NAGPUR: Brandishing bamboo sticks and chanting patriotic hymns, thousands of uniformed men parade in central India, a striking show of strength by the country’s millions-strong Hindu ultranationalist group.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — the National Volunteer Organisation, or RSS — marked its 100th anniversary this month with a grand ceremony at its headquarters in Nagpur.

AFP was one of a handful of foreign media outlets granted rare access to the group, which forms the ideological and organisational backbone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in power since 2014.

Like the 75-year-old prime minister, critics accuse it of eroding the rights of India’s Muslim minority and undermining the secular constitution.

At the parade, RSS volunteers in white shirts, brown trousers and black hats marched, boxed and stretched in time to shrill whistles and barked orders.

“Forever I bow to thee, loving Motherland! Motherland of us Hindus!” they sang, in a scene that evoked paramilitary drills of the past.

“May my life […] be laid down in thy cause!”

‘Proud’

Hindus make up around 80% of India’s 1.4 billion people.

Founded in 1925, the RSS calls itself “the world’s largest organisation”, though it does not give membership figures.

At the heart of its vision is “Hindutva” — the belief that Hindus represent not only a religious group but are India’s true national identity.

“They are willing to fight against those who will come in their way […] that means minorities, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and other Hindus who do not subscribe to the idea,” historian Mridula Mukherjee said.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat uses softer language, saying that minorities were accepted but that they “should not cause division”.

Anant Pophali, 53, said three generations of his family had been involved with the group. “The RSS made me proud to be an Indian,” the insurance company worker said.

Bloody origins

The RSS was formed during the imperial rule of the British. But it diverged sharply from that of independence efforts by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Party, whose leader Jawaharlal Nehru considered them “fascist by nature”.

Mukherjee said archives showed “a link between the RSS and fascist movements in Europe”.

“They have said, very clearly, that the way the Nazis were treating the Jews should be the way our own minorities should be treated,” she told AFP.

The RSS does not comment directly on such parallels, but Bhagwat insisted that “today we are more acceptable”.

The RSS was an armed Hindu militia during the bloody 1947 partition of India and the creation of Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Hindu extremists blamed Gandhi for breaking India apart. A former RSS member assassinated him in 1948, and the group was banned for nearly two years.

But the RSS rebuilt quietly, focusing on local units known as “shakhas” to recruit. Today, it claims 83,000 of them nationwide, as well as over 50,000 schools and 120,000 social welfare projects.

At a shakha in Nagpur, Alhad Sadachar, 49, said the unit was “meant to develop togetherness”.

“You can get a lot of good energy, a lot of good values, like helping those in need”, he said.

At a shaka that AFP was allowed to attend, dozens of members — many middle-aged or elderly, and not in uniform — gathered for an hour of calisthenics and song.

But in a show of symbolism, they congregated beneath a saffron flag — the colour of Hinduism — rather than India’s tricolour.

‘A country that is one’

The RSS remains deeply political. The group re-emerged in the late 1980s, spearheading a movement that ended with a violent mob demolishing a centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya — now replaced by a gleaming temple to the Hindu god Rama.

“That was the turning point,” said Mukherjee, the historian, adding that the RSS was “able to create a mass mobilisation on religious issues, that became at its heart clearly anti-Muslim”.

The group helped deliver Modi’s BJP party an electoral landslide in 2014.

Since then, Modi — a former RSS “pracharak”, or organiser — has pursued policies that critics say marginalise India’s estimated 220 million Muslims, 15% of the population.

“There has been a clear increase in terms of violence, lynching and hate speech since Modi has taken over,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, director of the US-based Centre for the Study of Organised Hate.

RSS leaders deny it has participated in atrocities. “Those allegations are baseless,” Bhagwat said.

“Atrocities were never done by the RSS. And if it happens anyway, I condemn that.”

Under Modi, it has expanded its reach.”The RSS has been able to stir Indian society in a direction that is more nationalistic, less liberal in a Western sense,” said Swapan Dasgupta, a former nationalist parliamentarian.

But volunteer Vyankatesh Somalwar, 44, said the group only pushed “good values”.

“The most important thing is to contribute to your country,” he said. “A country that is one, above all.”

US President Donald Trump  imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft as his frustration grows with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war. The move came after EU countries on Wednesday approved a 19th package of sanctions on Moscow for its war against Ukraine that included a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports. Trump’s measures also followed Britain’s sanctioning last week of Rosneft and Lukoil.

The US Treasury Department said it was prepared to take further action as it called on Moscow to agree immediately to a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

“Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.”

Oil prices jumped more than $2 a barrel after the US measures, with Brent crude futures extending gains after settlement, rising to about $64. The sanctions are a major policy shift for Trump, who had not put sanctions on Russia over the war and instead relied on trade measures. Trump earlier this year imposed additional 25% tariffs on goods from India in retaliation for its purchasing discounted Russian oil.

The US has not imposed tariffs on China, another major buyer of Russian oil. A $60 price cap on Russian oil imposed by Western countries after Russia’s invasion has shifted Russia’s oil customers in recent years from Europe to Asia.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday he had cancelled a planned summit in Hungary with Putin because it didn’t feel like it was the right time. Trump also said he hopes the sanctions on Russian oil companies will not need to be in place for a long time. Trump said last year that he likes to remove sanctions quickly because of the risks to the dominance of the dollar in global transactions that the measures can bring. Russia has often asked for payments for oil in other currencies.

‘Can’t be one and done’
Analysts said the measures were a big step and long overdue.

“This can’t just be one and done,” said Edward Fishman, a former US official who is now a senior research scholar at Columbia University. He said the question was whether the US now threatens sanctions on anyone doing business with Rosneft and Lukoil.

Jeremy Paner, a former sanctions investigator at the Treasury Department and now a partner at law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, said the absence of banks and Indian or Chinese oil purchasers in Wednesday’s sanctions means they “will not get Putin’s attention.”

A senior Ukrainian official, however, said the step was “great news” and that the two Russian energy companies were among US sanctions targets proposed by Kyiv in the past.

The Treasury also sanctioned dozens of Rosneft and Lukoil subsidiaries. The measures block US assets of those designated and prevent Americans from doing business with them.

The Russian embassy in Washington and the Russian mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sanctions.

EU targets Russia’s shadow fleet
The EU’s LNG ban will take effect in two stages: short-term contracts will end after six months, and long-term contracts from January 1, 2027. The full ban comes a year earlier than the Commission’s proposed roadmap to end the bloc’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

The new EU package also adds new travel restrictions on Russian diplomats and lists 117 more vessels from Moscow’s shadow fleet, mostly tankers, bringing the total to 558. The listings include banks in Kazakhstan and Belarus, the presidency said.

EU diplomatic sources told Reuters that four entities linked to China’s oil industry will be listed, but the names will not be made public until the official adoption on Thursday. These include two oil refineries, a trading company and an entity which helps in the circumvention of oil and other sectors.

LONDON: Emerging cooking talent Sunia Imran has been named the Champion of the UK National Curry Week Cook-Off 2025, earning national recognition for her creativity, precision, and celebration of authentic Pakistani and South Asian flavours.

The cooking competition brought together six of Britain’s most promising home cooks. The contest was judged by celebrated culinary figures from MasterChef, The Great British Menu, and acclaimed UK restaurants. National Curry Week, launched in 1998, celebrates Britain’s long-standing love affair with curry and the chefs who bring its rich traditions to life.

Held live in London’s Covent Garden, the competition consisted of five challenging rounds, each one testing creativity, skill, and composure under pressure. Contestants were given surprise recipes to recreate, with one participant eliminated after each round. Sunia impressed from the very start, winning four out of five rounds before ultimately taking home the title in the final cook-off.

Judges praised her for her refined yet soulful approach to South Asian cuisine, noting her exceptional balance of flavours, technical finesse, and elegant presentation. “Sunia’s food reflects passion, heart and heritage,” the judges said. “She brings authenticity to every dish while adding her own creative twist. Her confidence, passion, skill, and consistency stood out from start to finish.”

As the newly crowned Cook-Off Champion, she received a £1,000 cash prize, which she donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

By profession, Sonia works full-time as a Senior IT Project Delivery Manager for a UK government department. On social media, she shares her love for home-style cooking through vibrant recipe videos that have captured the hearts of food lovers nationwide.

Speaking to Geo News after her win, Sunia described the experience as both “challenging and inspiring.”

She said, “Cooking has always been about connecting people and bringing families together. Winning this award is an honour, but more than that, it’s a reminder of how food brings communities together. I’ve loved cooking since childhood. Growing up in Lahore, our home was always filled with good food and laughter. My mother has been my greatest inspiration, and I have always had a passion for learning more about cooking and exploring different cuisines. We have always loved having families around our house for dinner, and this is the best way to connect with roots and make memories.”

She added: “This event celebrates Britain’s long-standing love for curry, and being recognised for my cooking and passion for authentic Pakistani and South Asian flavours means the world to me. The judges asked us to make Bombay pizza, grilled lemon chilli prawns, chicken jalfrezi, chicken malai tikka and Rajasthani laal maas. I finished cooking on time and to the level of presentation and taste the judges expected.

“Growing up in Lahore, our home was always filled with laughter and delicious food. My mother has been my greatest inspiration, and from a young age, I loved learning about cooking and exploring different cuisines. Hosting family dinners was our way of spreading joy, love and creating lasting memories, and that is exactly what I try to do through my recipes today.”