Israel's military apologises for incorrect depiction of India's map
Jerusalem (PTI): The Israeli military on Saturday apologised for posting a map that incorrectly depicted Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan after objections from Indian social media users, clarifying that the image "fails to precisely depict borders".
The map was posted by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on their X handle on Friday to show the range of Iranian missiles. The post quickly drew criticism from social media users in India.
"Now you understand why India remains neutral. In diplomacy, no one’s really your friend," one user commented on X.
In response, the IDF admitted that the map "fails to precisely depict borders".
"This post is an illustration of the region. This map fails to precisely depict borders. We apologize for any offense caused by this image," IDF said on X.
"Iran is a global threat. Israel is not the end goal, it’s only the beginning. We had no other choice but to act," the IDF earlier posted along with the incorrect map, justifying the launch of Operation Rising Lion against Iran.
The Israeli Air Force also posted a short video carrying a similar map, showing the range of the Iranian missiles.
In response to the controversy, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar on X described the map as "bad unintended" infographics.
He said he had already asked to get the map removed/fixed.
India has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh, is an integral part of the country.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
