China: Biggest Ever Data Leak, 1Bn Personal Accounts Breached

China recorded the biggest ever database leak in history with nearly one billion personal data being online for more than a year.

The leak could be one of the biggest ever recorded in history, cybersecurity experts say, highlighting the risks of collecting and storing vast amounts of sensitive personal data online — especially in a country where authorities have broad and unchecked access to such data, reported CNN.

“As it stands today, I believe this would be the largest leak of public information yet — certainly in terms of the breadth of the impact in China, we’re talking about most of the population here,” said Troy Hunt, a Microsoft regional director based in Australia.

The online database contained the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens and was noticed after an anonymous user in a hacker forum offered to sell the data last week.

The anonymous user advertised to sell more than 23 terabytes (TB) of data for sale for 10 bitcoin — roughly USD 200,000 — in a post on a hacker forum last Thursday.

The user claimed the database was collated by the Shanghai police and contained sensitive information on one billion Chinese nationals, including their names, addresses, mobile numbers, national ID numbers, ages and birthplaces, as well as billions of records of phone calls made to police to report on civil disputes and crimes, reported CNN.

The vast trove of Chinese personal data had been publicly accessible via what appeared to be an unsecured backdoor link — a shortcut web address that offers unrestricted access to anyone with knowledge of it — since at least April 2021, according to LeakIX, a site that detects and indexes exposed databases online.

A sample of 750,000 data entries from the three main indexes of the database was included in the seller’s post.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai government and police department did not respond to CNN’s repeated written requests for comment.

The seller also claimed the unsecured database had been hosted by Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alibaba said “we are looking into this” and would communicate any updates. On Wednesday, Alibaba said it declined to comment to CNN.

China is home to 1.4 billion people, which means the data breach could potentially affect more than 70 per cent of the population.

It is unclear how many people have accessed or downloaded the database during the 14 months or more it was left publicly available online.

Unsecured personal data — exposed through leaks, breaches, or some form of incompetence — is an increasingly common problem faced by companies and governments around the world, and cybersecurity experts say it is not unusual to find databases that are left open to public access.

The latest data leak is particularly worrying, cybersecurity researchers say, not only because of its potentially unprecedented volume, but also the sensitive nature of the information contained.

A CNN analysis of the database sample found police records of cases spanning nearly two decades from 2001 to 2019. While the majority of the entries are civil disputes, there are also records of criminal cases ranging from fraud to rape.

In one case, a Shanghai resident was summoned by police in 2018 for using a virtual private network (VPN ) to evade China’s firewall and access Twitter , allegedly retweeting “reactionary remarks involving the (Communist) Party, politics and leaders.”

In another record, a mother called the police in 2010, accusing her father-in-law of raping her 3-year-old daughter.

The Chinese government has recently stepped up efforts to improve protection of online user data privacy. Last year, the country passed its first Personal Information Protection Law, laying out ground rules on how personal data should be collected, used and stored.

But experts have raised concerns that while the law can regulate technology companies, it could be challenging to enforce when applied to the Chinese state, reported CNN. (ANI)

Ajmer Dargah Cleric Held For Provocative Comments

Rajasthan Police have arrested a cleric of the Ajmer Dargah for allegedly making a provocative statement against the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Speaking to ANI, Additional Superintendent of Police, Vikas Sangwan said, “Ajmer Police arrested Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah on Tuesday night for allegedly giving a provocative statement against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.”

The arrested cleric, a history-sheeter had made the objectionable remarks that was captured on video, following which an FIR was registered against him on Monday.

“It was brought to my notice that Salman Chishti, Khadim of Ajmer Dargah shared an objectionable video and an FIR was filed. He was nabbed from his house and is being questioned. It seems he was in an inebriated state when the video was made. He is a history-sheeter,” the police officer Sangwan said.

Chishti is heard saying in the video that he would gift his house and property as a reward to anyone who brings him the head of Nupur Sharma who had made controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

He could also be heard saying that the BJP leader has insulted the Khwaja and the Prophet and alleged that Muslims were being persecuted and killed across the country.

After the video went viral, the Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said that he has also received the video through a WhatsApp message.

He added, “the attitude of the police administration is very strict regarding this video and will take tough action against anyone making remarks that may trigger communal tensions. Salman Chishti seems inebriated in the video.

The police have also spoken to officials of the Dargah and Anjuman, who have urged people to stop the video from going viral.”

Sangwan told ANI, “The accused Salman is a resident of the Chishti Dargah police station area. The police are looking for Salman, he will be soon caught and legal action will be taken against him.”

On June 28, Kanhaiya Lal a tailor in Udaipur was killed in a gruesome manner, shortly after he alleged that he had been receiving threats over his social media post in support of Nupur Sharma.

Two men who filmed a video of the killing and put out a video of it were arrested. The duo had also threatened to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last month, Noopur Sharma made objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad during a television news debate on the Gyanvapi issue.

Sharma’s controversial remarks had triggered protests in various states and had also drawn sharp reactions from other countries. (ANI)

Shehnaaz Gill Sings ‘Kaun Tujhe.., Netizens Speculate

Singer-actor Shehnaaz Gill brought her fans to tears after singing a Bollywood track with absolute perfection, encouraging everyone to do the same without the fear of judgement.

“Dil ki baat” captioned Shehnaaz on Instagram, adding a little heart.

In the 58-second video clip, the Big Boss winner urged her fans that if they felt like singing in this monsoon weather, then they should sing their heart out. Because, according to Shehnaaz, “Who will judge you?”

“If you feel like singing in the rains, then you must. It doesn’t matter how much you of the lyrics you know, you should enjoy it. That is what matters,” said Shehnaaz before she started singing one of the most soulful tracks of the film ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, ‘Kaun Tujhe’.

The monochrome video showed Shehnaaz singing the lyrics of ‘Kaun Tujhe’, with her amazing vocal skills. She seemed to be sitting on the floor, wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts while keeping her curly hair open. However, it was her gestures that gave the video a serene outcome. Shenaaz enacted some words in the lyrics with her hands and cute expressions.

At one point, when she sang, “Kaun tujhe yun pyaar karega jaise mei karti huun’ Shehnaaz pointed her finger towards the sky, looking up. After completing her singing, she gives virtual kisses on screen to her fans.

The video has been widely loved and appreciated by many Instagram users who speculated whether the song was dedicated to late actor Sidharth Shukla, with whom Shehnaaz shared a close bond.

“Oh Mannnn! I know you see him in nature and everything,” wrote one user.

“The way you pointed at the sky has my whole heart love you forever,” commented another.

“No one can love like shehnaazgill. And as I always say.. Every Sid should get her Naaz.. SidNaaz forever together in our hearts…” commented a third user.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz, popularly called ‘SidNaaz’ by fans, got close to each other when they were in the ‘Bigg Boss 13’ house, though they never officially acknowledged being a couple. Sidharth later won the reality show in 2020.

Sidharth passed away on September 2, 2021 at the age of 40 after a cardiac arrest. (ANI)

Boris Refuses To Step Down As Resignations Mount

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to step down as more Ministers submitted their resignations, bringing the total number to 18.

Johnson said that his government would not fold after two of his senior Ministers and a string of junior officials submitted their resignation in protest of his leadership, New York Post reported.
“The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going. And that’s what I’m going to do,” Johnson told lawmakers.

“We are going to get on and deliver our mandate and win another general election,” he added.

The last staffer to resign was Environment Minister Jo Churchill, who resigned after Johnson apologized for mishandling sexual misconduct allegations against a member of his government.

“Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgements are all essential to the role of Prime Minister, while a jocular self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations,” Churchill wrote in her resignation letter.

“Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds. A clear, selfless vision is needed. The country and party deserve better and so with a heavy heart I have decided to resign,” she added.

Despite the influx of resignations from both senior and junior staffers, Johnson vowed to “keep going” with the job as British leader. Johnson further said that he would only quit if the government could not carry on, according to New York Post.

“Clearly, if there were circumstances in which I felt it was impossible for the government to go on and discharge the mandate that we’ve been given, or if I felt, for instance, that we were being frustrated in our desire to support the Ukrainian people … then I would,” Johnson told Parliament.

Earlier, on Tuesday, two key ministers, namely Sajid Javid, secretary of state for Health and Social Care and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak resigned from their posts.

In his resignation letter, Sunak said he was “sad to be leaving the government”, but has come to the conclusion that he “cannot continue like this”.

“The public rightly expects the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” Rishi Sunak said.

Javid said he had lost confidence in Boris Johnson’s ability to govern following multiple scandals, saying he could “no longer continue in good conscience”. The minister said that many lawmakers and the public had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest.

In his resignation letter, which he posted to Twitter, Javid told Johnson that “the values you represent reflect on your colleagues,” and in light of recent scandals, the public had concluded that their party was neither “competent” nor “acting in the national interest.”

The exit of the top minister comes amid the row involving the former Conservative party whip Chris Pincher, who was accused of sexual misconduct.

Last week, Pincher quit as deputy chief whip after claims that he groped two men but Johnson knew about allegations against him as far back as 2019. Boris acknowledged he should have sacked Pincher when he was found to have behaved inappropriately when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019.

The British PM said he regrets giving Pincher a government role as Deputy Chief Whip following the revelation of a misconduct complaint against him.

“In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do and I apologise to everyone who has been badly affected by it. I just want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or abuses their position of power,” he said. (ANI)

B’Town Celebs Shower Wishes On B’Day Boy Ranveer

Ranveer Singh, turned a day older today, on his 37th Birthday, the ‘Simmba’ actor’s fans and well-wishers showered him with wishes and good luck for the future.

Many big Bollywood celebrities, on their Instagram, poured wishes on the ‘Gully Boy’actor.
Ajay Devgn took to his Instagram and shared a behind-the-scene picture with the ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ actor, to which he captioned, “Happy birthday to little Simmba @RanveerOfficial. Have a roaring one!”.

Vicky Kaushal, on his Instagram, shared a picture of the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actor in a funky pink striped blazer, which he captioned, “Happiest Birthday to you…you chameleon of an actor and rockstar of a human being”.

Veteran actor Anil Kapoor dropped a throwback picture from the sets of ‘Dil Dhadakane Do’ to which he captioned, “The one in a billion @ranveersingh Keep Roaring… Happy Birthday Tiger!!!”.

Anushka Sharma wished her ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ co-star with a colourful picture and captioned it, “Happy Birthday Ranveer Wishing you love and light always”.

Director Karan Johar dropped a new look of Ranveer from his upcoming film ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ and wrote, ” Rocky ka Happy Birthday!!! JugJugg Jeeyo mere Couture mein doobe ajoobe!!! Rani tune wish kiya??”.

Ananya Panday dropped a group picture which includes director Karan Johar and the birthday boy, which she captioned, ” Happpppy birthday Ran Ran!! The bestest and my full favourite you spread so much joy and magic everywhere you go there’s truly no one like you”.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh wished the actor with a throwback picture and wrote, “Happy Birthday to one of the most talented actors of this generation- @ranveersingh have a stupendous one.

Rakul Preet Singh wrote, ” Happpy bdayyy to the most energetic man on the planet!! Keep Shining Keep playing”.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the ‘Padmaavat’ actor will be next seen in Karan Johar’s next romantic flix ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ with Alia Bhatt. The film is slated for release on the occasion of Valentine’s Day 2023.

Apart from that he also has the untitled remake of a Tamil film ‘Anniyan’ on his bucket list. (ANI)

TMC’s Mahua Moitra Booked Over Comment On Goddess Kali

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has been booked for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after her comment on Goddess Kali stirred a controversy.

An FIR has been registered in Bhopal against Moitra under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for hurting religious sentiments. She had called Kali “meat-eating” and “alcohol-accepting”.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Hindu religious sentiments have been hurt by Moitra’s statement and that insult to Hindu deities will not be tolerated at any cost.

Reacting to the complaints against her by the BJP leaders, the TMC MP said: “Bring it on BJP! Am a Kali worshipper. I am not afraid of anything. Not your ignoramuses. Not your goons. Not your police. And most certainly not your trolls. Truth doesn’t need back up forces.”

Soon after she made those remarks on Kali, the TMC distanced itself saying the comments were made in her personal capacity.

In a tweet, the TMC said the comments made by Mahua Moitra and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity “and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM”. “All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments,” the party tweeted.

Moitra’s remarks came after a controversy erupted over a poster of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s documentary ‘Kaali’. The poster of the film depicted a woman dressed in a costume portraying the goddess and smoking. A flag of the LGBT community is seen in the background.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said that people must be careful when they play with the emotions of people which are reflected in such symbols, culture and faith.

“We won’t like to comment on other parties, but I believe that balance must be maintained in symbols and essence of our faith. Heart and spirit of our culture cannot be trivialised by anybody anywhere be it elsewhere, abroad or here,” he said. (ANI)

Aishwarya Exudes Elegance In New Poster Of Ponniyin Selvan

On Wednesday, the makers of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ unveiled a new poster of Aishwarya’s look from Mani Ratnam’s directorial.

In the film, Aishwarya will be seen in dual roles. She will play queen Nandini, the princess of Pazhuvoor, who is on a mission to seek vengeance, as well as Mandakini Devi in the historical drama.
“Vengeance has a beautiful face! Meet Nandini, the Queen of Pazhuvoor!,” tweeted Madras Talkies, the banner which is bankrolling the two-part epic along with Lyca Productions.

In the poster, Aishwarya looks as majestic as Nandini. Undoubtedly, she is exuding elegance with her new look.

Fans have been going gaga over her look ever since the poster was released.

“She (Aishwarya) is so so beautiful,” a netizen commented.

“How stunning,” a fan wrote.

“She is graceful. Can’t take my eyes off her,” a social media user tweeted.

Earlier, Chiyaan Vikram and Karthi’s characters from the film were revealed by the makers, and they play the respective characters Aditya Karikalan and Vanthiyathevan.

Aishwarya has previously worked with Mani Ratnam in the 2007 film Guru and the 2010 film Raavan, both of which featured Aishwarya’s husband Abhishek Bachchan. The duo even worked together in the 1997 Tamil film Iruvar, which marked Aishwarya’s debut in the Tamil film industry.

‘PS-1’ is slated for a worldwide release on September 30, 2022, in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. (ANI)

Nepal FM Janardan Sharma Resigns

Finance Minister Janardan Sharma resigned on Wednesday amid widespread criticism following charges that he had employed two unauthorized persons to tweak tax rates.

Sharma’s resignation follows the formation of an 11-member parliamentary probe committee over charges of breaching the budgetary discipline, which experts say amounts to financial crime, reported Kathmandu Post.
He made the announcement of his resignation while addressing the meeting of the House of Representatives.

“While I fully refute allegations against me, I have decided to cooperate in the investigation,” said Sharma in his address to Parliament. “I announce my resignation to facilitate the probe process.”

Sharma has been embroiled in a series of controversies. In the latest one, he was accused of inviting two unauthorized persons to change tax rates on May 28, a day before he presented the budget for the next fiscal year, reported Kathmandu Post.

Earlier on Wednesday, discussions were held to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the charges against Sharma.

Earlier in the day, the House of Representatives unanimously endorsed a proposal of Speaker Agni Sapkota for the formation of the Parliamentary Probe Special Committee.

The committee has four lawmakers from the CPN-UML, two each from the Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre, and one each from the CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party and Loktantrik Samabajbadi Party.

The main opposition party CPN-UML has been demanding Sharma’s resignation ever since reports suggested that he involved two persons to change tax rates, reported Kathmandu Post.

Amid calls for a probe into Sharma, a new controversy arose after the ministry failed to provide the CCTV footage of May 28, saying storage of only 13 days’ recording is possible.

In response to the demand for the CCTV footage, the Finance Ministry has said that it got erased because the record of only 13 days remains in storage.

The ministry’s response has raised multiple questions. Also, civil society members have demanded Sharma’s resignation and a fair probe into the incident, reported Kathmandu Post.

Nepali Congress leaders including General Secretary Gagan Thapa have publicly demanded Sharma’s sacking.

On Tuesday, six former vice-chairmen of the National Planning Commission demanded an investigation into the charges of budget tampering. (ANI)

Satyendar Jain interim bail

Satyendar Laundering Case: Vaibhav’s ED Custody Extended Till July 11

The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Wednesday extended the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of accused Vaibhav Jain till July 11, the alleged associate of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case. The court also sent another accused Ankush Jain to Judicial Custody (JC) in the same case.

Both of them were arrested by the ED last week.
On Wednesday, ED produced them before the court of special judge Geetanjali Goel at the end of their custody period.

The Enforcement Directorate’s case was represented by Advocate Zoheb Hossain and Advocate Naveen Kumar Matta.

According to the ED, Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain are among those who assisted the Delhi Minister in the money laundering case.

In this case, Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain was arrested on 30 May 2022. Besides them, Naveen Jain and Siddharth Jain (Directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), G S Matharoo (Chairman of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust which runs Prudence Group of Schools), Yogesh Kumar Jain (Director in Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), father-in-law of Ankush Jain and Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust are also on ED radar for assisting Satyendar Jain, the ED informed.

The ED on June 6 had seized 2.85 crore cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain’s aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The agency had also seized various incriminating documents and digital records during these raids.

The ED then said that the total movable assets were seized from “an unexplained source” and were “found to be secreted” in the raided premises.

The assets were seized during a search operation carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and his accomplices and other persons who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering.

ED investigation in the case has revealed that one accomplice of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust had provided accommodation entries for the transfer of land from a company beneficially owned by Satyendar Jain to family members of accomplices in order to alienate the property and to frustrate the process of confiscation.

The ED had also initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 24 August 2017 under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The CBI filed a chargesheet on 3 December 2018 against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The chargesheet mentioned that Satyendar Jain, while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period from 14 February 14 to 31 May 2017, had acquired assets which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Satyendar Kumar Jain and others of the commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Jain was arrested after the ED attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore, in April, owned by the companies named Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others. (ANI)

Koffee With Karan Season 7: Alia Opens Up About Her Bond With In-Laws

Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, in the upcoming episode of Karan Johar’s chat show ‘Koffee with Karan Season 7’, opens up about the changes she feels after shifting from a nuclear family to a joint family.

The ‘Raazi’ actor, in April 2022, got married to the Bollywood first family ‘The Kapoors’, after dating Ranbir for more than four years.
Alia is all set to get back on the coffee couch with her ‘Gully Boy’ co-star Ranveer Singh on the first episode of ‘Koffee With Karan Season 7’ in which the actor opens about the quirks of adapting to the Kapoor family and their majestic festival celebrations.

“I have been brought up between me, my mum, my sister and my father. That was it. Our interaction was very limited. We were a very close family, but we were not a big family. We did not have these massive celebrations or get-togethers. Everybody did their own thing. Enter the Kapoor family, where everyone does everything together. You eat together, do aarti together, everything is done together. It was cute. I have been through so many moments of culture and family because of the Kapoor family that it has given me a totally new layer in my life.” Alia said in her statement.

Apart from Alia-Ranveer, the new season of the show will showcase many big faces including Akshay Kumar, Samantha Prabhu, Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani and many more.

Hotstar Special Koffee with Karan season 7 will exclusively stream on Disney+ Hotstar from July 7, 2022, with the host Karan back with his quirky questions and rapid-fire rounds.

Meanwhile, the ‘Dear Zindagi’ actor will be next seen in the Netflix film ‘Darlings’ with Vijay Verma and Shefali Shah which will stream from August 5, 2022. She also has ‘Bhramastra Part 1: Shiva’ with Ranbir Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan and ‘Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ with Ranveer Singh on her bucket list. (ANI)