India’s market regulator barred Price Waterhouse from auditing listed companies in the country for two years, traders in Old Delhi complained about hackers blackmailing them, and a Pakistan TV news anchor made headlines. These stories made news on Thursday. Here is more about them.
SEBI bars Price Waterhouse from auditing listed firms for two years
The Securities and Exchange Board of India late on Wednesday barred Price Waterhouse from auditing listed companies in the country for two years, after a probe into the nearly decade-old accounting fraud case at software services company Satyam. Ramalinga Raju, founder and former chairman of Satyam, stunned Indian markets and investors in January 2009, when he admitted that the firm had overstated earnings and assets for several years, in a fraud of more than $1 billion sometimes referred to as “India’s Enron”. Price Waterhouse was Satyam’s auditor during the period in which the fraud was perpetrated.
Three owners of Mumbai restaurant blamed for deadly fire arrested
Brothers Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and their partner Abhijeet Mankar allegedly violated safety rules at their restaurant 1Above, where a fire on December 29 in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills killed 14 people. They have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code, said police.
Hackers hit traders in Old Delhi, demand Bitcoin as ransom
Traders in Old Delhi are being blackmailed by hackers who demand ransom in Bitcoins to release documents critical to their businesses. The Delhi Police has got complaints from three traders, but more people could have paid ransom in Bitcoins and didn’t contact the authorities. The traders were given links to buy Bitcoins, with a warning that not complying with their demand would lead to the permanent loss of data.
CBSE Class 12 board exam schedule tests students’ patience
Students, parents and teachers have complained against the schedule for the Central Board of Secondary Education’s Class 12 exam beginning March, saying some dates clash and give them little time to study. Three humanities stream exams are scheduled from April 5 to 7 without a break. The JEE entrance exam for technical institutions is scheduled for April 8, a day before the CBSE’s physical education exam.
New judges for Supreme Court and High Courts recommended
Senior advocate Indu Malhotra and Uttrakhand High Court chief justice KM Joseph have been recommended as new judges of the Supreme Court. Malhotra will be the second woman judge in the current bench of Supreme Court judges. Joseph, as chief justice, set aside President’s rule in Uttarakhand in 2016.
German cryptographers claim to find a way to infiltrate WhatsApp Group chats
A team of German cryptographers says it has discovered flaws in WhatsApp’s Group chatsdespite its end-to-end encryption, that makes it possible to infiltrate private group chats without administrator permission. “Anyone who controls the app’s servers could insert new people into private group chats without needing admin permission,” Wired.com, citing cryptographers.
Minister Nitin Gadkari lose his cool with Indian Navy
Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari wants Indian Navy officers to vacate their official homes in affluent South Mumbai after the force opposed the construction of floating jetty. “Actually, Navy is needed at the borders from where terrorists sneak in. Why does everyone (in the Navy) want to stay in South Mumbai? They (Navy) had come to me, asking for a plot (of land). I will not give even an inch of land. Please don’t come to me again,” he said.
3 Army soldiers injured after falling from chopper during drill
Three soldiers were injured when they were slithering from a helicopter and the rope came undone during rehearsals at Delhi’s Parade Ground for the Indian Army Day parade. A senior Army officer said a probe has been ordered and slithering will not feature in the line-up of events for the parade this year.
UP police constable rapes child, beaten up by people
A police constable working with the sales tax department in Gautam Budh Nagar allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl who was playing near his home. Subhash Singh was beaten up by a mob of “over a hundred people” and later arrested. A video of people beating up Singh was seen on social media.
Pakistani TV anchor hosts bulletin with child daughter to rape, murder
Kiran Naz, a TV news anchor with Pakistan’s Samaa TV channel, is being praised for her courage after she hosted a bulletin with her child daughter to protest a brutal rape and murder in the country. “Today I’m not Kiran Naz. Today, I’m a mother. This is why I am sitting here with my daughter,” she said while commenting about the crime against an eight-year-old girl in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The girl’s body was found in trash.