“Relations Built On Sensitivities To…”: India On Turkey's Support To Pakistan

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 22, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

In a strong message to Turkey over its support to Pakistan in recent times, the Government of India said on Thursday that New Delhi expects Ankara to encourage Pakistan to address the problem of cross-border terrorism emanating from it.

New Delhi also asked Turkey to dissuade Pakistan from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have harboured for decades.

As ties between India and Turkey have taken a hit with Ankara’s tilt towards Pakistan after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India made it clear that relations between two countries are built on mutual respect and sensitivities of each other’s concerns.

“We expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harbored for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing today.

Turkey’s role in Pakistan’s escalations against India, which started with the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, came under focus during India’s Operation Sindoor response. Besides ideological and moral support to Islamabad, Turkey provided arms and weapons to Pakistan as well.

300-400 drones used by Pakistan in its military escalation against India were mostly provided by Turkey. These drones targeted both military and civilian areas in India. The drones were used to carry out multiple intrusions and violations of Indian airspace along the entire western border – from Leh in Ladakh to Sir Creek in Gujarat – at 36 locations, the government had said in its Op Sindoor press briefing.

In addition to this, Turkey stood in solidarity with Pakistan when India eliminated more than 100 terrorists taking shelter in terror camps destroyed by India in its precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. At the same time, Turkey did not condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by Pakistan-linked terrorists associated with The Resistance Front – an offshoot of the UN-banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Turkey has, for long, backed Pakistan in its invasion and illegal occupation of Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir.

Turkey also indulged in military posturing during Operation Sindoor by sending its warship to Karachi Port, which it called a “routine port call”. Ankara also reportedly sent military aircraft containing arms and weapons to aid Pakistan in its misadventure against India – reports that Trukey has denied, saying the aircraft landed for refuelling purposes.

After India eliminated over 100 terrorists, a note of solidarity sent by Turkish President Erdogan to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that “I pray for Allah’s mercy for our brothers who lost their lives in the attacks, and I extend my condolences to the brotherly people and state of Pakistan.”

Amid growing anti-Turkey sentiments in India, activists and citizens have called for a total boycott of Turkish goods and services in India. People have also urged fellow Indians to avoid Turkey as a holiday destination and appealed to filmmakers to avoid shoots in that country.

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Hacker Steals Data From US Government Through App Used By Trump Aide

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 21, 2025 | top-stories

Quick Read

Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.

A hacker breached TeleMessage, a messaging platform used by U.S. officials, leaking data from over 60 government users, including disaster responders and diplomats. The incident raises cybersecurity concerns, though no sensitive content was confirmed.

Washington:

A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broader swathe of American officials than has previously been reported, according to a Reuters review, potentially raising the stakes of a breach that has already drawn questions about data security in the Trump administration.

Reuters identified more than 60 unique government users of the messaging platform TeleMessage in a cache of leaked data provided by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a U.S. nonprofit whose stated mission is to archive hacked and leaked documents in the public interest. The trove included material from disaster responders, customs officials, several U.S. diplomatic staffers, at least one White House staffer and members of the Secret Service. The messages reviewed by Reuters covered a roughly day-long period of time ending on May 4, and many of them were fragmentary.

Once little known outside government and finance circles, TeleMessage drew media attention after an April 30 Reuters photograph showed Waltz checking TeleMessage’s version of the privacy-focused app Signal during a cabinet meeting.

While Reuters could not verify the entire contents of the TeleMessage trove, in more than half a dozen cases the news agency was able to establish that the phone numbers in the leaked data were correctly attributed to their owners. One of the intercepted texts’ recipients – an applicant for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency – confirmed to Reuters that the leaked message was authentic; a financial services firm whose messages were similarly intercepted also confirmed their authenticity.

Based on its limited review, Reuters uncovered nothing that seemed clearly sensitive and did not uncover chats by Waltz or other cabinet officials. Some chats did seem to bear on the travel plans of senior government officials. One Signal group, “POTUS | ROME-VATICAN | PRESS GC,” appeared to pertain to the logistics of an event at the Vatican. Another appeared to discuss U.S. officials’ trip to Jordan.

Reuters reached out to all the individuals it could identify seeking comment; some confirmed their identities but most didn’t respond or referred questions to their respective agencies.

Reuters could not ascertain how TeleMessage had been used by each agency. The service – which takes versions of popular apps and allows their messages to be archived in line with government rules – has been suspended since May 5, when it went offline “out of an abundance of caution.” TeleMessage’s owner, the Portland, Oregon-based digital communications firm Smarsh, did not respond to requests for comments about the leaked data.

The White House said in a statement that it was “aware of the cyber security incident at Smarsh” but didn’t offer comment on its use of the platform. The State Department didn’t respond to messages. The Secret Service said TeleMessage products had been used “by a small subset of Secret Service employees” and that it was reviewing the situation. FEMA said in an email that it had “no evidence” that its information had been compromised. It didn’t respond when sent copies of internal FEMA messages. A CBP spokesperson repeated a past statement noting that it had disabled TeleMessage and was investigating the breach.

METADATA RISK

Federal contracting data shows that State and DHS have had contracts with TeleMessage in recent years, as has the Centers for Disease Control. A CDC spokesperson told Reuters in an email Monday that the agency piloted the software in 2024 to assess its potential for records management requirements “but found it did not fit our needs.” The status of the other contracts wasn’t clear. A week after that hack, the U.S. cyber defense agency CISA recommended that users “discontinue use of the product” barring any mitigating instructions about how to use the app from Smarsh.

Jake Williams, a former National Security Agency cyber specialist, said that, even if the intercepted text messages were innocuous, the wealth of metadata – the who and when of the leaked conversations and chat groups – posed a counterintelligence risk.

“Even if you don’t have the content, that is a top-tier intelligence access,” said Williams, now vice president of research and development at cybersecurity firm Hunter Strategy.

Waltz’s prior use of Signal created a public furor when he accidentally added a prominent journalist to a Signal chat where he and other Trump cabinet officials were discussing air raids on Yemen in real time. Soon after, Waltz was ousted from his job, although not from the administration: Trump said he was nominating Waltz to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The circumstances surrounding Waltz’s use of TeleMessage haven’t been publicly disclosed and neither he nor the White House has responded to questions about the matter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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'Golden Dome' Missile Shield To Be 1st US Weapon In Space. All About It

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 21, 2025 | top-stories

Washington:

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled new details on his plan for a missile defence system known as “Golden Dome”, which is estimated to cost a total of some $175 billion. The “Golden Dome” will be the first weapon the US puts in space, and it should be operational in about three years, by the end of his time in office, the President said.

Trump said his team has officially finalised the architecture of the futuristic defence system that he announced just days after returning to the White House in January. At the time, the Republican said the system would be aimed at countering “next-generation” aerial threats to the US, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

“In the campaign, I promised the American people I would build a cutting-edge missile defence shield…Today, I am pleased to announce we have officially selected architecture for this state-of-the-art system,” Trump said at the White House.

What Is The Golden Dome System?

The Golden Dome will be a ground- and space-based missile shield system that will detect, track and stop missiles at multiple stages of flight, potentially destroying them before takeoff or intercepting them in mid-air. Calling the new system “very important for the success and even survival” of the United States, Trump said that once fully constructed, it will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space.

Golden Dome has more expansive goals, with Trump saying it “will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.”

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside Trump, said the design for the Golden Dome will integrate with existing ground-based defence capabilities and is aimed at protecting “the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”

How Much Will It Cost?

The system will cost over $500 billion, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. However, Trump has, so far, announced $25 billion in initial funding for the plan, which he said could eventually cost a total of some $175 billion.

When Will It Be Completed?

Trump said the system will be operational in about three years, by the end of his time in office. However, Forbes reported that the cost of the project will be absorbed over 20 years.

Who Will Lead The Project?

Trump said US Space Force General Michael Guetlein will lead the effort. A four-star general, Guetlein had a 30-year career in the Air Force before he joined the Space Force in 2021. He reportedly specialises in missile defence and space systems.

Countries Covered Under the Golden Globe

The System is meant to protect the United States from all kinds of missile or drone attacks, but Trump said that Canada has expressed interest in being part of it as “they want to have protection also.”

Idea Behind The Golden Globe

The plan’s Golden Dome name stems from Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system that has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel’s Iron Dome is designed to counter.

The 2022 Missile Defence Review pointed to growing threats from Russia and China.

Who Opposes The Plan?

Russia and China earlier this month slammed the Golden Dome concept as “deeply destabilising,” saying it risked turning space into a “battlefield.”

It “explicitly provides for a significant strengthening of the arsenal for conducting combat operations in space,” said a statement published by the Kremlin after talks between the two sides.

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Visa Applications By Indians For Turkey, Azerbaijan Drop By 42%: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 20, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

In the wake of recent geopolitical developments that shifted Indian traveler sentiment dramatically, there has been a sharp 42 per cent decline in visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan, a report said on Tuesday.

As both countries publicly expressed support for Pakistan, Indian travelers responded swiftly.

Within just 36 hours, the number of users exiting the visa application process midway surged by 60 per cent, according to data provided by Atlys, a visa processing platform.

“The reaction wasn’t scattered; it was sharp and behavioural. People didn’t need to be told to avoid certain destinations. They simply moved on, guided by instinct, information, and access to alternatives. That’s what modern travel looks like,” said Mohak Nahta, Founder and CEO of Atlys.

In the same spirit, “we also paused all marketing efforts for Turkey and Azerbaijan, standing by India and in solidarity with national sentiment,” he added.

Travelers from metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai showed a 53 per cent drop in Turkey-bound applications, while interest from tier 2 cities such as Indore and Jaipur remained more resilient, falling by only 20 per cent.

There was also a shift in the kind of travelers rethinking their plans.

Group visa requests, including family trips, fell by nearly 49 per cent, while solo and couple applications declined more gradually at 27 per cent.

This suggests that larger group travelers, often planning further in advance and more sensitive to political sentiment, reacted more decisively than individual travelers.

Atlys data also revealed early signals around age and intent. Travellers aged 25 to 34 were the most likely to change course quickly, accounting for over 70 per cent of mid-process application drop-offs for Turkey.

Interestingly, women travellers were more likely to switch destinations entirely, with a 2.3 times higher tendency to reinitiate applications for Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, or Thailand.

As Turkey and Azerbaijan lost favour, alternate destinations surged in popularity. In the subsequent days, applications to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Egypt rose by up to 31 per cent, the data showed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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“Who Are Bigger Sharks”: Vice President On Delay In FIR In Judge Cash Row

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 19, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar dwelt at length on the finding of cash at the premises of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, pushing for a police investigation and a relook at the Supreme Court judgment that ruled prior sanction be required to prosecute judges of the high court and the Supreme Court.

Speaking at a book release function, he said the move of the three-judge in-house committee probing the case to recover electronic equipment from witnesses as a “serious issue” and questioned how it could have been done.

“The entire nation was worried. An incident took place on the night intervening 14th and 15th of March. A nation of 1.4 billion did not come to know about it. Till after a week. Just imagine how many such other incidents may have taken place of which we are not in the know… every such transgression of integrity impacts common man, impacts those who believe in rule of law… therefore we have to be unsparing about it,” he said.

The Vice President said the people were questioning how criminal justice system “was not operationalised as it would have done for every other individual”. Only the President of India and the Governors are exempt from a police investigation, he said, and that too only while they hold office.

“This issue for which people are waiting with bated breath, the money trail, its source, its purpose… Did it pollute the judicial system? Who are the bigger sharks? We need to find out. Already two months have gone by,” he said.

The Supreme Court, he said, has done what it could under then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. But it has a “legacy issue” of judgments imparted in 1990s and “now is the time to take a call”.

Unaccounted case was found from a store-room in near the gate of the bungalow of Delhi High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma in March. The money was found by firefighters called to put out a blaze during the Holi break of the court.

Following this, the Supreme Court Collegium decided to transfer Justice Varma back to his parent court — the Allahabad High Court. Despite Justice Khanna taking a dim view of the matter, the judge has not resigned.

Mr Dhankar stressed there is a need to revisit the Supreme Court judgment of 1991 in the case of K Veeraswami vs Union of India, which established the mechanism for the in-house probe. The judgment provides cover and immunity to judges but it can, in cases like Justice Varma, become a liability to the judiciary and erode the people’s confidence in the law.

Emphasizing on the significance of rule of law in a democracy – “the very foundation of society” — the Vice-President said the “surest way to degenerate an individual or bring down an Institution is to keep it away from probe, keep it away from scrutiny”.

To nurture democracy, “it is inescapable that we hold every institution and every individual accountable,” he added.

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Former US President Joe Biden Diagnosed With Aggressive Prostate Cancer

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 19, 2025 | top-stories

Washington:

United States’ former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, the Democrat’s office announced on Sunday. The press statement said the Democratic leader was diagnosed with the disease after he experienced urinary symptoms, and a prostate nodule was found. Now, the Biden family was reviewing options for possible treatment plans.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement said.

The 82-year-old leader’s son, Beau Biden, also died of cancer in 2015. According to the statement, Biden’s cancer was found to have “a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5).”

Prostate cancer that looks “very abnormal” is assigned the highest rating, Grade 5, according to the American Cancer Society. The Gleason Score goes up to 10, indicating the seriousness of Biden’s disease.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with the American Cancer Society reporting that one in eight men in the United States is diagnosed with it over their lifetime. While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the organisation said.

Old Colleagues React

US President Donald Trump, who has long derided political rival Biden over his cognitive abilities, said he was “saddened” by the news.

“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Republican Trump said on Truth Social, referring to Biden’s wife, Jill Biden.

“Joe is a fighter,” Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, who stepped in as Democratic nominee in the battle against Trump after Biden dropped out of last year’s presidential election, said in a post on X.

“I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery,” she continued.

Former President Barak Obama also wished for Biden’s full recovery in a message on X. “Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery,” he wrote.

Biden was forced to drop his reelection bid in July last year after a disastrous debate against Trump, which led to chatter about his declining health and cognitive abilities. This shifted the support towards Harris as she stepped up to the plate, but she eventually lost to Trump.

Biden, who beat Trump at the polls in 2020, has maintained that he could have won the 2024 election too, but questions have long swirled over the responses of staff and key Democrats to his decline.

They have flared with the upcoming release of a new book on his “disastrous” choice to run again, and the publication last week of a recording of him speaking hesitantly and struggling to recall key events and dates.

Old Remark Surfaces

Amid his diagnosis, Biden’s old remark from 2022 on having cancer surfaced on Sunday. Back then, speaking from a former coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts, Biden said he had cancer.

“And guess what? The first frost, you knew what was happening. You had to put on your windshield wipers to get, literally, the oil slick off the window. That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up (with) have cancer and why can — for the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation,” he had said.

Biden says that his mother using windshield wipers to “get literally the oil slick off the window” is “why I and so damn many other people have cancer.” pic.twitter.com/YIoBlZadRJ

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 20, 2022

The comment soon raised concerns, following which the White House clarified that the then-President was referring to his skin cancer that was removed before he became president.

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