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WhatsApp expands encryption to protect messages

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Only sender and receiver will be able to access messages, photos, videos and voice calls besides text messages.

Whatsapp

by Al Jazeera

WhatsApp has reinforced the default encryption settings for users so that all messages will now be accessible only to the sender and recipient.

The popular service owned by Facebook, the social-media company, began applying “end-to-end” encryption to standard messages sent on Android smartphones in 2014.

The company says it is now using a powerful form of encryption to protect the security of photos, videos, group chats and voice calls in addition to the text messages sent by more than a billion users around the globe.

After gradually expanding to other formats, WhatsApp confirmed on Tuesday that the encryption now works with all forms of communication on its app for Android phones, Apple’s iPhones and other devices.

Encryption has become a hotly debated subject, with some US authorities warning that criminals and armed groups can use it to hide their tracks.

“WhatsApp has always prioritised making your data and communication as secure as possible,” a blog post by WhatsApp co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton said, announcing the change.

“And today, we’re proud to announce that we’ve completed a technological development that makes WhatsApp a leader in protecting your private communication: full end-to-end encryption.”

This means that “when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to,” the statement said.

“No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.”

However, while many advocates for more privacy welcomed the move, some still maintained that the meta-data – which records who is speaking to whom, as well as the date and time of the messages – can still be accessed.

Koum, who grew up in the Soviet Union, says he believes consumers should have easy-to-use encryption as protection against hackers and identity thieves, as well as “rogue” governments that spy on their own citizens.Aleppo became a divided city in 2012 after a rebel onslaught was met with resistance by the army.

WhatsApp’s use of encryption has already caused friction in Brazil, where authorities recently arrested and then released a Facebook Inc executive after the company said it was unable to unscramble a user’s encrypted messages.

“There is a lot of controversy surrounding this, but a lot of people want encryption for legitimate reasons – such as making business deals, [and] for personal health information,” Larry Magid, a cyber security analyst and the co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a non-profit which promotes secure digital communication, told Al Jazeera.

Google, Facebook and Yahoo use less extensive encryption to protect emails and messages while they are in transit, to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping.

Apple uses end-to-end encryption for its iMessage service, but some experts say WhatsApp’s method may be more secure because it provides a security code that senders and recipients can use to verify a message came from someone they know – and not from a hacker posing as a friend.

WhatsApp is reportedly involved in a court battle similar to the one involving Apple, which fought a federal effort to provide assistance in unlocking an iPhone used by one of the shooters in last year’s San Bernardino killing spree.

India sets up multi-agency probe team on ‘Panama Papers’ expose

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panama_papers

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday ordered a multi-agency probe team on the global expose by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), dubbed the “Panama Papers”, which found over 500 Indians also had alleged offshore links.

“A multi-agency group is being formed to monitor the black money trail,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said here after the expose was published in The Indian Express. “Details of the assets worth Rs.6,500 crore has already been found,” he added.

As per a statement issued by his ministry, the probe team will comprise officers from the Central Board of Direct Taxes’ Financial Intelligence Unit, its Tax Research Unit as also officials from the Reserve Bank of India.

“The group will monitor the flow of information in each one of the case. The government will take all the necessary actions as required to get maximum information from all sources including from foreign governments to help in the investigation process,” the statement added.

The journalists’ consortium had said late on Sunday that its members and more than 100 other news organisations around the globe have found offshore links of some of the planet’s most prominent people. The list included over 500 Indians.

The details of the Indians with such offshore funds were published in The Indian Express. But whether or not such funds exist, and also if they were illegal is what the probe team ordered by Modi is expected to look into.

“In terms of size, the Panama Papers is likely the biggest leak of inside information in history – more than 11.5 million documents – and it is equally likely to be one of the most explosive in the nature of its revelations,” the consortium said of its investigation published.

In the context of the commitment of the central government to bring out undisclosed money both from abroad and from within the country, information brought out by any investigative journalism was welcome, the finance ministry said.

The ministry said in the past too, based on the investigations by ICIJ in 2013 — that showed the links of 700 Indians with business connection with off-shore entities — the agencies of the government were able to identify 434 persons as Indian residents.

It also said 184 persons admitted their relationship with such off-shore entities/transactions.

“Although, in the previous report of ICIJ, information relating to financial transactions/bank accounts was not available, the government authorities have detected credit in the undisclosed foreign accounts of such Indian persons in excess of Rs.2,000 crores.”

As a consequence, 52 prosecution complaints have been filed against the alleged offenders so far.

“The government is committed to detecting and preventing the generation of black money. In this context the expose of Panama Papers will further help the government in meeting the objective,” the finance ministry added.

The government expressed concern that tax havens were making countries like India suffer tax losses.

“The recent initiative of ‘Base Erosion’ and ‘Profit Shifting’ (BEPS) will help India and other countries in checking the practice of tax-avoidance through such tax havens. India is also fully committed to the BEPS initiative.”

In India, The Indian Express ran several pages of the investigation reports alleging, among other names, Bollywood superstarts Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, being directors in companies in Panama.

The two did not immediately respond despite efforts to contact them. Aishwarya Rai’s media adviser told the newspaper that the information was false. The spokesperson for Aishwarya Rai said “no” when IANS asked her if she intended to issue a statement.

Among those named in the report were Sameer Gehlaut of India Bulls and K.P. Singh of DLF. Vinod Adani, elder brother of industrialist Gautam Adani, politician Shishir Bajoria from West Bengal and Anurag Kejriwal of Loksatta Party were also alleged to have set up companies in tax havens.

Bajoria told the paper that that “erroneous beneficial owner information” was given by mistake.

The Express said it had carried out the investigations spread over eight months with several global newspapers. Many of the other persons named in the Express reports responded, some denying while others maintaining that they had worked within the laws of the country.

Among the global leaders named were 12 current and former world leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family members. It also sought to reveal how associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow firms.

In Russia, the state-run media organisations were silent on the subject. In Pakistan, however, Sharif’s son Hussain told Geo News that his family had not done anything wrong.

(Agencies)

Niira Radia now surfaces in ‘Panama Papers’

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NIIRA-RADIA

New Delhi: Niira Radia, the founder of Vaishnavi Communications whose taped telephone chats with some prominent people in India around eight years ago, including ministers, journalists and business tycoons became the matter of a probe, has now surfaced in the “Panama Papers” expose.

Her name (appearing as Nira Radia, in the documents investigated, minus the extra ‘i’) is allegedly linked to a company in British Virgin Islands, which her office has denied, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

In the article, as Part 3 of the expose on Indians having alleged offshore links, Radia is said to have figured prominently as a director in the 232 documents pertaining to the company listed in the tax haven, Crownmart International Group.

The list published by the newspaper on Wednesday also has the names of a top business tycoon in Bellary, a prominent industrialist and a chartered accountant — each of whom, which The Indian Express says were contacted for their responses, with many also sharing their versions.

Another article seeks to shows how the world’s largest currency note maker De La Rue had contracted a New Delhi businessman to help bag tenders in India, in return for a 15-percent commission.

The paper identifies the company as Aphra Consultants, linked to Somendra Khosla of New Delhi.

Amid these allegations, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has said that not every off-shore company opened by an Indian national need be illegitimate, and that this would be the primary task of a probe team in which the central bank has been co-opted.

On Radia, the paper said: “An investigation of these papers shows the existence of one offshore entity owned by Radia, an International Business Company registered in the British Virgin Islands by Mossack Fonseka in 1994 named Crownmart International Group Limited.”

In response, her office said the said entity was set up by her late father Iqbal Narain Menon and that she was not a beneficiary. Also that Radia had disclosed her assets to the authorities in UK and India and that such information was personal and confidential for third parties.

In another article published on Wednesday, the newspaper said the Indian diamond merchants, who were probed earlier for having overseas accounts in Liechtenstein, British Virgin Islands and HSCB, have also surfaced in “Panama Papers”.

Prominent among them are Rosy Blue, one of the largest diamond traders in the world, and Chetan Mehta of the Belgium-based Gembel family.

The paper also reported that Harshad Ramniklal Mehta of Rosy Blue did not respond to its calls or queries, while Chetan Mehta said he has been a non-resident Indian living in Belgium and that the companies were shut longtime ago.

A part of the list, Hyderabad-based Moturi Srinivas Prasad said the off-shore entities were started as one dollar companies with the hope of doing business, but were closed.

Satish Modi of Modi Global was away from India, but an e-mail reply from his office said he is an NRI and laws were followed.

(IANS)

3 get life in 2002, 2003 Mumbai blasts; 10-yr jail for key accused Nachan

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2003 Mumbai Blasts

Mumbai: A special POTA court here today sentenced to life three of the ten convicted in the multiple blasts that rocked the metropolis between December 2002 and March 2003, killing 13 people while key accused Saquib Nachan was given a ten-year jail term.

Special Pota Judge P R Deshmukh said that convict Muzammil Ansari (who had planted the bombs) will undergo life imprisonment till the end of his life.

Two other convicts who were granted life are Farhaan Khot and Dr Wahid Ansari. Six others were awarded various jail terms ranging from 2-10 years.

The court ordered that 75 per cent of the fine amount (total Rs 9 lakh) recovered (from the convicts) will go to District Legal Services Authority while rest will go to the Indian Railways.

The court also directed DLSA, Mumbai to decide the quantum of compensation to be awarded to the victims and dependents and accordingly pay it.

Yesterday, the court had reserved its verdict on the quantum of sentence to ten persons convicted for their role in the multiple blasts, till today.

Earlier, on March 29, the court had convicted key accused Saquib Nachan, Ateef Mulla, Hasib Mulla, Ghulam Kotal, Mohammed Kamil, Noor Malik, Anwar Ali Khan, Farhaan Khot, Dr Wahid Ansari and Muzammil Ansari in the case.

Twelve people were killed in Mulund train blasts on March 13, 2003. Prior to that, on December 6, 2002, several persons were injured in a blast at McDonald’s at Mumbai Central station, while a person had died in a blast in a market in Vile Parle (East) on January 27, 2003.

During the course of arguments on the sentencing, Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian had demanded capital punishment for Muzammil Ansari.

She had also sought life imprisonment for Saquib Nachan, Gulam Khotal, Farhaan Khot and Dr Wahid Ansari.

In a combined chargesheet, filed against 15 accused in the Mulund, Vile Parle and Mumbai Central blast cases, police had charged them with offences under POTA, the Explosive Substances Act and preparation to wage war against the nation and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.

Two accused died during the trial and cases against them were abated. Six are still wanted in the case.

During the trial, prosecution examined 153 witnesses while the defence examined 30 witnesses.

The trial began in 2014, as earlier some of the accused had challenged POTA and had also challenged clubbing of the cases.

(Agencies)

Drought: HC raps BCCI, suggests shifting of IPL out of Maharashtra

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bcci

Mumbai: Rapping the BCCI and cricket associations in Maharashtra and Mumbai over water wastage when the state is reeling under severe drought, the Bombay high court on Wednesday said ideally Indian Premier League (IPL) matches should be shifted elsewhere, where there is no water crisis.

“Only if water supply to BCCI is cut, you will understand,” the court observed.

“How can you (cricket associations and BCCI) waste water like this. People are more important or your IPL matches? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra,” a division bench headed by Justices V M Kanade and M S Karnik said, while hearing a PIL filed by NGO ‘Loksatta Movement’.

The court also asked whether according to BCCI and the other cricket bodies, cricket matches are more important.

“Ideally, you should shift the IPL matches to some other state where water is in abundance,” the court observed.

The court also told the state that ultimately it is the government’s responsibility and duty to do something about this (water wastage) and impose some kind of restraint.

It also asked the state government to spell out tomorrow what steps it plans to take on the issue.

The high court, while posting the PIL for hearing today, had yesterday sought responses from all other respondents, including the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Vidarbha Cricket Association, Maharashtra government and the civic bodies of Mumbai and Nagpur.

The PIL has challenged the use of nearly 60 lakh litres of water to maintain pitches at three stadiums in the state which will hold IPL matches.

The court today asked the Mumbai Cricket Association how much water would be used in Wankhede stadium, to which MCA’s advocate said they would be using over 40 lakh litres water for the seven IPL matches to be held there.

To this, the court said it is a huge number.

The petitioner then said that pending hearing of the PIL, the court should grant an interim order restraining all the cricket associations in Maharashtra from using water to maintain the pitches.

The high court said it will consider the interim relief sought by the petitioner, during the hearing tomorrow.

The court also asked state acting Advocate General Rohit Deo to appear for the state government in the matter tomorrow.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s advocate Trupti Puranik told the high court today that they are supplying water to Wankhede stadium only for drinking purposes.

MCA’s advocate told the court that they are purchasing water to maintain the pitches. This water is non-portable and cannot be used for drinking purposes.

He also said that the association will come out with some contingency plan to tackle the water crisis.

The advocate appearing for the petitioner, however, said several villages in Maharashtra do not even have water for sanitation, cooking and other purposes. This non-portable water could be of use in such villages.

The court also observed that water shortage is not just in Marathwada region, the situation is equally bad in Thane, adjoining Mumbai.

The petitioner’s lawyer then pointed out that from April 5 to 9, there will be absolutely no water supply in Thane.

The court also noted that in some places in Maharashtra, prohibitory orders under section 144 has been imposed in the vicinity of water supply spots.

Notably, authorities in Parbhani town and Latur in the parched Marathwada region of the state, which is experiencing an unprecedented water scarcity this summer, have imposed prohibitory orders near water supply spots in the town.

(Agencies)

Centre to withdraw plea supporting AMU’s minority status

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amu

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked whether a university could be described as a minority institution as it allowed the central government to move an application withdrawing its appeal challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict that AMU being a central university was not a minority institution.

As Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice C. Nagappan that the central government wanted to withdraw its earlier petition challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict, the bench gave it eight weeks’ time to move the application.

It then gave four weeks time to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to file its reply to the government’s withdrawal application and directed the listing of the matter upon court’s reopening in July after summer vacation break.

The UPA government had moved the apex court contesting the high court verdict, but with change of guard and the NDA coming to power, there was a shift in the government’s stand, which now said that the apex court’s October 20, 1967 verdict in Azeez Bhasa case had held that the AMU was not a minority institution.

Earlier in the day on the issue of the appointment of Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah (retd.) as AMU’s vice-chancellor, a bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit asked how could a university be a minority institution.

“We can understand that a college or a school is a minority institution but can a university be a minority institution,” asked Chief Justice Thakur, while hearing a petition by Syed Abrar Ahmed challenging the October 16, 2015 judgment of the Allahabad High Court refusing to quash the appointment of Shah.

“This is what the court has to decide whether AMU is a minority institution and now the Centre is saying that it is not. We have said that Azeez Bhasha hold the grounds and AMU is not a minority institution”, counsel told the court.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who represented one of the parties, said that earlier “government took a conscious decision that it is minority institution, now government has taken a conscious decision that it is not. Conscious decisions keep changing”.

(IANS)

PM Modi hands over e-rickshaws to needy in Noida

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modi

Noida: Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday handed over 5,100 e-rickshaws to people from the weaker section of society to enable them to earn their livelihood with dignity.

Commuters can also call the e-rickshaw through Ola app.

These e-rickshaws were given to those who had to rent them for a livelihood.

“Earlier, manual rickshaw-pullers had to toil hard and earned much less. Now they can earn more with less labour by running e-rickshaws. Also, they would not have to pay anything as rent of the rickshaw. Instead, by paying out a small amount daily, they would become the owners of their e-rickshaw,” the prime minister said.

The drivers who were given the e-rickshaws on Tuesday have been trained in driving and using the app to transact with commuters.

“Energy banks have also been established for these e-rickshaw drivers where they can charge batteries with solar energy. The entire initiative is environment-friendly,” Modi said.

(IANS)

World’s oldest barber shop; Truefitt & Hill comes to Bangalore

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Truefitt & Hill

Bengaluru: The Bangalore techies are now not the only experts in town, Truefitt & Hill is coming to town which is bringing in sophistication and finest grooming through their world class services and unmatched product quality. World renown barber shop – Truefitt and Hill have successfully opened there 1st store in Bangalore, in the Indiranagar on 2nd April 2016, marking its first ever foray into the uber cosmopolitan – Bangalore city. Truefitt and Hill could not have timed their foray into India any better as more and more men are looking into Grooming as a necessity now.

Brought to India by the Lloyds Luxuries Ltd., which has acquired the Master Franchise License for not just India but also Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar and Vietnam, the venture looks promising. Started by Mr. Istayak Ansari & Mr. Krishna Gupta in 2013, Lloyds Luxuries Ltd aims at creating an atmosphere of total relaxation and ultimate comfort for their male guests. Through this, they wish to encourage grooming for men greatness.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Istayak Ansari & Mr. Krishna Gupta, Directors of Lloyds Luxuries Ltd. excitedly says, “After the successful opening of this international barber shop in Mumbai and Delhi, we are very happy to be coming to the hub of technology. Through our first outlet in Bangalore, we wish to provide the most unique and unrivalled satisfaction to the men of Bangalore. Our aim is that the customer should ultimately feel revitalized and renewed when it’s time to leave. We at Truefitt &Hill believe in giving an experience and not just a service. Taking care of yourself is a necessity and we groom here with a luxurious touch giving a friendly and a luxurious atmosphere with the best renowned people at your service.

Further adding to this they state, “Truefitt and Hill is the first high end international barber shop in India. Our vision is to take Truefitt & Hill across 75+ cities in India with 200+ outlets by 2024. The barbershop size will be 1000 to 1500 sq.ft. with an investment range from Rs. 100 lacs to Rs. 150 lacs. We currently have 6 outlets in Mumbai and opened 1 in Delhi on 30th March. By end of May we will be launching 1 at Lavelle Road Bangalore, 1 at Gurgaon Ameya One and 1 at Banjara Hills Hyderabad. We will also set up an academy to train Indian barbers in the fine art of male grooming in the near future.”

Mr Raj Paliwal, the Sub-Licensee of Indiranagar outlet and Owner and Director of Ritz Luxuries Pvt. Ltd., is happy to be associated with the people of Llloyd Luxuries. He excitedly says, “I was quite impressed with Truefitt & Hill since my first visit to the place in 2015. The idea of a unisex salon never impressed me and wanted a salon only for men. After visiting all 5 stores of Truefitt & Hill in Mumbai, I decided to collaborate with them and took up franchise of Indiranagar and Whitefield locations in Bangalore.

Chemistry paper leak: Medical Education Minister’s Secretary arrested

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CID

Bengaluru: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which was investigating the case of the Chemistry paper leak has arrested three people including the personal secretary of State Medical Education Minister on Monday.

Oblaraju, personal secretary to Dr Sharan Prakash Patil is one among the arrested, said a CID official. It is said that Oblaraju received the question paper from insiders and circulated it.

The other two arrested are Manjunath, a Physical Education teacher at Cambridge College, Vijaynagar and an LIC agent and Rudrappa, office manager, PWD, who received the question paper from Oblaraju and circulated/sold to others.

The CID officials have said that Oblaraju played a vital role in leaking the question paper from the PU board. He sold it for a whopping Rs 10 lakh and also leaked the paper on WhatsApp. They added that a huge network consisting of government officials, educational institutions, students and also a few parents were involved in leaking and circulating the Chemistry question papers.

The officials said that educational institutions involved themselves to get good overall results.

(Agencies)

47 cops get life term for Pilibhit fake encounter

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Pilibhit

Lucknow: A special CBI court on Monday sentenced 47 policemen to life imprisonment for killing 10 Sikh pilgrims in a fake encounter in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh 25 years ago.

Special judge Lallu Singh had on April 1 held the policemen guilty of a “fake encounter.”

On July 12, 1991, the policemen stopped a luxury bus filled with Sikh pilgrims and forced 10 passengers to get off.

A charge sheet said they were divided into groups, taken to different areas in a jungle and killed in “cold blood.”

The policemen claimed the next day that 10 Khalistani terrorists had been killed. They claimed that some of the Sikhs in the bus had criminal cases and were armed.

The case dates back to 1991 when the state’s Terai region witnessed a surge in militancy-related incidents.

The CBI investigated the case on the orders of the Supreme Court and said the motive behind the killings was to earn awards and recognition for killing “terrorists.”

According to CBI, the bus was on its way to Pilibhit on July 12, when a police team stopped it at Kachlapul ghat.

Eleven Sikh men were allegedly dragged out of the vehicle. The other passengers, including women and children, were taken to a gurdwara in Pilibhit while the men were made to sit in another vehicle.

Late in the evening, additional force joined the police team and they divided the Sikh men into three groups.

On the intervening night of July 12 and 13, the policemen gunned down the Sikh men in three encounters in the thickets falling under three different police station areas — Bilsanda, Niuria and Pooranpur — in Pilibhit.

The police then claimed that these men had criminal cases against them and claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from their possession.

The CBI probe found that the police got the autopsy done on 10 of the bodies and got them cremated the same day.

Fifty-seven policemen were charged in the case, but 10 have died since.

(PTI)

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