Indian defence agency bought Pegasus ‘rival’, trade data reveals
An Indian defence agency has been purchasing equipment from an Israeli spyware firm that is being billed as a potential Pegasus alternative, according to trade data reviewed by The Hindu. The firm in question, Cognyte Software Ltd, faces a class action lawsuit in the U.S. from investors. “Cognyte regularly targeted journalists, dissidents, critics of authoritarian regimes, families of opposition, and human rights activists around the world, without their knowledge, and collected intelligence on these people by manipulating them to reveal information and/or by compromising their devices and accounts,” the U.S. law firm Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP said on Monday, pointing to a ‘threat report’ by Facebook parent Meta Platforms on the “Surveillance for Hire” industry.
Row over removal of portions on Mahatma Gandhi in Class XII textbook; oversight, says NCERT chief
“Gandhiji’s death had magical effect on communal situation in the country”, “Gandhi’s pursuit of Hindu-Muslim unity provoked Hindu extremists” and “Organisations like RSS were banned for some time” are among the texts missing from the Class 12 political science textbook for the new academic session. The National Council of Educational Research and Training, however, claims that no curriculum trimming has taken place this year and the syllabus was rationalised in June, last year.
Whitewashing with a vengeance: Congress over deletions from NCERT textbooks
Tagging a media report on texts missing from class 12 political science textbooks for the new academic session, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, “Whitewashing with a vengeance.” Tagging another report which claimed that chapters related to the Mughals and Dalit writers have also been axed from the textbooks, he said, “This reveals the ruling regime’s TRUE mindset. After all, the RSS had not only attacked Gandhi but had been bitterly opposed to Dr Ambedkar as well.”
The Supreme Court on April 5 refused to entertain a plea by 14 parties, led by the Congress, alleging arbitrary use of Central probe agencies against opposition leaders and seeking guidelines for the future. A Bench comprising Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice J. B. Pardiwala said that “laying down general guidelines without having relation to facts of a case will be dangerous”. Sensing the disinclination on the part of the top court in entertaining the plea, senior advocate A. M. Sighvi, appearing for the political parties, sought permission to withdraw the petition.
Supreme Court directs renewal of Malayalam news channel Media One in four weeks
The Supreme Court on April 5 directed the renewal of broadcast permission to Media One channel in four weeks, saying chastising the Centre for imposing a telecast ban by claiming “national security” threats out of “thin air”. A judgment authored by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud also issued detailed guidelines against the misuse of “sealed cover” by the government. The CJI held the concept is against both natural justice and open justice and concluded that the Centre’s push to produce intelligence reports in a sealed cover in the High Court and garner an adverse decision against Media One was against natural justice.
Hanuman Jayanti | Home Ministry issues advisory to States to ensure law and order
Ahead of the Hanuman Jayanti festival on April 6, the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 5 asked States to ensure law and order and monitor factors “that could disturb communal harmony in society”. The advisory comes in the wake of a series of incidents of communal violence reported on the occasion of Ram Navami on March 30-April 1 from Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Karnataka police arrest cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli in Rajasthan
Ramanagara police arrested cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli, who was on the run after allegedly killing Idrees Pasha during an alleged cow rescue operation on April 1. Police arrested Puneeth Kerehalli in Rajasthan on April 5. The murder had led to criticism of the BJP government in Karnataka even as the ruling party prepares for the Assembly elections on May 10. Police registered two FIRs against Puneeth Kerehalli, including for murder, assault and wrongful restraint.
Search continues for tourists still trapped in Sikkim avalanche
Army and Border Roads teams continued the search for those who remain missing in Monday’s avalanche which occurred in the early hours of Monday near Sikkim’s Nathu La pass. Some seven people were confirmed killed and at least 13 injured according to police officials. An estimated 25-30 tourists in half-a-dozen vehicles were trapped in the avalanche.
Joshimath crisis | Local activists threaten to block traffic on route to Badrinath
The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, a group of local activists who first raised the land subsidence issue in the hill town, on April 5 threatened to block traffic on the route to Badrinath if their demands are not met by April 27. The Himalayan temple is scheduled to reopen for devotees after the winter break on April 27. The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’s (JBSS) demands include the scrapping of the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and the Helang-Marwadi bypass project.
Workers, farmers descend at Ramlila Maidan to decry Centre’s policies
Several left wing trade unions held a rally in New Delhi in Ramlila ground on April 5 with hundreds of workers and farmers in a show of solidarity against the BJP-led Central Government’s alleged disregard of their basic needs and loss of livelihoods. The Masdoor-Kisan Sangarsh rally was held by the Centre of Trade Unions (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU). The leaders speaking at the rally warned the government that the rally was an indication of the surging anger of the workers of the country, an official statement from the collective said.
Defendant Trump slams criminal charges as insult to the U.S.
Donald Trump offered a full-throated defence of his conduct Tuesday in his first public remarks since being charged over hush money payments to a porn star, blasting the criminal prosecution as “an insult to our country.” Hours earlier the 76-year-old former U.S. president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in a dramatic hearing in New York that transfixed the nation — and began the countdown to the first ever criminal trial of an American president.
Australian mayor readies world’s first defamation lawsuit over ChatGPT content
A regional Australian mayor said he may sue OpenAI if it does not correct ChatGPT’s false claims that he had served time in prison for bribery, in what would be the first defamation lawsuit against the automated text service. Brian Hood, who was elected mayor of Hepburn Shire, 120km (75 miles) northwest of Melbourne, last November, became concerned about his reputation when members of the public told him ChatGPT had falsely named him as a guilty party in a foreign bribery scandal involving a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia in the early 2000s.
India opener Shubman Gill has climbed a spot to career-best fourth position among batters in the latest ICC ODI player rankings released on April 5. Apart from Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma too feature in the top 10. While Kohli also moved a spot to seventh, Rohit remained static at eighth in the list led by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Pacer Mohammed Siraj continues to be the only Indian bowler in the top 10 as he held on to his number three spot, behind Australian quick Josh Hazlewood and New Zealand’s Trent Boult.
