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10. How India ‘paid’ the CIA to spy on its secrets In what has been described as the intelligence coup of the century, a report by The Washington Post and ZDF, a German broadcaster, has revealed that the encryption device used by several governments to send diplomatic cables and encrypted messages to their officials and spies overseas was rigged by the CIA and the German intelligence agency BND. That’s because the two spy agencies owned the company manufacturing the encryption device called Crypto. The company — Crypto AG — was a Swiss firm that operated from 1960 to 2018, when the CIA sold off the company’s assets.

Among the 62 countries that used Crypto to encrypt their official communication was India, though it’s not clear in the declassified documents as to the extent or even what all communications sent by New Delhi to its missions overseas were read by the CIA, thanks to the rigged algorithms installed in the machine that allowed the CIA to break the codes and decipher the messages. The worst part? All these 62 countries paid good money to purchase these machines — money which was utilised by the CIA to fund its other spying activities

The operation, initially called Thesaurus and later renamed Rubicon, proved its worth with the US able to read secret messages such as Libyan officials congratulating themselves on the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco that resulted in the death of two US soldiers and Turkish woman. It also came in handy during the Falklands war when the US fed the UK intelligence about Argentinian army operations. In fact, in the 1980s, Crypto accounted for 40% of all diplomatic cables by foreign governments.

5 THINGS FIRST SC to begin day-to-day hearing in Sabarimala case; Batch of foreign envoys to visit J&K; Index of industrial production and inflation data for December to be released; Delhi court to hear plea of Nirbhaya’s parents seeking death warrant for convicts; Women's T20 tri-series final: India vs Australia

1. AAP scores a Delhi hattrick, BJP needs a new trick The verdict: The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party returned to power in Delhi for the third consecutive term after winning 62 of the 70 assembly seats on Tuesday, a strike rate of 90%. The BJP bettered its performance winning eight seats, five more than the previous assembly polls (though it saw a steep fall in its vote share from 57% in 2019 when it had swept all seven parliamentary seats to 39% now). The Congress, like in 2015, scored a zero this time too. The message : Vote banks didn’t matter. AAP won all the 12 reserved seats, most of the Poorvanchali-dominated constituencies as well as most of Delhi's minority vote. AAP’s campaign around the work done by its government in education and health sectors seemed to have worked on voters. BJP’s campaign, which was focused around the anti-CAA protests in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, and was amplified by its army of over 200 MPs, 11 chief ministers, several Union ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, failed to convince enough voters. The vitriolic campaign, which called Kejriwal a “terrorist”, anti-CAA protestors, mostly women, potential “rapists and murderers” and egged on the public to shout "shoot the traitors" could have put off some voters.

: Vote banks didn’t matter. AAP won all the 12 reserved seats, most of the Poorvanchali-dominated constituencies as well as most of Delhi's minority vote. AAP’s campaign around the work done by its government in education and health sectors seemed to have worked on voters. BJP’s campaign, which was focused around the anti-CAA protests in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, and was amplified by its army of over 200 MPs, 11 chief ministers, several Union ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, failed to convince enough voters. The vitriolic campaign, which called Kejriwal a “terrorist”, anti-CAA protestors, mostly women, potential “rapists and murderers” and egged on the public to shout "shoot the traitors" could have put off some voters. The highlight : AAP's Amanatullah Khan won by the largest margin of over 70,000 votes from Okhla constituency under which Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar (the epicentre of anti-CAA protest and centrepiece of BJP’s campaign) fall. On the other hand, all the 10 assembly seats under BJP MP Parvesh Verma’s (he was banned from campaigning for hate speech) West Delhi constituency went to AAP.

: AAP's Amanatullah Khan won by the largest margin of over 70,000 votes from Okhla constituency under which Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar (the epicentre of anti-CAA protest and centrepiece of BJP’s campaign) fall. On the other hand, all the 10 assembly seats under BJP MP Parvesh Verma’s (he was banned from campaigning for hate speech) West Delhi constituency went to AAP. The numbers : AAP made a clean sweep of five of Delhi’s nine districts. The party got over 50% votes in 48 constituencies and over 60% in 14. AAP’s toughest fight was in east Delhi where its vote share of 47.4% was less than two percentage points higher than BJP’s 45.6% and it lost three of eight seats here to BJP. The average victory margin for all 70 seats went down from 28,000 five years back to 21,000. There are eight women in the new House, the most since 1998. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, AAP did not lead in a single assembly constituency.

: AAP made a clean sweep of five of Delhi’s nine districts. The party got over 50% votes in 48 constituencies and over 60% in 14. AAP’s toughest fight was in east Delhi where its vote share of 47.4% was less than two percentage points higher than BJP’s 45.6% and it lost three of eight seats here to BJP. The average victory margin for all 70 seats went down from 28,000 five years back to 21,000. There are eight women in the new House, the most since 1998. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, AAP did not lead in a single assembly constituency. What next? The comprehensive win would boost AAP’s plans to expand beyond Delhi especially when Bihar and West Bengal polls are months away. The party has struggled to expand beyond the capital, despite its best efforts. Nothing much has changed for the BJP in Delhi but its poor showing means it won’t get a single Rajya Sabha seat from the capital. The loss is also bad news for BJP’s Amit Shah who had anchored the campaign. Since December 2018, the BJP has lost power in six states including Delhi. On the other hand, election strategist Prashant Kishore, who helped design AAP’s poll campaign, could expect good days ahead.

2. Has Delhi given up on Congress? Double duck : For the second consecutive assembly polls in Delhi, India’s grand old party, the Indian National Congress (INC) has failed to open its account in the tally of seats. It’s a far cry for a party that just until a little over 6 years back had completed a 15-year uninterrupted run of being in power in the country’s national capital. To make matters worse, the INC’s vote share, which had peaked at 48% in two consecutive elections — in 1998 and 2003 — has dropped to a little over 4% in the 2020 assembly polls.

: For the second consecutive assembly polls in Delhi, India’s grand old party, the Indian National Congress (INC) has failed to open its account in the tally of seats. It’s a far cry for a party that just until a little over 6 years back had completed a 15-year uninterrupted run of being in power in the country’s national capital. To make matters worse, the INC’s vote share, which had peaked at 48% in two consecutive elections — in 1998 and 2003 — has dropped to a little over 4% in the 2020 assembly polls. Lost cause? The party’s debacle in these polls can be gauged from the fact that over 95% of its candidates — or 63 of the 66 who contested, with 4 seats allotted to its ally RJD — lost their deposit. That means that 63 INC candidates couldn’t even manage to garner one-sixth of the total valid votes in their respective constituencies (not that INC’s ally the RJD fared any better, as it also lost its deposit in all 4 seats it contested). The INC’s vote share crossed double digits in just five constituencies and it got more votes than the last polls also in only five seats.

The party’s debacle in these polls can be gauged from the fact that over 95% of its candidates — or 63 of the 66 who contested, with 4 seats allotted to its ally RJD — lost their deposit. That means that 63 INC candidates couldn’t even manage to garner one-sixth of the total valid votes in their respective constituencies (not that INC’s ally the RJD fared any better, as it also lost its deposit in all 4 seats it contested). The INC’s vote share crossed double digits in just five constituencies and it got more votes than the last polls also in only five seats. Different strokes: It’s not like the INC has no support base left in Delhi — indeed, in the 2013 assembly polls, when the city-state threw up a hung verdict, the INC had still managed to garner 8 seats. Even in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the INC was in the runner-up spot in 5 of the 7 constituencies in Delhi — which was a massive improvement from the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it was relegated to the third spot after the BJP and AAP. Tactics or blunder? The INC campaign, compared to both AAP and the BJP, was rather low key, with the INC President Sonia Gandhi not even holding one rally. In fact, so lacklustre was the party’s campaign that its Vikaspuri candidate, Mukesh Sharma, conceded defeat even as the counting of postal ballots had just started in the morning on Tuesday. Never mind that the INC lost again — its leaders are basking in AAP’s victory, with former Union home and finance minister P Chidambaram tweeting “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost”. Added to that was the lack of a CM-designate from the INC, in the absence of Sheila Dikshit who passed away last year and remains the longest serving female CM of any state.

3. Will they too see J&K's “normalcy” that others saw? Another visit : A second set of (about 25) foreign envoys will visit Kashmir today, a month after the first group of 15 was taken there to show the government’s efforts in restoring “normalcy” in the newly created union territory after restrictions on movement and communication were imposed, and many political leaders detained following revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August last year. Like last time, the envoys are likely to be briefed by the army and interact with a group of political leaders.

: A second set of (about 25) foreign envoys will visit Kashmir today, a month after the first group of 15 was taken there to show the government’s efforts in restoring “normalcy” in the newly created union territory after restrictions on movement and communication were imposed, and many political leaders detained following revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August last year. Like last time, the envoys are likely to be briefed by the army and interact with a group of political leaders. What’s ne w: Unlike last time, several envoys from European countries are likely to travel. European envoys had declined the government’s invite the last time, reportedly saying that they didn't want a “guided tour” but Indian authorities had claimed it was more because of "scheduling issues".

w: Unlike last time, several envoys from European countries are likely to travel. European envoys had declined the government’s invite the last time, reportedly saying that they didn't want a “guided tour” but Indian authorities had claimed it was more because of "scheduling issues". The timing : The visit comes ahead of foreign minister S Jaishankar’s trip to Europe later this week where he is expected to meet members of the European Parliament and address their concerns over the situation in Kashmir, as well as anti-CAA protests. Prime minister Narendra Modi's is also likely to make a trip to Brussels for the India-European Union summit on March 13. The European Union (EU) Parliament is also likely to vote on a debate it held last month on Kashmir and the new citizenship law.

: The visit comes ahead of foreign minister S Jaishankar’s trip to Europe later this week where he is expected to meet members of the European Parliament and address their concerns over the situation in Kashmir, as well as anti-CAA protests. Prime minister Narendra Modi's is also likely to make a trip to Brussels for the India-European Union summit on March 13. The European Union (EU) Parliament is also likely to vote on a debate it held last month on Kashmir and the new citizenship law. The first experiment: Last year, the government had facilitated an unofficial “private” visit of 23 EU parliamentarians. The visit was organised by a woman who calls herself an ‘international business broker’ but entailed high level briefings by the national security adviser Ajit Doval, meetings with the prime minister and external affairs minister in New Delhi, army and administration briefings in Srinagar as well as some civil society outreach. After the visit, the parliamentarians had said what Indian government wanted to hear — that Article 370 is an internal issue and they stand by the country in its fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday snapped mobile internet services in Kashmir as a “precautionary measure” to prevent any law and order disturbance on the 26th death anniversary of JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat. Internet services were suspended on Sunday too as separatists had called for a shutdown to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mahammad Afzal Guru.

Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday snapped mobile internet services in Kashmir as a “precautionary measure” to prevent any law and order disturbance on the 26death anniversary of JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat. Internet services were suspended on Sunday too as separatists had called for a shutdown to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mahammad Afzal Guru.

4. Coronavirus: What now for the Indians on the cruise ship? Stranded: Cruise ship Diamond Princess continues to be moored in at Yokohama, Japan, even as the Indians among the 3,500-plus passengers and crew members aboard seek help from the Indian government. The ship has been quarantined at the port since February 3 after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive. The Indian embassy in Tokyo has only said “many Indian crew and passengers” are on board the ship, without confirming the accurate number. In a video appealing for help, the Indian crew members said a total of 168 Indians are on board; the claim has not been verified.

Cruise ship Diamond Princess continues to be moored in at Yokohama, Japan, even as the Indians among the 3,500-plus passengers and crew members aboard seek help from the Indian government. The ship has been quarantined at the port since February 3 after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive. The Indian embassy in Tokyo has only said “many Indian crew and passengers” are on board the ship, without confirming the accurate number. In a video appealing for help, the Indian crew members said a total of 168 Indians are on board; the claim has not been verified. How bad? More than 150 people on board the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including the 66 on Monday. Of the 66, 45 are Japanese, 11 Americans, four Australians, three Filipinos and one each from Canada, Britain and Ukraine. Japanese authorities have so far tested only those who have shown signs of illness — all passengers have been provided with thermometers. Following fresh cases, Japanese authorities are mulling if tests should be carried out on all passengers, Japan Today reports. The immediate focus, though, is testing senior passengers; an estimated 80% of the passengers are aged 60 or older.

More than 150 people on board the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including the 66 on Monday. Of the 66, 45 are Japanese, 11 Americans, four Australians, three Filipinos and one each from Canada, Britain and Ukraine. Japanese authorities have so far tested only those who have shown signs of illness — all passengers have been provided with thermometers. Following fresh cases, Japanese authorities are mulling if tests should be carried out on all passengers, Japan Today reports. The immediate focus, though, is testing senior passengers; an estimated 80% of the passengers are aged 60 or older. But... that does not mean that infected patients are sharing space with others. Those confirmed of infection have been flown out of the ship to a hospital in Tokyo. Quarantine protocol also limits the movement and interaction of passengers and crew, limiting them largely to their rooms. Food and water are brought in from outside to further reduce risk. The fear of human-to-human transmission from yet to be tested passengers cannot be ruled out, though.

that does not mean that infected patients are sharing space with others. Those confirmed of infection have been flown out of the ship to a hospital in Tokyo. Quarantine protocol also limits the movement and interaction of passengers and crew, limiting them largely to their rooms. Food and water are brought in from outside to further reduce risk. The fear of human-to-human transmission from yet to be tested passengers cannot be ruled out, though. And evacuation? If Japan proceeds to test all on board the ship, they will have to remain there until the results are out. That rules out an immediate evacuation. But the two-week isolation period for the ship as mandated by quarantine protocol ends on February 19.

If Japan proceeds to test all on board the ship, they will have to remain there until the results are out. That rules out an immediate evacuation. But the two-week isolation period for the ship as mandated by quarantine protocol ends on February 19. Note: India has so far had limited exposure to the novel coronavirus. Kerala, where three cases were confirmed — all with travel history to China — has been successful in preventing further contagion. The 645 people India evacuated from Wuhan and quarantined in Delhi have also tested negative. Thus, the cruise ship is the first real threat of mass contagion among Indians. Elsewhere, an Indian national in UAE has

, an Indian national in UAE has tested positive . And the WHO has a name for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus: Covid-19.

6. Grand home run for Kiwis, humiliation for India Team India suffered their first whitewash in a bilateral one-day series in 14 years, as lusty blows by Colin de Grandhomme that followed a 103-ball 80 by Henry Nicholls took New Zealand past the target of 297 with five wickets in hand at Mount Maunganui on Tuesday. With the 3-0 win in the ODI series, New Zealand also soothed the bruises from the 0-5 humiliation in the T20I series.

The last time India lost a series without a win was in 2006, against South Africa — 0-4, with a match washed out due to rain. The last time India lost all matches of an ODI series was 30 years back, against West Indies in 1989 — Windies of Sir Vivian Richards, that is. India have since grown to become a true cricketing superpower, yet, somehow, it found itself staring at the ghosts of the past.

Suffice to say, Team India have plenty to hunker down and cross-examine. A particularly painful fact would be the low returns of Jasprit Bumrah, India’s best bowler, who failed to take a single wicket in three one-dayers. Not that others fared significantly better. Shardul Thakur went for 87 runs in 9.1 overs on Tuesday, the worst economy rate by any bowler this series.

The silver lining is KL Rahul, who scored his fourth ODI century to take India to what was a defendable total. In the last 12 months, Rahul has scored 922 runs in 19 ODIs, including 3 centuries, at an average of a little over 54. Tuesday’s 112 also made him the only Indian wicketkeeper besides Rahul Dravid to score an ODI century outside Asia. That odd stat is only a sign of the great things Rahul can achieve. Unfortunately, his colleagues couldn’t back it up with the ball on Tuesday.

7. What does it take to keep India’s PM safe? What : The Special Protection Group has only the prime minister under its cover, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

: The Special Protection Group has only the prime minister under its cover, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday. Why: According to a recent amendment in the SPG Act, the force now protects the PM and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence. It will also provide security to former PMs and their immediate family members staying with them at the residence allotted for a period of five years from the date on which they cease to hold the office. Since the current PM has been at the top post for more than five years now, there’s no former PM under SPG’s protection. How: The elite SPG has a budget of Rs 592 crore for 2020-21 (after a substantial 11% hike from last year in the Budget), almost double of the allocation of Rs 289 crore in 2014-15. The bill of Rs 592 crore for protecting the PM means about Rs 1.6 crore a day, about Rs 7 lakh an hour and over Rs 11,000 a minute are spent on the security of India's Head of Government.

8. And the Rohingya crisis continues... A tragedy : At least 14 people drowned and dozens more were unaccounted for after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off southern Bangladesh early on Tuesday, news agency AFP reported. Around 130 people were packed on the fishing trawler that was trying to get across the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia, the agency reported.

: At least 14 people drowned and dozens more were unaccounted for after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off southern Bangladesh early on Tuesday, news agency AFP reported. Around 130 people were packed on the fishing trawler that was trying to get across the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia, the agency reported. The crisis : Raids by Rohingya militants on August 25, 2017 across Myanmar's Rakhine state triggered an army crackdown in which thousands of the Muslim minority died and over 7 lakh fled (by foot or boat) to Bangladesh. Last month, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to take measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims despite its leader Aung San Suu Kyi saying the violence was an "internal armed conflict" triggered by Rohingya militant attacks on the government.

: Raids by Rohingya militants on August 25, 2017 across Myanmar's Rakhine state triggered an army crackdown in which thousands of the Muslim minority died and over 7 lakh fled (by foot or boat) to Bangladesh. Last month, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to take measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims despite its leader Aung San Suu Kyi saying the violence was an "internal armed conflict" triggered by Rohingya militant attacks on the government. The beginning : Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, denies the Rohingya citizenship, labelling them “Bengali” illegal immigrants, and had excluded them from the 2014 census.

: Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, denies the Rohingya citizenship, labelling them “Bengali” illegal immigrants, and had excluded them from the 2014 census. The new problem: Life in the camps in Bangladesh is tough for the refugees. Thousands have attempted to cross over to other countries in Southeast Asia in search of better opportunities with the help of traffickers. Meanwhile, Centre

Meanwhile, Centre informed Parliament on Tuesday that India has discussed with Bangladesh the issue of repatriation of Rohingya migrants and "both the countries have agreed on the need to expedite their safe, speedy and sustainable return".

9. Pichai’s Google rolls up its sleeves to fight EU Beginning today a European Union’s general court in Luxembourg will hear Google’s (and parent Alphabet’s) challenge to a 2.4 billion-euro ($2.6 billion) fine imposed by EU antitrust commission in 2017. It is seen as the beginning of Google’s fight to overturn the total penalty of $9 billion it faces in separate antitrust and anti-competitive cases in Europe.

The particular 2017 case was seen as a landmark ruling against tech dominance and catapulted Europe Union’s antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager into the global spotlight. The $2.6 billion fine was slapped on Google for abusing its dominant position over internet search, by promoting its own Google Shopping service in search results, thus undermining competitors. Since then, antitrust officials across the world have looked deeper into inner workings of Google’s indexing, algorithm, ad services and more.

It was only the beginning. In 2018, Vestager’s officer slapped Google with another $5 billion fine, this time for abusing its dominance on its Android platform by setting Google search and Google Chrome as the default choice for customers. EU ruled that this undermined competition web browsers and search engine providers. As a consequence, beginning this March, Android users in Europe will be given a choice of four search engines to use as default. The three alternatives to Google are: privacy-focussed DuckDuckGo and legacy services Yahoo and Bing.

Then last year, Google was fined another $1.7 billion for antitrust violations in the online ad market, also dominated by Google’s services.

But Google has now begun its legal challenge, starting with the 2017 case. Note: When Google CEO Sundar Pichai was appointed as the chief of parent company Alphabet, the piling up of antitrust probes into the company — investigations are on in the US too — were seen as his major challenge.

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