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In a major move to make civil supply services more accessible to the public, the Andhra Pradesh government has introduced new digital options, including the use of WhatsApp for applying for ration cards. State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Nadendla Manohar announced that starting May 15, residents will be able to apply for new rice cards and avail themselves of six associated services directly from home by sending a “Hello” message to the number 95523 00009 via WhatsApp. Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Tenali, Guntur district, Nadendla Manohar stated that these services were already rolled out through village and ward secretariats on May 8. The services include issuing new rice cards, card division, change of address, addition and deletion of family members, and card surrender. So far, 72,519 people have utilized these services, he said. Nadendla Manohar also declared that by June, all eligible individuals would receive the new rice cards free of cost in the form of smart cards. These smart ration cards will contain detailed information about all family members. Explaining the delay in the distribution of new rice cards, the minister said, “In March last year, the Election Commission of India halted

Former Hospital CEO Caught in ₹5 Lakh Cocaine Scandal — WhatsApp Deal Exposed Hyderabad: In a major drug bust, the Hyderabad Police arrested Namrata Chigurupati, the former CEO of Omega Hospitals, for allegedly attempting to procure ₹5 lakh worth of cocaine through a WhatsApp transaction. She was apprehended alongside two other individuals involved in the illegal narcotics deal. According to police officials, Namrata Chigurupati, 34, was caught red-handed while receiving the consignment from a courier named Balakrishna, who acted as a conduit for Vansh Dhakkar, a Mumbai-based drug supplier. The arrest occurred during a covert operation after authorities tracked suspicious communication related to narcotics distribution via encrypted messaging platforms. The narcotics consignment was being delivered through courier, a method increasingly used by traffickers to evade direct detection. Background and Investigation Namrata Chigurupati was once a prominent figure in Hyderabad’s healthcare sector, having served as the CEO of Omega Hospitals. Her arrest has shocked the medical community and raised questions about the rising trend of drug usage among professionals. Also Read:Youth Found Dead Outside Hyderabad Liquor Shop Sparks Protest The investigation revealed that Chigurupati allegedly coordinated the purchase through WhatsApp and planned to receive the shipment discreetly. Following the delivery, police

New Delhi: After India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar in an interview to Pakistani news channel GeoTV said, “(Army chief) Asim Munir had a huge contribution to ceasefire talks”, along with UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with whom extensive talks were held in the past 24 hours. “We jointly agreed but obviously, these countries were involved. This background diplomacy, WhatsApp diplomacy, has been going on today,” Dar said. He added: “COAS Asim Munir had a huge role to play in the discussions along with PM Shehbaz Sharif.” Dar further added that the ceasefire between Pakistan and India was “full-fledged”, not a partial one and would apply “all across, everywhere”. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said a ceasefire was established between the two neighbours at 1700 hours IST (4:30pm PKT). “The DGMO of Pakistan called DGMO of India at 15:35 hours (3:05pm PKT) earlier this afternoon. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 1700 hours IST (4:30pm PKT),” he said during a press briefing.

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Hi there, It is the job of the press to cover power, not cover for power—to hold those in power accountable by documenting what's happening on the ground and amplifying voices at the grassroots. In this critical moment, as attacks on the media escalate, we must continue to cover crackdowns on dissent, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, public health and academic freedom. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today . Every dollar makes a difference . Thank you so much. Democracy Now! Amy Goodman Non-commercial news needs your support. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. Please do your part today. Donate Headline May 09, 2025 Image Credit: Reuters In California, a federal jury has ordered Israeli spyware firm NSO Group to pay over $167 million in damages for hacking some 1,400 WhatsApp users with Pegasus spyware. The most targeted country in the case, which was

The entire process, from policy identification to payment and receipt generation, takes place within the WhatsApp bot. 09 May 2025, 10:10 PM IST i 09 May 2025, 10:10 PM IST 09 May 2025, 10:10 PM IST LIC introduced an online premium payment facility via a 'WhatsApp bot' on Friday. (File image. Source: NDTV Profit) Life Insurance Corp. of India introduced an online premium payment facility via a 'WhatsApp bot' on Friday, reinforcing its commitment to digital transformation and customer convenience. This new option offers LIC customers an additional way to pay their premiums online. Registered users can access the WhatsApp bot at 8976862090 to check due policies and make payments seamlessly through UPI, net banking, or cards, LIC stated. The entire process, from policy identification to payment and receipt generation, takes place within the WhatsApp bot. LIC Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Siddhartha Mohanty highlighted that this initiative enhances operational ease for customers, allowing them to pay premiums anytime, anywhere via the rapidly growing WhatsApp platform. This option will help to enhance efficiency and productivity, ensuring better services to LIC's customers, he said. LIC's customer portal has over 2.2 crore registered policyholders, with over three lakh customers logging in

Story continues below Advertisement Remove Ad Story continues below Advertisement Meta is set to introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) features as a part of its Meta AI program soon. These features aim to make WhatsApp more user-friendly and efficient. The first feature on the list is the message summarisation tool. Moreover, the messaging platform is also working on a new feature that lets users generate AI-powered chat wallpapers. WhatsApp message summarization: Here’s how it will work

The High Court in England and Wales recently declared that a binding contract (worth nearly a quarter of a million pounds) was formed by texts exchanged over WhatsApp. The dispute related to a demolition contract between developer Jaevee Homes Limited (“the Developer”) and contractor Steve Fincham, trading as Fincham Demolition, (“the Contractor”). While the parties agreed that they contracted for the demolition of Mercy Nightclub in Norwich, they disagreed as to when exactly the contract was formed and, consequently, what payment terms they had agreed. When was the contract formed? The Developer argued that the contract was formed on 26 May 2023 when it sent its standard subcontract to the Contractor by email. The Contractor argued that the contract was actually formed on more favourable terms more than a week earlier on 17 May 2023 by an exchange of texts over WhatsApp. For the Developer, the texts it sent on 17 May 2023 merely confirmed the Contractor had won the tender. The Developer argued that essential terms for a construction contract had not yet been agreed on that date. In particular: the exact identity of the employing party; the duration of the works; the start date for the project; and

Responding to a ruling that spyware maker NSO Group must pay more than USD167 million in damages to Whatsapp, Rebecca White, Amnesty International’s researcher on targeted surveillance, said: “This is a momentous win in the fight against spyware abuse. NSO Group, which develops the notorious and highly invasive Pegasus spyware, has been implicated in severe human rights violations against civil society, including journalists and activists, globally.  “For years, Amnesty International and civil society partners have documented how spyware companies, like NSO Group, have enabled human rights abuses on a massive scale. The surveillance industry has failed to act. We trust that this victory will deter the spyware industry, its investors and its government customers worldwide. We hope this judgement offers some measure of solace to Pegasus’ thousands of victims. Let this be a signal, loud and clear, that change is imminent. Those who misuse spyware to infringe on human rights will be held accountable and cannot act with impunity. We trust that this victory will deter the spyware industry, its investors and its government customers worldwide. Rebecca White, Amnesty International researcher on targeted surveillance “This decision should serve as a wake-up call to governments to take proactive, concrete steps to

ISTANBUL  A US federal jury ordered Israeli spyware company NSO Group to pay more than $167 million in damages for hacking the devices of approximately 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019 using its Pegasus software. The verdict delivered Tuesday after a five-year legal battle includes $167.25 million in punitive damages and $445,000 in compensatory damages to WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta. The US District Court for the Northern District of California rejected NSO Group's claim of sovereign immunity as a private company, finding that the Pegasus spyware exploited vulnerabilities in WhatsApp's platform. The Pegasus tool enabled "zero-click" attacks that could infect devices without any user interaction, a capability governments allegedly used to surveil journalists, dissidents and activists worldwide. Meta hailed the ruling as "the first victory against illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone." "The jury's decision to force NSO to pay damages is a critical deterrent to this malicious industry against their illegal acts aimed at American companies and our users worldwide," it said in a statement. Evidence presented during the trial revealed WhatsApp was not NSO's only target. Meta noted that while it stopped the attack vector that exploited the company’s calling system in 2019