US bans Russian company Kaspersky’s software over security concerns

Washington, June 21 2024-

The US will ban the sale of antivirus software made by Moscow-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky.

The company’s operations in the US presented a national security risk “due to the Russian government’s offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations,” the US Department of Commerce said in a statement on Thursday.

“Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software within the US or provide updates to software already in use.”

Private and professional users of Kaspersky’s widely installed antivirus software should find an alternative due to the risk, the Department added.

“Russia has shown time and again they have the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies, like Kaspersky Lab, to collect and weaponise sensitive US information, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to safeguard US national security and the American people,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

The sale of Kaspersky software in the US will be banned from July 20.

The Russian multinational will be able to provide software updates to existing users until September 29.

Kaspersky’s software is designed to protect users against trojans, spyware and other cyber threats.

In the US, installation on government devices has been banned since 2017, and in Germany, the Federal Office for Information Security warns against using the software.

Kaspersky has denied its products pose a risk, stating it is a private global cybersecurity company with no ties to the Russian government. (Agency)

WHO warns about counterfeit diabetes drugs in circulation worldwide

Geneva, June 21 2024-

Counterfeit diabetes drugs have been in circulation since 2022, a problem affecting all regions of the world, the WHO warned in a statement.

The health authority on Thursday referred specifically to findings in Britain, the US and Brazil since October 2023.

The drug concerns Ozempic, a medicine containing the active ingredient semaglutide, which is also approved in the EU for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

The counterfeit version looks identical to the real medicine. Because the product also suppresses the appetite, it is increasingly being prescribed for weight loss.

But counterfeit drugs may not contain the right amount of active ingredients and could therefore lead to uncontrolled sugar in diabetics, the WHO said, adding they may also contain other active ingredients that pose health risks.

The WHO called on doctors, pharmacists, regulatory authorities and the public to be vigilant.

People should only buy medicines on prescription from pharmacies and not online, the WHO said.

Users should ensure that the dosage scale on insulin pens is displayed correctly, the label looks correct and there are no spelling mistakes on the box, the global health agency added. (Agency)

T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav top-scores with 53 as India post 181/8 against Afghanistan

Bridgetown, June 20 2024-

Top-ranked batter Suryakumar Yadav combined attacking shots with immaculate timing to make an impressive 53 off 28 balls as India posted a competitive 181/8 in 20 overs against Afghanistan in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match at the Kensington Oval here on Thursday.

With the pitch being damp and slow, Suryakumar hit five fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 189 and was mighty effective with his sweep shots to put Afghanistan under pressure.

His 60-run stand with Hardik Pandya (32) and a late cameo of 12 from Axar Patel helped India raise the tempo as 56 runs came in the last five overs. Captain Rashid Khan and left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi took three wickets each for Afghanistan.

With the ball holding onto the pitch, it meant the deliveries weren’t coming nicely on to the bat. Rohit Sharma was kept quiet by Farooqi despite getting a streaky four off him. He also survived an lbw appeal off Farooqi on review, as replays showed that the ball had pitched outside leg-stump.

Farooqi struck in the third over when Rohit tried to take on his off-cutter holding off the pitch, but miscued off the toe-end to mid-on. Rishabh Pant took the attack to Afghanistan by stylishly flicking Farooqi for four, followed by reverse-sweeping, slog-sweeping (dropped by Naveen-ul-Haq on 11) and driving through cover to take three fours off Mohammed Nabi in the final over of Power-play, which yielded 13 runs.

But in an attempt to reverse-sweep against Rashid, Pant, he was beaten by the leg-break delivery and was trapped plumb lbw, with the review showing it would have hit the stumps. Rashid struck again in his next over by having Virat Kohli loft straight to long-off.

Suryakumar kept India going with his variety of sweeps fetching him three boundaries, even as Rashid trapped Shivam Dube lbw with a quicker leg-break which went past his attempted jab, with the review showing it hit flap of pad first in front of off-stump.

Suryakumar left everyone in awe by moving across and whipping a low full toss from Azmatullah Omarzai for four, followed by driving him through mid-off for another boundary. With Pandya timing his drives for boundaries, Suryakumar proceeded to smack a drive from Omarzai down the ground for six.

Pandya tore into Noor Ahmad by going inside-out beautifully over extra cover for four, followed by smashing a six straight down the ground. Suryakumar smacked Farooqi high over long-on for six and flicked a four through mid-wicket to get his fifty in 27 balls before the batter holed out to long-off.

Pandya smacked Naveen for a 98-m six clubbed over the terrace of the stadium, before holing out to deep point off the pacer. India’s plans for a big finish were given another big dent when Ravindra Jadeja uppercut to short third man and become Farooqi’s third scalp. Axar picked his gaps well to take two boundaries off Naveen and take India past 180.

Brief scores:

India 181/8 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 53, Hardik Pandya 32; Rashid Khan 3-26, Fazalhaq Farooqi 3-33) against Afghanistan (Agency)

3 killed, 2 injured in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

Beirut, June 21 2024-

Three people were killed and two civilians injured in Israeli air strikes targeting several areas in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told the media.

The sources, who spoke anonymously, said on Thursday that an Israeli warplane fired six air-to-surface missiles at the southeast village of Khiam, killing a Hezbollah member and wounding two civilians, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a separate incident, an Israeli drone fired four air-to-surface missiles at a car in the Tyre district of southwest Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah official, Abbas Ibrahim Hamza Hamada, who was a commander in the western region of the border area.

The sources added that an Israeli drone raided a civilian car in the village of Houmine in the Nabatieh district, killing its driver, Hadi Jumaa, whose father was reportedly close to Hezbollah.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. (Agency)

Iran condemns Canada’s blacklisting of IRGC

Tehran, June 21 2024-

Iranian Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has condemned the Canadian government’s “provocative and irresponsible” decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist entity”.

He made the remarks in a post on Thursday on social media platform X while reacting to an announcement on Wednesday by Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc that his country had decided to list the IRGC as a “terrorist group”.

Bagheri Kani said Canada’s act of blacklisting the IRGC, which is an integral part of Iran’s official armed forces, was a “provocation” of the principles and rules of international law and threatened regional peace and stability, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Thursday condemned the Canadian government’s move as “unconventional and unwise,” saying the decision was a “hostile action in contradiction with international law, regarding the sovereign equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of states”.

Kanaani called it “an instance of aggression against Iran’s national sovereignty”.

In his remarks on Wednesday, LeBlanc vowed that Canada would use all the tools at its disposal “to combat the terrorist activity” of the IRGC while accusing the Iranian armed force of disregarding human rights both inside and outside of Iran.

Thousands of senior Iranian officials, including top IRGC members, are now banned from entering Canada, and those already inside the country may be investigated and removed, LeBlanc said.

As a consequence of the decision, Canadian financial institutions are required to immediately freeze the property of a blacklisted entity, and it is a criminal offence for anyone in Canada and Canadians abroad to knowingly deal with property owned or controlled by a terrorist group, according to a press statement issued by Public Safety Canada. (Agency)

Dr Balbir Singh directs govt and pvt medical institutes to allocate internships to foreign medical graduates

Chandigarh, June 20, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)

Reaffirming the committment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to safeguard the future of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh has directed all the Government and Private Medical Institutes in the state to start allocating internships to the students.

Terming that Punjab Government has been actively working to resolve critical issues being faced by FMGs, Dr Balbir Singh said that the entire process to allocate internships is being streamlined to reduce the administrative bottlenecks.

“We are collaborating with Medical Institutions across Punjab and Chandigarh to make available the maximum number of available internship slots for FMGs,” he said, while adding that this will ensure that all eligible graduates can promptly begin their internships.

The Health Minister said tha the Punjab Government is committed to implement the orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court and guidelines of National Medical Commission (NMC).

Register FIR against officials for the death of over 650 animals at dried up Perch Dam

Chandigarh, June 20, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)

Senior BJP leader and State Media Head BJP Punjab Vineet Joshi has called for the registration of an FIR against the officials of the Department of Irrigation, Wildlife Preservation, Forest, and Mining of the Punjab Government, holding them accountable for the death of over 650 animals at the dried-up Perch Dam in Village Perch of district Mohali.

Joshi, who visited the parched dam for the second consecutive day on Thursday, was accompanied by villagers as well as media persons.

Accompanied by villagers from Baddi Perch, Chotti Perch, Nadda, and Seonk, Joshi guided the media on a tour of the area, revealing numerous skeletons believed to be those of deer, sambar deer, and other wildlife, thus highlighting the severity of the situation.

Addressing the media in the dried-up dam, Joshi said that Perch Dam was constructed in 1993 with World Bank funds and it not only fulfilled the irrigation needs of Baddi Perch, Chotti Perch Nadda and Seonk villages but also served as a vital water source for the local wildlife.

Joshi strongly accused the Department of Irrigation of negligence, stating that the dam’s current dried and silt-filled state is not due to deficient monsoon or rainfall but a result of years of neglect.

“The silt accumulation, now as deep as 15 meters or 50 feet, with cracks four to five feet deep, has turned the reservoir into a death trap for animals,” Joshi stated.

Joshi further added, “Irrigation Department is responsible as it allowed silt to accumulate for years, whereas wildlife conservation department is responsible for not acting to ensure that animals don’t get trapped in cracks of the silt.

Also, the mining department created hindrance in silt clearance and the forest department created hurdles due to forest around the dam, thus making all departments responsible for the critical situation.”

Joshi urged immediate action and accountability, calling for the registration of an FIR against the responsible officials.

He stressed the urgency of restoring the dam to prevent further wildlife casualties and to ensure the continuation of its critical role in irrigation and wildlife preservation.

Haryana ACB nabs female head constable taking Rs.40,000 bribe

Chandigarh, June 20, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)

The Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) team arrested Sumitra, a female head constable stationed at the Urban Estate Police Station in Hisar district, while she was accepting a bribe of ₹40,000.

In this case, the second accused, the police station clerk, has absconded. A case has been registered against both accused by the ACB, Hisar, and further action has been initiated.

Providing details about the incident, a government spokesperson said that the ACB received a complaint stating that Pinky (the complainant’s friend’s wife) had lodged a complaint against the complainant and his friend at the Urban Estate Police Station in Hisar.

Head Constable Sumitra called the complainant and demanded a bribe of ₹40,000 to refrain from taking action on Pinky’s complaint. Sumitra mentioned during a WhatsApp call that a portion of the ₹40,000 would also be given to the clerk at the police station.

The ACB team verified the facts and planned to apprehend the accused. Today, Sumitra was caught red-handed while accepting the ₹40,000 bribe.

The entire operation was conducted transparently in the presence of witnesses. All necessary evidence is being collected, and an investigation is ongoing.

The ACB spokesperson appealed to the public to report any government officer or employee demanding a bribe for official work to the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau’s toll-free number immediately.

On day 5, Punjab Police conducts raids at safe havens of 246 big fish across state

Chandigarh, June 20, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)

As the ongoing special operation to wipe out drugs launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann entered its fifth day, Punjab Police on Thursday trained guns on big drug smugglers or big fish— who are currently out of jail, by raiding their safe havens across the state.

Big fish are those drug smugglers, who were caught with 2kg or above quantity of contraband.

The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav from 7am to 12noon simultaneously across all 28 Police districts in the state.

Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who was personally monitoring this state-level operation, said that there are 356 big fish caught with 2kg or above contraband in 257 NDPS cases in the state, and 246 of them are out on bail and found to be active during the last five years.

He said that the list of all the 246 big drug smugglers was shared among all the CPs/SSPs and the latter were directed to depute strong police parties headed by inspectors/sub-inspectors to carry out these searches to make this operation successful, which was aimed at disrupting the drug nexus.

Police teams were also asked to round up suspicious persons during the operation and look for any incriminating material/electronic devices for further probe, he added.

The Special DGP said that over 113 number of police parties, involving 1200 police personnel, conducted raids at premises/hideouts of 246 big smugglers and checked 188 of them.

Incriminating material including mobile phones has been seized during raids, he said, while adding that the material collected during the search operation is being examined further.

Pertinently, such raids help in infusing fear among the anti-social elements, whilst instilling a sense of safety and security among the common people.

Price of Ayodhya shops slashed by 30 pc for allotees

Lucknow, June 21 2024-

In a major policy change, the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has slashed the price of shops by 30 per cent for allottees who were displaced due to a road widening project undertaken in the temple town, government officials said.

In addition, it approved the proposal to hand over 500 newly constructed shops to allottees in Ayodhya on 20-year easy instalments without interest.

Now that it has been cleared, the ADA will send the proposal to the Uttar Pradesh government.

Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal, who chaired the board meeting, said, “We have approved a proposal to cut shops’ cost by 30 per cent. In addition, shops will be handed over to allottees on a 20-year easy instalment without interest.”

Dayal is also the Chairman of the Ayodhya Development Authority.

These shopkeepers were displaced in the 13-km road widening project from Sahadatganj to Naya Ghat which has been named as Ram Path. The project was completed in December 2023.

Earlier, shopkeepers had to pay the full amount to the ADA to take possession of shops.

As these shops cost around Rs 15 to 20 lakh, shopkeepers were unable to pay the amount. The only option before them was to take bank loans.

In December last year, these shops were ready. But due to financial constraints, only around 75 shopkeepers took possession of shops till the last month.

“We are thankful to the state government for bringing down the cost of shops by 30 per cent. And the remaining amount will be payable in easy interest-free instalments of 20 years,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, a BJP MLA from Ayodhya (Sadar) Assembly constituency.

In the recently concluded Parliamentary election, the BJP suffered one of its most humiliating defeats in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency where its two-time MP Lallu Singh lost to Samajwadi Party’s Awadesh Prasad.

The INDIA bloc candidate won the prestigious seat by a margin of 54,567 votes.

After the grand opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 this year, the people of Faizabad voted for the first time and rejected the BJP.

State BJP Chief Bhupendra Chaudhary was in Ayodhya on a two-day visit from Wednesday to ascertain the reasons behind the party’s defeat in the temple town. (Agency)