“If I Can Do Anything To Help…”: Trump On India-Pak Tensions

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 7, 2025 | top-stories

Washington:

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, US President Donald Trump said if he could do anything to help, “I will be there” and wants the escalating conflict between the two countries to “stop”.

“Oh it’s so terrible. My position is I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop and hopefully they can stop now. They have gone tit for tat so hopefully they can stop now. I know them both, we get along with both the countries very well.

“Good relationships with both and I want to see it stop. And If I can do anything to help I will be there,” Trump said in response to a question on the ‘war’ between India and Pakistan.

Earlier, Trump said he hopes that the hostilities will end “very quickly”.

“It’s a shame, he said, adding, “We heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval (Office). I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past.” “They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it,” Trump said.

Asked if he has any message for the countries, he said, “No, I just hope it ends very quickly.” India launched Operation Sindoor early Wednesday hitting nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab in retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said 31 people were killed and 57 others injured in the missile strikes launched shortly after midnight on cities in the Punjab province and PoK, and firing on the Line of Control.

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

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Operation Sindoor Live Updates: 70 Terrorists Killed In 24 Missile Strikes At 9 Terror Camps In Pakistan

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 7, 2025 | top-stories

The government has shared visuals, sourced from Pakistani social media accounts, of ‘Operation Sindoor’ – the tri-services overnight precision strike on nine terrorist camps in Pak and Pak-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were India’s first military response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed at a tourist hotspot.

In one video, a crowd of people, many on bikes, is gathered on a busy road. It is the middle of the night but, on the horizon, there is a large orange glow and smoke can be seen in the distance.

Seconds later, there is a whistling sound and a massive detonation as an Indian missile, possibly either the air-launched, long-range SCALP or the Hammer, a stand-off smart bomb, hits one of its targets. The impact of the strike causes the man filming the video to stagger back.

A large and bright orange fireball follows, sending plumes of acrid smoke mushrooming out in all directions, and people can be heard praying in Arabic and shouting in panic.

Another video is from the dashboard of car as it drives past police check posts.

The driver can be heard conversing with a passenger. And just as one person utters the word ‘bomb’, a second explosion and deadly orange fireball can be seen in the distance.

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Soviet-Era Spacecraft To Reenter Earth After 53 Years In Orbit: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 6, 2025 | top-stories

A former Soviet spacecraft is predicted to crash back to Earth this week. Weighing approximately 453 kg, Kosmos 482 will reenter the planet’s atmosphere around May 10, CNN reported.

Launched in 1972, Kosmos 482 malfunctioned on its way to Venus. An issue with a timer resulted in an early engine shutdown, trapping the Soviet spacecraft in Earth’s orbit for over half a century.

With the aircraft now set to crash down, scientists are unsure which part of it will reenter the Earth. Some think it will be the probe, also known as the “entry capsule.”

The majority of space debris and meteors, which frequently veer toward a crash-landing on Earth, break apart due to friction and pressure as they strike the planet’s dense atmosphere while travelling thousands of miles per hour.

Cosmos 482, being a Soviet reentry capsule, is expected to be equipped with a substantial heat shield. It was designed to survive the extreme temperature and pressure of landing on Venus.

The spacecraft “might well survive Earth atmosphere entry and hit the ground,” wrote Dr. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, on his website.

He added, “The risk of the object hitting people on the ground is likely minimal, and there’s no need for major concern, but you wouldn’t want it bashing you on the head.”

According to scientists, Cosmos 482 may land within 52 degrees north or south of the equator. Even if the area contains a large portion of the ocean, entire countries are still vulnerable to an uncontrolled spacecraft crashing down on their territory.

Since a lot of the Earth is covered by oceans, scientists are optimistic that it will land in water. However, no one is certain about it.

If Cosmos 482 hits dry land, it’s important that onlookers avoid touching the debris. Dangerous fuel leaks or other damage to humans and property might occur from the outdated spaceship.

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“Refined Way Of Hawala Business”: Top Court On Trading In Bitcoin In India

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 5, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday said trading in Bitcoin in India is like “dealing with a refined way of Hawala business” as it lamented that the Centre has till now not come out with a clear regime on regulating virtual currency.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh made the remarks while dealing with a bail application of Shailesh Babulal Bhatt who was arrested by the police for alleged illegal Bitcoin trade.

The bench said that two years back while dealing with a case related to Bitcoin trade it had asked the Centre to apprise the court about the policy regime on the trade of virtual currency but till now it has not received any response.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Bhatt, submitted that trading in Bitcoin is not illegal in India after the top court quashed a circular of the Reserve Bank of India and therefore his client was wrongly arrested.

Justice Surya Kant told Rohatgi that though he personally does not understand much about Bitcoin, but the court has been telling the Centre that if there is a regulatory regime, there will not be any problem.

“All I understand is that there are some genuine Bitcoin and some are fake Bitcoin,” Justice Surya Jant said and told Rohatgi, “You see, trading in Bitcoin in India is like dealing with a refined way of Hawala business. There are no regulations at present.” Rohatgi said that Bitcoin has enormous value and one can walk into a showroom in a foreign country with just one bitcoin and buy a car.

“I checked on Sunday, the value of one Bitcoin was Rs 82 lakh,” Rohatgi said, adding that he too does not understand much about the trade.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Gujarat government and the Enforcement Directorate, said that they would like to file a detailed counter to the bail application as it was not about the bitcoin trade alone.

The top court gave 10 days to the state and the ED to file its response and listed it for hearing on May 19.

Bhatt has claimed that he was arrested by the police on August 14, last year and since then he has been in custody. He had challenged the February 25 order of the Gujarat High Court denying him bail in the case.

In January last year, the Centre informed the top court that it was yet to take a decision on a mechanism to regulate cryptocurrencies and effectively investigate related offences.

On February 25, 2022, the top court asked the Centre to make its stand clear on whether cryptocurrency trade involving bitcoin or any other such currencies is legal in India or not.

The top court was dealing with a case related to the quashing of multiple FIRs registered against an individual for allegedly duping investors across India by inducing them to trade in Bitcoin and assuring them of high returns.

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

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Wife Of Navy Officer Killed In Pahalgam Trolled, Women's Panel Speaks Out

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 5, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken note of the troll storm against Himanshi Narwal, wife of Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Coming out in support of Ms Narwal, whose remarks urging people not to be hostile towards Muslims or Kashmiris have drawn troll attacks, the women’s panel has said it is condemnable and unfortunate that she was being targeted for her opinions.

“Many citizens were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Along with other people, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal was asked about his religion and then shot dead. The whole country is hurt and enraged by this attack. After Lieutenant Vinay Narwal’s death, the way his wife, Himanshi Narwal, is being targeted on social media for a remark is extremely condemnable and unfortunate. Targeting a woman for her opinions or trolling her about her personal life is not acceptable at all,” NCW said in a post on X.

“Any agreement or disagreement must always be expressed decently and within Constitutional boundaries. The National Commission for Women is committed to protecting every woman’s respect and dignity,” the panel said.

NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar posted on X separately that some people may not have liked Ms Narwal’s remarks, but it is not right to troll her for her opinions and target her with personal remarks.

The couple, who were married days before the terror strike, were visiting Kashmir for their honeymoon when the 26-year-old Navy officer was killed along with 26 others in cold blood.

Heartbreaking visuals of Ms Narwal sitting beside the body of her husband, her wedding chooda still on her hands, had shaken the entire nation.

The terror attack triggered angry responses on social media, with a section of people targeting Kashmiris and Muslims. In her first public remarks since the attack, Ms Narwal appealed to the nation not to be hostile towards Muslims or Kashmiris. “I want the entire country to pray for him (Vinay), that wherever he is, he has found peace. That is all I ask,” she said. “There is something else I wish to say. I see hatred growing, directed at Muslims and Kashmiris. We do not want this. We only wish for peace-nothing else,” Ms Narwal said. She also demanded that those behind the attack be brought to justice.

But the appeal for peace drew a wave of abuses directed at the young woman, whose world came crashing down days after her wedding. While some made vile remarks about her personal life, others said she must not get her husband’s pension. Amid the trolling, many people supported her and urged authorities to take note.

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Pak MP From Imran Khan's Party Shares Exit Plan In Case Of War With India

by Hansraj Agrawal | May 4, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

A Pakistani MP from former prime minister Imran Khan’s party has revealed his exit plan in the event of an attack by India.

Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, who is also a lawyer representing Mr Khan in legal cases, was responding to a question by a journalist when he shared his exfil strategy.

The journalist asked the MP from Pakistan’s Lakki Marwat constituency whether he would pick up a gun and go to the frontline if a war with India breaks out.

“If war breaks out, I will go to England,” Mr Marwat replied.

He is also the spokesperson of Mr Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Tension is high between India and Pakistan after terrorists with cross-border linkages killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month.

India has banned all Pakistani visas and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, among other measures, as a response to the neighbouring country’s policy of sending terrorists to attack Indian forces and civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to the Pakistani leader’s comments of fleeing to England, the BJP said Pakistani leaders and citizens do not trust their army, especially at a time when tension with India is rising.

Pakistani ministers have already booked flights to fly out their families from the country if hostilities break out, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari told news agency ANI.

“Pakistan is convinced that it neither has trust in its army nor in its defence capabilities. Pakistani ministers have booked tickets for their families to England and other countries,” Mr Bhandari said.

“There is a consensus in Pakistan that it cannot fight India’s defence capabilities. The people of Pakistan and the entire world think that under the leadership of PM Modi, India is going to give a befitting reply to Pakistan,” he said, referring to buzz that India is planning a strong response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari says, “Pakistan is convinced that it neither has trust in its Army nor in its defence capabilities. Pakistani Ministers have booked tickets for their families to England and other countries. There is a consensus in… pic.twitter.com/E0D6gAprYO

— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2025

India launched an airstrike on a terrorist camp in Pakistan’s Balakot in February 2019 after a Pakistan-linked terrorist killed 40 Indian soldiers in a suicide bomb attack in Pulwama.

In 2016, Indian special forces carried out a surgical strike against targets in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) across the Line of Control in response to the killing of 19 Indian soldiers at an Indian Army camp near Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.

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