X Corp in the lawsuit alleges Media Matters of tricking algorithms into thinking Media Matters wanted to view both hateful content and content from large advertisers.

Elon Musk's X Corp. has sued nonprofit Media Matters for driving advertisers away from the platform formerly known as Twitter by portraying it as rife with anti-Semitic content.

In a lawsuit filed on Monday in US federal court in Texas, X accuses the organisation of "tricking the algorithm into thinking Media Matters wanted to view both hateful content and content from large advertisers."

Apple, Comcast, NBC Universal and IBM were among high-profile brands that paused advertising on X last week after Media Matters reported finding ads allegedly displayed with pro-Nazi content.

The advertising exodus also came in the wake of Musk allegedly endorsing a comment on a user's post that claimed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

"This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence," Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said.

"Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."

The White House has condemned Musk, the world's richest person, for "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism.

The White House was reacting to a post by Musk in which the Tesla and SpaceX tycoon replied to a user's post about the 'great replacement' conspiracy theory on X with the words: 'You have spoken the actual truth."

The theory claims that anti-Semitism is on the rise because Jews allegedly have been promoting ‘hatred against whites’.

Referring to Musk's post, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said it was "unacceptable" to repeat such a "hideous lie."

'Sensitive media'

The suit filed Monday does not mention Musk endorsing a comment on the post with the conspiracy theory, instead blaming recent ad woes on Media Matters.

"Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers' posts on X Corp.'s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience," the lawsuit contended.

X accused Media Matters of duping its algorithm by following only accounts known for extreme, fringe content along with big-name brands.

The result was a feed "precision-designed" to produce the kind of side-by-side ad and content pairings that alienated X advertisers, the suit maintained.

X asked the court to order Media Matters to pay unspecified cash damages and to take down the report.

In the year since taking over Twitter, now rebranded as X, Musk has gutted content moderation, restored accounts of previously banned extremists, and allowed users to purchase account verification, helping them profit from viral posts.

An X executive said that it did a "sweep" of accounts pointed out by Media Matters and they will no longer be able to make money from ads.

The posts themselves will be labeled "sensitive media," according to the executive.

 

 

After the ‘resounding success’ of the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone in Ukraine, Iran has unveiled a jet-powered version of the popular loitering munition, the Shahed-238. Bearing the same design as its predecessor, the UAV has three sub-variants with different guidance and seeker systems.

While it is not known whether the drones have entered mass production in Iran, it won’t be long until that stage, given Tehran’s efforts to have a large and diverse inventory of UAVs. It would also be interesting to see if Russia adopts the jet engine feature on its Shahed-136 clone, the Geranium-2 (Geran-2). 

Previous bews site reports quoting international publications noted how Russia had set up a dedicated drone factory in Alabuga to reproduce Iranian drones exclusively as a part of the burgeoning defense industrial ties between the two countries. But it is conceivable that the new jet-powered Shaheds will not have incorporated lessons from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. 

Russian and Iranian drone factory engineers and managers had robust technical correspondence over the aircraft’s production, Western intelligence and satellite pictures showed. It would be unlikely that Iranian defense scientists will not have received first-hand feedback.

  

Three Variants Of Jet-Powered Shahed

Pictures posted on X showed three Shahed-238 drones with different front-end seekers. The drone at the far left had its nose section covered with a white sheet-like object, while the one in the middle was fully solid, and the last one had a glass section.

This means the third Shahed-238 has an electro-optical/infrared seeker. The one in the middle has none and flies to its target based on preset coordinates, guided by a combination of satellite navigation (SATNAV) or inertial navigation system (INS). The first sub-variant possibly has a radio frequency or a homing radar seeker head. 

 

“Additionally, the drones are painted black to reduce visibility against the night sky, as the main Geran operations in Ukraine primarily occur during night time,” said the post by DD Geopolitics. 

Interestingly, jet-powered advancements of the Shahed-136 can be considered only a logical progression after Iranian state media unveiled the version in late September. The original pusher-propeller drones were powered by the MD550 piston engine, producing a distinctive sound. The drone’s sound earned them the moniker “scooter.” 

With a different rear section, the new drone was shown diving down and hitting a land target. What kind of turbojet engine powers the drone is unclear. Analysts, however, believe it could be a commercially available “hobby” engine sold to aviation and remote-controlled aircraft enthusiasts, with Iranian engineers possibly reverse engineering the simple power plant and mass producing it with their tweaks and modifications. However, precise information and the engine specifications remain unclear. 

Another version of this earlier turbojet-powered Shahed-136 has an electro-optical turret ball under the nose. Handles analyzing Iranian military affairs observed this as very “uncommon,” saying Iranian loitering munitions usually have their EO/IR sensor embedded in the nose. 

Referring to this drone, Iran Defense posted on November 13, saying this Shahed-136 “would serve as Iran’s high end, more expensive loitering munition, with jet engine & EO ball for locating targets.” 

This has subsequently been designated as the Shahed-238, a new series of unmanned aerial platforms with variants and features. 

Will It Have Western Components

It will also be interesting to see the extent of foreign and American components in the new drones, given stunning revelations over the last few months about how Western electronics continue to find their way into weapons made by heavily sanctioned countries. 

A report in The Washington Post identified that nearly 90 percent of drone computer chips and electrical devices originated in the West and the US. 

This includes 21 Texas Instruments-made sub-components inside its flight control unit; 13 components by the Massachusetts-based Analogue Devices in the drones’ major circuit boards; and an ‘accelerometer’ critical for the UAV to fly autonomously along a pre-programmed path in case satellite navigation is lost.

The stock of Infosys was higher by 0.52 per cent, or Rs 7.40, at Rs 1443.70, while the shares of TCS were up by 0.22 per cent, or Rs 7.70, at Rs 3527.00 each, on BSE at 10:09 am on Monday

TTCS said on Monday that it had signed an agreement with the Australian Stock Exchange to provide a next-generation clearing and settlement platform to service the Australian market.

 Infosys, TCS share prices: Shares of Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) traded higher on Tuesday (November 21) after brokerage Bernstein gave contrasting target prices for the IT companies' stocks. 

The stock of Infosys was higher by 0.52 per cent, or Rs 7.40, at Rs 1443.70, while the shares of TCS were up by 0.22 per cent, or Rs 7.70, at Rs 3527.00 each, on BSE at 10:09 am on Monday.

What does Bernstein says about Infosys and TCS?

The brokerage has maintained an 'outperform' rating on Infosys, raising its target share price to Rs 1,600 from Rs 1,580. 

Bernstein has also maintained an 'outperform' rating for TCS, but cut the target price to Rs 3,800 from Rs 3,940.

Infosys on Monday reportedly said that it would give quarterly performance bonus to its employees in November, averaging a payout of 80 per cent.

Employees at position Level 6 (PL6-manager) and those at below band will be eligible for the bonus.

TCS on the other hand, announced on Monday that it had signed an agreement with Australia’s primary securities exchange, ASX, to provide a next-generation clearing and settlement platform to service the Australian market.

"ASX will implement TCS’ flagship product TCS BaNCS for Market Infrastructure to enable the transformation," TCS said in a statement.

The Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy passed away on Tuesday at 10.30 pm due to cardiorespiratory arrest following a prolonged illness.

Subrata Roy, the founder of Sahara Group, passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday night at the age of 74 after battling a prolonged illness. He was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute on Sunday and succumbed to cardiorespiratory arrest due to complications stemming from metastatic malignancy, hypertension, and diabetes. He is survived by his wife, son, and brother.

 

Here are the five things to know about him:

1.      Subrata Roy Sahara was born on June 10, 1948, in Bihar's Araria, and pursued mechanical engineering at the Government Technical Institute in Gorakhpur. His entrepreneurial journey began in Gorakhpur, where he initiated his business endeavours. He later took charge of Sahara Finance, originally a chit-fund company in 1976. By 1978, he successfully transformed it into Sahara India Pariwar, a prominent conglomerate in India.

2.      Subrata Roy managed to expand the empire encompassing diverse sectors like finance, real estate, media, and hospitality. Sahara India Pariwar oversaw numerous ventures including Aamby Valley City, Sahara Movie Studios, Air Sahara, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, and Filmy, among others. The conglomerate ventured into finance, real estate, infrastructure, housing, media, entertainment, tourism, and hospitality. Their projects ranged from housing developments to organising large-scale events.

3.      The Sahara group made its foray into media with Rashtriya Sahara, a Hindi newspaper launched in 1992. Later, they expanded their presence in the television industry with Sahara TV, subsequently rebranded as Sahara One.

4.      Awards and Recognitions: Subrata Roy garnered accolades such as the Businessmen of the Year Award and the Best Industrialist Award in 2002. He was honoured with the Vishisht Rashtriya Udaan Samman in 2010 by a leading publication, Vocational Award for Excellence in 2010 by Rotary International, Karmaveer Samman in 1995, Udyam Shree in 1994, Baba-E-Rozgar Award in 1992, and the National Citizen Award in 2001. In 2012, he was recognised as one of India's 10 most influential businessmen by India Today magazine.

5.      In 2014, the Supreme Court of India ordered Subrata Roy's detention for failing to appear in court in connection with a dispute with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This led to a prolonged legal battle, which resulted in him spending time in Tihar Jail. He was eventually released on parole.

What was the SEBI's case against the Sahara Group?

In 2011, SEBI directed Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd (SHICL) to reimburse funds acquired from investors via Optionally Fully Convertible Bonds (OFCDs), deeming the raising of funds by the firms as a violation of regulatory norms.

After a prolonged series of appeals and counter-appeals, the Supreme Court, on August 31, 2012, upheld SEBI's mandate, instructing the two companies to refund the collected funds to investors along with a 15 per cent interest. Subsequently, Sahara was instructed to deposit an estimated ₹24,000 crore with SEBI for further reimbursement to investors, despite the group's assertion that it had already directly refunded over 95 per cent of the investors' funds, considering it as “double payment”.

Regarding an incident involving Roy, a man from Gwalior once labelled him a thief and splattered ink on his face as he was escorted to the Supreme Court, donning his signature waistcoat and tie, amidst chaotic scenes.

Roy faced arrest in 2014 following his failure to appear in the apex court for a contempt case arising from the non-reimbursement of ₹20,000 crore to investors by two of his companies. Despite being granted bail later, his businesses continued to face ongoing challenges.

 

As the Ukraine war is fast approaching the two-year mark, Russia has signed a new arms agreement with India to fend off Pakistan and China. At the same time, Pakistan is believed to have signed a deal with US-based companies to send weapons to Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Russia has signed a deal to supply India with Igla-S hand-held anti-aircraft missiles and to permit the Igla to be produced there under license, according to a top arms export official quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS on November 14.

Alexander Mikheyev, head of the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said, “We have already signed the corresponding document, and now, together with an Indian private company, we are organizing the production of Igla-S MANPADS in India.”

The Igla-S is a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) that essentially forms the final line of defense against flying objects in a multi-layered air defense system. It is specifically designed to attack low-flying aircraft.

When faced with air targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles, the Igla-S can identify them directly and retreat at any time of day despite background clutter and decoy flares, sometimes known as jammers. It can engage all sorts of visually detectable aircraft and helicopters.

It is a more combat-effective version of the Igla MANPADS, especially for shooting cruise missiles and identifying targets. The missile has a novel two-channel optical seeker fitted with a logic unit.

Enhanced cruise missile firing and target detection capabilities make it a more combat-effective version of the Igla MANPADS.

The lethality of the Igla-S is further enhanced by its bigger warhead, proximity fuse based on a laser, algorithm-based optimal moment of explosion, and exceptional precision. The warhead also features an increasing number of fragments and explosive charges.

During the Army 2022 International Forum in Russia last year, Dmitry Shugayev, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation’s then-director, informed TASS that the two parties were working on a project to supply and produce portable air defense systems under license.

The recent contract for local production comes months after Russia indicated during the Aero India 2023 exhibition that an agreement for Igla-s was in the works with India. The Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Vladimir Drozhzhov, said, “We expect the decision of the Indian side on signing the contract on supply and licensed production of Igla-S man-portable air defense systems.” 

India already has Igla-S in its inventory. After purchasing multiple Igla-S systems from Russia through the emergency procurement route, the Indian Army finally inducted them in April 2022. The Defense Ministry, however, has been considering a more significant contract for Igla-S systems as part of the Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) deal.

Against that backdrop, the latest agreement has come right in time before the end of this year. Mikheyev also told another Russian publication, ”Rosoboronexport is working with Indian private and public enterprises to organize joint production of aviation weapons and integrate them into the existing aviation fleet in India.” The Indian companies engaged, and the estimated production start date was not disclosed.

In the meantime, another set of reports is making rounds. According to recent reports, India’s rival and bitter adversary across the border, Pakistan, signed a contract with US-based companies last year to facilitate an arms transfer to Ukraine.

These accusations contradict Pakistan’s geopolitical calculations since the nation has been trying to avoid upsetting Russia by walking a tightrope.

Pakistan’s Secret Uncovered?

According to a detailed report by BBC Urdu released on Tuesday, Pakistan signed a US$364-million arms sales contract with two private US companies last year. These arms are purportedly being sent to Ukraine for use in its conflict with Russia.

Pakistan entered into two agreements to sell 155mm ammunition to American firms called “Global Military” and “Northrop Grumman.” According to the BBC Urdu report, which used information from the American Federal Procurement Data System, these weapons were purchased from Pakistan. The contracts were signed in August 2022 and were explicitly connected to the acquisition of 155mm rounds.

It further stated that Global Military was given a US$232-million contract, and Northrop Grumman and other parties signed a US$131-million contract. “These agreements expired last month, i.e., October 2023,” the publication noted.

EurAsian Times report in October last year said multiple flight-tracking websites had revealed since August 2022 that the UK’s Royal Air Force has been flying frequent sorties of C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft from Romania to the Nur Khan airbase in Chaklala, Rawalpindi.

This was also noted by the BBC Urdu report, which alleged that a British military cargo plane from Nur Khan Air Base made five landings in Rawalpindi before making the supplies.

The first of these aircraft touched down in Rawalpindi on the same day that Lt Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the former head of the Army, promised to elevate relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom to “historic heights” in a speech at the passing-out parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.

The United States and its European allies have struggled to supply 155mm shells to Ukraine for several months due to the difficulty of ramping up production. For this reason, the US is believed to have turned to its Asian allies. For instance, South Korea signed an agreement to lend the shells to the United States in April. These shells were to be diverted to Kyiv.

These allegations may present a dicey situation for Pakistan as its Foreign Office has rejected any sales of weapons or ammunition to Ukraine, claiming that Pakistan remained “strictly neutral” in the conflict between the two nations and did not supply them with any such materials.

However, similar allegations have been made intermittently this year. An investigation by the American nonprofit news organization, The Intercept, revealed how the United States brokered a deal by which secret Pakistani arms sales to the US helped to facilitate a controversial bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

The detailed report states that on May 23, one month ahead of the IMF’s June 30 deadline for reviewing a proposed billion-dollar payment, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, met at the State Department in Washington, D.C., to discuss how Pakistan’s arms sales to Ukraine could strengthen the country’s financial standing in the eyes of the IMF.

The Intercept said, “Lu told Khan at the May 23 meeting that the US had cleared payment for the Pakistani munitions production and would tell the IMF confidentially about the program.”

There have also been instances where some Pakistani ammunition has been photographed in Ukraine despite claims to the contrary. For instance, in March this year, images of Ukrainian troops firing Pakistani-origin Yarmuk rockets surfaced on social media and soon went viral.

A Twitter account named ‘Ukraine Weapons Tracker’ that follows arms being used on the battlefield tweeted: “Yet more ammunition made by Pakistani Ordnance Factories (POF) in the hands of the Ukrainian Army — this time 122mm Yarmuk HE-Frag rockets for the BM-21 Grad. These rockets are analogous to the Soviet 9M22U, with a 20.5km range, and were procured via a third party.”

However, despite many reports appearing online, the official Pakistani position has remained that of neutrality, with the Foreign Office ridiculing and refuting all allegations of an arms transfer to Ukraine.

 

 

US President Joe Biden has reportedly dismissed the Pentagon's proposal for an aggressive bombing option at Iran-backed militia personnel to avoid a wider conflict with the Arab nation.

US President Joe Biden has dismissed more aggressive bombing options against Iran-backed militants suggested by the Pentagon in order to eradicate any provocation of a large-scale conflict with Iran, The New York Times reported. In a statement on Sunday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin noted that Biden has "no higher priority than the safety of US personnel".

following repeated attacks on US troops in Syria and Iraq. The US military carried out airstrikes on two locations, hitting a training site and a weapons facility, the Associated Press reported, citing Pentagon and US officials.

The latest US strikes were the third time in a little more than two weeks that the US has countered the Iran-backed Shite militia personnel because of a number of attacks on its troop bases stationed in Iraq and Syria.

Lloyd J Austin said that the two recently hit locations in eastern Syria were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups, ac The US Defense Secretary said that the fresh airstrikes were directed by Biden to make it "clear" that the US will "defend itself, its personnel, and its interests".

Pentagon officials said that fewer than 12 Iran-backed militants were present at the bombed sites on Sunday, The New York Times report added. The officials further claimed that it was possible some of these militia personnel were killed or injured in the attack. However, US analysts were unable to offer a more precise casualty estimate, The New York Times report added.

he latest US airstrikes are the third since October 26 as the country tries to stop what has turned into a daily rain of drone and rocket attacks against American troops in Iraq and Syria. Iran and its supporters have repeatedly blamed the US for being equally responsibile for Israel's assault in Gaza against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas - which is also backed by Iran.

joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza, Raisi added that Gaza's "war machine is in the hands of America" and claimed the US is stopping a ceasefire and "expanding the war" instead.

The US and its coalition troops have been attacked at least 40 times in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed forces of late. At least 45 US troops have suffered traumatic brain injuries or minor wounds due to these attacks.

As many as 900 American troops are stationed in Syria, and 2,500 more are in neighbouring Iraq, on a mission to assist and advise regional forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State. The Islamic State had captured large swathes of both Syria and Iraq in 2014, but was defeated later.

 

Suella Braverman Sacked: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked country's interior minister Suella Braverman, the BBC reported.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked country's interior minister Suella Braverman, the BBC reported as reshuffle of the top team of ministers is under way. This comes as pressure mounted on Rishi Sunak to sack Suella Braverman after she was accused of stoking tensions ahead of Armistice Day violence.

Suella Braverman had last week defied Rishi Sunak by publishing an article attacking the police's handling of a march that took place on Saturday. She was criticised for inflaming tensions and encouraging right-wing protesters to take to the streets of London, putting Rishi Sunak under pressure to take action.

What Suella Braverman said on the protests?

In a highly unusual attack on the police last week, Suella Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs" describing demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”

“Our brave police officers deserve the thanks of every decent citizen for their professionalism in the face of violence and aggression from protesters and counter protesters in London yesterday. That multiple officers were injured doing their duty is an outrage,” she said in a statement following far-right violence during the protests over the weekend.

“The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low. Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling,” she added.

The 43-year-old Goan-origin minister has repeatedly courted controversy in her senior UK Cabinet role.

Speaking to Sky News, armed forces minister James Heappey distanced himself from Suella Braverman's controversial comments about the Met Police last week.

“There has been too much second guessing of the Metropolitan Police by politicians on the media,” he said adding that he would not have used the words Suella Braverman did - echoing UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

 

 

This comes at a time when the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has sought the expulsion of Moitra after a complaint by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey that she sought favours from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions against industrialist Gautam Adani

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was appointed as the party’s district president of Krishnanagar (Nadia North) on Monday, news agency ANI reported.

Reacting to the appointment, Moitra thanked West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, saying that she will always will always work with the party for the people of Krishnanagar.

Moitra was the district president in Krishnanagar a few years ago before being removed in a prior reshuffle.

This comes at a time when the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has sought the expulsion of Moitra after a complaint by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey that she sought favours from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions against industrialist Gautam Adani sparked a row.

The committee also recommended an “intense, legal, institutional inquiry” by the government in a time-bound manner in view of the “highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal conduct” by her.

Moitra has dismissed the charges, saying she was being specifically targeted because she was one of the very few who stand up against the bullies running this government and have been playing an integral role in exposing (Gautam) Adani and the nexus that he runs with Mr Modi and this government.

Tiger 3 box office collections day 1: The Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif spy-universe film recorded an opening day of all-India version in the range of Rs 44.5 cr, and is set for a long Diwali holiday run.

 

Tiger 3 is already setting some benchmarks at the box office. On Sunday, the Salman Khan –Katrina Kaif actioner opened to excellent numbers despite Laxmi Puja day, considered to be dull at the box office as people are busy with Diwali festivities. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Tiger 3 all-India box office collections stood above Rs 44.5 crore.

Tiger 3 opening day numbers are already the highest ever collections recorded on Diwali day for any Hindi film. The current record for aggregated total for Diwali day is Rs 22 crore, which was the combined collection of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Rs 12.60 cr on day one) and Ajay Devgn’s Son Of Sardaar (Rs 9.30 cr on day one), the two films that clashed in 2012.

Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish 3 previously held the record for the highest Diwali day collection by a single movie. The superhero film netted Rs 15 crore on Diwali day, which was the film’s third day.

While Rs 42 cr is locked for Tiger 3 in Hindi, its all-India versions (Tamil and Telugu) added another Rs 2-2.5 crore, bringing its total to Rs 44.5 cr. This makes Tiger 3 the biggest opener for Salman Khan, as his last best was Bharat, which did Rs 42.30 cr on opening day on Eid, a national holiday.

The opening of Tiger 3, however, is not near the two Shah Rukh Khan openers this year — Pathaan (Rs 57 crore) and Jawan (Rs 75 crore) but with a record-breaking start at the box office despite a weak day, Tiger 3 has now set itself up to enjoy the long Diwali holiday run.

The trade is expecting the film to score more than Rs 120 cr on Monday and Tuesday, and are hoping that the film would record a three-day total in the north of Rs 165 cr.

The third installment of the hugely successful franchise, Tiger 3 also stars Katrina Kaif and sees Emran Hashmi as an antagonist. The actioner is part of Yash Raj Films’ spy-universe, which also features Hrithik Roshan’s War and superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan.