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Jaipur:

It was a crypto currency trail that led intelligence agencies to upper division clerk Vikas Yadav in Nau Sena Bhavan, the naval wing of the Defence Ministry.

Mr Yadav was addicted to online gaming, sources said. A Pakistani woman identified as ‘Priya Sharma’ – clearly a fake name – befriended him on Facebook three years ago after seeing his addiction, and persuaded him into spying for Pakistan. Thereafter, she became her handler.

After that, he switched to communicating with her on WhatsApp and Telegram.

So, how exactly did intelligence operatives find out Mr Yadav, the upper division clerk in the Nau Sena Bhavan, was a spy?

The case goes back to another one linked to a spy, Ravi Prakash Meena, a Rajasthan resident who was arrested in 2022. Mr Meena was a Class 4 employee in the Defence Ministry’s Sena Bhawan. Investigators found that Mr Meena received money through a cryptocurrency channel in return for providing sensitive information like maps to his Pakistani handler.
When intelligence agencies put Mr Meena’s cryptocurrency channel under surveillance, they were led to two more people. One of them was Mr Yadav, the clerk in the Nau Sena Bhawan. They found that Mr Yadav had been getting money from the same cryptocurrency channel as Mr Meena.

Thereafter, intelligence operatives put Mr Yadav under surveillance for over two years before finally arresting him. A large sum of money was being transferred from this cryptocurrency channel to Mr Yadav, who in turn used the money to feed his online gaming addiction.

The intelligence agencies have got four-day custody of Mr Yadav. His mobile phone has been sent to a forensics laboratory.

The police suspect that Mr Yadav was scanning sensitive naval documents and sending them to his Pakistani handler, ‘Priya Sharma’.

The method used by the Pakistani handlers is clear. They looked for clerical staff in the Defence Ministry and either lured them with honeytrap or offered money to give sensitive information.

Intelligence agencies also suspect Mr Yadav gave sensitive information during Operation Sindoor.

New Delhi:

Information from the black boxes recovered from the June 12 Air India plane crash has been successfully downloaded and is being analysed, the government said Thursday afternoon.

The black boxes – a flight data recorder, or FDR, and a cockpit voice recorder, or CVR – were damaged in the crash and there were questions over the recovery of usable data. Last week sources told NDTV the government may send the FDR and CVR to the United States for forensic extraction of data.

However, in a big breakthrough, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has succeeded in safely extracting the Crash Protection Module, or CPM, and the memory module, and downloaded the data.

The government said both boxes – one found on the rooftop of the hostel into which the plane crashed and the other from the debris – were securely transported to the AAIB lab in Delhi on Tuesday.

New Delhi:

Iran will never surrender to the US and any future aggression would come at a great cost, its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today in his first remarks after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The ceasefire followed the US’ targeting of three nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strike at a US base in Qatar.

“The American president indicated in one of his statements that Iran must surrender. Surrender! It is no longer a question of enrichment, nor the nuclear industry, but of the surrender of Iran,” Khamenei said in a televised speech. “Such an event (surrender) will never happen. It will never happen.”
Referring to Iran’s airstrikes on US’s Al Udeid air base in Qatar, Khamenei said, “The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to key US centers in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary is a significant matter. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.” The remarks were posted on X, too. 
“Iran’s enemies use excuses like missiles or our nuclear programme, but they are actually looking for our surrender. Trump has unveiled the truth that the US will only be satisfied with Iran’s surrender. But surrender will never happen, our nation is powerful,” he said. 
Iran, he said, “delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face”. “It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region,” he said.  

New Delhi:

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said he is excited about the scientific tasks that he and the crew will perform for the next 14 days in the International Space Station (ISS). He said he is feeling a bit “lightheaded” but “that is nothing compared to the excitement”.

It was the first time the entire team spoke together since Group Captain Shukla and three other astronauts successfully docked their Dragon spacecraft with the ISS this evening. Visuals beamed from the ISS showed the four astronauts who had just arrived enjoying a healthy drink and laughing.

“I am feeling lightheaded,” the IAF pilot-turned-astronaut said. “But that is not much of an issue compared to the things we will do here for the next 14 days. It is a very proud and exciting moment, a big step in our space journey,” Group Captain Shukla said, flanked by the ISS crew and the three astronauts who came with him – Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, Tibor Kapu of Hungary, and Dr Peggy Whitson of the US.

He reiterated what he said earlier about the tricolour (national flag). “I wear the tricolour on my shoulders with pride.”

Group Captain Shukla’s family along with friends and relatives gathered at the school in Lucknow where he studied and watched the live telecast of the space capsule Dragon’s successful docking at the ISS.

The capsule which is part of the Axiom 4 mission is the fifth and final Dragon in Elon Musk-owned company SpaceX fleet. It was christened “Grace” after reaching orbit.

New Delhi:

Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla wrote a historic new chapter in the country’s space exploration story Thursday after becoming the first Indian to float into the International Space Station.

Live visuals from the ISS showed Shukla, and the other three astronauts on the Crew Dragon capsule, being helped through the vestibule connecting the spacecraft and the ISS. Each had big grins on their face and were welcomed with bear hugs by the seven astronauts already on the ISS.

The four then lined up for a photo op drinking liquids from a foil packet.

The capsule that carried the astronauts – part of Axiom-4, a private mission – docked this evening, completing a 28-hour flight from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre to a point 424km over the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Docking is the procedure by which a spacecraft connects to the space station.

But before that docking can even begin the spacecraft must first rendezvous with the space station, meaning they must both be in the same orbital plane and be positioned close to each other.

Mani Ratnam’s gangster thriller Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan in the lead, is struggling to make the expected impact at the domestic box office. 

What

• The film opened at just half of what Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s recent films have earned on their debut, and has since seen a steady decline in collections.
• On Sunday, its fourth day at the box office, Thug Life collected Rs 6.50 crore in India. 
• This figure is lower than its earnings on Friday and Saturday, which stood at Rs 7.15 crore and Rs 7.75 crore, respectively. 
• The downward trend was first noticeable on Friday, as the film’s earnings dropped to half of its opening day collection of Rs 15.5 crore.
• According to Sacnilk, the film’s total domestic box office collection across all languages after four days stands at Rs 36.90 crore. 
• While it has crossed the Rs 35 crore mark, the number is modest when compared to the performance of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s earlier hits, which earned similar amounts in under two days.

Background 

Kamal Haasan’s last release, the vigilante action film Indian 2, directed by S Shankar, opened to Rs 30.25 crore across all languages and collected Rs 62.5 crore in its first four days. 

Haasan’s 2022 action thriller Vikram, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, had a strong opening of Rs 32.05 crore and entered the Rs 100 crore club within four days of release.

Director Mani Ratnam’s last film, the 2023 period drama Ponniyin Selvan: II, opened at Rs 34 crore and crossed the Rs 100 crore mark over the opening weekend. Its predecessor, Ponniyin Selvan I, also performed well, opening at Rs 28.45 crore and crossing Rs 100 crore within the first four days in 2022.

Celebrity fitness trainer Prashant Sawant’s wedding reception was a blockbuster night. The event marked the arrival of several Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Varun Dhawan and Mrunal Thakur.

Pictures and videos of the star-studded bash have been posted on Instagram. 

In one video, Shah Rukh Khan is seen arriving at the venue, guarded by heavy security. The superstar looks dapper in a black t-shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans. He completed his casual avatar with a grey beanie. SRK also rocks a salt-and-pepper beard.

Abhishek Bachchan, on the other hand, picked out a navy-blue suit. He teamed the crisp fit with a white shirt underneath. Printed glasses elevated his gentlemanly avatar. Here’s a video of the Housefull 5 actor sharing a warm hug with Prashant Sawant before getting inside his car.

Varun Dhawan also made sure to attend his fitness trainer’s big day. He leaned on a grey blazer and matching trousers for the occasion. A basic white shirt underneath sealed his minimal avatar. 

Hours after the tragic Air India plane crash, Vikrant Massey shared a post on his Instagram Stories, revealing that the first operating officer Clive Kunder was his “uncle” Clifford Kunder’s son. As media portals reported the officer as Vikrant’s “cousin”, the 12th Fail actor put up another post, clarifying the speculation. “The Kunder’s are our family friends,” wrote Vikrant Massey. 

What’s Happening

Vikrant Massey shared a post condoling the deaths of 241 people who were on the ill-fated Air India plane.

He mentioned Clive Kunder as his “Uncle’s son” in his post.

After media portals reported the officer as Vikrant’s cousin, the actor shared a new post on his Instagram.

He wrote, “Dear friends in the media and elsewhere, the unfortunately deceased Mr Clive Kunder was NOT my cousin.  The Kunder’s are our family friends. Request no more speculations and let the family and loved ones grieve in peace.

Actor Katrina Kaif has been appointed as the global brand ambassador for Visit Maldives. The announcement was made by the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) recently. 

Mr Ibrahim Shiuree, CEO and MD of Visit Maldives, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Katrina as our Global Brand Ambassador. Her vibrant personality and strong connection with audiences worldwide make her a perfect representative for the Sunny Side of Life, the World’s Leading Destination for the past 5 consecutive years, especially as we start our Summer Sale push in key markets around the world.”

Speaking about her new role as the Sunny Side of Life’s Global Brand Ambassador, Katrina said, “The Maldives represents the pinnacle of luxury and natural beauty – a place where elegance meets tranquillity. I’m honoured to be chosen as the face of the Sunny Side of Life. This collaboration is about bringing the finest travel experiences to global audiences, and I’m excited to help people around the world discover the unique charm and world-class offerings of this extraordinary destination.”

shamed online after glimpses of his performance from an event in Vancouver surfaced online.

However, earlier today, his Race 3 co-star Saajan Singh shared some pictures of the Sikandar actor with her family. These new pictures have Salman Khan looking fitter than ever, with fans gushing over his body.

What’s Happening

• Salman Khan was trolled for looking overweight, a month back when visuals of him performing at a Vancouver event surfaced online.
• A fresh picture of Salman Khan spending time with his Race 3 co-star’s family has gone viral online.
• Fans are in awe of how much fitter Salman looks in a black tee paired with blue denim.
• His leaner frame has caught the attention of his fans who have been flooding social media with positive reactions.

How Fans Reacted

Salman Khan fans never miss an opportunity to hype him up, this time it is to appreciate his leaner frame in the picture that went viral online recently