Brazilian President Michel Temer refused to resign despite being implicated in corruption allegations.

“I will not resign, I repeat, I will not resign.” He also demanded “a full and very rapid investigation for the…Brazilian people,” Xinhua quoted Temer as saying in an address to the nation.

The situation of Brazilian President Michel Temer became delicate on Thursday following a newspaper report that he is accused of taking bribes and endorsing bribes to silence a witness in a corruption case.

When the news broke on Wednesday evening, opponents started to call for Temer’s resignation or impeachment, Xinhua reported.

Local newspaper reported on Wednesday that a leading meatpacking company chairman had recorded his conversation with Temer and turned the recordings over to the Supreme Court.

In the recordings, Temer reportedly endorsed the bribing of former Chamber of Deputies speaker Eduardo Cunha in exchange for Cunha’s silence.

“In the Supreme Court, I will show that I had no involvement with these events. I will not resign. I know what I have done and I know the correctness of my actions,” the president stressed.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court launched an investigation into Temer and he faced four separate impeachment requests in Congress.

LUCKNOW : In a major relief for poor patients in Uttar Pradesh needing emergency medical help, the state’s largest trauma centre here said on Thursday it will not charge for treatment upto Rs 10,000, an official said.
 The King George’s Medical University (KGMU) will treat the poor for free in the first 24-hours of admission to its critical care unit, the official added.   Hundreds of patients, primarily from road accidents, gunshot wounds, burn injuries and other traumatic incidents, are wheeled in at KGMU every day.  Unlike established practice, neither the patients nor their attendants would have to fill any forms or do rounds of various counters for this free treatment.  The doctors at the trauma centre have been authorised to waive off the treatment costs with a simple signatures.  From now on soon after admission of such patients, the doctors will fill up a form for them, take their identity card, note down their telephone numbers, names and address and the fees waiver would be allowed.  In-charge of the KGMU Trauma Centre Haider Abbas said this arrangement has been rolled out to ensure that poor patients are not deprived of treatment for want of money.  The fee waiver also includes the Intensive Care Units (ICU) and ventilator charges for the first 24-hours.  The other prominent trauma centre in the state with a population of 200 million is in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

MUMBAI : Veteran Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo passed away here following a cardiac arrest early on Thursday morning, a family source said.

The 59-year-old Marathi TV and stage actress breathed her last at a private hospital where she was rushed shortly after midnight.

The actor was famous for playing the ‘mother’ in both movies and television.

Her most popular movies were “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun”, “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, “Maine Pyar Kiya” and “Kal Ho Na Ho”.

(With Inputs from IANS)

MUMBAI : Tightening the screws further on absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday took possession of his seafront farmhouse worth Rs 100 crore in Raigad district of Maharashtra’s Konkan region, an official said here.

The farmhouse, sprawled over 17 acres with a beach, is located in the picturesque Kolegaon village of Mandwa, near the tourist hotspot of Alibaug.

The ED said the property belongs to Mandwa Farms Pvt. Ltd. (MFPL), controlled by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines’ founder Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom and declared “absconder” by a Mumbai court.

On April 25, the ED served an eviction order to ask the company to vacate the property, with a registry value of Rs 25 crore, and provisionally attached the premises.

The provisional attachment order was later confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The MFPL challenged the move before a tribunal and sought a stay, which was rejected on May 16.

This paved the way for the ED to take over the property, the official said.

The latest move comes after a luxurious beachfront bungalow ‘Kingfisher Villa’ in Goa, also belonging to Mallya, was sold for Rs 73 crore in an auction by various banks to Mumbai-based Bollywood and South Indian film actor Sachiin Joshi on April 8 to recover part of the money he owes to a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India.

In the wake of a massive operation to recover Rs 8,191 crore owed by him to Indian banks, Mallya fled to Britain in March 2016. He was arrested in London on April 18 briefly and bailed out by court.

The International Court of Justice here is all set to pronounce on Thursday afternoon its verdict on India’s plea seeking revocation of the death sentence awarded by a Pakistan military court to alleged spy Kulbushan Jadhav.

 The order will be announced by ICJ President Ronny Abraham in a public sitting at 3 p.m. IST.   It comes 10 days after India approached the UN’s top court for “provisional measure” of protection — an interim relief — in the Jadhav case.  In a public hearing on Monday, India accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by denying consular access to Jadhav and pronouncing him guilty of espionage in a “farcical trial”.  The Indian legal team represented by Deepak Mittal, who heads the Pakistan division of External Affairs Ministry, demanded immediate annulment of Jadhav’s death sentence amid fears that he may be executed even before the world court pronounced its decision.  Pakistan, however, rejected the Indian argument on the ground that New Delhi had no right to invoke the jurisdiction of the ICJ and that the Vienna Convention does not provide for matters relating to spies, terrorists and those who indulge in espionage.  Jadhav was awarded the death sentence by a Pakistan military court in April, a year after he was arrested on espionage charges.   Islamabad has rejected 16 Indian requests for consular access to the former Indian Navy officer, held at an unknown prison in Pakistan. 

New Delhi : The first two of the M777 Ultralight Howitzers landed here on Thursday, bringing an end to the Indian Army’s three decade wait for a new artillery gun.

The two 155mm/39 calibre ultralight Howitzers arrived on a chartered flight. The guns, which have a maximum range of 30 km, will be tested in Pokharan in Rajasthan.

“Two M 777 A-2 (Indian) ULH arrived today for preparation of firing tables. During this event, the guns will fire 155 mm indigenous ammunition,” the Indian Army said in a statement.

As per the contract agreement, firing tables are being prepared by the contracted agency – US Government and BAE GCS Ltd with support of Indian Army.

Three more guns will be received in the second stage in September 2018 for training, the Indian Army said.

Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards at the rate of five guns per month till the complete consignment is received by mid 2021.

According to sources, over the next year, another 23 guns will be delivered off the shelf, and another 120 will be sent in a semi-knocked down condition, to be assembled in India by Mahindra.

At 4.2 tonnes, these guns weigh only a third of the normal 155 mm Howitzers, and are expected to add tremendous firepower to the Indian Army.

The M777 guns, which can be carried underslung by heavy lift helicopters, are expected to give the Army tremendous flexibility in operations, specially in mountainous terrain.

On November 30 last year, India signed the Letter of Agreement and Acceptance (LOA) with the US to buy 145 M777s through the foreign military sale (FMS) route.

The $737 million contract has a 30 per cent offset clause worth around $200 million.

India last inducted the Swedish Bofors guns in the 1980s. The deal however got tainted by an alleged scam with allegations of kickbacks being received by Indian leaders.

The Bofors guns however have been a mainstay for the Indian Army for decades, and played an important role in the Kargil conflict.

The M777s would increase Indian Army’s ability in high altitudes. These guns are being used by the US, Canadian and Australian armies.

(With Inputs from IANS)

In major relief for India, the International Court of Justice on Thursday ordered Pakistan not to execute alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav till a final decision is taken.
Judge Ronny Abraham, President of the court, reading out the court verdict also asked Pakistan to inform it of all the measures it has taken to implement the order.
India on Monday had sought the court’s intervention for an immediate suspension of Jadhav’s death sentence, fearing that the Indian national may be executed even before the ICJ decided the case.

NEW DELHI : Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave died on Thursday. He was 61
Dave has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009. He was sworn in as a Minister of State with independent charge of environment, forest and climate change in 2016. 
He was born in Badnagar in Madhya Pradesh. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condoled the sudden demise of Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, saying that it was a personal loss.
“Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend and a very respected colleague, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Daveji. My condolences,” Modi tweeted. 
“He will be remembered as a devoted public servant. He was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment,” said Modi.
“I was with Anil Madhav Daveji till late last evening, discussing key policy issues. This demise is a personal loss,” he added.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Thursday condoled the sudden demise of Environment, Forest and Climate change Minister Anil Madhav Dave.
 Dave, Minister of State for independent charge passed away at his official residence here. The exact time is not yet known. The incident came to light at around 7.30 a.m., when his staff tried to wake him up.  Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said: “Deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden demise of my dear colleague, Anil Madhav Daveji. My sincere condolences.”  “Shocked and extremely sad to know the sudden demise of my colleague Anil Madhav Dave,… My heartfelt condolences,” Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said in a tweet.  Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that the late BJP leader was the “perfect definition of a gentleman and good human being. I’ll forever miss his smiling character. May his soul RIP.”  Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said: “It is shocking and unbelievable that one of our most smiling, charming and youngest at heart colleague, Anil Madhav Daveji is no more with us.”  Dave’s death was confirmed by family friend, Meena Agarwal. She said: “His body will be taken to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for embalming. Later, the body will be taken to Indore.”  Dave was sworn in as minister on July 6, 2016 following a reshuffle in the Modi cabinet.   He was born in Badnagar in Madhya Pradesh. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009.  

Recently the world has witnessed the largest cyber-attack in the history named WannaCry ransomware attack which according to Wikipedia started on Friday, 12 May 2017 and affected more than 230,000 computers over 150 countries, the worst-hit countries are reported to be Russia, Ukraine, India and Taiwan. It is reported that the attack infects a computer when a user opens a phishing email which then hijacks their system and encrypts the files, in return the hackers demand to be paid in Bitcoins to decrypt the infected files and, although such emails have been alleged to be used to infect machines with WannaCry, this method of attack has not been confirmed. Once installed, WannaCry uses the EternalBlue exploit developed by the U.S. 
National Security Agency (NSA) which was leaked by Wikileaks two months before to spread through local networks and remote hosts, that have not been updated with the most recent security updates, to directly infect any exposed systems. A “critical” patch had been issued by Microsoft on 14 March 2017 to remove the underlying vulnerability for supported systems, nearly two months before the attack, but many organizations had not yet applied it. Shortly after the attack began, a web security researcher who blogs as “MalwareTech” unknowingly flipped an effective kill switch by registering a domain name he found in the code of the ransomware. This slowed the spread of infection, but new versions have now been detected that lack the kill switch. 
This does not end here, it is reported that the related attack, which installs a currency “miner” that generates digital cash, began infecting machines in late April or early May but had not been previously discovered because it allows computers to operate while creating or mining of a cryptocurrency called “Monero” in the background. Bitcoin is by far the largest crypto-currency, but the new mining program is not aimed at Bitcoin. Rather it targeted a newer and completely anonymous crypto-currency, Monero, those experts say has been pursued recently by North Korean-linked hackers.
These are some facts which are available on the internet widely, however according to Yoshi Solutions, India’s first and only Cryptocurrency Advisory firm that the cyber-attack is not the threat we are under, there is a lot more that meets the eye. According to Vishal Shori of Yoshi Solutions, the ransomware attack is not just about being up-to-date with windows update or antivirus signatures. It is about upgradation to the next technology, which is Blockchain and not Bitcoin. The difference between Bitcoin and Blockchain needs to be understood in order to understand the potential of the technology which is going to shape the future. This has been covered with utmost simplicity for understanding of a layman in the article “Blockchain – Internet 2.0” by Madhur Prabhakar, a cryptocurrency enthusiast who has been following Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technology since 2013. He points out a food for thought for all the security experts and heads of the world to find the reason why the hackers demanded Bitcoins as ransom money, with such advanced hacking & cyber warfare tools why didn’t the hackers hack Bitcoin itself, which according to the governments is supporting illegal causes. 
The answer is very simple; Bitcoin or more importantly Blockchain cannot be hacked. This is the technology the world needs to adopt. Instead of criticizing Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, India should study them and use the technology to stay one step ahead of these cyber-terrorists. 

Even as it is known that hypertension affects a large numbers of people in India, very few people actually acknowledge that they have high blood pressure. Fewer among them get their blood pressure checked regularly, a new study says.

The study, “Control of Hypertension in Rural India” aims to estimate prevalence, awareness and treatment of hypertension and identify barriers to hypertension control in rural communities in India. It is funded by the Global Alliance for Chronic Disease (GACD) and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) and aims to develop strategies to better manage hypertension in rural communities.

Research done earlier by The George Institute for Global Health in rural Andhra Pradesh found that 29% of the adult population had hypertension and of these only 44% were being treated. 

Hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure is elevated to a level at or above 140/90 mmHg. This medical condition is called a silent killer as it does not show any clear symptoms, however, severe hypertension shows some symptoms such as headaches, sleepiness, palpitations, blurred vision, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, ringing sensation in the ears, breathing difficulty, or irregular heartbeat which may lead to even stroke.

“Very little is known about the emergence of hypertension  in rural India, where 70% of the Indian population still resides,’’ says Dr Pallab Maulik, Deputy Director, Research and Development at the George Institute for Global Health India, in a statement issued to mark the World Hypertension Day. Dr Maulik recommends that while people should get their blood pressure checked regularly and wonders what prevents them from doing so.

There is some evidence that barriers to hypertension control differ according to the stage of transition of the population.  “An improved understanding of the awareness of hypertension in different settings and the barriers to prevention, diagnosis and treatment will provide the critical knowledge base we need to overcome these barriers in these differing settings,’’ Dr Maulik adds.

The study is part of a larger co-ordinated funding effort by member organizations of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) on hypertension prevention and control in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that focuses on implementing effective approaches to control high blood pressure through community-based research projects. 

Government funded agencies including the Indian Council of Medical Research, is a member of the GACD. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, one of the member organizations of GACD, is supporting five of these projects, the statement says.

Each research project is conducted through a partnership between investigators in a high-income country institution and investigators in LMIC.

The study is being done in collaboration with Monash University, The George Institute for Global Health India and Australia, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Rishi Valley Rural Health Centre and Christian Medical College Vellore. It is being conducted in areas around Trivandrum and rural communities in Chittoor and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. The study in the West Godavari area is being led by The George Institute.