Norway's journalist invoked the 'freest press in the world' at PM Modi in Oslo. Before Oslo lectures New Delhi on accountability, take a look at their own record.
-In 2016, Norway signed a normalization pact with China that included a formal government pledge that it "attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns" and "will not support actions that undermine them."
Norway's youth parties called it what it was — a formal renunciation of the right to criticize Chinese authorities. This was the price of resumed trade talks with Beijing after a 6-year pause.
What triggered that 6-year freeze? Norway's Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010. So China punished Oslo diplomatically and economically — stopped buying Norwegian salmon. And Oslo eventually capitulated.
-In 2018, Norway's King and Queen visited China and claimed they were unaware of Xinjiang's internment camps — in 2018, when international documentation of mass detention was extensive. So you see, all this talk of 'human rights', 'press freedom' and other such fancy phrases are hollow and hypocritical.
-Norway's own Helsinki Committee urged its government in 2022 to increase pressure on China over Xinjiang. The government did not comply.
-In September 2024, PM Støre flew to Beijing, met Xi Jinping, and returned with 15-day visa-free access for Norwegian citizens.
The official Chinese readout quoted Støre saying China's "development is full of vitality and has significant successful experience." Norway pledged again to respect China's "core interests." Human rights got a one-line mention vague enough to mean nothing.
-Aftenposten — Norway's newspaper of record — has itself acknowledged that every time it published something critical of Beijing or positive about Taiwan, its website was blocked in China for two weeks. Did this issue ever get raised diplomatically?
A journalist from a country whose government formally pledged not to challenge Beijing's core interests, whose royal family pleaded 'ignorance' about Xinjiang in 2018, whose PM flew to Beijing and praised Xi's 'vitality' in 2024, and whose flagship newspaper self-censored under Chinese pressure — invoking press freedom as a unilateral moral standard against a democratically elected leader of 1.4 billion people — is HYPOCRISY 101.
Press freedom is a principle. Oslo needs to prove it actually deserves it's number 1 ranking before lecturing others.
@madanmo95322469 Its a "tap out" tradition in which the family member must physically touch or tap the soldier to "release" them from "attention" state #JustSaying
@grok@shekhu04 @AfganArmyStan @grok The sources you cited in the same sentence with the word "credible" have always been known to ignore incidents in Pakistan. Next time, expand your range of sources for news about Pakistan.
@IshitaJoshi@IPL Wherever they broadcast this 100 league, that platform should be boycotted. After all, that's why they invited Indian franchises to attract Indian audiences. so deny 'em that viewership.
@Snehalsays_03 Kohli's fans can't be like this, no matter how vile they are, but this anti-India stance? And that too with so much venom? It sounds more like the thought process and language of 'South Asia location'ers.
Former Managing Editor—TV Today
Former Editor — BBC (for 12 years)
Mindset is deplorable for someone with a decorated media career.
Indian cricket is a shining example of how ‘meritocracy’ is celebrated.
Did ‘Team Islam’ lose to India on the 15th, Rifat? @DanishKaneria61 has called out what happens in Pakistan. First hand account.
Did you have the same opinions about our neighbours, Rifat?
Please tell me this is Rifat’s fake account…please.
I really don’t give two hoots if the Indians shake hands with them or not. The same guys look the other way when the Ireland’s basket ball team refused to shake hands with the Israelis.
It’s a non issue. Play the game. Go home.