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Tag: India

  • No Chinese journalist left in India after last one expelled

    No Chinese journalist left in India after last one expelled

    Freedom of expression in India is shrinking as the last remaining Chinese reporter has been expelled from New Delhi. The visa extension of the last Chinese reporter, who was associated with the Chinese official News agency Xinhua, was denied by Indian authorities last month.

    The expulsion marks the first instance in history that not a single Chinese journalist is present in India since 1980.

    Critics say that the action reflects that there is no space for journalists in Modi’s government.

    Indian authorities have been accused of taking such steps to hide cruelty against minorities like Muslims, Kashmiris and Dalits.

  • ICC set to reveal schedule for World Cup 2023

    ICC set to reveal schedule for World Cup 2023

    All the controversies, mismanagements, conflicts, on venues aside, the International Cricket Council (ICC), is now all set to reveal the dates and venues of World Cup 2023.


    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) previous management committee Chairman Najam Sethi proposed three venues for the India vs Pakistan match including Chennai, Indore and Kolkata while stating that the team will not play in Ahmedabad Narendra Modi Stadium because of security reasons.


    Najam Sethi, also stated that if Asia Cup will be held under Hybrid Model than his Board will propose the same Hybrid Model for the World Cup, with Pakistan playing its matches in Colombo or Dhaka.

    However, Zaka Ashraf, most likely the new chairman of PCB, bluntly dismissed the policies of Najam Sethi, and is currently tight lipped on the participation of Pakistan in the World Cup.


    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto believes that cricket should be separated from politics, expressing disappointment on India’s policy to not play in Pakistan. However he also said but we are evaluating Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup.

    On June 27, ICC will reveal the schedule for the upcoming World Cup to be held in India. This announcement comes just four months before the tournament is set to begin, which is a shorter timeframe compared to previous World Cups that had their schedules announced over a year in advance.

    According to media reports, the tournament is expected to commence in October and conclude in November. However, the specific venues and fixtures have yet to be confirmed. One of the reasons behind the delay in scheduling was PCB’s delayed approval of the draft fixture list.


    Najam Sethi had stated that the approval or disapproval of the World Cup schedule lies with the government, similar to how the Indian government decides when their team travels to play.

    The PCB had also requested the ICC to change the venues of their matches against Australia and Afghanistan in an effort to gain an advantage. They proposed swapping the locations, suggesting that playing Australia in Chennai and Afghanistan in Bengaluru would make Pakistan the favorites in both matches.

    “Australia in Bengaluru and Afghanistan in Chennai are the two which we should look to get changed as much as possible,” as per the reports we found in media.


    “Ideally, we can switch these around. Australia in Chennai and Afghanistan in Bengaluru would make us obvious favorites in both matches.” the note further said.

    Normally, venue changes during ICC events occur only when there is a security threat. However, it remains to be seen if the ICC will accommodate their request.

    Overall, the ICC’s announcement of the World Cup schedule in India set to take place in a few months, is eagerly anticipated. The final details of the tournament, including venues and fixtures, will be unveiled soon.

    Pakistan’s tentative World Cup schedule

    October 6 – vs Qualifier in Hyderabad

    October 12 – vs Qualifier in Hyderabad

    October 15 – vs India in Ahmedabad

    October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru

    October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai

    October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai

    October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata

    November 5 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru

    November 12 – vs England in Kolkata

  • ‘Epic’: Twitter lauds acapella group for singing song written by Muslim for Modi’s arrival at White House

    ‘Epic’: Twitter lauds acapella group for singing song written by Muslim for Modi’s arrival at White House

    Two days ago, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the US White House, a video went viral of the all-Indian acapella group Penn Masala sang ‘Jashn-e-Bahara’ in celebration of his arrival. Many Twitter users interpreted this as a clever diss to the controversial politician over his Islamophobic government, and also as a direct response to Biden who revealed that he will not talk to the Indian Prime Minister about human right violations during his visit.

    ‘Jashn-e-Bahara’ is an Urdu song written by the Muslim artists A.R Rehman and Javed Akhtar, and was sung by Javed Ali. The song was featured in the film ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, a movie about the marriage between the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Hindu wife Jodha.

    Twitter users lauded this discreet but clever way to troll a secular and facist politcian, who has been criticised by American politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who announced that they were boycotting Modi’s address to Congress, citing the politician’s abysmal human right’s record, as well as his erosion of religious freedom in India.

    Some also felt that the song was an indirect target towards the Indian government’s move to remove chapters from school textbooks on Mughal rulers.

    https://twitter.com/onlynina/status/1671905008017629185?s=20
    https://twitter.com/pramitheus/status/1671894369060933632?s=20

    One user wrote: “The irony of an urdu song from a film glorifying mughal emperor Akbar.”

  • Modi fan Elon Musk says Tesla will be in India soon

    Modi fan Elon Musk says Tesla will be in India soon

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla and the world’s richest man Elon Musk, in New York on Wednesday.


    “Great meeting you today @elonmusk! We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality,” Modi wrote in his tweet along with a picture of Musk.

    Musk retweeted Modi’s quote and wrote, “Great conversation with Narendra Modi.”

    “I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible,” Musk told reporters after meeting Modi.


    “We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement but I think it is quite likely that it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India,” he said. “I would like to thank the prime minister for his support and hopefully we will be able to announce something in the not so distant future.”

    Read more: Former Twitter CEO says Modi Govt threatened to shut down platform in India


    In a different statement, Musk as reported by Indian Express, said that he was a fan of Modi, and that “India has more promise than any large country in the world. He (PM Modi) really cares about India because he is pursuing us to make significant investments in India.”

    India is great for solar energy investment, the American magnate said, describing his talks with the prime minister as “excellent.”

    The Indian PM’s meeting with Twitter’s CEO comes a few days after Co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, in an interview with YouTube channel Breaking Points talked about censorship requests he received from the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    A reporter asked for Musk’s reaction on Jack Dorsey’s statement to which he replied, “Twitter does not have any choice but to obey local governments”

    “We will do our best to provide the freest speech that is possible under the rule,” he added.




    https://twitter.com/geeta_mohan/status/1671284575312461825?s=46&t=NeHT3ePJG7zY8CuA5h6boA


    The Indian Prime Minister is on a four-day visit to the US.

  • Virat Kohli charges PKR 28 crore for one Instagram post

    Virat Kohli charges PKR 28 crore for one Instagram post

    Among the most prodigious sports icon the world has ever seen, Indian cricket player Virat Kohli definitely stands out among the others. Now, a report compiled by Stockgro, a Bengaluru-based company, has revealed that the cricket icon is currently the world’s highest earning athlete.


    As the official account breaks down Kohli’s earnings by citing sources from Forbes, DNA and MPL, the cricket player has a staggering net worth of INR 1050 crore.

    Kohli’s contract with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is worth PKR 24 crore. Breaking down his cricket earnings, the account notes that Kohli makes PKR 52 lakh from Test matches, PKR 21 lakh from ODI and PKR 10 lakhs from T20 per match.

    Moving on to his brands and investments, Kohli has invested in multiple start-ups like Blue Tribe, MPL and Sports Convo, and has ambassadorships with more than 18 brands, for which he charges between PKR 26 lakh to 35 lakh for shooting, which is more than any celebrity in Bollywood earns, making a total amount of PKR 613 crore earned from brand endorsements alone.

    Furthermore, his Instagram account where he has 250 million followers, Kohli charges PKR 28 crore per Instagram post.

    Kohli has been married to actress Anushka Sharma since 2017, who has a net worth of INR 255 crores.

  • Alcoholic man murders father over property dispute in India

    Yesterday, in Rajsthan’s Ajmer in India, a man, Mukesh, had reportedly murdered his father while he was drunk, during an argument that escalated over property division. According to the mother, the heated conversation began earlier in the day but had seemingly settled which is when she chose to depart the house. However, India Today reports that when the mother returned, she found her dead husband’s body and immediately reported to the police.


    Baldev Ram, in charge of the Ansagar Police Station, revealed to the media that the authorities had taken swift action to arrest Mukesh, and were keeping him under custody as the investigation continues. The body of the deceased has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

  • Finance Minister Dar assures no global sanctions for Russian oil purchase

    Finance Minister Dar assures no global sanctions for Russian oil purchase

    Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, has provided reassurances that Pakistan will not be subjected to global sanctions for its purchase of Russian oil. Dar made these remarks during a briefing to the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance, highlighting that both India and China continue to purchase crude oil from Russia despite existing global sanctions.

    Dar emphasised that significant progress had been made in November of the previous year regarding the procurement of Russian oil, and the government had diligently completed all necessary preparations before proceeding with the purchase. He further explained that Pakistan adhered to an approved procedure established by a committee comprising G7 countries for oil production from Russia.

    Dar acknowledged the instrumental role played by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in consulting and obtaining approval from the G7 countries prior to the procurement of Russian oil.

    In terms of payment, the finance minister disclosed that the Chinese currency Yuan would be used for settling the payment for the Russian crude oil. He expressed Russia’s satisfaction with this arrangement, noting that it would not only reduce shipping costs but also lead to a decline in crude oil prices.

    When questioned about border trade with Iran, Dar confirmed that the government intended to enhance such trade but clarified that petroleum products were not included in these border trade activities.

    On Sunday, Pakistan successfully unloaded over 45,000 metric tons of oil from a Russian vessel that arrived at the Karachi port. Another Russian oil carrier is expected to reach the port of Karachi in the coming week.

    It is worth mentioning that earlier this week, the first ship carrying Russian oil had already docked at the Karachi port.

    During a press briefing on June 15, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller highlighted that every country has the right to make decisions based on its energy requirements. He further acknowledged that Russian oil was being sold at significantly lower prices compared to global market rates.

    Miller attributed this decrease in price to the limitations imposed by the US and its allies, resulting in Russia losing an estimated $100 billion in revenue that could have been used in the Ukraine conflict. Miller clarified that the US had not imposed any restrictions on Russian oil exports.

  • Clear roadmap for Pakistan’s World Cup journey to India

    Clear roadmap for Pakistan’s World Cup journey to India

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to the hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023. Now, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in a meeting with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and other cricketing boards, has approved the model with slight amendments.

    Asia Cup 2023 is all set to be played with PCB’s hybrid model, while Pakistan retains the hosting rights.

    The PCB favors the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue, considering it a smart and effective revenue gateway for Pakistan. However, other boards, including the Indian Cricket Board, argued for an alternative venue. Consequently, the ACC has finalized Sri Lanka as the neutral venue for the tournament. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now co-host the Asia Cup 2023.

    According to the proposed hybrid model, the first four or five matches will be played in Pakistan, with the remainder of the tournament moving to Sri Lanka, where India will have the opportunity to play their group matches.


    The PCB had been ready to show flexibility over a tit-for-tat stance for the World Cup had the Indian board rejected the hybrid model. The former had also expected the Pakistan government to grant approval for the country’s team to travel to India for the 50-over showpiece “much easily” if the proposed model was accepted.

    It is, therefore, understood that Pakistan will feature in India for the first time since 2016. Whether they take on the hosts, their arch-rivals, in Ahmedabad as proposed in a draft schedule sent by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to the boards of the participating sides is also to be decided by the country’s government.

    As per media reports, the PCB, having received the draft schedule as well, has started it’s consultations with the government over the fixture list and a decision is expected to be made in the coming week.

    That would also mean that the official schedule of the World Cup will be released just over three months ahead of the first game of the tournament on October 5.

    According to the draft schedule, Pakistan will kick off their campaign on October 6 against one of the teams coming through from the preceding qualifying round in Hyderabad before taking on another qualifier at the same venue on October 12.

    The Babar Azam-led unit is scheduled to fly out to Ahmedabad for the high-octane clash against India on October 15 before playing Australia five days later in Bengaluru and Afghanistan and South Africa in Chennai on October 23 and 27.

    After locking horns with Bangladesh in Kolkata four days later, Pakistan will return to Bengaluru for their match against New Zealand on November 5 before concluding the league stage with their fixture against England in Kolkata on November 12.

    The dates and venues for the tournament’s semi-finals and final have not been included in the draft schedule

  • Documentary on Modi’s role in Gujarat riots to be screened in US

    Documentary on Modi’s role in Gujarat riots to be screened in US

    A documentary focused on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s time as Chief Minister of Indian state Gujarat, during the 2012 riots will be screened in the United States.

    “India: the Modi question,” is a two party documentary, based on Modi’s role as the CM during the riots which killed at least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.

    The private screening has been scheduled for June 20 by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, two days before Modi’s official state visit, where he will be hosted by US President Joe Biden. Human Rights Watch said it wanted the screening to serve as a reminder that the documentary had been banned in India.

    The Indian government has termed the documentary as a “propaganda piece”.

  • Video: Former Twitter CEO says Modi Govt threatened to shut down platform in India

    Video: Former Twitter CEO says Modi Govt threatened to shut down platform in India

    Twitter’s co-founder and former boss Jack Dorsey in an interview with YouTube channel Breaking Points talked about censorship requests he received from the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


    Jack said that Twitter received “many requests” from the Indian government to block accounts covering farmers’ protests. The former CEO of Twitter further said that the platform also received multiple requests to block those accounts that were critical of the government.
    He has also said that the Indian government threatened to shut down Twitter in the country.


    “India is a country that had many requests of us around the farmers protest, around particular journalists that were critical of the government, and it manifested in ways such as ‘we will shut Twitter down in India,’ which is a very large market for us; ‘we will raid the homes of your employees,’ which they did; ‘we will shut down your offices, if you don’t follow suit,’ and this is India, a democratic country,’” Dorsey said.


    Dorsey said that Turkey also has similar requests like India. He noted that Twitter, which frequently engaged in legal battles with the government and prevailed, was also threatened with closure by the Turkish government.