Home Blog Page 10

“We know what he’s been reading” Rahul Gandhi points towards PM Modi on Pegasus row

The Compass
-
0
“We know what he’s been reading” Rahul Gandhi points towards PM Modi on Pegasus row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after phone numbers of Indian ministers, leaders in the opposition, and journalists were found on a database of targets for hacking that used Israeli spyware ‘Pegasus’- only available to government.

According to The Wire, which published the report, forensic tests conducted on some phones associated with the target numbers revealed clear signs of targeting by Pegasus spyware.

“We know what he’s been reading- everything on your phone!” tweeted the 51-year-old leader, answering his three-day-old tweet where he “wondered what you guys are reading”.

The government has denied involvement in the hacking, saying, “The allegations regarding government surveillance on specific people has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever.”

The report into the spying scandal is based on a leaked database accessed by Paris-based media non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International that was shared with a host of publications around the world for a collaborative investigation.

The Wire’s analysis of the data shows that most of the names, including a sitting Supreme Court judge, two serving ministers in the Narendra Modi government, were targeted between 2018 and 2019, in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections but there was not enough evidence to suggest all phones had been hacked.

Spyware Pegasus used to snoop on Indian journalists, ministers, opposition leaders, judges and activists: Report

The Compass
-
0
Spyware Pegasus used to snoop on Indian journalists, ministers, opposition leaders, judges and activists: Report

“The phone numbers of over 40 Indian journalists appear on a leaked list of potential targets for surveillance, and forensic tests have confirmed that some of them were successfully snooped upon by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware,” The Wire reports. 

According to the Wire, the leaked data includes numbers of top journalists at Hindustan Times, India Today, Network18, The Hindu and Indian Express.

“The presence of a phone number in the data does alone not reveal whether a device was infected with Pegasus or subject to an attempted hack. However, the Pegasus Project that analysed this list believes the data is indicative of potential targets identified in advance of possible surveillance attempts,” the Wire report added. 

The Wire, The Guardian and several other mediahouses have confirmed that human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, politicians and other dignitaries across the world were targeted by authoritarian governments using hacking software sold by NSO, the Israeli surveillance company NSO Group, according to an investigation.

The reports show round-the-clock surveillance through Pegasus, a malware which enables operators of the tool to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and even activate microphones without the knowledge of the user.

According to the Guardian, the leak contains a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers that, it is believed, have been identified as those of people of interest by clients of NSO since 2016.

Forensic tests conducted as part of this project on a small cross-section of phones associated with these numbers revealed clear signs of targeting by Pegasus spyware in 37 phones, of which 10 are Indian. Without subjecting a phone to this technical analysis, it is not possible to conclusively state whether it witnessed an attack attempt or was successfully compromised,” The Wire.

“The list also contains the numbers of close family members of one country’s ruler, suggesting the ruler may have instructed their intelligence agencies to explore the possibility of monitoring their own relatives,” the Guardian said.

“NSO Group, the Israeli company which sells Pegasus worldwide, says its clients are confined to “vetted governments”, believed to number 36. Though it refuses to identify its customers, this claim rules out the possibility that any private entity in India or abroad is responsible for the infections which The Wire and its partners have confirmed,” another report on The Wire added. 

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in a Taliban strike in Afghanistan

The Compass
-
0
Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in a Taliban strike in Afghanistan

Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winning Indian photojournalist who worked for Reuters news agency, was killed on Friday in Afghanistan while covering the fierce fighting between Afghan troops and the Taliban militants near a border crossing with Pakistan in Kandahar province.

Siddiqui, 38, was on an assignment covering the clashes in the volatile Kandahar region, as the US withdraws its forces from Afghanistan ahead of the August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden.

He is is survived by his wife Rike and two young children.

Afghan special forces had been fighting to retake the main market area of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province when Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were killed in what they described as Taliban crossfire, an Afghan commander told Reuters.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our photographer, Danish Siddiqui, has been killed in Afghanistan,” Reuters President Michael Friedenberg and Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said in a statement.

He was embedded with Afghanitan special forces in Kandahar province when they came under attack on Friday morning.

“Danish was an outstanding, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, a devoted husband and father, and a much-loved colleague. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time, they said.

“We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region,” the statement said.

In New Delhi, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, while responding to media queries, said that “Our Ambassador in Kabul is in touch with Afghan authorities. We are keeping his family informed of the developments.”

Afghanistan’s ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, said he was deeply disturbed by the news of “the killing of a friend”.

“I met him 2 weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family & Reuters,” Mamundzay tweeted.

With foreign troops withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years, the Taliban are rapidly capturing territory from government forces across the country, sparking fears of a potential civil war.

The killing of Siddiqui comes as the Taliban captured Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, near a key border post with Pakistan, this week. Fierce fighting has been underway in Kandahar, especially in Spin Boldak, for the last few days.

Pakistan this week closed down the Friendship Gate crossing at the Chaman border in Balochistan province following reports of Taliban fighters taking control of the key border crossing point Spin Boldak in Afghanistan.

Clashes between the government forces and the Taliban have intensified since US troops began to withdraw from the country.

The Taliban recently claimed their fighters had retaken 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan – a figure disputed by the government.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a total of 53 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan between 1992 and 2021.

Siddiqui was based in Mumbai. He had received the Pulitzer Prize as part of the Photography staff of Reuters news agency.

In 2018, Siddiqui won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in feature photography. He won it alongside a colleague and five others for their work documenting the violence faced by Myanmar’s minority Rohingya community.

Siddiqui graduated with a degree in Economics from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. He had a degree in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia in 2007.

He started his career as a television news correspondent, switched to photojournalism, and joined Reuters as an intern in 2010.

Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title after battle with Matteo Berrettini

The Compass
-
0
Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title after battle with Matteo Berrettini

Novak Djokovic has never been afraid to speak out his ambitions for the world to hear. That was true when he was a novice on the tour and to many his self-confidence was misplaced, and it has maintained deep into his 30s as he has chased down the singular goal of becoming the greatest player of his time, making no secret of what he thought he could achieve.

Over the past 13 and a half years since his marathon began with his first major title, so much of what Djokovic has meticulously planned for has and continues to be realised. On Sunday, he took one of the biggest steps of his career, recovering from a set down against a valiant Matteo Berrettini to win 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch his men’s record-equalling 20th grand slam title.

With his latest victory, Djokovic has now won the first three grand slam titles of this year and is one title away from completing the grand slam. Above all Djokovic has finally caught up with his great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, rising to join them on a three-way tie of 20 grand slam titles. But Djokovic has risen to 20 with a bullet and he does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

This final also provided history in a different sense as Marija Cicak, a well-liked and consistent umpire from Croatia, became the first female umpire to take charge of a Wimbledon men’s singles final. Despite being only the sixth woman to umpire a men’s singles grand slam final overall, she is the third in the last five grand slam tournaments.

Throughout recent grass seasons, Berrettini’s marriage of devastating serving, his overwhelming, heavy forehand and delicate backhand slice had yielded 23 wins in his prior 25 matches including a run of 11 consecutive wins but a defining facet of Djokovic’s dominance is that while he has no weakness and his opponents have no safer part of the court to aim at, there is nobody better at finding an opponent’s weaker stroke.

Italy wins second Euro title kicking heartache moments to England in Wembley

The Compass
-
0
Italy wins second Euro title kicking heartache moments to England in Wembley

Italy inflicted more penalty heartache on England to win Sunday’s Euro 2020 final 3-2 in a shoot-out, Bukayo Saka missing the decisive kick to deny the hosts after the game at Wembley had ended in a draining 1-1 draw through extra time. Saka’s kick was repelled by Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Italy the Henri Delaunay trophy for the second time at the end of a shoot-out in which England scored their first two penalties but then saw Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also fail.

Jorginho could have won it for Italy only for his penalty to be saved by Jordan Pickford, giving renewed hope to the England support who had earlier created a febrile atmosphere with their team looking set to run away with this final.

The nerve-shredding climax seemed unlikely given the way the match began, with Luke Shaw scoring for Gareth Southgate’s England after just one minute and 57 seconds, the fastest goal ever in a European Championship final stunning a team who arrived here on a record 33-match unbeaten run.

Italy were shell-shocked and struggled to recover in a stadium where the official attendance was 67,173 but more England fans clearly managed to enter after disgraceful scenes when supporters without tickets stormed the gates.

Serious questions will be asked about security — the game was also briefly held up by a pitch invader late on — but English fans were obviously desperate to see their team finally win a major tournament for the first time since the 1966 World Cup.

Italy, though, had most of the possession after falling behind and ultimately deserved their equaliser when it came midway through the second half through Leonardo Bonucci.

With no further scoring, this was the first European Championship final to be decided on penalties since 1976.

It is more penalty agony for England, whose list of previous shoot-out exits included losing to Italy at Euro 2012 as well as in the Euro 96 semi-finals against Germany when Southgate missed the crucial kick.

While their 55-year wait to win another major international title goes on, Italy’s own particular half-century of hurt is over.

The Azzurri have won four World Cups but their sole European Championship triumph before this dated back to 1968.

They had lost two European Championship finals in little over two decades, with the agony of losing to France via a golden goal in Rotterdam in 2000 and then being torn apart by Spain in 2012, going down 4-0 in Kiev.

Angel scores for Messiah; Argentina beats Brazil, wins Copa America title

The Compass
-
0
Angel scores for Messiah; Argentina beats Brazil, wins Copa America title

Super striker Lionel Messi won his first major trophy with his national team as Angel Di Maria’s goal gave Argentina a 1-0 win over hosts Brazil in the Copa America final on Saturday. The victory at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major trophy, and also ended Brazil’s unbeaten home record that stretched back more than 2,500 days. Argentina had last tasted success at a major tournament in 1993 when the great Gabriel Batistuta’s brace gave them a 2-1 win over Mexico in the Copa final in Ecuador.

It was the first time in six editions playing at home that Brazil had failed to lift the trophy.

And while 34-year-old Messi’s odyssey has come to an end, Brazil’s Neymar, five years his junior, is still without a major title at international level having missed the Selecao’s win on home soil two years ago through injury.

Argentina edged a brutal and fractious affair thanks to Di Maria’s goal on 22 minutes.

The 33-year-old winger ran onto Rodrigo De Paul’s sumptuous through ball to lob Brazil goalkeeper Ederson with a first time finish.

Messi could have wrapped up the win two minutes from time but slipped when clean through with only Ederson to beat. 

Activist Stan Swamy dies in hospital waiting for bail in Elgar Parishad Case

The Compass
-
0
Activist Stan Swamy dies in hospital waiting for bail in Elgar Parishad Case

Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old priest-activist arrested under an anti-terror law in the Elgar Parishad case last year, died this afternoon in the middle of his fight for bail on health grounds. The Jesuit priest had been on a ventilator since yesterday when his health worsened drastically.

Stan Swamy was being treated at the private Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai following a court order on May 28. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had opposed a private hospital and had recommended JJ Hospital, to which, he had said: “I’d rather die here in prison.”

Jailed near Mumbai since October, Stan Swamy spent the last few months of his life fighting legal battles for even the smallest of needs. In December, he was allowed a straw and a sipper in jail, which he had requested in court on account of Parkinson’s disease.

The NIA, which arrested him in October from his home in a widely criticized late-night swoop, opposed his bail request in court and had said there was no “conclusive proof” of his medical ailments. The agency held firm to its argument that Stan Swamy was a Maoist who had plotted to cause unrest in the country.

Stan Swamy had told the High Court via video-conferencing that his health had consistently declined at the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai and if he was not granted interim bail, he “would die soon”. He had requested medical treatment and interim bail multiple times.

Last week, Stan Swamy had filed a fresh plea for bail in the Bombay High Court, challenging the stringent conditions for bail to an accused charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)Act. When the earing started today, his lawyer told the High Court that the activist had died at 1.30 pm.

Stan Swamy and other accused in the case had in the past complained to the court of poor health facilities in prison. They had alleged neglect by prison officials in ensuring medical aid, tests, hygiene and social distancing in the time of Covid.

RSS chief urges to Muslims not to get trapped in the cycle of fear that Islam is in danger in India

The Compass
-
0
RSS chief urges to Muslims not to get trapped in the cycle of fear that Islam is in danger in India

Asserting that the DNA of all Indians is the same, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday urged muslims not to get “trapped in the cycle of fear” that Islam is in danger in India.

Addressing an event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch on the theme ‘Hindustani First, Hindustan First’, he said that people can’t be differentiated on how they worship.

He also took on those indulging in lynching, saying, “They are against Hindutava”. Though at times, some false cases of lynching have been registered against people, Bhagwat said.

“Don’t get trapped in the cycle of fear that Islam is in danger in India,” he said at the event.

Underlining that development is not possible without unity in the country, the RSS chief stressed that the basis of unity should be nationalism and the glory of ancestors.

The only solution to Hindu-Muslim conflict is dialogue, not discord, he said.

“Hindu- Muslim unity is misleading as they’re not different, but one. DNA of all Indians are same, irrespective of religion,” Bhagwat said.

“We are in a democracy. There can’t be a dominance of Hindus or Muslims. There can only be the dominance of Indians.”

While beginning his speech, Bhagwat said he was attending the event neither for any image makeover nor for vote bank politics.

Bhagwat said neither the Sangh is in politics nor does it bother about maintaining an image. “It keeps on doing its work to strengthen the nation and for the welfare of all in the society,” he said.

Alleging caste discrimination, IIT-Madras Asst. Professor quits job

The Compass
-
0
Alleging caste discrimination, IIT-Madras Asst. Professor quits job

In an e-mail sent to the members of faculty, which was leaked to the media on Thursday, Assistant Professor Vipin P Veetil from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, has claimed that the discrimination came from individuals in position of power, irrespective of their claimed political affiliations and gender.

“There were multiple specific instances of discrimination and I shall be pursuing appropriate action to address it,” Vipin said in the letter. He added, “One of the curious phenomena I have observed here is that the Bayesian prior among many is that caste discrimination is a rare occurrence. My own experience, and conservation with members of SC and OBC communities, suggests that the prior is far from true.”

Vipin suggested the IIT-M to set up a committee to study experiences of SC and OBC faculty members, and that such a committee have members of the SC/ST commission, OBC commission and psychologists. He also encouraged the people who have faced discrimination to file complaints with the grievance committee at the institute and with courts.

Vipin also encouraged the people who have faced discrimination to file complaints with the grievance committee at the institute and with courts. The professor has not responded to Express’ calls or messages, however, few other faculty members have confirmed receiving Vipin’s email. A faculty member refused to add merit to the allegations.

“Vipin himself said he joined the institute in 2019. IIT-M hardly functioned during most part of 2020 and 2021. There were fewer interactions between professors. He should share what kind of discrimination he faced. Reputation of IIT Madras, one of India’s premier institutes, can not be tarnished unfairly.”

Meanwhile, the IIT-M independent student group, ChintaBar, has issued a statement asking the administration and authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry in a time-bound manner into Vipin’s resignation. “We also urge the students, faculty and administration to come together to ideate on the reforms required to make our academic spaces more inclusive.”

T.N. Prathapan MP seeks probe against Visva-Bharati VC Bidyut Chakrabarty

The Compass
-
0
T.N. Prathapan MP seeks probe against Visva-Bharati VC Bidyut Chakrabarty

T.N. Prathapan, the Congress MP of Kerala’s Thrissur and a member of the HRD parliamentary standing committee, has written to Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, asking for a fact-finding committee to probe alleged financial and administrative irregularities of Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty.

The letter on June 28 stated 12 allegations, ranging from fraudulent use of Santiniketan Trust funds to the VC’s many suspension orders. 

The MP on Wednesday said allegations from Visva-Bharati teachers and students prompted him to write the letter. “I’ve been receiving allegations from teachers and students of Visva-Bharati on the VC’s malpractices and undemocratic actions. The Sangh Parivar (VC Chakrabarty is deemed close to the saffron camp) does the same in all premier institutions….It should be addressed and resisted.” 

He added Visva-Bharati has a legacy, and one who doesn’t respect it shouldn’t be the VC. “Numerous teachers and students were suspended or faced other action for…dissent. It is not acceptable,” he said.

In his letter, the Thrissur MP sought Chakrabarty be sent on leave till the probe, by a panel with a retired high court judge on it, ends.

Varsity public relations officer Anirban Sircar did not reply to calls or texts from this paper on the MP’s allegations. 

The MP’s letter also accused Chakrabarty of not appointing persons in key posts (registrar, finance officer and five directors) during his tenure of two-and-a-half years, and of misbehaving with faculty members and enforcing pay cuts without their consent. 

Prathapan attached documents to support his allegations.

The Kerala MP’s letter prompted some Visva-Bharati teachers to ask MPs from Bengal and other states to write similar letters to the Centre too.

1...91011...49Page 10 of 49
© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv