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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a USD 200 million defence credit line for Angola and expressed commitment to act firmly and decisively against terrorists and their backers, an assertion that came days after the Pahalgam terror strike.

PM Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Laurenco that focused on ramping up overall bilateral ties, including in areas of digital public infrastructure.

In his media statement, the prime minister said Laurenco’s visit to India not only gives a new direction to the bilateral relations but also strengthens the India-Africa partnership.

“I am pleased to announce India’s USD 200 million defence credit line to support modernisation of Angola’s defence forces,” he said.

The prime minister also said that there was a discussion on repair, overhaul and supply of defence platforms as well.

India will also share its capabilities with Angola in the areas of digital public infrastructure, space technology and capacity building, PM Modi said.We have also decided to further strengthen our relations in areas of healthcare, diamond processing, fertiliser and critical minerals.”

The prime minister also said, “We are committed to taking firm and decisive action against terrorists and those who support them.”

Highlighting the importance of ties between India and the African Union, he said, “We are partners in progress, We are pillars of the Global South.” Laurenco arrived in Delhi on Thursday on a four-day trip.

She was a YouTuber by day and a spy, well, also by day, presumably. 

Jyoti Malhotra aka Jyoti Rani, who ran a travel account on YouTube called ‘Travel With Jo’, has been arrested from Hisar in Haryana for sharing Indian military information with Pakistan, police said on Saturday.  She is among six people, including a 25-year-old student and 24-year-old security guard, from Punjab and Haryana who have been arrested on these charges.

Officials said the 33-year-old, who describes herself in her YouTube as a ‘nomadic Leo girl wanderer’, ‘Haryanvi+Punjabi’ and ‘purane khyalo ki modern ladki’ (a modern girl with a traditional outlook),  had come in contact with an official, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, in the Pakistan High Commission and had gone to the neighbouring country at least twice. 

After last week’s hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response, dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’, Rahim had reportedly been declared persona non grata and asked to leave India within 24 hours for committing espionage and leaking sensitive information regarding the movements of the Indian Army. 

During her interrogation, Malhotra told the police that she had gone to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023 to get a visa to visit the country when she met Rahim and began talking to him. She said she travelled to Pakistan twice after that and met Rahim’s acquaintance Ali Ahwan, who arranged for her stay and travel in the country. 

Confession

“In Pakistan, Ali Ahwan arranged a meeting with Pakistani security and intelligence officials and I met Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. I took Shakir’s mobile number and saved it in my phone under the name of ‘Jat Randhawa’ to avoid suspicion. Then I came back to India and remained in constant touch with all the above people through platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat and Telegram and started sharing anti-national information. I also met Rahim several times,” Officials quoted Malhotra as having told the police.

They said Malhotra, who is a resident of Hisar, has been charged for endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India by carrying out suspicious activities and sharing Indian intelligence information with a citizen of Pakistan who has been declared persona non grata by the Government of India on charges of espionage. 

Malhotra has been sent to police custody for five days.

‘Memorable Moment’

In an upbeat YouTube shorts posted in March, Malhotra detailed her journey to Pakistan, stating she had gone to explore Hindu pilgrimage sites. 

“First, we clear Indian immigration, then we cross the Attari-Wagah border. When you cross the border, you feel very enthusiastic. It’s a memorable moment, you get goosebumps. When you cross into Pakistan, there is media coverage of travellers,” she says in Hindi.

“Then you exchange Indian rupees for Pakistani currency. I got 2.6 Pakistani rupees for each Indian rupee. I suffered a loss, I had thought it would be three,” she adds.     

Other videos posted this year show her exploring the streets of Lahore, doing a “Ramzan food tour” and visiting temples.

Other Arrests

A security guard, Nauman Ilahi, was arrested in Haryana’s Panipat on Wednesday on charges of spying for Pakistan. The 24-year-old used to get money deposited in the account of his brother-in-law in exchange for information. 

Devendra Singh Dhillon, a 25-year-old student, was arrested from Kaithal on May 12 for uploading photos of guns on social media. On Saturday, the Haryana Police said he admitted during questioning that he went to Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor in November last year and was sharing sensitive information with officers of the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence).

Kaithal Superintendent of Police Aastha Modi said the first-year Master’s student of political science at Patiala’s Khalsa College had also shared images of the Patiala military cantonment with Pakistanis officers.

The Punjab police had also arrested two people on similar charges last week.

President Donald Trump used his down time on Air Force One Friday to insult “obnoxious JERK” Bruce Springsteen and declare Taylor Swift “no longer HOT” in social media blasts against the music giants.

Trump — returning from a whirlwind Middle East diplomatic trip — took to his Truth Social platform to feud with Springsteen, who this week told a British concert audience that his homeland is now ruled by a “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”

In return, the 78-year-old Republican said the legendary rocker, nicknamed “the Boss,” is “Highly Overrated.”

“Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy – Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK,” Trump wrote in the lengthy tirade.

“This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just “standard fare.” Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”

Springsteen is an outspoken liberal critic of Trump and campaigned for Democratic president Joe Biden’s ultimately abandoned reelection run last year.

While in Manchester on his “Land of Hope & Dreams” tour Wednesday, he told fans that “my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years” is in danger.

“Raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring,” Springsteen said.

Trump also had strong words for Swift, who endorsed Biden’s replacement as the Democratic candidate in 2024, Kamala Harris.

In a separate post, which provided no context, the US president said: “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’”

He appeared to be referencing a post in September last year when he declared “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”

Swift, 35, is the wealthiest female musician on the planet, with an estimated personal wealth of $1.6 billion, 14 Grammys and 30 MTV Video Music awards.

A life-sized bronze statue of US first lady Melania Trump has disappeared from its perch in her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia. The sculpture was unveiled in 2020, during the first term of US President Donald Trump.

According to the BBC, the statue was sawn off at the ankles and was carried away by unknown individuals on Tuesday. The report added that the police are investigating the matter and tracking down the people who are responsible for the theft.

Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said, “Police are still assessing the theft, and an investigation is still ongoing,” reported the NY Times.

Some residents in eastern Slovenia believe it may have been vandalised, while others believe it was likely melted down for money.

Igor Pavkovic, a resident, spoke to The NY Times about the theft. He said, “Melania [Trump] is rarely seen in the spotlight or anywhere else, and even when she does do something, it’s so bizarre, so I don’t even want to think about her that much.”

Another resident, Franja Kranjc, a bakery owner, added, “I think no one was proud of this statue, not even the first lady of the US. So I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”

The bronze statue is the replacement of a wooden statue that had been set on fire in 2020. Alex Maxi Zupevc created the wooden structure, which showed her wearing a pale blue outfit similar to the one she wore at Donald Trump’s 2017 presidential inauguration ceremony.

The statue’s sculptor, Brad Downey, expressed his sadness over its theft, according to the NY Post. The artist said he feels the removal might be connected to Donald Trump’s new election campaign, but he isn’t sure.

The Israeli military has launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza, dubbed Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” aiming to “seize strategic areas” and “achieve operational control”. This development comes as US President Donald Trump concluded his visit to the region without securing a ceasefire deal. 

The IDF statement highlights that the operation’s objectives include releasing hostages and defeating Hamas. “Over the past day, the IDF launched extensive attacks and mobilised forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the opening moves of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza, including the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.” The military adds that IDF troops in the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and realise the war’s goals.

Gaza’s civil defense agency reported 100 fatalities on Friday due to Israeli strikes, while the IDF claims to have struck over 150 terror targets in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours. The conflict has led to critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel, and medicines, prompting NGOs to urge Israel to lift its aid blockade. 

Israel maintains that cutting off aid aims to force concessions from Hamas, which still holds dozens of Israeli hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack, per AFP.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy involves displacing Gaza’s population to the south and holding more territory in Gaza to eradicate Hamas. This plan has drawn international condemnation, with the UN’s rights chief denouncing the renewed attacks and apparent push to permanently displace the population. “We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,” Trump said, acknowledging the dire humanitarian situation.

Meanwhile, growing differences between the US and Israeli governments are apparent.  Although Trump expressed his desire to end the “brutal war” in Gaza and suggested establishing a “freedom zone” in the enclave, he did not visit Israel during his tour of the Middle East. “I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” he said in Qatar.

The US also bypassed Israel twice in striking bilateral deals with regional militant groups – Hamas and Houthis. The former released an Israeli-American hostage last week and the latter have agreed to not fire at American ships in the Red Sea, although they pledge to continue fighting Israel.

However, dissent is growing within Israel’s ranks, with thousands of reservists voicing frustration over the prolonged war. A group of Air Force veterans and retired officers have urged the government to prioritise a deal to bring the hostages home, even if it means halting the fighting, per a Times Of Israel report.

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