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Revelations by a consortium of media agencies that politicians, journalists and activists were potential targets of surveillance through Pegasus software of Israeli surveillance company NSO Group have triggered outrage around the globe.

While the world went into a tizzy, Israel has ordered a probe to review the allegations against NSO. However, NSO has claimed the list in public domain wasn't theirs.

NSO Group has maintained that the software was only sold to governments and not to private players. Ariela Ben Avraham, Global Communications Director, NSO Group told India Today, "We only sell to governments and law enforcement agencies. List of countries mentioned in the reports was not accurate."

Although NSO refused to reveal names of countries contracted with the company, they welcomed any kind of probe.

"We will welcome any probe initiated by the Israeli government. NSO is not related to the list published by Forbidden Stories; it never was an NSO list - it is fabricated information; a possible list of targets/potential targets is false information. NSO does not have access to data of people mentioned in the list," Avraham said.

It has been reported widely that the software sold by the Israeli surveillance company has been used by governments to snoop on individuals and entities having a divergent position from that of that country.

ALSO READ | Pegasus updated guide: How it infects phones, what it does, how to detect and get rid of it

WHAT UN, EU SAID ON PEGASUS SNOOPING ROW

The United Nations and the European Union are among a list of international organisations and countries that have condemned the acts by governments.

The UN Human Rights chief said the apparent widespread use of Pegasus spyware to illegally undermine the rights of those under surveillance was "extremely alarming" and confirmed "some of the worst fears" surrounding the potential misuse of such technology.

"Various parts of the UN Human Rights system, including my own Office, have repeatedly raised serious concerns about the dangers of authorities using surveillance tools from a variety of sources supposed to promote public safety in order to hack the phones and computers of people conducting legitimate journalistic activities, monitoring human rights or expressing dissent or political opposition," High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

The UN Human Rights High Commissioner said that a "red line" was crossed by the use of the Pegasus spyware by state actors and termed it "completely unacceptable".

"Freedom of media, free press is one of the core values of the EU. It is completely unacceptable if this (hacking) were to be the case," said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Prague.

"What we could read so far, and this has to be verified, but if it is the case, it is completely unacceptable. Against any kind of rules we have in the European Union," Urusula von der Leyen said.

While most affected nations have been cautious with their response, saying they do not discuss security protocols, this could impact bilateral relations between nations if the forensic reports prove snooping.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, 2 Union ministers targeted by Pegasus: Report

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE ON PEGASUS SPYWARE LIST

According to the consortium's analysis of the leaked data, at least 10 governments are believed to be NSO customers who were entering numbers into a system: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, India, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Analysis of the data suggests the phone numbers that were selected, possibly ahead of a surveillance attack, spanned more than 45 countries across four continents.

WHAT DID AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAY ON PEGASUS ROW

While the NSO Group has rejected the list, Amnesty International said it stood by the Pegasus spyware list contrary to inaccurate media stories in relation to the project.

They said that the rumours were false and intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting.

"Amnesty International categorically stands by the findings of the Pegasus Project, and that the data is irrefutably linked to potential targets of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The false rumours being pushed on social media are intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting of journalists, activists and others that the Pegasus Project has revealed," Amnesty International said in a statement.

ALSO READ | Pegasus controversy, a legal viewpoint | Expert Opinion

HOW AFFECTED COUNTRIES REACTED TO PEGASUS ROW

France has already ordered an investigation and said it would sue countries actively involved in spying on their nationals. French President Macron convened an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss reports that his cellphone and those of top officials might have been targeted by the spyware.

Some others like Hungary and India have already denied these allegations.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Foreign Minister said, "I am unaware of any such data collection, and I have never been aware of it."

Speaking to the media he added, "The technical tool, let's call it software, is not used by the Information Office and the agency did not make any agreement of using it."

Reports said the leak contained a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers which, it is believed, have been identified as those of people of interest by clients of NSO since 2016.

ALSO READ | Amit Shah invokes 'aap chronology samajhiye' in response to Pegasus spyware allegations

ALSO READ | Pegasus a weapon used against terrorists, says Rahul Gandhi, demands Amit Shah's resignation

Continue reading here:
Pegasus row: United Nations to European Union, here is how the world reacted - India Today

The European Union on Thursday said that 200 million Europeans had been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. This translates to more than half of the adult population in European Union. However the bloc still short of 70 per cent target it had set for the summer.

European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant told reporters that based on the latest data of the European Centre for Disease Control "54.7 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated with either two doses or one dose in the case of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine".

"We have 68.4 per cent of adults in the EU who have already had their first dose," she added.

"We are now among the regions of the world that have vaccinated the most, but it is important that this progress is distributed in a more balanced way so that there are no pockets where the virus can spread and mutate," she added.

Rollout of vaccines was slower in Europe than in the UK or US due to supply shortages. This had drawn heavy criticism earlier this year.

The European Commission, which coordinated vaccine orders for the 27 member states, was the subject of many of the complaints.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had announced on July 10 that the EU had enough doses to vaccinate "at least 70 percent of the adult population this month".

According to official data compiled by AFP, just over 440 million doses have been administered in the European Union. That is 98.4 doses per 100 inhabitants, while the United States are at 102.4 per 100 inhabitants.

(With inputs from agencies)

Original post:
More than half of adults in European Union countries fully vaccinated against Covid - WION

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization in the European Union (EU) for soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator VERQUVO (vericiguat). In the EU, VERQUVO (2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg) is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure in adult patients with reduced ejection fraction who are stabilized after a recent decompensation event requiring intravenous (IV) therapy. VERQUVO is being jointly developed by Merck and Bayer AG. Merck has the commercial rights to VERQUVO in the United States and Bayer has the exclusive commercial rights in the rest of world. Bayer also issued a news release earlier today announcing the EC approval.

In January of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved VERQUVO in the U.S. to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization following a hospitalization for heart failure or need for outpatient IV diuretics in adults with symptomatic chronic heart failure and ejection fraction less than 45%. In the U.S., the product label for VERQUVO contains a boxed warning that indicates that VERQUVO should not be administered to pregnant females because it may cause fetal harm. For more information, see Selected Safety Information below. In June, the medicine was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan. Bayer has also submitted applications for marketing authorization of the medicine in China as well as multiple other countries worldwide.

This announcement reflects another important regulatory milestone in the development of this medicine, said Dr. Roy Baynes, senior vice president and head of global clinical development, chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. The approval of VERQUVO in the EU will provide doctors, health care professionals and patients with an important treatment option to complement currently available heart failure therapies.

About VERQUVO (vericiguat) tablets for once daily oral use (2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg)

VERQUVO is a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), an important enzyme in the nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway. When NO binds to sGC, the enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), a second messenger that plays a role in the regulation of vascular tone, cardiac contractility, and cardiac remodeling. Heart failure is associated with impaired synthesis of NO and decreased activity of sGC, which may contribute to myocardial and vascular dysfunction. By directly stimulating sGC, independently of and synergistically with NO, vericiguat augments levels of intracellular cGMP, leading to smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation.

Selected Safety Information for VERQUVO in the United States

WARNING: EMBRYO-FETAL TOXICITY

Females of reproductive potential: Exclude pregnancy before the start of treatment. To prevent pregnancy, females of reproductive potential must use effective forms of contraception during treatment and for one month after stopping treatment. Do not administer VERQUVO to a pregnant female because it may cause fetal harm.

VERQUVO is contraindicated in patients with concomitant use of other soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators. VERQUVO is contraindicated in pregnancy. Based on data from animal reproduction studies, VERQUVO may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Obtain a pregnancy test before the start of treatment. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with VERQUVO and for at least one month after the final dose.

In a clinical trial, the most commonly observed adverse events with VERQUVO vs placebo, occurring at a frequency greater than or equal to 5%, were hypotension (16% vs 15%) and anemia (10% vs 7%).

Concomitant use of VERQUVO with PDE-5 inhibitors is not recommended because of the potential for hypotension.

There are no data on the presence of VERQUVO in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants from VERQUVO, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with VERQUVO.

About the Worldwide Collaboration Between Bayer and Merck

Since October 2014, Bayer and Merck have pursued a worldwide collaboration in the field of sGC modulators. The collaboration brings together two leading companies that have stated their intent to fully evaluate this therapeutic class in areas of unmet medical need. The vericiguat program is being co-developed by Bayer and Merck. Merck has the commercial rights to vericiguat in the U.S. and Bayer has the exclusive commercial rights in the rest of world. The companies share equally the costs of the development of vericiguat.

About Merck

For 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the worlds most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit http://www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the company) includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the companys management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the companys ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the companys patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the companys 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the companys other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SECs Internet site (www.sec.gov).

Please see Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, for VERQUVO (vericiguat) at https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/v/verquvo/verquvo_pi.pdf and Medication Guide at https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/v/verquvo/verquvo_mg.pdf.

Read more from the original source:
VERQUVO (vericiguat) Approved in the European Union - Business Wire

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) The right to bear arms brought together many second amendment supporters Wednesday night. Members of the Blair County Second Amendment Coalition and the Blair County Tea Party held a conference to get signatures for their ongoing petition.

As a veteran, I swore to uphold the Constitution and it didnt have an expiration date, so I will stand true to that oath, said Rhonda Holland, president of the Blair County Tea Party.

Leaders of the organizations called upon Americas founding documents and the countrys current climate to support their message that Pennsylvanians should have the right to bear arms.

This country was built with our forefathers who believed in what they did for us, said Bonita Shreve, president of the Blair County Second Amendment Coalition. Are we going to actually just put that in the trash?

Were only one tragic event away from the legislature having a knee jerk reaction that deteriorates our rights to keep and bear arms in Pennsylvania, said Jon Eichelberger, former Pennsylvania Senator for the 30th District.

Theyre collecting signatures to submit to the Blair County Board of Elections.

We are trying to get a resolution that basically says our tax dollars can not be used in furtherance of removing our second amendment rights, said Holland.

Leaders say there is urgency because they only have two weeks to gather the required amount of signatures (about 3,500) for their question to be included on the ballot for the next municipal elections.

The question reads:

Shall the County of Blair enter into a municipal agreement with any other Blair County municipalities passing a similar referendum to declare a Second Amendment Sanctuary, in which no taxpayer resources shall be used to enforce any legislation passed after November 2, 2021, that would infringe upon an eligible citizens right to bear arms? YES or NO.

If they reach 3,500 signatures on the petition, leaders say it will be put on the ballot.

This is not a drill, said Shreve. We need to sign those petitions, make our voices heard.

See the original post here:
Blair County 2nd Amendment Coalition & Tea Party gather support for the right to bear arms - WTAJ - http://www.wearecentralpa.com

Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh meet over a cup of tea, bringing weeks of discord to an end.

Finally, the photo-op moment that the Punjab Congress had been waiting for eagerly, came at the Punjab Bhavan when chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh met newly-appointed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu over a cup of tea on Friday.

Sidhu, along with his daughter, left his Patiala residence in the morning in a cavalcade comprising of a fleet of cars and buses that were full of his supporters and some MLAs. He finally arrived around 10:00 am at Punjab Bhavan where the chief minister hosted a tea party. After about 15 minutes the chief minister arrived. The media crew was kept away from the tea venue and were confined to the main gate of the Punjab Bhavan.

Later, Congress sources shared the pictures of Amarinder Singh and Sidhu sitting side by side flanked by a large number of MLAs. Photos tweeted by Raveen Thukral media advisor to the CM, showed Sidhu and Captain exchanging a few words and there seemed to be much bonhomie around.

Sidhu will formally take charge of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday at Punjab Bhavan. The photo-op and bonhomie come after days of divide in the Congress. Sidhu and Amarinder Singh have been at loggerheads for quite some time now.

The chief minister also opposed his appointment as the state Congress chief and had said he would not meet Sidhu until the cricketer-turned-politician apologises for his derogatory" tweets against him.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here

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Captain Amarinder Singh's Tea Party: The Photo-Op Punjab Congress Eagerly Waited for Months - News18