
Srinagar: J&K Police Cyber Crime Prevention Cell said on Saturday that it has recovered Rs 4,48,500 lakh from various financial frauds in Pulwama district. An official statement said that the Cyber Cell of District Police Pulwama has made significant progress in addressing cybercrime by successfully recovering Rs 4,48,500 from various financial frauds reported since October 2024. “These recoveries highlight the dedicated efforts of the Cyber Cell in combating online scams and protecting citizens from financial exploitation. Since October 2024, the Cyber Cell has received multiple complaints from the general public regarding various scams. “Among these, fake investment scams accounted for Rs 3,35,000, of which Rs 1,56,500 was recovered. Complaints about online purchasing scams amounted to Rs 96,000, with Rs 87,500 successfully retrieved. Sex-related extortion scams caused financial losses of Rs 2,00,000, and the Cyber Cell recovered Rs 1,14,500. Social media impersonation scams resulted in losses of Rs 50,000, which was fully recovered. Additionally, SMS-related scams caused losses of Rs 40,000, all of which were retrieved," read the statement. “The investigations revealed a variety of fraudulent schemes targeting unsuspecting individuals. These included fake bank SMS scams, malicious APK file frauds, deceptive investment traps, fake interest-free loan offers, sextortion schemes, and social media impersonation frauds. The Cyber Cell Pulwama acted swiftly to investigate these complaints, freezing and recovering funds with the cooperation of affected individuals. Pulwama Police urge citizens to remain cautious and promptly report suspicious activities," the statement further said. The police said that the Cyber Cell remains committed to addressing evolving cyber threats and ensuring digital safety. "Residents can report cybercrimes via email at [email protected] or by calling 9541943103”, the statement said. Every district in Jammu and Kashmir has a police cybercrime prevention cell that attends to various cyber crimes in addition to creating awareness among the people about protecting themselves from becoming a victim of these technologically committed crimes.LONDON: Arsenal began life without Bukayo Saka by beating Ipswich 1-0 to move into second place in the Premier League and cut Liverpool’s lead to six points on Friday. Kai Havertz scored the only goal as Arsenal failed to turn their dominance into a more convincing scoreline. The lack of a clinical goalscorer may ultimately cost Mikel Arteta’s men a first league title in more than 20 years, but they took advantage of Chelsea’s shock 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Thursday to become Liverpool’s closest challenger. Saka is set to be sidelined for “many weeks” in the words of Gunners’ boss Arteta with fears the England international could be out until March due to a hamstring injury suffered in last weekend’s 5-1 victory at Crystal Palace. Arteta’s solution was to start with Gabriel Martinelli in Saka’s normal role wide right with Gabriel Jesus continuing up front after scoring five times in Arsenal’s previous two outings. The home side were dominant in possession but had few clear-cut chances to show for it until the final quarter. “Frustration when you win? No. Things to improve? Yes,” said Arteta on the slender margin of victory. “Credit to them as they’re very well organized, but we restricted them to nothing,” he added. Arsenal were frustrated by Everton in a 0-0 draw in their last league game at the Emirates so there was relief when Havertz broke the deadlock on 23 minutes. The German prodded high into the net from Leandro Trossard’s low cross for his 12th goal of the season. Jesus did find the net once more with a cheeky finish between the legs of Arijanet Muric from an almost impossible angle, but was flagged offside. Arsenal’s prowess from set-pieces has been well-documented and they should have added to their goals from corners this season. Gabriel Magalhaes headed against the outside of the post from point-blank range when it seemed easier to score. As Ipswich’s ambition grew as the second half wore on, so the chances at the other end began to flow. Martin Odegaard had given the home crowd a scare by going down holding the left ankle that saw him sidelined by injury for two months earlier in the campaign. The Arsenal captain, though, was quickly back on his feet and weaving his way through the Ipswich defense with a mazy run and powerful strike that Muric tipped over. From the resulting corner, Declan Rice’s powerful shot was blocked by Dara O’Shea. Havertz then wasted a glorious chance for his second and Muric saved once more from Mikel Merino to ensure a nervy ending. But Arsenal held out to leapfrog Nottingham Forest and Chelsea into second. Ipswich remain second from bottom, three points adrift of safety. Brighton missed the chance to move within one point of the top five as their poor run continued in a 0-0 draw at home to Brentford. The Seagulls are now winless in their past six games but they two remain two points above their opponents. Brentford had the ball in the net early on through Yoane Wissa but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. Just Brentford’s second point away from home all season is enough to edge the Bees ahead of Tottenham into 11th. — AFPPep Guardiola denies rumours of a rift with Kevin De Bruyne
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As 2024 winds down, growth stocks have once again easily outperformed value stocks. If it seems like growth stocks usually outperform value stocks, you'd be correct when looking back over the past 10 years. This can be seen in the returns of the Vanguard Growth ETF ( VUG -1.43% ) compared to the performance of the Vanguard Value ETF ( VTV -0.59% ) . The Growth ETF tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, which is essentially the growth side of the S&P 500 , while the Value ETF looks to replicate the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index, which is basically the value side of the S&P 500. Over the past decade, the Growth ETF has easily outpaced its Value ETF counterpart, with an average annual return of 15.6% as of the end of November. By comparison, the Value ETF has had an average annual return of nearly 10.8% over that same stretch. On a cumulative basis, that's a 326% return versus a 178% return -- a huge difference. Meanwhile, it isn't just a couple of big years that have helped lead to the Growth ETF's outperformance. The ETF has outperformed the Value ETF in eight of the past 10 years. The only years during that stretch when the Value ETF outperformed were during the 2022 bear market, when the Growth ETF fell 33.1% and in 2016. Which ETF will outperform in 2025? Given the dominance of the Vanguard Growth ETF over the past decade, it would be easy to dismiss the Value ETF. However, growth and value investing tend to go through cycles. While growth stocks have outperformed since 2008, value stocks outperformed between 2001 and 2008 following the dot-com bust. Value stocks also outperformed between 1984 and 1991 as well. Nobel Prize laureate Eugene Fama and Dartmouth professor Kenneth French complied data showing that over 15-year rolling periods, value stocks outperformed growth 93% of the time between 1927 and 2019. Next year could be a favorable environment for value stocks. They are often more cyclical in nature and can also be more sensitive to interest rates, as they tend to carry more debt. If the Federal Reserve continues to lower rates next year and the economy as a whole picks back up, it could be a very good scenario for these stocks. Growth companies, meanwhile, have risen to be the biggest and most dominant companies in the world. Seven of the top 10 stocks in the S&P 500 are currently classified as growth stocks, and it can be argued that Broadcom , which is classified as a value stock, should also be a growth stock. Meanwhile, these top-seven growth companies are looking at a potential generational opportunity with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. While comparisons can certainly be made between the dot-com boom and the current AI craze, there are key differences. The big one is that AI technology is being driven by highly profitable, cash-rich tech companies that have established strong businesses outside AI in a variety of fields. The dot-com boom, meanwhile, spurred a lot of unprofitable, ultimately unsustainable businesses. One case for value, though, is that the Vanguard Growth ETF has become too highly concentrated at the top. Apple , Nvidia , and Microsoft now make up nearly 32% of the ETF's portfolio. How these three stocks perform will largely drive the ETF's performance. Apple could be the stock most to watch, as the company's valuation has climbed to a 42 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio on barely any revenue growth the past few years. While the company is seeing a shift to higher gross-margin service revenue, the stock could be vulnerable if it doesn't see an AI-fueled iPhone upgrade cycle in 2025. That said, overall, I continue to prefer the Vanguard Growth ETF in 2025. I think AI is still in its early innings, and AI software could be the next big theme. This could help power a number of growth stocks. Meanwhile, many of the top growth stocks in the Growth ETF are still attractively priced based on their expected growth in 2025. If the AI boom continues, I expect growth to once again come out on top in 2025.