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Raj employeedetained onsuspicion ofspying for ISI

Raj employeedetained onsuspicion ofspying for ISI

Time of India28-05-2025
Jaisalmer: A state govt employee was detained Wednesday in Rajasthan on suspicion of spying for Pakistan's spy agency ISI amid a widening crackdown on espionage networks across the country after Op Sindoor.
Sakur Khan Mangaliyar, employed with the state's employment department, was picked up by a joint team of CID and intelligence agencies from his office in Jaisalmer. Mangaliyar is expected to be transferred to Jaipur for further questioning. Authorities are also probing a suspected connection between Mangaliyar and a senior Congress politician from the border region.
Security agencies have withheld comment on political links.
Sources said Mangaliyar served as a personal assistant to a Congress functionary during the previous Congress-led state govt.
Mangaliyar, a resident of Mangaliya's Dhani in Baroda village near the Pakistan border, had been under surveillance for several weeks. Investigators found multiple Pakistani phone numbers in his mobile device and reported that he could not provide credible explanations. He also admitted to traveling to Pakistan at least seven times in recent years, raising further concerns.
SP Sudhir Chaudhary said the inquiry began following alerts from "higher headquarters" over suspicious activities. "We are verifying all facts and conducting an inquiry," he added.
Though no military-related photos or videos were found on his phone, officials said several files had been deleted. Two bank accounts under his name are currently under scrutiny. Intelligence sources revealed possible links between Mangaliyar and an official in Pakistan's embassy, suggesting coordination with ISI handlers.
His detention follows a string of arrests across Punjab and Haryana connected to spying for Pakistan. Since May 7, when India launched Op Sindoor in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, at least seven suspects have been arrested in espionage-related cases in the two states.
Among them is Hisar-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, accused of passing sensitive data to Pakistani handlers. On May 11, Punjab police arrested two people in Malerkotla. Haryana police detained two on May 13 and May 15. Two people working inside Bathinda military station were held on May 7 and May 14 on similar charges.
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"Congress showing double standards on Aadhaar issue": BJP's Sambit Patra after Supreme Court verdict on SIR
"Congress showing double standards on Aadhaar issue": BJP's Sambit Patra after Supreme Court verdict on SIR

India Gazette

time35 minutes ago

  • India Gazette

"Congress showing double standards on Aadhaar issue": BJP's Sambit Patra after Supreme Court verdict on SIR

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress and Opposition parties of hypocrisy, stating they earlier opposed Aadhaar-voter ID linkage but are now demanding its inclusion. He said this shift exposes their 'double standards' on Aadhaar's role in electoral reforms. Speaking to ANI, Patra said, 'The way the Opposition and the Congress are opposing the Aadhar Card, it shows their double standards. When PM Modi spoke about Aadhaar in the Parliament and said that if there are to be no middlemen, then Aadhaar is required... The Opposition and the Congress spoke against the PM.' 'In 2022, when the government decided to link Aadhaar with the voter card, Congress took the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing that Aadhaar is solely for identification purposes and that linking it with the voter card was inappropriate. Today, they are saying that voting rights and citizenship should be decided based on Aadhaar. This reflects the double standards of the Congress,' he added. Reacting to the same court order, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh stated that the Election Commission of India's (ECI) 'spin' on 'no stay' being given has been clearly 'exposed' by the Supreme Court. Ramesh, the General Secretary in charge of Communications for Congress, posted a picture of the order on X, stating that Page 7 of the order clearly indicated that any requested no stay of the petitioners. He then said that deliberately 'misleading' headline management does not befit a Constitutional authority. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed the top court's decision while hitting out at 'ECI sources' for misrepresenting the court's order. He criticised the claims made by EC sources that the constitutional body accepts Aadhar as per page 16 of the Special Intensive Revision, while also informing about the EPIC number being 'pre-printed' on the enumeration forms being meted out. On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar. 'We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay,' the bench stated in its order. In its order, the top court noted that the timeline for the process is very short since elections in Bihar are due in November. The apex court posted for hearing on July 28 the pleas challenging ECI's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and asked the poll panel to file its affidavit within one week. During the hearing, the bench opined that Aadhaar should be included within the list of documents permissible as an ID proof. The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct the SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The petitions challenging the ECI decision were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid petitions sought a direction to quash the ECI's June 24 directive, which requires large sections of voters in Bihar to submit proof of citizenship to remain on the electoral rolls. The petition also raised concerns over the exclusion of widely held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards, stating that this would disproportionately affect the poor and marginalised voters, especially in rural Bihar. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed the top court's decision while hitting out at 'ECI sources' for misrepresenting the court's order. He criticised the claims made by EC sources that the constitutional body accepts Aadhar as per page 16 of the Special Intensive Revision, while also informing about the EPIC number being 'pre-printed' on the enumeration forms being meted out. (ANI)

As Truth Social business struggles, Trump Media goes big on crypto
As Truth Social business struggles, Trump Media goes big on crypto

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

As Truth Social business struggles, Trump Media goes big on crypto

Trump has no official position at Trump Media and does not advise it on corporate policy. But he is the company's largest shareholder, and he and his family have become big crypto boosters over the past year. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Donald Trump has reinvented himself many times over, going from real estate developer to TV personality to world his social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, which is the parent of the president's Truth Social site, is undergoing its own metamorphosis, becoming a major player in the crypto just the past few months, Trump Media has raised $2.5 billion in cash to invest in bitcoin and is working to bring crypto-related exchange traded funds, or ETFs, to has no official position at Trump Media and does not advise it on corporate policy. But he is the company's largest shareholder, and he and his family have become big crypto boosters over the past pivot to crypto highlights the reality of one of the president's highest-profile business interests. Truth Social may serve as Trump's online megaphone, which he uses to attack his enemies, praise his allies and announce executive orders, tariffs and ceasefires. But the 3-year-old social media platform has struggled to generate advertising has made Trump Media, which went public in March 2024, a consistently money-losing company, and its stock has been shedding value since its debut. This year, shares of Trump Media are down 43%.In June, Truth Social had a bit of a moment. Trump amassed more than 10 million followers. And the platform saw a big surge in daily visitors, according to Similarweb, a digital market intelligence Truth Social is still small compared with X, the social platform owned by Elon Musk, Trump's billionaire 80% of the traffic last month to Truth Social's website was to view the comments from the president, according to is one reason Trump Media has struggled to expand its user base and attract advertisers beyond those selling products geared to Trump's base. The Florida-based company with just 29 employees has also never made a big commitment to selling ads and has just a few people on staff charged with that Media incurred a $31 million net loss in the first quarter of this year and has yet to post a profit since going Devine, a Trump Media spokesperson, said, "The New York Times, in a typical partisan and brainless hit piece that reads like it was written by an AI chatbot, fails to note that Trump Media is rigorously fulfilling our plan: build up our core infrastructure, then expand throughout the patriot economy -- while amassing around $3 billion in liquid assets."The company's move into bitcoin has been fast and April, Trump Media entered into a four-year partnership with a Singaporean-based cryptocurrency exchange, to launch at least three ETFs, which are slated to trade on the New York Stock ETF is an investment fund that invests in a particular asset -- stocks, bonds, gold or crypto -- and trades like a stock. New ETFs normally need to be approved by the Securities and Exchange year's end, investors may be able to buy and sell shares of Truth Social Bitcoin ETF and Truth Social Bitcoin Ethereum ETF. (Ethereum is the platform behind the second-most-popular digital asset after bitcoin.) On Tuesday, the company filed for a blended crypto ETF called Truth Social Crypto Blue Chip ETF, which will invest in five different crypto Media is just licensing the Truth Social name to promote the securities, according to a company regulatory filing. The filing does not disclose any information about financial remuneration to Trump filing also says any marketing information for the ETFs will carry a disclaimer that says Trump Media does not take a position "regarding the advisability of investing in this fund."Trump Media will be competing with about a dozen other bitcoin-focused ETFs, including one sponsored by iShares, a division of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm."My guess is they look to compete based on the Trump name," said Bryan Armour, the director of ETF research with Morningstar, an investment research firm. "There's not much to distinguish them."In May, Trump Media said it had raised $2.5 billion to invest in bitcoin by selling stocks and bonds to dozens of hedge funds and the Wall Street trading firm Jane Street Capital. The deal could eventually make Trump Media the fourth-largest public company to hold bitcoin in the world."Trump's connections have likely played a critical role in securing such significant funding," said Vetle Lunde , the head of research for K33, a crypto firm. "This development further entangles Trump's financial interests with the crypto sector."Trump has drawn criticism over his family's deepening involvement with the crypto industry and the light-touch regulatory approach to digital assets adopted by his administration. One of his first steps as president was to signal his strong support for crypto and to rein in the companies donated nearly $18 million to Trump's inaugural committee. The corporate parent of for instance, gave $1 million to the inaugural in March, said the SEC had notified it that an investigation into the platform's activities had been closed. In all, the SEC has dismissed or closed about a dozen matters involving crypto companies since Trump was sworn into representatives did not return requests for comment."The concern you come back to with all Trump products are whether they are being used as a way to curry favor with the administration," said Hilary Allena professor of law at the American University Washington College of Law who has specialized in crypto 115 million shares are worth about $2 billion -- though at the stock's peak his stake was worth nearly $6 billion. Trump's shares are held in a trust managed by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is a Trump Media board member and crypto proponent himself."President Trump's assets are in a trust managed by his children," said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson. "There are no conflicts of interest."Some individual investors in Trump Media and regular Truth Social users are open to seeing if the shift to crypto Nedohin, a part-time pastor who has been one of Trump Media's biggest proponents, said he had personal and religious objections to crypto, which he said had a "scammy culture." But he recognizes the company needs to do something to make money and enable Truth Social to survive."Social media is not actually a profitable business," said Nedohin, who started a popular message board on Truth Social that was focused on the company's prospects. "This administration is extremely pro-cryptocurrency, and thus bitcoin is likely to rise significantly during President Trump's term."Greg Bowden, a supporter of Trump and a day trader, said he had bought and sold Trump Media shares on and off over the past year. 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Pakistan, China propaganda fails as this neighbouring country of India is set to deploy biggest Rafale fighter jet fleet; deal is.., it is...
Pakistan, China propaganda fails as this neighbouring country of India is set to deploy biggest Rafale fighter jet fleet; deal is.., it is...

India.com

timean hour ago

  • India.com

Pakistan, China propaganda fails as this neighbouring country of India is set to deploy biggest Rafale fighter jet fleet; deal is.., it is...

Though China has been making strides in the technological sector, it has always been nervous about India's Rafale jets. In May this year, during a military confrontation with Pakistan, India's Rafales demonstrated superiority over the weapons the Pakistani army used, which were made in China. Despite the presence of Chinese-made air defense systems, the Indian Air Force operated in Pakistani airspace and struck important military targets. Now, with India preparing to field the largest Rafale fleet in the region next to China, China's concerns are only going to increase. Indonesia is poised to formally finalize an expanded defense deal with France, which will see it acquire 24 more Rafale multirole fighter jets. This is expected to change the strategic power balance in Southeast Asia over the next decade. The significance of this deal is further bolstered by the fact that, despite extensive propaganda by China and Pakistan against the Rafale, Indonesia has placed its confidence in the jet, underscoring the aircraft's importance in reference to defense planning in the region. According to defense sources quoted by the French media outlet La Tribune, 'Indonesia is no longer seeking a dozen Rafales, but rather 24 fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation.' Furthermore, it added that the contract might be signed during the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Paris. It is reported that the Indonesian President will be France's guest of honor on July 14, on the Bastille Day celebrations. As per Eurasian Times, several other key defence contracts are likely to be signed during the Paris visit. This includes a deal for two Scorpène submarines, up to 36 Caesar self-propelled guns, and light frigates. Indonesia is an important defense partner for France in Southeast Asia. Historically dependent on Russian military equipment, Jakarta has been seeking to diversify its defense suppliers and, in this process, is increasingly looking to France. The defense relationship between Indonesia and France formally began in 2022 when Indonesia signed a contract worth US$8.1 billion to purchase 42 Rafale jets. Subsequently, Jakarta announced plans to buy 13 long-range air surveillance radars from France's Thales in 2023, then purchase two 'Scorpene' submarines from the French state shipbuilder Naval Group in 2024. This was also the start of a new chapter in Indonesia's defense procurement, showing a clear preference for French equipment. Indonesia has not yet received its first Rafale fighter aircraft. Mohamad Tonny Harjono, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, said in February that the six aircraft would arrive in Indonesia during the first half of 2026. The contract will be delivered in three phases of acquisition of 6, 18, and 18. If the purchase of 24 more Rafales is completed, Indonesia would become the first foreign customer for the French-made fighter since the May India-Pakistan conflict, during which Pakistan claimed to shoot down five Indian jets with its Chinese-made J-10CE and JF-17 fighters specifically three Rafales. To add nuance to the story, it is also worth noting that while the Indian Air Force (IAF) also acknowledged combat losses to Pakistan in the brief four-day war, it has, however, not published the number of aircraft lost or any information regarding the type of aircraft lost.

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