has learnt. According to sources quoted by PTI, ED teams have also launched searches at multiple locations across Delhi-NCR as part of the same operation. The action is being taken “under the anti-money laundering law following cognisance of the first information reports filed by the NIA and the Delhi Police in the case”, the sources known to PTI said.Investigators are examining suspected financial and organisational links
Dulux paint maker Akzo Nobel NV is in talks to merge with paintmaker Axalta Coating Systems, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter.Shares of Axalta were up 14% in after-market trading.The companies could announce the combination as early as Tuesday, the report said, without disclosing the deal value.Akzo Nobel and Axalta did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments.Axalta Coating Systems, which has a market value of about $6 billion as of Monday's close, offers liquid and powder coatings designed for automotive, industrial and commercial applications.The company went public in November 2014 at a valuation of roughly $4.5 billion, one year after the Carlyle Group acquired it from DuPont.Axalta's current valuation represents a 33.3% incre
