Simran Ghai

Virologist 🦠🧫🧬

[Department of Biotechnology @DBTIndia]

Every step in vaccine research brings hope for a healthier tomorrow. ❤️

On World AIDS Vaccine Day, we honour the dedication of scientists, researchers, and healthcare communities working towards effective HIV vaccines and a future free from AIDS.

The Department of Biotechnology (@DBTIndia) continues to support innovation and research for global health advancement.

#WorldAIDSVaccineDay #HIVResearch #VaccineInnovation

@DrJitendraSingh
@rajesh_gokhale
@BricDbt
@NImmunology @THSTIFaridabad @IndiaDST @CSIR_IND @CSIR_NIScPR @ICMRDELHI @aiims_newdelhi

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

This is a monarch butterfly migration arriving in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. None of these butterflies has ever been here before.

Their great-great-grandmothers left this exact grove in March. By July those grandmothers were dead. The butterflies you're watching are four to five generations downstream, born somewhere between Texas and Ontario, and they just flew up to 3,000 miles to a tree none of their parents ever saw.

The brain doing the navigation is smaller than a grain of rice.

The mechanism is a sun compass time-compensated by a circadian clock running in the antennae. Cut the antennae and the monarch loses orientation within hours. The clock corrects for the sun's position drifting across the sky as the day moves. Add iron-bearing magnetite particles for magnetic field detection on cloudy days, and a 0.5 gram insect is running redundant inertial guidance.

The destination is more specific than the navigation.

They cluster on a few dozen oyamel fir groves in the Sierra Madre at 9,000 to 11,000 feet. The microclimate has to sit between 32 and 41°F. Below freezing kills them. Above 41°F burns the fat reserves they need to survive five months without feeding. The right band exists a few hundred meters thick on a few specific mountains. Outside it, the migration ends.

One generation each year is built differently from the rest. Summer monarchs live two to six weeks. The fall generation lives eight months. It postpones reproduction, fattens up, and carries the entire round trip in a single body.

The map is genetic. Nobody has fully decoded how.

A monarch hatched in a backyard in Toronto in September has never seen a mountain, never smelled a fir, never met an ancestor. It flies south for ten weeks, picks the right peak, and lands on the tree its bloodline has been returning to for tens of thousands of years.

The forest knows the families that come back.

[Today In History @historigins]

The moment a rescued chimpanzee thanked Dr. Jane Goodall in a way no one expected

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

This girl teaching her puppy how to go down the stairs
https://t.co/54Cqx1BDbj

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

His father passed recently and days later a bird landed near him and let him pet it.

[Best in Dogs @BestinDogs]

At 2:28 a.m., on an icy Manitoba road, a surveillance camera captured a scene straight out of a movie… but it was all too real. 💔 A dog had been motionless for over four hours.

He wasn't running.

He wasn't calling for help.

He wasn't fleeing the potentially fatal cold.
Cars drove by. Headlights blinded him. Horns blared.

But he didn't take a step.
When the officers arrived, they expected to find an animal paralyzed by fear.
What they discovered shattered their sleep.
Beneath his body, hidden in the snow, was a tiny puppy. Freezing. Barely breathing.
The adult dog was using his own body heat to keep him alive.
He didn't bark.
He didn't attack.
He didn't move.
He became a shield.

He became a shield. Shelter.
Home.
It is said that when the rescuers first placed the puppy in the ambulance, the big dog didn't jump in behind. He stayed and watched.

He waited.
Only when he saw the little one safe… did he agree to get in as well.

They survived.

And that night left a lesson that no human being should ever forget:
Loyalty doesn't always shout.
Sometimes, it remains still… even if staying might cost it its life.

Because true love isn't an emotion.
It's a decision.

And this dog decided not to leave.🐾❤️

[Hakan Kapucu @1hakankapucu]

A duck chose a school as home & returns every year to lay her eggs. When they hatch she leads the ducklings through the corridors to the courtyard lake. It’s now an annual ritual with children staying silent out of respect. Respect is beautiful.

[Dr. S. Jaishankar @DrSJaishankar]

Zero tolerance for terror in all forms and manifestations.

The world remembers the victims and heroes of 26/11.

Reaffirm our resolve to bring all those involved to justice.

#NeverForget

[Sidhant Sibal @sidhant]

BREAKING: The actions by the Chinese authorities violate their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries: India on Prema Thongdok case

[Sanjeev Sanyal @sanjeevsanyal]

26/11
Never forget, never forgive

[ANI @ANI]

#WATCH | Prema Wangjom Thongdok from Arunachal Pradesh claims that Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai Pudong Airport declared her Indian passport invalid and delayed her travel to Japan.

She says, "... When I tried to question them and ask them what the issue was, they said, 'Arunachal is not part of India' and started mocking and laughing and saying things like 'you should apply for the Chinese passport, you're Chinese, you're not Indian..."

"I am an Indian citizen residing in the UK for about 14 years, and I was travelling from London to Japan via a transit in Shanghai... One of the officials from the Chinese immigration came over and singled me out of the queue. I asked her what was happening, and she went on to say, 'Arunachal- not India, China-China, your visa is not acceptable. Your passport is invalid'... When I tried to question them and ask them what the issue was, they said, 'Arunachal is not part of India' and started mocking and laughing and saying things like 'you should apply for the Chinese passport, you're Chinese, you're not Indian'... I have transited through Shanghai in the past with no issues at all. I couldn't get in touch with my family for a very long time... The airline staff of China Eastern and about two other immigration officers were speaking in their language and saying and pointing out and saying Arunachal and laughing and calling it China, not India. That was a very humiliating, questionable behaviour from the immigration staff as well as the airline staff... I called up the Shanghai and Beijing Indian embassies and within an hour, the Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food and spoke through the issues with them and helped me get out of the country. A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but glad that I'm out of there..." she said

[Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། @PemaKhanduBJP]

I am deeply shocked by the unacceptable treatment of Ms. Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a proud Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, by Chinese immigration authorities at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Subjecting her despite a valid Indian passport to humiliation and racial mockery is appalling. Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive.

Such conduct violates international norms and is an affront to the dignity of our citizens. I am confident that the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India will take up this matter urgently that such incidents are not repeated.

[Guinness World Records @GWR]

This incredible image of a tiger was formed by 2,983 drones across the night sky in Mysuru, Karnataka, India 🐅

[Naomi Canton @naomi2009]

This is a crazy story. An Indian national born in Arunchal Pradesh, living in the UK, was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours as Chinese authories accused her of being Chinese, not Indian, saying Arunchal Pradesh is part of China, and questioning why she had an Indian passport.
https://t.co/f8eleXodz0

[The Public Record @deepCH_2]

🚨 GLOBAL OUTRAGE — CHINA DETAINS INDIAN WOMAN FOR BEING… BORN IN INDIA.
📅 NOVEMBER 21–22, 2025 | SHANGHAI AIRPORT DRAMA

In a diplomatic circus only China could stage, an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained for 18 HOURS at Shanghai Pudong Airport — because Chinese officials suddenly decided her Indian passport is “invalid” since she was born in “China’s Arunachal.”

Yes. You read that correctly.
Her crime? Geography — according to Beijing’s imagination.

🔥 THE INCIDENT (a.k.a. “Welcome to China, where your birthplace determines your nationality — according to them.”)

Pema Wang Thongdok, flying London → Shanghai → Japan, was stopped during a routine transit on November 21.

Chinese immigration looked at her passport and said:

“Invalid. Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.”

— and then proceeded to confiscate her documents, deny her food, block her flights, and mock her for believing she was Indian.

Officials and airline staff reportedly suggested she should:

“Apply for a Chinese passport.”

Because apparently, China now grants citizenship by staring at your birthplace line.

👮‍♂️ 18 HOURS OF HARASSMENT — WITHOUT FOOD OR BASIC RIGHTS

During those 18 hours:
•She was detained in a transit area, unable to leave
•Denied airport facilities
•Prevented from boarding her flight to Japan despite a valid visa
•Mocked for calling herself “Indian”
•Told Arunachal is “Chinese territory, so her passport is fake”

Finally, Chinese officials gave her an incredible deal:
Buy a new ticket from China Eastern Airlines, or continue being held hostage.

Talk about “customer service.”

🔴 RESCUE ONLY AFTER INDIA INTERVENES

After her friend contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai, diplomats intervened and dragged her out of this international comedy show.

Only then did China return her passport — after ruining:
•her connecting flight
•her hotel bookings
•her schedule
•and basic human dignity

💥 THE LARGER ISSUE: GEOPOLITICS MEETS AIRPORT NONSENSE

China continues calling Arunachal Pradesh “Zangnan.”
India keeps reminding them:

“Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will ALWAYS remain an integral part of India.”

Apparently, Shanghai airport missed that memo.

And now, thanks to this incident, thousands of Indians from Arunachal are wondering:

“Will China let us transit at all — or will they confiscate our passports for existing?”

🔥 Pema’s Message to PM Modi & Government

She has demanded:
•Accountability for the harassment
•Compensation for forced rebooking
•Protection for all Indians from Arunachal travelling abroad

Because if China can detain an Indian citizen during a 3-hour layover, call her passport “fake,” and mock her nationality —
what stops them from doing it again?

⚠️ THE SARCASTIC HEADLINE WE NEVER WANTED:

“BREAKING: China discovers new immigration rule —
Your nationality depends on their map, not your passport.”

International travel just became a geopolitical quiz.

More updates as this diplomatic headache unfolds.

#ChinaAirportShame
#ArunachalIsIndia
#JusticeForPema

[Aditya Raj Kaul @AdityaRajKaul]

#BREAKING: India has lodged a strong demarche with China in Beijing and New Delhi on the same day on the Indian woman passenger from Arunachal Pradesh detained while transiting in China. Indian Consulate in Shanghai also intervened immediately and provided full assistance.

India made it clear that the detention was baseless. Arunachal Pradesh is unequivocally Indian territory, and its residents are fully entitled to hold and travel on Indian passports.

India also underscored that China’s actions violate the Chicago and Montreal Conventions on civil aviation.

At a time when both sides are working to restore normalcy, such conduct by China creates needless obstacles.

[Simran Ghai @simghai03]

Same story, Year after Year. Getting extremely difficult to breathe. Having bad headaches and pain and a scratchy feeling in my throat. Again this post will fall onto deaf ears.

[MyGovIndia @mygovindia]

India’s Big Win Against Tuberculosis!

India achieves a 21% drop in TB incidence nearly 2x the global rate of decline. From 237 to 187 cases per lakh (2015–2024). Treatment success is 90% (Global avg 88%). 24.5 lakh diagnosed under TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

#TBMuktBharat
#NewIndia
#HealthForAll

@TbDivision

[ANI @ANI]

#WATCH | Delhi | ICMR Director General Rajiv Bahl says, "We have had an impressive decline (of tuberculosis cases in India)... This is all due to the vision of our Prime Minister, who said that India will fight TB and win. We are moving towards that victory... The ICMR has made its contribution towards that by adding diagnostic tests that are not only indigenous but also priced at levels that weren't considered possible until two years ago. We can have a test for less than Rs 100, and it is the most advanced PCR test... A vaccine for tuberculosis has been a more elusive target. We did one of the largest trials of two vaccines that we thought had good promise. However, they did not turn out to be as good. We are now working on three other candidates, and one of them will be manufactured in India. It is almost ready for clinical trials..."

He further says, "We have looked at several health effects of air pollution and ways to reduce it. We are also looking at the effectiveness of certain interventions, for example, the use of air purifiers in patients with heart disease... We have funded several research projects not only to find causes of air pollution so they can be tackled by different agencies, but also how to mitigate the effects as much as possible..."

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

India’s fight against TB is achieving remarkable momentum.

The latest WHO Global tuberculosis report 2025 highlights that India has recorded a commendable reduction in TB incidence since 2015 and it is nearly twice the global rate of decline. This is one of the sharpest drops seen anywhere in the world. Equally heartening is the expansion of treatment coverage, the fall in ‘missing cases’ and the sustained rise in treatment success. I compliment all those who have worked towards achieving this success. We remain committed to ensuring a healthy and fit India!

https://t.co/2TsLWCzNrk

@WHO