Newsletter 20 July

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL

Several Delhi-based diplomats, staff of international NGOs on Pegasus list

Diplomats from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Nepal are on the list, reports Le Monde. (↓)

PM asks BJP MPs to defeat Cong lies with truth, make people aware about govt work

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Parliament to take truth and facts about the govt’s work before the people so that the opposition’s lies won’t fill the vacuum created by lack of communication or truth.

Growth in FY22 to be around 11% as projected in Economic Survey, says CEA

Notwithstanding the second wave of Covid-19, chief economic adviser (CEA) K V Subramanian on Mon expressed hope that economic growth during the current financial year would be around 11% as projected in the latest Economic Survey.

"Alarming State Of Affairs": Supreme Court Scolds Kerala Over Bakrid Move

Kerala Bakra Eid Relaxation: The SC, however, did not cancel the Kerala govt notification that eased the Covid curbs. Kerala’s move to “give in to pressure groups” and announce a three-day relaxation of Covid curbs for Bakrid (Eid-ul-Azha) has alarmed the SC which today said this was “wholly uncalled for”.

Finally, Delhi to implement One Nation One Ration card scheme

After a prolonged war-of-words with the Centre, the Delhi government has decided to implement the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme in the national capital. The decision was taken in the Cabinet on Monday and come ahead of the July 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court to implement the scheme.

Detention of Manipur activist under NSA: Supreme Court seeks Manipur government reply on compensation

A bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that it was a serious issue as someone lost his liberty since May and the petitioners have prayed for a grant of compensation to Erendro for detention.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 1.45 pm despite consensus over Covid debate

The morning session was a washout, with Opposition members demanding discussion on various issues including the Pegasus spyware row.

NEIGHBORHOOD

Three rockets land near Afghanistan presidential palace ahead of Eid-al-Adha

At least 3 rockets were fired near the presidential palace, minutes before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was to deliver a speech commemorating the Muslim festival of Eid-Adha. The rockets hit just as President Ghani was about to deliver an address commemorating the Eid holiday. No one claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, which appeared to be more meant to agitate than to cause damage.

Afghan Army chief scheduled to arrive in India for a 3-day visit on 27 July

Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai will hold talks with his Indian counterpart General MM Naravane and NSA Ajit Doval. Afghanistan has been reaching out to key allies amid the Taliban offensive.

US asks Pak to keep working with FATF to 'swiftly complete' its 27-point action plan

The US has urged Pakistan to continue working with the FATF to “swiftly complete” its 27-point action plan by demonstrating that terrorism financing probes and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of the UN-designated terror groups. It asked Pakistan to investigate and prosecute UN-designated terrorists based in the country like Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to seek second term

Rajapaksa’s plans are being considered to be a reversal of the promise he made in the 2019 elections. He had said that he will be president only for a single term

Pakistan to raise hacking by India of Imran’s phone

Pakistan on Monday decided to raise the issue of hacking of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s telephone calls by India with relevant forums.

“We are waiting for details of the hacking,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn.

Once details are received the issue will be raised at appropriate forums, the minister said when asked whether the government will take up the matter with India. Earlier in a tweet, the minister expressed concern over reports that the Indian government used Israeli software to spy on journalists and political opponents.

Several Delhi-based diplomats, staff of international NGOs on Pegasus list-The Hindu

Diplomats from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Nepal are on the list, reports Le Monde.

While reports of Indian politicians and journalists being targets of surveillance operations carried out with the help of Pegasus spyware took center-stage on Monday, French newspaper Le Monde reported that several Delhi-based diplomats were also on the list of ‘potential targets’ for phone hacking from 2017-2021, along with a phone associated with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

About this project: (As per Washington Post)

Priest reported from Ankara, Istanbul, and Washington, Timberg from Washington, and Mekhennet from Berlin. Michael Birnbaum in Budapest, Mary Beth Sheridan in Mexico City, Joanna Slater in New Delhi, Drew Harwell and Julie Tate in Washington, and Miranda Patrucic from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in Sarajevo contributed to this report.

Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based journalism nonprofit, and Amnesty International had access to a list of phone numbers concentrated in countries known to surveil their citizens and also known to have been clients of NSO Group. The two nonprofits shared the information with The Washington Post and 15 other news organizations worldwide that have worked collaboratively to conduct further analysis and reporting over several months. Forbidden Stories oversaw the Pegasus Project, and Amnesty International provided forensic analysis but had no editorial input.

More than 80 journalists from Forbidden Stories, The Washington Post, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, the Guardian, Daraj, Direkt36, Le Soir, Knack, Radio France, the Wire, Proceso, Aristegui Noticias, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Haaretz and PBS Frontline joined the effort.

The list does not identify who put the numbers on it, or why, and it is unknown how many of the phones were targeted or surveilled. But forensic analysis of the 37 smartphones shows that many display a tight correlation between time stamps associated with a number on the list and the initiation of surveillance, in some cases as brief as a few seconds.

Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based journalism nonprofit, and Amnesty International, a human rights group, had access to the list and shared it with the news organizations, which did further research and analysis. Amnesty’s Security Lab did the forensic analyses on the smartphones (at Who’s behest?).

The numbers on the list are unattributed, but reporters were able to identify more than 1,000 people spanning more than 50 countries through research and interviews on four continents: several Arab royal family members, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists, and more than 600 politicians and government officials — including cabinet ministers, diplomats, and military and security officers. The numbers of several heads of state and prime ministers also appeared on the list.

The media consortium titled the Pegasus Project, analyzed the list through interviews and forensic analysis of the phones, and by comparing details with previously reported information about NSO. Amnesty’s Security Lab examined 67 smartphones where attacks were suspected. Of those, 23 were successfully infected and 14 showed signs of attempted penetration.

NSO describes its customers as 60 intelligence, military, and law enforcement agencies in 40 countries, although it will not confirm the identities of any of them, citing client confidentiality obligations. The consortium found many of the phone numbers in at least 10 country clusters, which were subjected to deeper analysis: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Citizen Lab also has found evidence that all 10 have been clients of NSO, according to Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow.

But (Citizen Lab– an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security), didn’t name India, among 10 of NSO’s clients.

New Delhi has hostile relations with China and Pakistan at present, and their diplomats are under close watch, but, significantly, the list included several countries that India has very friendly ties with as well.

However, politics is at its peak, without any genuine ground, as some questions went unanswered.

How anyone who claims that one’s phone was hacked, could come to know, as no traces of hacking Pegasus leave in the phone?
Why and on what basis was the name of India Included, as Citizen lab didn’t name India, in its 22-page report?
Also, these 16 news agencies didn’t explain how they could trace the name and numbers of the person from India?

Few Headlines on Mon on “Le Monde” on out of 16 News Agency

Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi’s opponent in Pegasus’ sights
“Project Pegasus”: in India, a State within a State ready to do anything to protect the Prime Minister

Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked protesting members several times to go back to their seats and allow the debate on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Tuesday adjourned for the third time amid uproar by YSR Congress members demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.
When the Upper House reconvened at 1 PM after two adjournments, YSR Congress members led by V Vijaysai Reddy trooped in the well-shouting slogans, “We want justice. We want the special status to Andhra Pradesh.”
Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked protesting members several times to go back to their seats and allow the debate on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal appealed to the protesting members to allow discussion on the important issue that has affected the entire humanity.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman asked Leader of Opposition Party Mallikarjun Kharge to initiate the debate.
Amid the commotion, Kharge said, “House is not in order. How can I speak?”
Later, the Deputy Chair called other members. Since Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe was not there, Swapan Das Gupta (nominated) spoke amid the commotion.

India has administered at least 410 million Covid vaccine doses till now

By 7 pm on Mon, 411,355,665 vaccine doses were given across the states and UTs. As many as 4,777,697 doses were administered on the day
India had administered at least 410 million Covid vaccine doses by Monday, July 19. India will also receive 7.5 million doses of US pharma major Moderna’s vaccine as part of the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) program.
Meanwhile, by 7 pm on Monday, 411,355,665 vaccine doses were given across the states and UTs. As many as 4,777,697 doses were administered on the day.

India's Covid deaths 10 times higher than reported: Study

India’s coronavirus death toll is up to 10 times higher than the nearly 415,000 fatalities reported by authorities, likely making it the country’s worst humanitarian disaster since independence, a US research group said Tue.
The Center for Global Development study’s estimate is the highest yet for the carnage in the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people, which is emerging from a devastating surge partly fuelled by the Delta variant in April and May.
Mostly funded by $15.8M, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Support for the development of a research consortium that will study the biggest obstacles to delivering high-quality basic education in low and middle-income countries and highlight the most promising reform ideas to do so.
Christophe Guilmoto, a specialist in Indian demography at France’s Research Institute for Development, this month estimated that the death toll was nearer 2.2 million by late May.
A model by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated that the Covid toll could be more than 1.25 million. It’s the same organization, which severely failed in the US as well as in India in their predictions in COVID first wave.

Raj Kundra is remanded to police custody till July 23

Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra was arrested on Monday in a case of making pornographic films and publishing them through mobile applications. He spent the night in custody.
Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai police crime branch on Monday in a case of making pornographic films and publishing them through mobile applications. Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said,
The Property Cell of the Mumbai crime branch had in Feb this year registered an FIR in connection with the case and arrested nine persons soon after. Kundra’s name came up during the interrogation of the accused, police officers said. Apart from the case by Mumbai police, Kundra’s name had also cropped up in a similar case that had been registered by the Maharashtra Cyber police last year.
Venkatesh-Starrer Narappa has finally premiered on Amazon Prime Video. The film is the Telugu remake of the critically acclaimed Tamil film Asuran, starring Dhanush in the lead role.
Naropa examines the pervasive caste system and the lengths men go to uphold caste pride. The film, also starring Priyamani, Ammu Abhiraami, Karthik Rathnam, Rajsekhar Aningi, Rao Ramesh, and Rajiv Kanakala, has been bankrolled by Suresh Babu and Kalaippuli S Thanu.

Afghan Army chief scheduled to arrive in India for a three-day visit on 27th July

Afghan Army Chief Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai is expected to pay a three-day crucial visit to India from July 27 to explore boosting bilateral military ties in the face of the Taliban making sweeping offensive across Afghanistan following the withdrawal of foreign forces, people familiar with the development said on Tue. He is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with the top Indian military brass including his counterpart Gen MM Naravane and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, they said.

Afghanistan has been reaching out to its key allies in seeking support to strengthen its security forces in the backdrop of the Taliban resorting to widespread violence to expand its influence across the country after the US began withdrawing troops from May 1.
In the last few years, India has provided at least five military helicopters to the war-ravaged country which has been trying to strengthen its air power.
The country has been struggling to get spare parts for aircraft and helicopters due to Western sanctions against Moscow, which Gen Ahmadzai is likely to seek a supply of military hardware from India.
Last month President Ashraf Ghani appointed Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai as the new chief of army staff, replacing Gen Yasin Zia. The Afghan Army chief’s visit to India also comes amid increasing strain in Kabul’s ties with Islamabad following the brief kidnapping of the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan.
Following the incident, the Afghanistan foreign ministry said it was recalling the ambassador and other senior diplomats until all security threats are removed.
In an address at a connectivity conference in Tashkent on Fri, President Ghani hit out at Pakistan for the influx of foreign terrorists into Afghanistan and failing to do enough to influence the Taliban to seriously engage in the peace talks.
India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested nearly USD 3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.
India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled.

India plans ‘direct communication’ with Taliban as the world prepares for life after US pullout

India is planning to activate direct channels of communication with the Taliban as the possibility of the Islamist group soon taking the center stage in mainstream politics in Kabul is appearing to be an eventuality now, ThePrint has reported. The move comes as countries such as the US and the UK have already begun to recognize the legitimacy of the Taliban.