68 Years On, Plea In Supreme Court Over Alleged 'Foreign Hand' In Mahatma Gandhi's Assassination - NDTV

68 Years On, Plea In Supreme Court Over Alleged 'Foreign Hand' In Mahatma Gandhi's Assassination

The petitioner has contended that certain information "establishes the involvement of an alleged foreign hand in the assassination of the Father of the Nation" Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948.

68 Years On, Plea In Supreme Court Over Alleged 'Foreign Hand' In Mahatma Gandhi's Assassination

Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, was assassinated on January 30, 1948. (Photo Credit: Gandhi Museum)

NEW DELHI: Narayan Dattatraya Apte was hanged for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi along with the main assassin, Nathuram Godse, on November 15, 1949.

Today, 68 years after that event, a petition in the Supreme Court claims that the identity of Apte remains mired in doubt and seeks reopening of the investigation into Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.

Justice JL Kapur Commission of Inquiry, set up in 1966 to unearth the entire conspiracy, had reported Apte to have been in the Indian Air Force.

However, Manohar Parrikar as Defence Minister on January 7, 2016, had informed Dr Pankaj Phadnis, the petitioner in the Supreme Court, that "no information related to Narayan Dattatraya Apte being an Air Force officer could be found anywhere".

Mr Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat, Mumbai, who has raised questions about the investigation into Mahatma Gandhi's murder suggesting whether it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history, has annexed the letter received from Mr Parrikar, now Goa Chief Minister, in his petition.

The petitioner has contended that "such information establishes the involvement of an alleged foreign hand in the assassination of the Father of the Nation on January 30, 1948."

Mr Parrikar's letter states: "I have got the matter examined. I have been informed that the matter was referred to various agencies within the Air Force, MoD History Division as well as to AA at HCI, UK with the request to provide any information pertaining to Mr Narayan Dattatraya Apte."

"All the agencies have confirmed that they have not found any records pertaining to Mr Narayan Dattatraya Apte. History Division of MoD (Ministry of Defence) even liased with National Archives, Central Secretariat Library and consulted private papers of Mahatma Gandhi's murder trial," it said.

The letter also said that the Gazettes of India (Air Branch) for the year 1943-46 were also searched but no information related to him being an IAF officer "could be found anywhere."

While seeking the reopening of the investigation into the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case, Mr Phadnis on the basis of Mr Parrikar's letter, has submitted to the Supreme Court that "there is therefore reasonable ground to believe that Apte was an operative of British Force 136, which can be established only after further investigation."

The Supreme Court has appointed senior advocate Amarender Sharan as an amicus curaie (person who helps the court) in the matter to examine the petition and documents provided by Mr Phadnis, who has also questioned the 'three-bullet theory' in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

He has raised question whether there was a fourth bullet which was also fired by someone apart from Nathuram Godse? While Godse and Apte were sentenced to death in the trial that was held at the Red Fort, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was given the benefit of doubt due to lack of evidence on February 10, 1949.

There were 12 persons named in the charge sheet. One of the accused had turned approver while five were sentenced to life. Three persons were declared as absconders in the case.

Godse and Apte were hanged at Ambala jail on November 15, 1949 after the High Court of East Punjab confirmed their death sentence on June 21, 1949.

Inspired by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also known as Veer Savarkar, Abinav Bharat Mumbai, which was set up in 2001, claims to work for socially and economically weaker sections with a focus on bridging their digital divide.

Mr Phadnis said this case was one which concerned the truth behind the real hand or culprits who performed the dastardly act of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and also their hidden agenda of derailing the Great Gandhi-Jinnah People-to-People Contact that the Mahatma (Gandhi) had planned to embark upon.

This plan was derailed because of the assassination, the consequences of which are being felt even today, he has contended.

How North Korea is hacking companies and governments - CNN News

How North Korea is hacking companies and governments

by Rishi Iyengar @Iyengarish

November 15, 2017:

The U.S. government has revealed new details about two viruses it says North Korea is using to attack companies and governments.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI issued joint alerts on Tuesday warning about two types of malware, or malicious software, that North Korean hackers are allegedly using against firms across industries such as aviation, finance, telecoms and media.

Related: Russia just gave North Korea's internet a big boost

One of them, known as FALLCHILL, has likely been in use since 2016 and allows hackers to monitor and control infected computers remotely. It typically spreads through files dropped by other malware or when users inadvertently download it by visiting websites that are already infected.

It also uses multiple layers of "proxy malware," according to the DHS and FBI, that allow it to disguise its origin and make the hackers harder to trace.

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The other type of malware, Volgmer, infects computers through a technique known as spear phishing, where users get an apparently legitimate email with a link that then spreads the virus. North Korean hackers have been using Volgmer since at least 2013, the U.S. authorities said.

Pyongyang has repeatedly denied involvement in any international cyberattacks.

Related: North Korea's long history of hacking

The FBI and DHS said both types of malware are associated with HIDDEN COBRA, a term the U.S. government uses to refer to "malicious cyber activity by the North Korean government."

The security agencies said in June this year that HIDDEN COBRA -- which includes groups such as Lazarus and Guardians of Peace that have been linked to previous attacks -- has been operating since 2009.

The DHS and FBI also identified dozens of IP addresses across several countries through which they believe Volgmer attacks are being routed. India accounts for the biggest share of the IP addresses, with around 25%, followed by Iran and Pakistan.

"This highlights the need for nations to protect their infrastructure, not just for their own sake but also to make sure they don't become a pawn in someone else's war game," said Subramanian Udaiyappan, a cybersecurity specialist with Cisco (CSCO, Tech30) in India.

"Attackers persist with their already exploited infrastructure and tend to re-use them, which means India could become an unwilling perpetrator of more such attacks if action isn't taken immediately," he added.

Related: North Korea is trying to amass a bitcoin war chest

North Korea has been linked to some of the most high-profile cyberattacks in recent years, including a $101 million theft from Bangladesh's central bank in 2016, disruptions to neighbor South Korea's systems on multiple occasions and a 2014 hack on movie studio Sony Pictures.

More recently, the authoritarian regime was accused of being behind the WannaCry ransomware attack in May that crippled hundreds of thousands of computers around the world. A lawmaker in South Korea also claimed two weeks ago that North Korean hackers stole blueprints for South Korean warships and submarines.

Zimbabwe’s military takeover fits the narrative of its patriarch - Financial Times

Zimbabwe’s military takeover fits the narrative of its patriarch

The generals claim to be saving Robert Mugabe from himself and his enemies

DAVID PILLING

When a man in green fatigues comes on state television and says, “We wish to make it clear that this is not a military takeover of government”, you can be pretty sure of one thing: a military coup is in full swing.

In Zimbabwe, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, that is precisely what happened. Yet this may not be a classic coup d’état. Africa is now a continent where old-fashioned military takeovers are increasingly seen as passé and countries like to present at least a veneer of constitutional democracy.

For a start, Mr Mugabe has not yet been deposed as president. Nor has General Constantino Chiwenga, the military commander who oversaw the takeover, declared himself head of state. Instead, he has sought to portray the military intervention as a means of saving Mr Mugabe from himself and from the young pretenders — in a clique called the G40 — who have been jockeying for position around him.

A statement read over Zimbabwean TV by the military spokesman announcing the “coup” made it clear that “his excellency the president of the republic” and head of the armed forces was “safe and sound” — along with his immediate family. The statement went on to say that the military intervention was targeting only “the criminals” around Mr Mugabe, who were said to be committing social and economic crimes.

The wording appeared to exonerate Mr Mugabe from responsibility for ruining the economy and for presiding over an increasingly factionalised ruling Zanu-PF party. Rather, it fits the narrative of an ageing patriarch, a great man brought low by the passage of time and by the vultures — including his wife, Grace, who is hated by the military — circling around him. Grace may only be safe from arrest by virtue of deference to Mr Mugabe who, after all, chose her as his spouse.

No one can possibly predict what will happen next. But one scenario is that Emmerson Mnangagwa, a liberation hero and, until very recently, the vice president in pole position to succeed Mr Mugabe, will take over in at least an interim role. Friends of Mr Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week set off a chain of events that led directly to this week’s military takeover, said he was preparing to fly to Zimbabwe within hours. That scenario is made more likely by disarray in the opposition, which has splintered into many parts and which, in any case, is often made up of defectors from Zanu-PF.

If Mr Mnangagwa does take over, he may then press ahead with a planned Zanu-PF congress, originally planned for next month, at which he could be formally confirmed as the successor to Mr Mugabe and Zanu-PF’s candidate for 2019 elections.

If that, or anything similar, plays out, then it might indeed not be accurate to regard this week’s takeover by the men in green fatigues as a standard coup. In a coup, power usually changes hands. The military’s real purpose in taking over may be to purge Zanu-PF of its rogue elements — and thus ensure its continuation in power.

Russia moves ahead with rules targeting foreign media - CNN Money

Russia moves ahead with rules targeting foreign media

by Hadas Gold @CNNMoney

November 15, 2017: 6:56 AM ET

Russia is moving ahead with legislation that threatens U.S. media outlets operating in the country.

The lower house of Russia's parliament approved an amendment Wednesday that clears the way for media outlets that receive funding from abroad to be designated as foreign agents.

The measure must go to the upper house of parliament before being signed by President Vladimir Putin.

It's the first tangible response to a move by the U.S. Department of Justice to require the firm that produces the U.S. branch of Russian television network RT to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

For weeks Russian government officials, including Putin, have promised a tit for tat response targeting American outlets operating in the country.

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The measure approved Wednesday does not specify which media outlets would be designated as foreign agents, or how the process would work.

According to the draft legislation, media outlets designated as foreign agents would be subject to the same rules that currently apply to foreign-funded non-governmental organizations. Those groups are required to report on their funding, include a "foreign agent" disclaimer in content they publish and are subject to inspections by authorities.

In the U.S., outlets designated as foreign agents must file reports with the Justice Department regarding their funding and organization, as well as regular updates on their activities.

U.S. investigators are reportedly looking into whether Russian government-funded outlets such as RT and Sputnik were part of Russia's influence campaign aimed at the 2016 presidential election. Yahoo News has reported that the FBI has interviewed a former Sputnik correspondent about his work at the website.

RT was singled out by the U.S. intelligence community in a January report for the impact it may have had on the 2016 election.

The report said that RT "conducts strategic messaging for [the] Russian government" and "seeks to influence politics, [and] fuel discontent in the U.S." It also labeled a separate Russian-government-controlled website, Sputnik, as "another government-funded outlet producing pro-Kremlin radio and online content."

Tillerson calls for Myanmar Rohingya crisis probe - BBC News

Tillerson calls for Myanmar Rohingya crisis probe

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called for an independent investigation into Myanmar's Rohingya crisis.

Myanmar's army has been accused of killing Rohingya people and burning their villages, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to Bangladesh.

Mr Tillerson said the crisis concerned the US, but added that sanctions against Myanmar were "not advisable" at this time.

His comments came after he met Aung Sang Suu Kyi and Myanmar's military.

International pressure has been mounting for months on Aung Sang Suu Kyi to condemn the army's alleged brutality and what the UN described as "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Ms Suu Kyi is the de-facto head of Myanmar's civilian administration but does not have control over the military.

She is accused of ignoring the plight of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority which is left stateless in majority-Buddhist Myanmar.

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Speaking on Wednesday at a joint press briefing with Ms Suu Kyi, Mr Tillerson said the US was "distressed" by the suffering of the refugees fleeing to Bangladesh.

"Scenes of what occurred are just horrific," he told reporters, adding that it was the biggest crisis Myanmar faced since the transition from military rule.

About 600,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August this year, after a counter-insurgency operation responding to Rohingya militants attacking police posts and killing members of the security forces.

Mr Tillerson condemned the attack by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), calling it an "unprovoked attack" that US had "zero tolerance" for.

Rohingya refugee children

Image caption

More than half a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar

The US would continue to support Myanmar's transition to democracy, he said, adding: "We want to see Myanmar succeed... I have a hard time seeing how [sanctions] helps resolve this crisis."

He said the US would provide more aid to help both Bangladesh and Myanmar address the humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Ms Suu Kyi defended her record on the issue.

Responding to reporters who asked why she had been silent on the alleged army brutality, Ms Suu Kyi said that her office had released several statements on the situation and she had also spoken out about the crisis.

"I have not been silent... what people mean is what I say is not interesting enough," she said.

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Media captionHas Aung San Suu Kyi been silent on Rohingya Muslims?

On Tuesday, the Myanmar army released the results of an internal investigation in which it exonerated itself of blame regarding the Rohingya crisis.

It denied killing any Rohingya villagers, setting houses alight, raping women and girls, or looting their homes.

However, the investigation results contradicted evidence seen by BBC correspondents on the ground.

Rohingya people who reached Bangladesh also said that Burmese troops backed by local Buddhist mobs had burned their villages, attacking and killing civilians.

Amnesty International said the army's report was an attempted "whitewash" and called for UN fact finders to be allowed into the region.

Bill Gates invests $80 million to build Arizona smart city - CNN Tech

Bill Gates invests $80 million to build Arizona smart city

by Matt McFarland @mattmcfarland

November 13, 2017:

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Bill Gates wants to build a futuristic community in Arizona.

A group associated with a Gates investment company has invested $80 million in a high-tech planned development outside Phoenix.

The community in Belmont will be designed around high-speed networks, autonomous vehicles, high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and autonomous logistics hubs.

It's unclear how much former Microsoft CEO Gates, who owns Belmont's parent company Cascade Investment, will be involved in the effort.

Belmont Partners, the Arizona-based real investment group that's leading the project, said it will be similar in size to nearby Tempe, Arizona, which has a population of 182,000.

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"Envisioning future infrastructure from scratch is far easier and more cost efficient than retrofitting an existing urban fabric," Grady Gammage, a spokesman for the venture said in the statement.

Arizona has a reputation as being a technology-friendly state. Several major players in the autonomous vehicle industry -- Waymo, Uber and Intel -- are testing their innovations in the state.

The investment is the latest example of excitement surrounding rebuilding cities from the ground up with a digital mind-set.

Related: Saudia Arabia wants to build a $500 billion mega-city spanning three countries

But developing a new city or even a neighborhood isn't cheap. This October Sidewalk Labs, the urban innovation arm of Google's parent company Alphabet, committed $50 million for the initial phase of planning and pilot testing a Toronto neighborhood development.

It's designed as a model neighborhood for the 21st century, with reduced pollution, shortened commutes, safer streets and better weather. Transportation will be designed around shared electric vehicles, walking and biking. More flexible zoning will blend commercial, industrial and residential areas.

Only a week later after the Toronto announcement, Saudia Arabia announced plans to invest $500 billion in a new global hub meant to push the boundaries of innovation and exemplify the future of civilization.

The smart cities trend has gained momentum as Silicon Valley's disruptors shift their focus to transportation innovations such as autonomous vehicles and ridesharing services.

Belmont's developers are counting on the expected development of Interstate 11, which will serve the area, to boost development. But right now, the company is not rushing to move forward.

"This is a very long term, very patient investment," Gammage told CNN Tech.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is 'detained' in Saudi Arabia, says President Michel Aoun - Independent

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is 'detained' in Saudi Arabia, says President Michel Aoun

Preisident's latest comments widely seen to up the ante in the Beirut-Riyadh stand off over the fate of newly-resigned prime minister

Bethan McKernan Beirut

Posters of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri with the words 'We are all Saad' have appeared all over Beirut in the last week AP

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said that the country's prime minister, Saad al Hariri, is being detained in Saudi Arabia against his will - despite Mr Hariri's reassurances he will return home soon.

"Nothing justifies that Saad al Hariri has not returned to Lebanon in 12 days. We consider that he has been detained," President Aoun told reporters on Wednesday. The comments are his most direct criticism of Saudi Arabia in the crisis to date.

Mr Hariri resigned from his post in a speech from the Saudi capital Riyadh in a surprise announcement on 4 November, plunging Lebanon into its latest political problems.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigns

He has remained in the Kingdom since, leading to speculation he is not operating of his own free will.

Mr Hariri's alleged detention breached the Vienna Convention, Mr Aoun said. The prime minister - whose resignation Mr Aoun has not accepted - must return for the state to function, he added.

Mr Aoun's comments are widely seen to be upping the ante in the Beirut-Riyadh stand off.

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The prime minister himself has given one interview to Lebanon's Future TV since his shock resignation. It did little to assuage Lebanese fears that the move was orchestrated by authorities in Riyadh, who fund Mr Hariri's Future Movement party as a bulwark against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon's parliament.

In a tweet from his personal account on Tuesday, Mr Hariri asked everyone to "chill" and said he would return to Beirut "in a couple of days".

His decision to resign was ostensibly triggered by fears of assassination - the fate which befell his father, the much more popular prime minister Rafic Hariri, in 2005 - and a protest against Hezbollah's growing power both at home and over the border, where it is fighting in Syria’s civil war.

Many observers, however, believe Riyadh had grown impatient with the prime minister’s inability to contain Hezbollah, and seeks to derail the coalition government.

Robert Fisk: Lebanon in limbo: a nation haunted by the murder of Rafiq Hariri

Speaking from Paris, Lebanon's foreign minister said he hoped to resolve the "ambiguous" situation with Saudi Arabia.

"We hope Lebanon doesn't have to resort to international law," Gibran Bassil said from a European tour designed to rally international support for Lebanon's stability.

Mr Bassil spoke after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

France, Lebanon's onetime colonial ruler, is seeking to play a mediating role in the crisis. Mr Macron paid a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia last week and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is due to arrive in Riyadh on Wednesday.