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WhatsApp says Israeli spyware used to snoop on several Indian activists, report claims

News Network
October 31, 2019

Oct 31: WhatsApp has confirmed that an Israeli spyware was used for snooping on several people in the country, reported The Indian Express. WhatsApp, the report said, had alerted several academics, lawyers, Dalit activists and journalists that their phones had been under state-of-the-art surveillance for a two-week period until May.

“Indian journalists and human rights activists have been the target of surveillance and while I cannot reveal their identities and the exact number, I can say that it is not an insignificant number,” a WhatsApp spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.

The development comes after Facebook, who owns WhatsApp sued the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group on Tuesday in US federal court for allegedly targeting some 1,400 users of its encrypted messaging service WhatsApp with highly sophisticated spyware.

Facebook says NSO Group violated laws including the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with a crafty exploit that took advantage of a flaw in the popular communications program allowing a smartphone to be penetrated through missed calls alone.

The lawsuit alleges that malicious code from NSO was sent from April 29 through May 10 over WhatsApp servers. The aim was to infect some 1,400 devices whose users included attorneys, journalists, human rights activists, political dissidents, diplomats and other government officials.

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News Network
July 14,2020

Kasaragod, Jul 14: Kerala State Excise department officials confiscated hawala money to the tune of Rs 2.85 crore from a person hailing from Mangaluru.

According to sources, the officials of the Kumbala Range Excise had noticed the huge baggage containing hundreds of bundles of unaccounted currencies when they intercepted a vehicle at the border check-post at Thoominad in Manjeshwar early on Tuesday morning.

The accused Shamsudheen, who was trying to transport the illegal money into Kerala has been arrested and handed over to the Manjeshwar police authorities for further action, sources added.

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News Network
February 14,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 14: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishvesha Hegde Kageri on Friday announced continuation of ban on private TV channels from live coverage of the Budget Session being held this Month and next month.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Kageri said that the ban was imposed on the lines of practice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the Parliament. Private channels will not be allowed to cover live on going session instead they will be provided with clippings by the concerned Department as was done during the previous Session.

For the first time in the history the BJP government, which had come to power for the second time in the state last year after pulling down Congress-JDS coalition government, had banned live coverage of the session by private channels and despite Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's appeal the ban was not lifted.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 24,2020

Bantwal, Jul 24: Former Union Minister B Janardhan Poojary on Friday said that people need to shed all their misconception regarding COVID-19 and stop taking it so lightly as it is not just any normal disease.

The 83-year-old politician who was tested positive for covid-19, was recently discharged from hospital after recovering completely.

Giving a word of caution, he said, “Earlier also there have been several diseases like Covid-19 and it has been eradicated. Even covid-19 will be eradicated. So, people should not get scared of the disease instead must fight with it”

“Also, covid-19 patients must not be treated like untouchables as those with symptoms may also not mention it due to the fear of being treated badly,” he added.

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