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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US complicity in Israel's strike on Iran exposed by high pizza deliveries and a quiet gay bar near Pentagon
On the evening of June 13, 2025, as Israel launched a sweeping and secretive airstrike against Iran's nuclear and military sites, a curious pattern emerged thousands of miles away in Washington, D.C. Near the Pentagon - the heart of U.S. defense and intelligence operations - pizza deliveries surged dramatically, a phenomenon known as the Pentagon Pizza Index . This quirky yet historically consistent indicator has long been associated with looming military crises, and it once again signaled that something major was underway. Adding an intriguing social dimension to this pattern, observers noted an unusual drop in patronage at Freddie's Beach Bar, the closest gay bar to the Pentagon, which experienced an abnormally quiet night on June 13. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo While pizza joints buzzed with activity, the bar's silence suggested that Pentagon staff and intelligence operatives were working late into the night, leaving little time for social outings. This inverse relationship—spikes in pizza orders coupled with diminished nightlife—has become part of the evolving Pentagon Pizza narrative, reflecting the intense operational tempo inside the military headquarters. But can such seemingly trivial parameters as pizza deliveries and local nightlife truly be trusted as early warning signs? Historical evidence suggests they might be more than coincidence. Live Events The pentagon pizza index: From cold war origins to digital age The Pentagon Pizza Index traces back to Cold War-era observations when Soviet intelligence reportedly monitored pizza deliveries in Washington, interpreting surges as signs of American crisis preparation. The term 'Pizzint' (pizza intelligence) was coined to describe this tactic. A famous early example occurred on August 1, 1990, when Domino's franchise owner Frank Meeks noticed a sudden spike in pizza orders to CIA buildings—the very night before Iraq invaded Kuwait and triggered the Gulf War . Since then, the pattern has repeated during significant events such as the U.S. invasion of Panama and President Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings. In recent years, the index has been tracked through open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools, including Google Maps real-time data and social media accounts like 'Pentagon Pizza Report' on X (formerly Twitter), which flagged a surge in pizza orders near the Pentagon just hours before Israel's June 13 strike on Iran. The climax: US awareness of Israel's strike While the Pentagon Pizza Index and social venue activity provided indirect but telling clues of escalating tension, the most consequential revelation came from official sources: the United States was aware of Israel's planned strike on Iran before it occurred. According to multiple reports, including statements from senior U.S. officials and President Donald Trump , Washington had been informed by Israel in advance and closely monitored the operation. However, the Trump administration emphasized that it did not participate in the strikes, maintaining that Israel acted independently, though the U.S. continued to assist Israel defensively by helping intercept Iranian missile retaliations. Senator Marco Rubio stated that Israel viewed the attack as an act of self-defense and had informed the U.S. accordingly. The White House reiterated that its priority was protecting American forces in the region, signaling a delicate balance between tacit approval and official non-involvement. This knowledge contextualizes the Pentagon Pizza Index surge and the quiet at Freddie's Beach Bar as actual parameters reflecting the Pentagon's heightened alertness and operational readiness in response to a known, imminent military escalation.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indices declines 0.7% amid rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions
Mumbai: India's equity indices ended 0.7% lower on Friday after falling as much as 1.6% earlier in the day after Israel's strikes on Iran raised fears of supply disruption of crude oil and a wider conflict in the Middle East. Brent Crude Futures jumped over 7% to $74.6 per barrel on Friday. Analysts said the underlying bullish undertone helped the market cut a portion of its losses in Friday's trading session. "Despite the bearish news flows, the decline in the market was limited as benchmark Nifty held the key support level of 24,460 and recovered the losses made in the early trading session," said Akshay Chinchalkar, head of research, Axis Securities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo The NSE Nifty fell 0.7%, or 169.60 points, to finish at 24,718.60. The BSE Sensex moved 0.7%, or 573.38 points, lower at 81,118.60. Both indices declined by over 1% each in the past five trading sessions. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Israel has launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear programme and military leaders. The event sent oil prices soaring on worries that an escalation could disrupt supplies from the oil-rich region. Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers. Brent crude has surged about 14% in the past two days. At home, the Volatility Index or VIX-the market's fear gauge-gained 7.6% to 15.08 on Friday, indicating traders expect higher risks in the near term. Live Events Agencies Analysts do not expect a bigger slide unless key support levels of 24,450-24,500 are breached. "Till the support levels are intact, any declines are expected to be bought into," said Ruchit Jain, vice president- head, technical research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services . "Nifty is likely to witness time-wise correction and struggle to move above 25,000 to 25,200 levels." The Nifty Mid-cap 150 and the Small-cap 250 indices declined 0.4% each. In the past week, the mid-cap index shed 1.2% while the small-cap index fell 0.44%. Out of the 4,122 shares traded on the BSE, 1,401 advanced, while 2,595 declined. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net of ₹3,831 crore on Friday. Their domestic counterparts sold shares worth ₹9,394 crore. In June, overseas investors sold shares worth ₹5,079.8 crore.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Venice wedding plans hit a wall — locals protest, aren't rolling out the red carpet
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez may have envisioned a lavish wedding in Venice, but the locals have different plans. While celebrities prepare to celebrate, Venetians express their dissatisfaction loudly and publicly. The couple's flashy event has sparked a growing citywide protest. Why are locals protesting the wedding? Locals in Venice are protesting Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's extravagant wedding, calling it disruptive in the midst of the city's ongoing struggle with overtourism. Posters criticizing the Sanchezos' wedding are all over the town, and one even threw a huge red X over his name from the ancient bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore Church in Venice. The Venetians aren't holding back. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo Locals are publicly criticizing the billionaire's ostentatious three-day wedding takeover of their city with their "No Space for Bezos" posters. Posters have appeared throughout the city. ALSO READ: Donald Trump's birthday military parade to be cancelled? Reports suggest a strong possibility - all updates Live Events Is the backlash really about Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez? "There is nothing personal against the couple," one of the organizers of the anti-Bezos demonstration stated. The anti-Bezos campaign's Alice Bazzoli claims that while Bezos is not personally affected, his extravagant wedding is just one more setback for the residents of Venice, who are already dealing with the daily chaos caused by tourists, as per a report by TMZ. Bezos and Sanchez are not backing down after months of prep, but their wedding will likely have more side-eyes than champagne toasts. Though the couple is undeterred, it is clear that their wedding will not win over everyone. FAQs Why are Venetians upset about Bezos' wedding? Locals say it's not personal; they're just tired of tourists and extravagant events overpowering the city. Will the wedding still take place in Venice? Yes, despite the protests, Bezos and Sanchez are not changing their plans.
Time of India
a day ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Stock market update: Nifty Auto index falls 0.99% in a weak market
NEW DELHI: The Nifty Auto index traded negative around 11:18AM(IST)on Friday in a weak market. were among the top gainers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo Exide Industries Ltd.(down 2.0 per cent), Hero MotoCorp Ltd.(down 1.69 per cent), Bajaj Auto Ltd.(down 1.6 per cent), Eicher Motors Ltd.(down 1.44 per cent) and Samvardhana Motherson International Ltd.(down 1.25 per cent) were the top losers on the index. The Nifty Auto index was down 0.99 per cent at 23179.45 at the time of writing this report. Benchmark NSE Nifty50 index was down 237.96 points at 24650.25, while the BSE Sensex was down 811.88 points at 80880.1. Live Events Among the 50 stocks in the Nifty index, 6 were trading in the green, while 44 were in the red. Shares of Vodafone Idea, RattanIndia Power, Reliance Power, Suzlon Energy and YES Bank were among the most traded shares on the NSE. Shares of DB Realty, Oswal Agro Mill, Force Motors, Karur Vysya Bank and Scoda Tubes hit their fresh 52-week highs in today's trade, while Shree Ram Proteins, Lasa Supergenerics, Bluspring Enterprises Ltd., Keerti Knowledge and Schloss Bangalore hit fresh 52-week lows in trade.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel strikes key Iranian nuclear sites: What we know about Natanz, Fordo, and others
Israel launched a major attack on Iran , drawing their long-running shadow war into the open conflict in a way that could spiral into a wider, more dangerous regional war. The strikes early Friday set off explosions in the capital of Tehran as Israel said it was targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Iranian state media reported that the leader of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and two top nuclear scientists had been killed. Israel's attack comes as tensions have escalated over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo The Trump administration revived efforts to negotiate limits on Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But the indirect talks between American and Iranian diplomats have hit a stalemate. The attack pushed the region into a new and uncertain phase. Live Events Here's what to know about the Israeli strikes: Israel hit nuclear sites, killed Revolutionary Guard chief Israeli leaders said the attack was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb as the country enriches uranium a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Iran long has said its program is peaceful and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed Iran was not actively building a weapon. In a video announcing the military operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran's main enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists. He said that Israel had also targeted Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Iranian state TV reported that the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and one of Iran's most important commanders, Gen. Hossein Salami, had been killed. Residents of Tehran reported hearing huge explosions. Iranian state TV broadcast footage of blown-out walls, burning roofs and shattered windows in residential buildings across the capital. It reported that blasts had set the Revolutionary Guard's headquarters ablaze. Bracing for retaliation, Israel closed its airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country's borders. Unclear how close Iran is to building a bomb Netanyahu claimed Friday that if Iran wasn't stopped, "it could produce a nuclear weapon within a very short time." But it likely would take Iran months to build a weapon, should it choose to do so. It also hasn't proved its ability to miniaturize a bomb to be placed atop missiles. Iranian officials have openly threatened to pursue the bomb. Tensions over Iran's rapid nuclear advances and growing reserves of highly enriched uranium are surging seven years after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. For the first time in two decades, the atomic watchdog agency on Thursday censured Iran for failing to comply with nuclear nonproliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. In response, Iran said that it would open a previously undisclosed enrichment site and accelerate production of 60% highly enriched uranium, which could be easily processed to the 90% level used in nuclear weapons. Iran's nuclear sites have long been a flash point Iran has two main enrichment sites, Natanz, in central Isfahan province, and Fordo, near the Shiite holy city of Qom, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Tehran. Both are designed to protect from potential airstrikes. Natanz is built underground on Iran's Central Plateau, and has been targeted several times in suspected Israeli sabotage attacks, as well as by the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Fordo is buried deep inside mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn't as big a facility as Natanz. Both sites have been the focus of the Trump administration's recent push to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Trump said that he warned Netanyahu against launching an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities while diplomatic efforts were underway. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet his Iranian counterparts in Oman for a sixth round of negotiations to start Sunday. It wasn't clear if those talks would take place, or if the negotiations would ever resume following the strikes. Iran threatens retaliation Hours after the strikes, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened Israel would face "severe punishment." "The powerful hand of the armed forces of the Islamic republic will not let (the attacks) go unpunished," the leader added in a statement posted online. Other Iranian officials echoed his warning, pledging vengeance. State TV aired footage of Iranians chanting "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!" From Washington, Trump said that the U.S. had not been involved in the attack and warned Iran against retaliations against American interests in the region.
