Modi invited to visit Trump next week as immigrant deportation begins
Narendra Modi is set to visit Donald Trump as early as next week after India reportedly began taking back illegal immigrants deported by the US.
The Indian prime minister spoke with Mr Trump on the phone after his inauguration as the US president last month. After the 27 January call, Mr Trump said Mr Modi was “going to be coming to the White House in the next month, probably in February”.
Mr Modi would be among the first world leaders to meet the new president. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The Trump administration began deporting illegal migrants from India on Tuesday as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country. An unnamed US official told Reuters that an American military plane had departed for India with migrants but would not arrive for at least 24 hours.
As part of his escalating crackdown on illegal immigration, which fulfils a key campaign promise, Mr Trump has closed the asylum system to people lacking proper documentation, assigned the military to deport immigration violators, and given deportation officers authority to target the majority of unauthorised immigrants, even those without criminal records.
The Pentagon said last week that US military planes were flying out about 5,000 immigrants held in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, military aircraft have flown migrants back to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.
The Indian government has indicated a willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration in identifying and repatriating its citizens who are living illegally in the US in a bid to avoid a diplomatic or trade war with Washington. They have already identified 18,000 such people, sources told Bloomberg.
The Pew Research Center estimates there are around 725,000 undocumented Indian migrants in the US, making them the third-largest group of illegal immigrants in the country after those from Mexico and El Salvador. A 2022 Department of Homeland Security report said around 220,000 Indians were living in the US without authorisation.
Mr Modi’s impending visit comes amid mounting concern in New Delhi over a potential trade war with the new US administration. Mr Trump has repeatedly singled out India for criticism over high tariffs, claiming they harm American businesses, and pledged to impose reciprocal duties on goods from the South Asian country.
“If they tax us, we tax them the same amount,” the president said in an interview on Fox News. “They tax us. We tax them. And they tax us almost in all cases and we haven’t been taxing them.”
Mr Trump also threatened to slap a 100 per cent import tariff on countries in the Brics bloc, of which India is a founding member, if they attempted to replace the American dollar for international trade.
Mr Modi shared a warm relationship with Mr Trump during his first term from 2016 to 2020 with the two leaders appearing together at large public rallies in Ahmedabad and Houston, respectively. Trade issues aside, Mr Modi’s ruling BJP has talked up Mr Trump’s November victory as being good news for bilateral ties.
India’s relationship with the US continued to deepen during the Joe Biden administration despite Washington accusing Mr Modi’s government of plotting the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in America and friction over New Delhi’s refusal to sever ties with Russia over the Ukraine war.
The US sees India as a counterbalance to a rapidly rising China in Asia and the two nations are part of the Quad grouping with Australia and Japan.
Japan’s first bunk-bed bus allows tourists to skip the hotel
Japan has launched a sleeper bus with fully flat seats that could help concertgoers and tourists avoid having to pay for a hotel.
Bus operator Kochi Ekimae Kanko has unveiled their new double-decker bus, a service they’re calling a “mobile capsule hotel”, which comes with specially fitted seats that recline completely to turn into flat bunk beds.
Named “Sommeil Profond”, or “deep sleep” in French, the bus is set to begin a trial weekly service between Tokyo and southern Japan’s Kochi prefecture from 4 March.
The bus will come with 12 bunk beds, which will therefore seat 24 passengers, and be priced at ¥7,300 (approximately £37) for the duration of the trial period, following which it will cost ¥14,000 (£72.55), according to Nikkei Asia.
“Many people think of overnight buses as cheap but uncomfortable,” Kochi Ekimae Kanko president Akitoshi Umebara said. “I want to give them the option of lie-flat seats and turn buses into the transportation option of choice.”
The sleeper bus will allow tourists to arrive fully rested, attend their event, and return home without needing to book a hotel, according to the South China Morning Post.
Costs of hotels in Japan have been rising, as Japan has been grappling with record numbers of tourists in a post-pandemic world. According to official figures released last month, Japan welcomed 36 million tourists in 2024, and popular tourist destinations like Kyoto and Hokkaido have raised accommodation or bathing taxes in an attempt to curb over-tourism.
Tourists have resorted to taking overnight buses instead of booking a hotel, with Tokyo-based bus operator Willer Express noting that the average occupancy rate of express buses went up 5 per cent to 86 per cent in 2024, according to Nikkei Asia.
A survey conducted by the company in October also showed that over 60 per cent respondents said they took overnight buses since accommodations were too expensive.
With this in mind, the operator is expecting a majority of their demand to come from tourists bound for Tokyo to attend concerts and similar pop culture-based events, who can not only avoid having to pay for a hotel but also get a proper night’s sleep.
In November 2024, the Japanese ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism established a set of safety guidelines for operators, specifying mandatory design elements like plates that can secure passengers from sliding off their sleeping area and ensuring that passengers always wear their seat belts.
It is still unclear if passengers will be able to sit up once the seats are converted into flat beds or get in and out of their bunks while the bus is in motion.
According to the operator’s website, passengers can start making bookings for the Sommeil Profond bus from Friday.
Airline bans power banks after plane destroyed in horror fire
An airline has banned power banks in luggage in overhead cabin after a huge fire destroyed one of its planes on the runway.
South Korea’s Air Busan will not allow passengers to keep power banks in luggage stored in overhead cabin bins, in what on Tuesday it called a preemptive measure after one of its planes was engulfed in flames last week.
An investigation led by South Korean authorities into the fire has begun, but no cause has yet been determined. Air accidents are nearly always caused by a combination of factors, according to experts.
Passenger carry-on bags inspected at boarding gates and found not to contain power banks will be tagged and then allowed in overhead luggage bins, in measures set to begin on Friday on trial routes, before expanding to all flights.
Any power banks should be kept with passengers so any overheating, smoke or fire can quickly be spotted and dealt with.
Air Busan said the changes, which will also include additional crew fire training and fire containment equipment on board, were in response to an increase in the number of power banks overheating.
The fire, which began on Jan. 28 while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane, Air Busan has said.
All on board were evacuated safely.
Lithium batteries are a type of rechargeable battery found in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, spare power banks and electronic cigarettes.
Global aviation standards say they must not be placed in checked-in luggage because they can start intense fires if they short circuit due to damage or manufacturing faults.
Cabin crew have fire extinguishers and thermal containment boxes or bags to isolate problematic devices on board.
Last week South Korea said it aims to rebuild its aviation safety system from scratch, launching a new committee to improve air travel in the country that suffered two major aviation incidents a month apart.
“In order to restore trust in our country’s aviation safety system, the government will make a determined effort to rebuild the aviation safety system from the ground up,” Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Baek Won-kuk will tell the committee, the ministry statement said.
The government must address aviation safety as a top priority, he added.
In the deadliest air disaster ever on South Korean soil, a plane belonging to budget airline Jeju Air crashed at the country’s Muan airport on Dec. 29, killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board.
Duck remains were found in both engines of the plane, a preliminary investigation report said, indicating bird strikes occurred before the crash. Air accidents are nearly always caused by a combination of factors, according to experts.
The 10-week committee will include private sector experts and will look at issues including maintenance and aircraft utilisation rates at budget airlines, and airport construction and operation.
In response to the Jeju Air crash, which saw the plane belly land but then plough into a concrete embankment supporting navigation equipment past the end of Muan’s runway, authorities already said they would amend similar structures at seven airports around the country.
Teenage girl killed in shark attack off Queensland beach
A 17-year-old girl died after being bitten by a shark while swimming off a beach in the north of Brisbane. The attack marks Australia’s third fatal shark incident in just over five weeks.
Emergency responders arrived at Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, a popular tourist destination, on Monday afternoon following reports of a shark bite. Paramedics attempted to treat the teenager who had sustained critical injuries to her upper body, but she succumbed to her wounds, police confirmed.
The girl, identified as Charlize Zmuda, “sustained life-threatening injuries and succumbed to those injuries” about 15 minutes later, a Queensland police spokesperson said.
She was a dedicated member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club since the age of eight, her father Steve Zmuda told ABC. He urged beachgoers not to be deterred from visiting the beach.
“She was a dedicated lifesaver who wanted only the best for our club and community,” he said. “When I got the tragic news yesterday, I was extremely gutted, but we don’t want people to stop coming to the beach,” he said.
Authorities have yet to identify the species of shark involved. Witnesses reported that police officers rushed into the water in an attempt to rescue the girl but were unable to save her.
Local resident John Wadey told the Courier-Mail that shark sightings in the area are frequent. “There’s shark sightings everyday. People don’t say anything. It is common,” he said.
The incident is the second fatal shark attack in Australia this year.
On 2 January, surfer Lance Appleby was killed by a shark at Granites Beach in South Australia. Just days earlier, on 28 December, 40-year-old chaplain Luke Walford was fatally bitten while spearfishing near the Keppel Bay Islands in Queensland.
Shark control measures, including baited drum lines and drone surveillance, are in place at Woorim Beach.
Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery extended condolences to the victim’s family and said “it would be a difficult time for the tight-knit Bribie Island community”.
Queensland state MP Ariana Doolan described the event as “tragic”, urging for privacy and respect for the grieving family.
“Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and it’s important that these processes take course,” she said in a statement.
“In the meantime we ask for respect and privacy for the family during this incredibly difficult time.”
More than 1,200 cases of shark attacks in Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 were fatal, according to a national database, reported CBS News.
Several flights diverted in Bangkok due to smog
Several flights were diverted at Bangkok’s airports this week as the Thai capital continued to battle dangerous levels of air pollution covering the city’s skyline.
Flights were diverted from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday morning, as air pollution in the city reached hazardous levels.
Poor visibility, which dropped to just 150m around 7am, disrupted air traffic at the airport.
Among the affected flights was AirAsia X Flight XJ901 from Harbin, China, according to The Straits Times, which had to be redirected to Suvarnabhumi in neighbouring Samut Prakan province.
Other flights, including AirAsia Flight FD3417 from Chiang Mai and a Lion Air Flight SL213 from Ahmedabad, India, were forced to circle above Don Mueang, waiting for conditions to improve before landing.
At 11am on Sunday, the PM2.5 levels at the Don Mueang Airport were recorded at 64.7 micrograms per cubic meter, well above Thailand’s safety threshold of 37.5 µg/m³.
The air pollution levels in Thailand continued to remain at hazardous levels after weeks of school shutdowns and restrictions.
The air quality in all areas of Bangkok metropolitan exceeded the safety standard on Tuesday morning, according to the Air Quality Information Centre of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The centre reported the average PM2.5 levels throughout the city on Tuesday at 44.9 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), well above the country’s standard of 37.5 µg/m³ over a three-hour average (5am to 7am).
Monday’s reading at the same time was at 47.2 µg/m³.
The five districts that reported the highest levels of PM2.5 are Bueng Kum (62 µg/m³), Lat Krabang (61.7 µg/m³), Nong Chok (61 µg/m³), Minburi (55.9 µg/m³), and Khlong Sam Wa (55.4 µg/m³).
Authorities attribute the high pollution levels to a combination of traffic emissions, industrial activity and agricultural burning in surrounding regions. Weather conditions, including stagnant air and temperature inversions, have further trapped pollutants close to the ground, exacerbating the smog.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has urged residents to wear masks, limit outdoor activities, and work from home if possible. The city also made public transport free for residents to reduce transport pollution.
People experiencing symptoms such as coughing, eye irritation, or breathing difficulties are advised to seek medical attention immediately.
Queensland suffers ‘incredible’ devastation, premier says
The premier of Queensland has described the devastation caused by the recent historic floods as “incredible”, as the state begins to assess the damage and commence recovery efforts.
Officials believe the worst has now passed, but with widespread damage, power outages, and at least one death, the recovery is expected to be slow and challenging.
“It’s a disaster that’s going to test the resolve of people,” Queensland premier David Crisafulli told the ABC on Tuesday.
While conditions are easing faster than predicted, he described the damage in towns like Ingham and Cardwell as “quite frankly incredible”, with homes, businesses, and farms inundated.
The floods, triggered by nearly two metres of rainfall since Saturday, forced thousands to flee, submerged critical infrastructure, and caused the partial collapse of the Bruce Highway, Queensland’s main transport route.
A 63-year-old woman died in Ingham during a rescue attempt when a State Emergency Service dinghy capsized after hitting a submerged tree.
In Townsville, earlier forecasts had warned that up to 2,000 homes could face severe flooding. However, the city avoided the worst-case scenario.
“We believe that the danger has passed,” said Andrew Robinson, chair of the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group.
Premier Crisafulli added that the city had “dodged a bullet.”
Despite improving weather, large parts of northern Queensland remain without power. More than 8,000 properties are still in the dark, and damaged roads have made it difficult to reach some of the hardest-hit areas. The premier said the government was working with the army to deliver power generators to isolated communities. In Ingham, a local hospital, and some supermarket, and petrol station are back online.
Many of those evacuated started returning home, but remain anxious.
“People talk about PTSD when it rains here, and I totally understand,” Jo Berry, a local resident of Townsville told BBC, recalling the 2019 floods that caused over a billion-dollar damage.
“It’s not our first rodeo,” she added, describing sleepless nights spent monitoring rainfall.
Further north, floodwaters have left some towns cut off, and the extent of the damage is still unclear. The Herbert River, which peaked about the same height as in 1967, began to drop.
“Growing up there, I remember my parents talking about the 1967 event and how devastating that was and the fact that we may never see another one again. And this has proven that another one has come,” Mr Crisafulli said.
The partial collapse of the Bruce Highway continues to hinder relief efforts, with detours adding hundreds of kilometres to transport routes and delaying the delivery of essential supplies.
However, even as the worst has passed, authorities continue to warn of the threat of heavy rain from Yabulu, just north of Townsville, to Cardwell, another community that has been hard hit.
“We’re likely to continue to see these rivers rise or stay at the major flood level through to Tuesday,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore said.
“With forecast rainfall, that means we could see renewed rises … and that’s why we are concerned.”
Extreme rainfall and flooding events are becoming more frequent in Australia and the rest of the world due to human-caused climate crisis.
Professor Scott Heron, a climate scientist at James Cook University, told BBC that as politicians talk about recovery and rebuilding operations, climate impacts on the region must be considered.
“It would be wasting public money to ignore that,” he said.
What happened to the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine?
North Korean troops have been pulled back from the frontline amid devastating losses, according to Ukrainian and American officials.
Kim Jong Un’s forces have not been seen on the battlefield for around three weeks, Ukrainian special forces said, according to the New York Times.
Pyongyang sent roughly 11,000 soldiers to help with Vladimir Putin’s war effort in November last year, four months after Kyiv’s troops seized Russian territory in Kursk.
They quickly gained a reputation as being fierce, “committed” soldiers, who would often choose suicide over surrender, but were hampered by poor tactics and a language barrier.
In January, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said 300 of Kim’s soldiers have been killed and another 2,700 wounded since joining the conflict.
The officials told the New York Times that withdrawn troops may return after receiving reinforcements and additional training.
The last written notes of a North Korean soldier killed in battle suggested the brutal tactics they were forced to adapt to under Russian commanders.
An entry described how Pyongyang’s troops were ordered to stand within seven metres of Kyiv’s drones as covering soldiers try to shoot them down.
On one notebook page, a crude drawing shows a stickman soldier breaking cover to attract the attention of a drone, while his two comrades lie in wait to shoot it down.
“When the bait stands still, the drone will stop and it will be shot down,” the soldier wrote in scrawled handwriting, translated by The Wall Street Journal.
The diary, which was found on 21 December and has been authenticated by experts, was written by a young soldier who died in a firefight alongside two compatriots, Ukraine’s special forces said.
It was published a day after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces had captured two North Korean soldiers and proposed a prisoner swap with Pyongyang.
In the video shared by Mr Zelensky, both soldiers appeared injured.
One of the soldiers, who appeared in the video lying down, said he did not know he was fighting in a war against Ukraine and that his commanders told him it was a training exercise.
One of the prisoners carried a Russian military ID card that Mr Zelensky claimed was “issued in the name of another person”.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU showed an ID card issued to a 26-year-old man from Russia’s Tyva region bordering Mongolia.
Marco Rubio issues Panama ultimatum over ‘Chinese influence’ on canal
President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded Panama immediately reduce “unacceptable” Chinese “influence and control” over the Panama Canal.
On his first official trip as America’s top diplomat, Rubio said in Panama that the U.S. would act “to protect its rights” under a longstanding mutual treaty as scores of people in the Central American nation marched in protest against his visit.
He held talks with President Jose Raul Mulino, who said Panama’s sovereignty over the canal was not up for debate but suggested he would review agreements involving Chinese businesses.
Rubio delivered Trump’s message, who has caused a diplomatic stir by saying Washington would take control of the Panama Canal.
“Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The Panama Canal is the second busiest shipping route in the world. Built by the U.S. in the early 20th century, it was handed over to Panama in 1999 as agreed under a 1977 treaty. The Neutrality Treaty gives the U.S. military the right to defend the canal if there is a threat to its neutrality.
Trump has objected to Chinese companies investing in ports and terminals near the canal. He has refused to rule out the use of military force against Panama, drawing criticism from Washington’s Latin American friends and foes alike.
Trump claimed over the weekend Panama had violated the 1977 deal and reiterated that the U.S. would take back the canal, but said he did not think military action would be necessary.
“China’s running the Panama Canal. That was not given to China, that was given to Panama, foolishly, but they violated the agreement and we’re going to take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t think troops will be necessary in Panama.”
Mulino said his meeting with Rubio was respectful and cordial but insisted that the canal “is operated by our country and will continue to be”.
He suggested a willingness to review some Chinese businesses, including a 25-year concession to CK Hutchison Holdings, which is based in Hong Kong.
Authorities in Panama are carrying out an audit of the Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, that operates two terminals around the canal. “We have to wait until that audit ends before we can reach our legal conclusions and act accordingly,” Mulino said.
Panama renewed the contract for the company to operate a port at each end of the canal in 2021. The contract has been targeted by U.S. politicians as an example of China’s expansion in the Latin American country.
Mulino said Panama would not renew a 2017 agreement with China to join its overseas development initiative known as the Belt and Road, and hinted the deal could end early.
Panama would seek to work with the U.S. on new investments, the president said. “I think this visit opens the door to build new relations,” he added.
China has said it plays no part in operating the canal and that it respects Panama’s sovereignty over the waterway.
“Never ever has China interfered,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said when asked about America’s claims last month, adding that China recognises the canal as “a permanently neutral international waterway”.
Rubio’s visit saw nearly 200 people marching in protest in Panama City. The protesters shouted slogans of “Marco Rubio out of Panama”, “Long live national sovereignty”, and “One territory, one flag”.
Many burnt effigies of Trump and Rubio as riot police fired tear gas to control the crowd near the presidential palace.