A French officer reportedly revealed the location of an aircraft carrier deployed towards the Middle East after publicly recording a run on the sports app Strava.The officer, referred to as Arthur by French news outlet Le Monde, logged a 35-minute run on March 13 while exercising on the deck of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Using a smartwatch, he uploaded the activity to the app, creating a map that showed the vessel’s location.According to Le Monde, the carrier was northwest of Cyprus, around 100km (62 miles) from the Turkish coast, with satellite images capturing the vessel and its escort. BBC Verify said it was unable to find the route, though it was possible it had later been deleted or the user’s privacy settings had been changed.In a statement to AFP news agency, the French armed forces said the reported incident did “not comply with the current instructions” and that appropriate measures would be taken if the report was true.The Charles de Gaulle is the main part of a carrier strike group recently deployed to the eastern Mediterranean by France’s ministry of armed forces, as tensions in the region continue due to the Iran war. The ministry said the group was sent “to protect French nationals, defend France’s interests in the region, and support its partners and allies”.Aboard the vessel are 20 fighter jets, two surveillance aircraft and three helicopters. The deployment is part of France’s recent bolstering of its military presence in the Middle East, which French President Emmanuel Macron described as strictly “defensive.”The incident is the latest in a series of cases in which activity on Strava has exposed sensitive details. Le Monde previously reported that runs shared by Macron’s bodyguards jeopardised his location on several occasions, while Secret Service agents accompanying then-US President Joe Biden also shared their whereabouts on the app in 2024.A similar report that year said the app showed bodyguards for Russian President Vladimir Putin at luxurious properties the Kremlin denies owning. Another Strava feature, its ‘heatmap’, has also faced criticism for sharing exercise routes of military personnel at bases around the world.The heatmaps show all public activity recorded by users globally, allowing people to zoom in and explore different areas. In 2018, the US military said it was examining the map after security concerns were raised. A disinformation watchdog also said the app allowed suspicious figures to identify and track security personnel working at secretive bases in Israel.San Francisco-based Strava uses a mobile phone’s or fitness device’s GPS to track exercise activity. The company says it has more than 195 million users in more than 185 countries.

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday released the party’s election manifesto ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls.Speaking at the launch, Banerjee thanked the people of the state for their continued support and alleged that the BJP was attempting to gain control of West Bengal through unfair means. “The people of West Bengal have given us immense blessings, good wishes, prayers, and support. We have also done our best to serve them. In every election, we have witnessed various conspiracies since the time the BJP came to power, but this time the conspiracy has crossed all limits. It seems they want to capture Bengal by any means and take control of the state,” she said.Continuing her criticism, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of creating unrest and weakening institutions across the country.“The BJP government is carrying out a deep conspiracy. The country has been pushed close to destruction. There is no proper law and order in many states, and people do not feel at peace. The politics of division is being practised, creating a war-like situation. Even during his tenure, PM Modi has not fulfilled the promises he made to the people. Moreover, public sector institutions, from LIC and Railways to Air India, are being handed over to foreign entities and a few known individuals, including those who have defaulted on bank loans and, in many cases, fled the country,” she said.She also raised concerns over issues such as NRC and delimitation, suggesting that these factors could influence the political landscape after the elections.“We see a lot of conspiracies during elections, but this time they’ve crossed all limits. After this election, there will be delimitation, but the Modi government won’t come back to power because people don’t like the BJP government. The reasons are NRC and delimitation,” Banerjee said.Banerjee further alleged that the state is functioning under ‘undeclared President’s Rule’.“An unofficial President’s rule has been imposed in Bengal because the BJP knows it will be defeated in the upcoming Assembly polls. Is PM Modi so afraid of the people of Bengal?” TMC chief asks. Criticising the role of central observers, she said, “Those posted here as observers don’t know the area or the state; they don’t know anything about the state. How can they perform their duties? President’s rule has been replaced by undeclared President’s rule. Modiji, you’re fighting here under undeclared President’s rule because they’re jealous of Bengal. They’ve derailed the entire system”.Calling for unity among voters, she urged people to resist intimidation and divisive politics“I appeal to the people of Bengal to unite and fight against the BJP to save Bengal. If central agencies are trying to intimidate you, don’t be. If they’re trying to give you money, don’t take it. They bring money and weapons, mafia from the border areas, trying to create unrest and riots here. I’m not playing divisive politics. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians are all the same,” Banerjee added.

10 Protigya’ roadmap: Welfare, jobs, housing and infrastructure focus

Highlighting the party’s broader vision, Banerjee presented her “10 Protigya” (pledges) for Bengal, outlining a roadmap for governance over the next five years.“I humbly present my 10 ‘Protigya’ for Bengal, so that the wheels of development continue to move forward in the fourth term of my government,” she said in a post on X.The key promises include:

“These 10 ‘Protigya’ will form the foundation of my governance and serve as the roadmap for the next five years,” Banerjee said.The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases for all 294 constituencies, with voting scheduled for April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

The rupee plunged by 82 paise, or nearly 1 per cent, to settle at an all-time low of 93.71 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, weighed down by persistent foreign fund outflows and a sharp rise in global crude oil prices amid mounting geopolitical tensions, PTI reported.Forex traders said the domestic currency remained under intense pressure as elevated energy prices and a shift towards risk aversion dented investor sentiment. Heightened geopolitical uncertainty has also fuelled concerns that higher oil costs could widen India’s trade deficit and push up inflation.At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 92.92 against the greenback and soon breached the 93-mark for the first time. It continued to weaken during the session before settling at 93.71 (provisional), down 82 paise from the previous close.On Wednesday, the rupee had slumped 49 paise to end at its earlier record low of 92.89 against the US dollar. Forex markets remained closed on Thursday on account of Gudhi Padwa.“The rupee hit fresh all-time lows on Friday amid geopolitical tensions in West Asia and FII outflows. Rising global crude oil prices, too, have pressured the rupee,” said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst, Commodities Research, Mirae Asset Sharekhan.He noted that major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England and Bank of Japan, have left interest rates unchanged in their recent monetary policy meetings, citing inflation concerns while reiterating their readiness to adjust policy as required.“We expect the rupee to trade with a negative bias as escalating geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices may continue to pressure the rupee,” Choudhary said, adding that the USD-INR spot rate is likely to move in the range of Rs 93.20–93.80.Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.35 per cent higher at 99.58. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.84 per cent to USD 110.7 per barrel in futures trade.On the domestic equity market front, benchmark indices recovered from the previous session’s losses. The BSE Sensex was trading 325.72 points, or 0.44 per cent, higher at 74,532.96, while the NSE Nifty gained 112.35 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 23,114.50.According to exchange data, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 7,558.19 crore on a net basis on Thursday, adding to pressure on the local currency.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (File photo)

NEW DELHI: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said that “India can bring an end to the ongoing war” amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.Speaking at a gathering in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that voices from different countries are recognising India’s role in promoting peace.“Several countries saying only India can bring an end to ongoing war,” Bhagwat said.Bhagwat was addressing an event after laying the foundation stone for the Vidarbha prant office of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). He also spoke about the root causes of global conflicts and the need for a shift towards harmony.