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Category: India

  • July 29, 2025

    Repressive Laws Are Increasingly Being Used to Silence Activists Across Asia

    Josef Benedict and Rajavelu Karunanithi published a piece in the Diplomat of 18 July 2025 describing how from Hong Kong to India, governments are passing and weaponizing new laws to pursue and jail whoever speaks up for human rights.

    Four years ago, on the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, plain clothes police arrested human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist Chow Hang-tung outside her office in Hong Kong. Her alleged crime? Publishing two social media posts advertising a public vigil to remember the notorious crackdown in Tiananmen Square. At the time, Chow was the vice-chair of the now defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement of China, the main organizer of annual Tiananmen vigils…

    Sadly, such repression is not unique to Hong Kong. Across Asia, authoritarian and democratic governments alike are passing and weaponizing new laws – in clear violation of international law and standards – to pursue and jail whoever speaks up for human rights. Today, on Nelson Mandela International Day, we call for the release of Chow Hang-tang, who is part of CIVICUS’ Stand As My Witness campaign, as well as other human rights defenders unjustly locked up in Asia around the world.

    The CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks civic space conditions across the world, now rates Hong Kong’s civic space as “closed,” the worst possible ranking. Hundreds remain behind bars as police systematically use the new laws to arrest and prosecute people on trumped-up charges. Often, the process itself becomes the punishment as activists spend years in detention before they are even tried…

    Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities are trying to take their repression international, by offering bounties for activists-in-exile charged under the National Security Law and by arresting the father of a prominent U.S.-based activist, Anna Kwok.

    ..Hong Kong’s National Security Laws have become something of a model for other Asian governments looking to stifle dissent.

    Look no further than India, often called the world’s largest democracy, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government resorts to similar laws to consolidate power and silence his critics. Dozens of activists have been jailed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terror law. Under the UAPA’s provisions, activists remain in pre-trial detention for long periods and are denied bail, including human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested in November 2021. His trial has yet to start, four years on. [see also: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/81468931-79AA-24FF-58F7-10351638AFE3]

    In neighboring Pakistan, the government also weaponizes anti-terror legislation against activists like Mahrang Baloch, who languishes in prison on terror charges for speaking out against ongoing violations of ethnic minority rights by the Pakistan security forces in Balochistan. [see also: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/05/28/un-experts-alarmed-by-arbitrary-detention-of-azerbaijani-human-rights-defender-mammadli/]

    In Thailand, more than 270 individuals have been arrested or prosecuted under lese-majeste or royal defamation laws since early 2020, many of whom have received long consecutive sentences from the courts. Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, for instance, received multiple convictions and 26 years in jail for calling for democratic reforms and reforms of the Thai monarchy. [see also: https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/laureates/1e7ce01b-7927-41f1-b7d4-2c563ee235cc]

    Meanwhile, Cambodia’s Han Manet regime has used “incitement” laws as their weapon of choice to silence activists, journalists, and members of the opposition.

    With legal repression spreading across Asia, the international community must do more to push back and stand with these brave activists. Foreign governments must not only speak out when activists are convicted, but step in much earlier when these human rights defenders are arrested. Diplomats should visit wrongly arrested activists in detention, monitor their trials, and engage with their families. Foreign governments must also use international platforms like the United Nations Human Rights Council and bilateral meetings to highlight their cases and call for their release. 

    Activists-in-exile also need support and assistance, especially when they face transnational repression. The recent G-7 Leaders’ Statement on Transnational Repression was a good start, but strong rhetoric must now turn into serious action. Failure to undertake such actions will see a further regression of democracy and repression of civic freedoms in Asia and elsewhere.

    https://thediplomat.com/2025/07/repressive-laws-are-increasingly-being-used-to-silence-activists-across-asia/

    This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards.

  • July 29, 2025

    McDonald’s India Unveils with Vegetarian ‘Protein Plus’ Slices to Meet Skyrocketing Demand

    mcdonalds india protein plus
    5 Mins Read

    McDonald’s is targeting India’s protein craze with a meat-free Protein Plus range to boost the nutritional content of its burgers.

    The latest company to hop on India’s protein train is the world’s largest food corporation.

    McDonald’s India, already home to one of the chain’s most extensive meat-free menus globally, has launched a Protein Plus range to power up its existing burgers with vegetarian protein slices.

    While the slices aren’t vegan-friendly – they’re made from a mix of soy, pea and whey protein – their rollout comes amid rising demand for plant proteins in India. This year, 37% of its citizens are looking to add more of these to their diets.

    The circular slices can be added to any burger, each adding five grams of protein. They’re a result of McDonald’s ongoing collaboration with the CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), part of the national science and technology ministry.

    “We believe in giving our customers choices, and this time, we are giving them the power to personalise their protein intake,” said Akshay Jatia, CEO of Westlife Foodworld, which operates McDonald’s stores in West and South India. “The Protein Plus range allows them to enjoy their favourite McDonald’s burgers without compromising on their protein needs or taste.”

    Protein Plus looks to tackle India’s deficiency

    mcdonalds protein plus
    Courtesy: McDonald’s India

    Swathes of studies suggest that India has a protein problem. According to one survey, 73% of the country has a deficiency. That said, a separate analysis of household food intakes reveals that the risk of protein deficiency, when adjusted for digestible quality, is low in adults and non-existent in young Indians.

    But the protein trend isn’t going anywhere. And in a country with the world’s largest vegetarian population, the appetite for meat may be shrinking. Research shows that more Indians want to increase their intake of vegan meat alternatives (43%) than conventional meat (36%), while two in five want to cut back on the latter.

    It’s why McDonald’s is going big on meat-free. The Protein Plus slices are part of its Real Food, Real Good philosophy, a quality-focused initiative that ensures menu items are free from artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives.

    The slices contain gluten and refined soybean oil, and carry a cheesy base flavour and buttery top note. They can be found across all McDonald’s stores in West and South India, and are available in Protein Plus Meals (the vegetarian version pairs a protein-enriched veggie burger with a protein-rich corn cup and Coke Zero).

    Customers can add multiple Protein Plus slices to their burgers, with each setting them back ₹25 ($0.29). Among its vegetarian options, a Veg Maharaja Mac with one protein slice will contain 29g of protein, while a double patty of the McSpicy Paneer burger will pack around 45g of protein. The new innovation is so popular, it sold out on day one.

    The slices are the second product to come out of McDonald’s India’s collaboration with CFTRI, following the launch of the Multi-Millet Bun. “We are grateful to CSIR-CFTRI for partnering with us to bring this forward-thinking product to life,” said Jatia.

    “Together, we remain committed to crafting menu items that are wholesome and delicious, combining locally available ingredients in a way where great taste and nutrition go hand in hand.”

    Can McDonald’s lead India’s meat-free protein space?

    mcdonalds india protein
    Courtesy: McDonald’s India

    Sridevi Annapurna Singh, director of CFTRI, said: “The Protein Plus slice is an outcome of science-backed formulation and a shared vision to elevate everyday meals through nutrition. This partnership showcases how the food industry and scientific institutions can come together to bring meaningful nutritional upgrades to mainstream eating.”

    The new range was unveiled at an event in Mumbai last week, which was attended by Yogesh Kadam, the minister for the state’s Food and Drug Administration. He noted that the initiative reflected the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Eat Right India movement, which aims to promote safe, nutritious and sustainable food choices.

    “It is heartening to see scientific research institutions and industry leaders come together to contribute towards national nutrition goals,” he said. This partnership model is vital for strengthening our public health landscape.”

    The move comes just as India’s foodservice industry amps up its protein focus. Such is the demand that Swiggy, one of India’s two major food delivery platforms, launched a dedicated High Protein category on its app this month.

    “As consumers become aware of the importance of protein in their diets, we know that they would not immediately shift away from their favourite items,” said Sidharth Bhakoo, chief business officer at Swiggy Food Marketplace. “The launch of this new [Protein Plus] range is a step forward in upping the protein consumption of consumers, while also enabling them to enjoy their favourite burger.”

    Last year, a report by the Good Food Institute (GFI) India suggested that there’s a “lack of consumer demand” for meat analogues at restaurants, prompting the call for better education and menu integration.

    “The real barrier is not the lack of awareness but the need for a mindset change,” noted Pranav Rungta, vice-president of the National Restaurant Association of India. “With the foodservice industry growing and becoming more organised, educated restaurateurs who understand the impact of health, nutrition, and alternative proteins are also growing.”

    Within McDonald’s, the fortunes of plant proteins are topsy-turvy. The company has seen strong sales of the Beyond Meat-containing McPlant in most parts of Europe, though the vegan burger failed to take off in the US. Now, it has reportedly removed it from its Austrian menu too, opting to run out its contract with the plant-based meat maker instead of renewing it.

    In Canada, the McPlant did not find much success either. McDonald’s chose instead to focus on vegetable-led offerings in that market, trialling a McVeggie burger at dozens of locations earlier this year.

    The post McDonald’s India Unveils with Vegetarian ‘Protein Plus’ Slices to Meet Skyrocketing Demand appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • July 28, 2025

    FDA Knew Drugmaker Had Poor Record. It Waited Four Years to Inspect One Factory.

    The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on a generic drugmaker that was the subject of a ProPublica investigation last year, citing problems with safety tests that delayed the recall of a medicine linked to deaths in the U.S. In December, ProPublica reported that a Glenmark Pharmaceuticals factory in central India was responsible for an outsized share of recalls for pills that didn’…

    Source

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • July 25, 2025

    These Animal Welfare NGOs Put 150 Hackers in A Room. These Are the AI Tools They Built

    code 4 compassion
    4 Mins Read

    In a hackathon hosted by AI-for-good organisations Electric Sheep and Open Paws, around 150 coders came up with compassionate tools for animal justice.

    What do you get when you put 150 young hackers in a room to develop tech-led solutions for animal welfare and climate justice?

    That was the basis of the hackathon organised by Electric Sheep and Open Paws on the sidelines of the Vegan India Conference in Mumbai this month.

    Called Code 4 Compassion, it was the third such hackathon after events in San Francisco and London earlier this year. The series focuses on building technical infrastructure for animal advocacy, with participants collaborating to create automations, AI prototypes, and no-code tools to support animal protection and food system innovation efforts.

    In Mumbai, the event grouped young software engineers, coders, and mission-driven developers from across the country in 25 teams to solve problem statements around cruelty, animal-related policies, and veganism over a 24-hour period.

    “From what we’ve seen and done here, it’s clear that India is rapidly becoming the epicentre of AI for impact,” Electric Sheep CEO Ash Singh told Green Queen. “Electric Sheep and Open Paws are excited about the work of these brilliant young developers and what they can do for animal protection and climate change. The change starts here.”

    India’s coders create a diverse range of advocacy tools

    code for compassion
    Courtesy: Electric Sheep

    Code 4 Compassion’s aim was to uncover real-world AI tools for NGOs, civil society organisations, and citizen-led movements – and many of the resulting prototypes garnered international investors.

    One team created RescueRadar, an AI-led cruelty report processing system that categorises cruelty incidents, extracts key details, and scans complaints for the most urgent cases that need the attention of rescue organisations and the appropriate authorities.

    Another group developed SufferingWatch, which leverages machine learning to monitor regulatory filings and flag potential animal welfare violations in industries like meat and dairy. AnimalParliament, meanwhile, is a natural language processing system that tracks animal-related state and national bills and monitors news.

    The coders also created SaferStrays, a digital interface to map stray animals and connect citizens with local rescue centres, while building a census database for welfare programmes.

    Plus, the hackathon led to the creation of VeganMe, a culturally adapted chatbot that provides round-the-clock support for people transitioning to plant-based diets, and IndiaForAnimals, a multilingual content generation platform to build animal welfare education.

    Developers also built software and websites like FirstHello, a cold outreach automation system that identifies leaders of target organisations and generates personalised advocacy messages for corporate engagement campaigns. Another team built Profilr, a fundraising agent that analyses potential donors’ philanthropic histories to generate compelling outreach pitches.

    Organisers in talks to integrate AI tools in real-world applications

    ai hackathon india
    Courtesy: Electric Sheep

    The event was co-hosted by Craigslist CF, ProVeg, Kickstarting for Good, Stray Dog Institute, People for Animals and Bharat Accountability Initiative, and is part of a push to integrate India’s AI prowess with social justice movements that remain underfunded and overstrained.

    “This is India’s moment to lead,” said Sam Tucker-Davis, executive director of Open Paws. “We’re not just mentoring coders – we’re brokering lifelong collaborations between India’s tech community and movements that need AI the most.”

    He added: “The mentorship model we’ve developed allows participants to achieve remarkable results, and the solutions created here will have lasting impact across the movement.”

    Open Paws and Electric Sheep are now planning to make several of the new tools open-source, launch an AI-for-impact incubator, and conduct future events in the cities of New Delhi and Bangalore, according to the Deccan Chronicle. They’re also in talks with civic organisations and advocacy groups to integrate some of these solutions into governance and public outreach systems.

    There’s already precedent for this: a prototype from the Code 4 Compassion event in San Francisco has been adopted by a British NGO to oppose the construction of new factory farms.

    “The innovation and ingenuity that these young coders demonstrated represent a quantum leap in how technology can serve animal and climate advocacy,” said Electric Sheep’s Singh. “India’s combination of tech talent and mission alignment can drive impact as we’ve never before seen. We’ve worked in Silicon Valley and across Europe, and India’s AI talent is right up there in terms of proficiency and creativity.”

    The post These Animal Welfare NGOs Put 150 Hackers in A Room. These Are the AI Tools They Built appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • July 25, 2025

    India’s Dual Drone: Stealth Coating

    Hyderabad Firms Unveil India’s First Dual Stealth Drone Two tech companies from Hyderabad have joined forces to create India’s first “dual stealth drone,” a platform designed to evade both radar and infrared (IR) detection by combining autonomous flight with advanced stealth materials. RAMA: Next-Generation Stealth Coating The breakthrough lies in a material called RAMA (Radar Absorption […]

    The post India’s Dual Drone: Stealth Coating appeared first on Asian Military Review.

    This post was originally published on Asian Military Review.

  • July 19, 2025

    How Farmers Defeated The Land Grab By India’s Karnataka State

    On the 1,198th consecutive day of protest, farmers in Karnataka declared victory on July 15, forcing the south Indian state’s government to retreat from the plan to grab 1,777 acres of fertile, multi-cropped farmland across 13 villages.

    Meeting their representatives on Tuesday at Vidhana Soudha – the seat of the legislature in the state capital, Bangalore – Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah announced the scrapping of land acquisition notices, recognizing the farmers’ struggle against the land grab as “historic”.

    He acknowledged that “writers, artists, communist party, people’s movements,” and the historically oppressed Dalit castes had all struggled alongside the resisting farmers, whose leaders emerged from the conference hall, triumphantly whirling their green neck scarves overhead.

    The post How Farmers Defeated The Land Grab By India’s Karnataka State appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • July 18, 2025

    Claim that India has invented a ‘self-sustaining’ generator that runs for 700 years without power/ fuel is fabricated

    On social media as well as messaging platform WhatsApp, many shared a video of a ‘self-sustaining’ magnetic power generator with claims that it can run for 700 years without any power supply or fuel. Hailing this as one of the biggest achievements of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, those sharing this claim also said that the invention has thrown global superpowers, such as the US, China, and Russia, into disarray.

    X user @mRupeshVerma posted the video with the viral claim on July 8, 2025, highlighting remarkable inventions under Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister. (Archive)

    #विपक्ष_की_बौखलाहट
    यह है मोदी सरकार के 11 वर्ष के कार्यकाल की एक और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण उपलब्धि अब आप अपने जीवन मे कभी भी अंधेरा नही देख सकेंगे अब कभी लाइट बंद नही होगी और ना ही लाइट जायेगी🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🚩🚩 मोदीजी है तो सबकुछ मुमकिन है👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/dHDrxLEdvM

    — RV || The Engineer || 𝕏 (@mRupeshVerma) July 8, 2025

    The video was also viral on Facebook with similar claims. Screenshots below:

    Click to view slideshow.

    Alt News also received multiple requests on its WhatsApp helpline (+91 76000 11160) to verify the video and the claims.

    Click to view slideshow.

     

    Fact Check

    To check the authenticity of the claims, we ran a keyword search to look for any verified media reports on the invention, but found none.

    Thereafter, we ran a reverse image search on one of the key frames from the viral video, which led us to this YouTube video, uploaded in March 2007.

     

    According to the caption, the video demonstrates the ‘Searl effect’.

    Taking cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search and found that the device seen in the video, developed by John Searl, is a Searl Effect Generator (SEG). It uses rotating magnets arranged in a ring to generate energy by harnessing electrostatic charges from the atmosphere. This was developed in the 1940s.

    Notably, this invention was critiqued for its use of ‘fraudulent science’. Many allege that the SEG’s magnetic phenomenon has not been constructively demonstrated or tested.

    Thus, claims that India invented a magnetic generator under the Modi government are baseless and fabricated. No credible media outlets have reported this. Besides, the device shown in the video shared with the viral claim is a Searl Effect Generator (SEG), a controversial invention by John Searl in the mid-20th century.

    The post Claim that India has invented a ‘self-sustaining’ generator that runs for 700 years without power/ fuel is fabricated appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 11, 2025

    Indonesia keeps options open with bewildering fighter smorgasbord

    If the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) could have its way, it would be operating fighters galore from aerospace companies emanating from Asia, across Europe and all the way to the USA. However, fiscal realities mean such ambitions remain a pipe dream. In recent times, Indonesia has been linked to the following proposed purchases: American F-15EXs, […]

    The post Indonesia keeps options open with bewildering fighter smorgasbord appeared first on Asian Military Review.

    This post was originally published on Asian Military Review.

  • July 10, 2025

    X accuses India of press censorship after it blocks news outlets’ accounts

    New Delhi, July 10, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for greater transparency and due process in how Indian authorities handle social media restrictions, following reports of the temporary block of multiple international news organizations’ X accounts over the weekend. X accused the Indian government of censoring the press. 

    “This incident once again underscores the serious lack of transparency and accountability in how the Indian government issues and enforces orders for the removal of social media content and the blocking of accounts,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Any action affecting journalists or news organizations must be based on clear legal grounds, be subject to independent judicial oversight, and not infringe on press freedom. India still lacks a credible mechanism to review or challenge these opaque and arbitrary orders.”

    On July 5, two of Reuters’ handles, @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, were blocked, with X saying the accounts were obstructed “due to legal demands.” Several reports also suggest that accounts of Turkish broadcaster TRT World and the Chinese state media outlet Global Times were censored. The accounts were restored the next day. A government official speaking on condition of anonymity told CPJ that the authorities had not issued any orders to block the accounts and that they were engaging with X to get them restored. 

    However, in a July 8 post, X countered the Indian claim and said that on July 3, the Indian authorities had ordered the platform to block 2,355 accounts. X also expressed concerns about “ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.” X has already sued the Indian government over a new official portal that it says grants “countless” government officials expanded powers to issue takedown orders.

    The Indian government denied issuing any recent blocking order against Reuters and others and said the accounts were unintentionally restricted due to a previously issued directive that was part of broader digital enforcement measuresimplemented in the wake of heightened national security concerns. 

    Authorities said they’d asked X to restore access immediately and blamed a 21-hour delay on the platform for the continued impediment.

    In May 2025, X expressed concern about the Indian government’s demand to block over 8,000 accounts, and asked for such executive orders to made public.

    X and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology did not reply to CPJ’s emails seeking comment. 


    This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 10, 2025

    PIB’s claim that India is fourth most equal country citing World Bank data is misleading

    On July 5, 2025, the Press Information Bureau (PIB)—the official media and public relations arm of the Indian government—published a press release titled “World Bank Places India Among World’s Most Equal Societies.” Citing a World Bank report, PIB published a misleading claim that “India ranks fourth globally in income equality with a Gini score of 25.5,” after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus.

    Click to view slideshow.

    After PIB’s release, several media outlets, including Times of India, Moneycontrol, The Hindu, Mint, Deccan Herald, Indian Express and Republic published reports that India ranked fourth in terms of income equality, with some directly attributing it to the World Bank. Among them, The Hindu and Deccan Herald had PTI copies while Mint had an ANI copy. Largely, they all parroted the PIB release.

    Also Read | Op Sindoor: As Indian media made false, outrageous claims, PIB looked the other way

    Click to view slideshow.

    Why PIB’s Claim Is Misleading

    Comparing India’s Gini score (25.2) with the United Kingdom (32.4), the United States (41.8) and China (35.7), PIB said that India’s income equality outshone major economies.

    Source: PIB press release

    The World Bank defines the Gini as an index that measures the “extent to which the distribution of income or consumption among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution”. A Gini score or coefficient is expressed as a percentage. The number 0 denotes a perfectly equal society (where everyone has the same level of income or consumption), while a score of 100 denotes extreme inequality (where some have nothing and the rest have all).

    Also Read | India is not the fourth-largest or a $4-trillion economy yet; NITI Aayog CEO’s claim citing IMF data misleading

    However, the PIB seems to have cherry picked some information from the World Bank report and misrepresented it.

    Here’s what the World Bank’s April 2025 Poverty & Equity Brief for India says:

    “…India’s consumption-based Gini index improved from 28.8 in 2011-12 to 25.5 in 2022-23, though inequality may be underestimated due to data limitations. In contrast, the World Inequality Database shows income inequality rising from a Gini of 52 in 2004 to 62 in 2023. Wage disparity remains high, with the median earnings of the top 10 percent being 13 times higher than the bottom 10 percent in 2023-24…”

    So, there are two Ginis—one based on consumption and the other on income. Clearly, the World Bank says that India has improved in one and done worse in the other.

    But PIB has compared the consumption-based Gini score of India (where India fares slightly better in 2022-23 than 2011-12) with the income-based Gini scores of UK, US, Slovenia and Slovak Republic (where India is worse off now than before).

    The World Bank itself warns against comparing Gini coefficients of different countries for this very reason, because the underlying data used in surveys for these calculations varies. Note that the World Bank does not collect data itself; it measures inequality based on household survey data provided by governments. From the World Bank glossary:

    “Because the underlying household surveys differ in methods and types of welfare measures collected, data are not strictly comparable across countries or even across years within a country.”

    The reason such a comparison is problematic follows:

    “… Surveys can differ in many respects, including whether they use income or consumption expenditure as the living standard indicator. The distribution of income is typically more unequal than the distribution of consumption.”

    So, in comparing India’s consumption inequality with more developed countries’ income inequality, we are essentially comparing two different units. And inequality based on consumption data will, by default, appear more equal.

    Let’s understand why this is so.

    Inequality Based on Consumption vs Income

    Most developed, wealthy or high-income countries use income-based household surveys because their economies are formalised and tracking incomes is not a challenge. Developing, middle and lower-income groups use consumption-based household surveys owing to challenges with collecting data on incomes (some reasons could be a sizeable proportion of the labour force being deployed in informal sectors, more cash transactions, less access to banking, etc).

    But when we track inequality based on the two different surveys, the results are different. Countries that use income-based surveys appear to be more unequal. There are three main reasons for this:

    First, income-based surveys include all means through which one earns (such as salary, capital gains, additional earnings) whereas consumption-based surveys take account only of households’ expenditure. To put it another way, one measures a household’s potential purchasing power while the other only measures how much is actually used or spent. While those with higher incomes may consume more, they also have a greater propensity to save. So, just looking at households’ consumption data cannot give us a clear picture of their potential purchasing power.

    Let’s take an oversimplified example. A poor household spends around Rs 15,000 a month or 75% of its income, while a wealthy household spends Rs 50,000, which is 10% of its monthly income. At a glance, just based on their expenditure or consumption, it is hard to gauge the level of inequality between the two, even when there is a significant difference in their spending. But if we conflate their monthly incomes—Rs 20,000 and Rs 5 lakh, respectively—the level of inequality is stark.

    Two, according to a 2024 paper on the Gini coefficient titled “The World Bank’s New Inequality Indicator: The Number of Countries with High Inequality” (Haddad et al.) households’ incomes can sometimes be extremely low or even negative, due to unemployment, loss in business, or other temporary shocks but they would still need to maintain a basic level of consumption for sustenance. This keeps consumption levels from falling sharply. 

    Three, wealthier households have a greater propensity to save. As incomes grow, the proportion of what is spent on essentials diminishes and the proportion devoted to savings rises. For instance, a household might receive a large one-time income from investments but won’t necessarily spend all of it right away. Instead, they may save most of it for future needs or emergencies.

    Because of these differences, income and consumption inequality are not directly comparable—income can fluctuate sharply, while consumption tends to be smoother since everyone depends on at least a minimum level of subsistence.

    What PIB Got Wrong

    The Press Information Bureau took the 25.5 figure, which is the consumption-based Gini and compared it with the income-based Gini of the United States of America and the United Kingdom. It also claimed that India stands fourth globally in income equality, after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Belarus.

    As established earlier, income inequality is typically higher than consumption inequality. This means that when the Gini for a country is calculated using income data, it will appear more unequal and thus have a higher score than when it is calculated using consumption data.

    • For example, the United Kingdom’s score on the Gini index (calculated in 2021) is 32.40, which makes it seemingly more unequal than India’s consumption-based Gini index score of 25.5. The footnote in the World Bank data clearly states that the UK’s Gini score is based on income data.
    Click to view slideshow.
    • Similarly, the United States of America’s latest score on the Gini index (calculated in 2023) is 41.80, which is higher (and hence more unequal) than India’s consumption-based Gini index score of 25.5. US’s Gini coefficient is also based on income data.
    Click to view slideshow.

    Like we mentioned before, this is similar to comparing absolute numbers of different units. For instance, it’s like saying 100 grams is more than 50 ounces. What is comparable, however, is India’s income-based Gini, which is 62, much higher than those of the UK and the USA.

    • Similarly, the Slovak Republic, in 2022, had an income-based Gini of 24.10. When compared with India’s income-based Gini of 62, the Slovak Republic is far ahead in terms of equality.
    Click to view slideshow.
    • Slovenia, as of 2022, had an income-based Gini of 24.30. Again, income equality there is far less than in India, with a Gini of 62.
    Click to view slideshow.
    • As of 2020, Belarus had a consumption-based Gini Index of 24.40. This is comparable to India’s consumption-based Gini of 25.5. Belarus fares better than India.
    Click to view slideshow.
    • China’s Gini Index of 35.70 is comparable to that of India’s 25.5, since China also has a consumption-based Gini.
    Click to view slideshow.

    We’ve ranked the countries mentioned in the PIB press release below, distinguishing their most recent available consumption-based and income-based scores on the Gini index.

    To put things in perspective, India’s income inequality has actually risen from 2004 to 2023. The World Bank brief clearly says this. Even the improvement in consumption inequality is very marginal—from 28.8 in 2011-12 to 25.5 in 2022-23. This is hardly celebratory; it rather shows that India’s consumption is facing strain.

    Economist Surbhi Kesar, who was the first to point out PIB’s misrepresentation of World Bank data on X, writes that we might even be underestimating India’s consumption inequality due to data limitations. The 2022–23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey introduced several changes in methodology compared to the earlier 2011–12 survey, making direct comparisons on poverty reduction unreliable.

    Also, the Gini index is one inequality indicator, just like income and consumption are a few metrics to measure inequality. Like economist Santosh Mehrotra points out in The Wire, inequality manifests in various ways such as social inequality (owing to caste, ethnicity, class, etc) and wealth-based inequality (when wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few over the years and then passed down as inheritence), which are often beyond the scope of the Gini index but crucial for developing economies like India to take into account.

    Importantly, these surveys and numbers do not highlight enough just how stark inequality is in India, in terms of wealth concentration. These issues have been widely flagged by economists and statisticians on several occasions.

    (With inputs from Diti Pujara)

    The post PIB’s claim that India is fourth most equal country citing World Bank data is misleading appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 9, 2025

    India: Farmers Near Victory After Almost 2,000 Days Of Protest

    On the 1,188th consecutive day of protest against the forcible land acquisition from the farmers of 13 villages in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, its Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah met with movement leaders on July 4.

    As a “gift” to the CM, the delegates carried mangoes, flowers, and seasonal vegetables grown on their threatened land, highlighting the fertility of the 1,777 acres his government is acquiring, allegedly for real estate interests.

    Hinting at his willingness to retreat, his office released a statement after the meeting, explaining that his government needed 10 days to examine the legal complexities involved in reversing the acquisition process for which his government had already issued the final notices this April. 

    The post India: Farmers Near Victory After Almost 2,000 Days Of Protest appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • July 6, 2025

    Indian Farmers Reject Proposed Trade Deals With West

    Free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries in the West would harm India’s agriculture, its farmers, and small industries, claimed one of India’s largest farmer’s groups, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), in a press release on Tuesday, July 1.

    AIKS also extended its support for and announced participation in the upcoming national strike on July 9 against the policies of the ultra-right-wing government in the country.

    Over 150 million members, along with other constituents of the farmers’ coalition Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), will participate in demonstrations in towns and villages across India on July 9, claimed AIKS in a press release on Tuesday, July 1.

    The post Indian Farmers Reject Proposed Trade Deals With West appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • July 5, 2025

    Dalai Lama succession: China warns India against interfering in Tibet-related matters

    China warned India on Friday against interfering in Tibet-related matters after an Indian minister supported the Dalai Lama’s statement that his successor should be chosen by a Tibetan nonprofit group, rejecting moves by China to steer his succession.

    Video: China warns India against interfering in Tibet-related matters

    “No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be,” said Kiren Rijiju, India’s minister for minority affairs.

    China’s foreign ministry urged India to be prudent in its words and actions.

    “We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,” said spokesperson Mao Ning.

    India’s foreign ministry later on Friday released a statement on its website saying, “Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion.”

    Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama meets with religious leaders at the end of a three-day conference in Dharamsala, India, July 4, 2025.
    Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama meets with religious leaders at the end of a three-day conference in Dharamsala, India, July 4, 2025.
    (OHHDL)

    The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959, stated on Wednesday that upon his death, he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be authorized to identify his successor.

    Beijing maintains it has the right to approve the Dalai Lama’s successor.

    The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said in a statement: “The process of reincarnation for Tibetan Buddhists is a sacred tradition. Any attempt by the CCP to interfere in this spiritual matter is an unacceptable violation of religious liberty and must be swiftly condemned by the international community.”

    Penpa Tsering, president of the Tibetan government in exile, spoke to reporters in Dharamsala at the end of the three-day conference of Tibetan religious leaders, where the Dalai Lama affirmed his succession plans.

    “If China tries to use this in any way, in any means, we will not recognize it. In the future also we will not accept any of China’s choices.”

    Reporting by Dawa Dolma and Tenzin Woser in Dharamsala; additional reporting from Reuters; edited by Charlie Dharapak


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 5, 2025

    China warns India against interfering in Tibet-related matters | Radio Free Asia (RFA)


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 3, 2025

    After SCO defence ministers’ meet, false claims of India being left out and Russia signing joint statement go viral

    After defence ministers representing their countries at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) were unable to adopt a joint statement at the end of their talks on June 26, several rumours regarding the meeting were viral on social media. One of the viral claims is that Russia signed a joint SCO statement supporting Pakistan. Another claim suggested that a closed-door meeting was carried out without India.

    Formed in 2001, the SCO is a grouping of 10 countries including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. The defence ministers’ meeting took place in China’s Qingdao ahead of the upcoming annual summit.

    On June 29, X user @TheDailyCPEC claimed that Russia had signed the joint SCO statement. At the time of this article being written, the post had a million views. (Archive)

    🚨BREAKING: Russia has officially signed the joint SCO statement, supporting Pakistan’s position over India. pic.twitter.com/GHGxmH5cA4

    — The Daily CPEC (@TheDailyCPEC) June 29, 2025

    X user @NavCom24 had also shared the viral claim that Russia signed the SCO statement. However, it was later deleted. (Archive)

    Meanwhile, X user @thinking_panda claimed that China, Iran, Russia and Pakistan agreed to a closed-door SCO meeting without inviting India. (Archive) 

    If we tell India, India will tell the US and Israel. So we have to keep India out of the door. 😅 pic.twitter.com/FOSqIGC5Mj

    — ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) June 29, 2025

    Several other X users, including @DefenseDiplomat, @BigWayneConley and @qazafi197476, shared similar claims. (Archives: 1, 2, 3)

    Click to view slideshow.

    We also found an Instagram post, which made similar claims. The caption reads, “A high-level NSA meeting is scheduled among China, Iran, Russia, and Pakistan under the SCO framework, but India has not been invited.”

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Corporate Wire (@corpwire)

     

    Fact Check

    According to several media reports, the SCO joint statement was not adopted because Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh refused to endorse it as it did not mention the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were shot dead by terrorists. India has blamed Pakistan for sheltering terrorist factions responsible for the attack. Pakistan has denied the allegations.

     

    According to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson from the Ministry of External Affairs, a joint statement was not adopted at the SCO. “Certain member countries could not reach consensus on certain issues, and hence, the document could not be finalised… India wanted concerns and terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country.”

    We found no news reports mentioning any other country, such as Russia, signing the SCO document.

    We then looked at the SCO charter available on the site of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Article 16 on the procedures on taking decisions says that SCO decisions are taken by agreement without voting as long as no member objects. It says:

    “The SCO bodies shall take decisions by agreement without vote and their decisions shall be considered adopted if no member State has raised objections during its consideration (consensus), except for the decisions on suspension of membership or expulsion from the Organization that shall be taken by “consensus minus one vote of the member State concerned.”

    This meant that SCO statements are adopted by unanimous consensus. But to be sure, we also reached out to a journalist who has covered diplomatic and strategic affairs for over a decade to understand how countries adopt statements at the SCO. This journalist, who did not wish to be identified, clarified that the “signing” on the draft statement is only if all members agree to adopt it, which was not the case in this SCO defence ministers’ meeting. So, if one member state does not agree, there is no way that some member states sign the document and others do not. It is either adopted as a whole by all or it’s not, he reiterated.

    So, the claim that Russia ‘signed’ the joint SCO statement supporting Pakistan’s position over India is not true.

    Also, the SCO published a report on the defence ministers’ meet on June 26 in which Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh can also be seen among the representatives of the invited nations. This debunks the claim that there was a closed-door SCO meeting at which India was not invited.

    Also, one of the claims, which uses an image of the leaders of China, Pakistan, Russia and Iran is actually from a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2023 and not the recent SCO meet in China.

     

    To sum up, the viral claims that India was not invited to a closed-door SCO meeting or that Russia signed a joint SCO statement favouring Pakistan are baseless.

    The post After SCO defence ministers’ meet, false claims of India being left out and Russia signing joint statement go viral appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • July 3, 2025

    Australia and India to work together on undersea surveillance

    Australia and India will work together on a collaborative research project aimed at enhancing undersea surveillance capabilities, marking the first science and technology pact between the nations. The three-year initiative focuses on improving submarine detection and autonomous underwater vehicle tracking through advanced technologies. The project involves the Defence Science and Technology Group’s (DSTG) Information Sciences…

    The post Australia and India to work together on undersea surveillance appeared first on InnovationAus.com.

    This post was originally published on InnovationAus.com.

  • July 3, 2025

    Delivery of two INS Udaygiri in one day marks a watershed for India

    The Indian Navy (IN) commissioned two different types of frigate on 1 July, one built in Russia and the other in India. Notably, this could be the last time India resorts to buying naval vessels constructed overseas. INS Tamal, a Project 1135.6 frigate bearing the pennant number ‘F71’, had been constructed at the Yantar Shipyard […]

    The post Delivery of two INS Udaygiri in one day marks a watershed for India appeared first on Asian Military Review.

    This post was originally published on Asian Military Review.

  • June 27, 2025

    ‘News’ about two-wheelers having to pay toll is not true; TV9 Bharatvarsh, India Today, others misreport

    On June 26, several news outlets reported that under new rules by the Indian government, two-wheelers will be required to pay a tax at toll plazas from July 15, 2025.

    Media outlets TV9 Bharatvarsh, TV9 Hindi and TV9 Assam in their video reports and stories on June 26  said that July 15 onwards, two-wheelers using the national highway will have to pay toll to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

    Although TV9 Bharatvarsh has now removed this video, it was shared on YouTube by Opposition party, Congress. The party’s national spokesperson, Ritu Chaudhary, and party member, Priyamvada, also shared  TV9 Bharatvarsh’s video on X to claim that the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party was making life harder for middle-class Indians by imposing toll tax on two-wheelers, which is often dubbed a lifeline for many who cannot afford cars.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Besides TV9, many other media organisations such Zee News Telugu, ETV Bharat, Punjab Kesari, IBC24, Lalluram.com, IRIA Gujarat, BBN 24 and DB Live published similar reports that two-wheelers will have to pay toll tax from July 15. India Today also published a report, which was subsequently taken down from its website. However, social media users shared screenshots of the story. Panchajanya, a Hindi language weekly magazine published by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), also posted the update on X but deleted it later.

    Click to view slideshow.

    The Karnataka Congress also shared a similar report on its official X handle, calling it another blow to the common man. Other social media users on X also posted about the government levying a toll tax, based on media reports.

    Click to view slideshow.


    Fact Check

    Considering some news outlets deleted their reports, we began checking whether the information was true.

    While investigating, we came across an X post by Nitin Gadkari, the minister of road transport and highways, shipping and water resources. His post said that media outlets were spreading misleading news that the government was levying toll on two-wheelers. Condemning those for spreading misinformation without verifying, he clarified that no such decision was made and two-wheelers remain exempt from toll tax. He even tagged TV9Bharatvarsh in his post.

    The X handle of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) also said that reports by media outlets on toll being levied on bikes and scooters was baseless and that no such proposal was being considered.

    The fact-checking unit of the government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) also debunked the claims that two-wheelers would soon have to pay toll. However, it is worth noting that PIB did not call out any news outlet’s reports in its post, even though the misinformation was amplified because of misreporting by news outlets.

    Even during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, PIB’s fact-check unit debunked many false claims spread on social media, but did not name or call out any media houses that blatantly spread misinformation.

    Read: PIB ignores false claims by Indian media about Operation Sindoor & The fictional strikes on the Karachi port and what it says about Indian media

    On June 26, TV9 Bharatvarsh issued a clarification: “TV9 Bharatvarsh had run the news some time ago that now two-wheelers will have to pay toll tax on NHAI, refuting this news, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has tweeted and informed that this news is false.”

    दो पहिया वाहनों को नहीं देना होगा टोल टैक्स

    TV9 भारतवर्ष ने कुछ देर पहले ये खबर चलाई थी कि अब NHAI पर टू व्हीलर्स को टोल टैक्स देना होगा, इस खबर का खंडन करते हुए केंद्रीय मंत्री नितिन गडकरी ने ट्वीट कर जानकारी दी है कि ये खबर गलत है. यानी टू व्हीलर्स पर कोई भी टोल टैक्स नहीं… pic.twitter.com/RSP1mkFC3w

    — TV9 Bharatvarsh (@TV9Bharatvarsh) June 26, 2025

    To sum up, many Indian news outlets misreported that two-wheelers would soon have to pay toll tax, resulting in many amplifying it. The NHAI and Union minister Gadkari clarified that no such proposal was on the cards.

    The post ‘News’ about two-wheelers having to pay toll is not true; TV9 Bharatvarsh, India Today, others misreport appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Pawan Kumar.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • June 26, 2025

    Henri Tiphagne slams India’s ‘zero accountability’ on torture

    Human Rights activist Henry Tiphagne at the press meet

    Human Rights activist Henry Tiphagne at the press meetInstagram/peopleswatch

    On 25 June 2025 Azeefa Fathima wrote how – at the release of the Global Index on Torture in Geneva, human rights defender Henri Tiphagne of India’s People’s Watch slammed India for failing to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and for allowing systemic impunity in custodial deaths.

    India’s human rights record on custodial torture came under sharp international criticism at the launch of the Global Index on Torture in Geneva on Tuesday, June 25, with prominent rights advocate Henri Tiphagne accusing the country of “zero accountability” in cases of police brutality and deaths in custody.

    Drawing attention to the fifth anniversary of the custodial deaths of Jeyaraj and Benix in Tamil Nadu, Henri said, “The father and son were tortured and died in judicial custody. They were produced before a judicial magistrate after medical examination, having already changed clothes three times due to bleeding. The trial has gone on for five years, across 262 hearings, and is still ongoing, while the family continues to face reprisals.”

    Henri, who is the Executive Director of People’s Watch, criticised India for being among eight countries listed in the Global Index for ongoing torture and reprisals against victims and human rights defenders. “We are yet to ratify the Convention Against Torture, despite over 41 countries having recommended it. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has existed for 32 years and has not prosecuted even one police officer responsible for extrajudicial killings or torture,” he said…

    He said that India must “bow down in shame” for its continued failure to ratify the UN convention and for its “zero accountability” in cases of custodial torture and deaths.

    India is one of eight countries globally, alongside Libya, Honduras, Belarus, Colombia, Turkey, the Philippines and Tunisia, flagged for systemic torture and reprisals against survivors and human rights defenders. [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2025/02/25/looking-towards-2025-blog-post-by-omct-secretary-general-gerald-staberock/]

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), established 32 years ago, has never successfully prosecuted a single police officer involved in torture or extrajudicial killings, Henri noted, and said, “We are the only country with so many human rights institutions, and yet they are not functioning. The NHRC has even been downgraded in Geneva, and this speaks volumes”.

    Human Rights activist Henry Tiphagne at the press meet

    Explained: Why India’s NHRC faces a downgrade from ‘A’ to ‘B’ status

    https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/at-geneva-event-henri-tiphagne-slams-indias-zero-accountability-on-custodial-torture

    This post was originally published on Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards.

  • June 26, 2025

    Clip of Air India crash survivor Vishwas Kumar Ramesh going back to look for brother viral with conspiracy theories

    Following the devastating crash of Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171, a new video purportedly of Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the tragic accident, is viral on social media. The footage shows him walking towards the crash site, which is engulfed in flames. Ramesh was among the 242 aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed into the BJ Medical College in the densely populated area of Meghani Nagar in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad within 30 seconds of take-off. The accident, among the worst tragedies in recent aviation history, claimed the lives of 241, including crew, and many others residing in the premises of the medical college.

    The survival of Ramesh, who was seated in an emergency exit in the aircraft, has been nothing short of miraculous. Earlier, a video, shared by many news outlets, showed Ramesh walking out of a building gate as plumes of smoke could be seen in the background. This was different from the now-viral video, which shows him walking towards the site of the crash.

     

    Social media users have widely circulated the video questioning why he walked towards the site of the crash and emerged afterwards. Wondering what unfolded, many insinuated it was fishy that a man “shown as a survivor” was walking into the accident and coming out later. Some even said that this was the “reality” that was not being broadcast by media outlets. Below are some claims from X and Instagram. (Archives 1, 2)

    Seriously?! 😳 is this for real? 😧 pic.twitter.com/PJimpwlJdl

    — Lord Shiv🥛 (@lordshivom) June 18, 2025

     

    Bit confused by seeing this viral video. The person who was shown as a survivor was found walking inside the accident zone area and then again he came out 😰 how’s that possible? I can’t believe this.#planecrash #ViralVideos#Accident #AirIndiaPlaneCrash #IranIsraelConflict… pic.twitter.com/eOIBysIAtN

    — Amit Kumar Singh (@AmitSingh0208) June 18, 2025

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by ❤ Mahadev ke deewane Hain ham ❤ (@sanju_bob_thakor_mahadev_)

    Users on Facebook also shared the viral clip. Screenshots below:

    Fact Check

    Since information on passengers in the flight and Vishwas Kumar Ramesh’s boarding pass were published by many media outlets, we were certain that he was on the flight.

    But to understand what was being shown in the viral video, we broke it down into key frames, and ran reverse image searches on some of them. This led us to several short videos where a man bearing a close resemblance to Vishwas Kumar Ramesh is seen entering the crash site more than once and exiting. Alt News went through many such videos generated by those at the site and tried to piece together the chain of events.

    Our research found that Ramesh first exited the crash site when there were very few people around and tried to go back in twice to look for his brother, who was on the same flight. The new viral video, shared with conspiracy theories, shows him re-entering the crash site for the first time. He tried entering it a second time, too when there were more people at the site, who beckoned to him and called him back. When he emerged from the site this time, he was guided by these people to an ambulance. A video of his emergence and being taken to an ambulance was the same one shared by news outlets.

     

    Here’s a breakdown of how we arrived at this:

    We found one Instagram reel uploaded by user @ravibarthuniya on June 12, showing a man in a white t-shirt, standing across from the crash site, making his way across the street and entering the premises. His clothing and the fact that he was limping matched the description and visuals of Vishwas Kumar Ramesh seen emerging from the site.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Ravi Barthuniya (@ravibarthuniya)

     

    We compared visuals in the viral video and this reel and found they were the same. Below is a comparison.

    Thus, the viral clip does show Vishwas Kumar Ramesh entering the crash site. We also noticed that there was a scooter parked by the compound wall he entered and only few people around.

    However, when this reel is compared with the video shared by news outlets showing him emerging from the site and being guided towards an ambulance, some things appear different.

     

    For instance, the scooter against the wall seen in the first comparison image was removed. Also, there were a lot more people present at the site. This suggests that some time had passed between the two videos, and the clip of him emerging was taken later.

    We also found another video on Instagram of Ramesh using his phone and entering the crash site. However, this is different from the previous video of him entering.

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Amit kumar jain (@amitalwin)

    We also noticed that the scooter was removed and, unlike in the previous instance, the dog is absent. There are also more people. Multiple videos we watched confirmed that he entered the crash site not once, but twice.

     

    In the second instance, the people present at the site call out to him after he goes in. When he comes out, a man in a pink shirt and blue turban is visible. Based on the video shared by news outlets, we know that he is the same person who guides Ramesh to an ambulance.

    A video report by BBC India, posted on Instagram on June 18, identifies the man in the turban as Satinder Singh Sandhu. Sandhu, who supervises a fleet of ambulances, was the first emergency responder at the crash site.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by BBC News India (@bbcnewsindia)

     

    We then reached out to Sandhu, who told us that when he arrived at the spot, he saw Ramesh going back into the premises. “I was just done shifting a victim to the ambulance. Then I saw him (Ramesh) near the gate. He went in and then came out again, after which I intervened and moved him to an ambulance,” he told us in Hindi.

    Sandhu told the BBC that Ramesh, even after his rescue, “kept trying to go back to the site of the crash.”

    “He had no idea what he was doing. He kept going in and out of the complex. We told him to stop, and dragged him away to an ambulance so that he could receive medical care… That’s when he said to me that his relative was trapped inside and he wanted to go save him. We did not speak a word after that,” he told the publication. At the time, Sandhu had no idea the man was the lone plane crash survivor. The emergency responder gave similar accounts to news outlets PTI, NDTV and UK-based DailyMail.

    Thus, we were able to conclude that Vishwas Kumar Ramesh emerged from the crash site and tried going back near the burning wreckage at least twice to look for his brother. Piecemeal footage on social media from different angles and at different times has led to confusion regarding the chain of events. Alt News was unable to find footage that shows him walking away from the crash site the very first time. But we were able to establish that the now-viral video shows him trying to re-enter the first time, most likely to look for and save his brother.

    The post Clip of Air India crash survivor Vishwas Kumar Ramesh going back to look for brother viral with conspiracy theories appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • June 26, 2025

    Plant-Based Startup Prot Targets India’s Protein Deficiency with Category-First Block

    prot india
    7 Mins Read

    Mumbai-based Prot has released Prot Block, a shelf-stable ingredient offering health-conscious Indians a new format of plant-based protein.

    Walk into metropolitan India right now, and you might begin wondering whether you have a protein deficiency.

    Protein is everywhere right now, from chocolates and coffee to kulfi and even water. It has given a boost to functional health startups and forced dairy giants like Amul and Mother Dairy to innovate and introduce protein-rich offerings.

    Swathes of studies suggest that India has a protein problem—according to one survey, 73% of the country has a deficiency. That said, a separate analysis of household food intakes reveals that the risk of protein deficiency, when adjusted for digestible quality, is low in adults and non-existent in young Indians.

    Either way, the protein trend isn’t going anywhere. And in a country with the world’s largest vegetarian population, it’s an opportunity for plant-based companies.

    The challenge? Meat alternatives are still ultra-niche, and tofu (often marketed as ‘soy paneer’) is only just emerging into tier 2 cities. The industry’s USP, however, is health and nutrition.

    Polling shows that protein and health benefits are the most influential purchase drivers of plant-based meat and dairy in India, even more so than affordability. It’s what spurred the 18% growth of the vegan market between 2021 and 2024.

    According to market research firm Ipsos, this value is expected to expand 18-fold in the next decade, with plant proteins “set to be woven into everyday meals and snacks, attracting a wider audience beyond vegans”.

    It leaves room for new, innovative products that pack a punch with protein and fibre, all while satisfying the taste buds of a food-loving population.

    Not an alternative to tofu or paneer

    prot block
    Courtesy: Prot

    Prot, a Mumbai-based startup formerly known as Seaspire, is tapping into the opportunity. It has released Prot Block, a novel format of plant-based protein that isn’t quite a meat alternative or tofu, and holds its own on the culinary and nutrition fronts.

    “The motivation for us in developing this product actually came from an unintended blind test, where we just had some test consumers give insights on how they feel about the texture and early iterations of this product without any positioning… [except only] if they were given the option to eat plant protein,” co-founder Varun Gadodia tells Green Queen.

    “And this got us a strongly positive early feedback that vegetarian consumers in India and some Western markets are looking for a protein texture that can be incorporated easily in their daily food habits without sounding like any alternative or plant-based meat positioning.”

    Indeed, we’re already seeing this shift in Europe, where whole-food options and new formats are taking over the plant-based space. In the UK, Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood both offer protein blocks made from legumes and vegetables. Meanwhile, Austria’s Revo Foods uses mycoprotein to deliver The Prime Cut, which doesn’t mimic meat and is designed for functional nutrition instead.

    Prot Block – available in plain and tandoori flavours – contains 15g of protein (on par with tofu) and 10g of fibre per 100g, as well as 7g of fat sourced from coconuts and sunflower. In fact, both the overall and saturated fat content are over three times lower than paneer.

    “In the short to medium term, we don’t intend to raise this as a rival of traditional paneer or tofu, but more of an option in the vegetarian protein textures, as consumers don’t really have much to look at and they are looking for options more actively,” suggests Gadodia.

    “The commoditisation of soy and paneer in India within a very complex yet mature supply chain has left consumers with a choice paralysis with a cluttered marketplace of paneer, tofu and other soy derivatives,” he adds.

    “In order to meet the differentiated positioning, we took the road to break out of that clutter,” he continues. “An allergen-free offering is just another value-added category [in which] we aim to position this product as a counter.”

    Prot Block spotlights peas over soy

    plant-based protein india
    Courtesy: Prot

    Peas are the star ingredient, with the Prot Block comprising textured pea protein and pea protein isolate. Wheat fibre and spices close out the ingredient list.

    Using pea protein was a strategic choice to reduce the Asian market’s reliance on soy. “Reinventing the wheel with any soy-derived texture doesn’t compel consumers enough to look over the likes of tofu and tempeh, and soy granules, chunks or chaap (heavily consumed in many parts of India as a vegetarian protein),” Gadodia says.

    “The opportunity here is to establish bench standards for wider adoption of pea protein, which unfortunately has remained restricted to the supplement space,” he adds, contends that this will ultimately help lead to improved standards of protein processing and commercialisation.

    Prot describes the product as a versatile option suited to both local and international cooking styles, as well as a range of applications, from curries and rice to wraps and barbecue. “But this is just the beginning,” he says.

    “We are in the process of some process tweaks in the product, which can get us to position it as an on-the-go snack that can be consumed directly. The hint lies in packed halloumi sticks and cheese sticks,” Gadodia adds. “While the product is pre-cooked during the course of processing and can be consumed raw, we are not positioning this as a use case.”

    By offering a shelf-stable format, Prot is tackling a key bottleneck for India’s plant protein sector—the cold supply chain—while offering a long shelf life and potentially mitigating food waste.

    Government support is critical to tackling India’s protein deficiency

    prot protein block
    Courtesy: Prot

    The release of the product follows a closed-group pilot with more than 500 fitness enthusiasts, home cooks, and health-conscious, food-savvy early adopters. According to Prot, the feedback on taste, texture, nutrition and usability was “overwhelmingly positive”, underscoring the need for functional, high-protein options in the country.

    “India is largely protein-deficient, despite heavy dairy consumption,” says Gadodia. “The environment around plant-based protein as a healthier choice is offering a great stage. However, the motivators are high-protein, allergen-free, affordable, low-cholesterol, in contrast to slow or underperforming categories like plant-based meat alternatives.”

    Two in five Indians (21%) are looking to cut back on meat, while only 11% have given vegan alternatives a go (despite them being nutritionally equivalent or superior to animal protein). The space for new formats, therefore, is wide open.

    “The low-hanging fruit, even for us, is the audience seeking high-protein offerings and willing to try more value-added products, [whether] out of need or simply boredom,” he says.

    “The fact that plant protein products are still a niche is [reflective of] the consumer behaviour in India, which varies between a wide spectrum of cultural differences. While consumption in many regional markets is getting an upgrade with more disposable incomes, when it comes to food, consumers have a taste for traditional offerings,” the Prot co-founder explains.

    “Many of these traditional foods already include a good chunk of plant protein derived from lentils, etc., but clean and additive-free packaged foods that solve for convenience are still a white space.”

    The government, he believes, has a crucial role to play. Gadodia likens it to the promotion of the millet-based trade: “More formative policies can support the growth of plant-based foods, which need a robust supply chain and processing support to overcome scaling challenges.”

    This chimes with calls from other experts, who have urged the government to launch a national plant protein mission to scale the sector and build a dedicated policy framework for plant-based foods.

    Prot attracts pre-seed investment

    india protein deficiency
    Courtesy: Prot

    Prot’s protein block is priced at ₹199 ($2.3) per 200g product. That’s several degrees higher than what Indians pay for paneer and, in many cities, tofu.

    Gadodia admits that there’s an initial premium, though he insists that it is “well-gauged to a number that consumers are willing to pay for a value-added and differentiated protein offering that not only serves their need, but also hooks an aspiration to include a new product in their lifestyles”.

    “The current pricing is slightly higher than good-quality paneer offerings, yet it’s in a ballpark of what an early consumer is actively looking to spend to find a valuable offering. We have our early consumers who have found the product reasonable,” he says.

    “Our pricing strategy has been gauged carefully by understanding the value creation, early customers, unit economics and supply chain costs,” he adds. “Yet we have plans to improve pricing further with greater traction and quick turnaround times that could enable us to improve operational margins.”

    Prot Block is currently selling the ingredient on its website and via foodservice. “We have great foodservice partnerships in place with curated menus, kitchen takeovers, etc. taking place to raise consumer awareness, and driving it all to the B2C channel,” says Gadodia.

    To boost the startup’s plans, Gadodia and co-founder Shantanu Dhangar are now fundraising. “We have just closed a pre-seed funding round to support our growth plans with Prot Block and our growing presence in the retail and CPG space,” Gadodia says, hinting at an investor announcement in the coming weeks.

    In another example of the effort to diversify India’s plant protein sources, plant-based meat brand Blue Tribe Foods – backed by Indian actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli – has just unveiled Klaw, a brand of protein puffs derived from “supergrains”.

    The post Plant-Based Startup Prot Targets India’s Protein Deficiency with Category-First Block appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • June 25, 2025

    Force revival

    Amidst an ageing aircraft fleet, India’s air force is looking to indigenously develop platforms that enhance its combat potential. The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is facing continued depletion of its fleet of combat fighters, is looking at the induction of indigenously developed aircraft and helicopters to maintain its combat effectiveness. This effort will be […]

    The post Force revival appeared first on Asian Military Review.

    This post was originally published on Asian Military Review.

  • June 20, 2025

    India’s fascist regime deports citizens at gunpoint as anti-Muslim persecution intensifies

    India’s fascist government has been ramping up anti-Muslim persecution with violent and illegal deportations of citizens. The country’s 200 million Muslim citizens were already a target for highly controversial Hindu-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi, but the recent escalation of the ongoing Kashmir crisis has apparently worsened the situation further.

    As the Guardian reported, Indian authorities have been rounding up “thousands of people” across the country without “due legal process”. And in some cases, the country’s border security force has pushed people over into neighbouring Bangladesh “at gunpoint”. Bangladeshi authorities, meanwhile, have returned hundreds of people to India after discovering they were actually Indian citizens.

    A researcher from Bangladeshi human rights group Odhikar said:

    India is pushing mainly Muslims and low-income communities from their own country

    This, they said:

    is against national and international law.

    Bangladesh claims India has broken with previous procedures and ignored its requests for their renewal.

    Picking on older, disabled citizens

    62-year-old grandmother Hazera Khatun is physically disabled. She recounted that Indian authorities picked her up and later pushed her into a van, saying:

    They treated us like animals

    The thugs also to told her:

    ‘We will shoot you if you don’t go to the other side.’

    Bangladeshi authorities later returned her and others to India because they were Indian citizens, and they:

    had to walk through forests and rivers

    The ordeal was ‘deeply traumatic’, leaving her with bruises all over.

    A 67-year-old Indian citizen, Maleka Begam, is “physically infirm and cannot walk unassisted”. She also said authorities had used guns to threaten her to cross the border. But so far, she has been unable to return home.

    In Gujarat, where Modi himself once presided over deadly anti-Muslim riots, police recently paraded thousands of people through the streets, only 450 of whom were in the country illegally. In Assam, meanwhile, which is also under the control of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), authorities has persecuted and even disappeared people it labels “infiltrators”. Previously, the state exempted non-Muslims from having to prove they were citizens, but it has now opted to “automatically expel” the people it targets.

    Intensifying persecution, with the West’s blessing

    Under Modi’s regime in the last 11 years, the persecution, harassment, and disenfranchisement of Muslim citizens in India has intensified. India’s ongoing occupation of resource-rich territory in Kashmir (a legacy of Britain’s brutally divisive colonial rule), for example, stepped up a gear with Modi’s 2019 revocation of the region’s autonomy, which led to severe human rights abuses and growing militarisation. The West allowed this because it increasingly values India’s role in countering Chinese power. And as tensions erupted earlier this year after an anti-Indian attack in Kashmir, a fragile ceasefire did nothing to stop the runaway train of anti-Muslim rhetoric within India.

    The dangerously divisive language of expelling “outsiders”, “traitors” or “infiltrators” has skyrocketed in recent weeks. Fascist voices on social media have spread such language, as have a wave of Islamophobic songs. And in just two weeks after the Kashmir attack in April, there were reportedly “184 anti-Muslim hate incidents across India”. Authorities even arrested a prominent Muslim academic for calling out such attacks.

    From the US to Britain, Western governments have prioritised backing Israel’s genocide in Gaza while ramping up tensions with Russia and China. And in this environment, they have little interest in condemning the useful extremists ruling India today. But everyone in the world should absolutely be very concerned about the increasing consolidation of fascism in yet another nuclear-armed state.

    Featured image via Unsplash/ Kanishk Agarwal

    By Ed Sykes

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • June 19, 2025

    India: Police Raid Indigenous Village inside Tiger Reserve

    jenu kurubaForest Department officials break down the shelters of Jenu Kuruba people who had reclaimed their old village inside Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.

    This morning more than 250 police, forest guards and tiger force members raided a village which Indigenous people had reclaimed in a tiger reserve six weeks ago. The security forces tore down seven forest shelters where women, children and older people were living, at Karadikallu Atturu Kolli village, in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.

    “They are forcing people to destroy their own homes on their own lands. This is a grave violation of human rights as well as the rights guaranteed under the Forest Rights Act,” said a source from inside the village.

    Jenu Kuruba people were violently evicted from Nagarhole 40 years ago to make way for a tiger reserve. More than 50 families returned on May 5 to live in their former village and to assert their claims in accordance with India’s Forest Rights Act. It’s believed to be the first time Indigenous people in India asserted their rights to return to their homes after eviction from a Protected Area.

    “It is outrageous that the Jenu Kuruba are being thrown out of their home once again. The authorities must stop this persecution of the Jenu Kuruba, who are just trying to live in peace on their own land,” said Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International. “As we’ve seen time and again, conservation – in this case a Tiger Reserve – is being used as a pretext to violate Indigenous rights. It is time to stop this abusive and colonial model of fortress conservation.”

    The Jenu Kuruba had lived alongside and worshipped tigers for generations. They decided to return because their sacred spirits, who still dwell in the old village location, became angry at being abandoned when the community was forced from the forest in the 1980s.

    The post India: Police Raid Indigenous Village inside Tiger Reserve first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

  • June 19, 2025

    India illegally deporting Muslim citizens at gunpoint to Bangladesh, say rights groups

    There are fears the crackdown against ‘outsiders’ is driving widespread persecution as expelled Indians are returned by Bangladesh border guards

    The Indian government has been accused of illegally deporting Indian Muslims to Bangladesh, prompting fears of an escalating campaign of persecution.

    Thousands of people, largely Muslims suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, have been rounded up by police across India in recent weeks, according to human rights groups, with many of them deprived of due legal process and sent over the border to neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • June 19, 2025

    News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade

    Amid geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Indian news outlets, including CNN News18, India Today, CNBC TV18, Times of India, Financial Express, Deccan Herald and Economic Times among others reported that Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was invitated to participate in the celebrations marking the 250-th anniversary of the US Army. The celebrations, which took place on June 14, 2025 coincided with the 79th birthday of US President Donald Trump.

    The Pakistan Army promoted Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal after the recent conflict between the two countries, which intensified after India launched Operation Sindoor (on May 7) targeting terror bases in Pakistan, a fortnight after the dastardly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 civilians.

    On June 11, News18 published a story titled “Pakistan COAS Asim Munir Invited to US Army Day Celebrations on June 14: Sources | Exclusive”.  According to the report, Pakistan’s chief of army staff (COAS), Asim Munir, was invited by the US administration to attend the commemorative event. Citing ‘top intelligence sources’, News18 said that Munir would arrive in the United States by June 12.

    On June 12, India Today also reported, citing ‘top sources’ that Munir confirmed his attendance at the ceremonial military parade on June 14 after Washington extended an invitation.

    Deccan Herald also reported that the Trump administration invited Asim Munir to attend the US Army Day celebration on June 14. 

    Other news outlets, including the Times of India, Economic Times, and Financial Express, reported the same.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Munir being invited to the US celebrations sparked outrage in India, with Opposition leaders calling it a major diplomatic setback for the country on a global scale. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticized the United States for extending an invitation to Munir, considering his incendiary rhetoric (calling Kashmir India’s jugular vein) before the Pahalgam attack.

    This is the man who spoke in such incendiary and provocative language just before the Pahalgam terror attacks. What is the US really up to?

    This is another huge diplomatic setback for India.https://t.co/bLD2gF5dcK pic.twitter.com/coJ5xnArhz

    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 11, 2025

    Fact Check

    Firstly, Munir was nowhere to be seen in the June 14 parade, which was largely an affair limited to the US administration.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Secondly, right before the parade, the White House categorically told some news publications that it had not invited any foreign military leaders, including Munir, to participate in the June 14 US Army parade.

    The Quint cited an unnamed White House official as saying: “We never invited a foreign official… this is a celebration of 250 years of our Army and the United States of America.”

    Responding to widespread speculation—particularly reports originating from India—regarding Asim Munir’s purported attendance, the official added:

    “If a foreign military leader of that stature were to visit, established diplomatic protocols would be followed and public announcements made in advance. This appears to be a product of rumor-mongering, amplified by certain media circles. Just observe the timing.”

    Note that the unsubstantiated claims surfaced shortly after US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) commander general Michael Kurilla, testified before the US House Armed Services Committee, where he commended Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

    By June 14, several of the publications that reported on Munir being invited to the US Army parade have updated or revised these reports to say that the White House issued a denial of these reports. News18 was among the few that added a correction in its updated report. 

    To sum up, reports claiming Pakistan army chief Asim Munir was invited to the US Army’s 250th anniversary parade are not true and have been denied by the US. Many Indian media news outlets seem to have misreported this owing to incorrect “source-based information”.

    The post News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • June 19, 2025

    News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade

    Amid geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Indian news outlets, including CNN News18, India Today, CNBC TV18, Times of India, Financial Express, Deccan Herald and Economic Times among others reported that Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was invitated to participate in the celebrations marking the 250-th anniversary of the US Army. The celebrations, which took place on June 14, 2025 coincided with the 79th birthday of US President Donald Trump.

    The Pakistan Army promoted Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal after the recent conflict between the two countries, which intensified after India launched Operation Sindoor (on May 7) targeting terror bases in Pakistan, a fortnight after the dastardly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 civilians.

    On June 11, News18 published a story titled “Pakistan COAS Asim Munir Invited to US Army Day Celebrations on June 14: Sources | Exclusive”.  According to the report, Pakistan’s chief of army staff (COAS), Asim Munir, was invited by the US administration to attend the commemorative event. Citing ‘top intelligence sources’, News18 said that Munir would arrive in the United States by June 12.

    On June 12, India Today also reported, citing ‘top sources’ that Munir confirmed his attendance at the ceremonial military parade on June 14 after Washington extended an invitation.

    Deccan Herald also reported that the Trump administration invited Asim Munir to attend the US Army Day celebration on June 14. 

    Other news outlets, including the Times of India, Economic Times, and Financial Express, reported the same.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Munir being invited to the US celebrations sparked outrage in India, with Opposition leaders calling it a major diplomatic setback for the country on a global scale. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticized the United States for extending an invitation to Munir, considering his incendiary rhetoric (calling Kashmir India’s jugular vein) before the Pahalgam attack.

    This is the man who spoke in such incendiary and provocative language just before the Pahalgam terror attacks. What is the US really up to?

    This is another huge diplomatic setback for India.https://t.co/bLD2gF5dcK pic.twitter.com/coJ5xnArhz

    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 11, 2025

    Fact Check

    Firstly, Munir was nowhere to be seen in the June 14 parade, which was largely an affair limited to the US administration.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Secondly, right before the parade, the White House categorically told some news publications that it had not invited any foreign military leaders, including Munir, to participate in the June 14 US Army parade.

    The Quint cited an unnamed White House official as saying: “We never invited a foreign official… this is a celebration of 250 years of our Army and the United States of America.”

    Responding to widespread speculation—particularly reports originating from India—regarding Asim Munir’s purported attendance, the official added:

    “If a foreign military leader of that stature were to visit, established diplomatic protocols would be followed and public announcements made in advance. This appears to be a product of rumor-mongering, amplified by certain media circles. Just observe the timing.”

    Note that the unsubstantiated claims surfaced shortly after US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) commander general Michael Kurilla, testified before the US House Armed Services Committee, where he commended Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

    By June 14, several of the publications that reported on Munir being invited to the US Army parade have updated or revised these reports to say that the White House issued a denial of these reports. News18 was among the few that added a correction in its updated report. 

    To sum up, reports claiming Pakistan army chief Asim Munir was invited to the US Army’s 250th anniversary parade are not true and have been denied by the US. Many Indian media news outlets seem to have misreported this owing to incorrect “source-based information”.

    The post News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • June 19, 2025

    News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade

    Amid geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Indian news outlets, including CNN News18, India Today, CNBC TV18, Times of India, Financial Express, Deccan Herald and Economic Times among others reported that Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was invitated to participate in the celebrations marking the 250-th anniversary of the US Army. The celebrations, which took place on June 14, 2025 coincided with the 79th birthday of US President Donald Trump.

    The Pakistan Army promoted Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal after the recent conflict between the two countries, which intensified after India launched Operation Sindoor (on May 7) targeting terror bases in Pakistan, a fortnight after the dastardly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 civilians.

    On June 11, News18 published a story titled “Pakistan COAS Asim Munir Invited to US Army Day Celebrations on June 14: Sources | Exclusive”.  According to the report, Pakistan’s chief of army staff (COAS), Asim Munir, was invited by the US administration to attend the commemorative event. Citing ‘top intelligence sources’, News18 said that Munir would arrive in the United States by June 12.

    On June 12, India Today also reported, citing ‘top sources’ that Munir confirmed his attendance at the ceremonial military parade on June 14 after Washington extended an invitation.

    Deccan Herald also reported that the Trump administration invited Asim Munir to attend the US Army Day celebration on June 14. 

    Other news outlets, including the Times of India, Economic Times, and Financial Express, reported the same.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Munir being invited to the US celebrations sparked outrage in India, with Opposition leaders calling it a major diplomatic setback for the country on a global scale. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticized the United States for extending an invitation to Munir, considering his incendiary rhetoric (calling Kashmir India’s jugular vein) before the Pahalgam attack.

    This is the man who spoke in such incendiary and provocative language just before the Pahalgam terror attacks. What is the US really up to?

    This is another huge diplomatic setback for India.https://t.co/bLD2gF5dcK pic.twitter.com/coJ5xnArhz

    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 11, 2025

    Fact Check

    Firstly, Munir was nowhere to be seen in the June 14 parade, which was largely an affair limited to the US administration.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Secondly, right before the parade, the White House categorically told some news publications that it had not invited any foreign military leaders, including Munir, to participate in the June 14 US Army parade.

    The Quint cited an unnamed White House official as saying: “We never invited a foreign official… this is a celebration of 250 years of our Army and the United States of America.”

    Responding to widespread speculation—particularly reports originating from India—regarding Asim Munir’s purported attendance, the official added:

    “If a foreign military leader of that stature were to visit, established diplomatic protocols would be followed and public announcements made in advance. This appears to be a product of rumor-mongering, amplified by certain media circles. Just observe the timing.”

    Note that the unsubstantiated claims surfaced shortly after US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) commander general Michael Kurilla, testified before the US House Armed Services Committee, where he commended Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

    By June 14, several of the publications that reported on Munir being invited to the US Army parade have updated or revised these reports to say that the White House issued a denial of these reports. News18 was among the few that added a correction in its updated report. 

    To sum up, reports claiming Pakistan army chief Asim Munir was invited to the US Army’s 250th anniversary parade are not true and have been denied by the US. Many Indian media news outlets seem to have misreported this owing to incorrect “source-based information”.

    The post News18, TOI, India Today among others misreport that Pak army chief Asim Munir was invited for US Army parade appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • June 14, 2025

    Asim and Shehbaz in the Same Row but …


    Pakistan’s COAS Field Marshal General Asim Munir (second from right) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (far right) offering prayers at Kaaba in Saudi Arabia during their reent visit IMAGE/Dawn

    In 1909, the renowned poet Muhammad Iqbal wrote Shikwa or Complaint to Allah.1

    The poem is a lament that Allah has neglected his followers, Muslims, the very people who spread Islam and gave Him global exposure.

    A couplet refers to Mahmud Ghazni,2 an eleventh century ruler, and his “slave” Ayaz:

    ek hee saf meiN khaDe ho gaye mahmud o ayAz
    na koi bandA rahA aur na koi bandA-nawAz

    — Muhmmad Iqbal, Shikwa or The Complaint to Allah in Bang-e-Dara, Rekhta

    they stood in the same row: Mahmud (the lord) and Ayaz (the slave)
    (praying to Allah), no more was there distinction of master and slave

    Malik Ayaz, according to Majid Sheikh, was not a slave but was a white European from Gerogia who was Mahmud’s “‘lakhtay’, a Pushtun polite word for ‘boy partner’.” According to S. Jabir Raza, there have been many other nobles with the name Ayaz. Many poets and authors, including Jalaluddin Rumi, have written about Ayaz.

    Anyways, proceeding forward to this 21st century, Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif also rule the area which was once under Mahmud’s rule. Sharif is neither “lakhtay” nor a “slave” of Munir. But nonetheless, the reltionship between COAS (Chief of Army Staff) General Munir and Prime Minister Sharif is not even that of equals.

    The parliamentary system of government in Pakistan officially endows the most power in the prime minister’s office and all others, including Chief of the Army Staff, work under the premier. However, since the 1950s, military has usurped the power and so the civilian governments rule at the mercy of the army — which gets a significant portion of the country’s budget, but also runs several businesse, and has overthrown and installed governments.

    Between May 7 and 10, 2025, India and Pakistan went to war. Both claimed victory. Munir and Sharif thanked Allah for the “victory,” by going to Saudi Arabia in the first week of June to perform Umrah, and to pay homage to the Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or MbS.

    Like in Iqbal’s couplet, Munir and Sharif in the picture above, are standing as equal in front of their Allah. But a quick analysis clearly shows the contentment and happiness on them is not equal — more correctly, it is totally missing on Sharif’s face, who seems worried and frustrated. On the other hand, Munir seems very satisfied and delighted.

    What was Munir praying to Allah:

    “Ya Allah, I am going to thank you but first let me thank my enemy Narendra Damodardas Modi. I am here in Saudi Arabia, at this time, because of him. It’s due to him that my reputation, that was on a downward trajectory, suddenly picked up and went so high that I have now become a hero in Pakistan. Allah, you won’t believe but I feel like a superman, I have so much power. Please Allah, don’t be scared of me — I am not like Ayub Khan.3.

    “Allah, one more thing I have to tell you. Recently, I was made field marshal and was granted the baton of field marshal by President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. I am the second field marshal, Ayub Khan was the first one. Allah, isn’t it strange that both Sharif’s and Zardari’s parties [Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan People’s Party] have suffered at the hands of the army and yet they’re givng me more prestige. I tell you, now any if these two guys try to be clever with me, I’m going to use this very baton to spank their rears. By the way, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, Imran Khan, is already rotting in prison.

    “Now Allah, before I part, I should thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

    President Asif Ali Zardari (centre) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) jointly confer baton of field marshal upon Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir on May 22, 2025. IMAGE/Radio Pakistan/The News International

    (Munir received an invitation to attend the US army’s 250th anniversary on June 14, 2025. He is going to attend King Trump’s extravaganza. He must be feeling very happy but will also be very worried because commercial-animal that Trump is, will push him to be on the US side instead on China’s side.)

    What was Shehbaz praying to Allah:

    “Ya Allah, what is happening in your world? Why is it that I can’t exercise my due power as a prime minister? You can see the worry on my face, I can’t even close my eyes or at least pretend to close while offering prayers. Allah, look at this guy standing next to me — he seems to be in a post orgasmic state — calm, relaxed, and satiated.

    In 1959, Ayub Khan became Pakistan’s first field marshal and now Munir has become one. Everyone knows, the minute my government will try to carve our own policy, he’ll shove the baton we awarded him, up my you know what.

    Allah, please guide me as to how can we get rid of him. Should we put a case of mangoes in his plane or find some other way?” Please!

    ENDNOTES:

    1 Several poems of Iqbal in Urdu with English translation are at Dr. Allama Muhmaad Iqbal. Khushwant Singh, journalist and author, translated both “Complaint” and “Answer” in a book form with introduction and can be found here. See also Frances W. Pritchett critiquing Singh’s couple of stanzas.

    2 Extremist Hindus use many excuses to disriminate against Muslims. One of those excuses is Muslim invader Mehmud Ghazni’s raid of temple of Somnatha and destrution of an idol in 1026 CE But that lacks historical truth. See eminent historian Romila Thapar’s “Somanatha and Mahmud,” in Frontline magazine.

    3 In the 1960s, during military dictator Field Marshal General Ayub Khan’s rule, a joke circulated about Ayub’s love for power. On the Day of Judgement, Pakistan’s leaders lined up to see Allah. Allah would rise from his throne and pat Pakistani leaders but would not arise when Ayub Khan came. A question was raised as to why? Allah’s reply: “He would have grabbed my throne.”

    The post Asim and Shehbaz in the Same Row but … first appeared on Dissident Voice.

  • June 14, 2025

    There are Only Jewish-Inspired Warsaw Ghetto Pogroms for Palestinians

    Note: In polite company or in public arenas or in schools and conferences, what have you, what is it to be anti-semitic according to the Israel Occupation Forces legions of facilitators like the ADL, AIPAC, and a list of tens of thousands of Jewish controlled non-profits and foundations?

    Pro-Israeli circles often try to invent an anti-Semitic element behind every legitimate criticism of Israel.

    But this is a cheap and increasingly exposed exploitation and manipulation of true anti-Semitism a morbid form of racism that ought to be denounced.

    However the behaviors of the shipyard dogs of Zionism would have us believe that true anti-Semites are no longer those who hate Jews for being Jewish but rather those Zionist fanatics criticize for criticizing Israel for being criminal murderous and evil.

    Well we are supposed to be living in a moral universe where no people should have more rights than the rest of mankind.

    Proceeding from this timeless basic logic if criticizing Israel including questioning the moral legitimacy of Israel’s very existence amounts to anti-Semitism then humanity has a moral obligation to be anti-Semitic.

    Opponents of Israel it must be proclaimed loudly don’t hate Israel because Israel is Jewish; they hate Israel because Israel happens to be a gigantic crime against humanity a virulent practitioner of ethnic cleansing and apartheid which is committed to the national destruction of another people the Palestinian people.

    Yes anti-Judaism is wrong and should be rejected. However if Judaism especially Jewishness can not maintain a decent and peaceful existence outside the realm of racism apartheid and genocidal supremacy then people will have second thoughts about Judaism. — effing 2012 Op-Ed, The absurdity of equating opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism

    No lover of ANY POTUS, especially Truman, but, that broken white psychosis can get it right once in a blue moon:

    In 1948 President Harry Truman was infuriated by Jewish terrorism which was nothing in comparison to Israel’s terror these days angrily wrote in a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt: “I fear very much that the Jews are being like all underdogs. When they get on top they are just as intolerant and cruel as the people were to them when they were underneath.” (Eleanor and Harry: The Correspondence of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman Eleanor Roosevelt, [Scribner/Drew, 2002] p.187.)

    No fan of Stanley, as he calls the American University the most Jewish of institutions; however,

    Jason Stanley, a philosophy professor who recently decided to leave Yale to go teach in Canada, recently explained on PBS’ Amanpour & Company why he thinks the Trump administration’s efforts are actually boosting antisemitic tropes:

    This is reinforcing antisemitic tropes all across the political spectrum. … What are the most toxic antisemitic tropes? Well, “Jews control the institutions.” This is absolutely reinforcing this. Any young American is going to think: Remember what happened when they took down the world’s greatest university system on behalf of Jewish safety? And this will go down in history books — the history of this era will say that Jewish people were the sledgehammer for fascism. So if we don’t speak out, if we American Jews do not speak out against this, this will be a grim chapter in our history as Americans. It’s the first time in my life as an American that I have been fearful of our status as equal Americans — not because of the protests on campus, which, as I said, had a lot of Jewish students in them. But because we are suddenly at the center of U.S. politics. It’s never good to be in the crosshairs for us. And we are being used to destroy democracy.

    So, this following little doozy would be put on the targets for IOF and others loving the Jewish Raping Murdering Starving Displacing Poisoning Polluting Occupied State of “Israel”/Palestine.

    Over an effing billion of these Goy-ionists?

    Days later, India launched Operation Sindoor, a wave of air strikes, describing them as “non-escalatory” in nature. Yes, that is the face of Judaism in that part of the world, where Benzion Mileikowsky works wonders on the Jewish Population where 84 percent plus want all Palestinians wiped from lower Greater Israel.

    Many of the drones used in the operation were Israeli-made.

    Among the systems deployed was the Harop, a “suicide drone” developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Designed to hover above a target area before diving for impact, the Harop carries a 10-kilogram warhead and can remain airborne for nearly six hours.

    Since acquiring the Harop, India has increasingly relied on it.

    Oshrit Birvadker, a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told The Times of Israel that India’s use of Harop drones reflects “Israel’s growing footprint in Indian defense.”

    That’s fourth globally in arms sales, Jewish State of Murdering Maiming Raping Starving Poisoning Polluting Displacing Israel (sic).

    Marching to get into the Katz’s and Benzion Mileikowsky’s heads? For fuck’s sake!

    Chris Hedges: This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the genocide. It will be over soon. Weeks. At most. Two million people are camped out amongst the rubble or in the open air. Dozens are killed and wounded daily from Israeli shells, missiles, drones, bombs and bullets. They lack clean water, medicine and food. They have reached a point of collapse. Sick. Injured. Terrified. Humiliated.  Abandoned. Destitute. Starving. Hopeless.

    In the last pages of this horror story, Israel is sadistically baiting starving Palestinians with promises of food, luring them to the narrow and congested nine-mile ribbon of land that borders Egypt. Israel and its cynically named Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), allegedly funded by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Mossad, is weaponizing starvation. It is enticing Palestinians to southern Gaza the way the Nazis enticed starving Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto to board trains to the death camps. The goal is not to feed the Palestinians. No one seriously argues there is enough food or aid hubs. The goal is to cram Palestinians into heavily guarded compounds and deport them.

    Some bulwarks across international community would stop this. Fuck, it is a Jewish project across all DNA-lines.

    Given Britain’s continued support for Israel, from refusing to implement a full arms embargo to continuing to send RAF spy flights over Gaza from the British base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Ahmed questions whether efforts have indeed been enough.

    Israeli drones sprayed the Madleen with a white substance and an Israeli boat rammed the aid vessel before commandos boarded it, all because it contained things like baby food, medicine and prosthetics. Israel must defend itself from those things, apparently.

    Is this a certain brand of Jewish Inspired, Supported, Financed death and murder cult? Is the question antisemitic?

    Dirty dirty Sweden:

    The Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC) (commonly referred to as collective temporary protection) was activated in March 2022, granting Ukrainians seeking refuge temporary protection in EU countries, including Sweden. This directive provides residence permits, access to work, education, and limited social benefits without requiring individuals to go through the standard asylum process.

    However, the practicalities of the Directive’s use differed significantly between countries. Sweden, despite its, until recent, reputation of being relatively liberal in its migration policies, has at times, lagged behind its Scandinavian neighbors in supporting Ukrainian displaced people. To illustrate this, it is useful to compare the Swedish approach to that of other Nordic states, as well as Poland.

    Bizarrely, Israel’s act of piracy was described by the BBC as “diverting” the Madleen. In what universe was this a diversion? When you capture people in international waters who have committed no crime, you have not diverted them, you have kidnapped them. The crew of the Madleen are hostages, and not only that, Israel is already bragging about how it plans to abuse them.

    The crew of 12, who the media describe as “activists”, comprised of journalists, politicians, and a doctor. They are to be taken to the port of Ashdod where they will be psychologically tortured by the IDF/IOF.

    Israel Katz says he has given the order to make the crew watch footage of October 7th to show them “exactly who the terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is”. Presumably, they will only watch the killings carried out by Hamas and not the enactment of the Hannibal Directive killing hundreds of Jews by Jews.

    Pointing out the non-Jews and Jews involved, is that antisemitic?

    Remember this Jewish guy?

    1992 document published by the US Department of Defense, known as the Wolfowitz Doctrine (because it was co-written by Paul Wolfowitz, who then served as US undersecretary of defense for policy, before later returning as Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush).

    The Pentagon’s Wolfowitz Doctrine stated (emphasis added):

    Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power. These regions include Western Europe, East Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union, and Southwest Asia.

    The Trump administration’s foreign policy is still consistent with much of the Wolfowitz Doctrine. Although Trump has de-prioritized Western Europe and the territory of the former USSR, he has dedicated significant resources to US military operations in East Asia and Southwest Asia (also known as the Middle East).

    Yep, even CIA-drenched Wikipedia advances Ratner’s Judaism:

    Ely Ratner, who served as the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs in Biden’s Pentagon, wrote approvingly on X/Twitter, “Rhetoric aside, on actual defense policy Secretary Hegseth’s speech was near total continuity with the previous administration”.

    “That’s good, but we’ll need heightened urgency, attention, and resources to address the China challenge”, Ratner added.

    This fellow for years advanced his Jewishness for sure Zyklon or Final Solution Blinken:

    Biden’s neoconservative Secretary of State Antony Blinken had also maintained a hardline anti-China position.

    In a speech in 2022, Blinken announced what was essentially a containment policy targeting China.

    “We cannot rely on Beijing to change its trajectory. So we will shape the strategic environment around Beijing”, he said.

    Blinken added, “The scale and the scope of the challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China will test American diplomacy like nothing we’ve seen before”.

    Tucker Carlson has posted an extraordinary article on X that could potentially stop a war with Iran. As everyone knows, Carlson’s political views are admired by President Donald Trump who sees the former Fox commentator as a blunt, but fair-minded analyst who sees the world in similar terms as himself. And while there’s no evidence that the two men communicate regularly, a number of pundits believe that Carlson has influenced Trump’s thinking, particularly on matters related to foreign policy. That said, it is entirely possible that Trump will read Carlson’s June 4 post on Iran, and see that—once again—influential neocons are making every effort to drag the US into another bloody conflict in the Middle East to achieve Israel’s ambition of becoming the preeminent power in the region. Here’s Carlson:

    Mark Levin was at the White House today, lobbying for war with Iran. To be clear, Levin has no plans to fight in this or any other war. He’s demanding that American troops do it. We need to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons, he and like-minded ideologues in Washington are now arguing. They’re just weeks away.

    If this sounds familiar, it’s because the same people have been making the same claim since at least the 1990s. It’s a lie. In fact, there is zero credible intelligence that suggests Iran is anywhere near building a bomb or has plans to. None. Anyone who claims otherwise is ignorant or dishonest. If the US government knew Iran was weeks from possessing a nuclear weapon, we’d be at war already.

    Iran knows this, which is why they aren’t building one. Iran also knows it’s unwise to give up its weapons program entirely. Muammar Gaddafi tried that and wound up sodomized with a bayonet. As soon as Gaddafi disarmed, NATO killed him. Iran’s leaders saw that happen. They learned the obvious lesson.

    So why is Mark Levin once again hyperventilating about weapons of mass destruction? To distract you from the real goal, which is regime change — young Americans heading back to the Middle East to topple yet another government. Virtually no one will say this out loud. America’s record of overthrowing foreign leaders is so embarrassingly counterproductive that regime change has become a synonym for disaster. Officially, no one supports it. So instead of telling the truth about their motives, they manufacture hysteria: “A country like Iran can never have the bomb! They’ll nuke Los Angeles! We have to act now!” Tucker Carlson (tuckercarlsonliveshowpodcast)

    *****

    Back to the death spiral of the Jewish Controlled Palestine:

    In his book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad writes:

    Should a drone vaporize some nameless soul on the other side of the planet, who among us wants to make a fuss? What if it turns out they were a terrorist? What if the default accusation proves true, and we by implication be labeled terrorist sympathizers, ostracized, yelled at? It is generally the case that people are most zealously motivated by the worst plausible thing that could happen to them. For some, the worst plausible thing might be the ending of their bloodline in a missile strike. Their entire lives turned to rubble and all of it preemptively justified in the name of fighting terrorists who are terrorists by default on account of having been killed. For others, the worst plausible thing is being yelled at.

    You can see his interview with El Akkad here.

    You cannot decimate a people, carry out saturation bombing over 20 months to obliterate their homes, villages and cities, massacre tens of thousands of innocent people, set up a siege to ensure mass starvation, drive them from land where they have lived for centuries and not expect blowback. The genocide will end. The response to the reign of state terror will begin. If you think it won’t you know nothing about human nature or history. The killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington and the attack against supporters of Israel at a protest in Boulder, Colorado, are only the start.

    Chaim Engel, who took part in the uprising at the Nazis’ Sobibor death camp in Poland, described how, armed with a knife, he attacked a guard in the camp.

    “It’s not a decision,” Engel explained years later. “You just react, instinctively you react to that, and I figured, ‘Let us to do, and go and do it.’ And I went. I went with the man in the office and we killed this German. With every jab, I said, ‘That is for my father, for my mother, for all these people, all the Jews you killed.’”

    Does anyone expect Palestinians to act differently? How are they to react when Europe and the United States, who hold themselves up as the vanguards of civilization, backed a genocide that butchered their parents, their children, their communities, occupied their land and blasted their cities and homes into rubble? How can they not hate those who did this to them?

    What message has this genocide imparted not only to Palestinians, but to all in the Global South?

    It is unequivocal. You do not matter. Humanitarian law does not apply to you. We do not care about your suffering, the murder of your children. You are vermin. You are worthless. You deserve to be killed, starved and dispossessed. You should be erased from the face of the earth.

    “To preserve the values of the civilized world, it is necessary to set fire to a library,” El Akkad writes:

    To blow up a mosque. To incinerate olive trees. To dress up in the lingerie of women who fled and then take pictures. To level universities. To loot jewelry, art, food. Banks. To arrest children for picking vegetables. To shoot children for throwing stones. To parade the captured in their underwear. To break a man’s teeth and shove a toilet brush in his mouth. To let combat dogs loose on a man with Down syndrome and then leave him to die. Otherwise, the uncivilized world might win.

    There are people I have known for years who I will never speak to again. They know what is happening. Who does not know? They will not risk alienating their colleagues, being smeared as an antisemite, jeopardizing their status, being reprimanded or losing their jobs. They do not risk death, the way Palestinians do. They risk tarnishing the pathetic monuments of status and wealth they spent their lives constructing. Idols. They bow down before these idols. They worship these idols. They are enslaved by them.

    At the feet of these idols lie tens of thousands of murdered Palestinians.

    The post There are Only Jewish-Inspired Warsaw Ghetto Pogroms for Palestinians first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

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