Russia slams ‘discrediting’ bid after Netherlands and Australia say it’s liable for 2014 downing of jet that killed 298.

by Al Jazeera

The Netherlands and Australia have formally accused Russia of being responsible for the 2014 downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet in 2014 that killed 298 people.

The move on Friday came a day after international investigators concluded that the missile which smashed into the flight MH17 came from a Russian military brigade in Kursk.

At the time of the incident on July 17, 2014, pro-Russian separatists were fighting Ukrainian government forces in the region.

The Boeing 777 broke apart in midair, flinging wreckage over several kilometres of fields in rebel-held territory.

The two countries “hold Russia responsible for its part in the downing” of the Malaysia Airlines flight, the Dutch government said in a statement on Friday.

They may now move towards submitting the complex dossier to an international judge or organisation, it added.

“Australia and the Netherlands have now informed the Russian Federation that we hold it responsible under international law for its role in the bringing down of MH17,” said Julie Bishop, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“Australia and the Netherlands have requested Russia to enter into negotiations to open up a dialogue about its conduct and to seek reparations.”

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from Russia’s second biggest city of St Petersburg, said the evidence provided by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) led the Netherlands and Australia to believe that Russia was responsible.

“Holding a country legally responsible is a complex process but what Netherlands and Australia want is for Russia to enter into negotiations with both of them which will ultimately lead to reparations for the victims’ families.”

‘Discredit Russia’
Russia said on Friday the Netherlands had provided no evidence that Moscow was directly behind the shooting down of flight MH17, accusing the Dutch of promoting their own agenda.

“They have practically no doubt that the BUK missile came from Russia,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in St Petersburg.

“I asked [Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok] about facts proving these claims. He did not give me any facts saying they want Russia to help establish them based on unfounded suspicions,” Lavrov said.

He accused the Dutch of using the tragedy to “achieve their own political goals”.

“We are still ready to cooperate,” Lavrov added, saying that information that Russia has supplied should not be ignored or used selectively.

Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Thursday repeated calls that Moscow should be included in the investigation team.

The Russian foreign ministry also denounced what it called an attempt to “discredit Russia in the eyes of the international community”, but investigators, who painstaking recreated the BUK missile system’s route from Kursk across the border into rebel-held eastern Ukraine using videos and photos, stood by their findings.

The team “has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia,” top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

“The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Prosecutors have said that the BUK missile system was fired from the Ukraine village of Pervomaysk and later returned to Russian territory.

Investigation officials have not yet said who actually fired the missile, stressing that the probe continues.

They have appealed for further information, especially from those who know people among the 53rd Brigade, as they seek to bring criminal charges against those who ordered the plane to be shot down.

Challands said that the information available was enough for Australia and the Netherlands to “push forward and accuse Russia of being responsible for the deaths of all those people”.

“Essentially for Russia this is a political culture where admitting any kind of guilt or contrition is essentially seen as a sign of weakness and for Vladimir Putin, who has invested so much political capital in his image around the world as a strong man leader, it’s basically not in his interests to back down or accept any of these findings now,” Challands said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday admitted to his voice and content in an audio-clip in which he exhorted his activists “to win Palghar elections” at any cost, which kicked up a massive political row in the poll-bound Maharashtra district.

However, he hit back by alleging that the original audio-clip was “selectively edited and doctored” to remove the context of his statement on “saam daam, dand and bhed” to party activists.

To prove his point, he played the entire 14-minute audio-clip before the media and accused the Shiv Sena of “resorting to such low-level tactics as defeat stares at it in Palghar”.

“I said it… and that is my voice. But the following sentence has been deliberately knocked off to twist it completely out of context. I am sending it to the Election Commission with a request that if I am found guilty, they can take action against me,” Fadnavis declared.

In the same breath, he demanded that if the Shiv Sena were found guilty of “editing and doctoring” the audio-tape, then they should also face action for playing it in public to misguide the voters on the eve of the Palghar Lok Sabha by-election.

The audio clip controversy erupted on a day when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes four years, and just two days before the high-stakes Palghar Lok Sabha by-election of May 28.

In the tape played by the Shiv Sena – which went viral on social media and television networks – Fadnavis is heard directing Bharatiya Janata Party activists to use “saam, daam, dand and bhed” and win Palghar at any cost.

“We have a huge challenge before us… Some people are challenging our very existence. They are behaving like friends but backstabbing us and we must hit back. If anybody is bullying us, we must attack them. They must know that I am a bigger bully. I am firmly standing behind you,” Fadnavis said in Marathi, in the purported tape aired by the Shiv Sena.

On May 8, Fadnavis had thrown the gauntlet at the Shiv Sena, the Congress, the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and the CPI-M by saying: “Come what may, we shall win Palghar seat. This was a BJP seat. What the Shiv Sena has done is wrong. Winning it would be a fitting tribute to the late Chintaman Vanga.”

Ruling ally and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray raised the hackles of the partner BJP by playing the audio tape in his public rally on Friday evening.

Thackeray, along with state Congress President Ashok Chavan, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi President Hitendra Thakur and other political leaders demanded that the Election Commission should take note of the “threatening” content in the audio-clip and initiate suitable action against Fadnavis.

Pouncing on Fadnavis, Palghar Shiv Sena leaders said that the Election Commission should conduct a forensic probe into the audio-tape on Saturday and if the Chief Minister was guilty “he should resign by this evening”.

This was the second jolt for the BJP in two days as the curtains fall on Palghar by-election campaigning on Saturday.

A couple of days ago, Shiv Sena activists caught some alleged BJP workers with a large amount of cash which was reportedly intended for distribution among the voters.

The Palghar seat has become a matter of prestige for the two warring allies after the BJP accused the Shiv Sena of “hijacking” its prospective candidate, Shriniwas Vanga, son of the late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga this month.

Stunned by the Sena move, the BJP was compelled to nominate Rajendra Gavit, a Congress leader who walked into the party at the last minute before filing nominations.

The Congress fielded its veteran Damodar Shingada, besides the BVA’s Baliram Jadhav and CPI-M’s Kiran Gahala in the five-cornered main contest, with the BJP leaving no stone unturned to retain the seat.

Apparent move seen as bid to set a positive tone ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump in June.

by Al Jazeera

North Korea has carried out what it says is the demolition of its nuclear test site in the presence of foreign journalists.

The demolition happened on Thursday at the Punggye-ri site deep in the mountains of the North’s sparsely populated northeast.

The dismantling of the nuclear test site was previously announced by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of his planned summit with US President Donald Trump next month.

Pompeo: ‘Bad deal’ with North Korea ‘not an option’ for US
The North’s decision to close the site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit.

Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trump’s demands for denuclearisation.

The Korean Peninsula has seen a period of seemingly warming relations since an historic inter-Korea summit in April, when the two Koreas pledged to sign peace deal and pursue ‘complete’ denuclearisation.

The announcement comes shortly after North Korea threatened to walk away from the proposed summit with Trump, if Washington continues to do what it described as “unlawful and outrageous acts” that could damage Pyongyang’s “goodwill”.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said on Thursday that her country “will neither beg the US for dialogue, nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us”, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Trump has also expressed doubts as to whether the summit will go ahead. He told reporters that he will know by “next week” if the talks will proceed or not.

The newly elected Karnataka BJP legislators on Wednesday formally elected B.S. Yeddyurappa as the legislative party leader, party spokesman S. Shantharam said.

Yeddyurappa was already the Chief Ministerial face of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Karnataka Assembly elections held on May 12.

“We will later meet Governor Vajubhai R. Vala and stake claim to form the government,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

Of the 222 constituencies, the BJP won 104 seats, while the Congress won 78 and Janata Dal-Secular won 38 seats, along with its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), throwing up a hung assembly in the state.

Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday defended his recent remarks about the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, saying he will speak the truth no matter what the consequences are.

Sharif, for the first time, publicly acknowledged in an interview that militant organizations are active in Pakistan and questioned the policy to allow the “non-state actors” to cross the border and “kill” people in Mumbai.

Sharif’s comments have stirred a controversy in Pakistan, prompting the National Security Committee to call a high-level meeting to reject the statement.

Sharif’s response today on the controversy is contradictory to the stance taken by his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, whose president Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the party “rejects all claims made in the report, be they direct or indirect”, Dawn newspaper reported.

“What did I say that was wrong in the interview?” 68-year-old Sharif asked while talking to reporters outside an accountability court in Islamabad, where he is facing corruption charges.

After the publication of Sharif’s interview on Saturday, his party issued a clarification, saying that the Indian media had “grossly misinterpreted” his remarks.

Sharif on Monday dispelled the notion that the comments were falsely attributed to him, saying that he will speak the truth come what may.

“Former president Pervez Musharraf, former interior minister Rehman Malik and former National Security Adviser Major-General (retd) Mehmood Durrani had already confirmed [what I said],” he added.

Nawaz regretted that those who ask questions are being termed traitors in the media.

“Despite our 50,000 sacrifices [of lives], why is the world not paying heed to our narrative? And the person who is asking this question has been labeled a traitor.”

He also called out those local media outlets that had criticised his words. “I am being called a traitor on the media they [the media] are being made to call me a traitor.”

“Are those who tore apart the country and the Constitution patriots? Are those who pulled out judges from their offices patriots?”

“Will speak the truth no matter what the consequences are,” he said.

When a reporter pointed to Sharif’s acknowledgment of the presence of “non-state actors” in the country, his daughter Maryam, who was accompanying him, replied: “So then who was Zarb-i-Azb [military operation] conducted against?”

Operation Zarb-e-Azb was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant group in 2014.

According to Dawn newspaper, differences within the ruling party surfaced following the issuance of contradictory statements by the Sharif brothers on the issue.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far splurged a whooping Rs 4,343.26 crore only for advertisements and publicity through different media, it has been revealed under RTI, an activist said here on Monday.

Mumbai-based RTI activist Anil Galgali had sought details from the centre’s Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) on all spend on advertisement and publicity in all media since the present government assumed office.

The replies provided by Financial Advisor, BOC, Tapan Sutradhar on the expenses incurred since June 2014, were a revelation on the massive spends, but owing to all-round criticism of the government, there was a small reduction — almost Rs 308 crore — in 2017, said Galgali.

As per the replies, from June 2014 to March 2015, the government spent Rs 424.85 crore in print publicity, Rs 448.97 crore on electronic media and Rs 79.72 crore on outdoor publicity, totalling to Rs 953.54 crore.

In the next fiscal 2015-16, the spending increased substantially for all media. These included, Rs 510.69 crore on print media, Rs 541.99 crore on electronic media and Rs 118.43 crore on outdoor publicity, or a total of Rs 1,171.11 crore.

In 2016-17, the expenditure incurred on print medium dropped (yet higher than the first year June 2014-March 2015), to Rs 463.38 crore, but for the electronic medium it increased over the previous year to Rs 613.78 crore, and catapulted to Rs 185.99 crore on outdoor publicity, totalling to Rs 1,263.15 crore.

The next year, April 2017-March 2018, there was a sharp drop in spending on electronic media over the previous year to Rs 475.13 crore and a significant drop in outdoor publicity expenses to Rs 147.10 crore.

The RTI replies also said that between April-December 2017 (nine-month period), the government spent Rs 333.23 crore on the print medium alone, with the total figure of last fiscal (April 2017-March 2018) coming to Rs 955.46 crore.

“A detailed analysis proves that after stringent criticism it attracted, especially from the opposition and on social media, over squandering of scarce public resources, the government finally cut down on its publicity expenditure this year by Rs 307.69 crore,” Galgali told IANS.

However, he pointed out that the total spending of last financial year is still significantly higher than the present government’s first year in office when it spent Rs 953.54 crore in just nine months in office.

He added that although it is okay for the government to spend on publicity wherever genuinely required, in case of excess expenses, reins must be tightened and the authorities must publicise all such expenditure on its websites.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the Congress for “disrespecting” Dalit icon Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and accused it of preventing the OBC Commission from getting a constitutional status in Parliament.

Interacting with the SC/ST, OBC, Minority and Slum Morchas of the Karnataka BJP through the ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App’, the Prime Minister said there was no place for Dalits in the hearts of the Congress and asked it to mention a single thing done by it for the betterment of the community.

“There is no place for Dalits in the heart of the Congress. This has been continuing for last many decades. Even the Congress has no respect for Ambedkar. They did everything to defeat him in the 1952 general elections and the bypoll to Bhandara parliamentary constituency in 1953,” he said.

He said the Congress humiliated Ambedkar till they were in power. “They did not even confer the Bharat Ratna on him. It was only when Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji formed the government that Babasaheb was conferred the title”, he said.

He stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was working on developing Panchteerth of Ambedkar. “Taking inspiration from all the great saints, today we are trying to fulfil Babasaheb’s dream of a powerful and prosperous nation”, Modi remarked.

Attacking the Congress for not letting the OBC Commission get a constitutional status in Parliament, he said they were only involved in vote bank politics and never cared about empowering the weaker sections.

“You will be surprised to know that during the Congress regime, OBC leaders used to demand a constitutional status to OBC Commission but they (Congress) never cared. They only remain involved in vote bank politics… To stop the OBC Commission getting constitutional status, they did not allow the Parliament to function,” he said.

Noting that the BJP had the maximum number of MPs from the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities, the Prime Minister said that leaders of various morchas had a paramount role in connecting directly with people and furthering the party’s reach. He urged them to further the reach of the party’s initiatives among the weaker sections.

Invoking Ambedkar, social reformer Jyotiba Phule, Sant Kabir and Ravidas’s contribution to fight social injustice, Modi said their efforts were inspirational and continued to show his government the way.

During the interaction, Modi also took questions from the BJP leaders and spoke at length about several welfare measures being undertaken to uplift them.

Highlighting several initiatives being undertaken by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Modi said that in 2015 the government strengthened the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and increased the offences listed in the Act from 22 to 47 to empower the weaker sections.

He said that “Stand up” and “Mudra Yojanas” were helping to make SC/ST, OBC and women financially empowered.

Mentioning several pro-poor schemes launched by his government, Modi spoke about how India was rapidly growing.

“Today India is the second largest steel manufacturer in the world, second largest mobile phone manufacturer and fourth largest automobile manufacturer,” he said, adding that 99 cities are on the verge of becoming smart cities and 500 cities are having a positive impact of the AMRUT scheme.

by Al Jazeera

President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from a multinational nuclear agreement with Iran, saying the deal is “defective at its core” and announcing “the highest level of sanctions” against Tehran.

Under the deal signed in Vienna with six world powers – the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union – Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment programme and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons.

In exchange, international sanctions were lifted, allowing it to sell its oil and gas worldwide. However, secondary US sanctions remain. United Nations inspectors have repeatedly confirmed Iran’s compliance with the deal.

Trump said the agreement – also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – was a “horrible one-sided deal that should never ever have been made”.

In response, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran would bypass Washington and negotiate with the other signatories of the deal, calling the US move “unacceptable”.

Following Trump’s speech on Tuesday, there was an immediate reaction by world leaders, including the other parties to the landmark deal.

Here’s a round-up of statements from around the world:

France, Germany and UK

“France, Germany and the UK regret the US decision to leave the JCPOA,” French President Emmanuel Macron, a champion of the deal, wrote on Twitter.

“The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake,” he added.

“We will work collectively on a broader framework, covering nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle East, notably Syria, Yemen and Iraq.”

France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said in a radio interview “the deal is not dead”. He said Europe’s foreign leaders will meet next week with representatives from Iran to talk about the future of the JCPOA.

Germany also reiterated it also wants to uphold the deal. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said “the deal makes the world safer”, adding that Germany could find no legitimate reason for pulling out of the deal.

On Twitter, UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said he regretted the US no longer taking part in the nuclear deal.

“UK remains strongly committed to the JCPoA, and will work with E3 partners and the other parties to the deal to maintain it,” he added.

European Union
The top European Union diplomat, Federica Mogherini, called on the international community to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.

“The EU will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal,” Mogherini said from Brussels.

“We fully trust the work, competence and autonomy of the International Atomic Energy Agency that has published 10 reports certifying that Iran has fully complied with its commitments.

“The lifting of nuclear-related sanctions is an essential part of the agreement. The EU has repeatedly stressed that the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions has a positive impact not only on trade and economic relations with Iran, but also mainly, [it has] crucial benefits for the Iranian people.”

China
China, one of the countries that signed the JCPOA, joined the Europe its response, saying the country is committed to protecting the deal as it stands.

China’s special envoy to the Middle East, Gong Xiaosheng, said in a press conference in Iran the agreement promoted peace.

“Having a deal is better than no deal. Dialogue is better than confrontation.” he said according to Xinhua news agency.

Russia
Russia, one of the signatories of the deal, said it will try to keep the deal functioning despite Tuesday’s decision by the US.

Yevgeny Serebrennikov, first deputy head of the defense and security committee in the Russian Upper House of Parliament also told RIA news agency Trump’s decision could put the nuclear talks between the US and North Korea at risk.

Israel
Speaking at a press conference in West Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Trump’s decision.

“Israel fully supports President Trump’s bold decision today to reject the disastrous nuclear deal with the terrorist regime in Iran.

“Israel has opposed the nuclear deal from the start because we said that rather than blocking Iran’s path to a bomb, the deal actually paves Iran’s path to an actual arsenal of nuclear bombs and this within a few years time.

“The removal of sanctions under the deal has already produced disastrous results. The deal didn’t push war further away, it actually brought it closer.”

Barack Obama
In a written statement, the former US president, whose administration negotiated and signed the deal, issued a list of points as to why Trump’s decision is “so misguided”. “The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working – that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current US Secretary of Defence,” Barack Obama wrote.

“The JCPOA is in America’s interest – it has significantly rolled back Iran’s nuclear programme. And the JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish – its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea.

“Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes – with Iran – the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans.”

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain
Saudi Arabia, a regional rival of Iran and longtime US ally, said that it supports Trump’s decision.

“The kingdom supports and welcomes the steps announced by the US president toward withdrawing from the nuclear deal … and reinstating economic sanctions against Iran,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.

Riyadh’s allies in the Gulf – the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – also welcomed Trump’s decision.

United Nations
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he was “deeply concerned”, urging the remaining parties of the deal to abide by their commitments.

“It is essential that all concerns regarding the implementation of the plan be addressed through the mechanisms established in the JCPOA. Issues not directly related to the JCPOA should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments,” Guterres said.

Australia and Japan
Both Australia and Japan have also said they regret the US decision. Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on all sides to use restraint in their response.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono issued a statement saying Japan hopes the pulling out does not affect Iran’s capabilities of adhering to the JCPOA.

“We hope that the countries involved will continue to deal with the issue in a constructive manner,” he added.

Turkey
In a response to the news, Turkey called Trump’s decision “an unfortunate step”, adding that the deal was an important step to prevent nuclear proliferation.

“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action must be protected and continue to be implemented in full transparency, uninterrupted and complete, under the control of the IAEA,” a statement on the foreign ministry’s website said.

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Twitter the US withdrawal could put the world at risk.

“Turkey maintains its firm stance against all nuclear weapons regardless of who owns them,”, he added.

John Kerry
The former US secretary of state also issued a statement in support of the deal.

“Today’s announcement weakens our security, breaks America’s word, isolates us from our European allies, puts Israel at greater risk, empowers Iran’s hardliners, and reduces our global leverage to address Tehran’s misbehaviour, while damaging the ability of future Administrations to make international agreements,” John Kerry wrote.

“No rhetoric is required. The facts speak for themselves. Instead of building on unprecedented nonproliferation verification measures, this decision risks throwing them away and dragging the world back to the brink we faced a few years ago.

“The extent of the damage will depend on what Europe can do to hold the nuclear agreement together, and it will depend on Iran’s reaction. America should never have to outsource those stakes to any other country. This is not in America’s interests. We should all hope the world can preserve the nuclear agreement.”

by Al Jazeera

Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL Group, both at the centre of the Facebook user data scandal, announced it was closing down.

During a call with investors on Wednesday evening, current head of SCL Group Julian Wheatland said the companies would file for insolvency.

The announcement has raised the eyebrows of some politicians and organisations involved in the investigation into the company.

New York State Attorney Schneiderman said on Twitter the investigation would continue despite the shutting down of the company.

Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee in the UK House of Commons, implied on Twitter there is a risk Cambridge Analytica might try to delete data important to the investigation.

Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee in the UK House of Commons, implied on Twitter there is a risk Cambridge Analytica might try to delete data important to the investigation.

Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee in the UK House of Commons, implied on Twitter there is a risk Cambridge Analytica might try to delete data important to the investigation.

According to the BBC, the British Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), a regulatory body concerned with privacy and data protection, said it would continue its investigation as well.

An official statement by Cambridge Analytica said: “the siege of media coverage has driven away virtually all of the Company’s customers and suppliers.”

“As a result, it has been determined that it is no longer viable to continue operating the business,” the statement claims.

Wednesday’s announcement also raises questions about the future of the people behind SCL Group and Cambridge Analytica.

In March, before the Facebook data scandal, the people involved founded a similar company called Emerdata.

Rebekah and Jessica Mercer, daughters of businessman Robert Mercer, who were major investors Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, are directors in the company.

Alexander Nix, former CEO of Cambridge Analytica, was in a managerial position at Emerdata for several weeks as well, but he was eventually replaced by Alexander Tayler, who previously worked as the chief data officer at Cambridge Analytica.

Julian Wheatland, who announced Cambridge Analytica’s closure, is also listed as one of the directors of Emerdata.

Cambridge Analytica and its parent company, SCL Group, became the centre of a scandal in March, when whistle-blower Christopher Wylie revealed Cambridge Analytica acquired millions of Facebook users’ personal information to build software that could target potential swing voters in political campaigns, including US President Donald Trump’s 2016 election bid.

The data his firm used was reportedly gathered in early 2014 through an app called “thisisyourdigitallife”, which was built by a Russian-American researcher at Cambridge University called Aleksandr Kogan.

About 270,000 users agreed to have their data collected and used for academic research in exchange for a small payment.

However, Cambridge Analytica abused Facebook’s system and gathered the data of over 87 million people in total.

Following the scandal, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, announced small changes to improve the privacy of Facebook users.

He also appeared before two committees of the US Congress.