MyVoice: Views of our readers 26th June 2025

Seems a fixed match

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed victory over Israel and said his country had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” on Thursday, 26 June, in his first public comments. Khamenei spoke in a video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since 19 June. He said, the US despite intervening “achieved no gains from this war”

The 86-year-old Khamenei hadn’t been seen in public since the outbreak of the war on 13 June, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and targeted top military commanders and scientists. He had reportedly taken shelter at a secret location one which POTUS Donald Trump claimed that the US was privy to, but that they would not try to kill him “yet”.

He said we are winning this war as long as we do not bow before dictators, before power and greed, as long as we uphold the ideals of Imam Hussain. Khamenei warned US “The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to key US centres in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary is a significant matter. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.” The US military action was never about nuclear issues or nuclear enrichment, but about Iran’s “surrender”’.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Curb unfair academic practices

Reference to your report on the ED raids over the engineering seat blocking scam, it is deeply disturbing to see how some private colleges, along with agents, manipulate government quota seats for profit. Over 2,000 seats were allegedly blocked, denying genuine students a fair chance. This is not just corruption it is a betrayal of meritocracy & trust.

The government must take stringent action against institutions involved & strengthen the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s oversight. Aadhaar linked verification, real-time public seat tracking & a crackdown on education consultancies are the need of the hour. Education must not be commercialized to this extent. Let’s restore fairness to our academic system before more futures are compromised.

Dr H K Vijaykumar, Raichur

Cybersecurity measures need boost

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued an advisory for citizens, urging everyone to change their online passwords immediately. This is being termed the biggest online credential theft in the history of the internet. A massive database on the dark web has revealed that the data was stolen from 30 different sources. Cybersecurity experts have warned that this stolen data poses a heightened risk of cybercrimes and fraud. Reports indicate that 16 billion online passwords and identity data have been compromised.The government advisory recommends that all passwords related to online usage should be changed immediately.

To secure user accounts, citizens are advised to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible. Additionally, using passkeys is also recommended. Common and easy-to-guess passwords like admin1234, guest, and qwerty should be strictly avoided, as cybercriminals can crack such passwords in just two seconds. To prevent cyberattacks or losses, it is essential to keep both passwords and antivirus software strong and updated in the current scenario.

Dattaprasad Shirodkar, Mumbai

Property matters in India

There is a strong emotional bond between Indians and property. Instead of treating it like any other asset class which can be bought and sold, Indians treat it as an inseparable part of one’s life. The first thing that any married couple thinks of is buying and owning a house. With the rate of land and apartments going through the roof, not even the rich can afford them in the metros and therefore have to live somewhere in the distant suburbs.

A property other than the house one lives is a luxury few can afford. There are so many legalities and loopholes in law that lawyers can purchase their own properties on what they earn on disputes of properties. Land has also been the cause of breaking families and bitter enmity between the siblings or other close relations. Like the writer says at the end we only need a hole in the ground; so why this constant disputes over property?

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai