Indian airliners were hit by twin bomb threats on opposite sides of the globe on Tuesday, resulting in an emergency landing in Canada’s Arctic and the scrambling of fighter jets in Asia. These incidents are part of a recent surge of similar hoax scares targeting Indian airlines, prompting investigations by authorities in India and abroad.

The first incident occurred when Air India flight AI 127, traveling from New Delhi to Chicago, was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit, Canada’s northernmost city. According to Canadian police, all 211 passengers and crew were safely evacuated to the airport. The airline said the flight had been diverted as a “precautionary measure” following a security threat posted online.

Air India later confirmed that the Canadian Air Force had arranged for the transfer of passengers from Iqaluit to their final destination in Chicago. The airline, in a statement, noted that Indian carriers have faced a series of threats in recent days, all of which have turned out to be hoaxes.

In a separate but simultaneous incident, two Singapore Air Force F-15 fighter jets were scrambled to escort an Air India Express flight from Madurai to Singapore. The plane, flight AXB684, was diverted to Changi Airport after the airline received an email claiming there was a bomb on board. Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on social media that the country’s air defense systems were activated, and the plane was safely handed over to airport police upon landing.

Several other Indian flights have also been affected by bomb hoaxes. On Monday, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to New Delhi after a similar bomb threat. Two IndiGo flights, one bound for Oman and another for Saudi Arabia, were delayed due to bomb warnings, while a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai received a threat on Tuesday but was cleared for further operations after a security check.

Although authorities have not determined whether the threats are connected, Air India has emphasized that it takes all such threats seriously. “As a responsible airline operator, all threats are taken seriously,” the airline said, adding that it is working with authorities to hold those responsible accountable.

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) is reportedly holding meetings to address the situation, as the country’s airlines face mounting disruptions.

The bomb threats come amid rising diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, though there is no direct evidence linking the incidents to the current political climate. Canada recently expelled several Indian diplomats, accusing India of involvement in acts of violence against Sikh separatists, a claim India has vehemently denied. While the current threats have no confirmed connection to these tensions, they evoke memories of the tragic 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 by Sikh extremists, the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history.

Despite repeated false claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was stolen, voter fraud in the United States is exceedingly rare, according to election officials and experts from both political parties. While instances of voter fraud do occur, the nation’s decentralized and multilayered election system is designed to detect and prevent such activities, making large-scale election manipulation nearly impossible.

Voter fraud can involve illegal actions such as casting multiple ballots, tampering with votes, or using a deceased person’s identity to vote. All of these are criminal offenses carrying significant penalties. However, the robust safeguards in place across the country’s thousands of independent voting jurisdictions make it difficult to organize fraud on a scale that could alter the outcome of an election, especially in high-stakes presidential races.

Each state in the US has its own set of voting laws, and these laws typically include measures to verify the identity of voters. For in-person voting, many states require photo identification or other forms of verification, while absentee and mail-in voting are secured through processes like signature matching and ballot tracking. Additionally, federal laws require regular updates to voter lists, which help ensure that voter rolls are accurate and up-to-date.

Although Trump and his supporters have repeatedly claimed that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election, investigations in multiple states have found very few verified cases. A comprehensive review by the Associated Press of potential fraud in the six battleground states contested by Trump found fewer than 475 cases out of millions of ballots cast. This number is far too small to have impacted the overall outcome of the election, where President Joe Biden won by a margin of 311,257 votes across those key swing states.

Many allegations of voter fraud have turned out to be false or based on misunderstandings, such as voters accidentally submitting multiple ballots or mismatches in signatures due to illness. Even some of the rare instances of fraud were found to have been committed by Trump supporters, further undermining claims of widespread manipulation against him.

Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results have largely failed. His legal team’s attempts to challenge the results were rejected in court, with several of his lawyers facing disbarment and defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies and election workers who were harassed over baseless fraud claims. Trump himself is currently facing criminal charges in Georgia, where he is accused of pressuring state officials to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results in his favor.

Despite these attempts, the integrity of the 2020 election remains upheld, with experts continuing to emphasize the rarity of voter fraud in the United States.

The U.S. military is deploying its advanced THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system to Israel, a move aimed at strengthening Israel’s defense capabilities in the face of growing threats from Iran. The deployment comes after recent missile attacks on Israel, with the Pentagon confirming the dispatch of around 100 U.S. troops to operate the system.

The THAAD system, one of the most powerful anti-missile systems in the U.S. arsenal, is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles during their terminal phase, either inside or outside the Earth’s atmosphere. THAAD interceptors rely on kinetic energy to neutralize incoming missiles, meaning they destroy their targets by direct impact rather than detonation. The system boasts an impressive success rate in testing.

The Pentagon’s decision to deploy THAAD to Israel follows a series of unprecedented missile attacks, including those on April 13 and October 1, believed to have been orchestrated by Iran. Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated, with Tehran warning of retaliation if Israel launches further attacks.

THAAD’s deployment is part of a broader U.S. commitment to support Israel’s defense, particularly as it faces threats from Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region. The system will add a crucial layer to Israel’s already formidable air defense network, which includes systems like David’s Sling, the Arrow missile defense system, and the Iron Dome.

David’s Sling, a joint project between Israel’s RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems and U.S. defense contractor Raytheon, can intercept targets up to 300 kilometers away. Above this, Israel’s Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, developed in collaboration with the U.S., target ballistic missiles in the upper atmosphere and in space, respectively. The Iron Dome, Israel’s lower-level defense system, is designed to intercept short-range projectiles.

The deployment of THAAD adds another layer of defense, with its radar system, AN/TPY-2, capable of detecting missiles from up to 3,000 kilometers away in its forward-based mode. This makes it a valuable asset in defending against potential threats from Iran, located around 1,700 kilometers from Israel.

This is not the first time THAAD has been deployed to Israel. In 2019, the U.S. sent a THAAD battery to the region for military exercises, reinforcing its close military ties with Israel. THAAD has also been deployed in other strategic locations, including Guam and South Korea, as the U.S. works to counter threats from North Korea and China.

The decision to bolster Israel’s missile defense with THAAD highlights the growing concern over missile threats in the Middle East and the U.S. commitment to its allies in the region. The deployment serves as a deterrent, adding another layer of protection to Israel’s defense capabilities amidst rising regional tensions.