Mediaboss Marketing

Among those detained by the Punjab Police under the National Security Act (NSA) amid the ongoing crackdown on radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, is a clerk with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) whose father was allegedly picked up by police in 1993 during militancy and never returned.

Kulwant Singh Rauke (38), from Rauke Kalan village of Moga, as per the police, is an active member of Waris Punjab De, the outfit headed by Amritpal. Kulwant is considered very close to Amritpal and used to attend all his programmes.

A senior police official said that Kulwant was detained from his home in the presence of his family and village panchayat members Monday late. According to Moga Police, his arrest warrants under NSA were procured by Amritsar rural police for his alleged role in the storming of Ajnala police station complex on February 23. After being detained, he was handed over to Amritsar police.

Speaking to The Indian Express, his sister Jaswinder Kaur said that police had been on the lookout for Kulwant ever since the crackdown on Waris Punjab De began on Saturday.

On Monday evening, we ourselves called the police and my brother surrendered. He is a PSPCL employee, not a criminal. He did nothing wrong if he was supporting Waris Punjab De for encouraging youths to get baptized. My brother is also an Amritdhari Sikh. He used to attend religious congregations of other organizations also, said Jaswinder Kaur.

She claimed that earlier, the police had said that they will only counsel my brother so that he doesnt get involved in any anti-social activities and doesnt organize any protest. We assured them that he will not indulge in any such activity. He was scheduled to join duty from Wednesday. But they took him away without telling us that what is the case and under which law, said the sister.

She said that in March 1993, their father Charhat Singh, who was then the sarpanch of the village, was picked up by the police and never returned. Till date we do not know if he died, if he was killed in a fake encounter or he is still alive. We do not have any proof of his death, said Jaswinder, adding at the time she was not born and her brother was nine years old.

From the day of March 25, 1993 to now, we do not that what police did to our father. Today when they took my brother, we recorded videos and also called panchayat to ensure everything was on record, she added.

Moga SSP J Elanchezhian, meanwhile, said that Kulwant was arrested after his warrants under the NSA were received from Amritsar rural police.

Earlier, police had detained Bhagwant Singh alias Pardhan Mantri Bajeke, Basant Singh and Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala from Moga; Amritpals uncle Harjit Singh from Amritsar and Daljeet Singh Kalsi from Gurgaon under the NSA and they have been taken to Dibrugarh prison in Assam.

IG Sukhchain Singh Gill said that till now eight have been booked under NSA including Amritpal Singh of which 7 have been detained. Gurinderpal Singh Guri Aujla from Kapurthala has also been held under NSA.

Also detained under NSA, Amritpals social media handler

A resident of the United Kingdom, who had previously been arrested while trying to fly out of the country on March 9, was nabbed again by Punjab Police from Kapurthala on Tuesday for being an alleged close aide of radical preacher Amritpal Singh.

The arrested man was identified as Gurinderpal Singh alias Guri Aujla (44) and has been booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

According to the police, Gurinderpal was handling the Twitter account of Amritpal Singh and was very active on social media.

Giving more details, the police said that Gurinderpals father lives in Phagwara while his brother lives in Kukkar Pind village of Jalandhar near Jalandhar Cantonment. Gurinderpal, police said, was putting up with his brother in Kukkar Pind currently.

According to details, Gur Aujla is a resident of the United Kingdom and has been in Punjab for the last few months. A case under Section 188 was previously registered against him by Jalandhar police on February 20 for exhibiting weapons on social media.

Ever since the Jalandhar case, Gurinderpal had gone into hiding and a look out circular had been issued against him. On March 9, he attemped to flee to the UK but was stopped and arrested. He had later managed to secure bail in the case.

(With ENS, Jalandhar)

More:
Amritpal Singh case: Detained under NSA, Powercom clerk whose father was picked up by police in 1993 and never returned - The Indian Express

GaryMuth

I have owned a bunch a different REITs over the last couple years, and near the end of 2022 I started buying shares of a couple different storage REITs. They were one of the REIT sectors that took a beating in 2022, and the improved valuations is why I started buying REITs in several different sectors, including industrial and cell tower REITs. A couple weeks ago I wrote an article on CubeSmart's (CUBE) annual results a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to write an update on National Storage Affiliates (NYSE:NSA) annual results. While I have been focused on energy for most of my new investments in the last couple months, Im still holding CubeSmart and National Storage Affiliates, and I plan to hold both for a long time.

National Storage Affiliates is one of the major self-storage REITs available to public market investors. It also happens to be on the cheaper side of the sector valuation wise, with a price/FFO of 14.6x. They also have a juicy 5.4% dividend that income investors will appreciate. Their acquisitions slowed down in 2022 (like many other REITs), but I think they can still grow for years to come, even if the acquisition volume doesnt look like it did in 2021. They do have a fair amount of total debt, with over $1B in maturities due by the end of 2024, but they also have plenty of liquidity with their newly expanded credit facility. Im not planning on adding to my position, but I think patient investors looking to buy National Storage Affiliates can consider a dip below $40 to be a buying opportunity.

A couple things from National Storage Affiliates 10-K are worth looking at for investors. I was focused primarily on the acquisition volume and their debt profile, but there are other insights investors can glean by reading the 10-K for themselves. NSA made 45 acquisitions for the year, which was slower than their 229 acquisitions in 2021 to be sure. Im curious to see what 2023 looks like, but 2022 was obviously a different strategy from CubeSmart, which only made 3 acquisitions in 2022.

NSA Debt Ladder (nationalstorageaffiliates.com)

They do have a fair amount of debt with a total of $3.6B. They have principal and maturities of $1.1B due by the end of 2024. I dont think there will be any issues dealing with that, and their maturities for 2025-2027 are not as significant (a bit over $500M). I know this doesnt line up exactly with the slide from their March update above, but my numbers are from the 10-K. It is possible that these changes in their debt ladder will show up in the Q1 10-Q, but if that is the case, their debt ladder is in better shape than it was at the end of the year.

Over 90% of their debt is unsecured, and over 80% of it is fixed rate debt. We will see what happens as their debt begins to roll over, but my guess is that their effective interest rate will probably rise a bit in coming years. Of course, this all depends on what happens with interest rates in coming years, but guessing which way rates will go is a fools errand in my opinion. After year end, they boosted their credit facility by $405M to $1.955B, so they should have plenty of liquidity with their line of credit, which was boosted by $300M. One of the reasons I made NSA my first pick in the storage sector was the valuation.

Shares of NSA are up slightly since my last article, but I think they are still buyable today. They are sitting just over $40, with a price/FFO of 14.6x. This is well below their average multiple of 20.4x. While Im not counting on multiple expansion, I do think it is a possibility given the defensive nature of their business. While the multiple to the mid-20s that we saw in 2021 and part of 2022 is probably unlikely, its not out of the realm of possibility. If we are lucky enough to see that, chances are that I would take my gains and head for the exit.

Price/FFO (fastgraphs.com)

NSA has average double-digit growth for years, but the forward estimates arent very appealing, with low single-digit growth projected through 2025. While the company might not grow as fast as it has in past years, I tend to think the growth estimates could turn out to be on the low end. If NSA can grow faster than projected, I think the returns could be pretty solid given the relatively low risk profile of the self-storage sector. Another reason to like NSA is their 5.4% dividend, which is the highest in the sector.

NSA hiked their dividend pretty aggressively until the middle of 2022. The quarterly payout has been stuck in neutral at $0.55 since then. Im curious to see what happens with the dividend over the next couple years, but I think we will probably see smaller dividend hikes resume at some point. I do think that a dividend cut is highly unlikely. NSA has also started buying back shares, something that is unusual for the REIT sector. They started using their buyback program in December, buying back just over 1M shares, leaving about $310M on their buyback authorization. While I think the buybacks are a decent option for the company at the current price, Im not counting on continued buybacks, especially if shares grind higher.

National Storage Affiliates is an interesting risk/reward proposition for income investors. One of the first things investors will notice is their yield over 5%, and while the dividend growth has stalled over the last year, I think the dividend hikes will resume at some point. Shares have tracked the average multiple of 20.4x pretty closely for years, only dipping into the mid-teens in 2020 and the last six months. While I dont want to base the bullish thesis on multiple expansion alone, I think it is possible, and I think shares are buyable today. Patient investors might want to wait for a dip below $40. Investors should keep an eye on their debt profile, but I think they have plenty of liquidity to deal with their upcoming maturities. I think the current growth estimates through 2025 might be a bit of a lowball. If growth is better than expected, I think the forward returns for National Storage Affiliates could be in the double-digits with a solid mix of income and share price appreciation.

More:
National Storage: Collect A 5% From Defensive Self Storage Sector ... - Seeking Alpha

Pro-Khalistan self-styled radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh [File Photo]

The National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against pro-Khalistan self-styled radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh on Tuesday, who has been absconding since March 18, informed sources said on Tuesday.

The police have launched massive search and cordon operations in the state against activists of Amritpal Singhs Waris Punjab De.

However, his supporters claimed that he was already in illegal police custody.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police used massive force on Tuesday to physically remove hundreds of Sikh protesters, under the banner of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, who had laid siege to Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan Chowk near Mohali after reports of the police detaining Waris Punjab De supporters.

However, the police arrested a large number of supporters, who were armed with sharp-edged weapons.

The Punjab government has extended curbs on internet and SMS services till March 23 noon in Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Moga and Sangrur districts; Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar district; and areas in Mohali district.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government would take strict action against anyone who tried to disturb the states peace and harmony.

In his first reaction, Mann said he had received several calls from people praising his government.

People are telling me, you have done a good job. There should be peace and harmony in Punjab. In this matter, we will support you, he said in a video message.

On Monday, the the police invoked the NSA against five people linked to the Waris Punjab De.

The stringent law has been invoked against Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Pradhanmantri Bajeke and Harjit Singh, who have been shifted to the Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam.

Six FIRs have been registered and 114 people arrested against elements of Amritpal Singhs outfit.

A team of the state police had chased Waris Punjab Da chiefs convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar on March 18 but he managed to escape on a motorcycle.

See more here:
NSA invoked against Amritpal Singh: Sources - The Statesman

TikTok was banned in India in 2020, but a review by Forbes found that the company's employees can still mine some of Indians' most sensitive data.

Almost three years after TikToks largest market, India, banned the Chinese-owned social media app over geopolitical tensions, troves of personal data of Indian citizens who once used TikTok remain widely accessible to employees at the company and its Beijing-based parent, ByteDance, Forbes has learned.

The revelation comes as President Joe Bidens administration threatens to ban the platform used by more than 100 million Americans if TikToks Chinese owner does not sell its stake. Officials in the highest levels of the U.S. government see a blanket TikTok ban as a possible solution to the countrys national security concerns about the potential for China to surveil or manipulate Americans. Some have called India a guide star, urging the U.S. to follow its lead.

I dont think [Indians are] aware of how much of their data is exposed to China right now, even with the ban in place, a current TikTok employee told Forbes.

According to the employee and a review of internal TikTok and ByteDance programs by Forbes, almost anyone at the companies with basic access to their tools can retrieve and analyze granular data about past TikTok users in India. (ByteDance has more than 110,000 employees around the world, including in China and Russia, but reportedly fired its entire India staff last month.) Another source also independently confirmed that Indians data has been accessible since the country banned the app.

I dont think [Indians are] aware of how much of their data is exposed to China right now, even with the ban in place.

One social mapping toolwhich the TikTok employee jokingly called NSA-To-Gocan spit out a list of any public or private users closest connections on TikTok and personally identifiable information about them, and it still pulls up the TikTok profiles of people in India, according to a review by Forbes. Staff can plug in a TikTokers unique identifier or UID, a string of numbers tied to more detailed data about the person, to retrieve the TikTok usernames (often, first and last name) of hundreds of friends and acquaintances; the region where they live; and how they share TikTok content with phone contacts and users across other social platforms. The same UID can be used across TikTok and ByteDances other internal tools to find even more information about the personincluding their search behavior. The TikTok employee described it as a key to building a digital dossier on any user, including those with private accounts.

Neither company would say whether TikTok continues to use the data it collected from its past users in India.

We have steadfastly complied, and continue to remain in full compliance, with the Government of India order since it was implemented, TikTok spokesperson Jason Grosse said in an email. All user data is subject to our robust internal policy controls surrounding access, retention, and deletion. ByteDance did not respond to a request for comment.

The purpose of Indias 2020 ban appears to have focused on preventing public access to TikTok in the country going forward, given concerns about the app potentially sending data it had collected on Indian users back to China. (Nikhil Gandhi, who was then head of TikTok in India, said at the time that TikTok had not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government.) The ban did not seem to call for deletion of app data that had already been captured and stored.

As a result, the profiles of Indian users who once used TikTok can still be found online, though their owners havent been able to post since the 2020 ban. The company would not say how many Indian accounts can be viewed in the internal tool, but TikTok had roughly 150 million monthly active users there at the time it was shut down, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower. The data in this particular tool appears to be frozen in time for the India users; for other countries like the U.S., where TikTok is widely used today, it updates in real-time.

The current TikTok employee told Forbes that nearly anyone with basic access to company toolsincluding employees in Chinacan easily look up the closest contacts and other sensitive information about any user. That includes everyone from prominent public figures to the average person, according to the employee and a Forbes review of the tool. In the wrong hands, the employee noted, that information could be dangerous.

From [their social graphs], if you want to start a movement, if you want to divide people, if you want to do any kind of operation to influence the public on the app, you can just use that information to target those groups, they said. This powerful demographic data, especially on TikToks unmatched Gen Z userbase, could also be highly valuable for commercial purposes, the employee added.

We cant ban them from the data they already have.

Beyond the India case, company-wide access to a tool like this could be highly problematic in the context of geopolitical conflict. Data on users from Ukraine and Russia, including details about who they communicate with on the app, has been available in the tool, according to the TikTok employee and internal materials obtained by Forbes. Though there is no known instance of this tool or others at TikTok being used against foreign adversaries, such information could jeopardize the safety of soldiers and citizens alike.

"When an authoritarian country like China is able to amass a lot of information about citizens in another country, that's going to raise all sorts of red flags, former National Security Agency general counsel Glenn Gerstell told Forbes. He said that while he thought it might be hard for China to actually weaponize that information in practice, it absolutely raises concerns, heightens tensions [and] puts them in a position potentially to do mischief with the data. And that's obviously a threat.

TikTok has already used its arsenal of tools to target individuals and their networks. A December Forbes investigation revealed that ByteDance had tracked multiple journalists who cover the company, gaining access to their IP addresses and other data to try to uncover which ByteDance employees may have been in proximity to them and potentially leaking information. The company vehemently denied that report until its own internal investigation proved it to be accurate, heightening fears across the U.S. government that such surveillance could be conducted on Americans more broadly. The FBI and Justice Department are now investigating ByteDances use of TikTok to spy on journalists, as Forbes first reported. The White House has also ordered federal agencies to wipe TikTok from government employees devices by the end of this month.

Got a tip about TikTok or ByteDance? Reach out securely to the author, Alexandra S. Levine, on Signal/WhatsApp at (310) 5261242, or email her at alevine@forbes.com.

TikToks retention of Indians data shows why, stateside, a consensual agreement between TikTok and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. might be far more effective than a ban, Gerstell said. (CFIUS and TikTok have been in talks since 2019 on a deal to address national security concerns about the app.) He said a CFIUS deal could lock down historical data, which the India ban apparently failed to do, and that it would give the U.S. government the ability to set the terms around what happens to Americans data from past and present. Though a consensual deal wouldnt guarantee that China wont find a way to access that old data, it could afford other protections, he explained.

"If it's a banwhich is the same thing in Indiawe can't ban them from the data they already have, Gertstell said. Whatever the data is up to that moment of the ban is TikTok's, is ByteDance's...and we have no legal basis, if all we're doing is banning the thing, to tell them what to do with [it]." It gets even more complicated if the data is already stored outside U.S. jurisdiction, he added.

"The politicians, and the people pounding the table when they talk about bans, in their mind think they're solving a problem, he told Forbes, and they absolutely aren't.

Emily Baker-White contributed reporting.

Continue reading here:
India Banned TikTok In 2020. TikTok Still Has Access To Years Of ... - Forbes

The National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against pro-Khalistan self-styled radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh on Tuesday, who has been absconding since March 18, informed sources said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police used massive force on Tuesday to physically remove hundreds of Sikh protesters, under the banner of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, who had laid siege to Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan Chowk near Mohali after reports of the police detaining Waris Punjab De supporters.

However, the police arrested a large number of supporters, who were armed with sharp-edged weapons.

The Punjab government has extended curbs on internet and SMS services till March 23 noon in Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Moga and Sangrur districts; Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar district; and areas in Mohali district.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government would take strict action against anyone who tried to disturb the state's peace and harmony.

In his first reaction, Mann said he had received several calls from people praising his government.

"People are telling me, you have done a good job. There should be peace and harmony in Punjab. In this matter, we will support you," he said in a video message.

On Monday, the the police invoked the NSA against five people linked to the 'Waris Punjab De'.

The stringent law has been invoked against Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Pradhanmantri Bajeke and Harjit Singh, who have been shifted to the Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam.

Six FIRs have been registered and 114 people arrested against elements of Amritpal Singh's outfit.

A team of the state police had chased Waris Punjab Da chief's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar on March 18 but he managed to escape on a motorcycle.

See original here:
NSA invoked against Amritpal Singh: Sources - OTV News