Russia is paying schoolgirls to have babies. Why is pronatalism on rise around world?
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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Cuddalore medical student in Russia says he's being forced to fight in Ukraine; family seeks Centre's help
The last time Kishore Saravanan's family heard from him was when he sent them a frantic voice message about being forcibly sent to the warfront in Ukraine. The 22-year-old from Palayamkottai in Cuddalore district had gone to Russia to pursue MBBS. He was previously arrested by the Russian police in 2023 in an alleged drug case, according to his family. Kishore's father, J. Saravanan, said his son had sent a voice message on July 12, saying the Russian government had forcibly enlisted him to fight against Ukraine. 'I could not contact him on his phone, and his friends informed me that he was taken away by the Russian police. Though my son refused to join the Russian army, he was beaten and forced to sign a few documents. He was also given a Russian identity card and passport,' Mr. Saravanan told The Hindu. Kishore's family has urged the Union government to ensure his safe return. 'Kishore was reportedly given training for 10 days, and is now being taken to the conflict zone. Though we contacted the Indian Embassy in Russia seeking assistance, there has been no response,' Mr. Saravanan said. He said Kishore, a third-year MBBS student at Volgograd State Medical University, was arrested on May 4, 2023. 'Kishore worked part-time in an online parcel service company, and was arrested with his Indian roommate and two Russians by after drugs were found in a parcel meant for delivery. The police were trying to force him to confess to the crime, but he refused to do so. We can't contact him now, and there is no information on his whereabouts. We don't know whether he is still alive or not,' he said. When contacted, Cuddalore Collector Sibi Adhithya Senthil Kumar said the State government had escalated the issue, and the Ministry of External Affairs was in touch with the Indian Embassy. There had been no update so far, he said. VCK president and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene and ensure Kishore's safe return. MDMK principal secretary and Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko also sought the Centre's intervention. In a letter to Mr. Jaishankar, Mr. Vaiko urged him to take up the issue with the Russian government at the highest level.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Russian threat and why US moved nuclear bombs to UK
The United States has likely redeployed B61‑12 nuclear bombs to the UK, marking the first such move since 2008. Analysts say the deployment is a strategic response to increasing Russian threats and reinforces NATO's deterrence posture in Europe. RAF Lakenheath is now a key site for the upgraded nuclear mission. US responds to Russian threat with UK nuclear deployment Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads B61‑12 bombs likely delivered to boost NATO deterrent Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads For the first time in over 15 years, the US has likely moved nuclear weapons to the UK in a pre-emptive action expecting a Russian threat, according to open-source data and military/defence US Air Force, on July 16, in a rare display of upholding NATO authority emitted signals through its transponder from its C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, which flew from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, like the B62-12 which hold thermonuclear gravity potential, possesses a capacity with yields which range from 0.3 to 50 response to Russia's advantage in non-strategic nuclear weapons, these bombs have been made compatible with even fifth-generation aircrafts like the F-35A Lightning II jets, which the UK recently wanted to have risen by defense officials and analysts that this is a turning point in NATO's posture with regards to nuclear engagement/ Russia has not yet placed any direct conventional military threat to the United Kingdom, British officials are remaining alert to indirect risks posed by fear started since 2022, with Russian President Vladimir Putin issuing nuclear warnings to NATO countries in defence to a possible NATO UK is feared as a good target for the Russians as it has been one of the most vocal supporters and the leading contributor for military aid in Ukraine, which caught Kremlin's attention and were responded to by indirect threats include , British intelligence agencies reporting an increased amount of cyber intrusions which target important infrastructure of the nation, and disinformation campaigns made Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter were targeted in 2018 by the UK government after British intelligence found evidence of Skripal using chemical-grade weapons in attack had widely strained UK's relations with the UK, as authorities in Britain directly blamed Russian involvement, prompting other Western nations to conduct a coordinated removal of Russian officials within Western this, British security agencies such as MI5 have continuously warned of different means of Russian espionage with alleged incidents of surveying political dissidents, attempts made by Russians to rise its influence in UK academia, and other important institutions, and finally cyber operations which targeted important government led to the increased expenditure and rise in security in the UK, with investments also made at counter-intelligence to protect Britain's national the US Air Force deploying thermonuclear gravity bombs like the B61-12, in UK, shows pre-emptive action taken by the UK and its documents from the U.S. Department of Defense reveal that multi-million-dollar upgrades have been underway at RAF Lakenheath for several years. These include enhancements to 'surety' facilities, the term used to describe nuclear weapon security and handling infrastructure. Such developments suggest long-term planning and a permanent return of a nuclear mission to the a significant signal of increased threats, the Royal Air Force of the UK has reintroduced its nuclear mission after stopping air-launched nuclear weapons since the COld UK has also called for other Western nations and allies to join in making supporting infrastructure supporting NATO's nuclear deterrence.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
Cyberattack on Russian airline Aeroflot causes the cancellation of more than 100 flights
A cyberattack on Russian state-owned flagship carrier Aeroflot caused a mass outage to the company's computer systems on Monday, Russia's prosecutor's office said, forcing the airline to cancel more than 100 flights and delay others. Ukrainian hacker group Silent Crow and Belarusian hacker activist group the Belarus Cyber-Partisans, which opposes the rule of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, claimed responsibility for the cyberattack. It is one of the most disruptive cyberattacks to hit Russia since the start of the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Previous attacks have targeted Russian government websites and other major Russian companies — noteably the state-owned Russian Railways — but normal services have resumed within hours. Images shared on social media showed hundreds of delayed passengers crowding Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where Aeroflot is based. The outage also disrupted flights operated by Aeroflot's subsidiaries, Rossiya and Pobeda. While most of the flights affected were domestic, the disruption also led to cancellations for some international flights to Belarus, Armenia and Uzbekistan. In a statement released early Monday, Aeroflot warned passengers that the company's information technology system was experiencing unspecified difficulties and that disruption could follow. Russia's Prosecutor's Office later confirmed that a cyberattack had caused the outage and that it had opened a criminal investigation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called reports of the cyberattack 'quite alarming,' adding that "the hacker threat is a threat that remains for all large companies providing services to the general public.' Silent Crow claimed it had accessed Aeroflot's corporate network for a year, copying customer and internal data, including audio recordings of phone calls, data from the company's own surveillance on employees and other intercepted communications. 'All of these resources are now inaccessible or destroyed and restoring them will possibly require tens of millions of dollars. The damage is strategic,' the channel purporting to be the Silent Crow group wrote on Telegram. There was no way to independently verify its claims. The same channel also shared screenshots that appeared to show Aeroflot's internal IT systems, and insinuated that Silent Crow could begin sharing the data it had seized in the coming days. 'The personal data of all Russians who have ever flown with Aeroflot have now also gone on a trip — albeit without luggage and to the same destination,' it said. The Belarus Cyber-Partisans told The Associated Press that they had hoped to 'deliver a crushing blow.' The group has previously claimed responsibility for a number of cyberattacks, and said in April 2024 that they had been able to infiltrate the network of Belarus' main KGB security agency. 'This is a very large-scale attack and one of the most painful in terms of consequences,' group coordinator Yuliana Shametavets said. She said that the group had been preparing the attack for several months, and were able to penetrate the Aeroflot network by exploiting various vulnerabilities. Belarus is a close ally of Russia. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for more than 30 years and has relied on Russian subsidies and support, allowed Russia to use his country's territory to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and to deploy some of Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia's airports have repeatedly faced mass delays over the summer as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks, with flights grounded amid safety concerns.
