India steps up Dalai Lama’s security over potential threat to his life

The Indian government has increased the security cover for Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, over a potential threat to his life.

The federal home minister on Thursday provided Z-category armed protection – one of the highest security covers – to the Dalai Lama based on a threat assessment report by India’s Intelligence Bureau, news agency PTI reported.

The 89-year-old spiritual leader will now have a security team of 33 personnel, including static guards stationed at his residence in Himachal Pradesh state’s Dharamshala. He will have round-the-clock protection, trained drivers, surveillance personnel, and commandos forming an armed escort in shifts.

Prior to this, the Dalai Lama had only a small protection cover in Himachal Pradesh, which was increased during his travels to New Delhi or any other place outside the state.

The Dalai Lama made the hillside town of Dharamshala his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Representatives of a Tibetan government-in-exile also reside there. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The Dalai Lama formally relinquished his political and administrative powers in 2011 and handed his political responsibilities to the community’s elected leadership. But he has remained the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community.

His followers see him as capable of uniting and mobilising Tibetans inside and outside China.

Over 100,000 Tibetan refugees live in India, Nepal and Bhutan, according to Tibetan organisations. Their number in India is estimated at around 85,000, while many have also moved to countries such as the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

China castigates the Dalai Lama as an advocate for Tibetan independence and has not had direct contact with his representatives for more than a decade.

The Dalai Lama says he merely advocates for Tibet’s substantial autonomy and protection of its native Buddhist culture.

Australia bans foreigners from buying homes to tackle surging prices

Australia will ban foreign investors from buying existing homes for two years to address soaring property prices in the country.

The move is part of the government’s election pitch as housing affordability becomes a major issue, especially for young voters.

Housing minister Clare O’Neil said in a statement on Sunday that foreign investors – including temporary residents such as international students and foreign-owned companies – will be restricted from buying houses from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027. The restriction will then be reviewed to determine whether it should be extended.

The minister said the policy would “free up thousands of properties for Australians”.

“We’re in the midst of a housing crisis because for 30 years governments around the country haven’t built enough homes for the Australians who need it,” she said.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton initially introduced the policy in his budget reply last year.

“They absolutely bucketed this policy for the last 12 months and now five minutes before the election they copy it,” opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar was quoted as saying by Nine News Australia.

Meanwhile, the government will also tighten rules on land banking, requiring foreign investors to develop vacant land within a set timeframe. Ms O’Neil said there was a need to prioritise home ownership for young Australians.

“This isn’t a silver bullet, because there is no silver bullet,” she said. “But this is an important piece of Labor’s absolutely massive housing agenda.”F

The ban is expected to have little impact on prices, as foreign buyers make up a small share of the market. In 2022-23, foreign investors made 5,360 residential property purchases, with only a third involving existing dwellings.

To ensure enforcement, the tax office will receive additional funding. With elections due by 17 May, both major parties are prioritising housing affordability.

“We’re coming at this housing challenge from every responsible angle,” Ms O’neil said in a joint statement with treasurer Jim Chalmers.

“This is all about easing pressure on our housing market at the same time as we build more homes.

“These initiatives are a small but important part of our already big and broad housing agenda which is focused on boosting supply and helping more people into homes.

“It’s a minor change, but a meaningful one because we know that every effort helps in addressing the housing challenge we’ve inherited.”

Delhi hit by rare earthquake as Modi warns north India to ‘stay alert for aftershocks’

Delhi was jolted awake by a rare earthquake during the early hours of Monday, prompting a message from prime minister Narendra Modi to stay calm and alert for possible aftershocks.

The pre-dawn earthquake was measured at magnitude 4.2 by the US Geological Survey and 4.0 by India’s National Centre for Seismology, with strong shaking shortly after 5.30am local time prompting residents in New Delhi and the wider region of the Indian capital to rush out of their homes.

The epicentre was located at a depth of 5km near the Dhaula Kuan area, about 7.5km southwest of the Indian parliament. Tremors were felt across north India, the National Centre for Seismology said.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties. The Delhi Police have issued an emergency number to call for help, saying: “We hope you all are safe, Delhi.”

Just hours later, another 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck Siwan city in Bihar. The temblor was reported at 8.02am (local time) at a depth of 10km, according to Indian authorities.

Mr Modi, in a post on X, warned people to stay alert for possible aftershocks. “Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas. Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions, staying alert for possible aftershocks,” Mr Modi said. “Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation”.

It isn’t the first time the Dhaula Kuan area in the Indian capital has been the epicentre for seismic activity, with a 3.3 magnitude earthquake recorded there in 2015.

Dr OP Mishra, director of the National Centre for Seismology, told reporters that this was the most powerful earthquake to hit Dhaula Kuan since 2007, when it was the epicentre of a 4.7-magnitude quake.

Naresh Kumar, a resident of West Delhi, told the PTI news agency: “I felt an earthquake of such high magnitude for the first time. Everyone was outside their homes and afraid.”

A passenger at the New Delhi railway station, where at least 18 people were killed in a stampede over the weekend, said the earthquake felt as if “trains were running underground”. “Everything was shaking,” he told ANI news agency.

Earthquakes are occasionally felt in Delhi when they strike the nearby geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas. Quakes centred on the Indian capital itself are relatively rare.

Monday morning’s earthquake comes amid heightened seismic activity in the Himalayan region and a month after a powerful 7.1-magnitude temblor struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 126 people. The intense earthquake flattened hundreds of houses and forced people to rush out of their houses in Nepal, Bhutan and India.

China and Pakistan criticise Trump’s pitch to sell F-35s to India

China and Pakistan have criticised Donald Trump‘s proposal of selling F-35 stealth fighters to neighbour India during the American president’s meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC last week.

Mr Trump’s push to India to increase its military spending by billions of dollars through the purchase of the elite fifth-generation fighter aircraft has created a stir in the Asian subcontinent with Pakistan and China warning against disruption in the region.

India, the biggest military importer, is reportedly seeking bids this year for 114 multi-role fighters in a major step to bolster the country’s fleet of combat aircraft in an apparent effort to counter China’s growing air capabilities.

“Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Mr Trump told a joint news conference with Mr Modi. “We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” he said.

India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri later clarified that the F-35 deal, which the US only sells to Nato states and allies, was a proposal with no formal process underway.

However, the proposal was enough to irk Pakistan, which has multiple F-16 fighter jets in its arsenal. Pakistan’s foreign minister said the nation was “deeply concerned over the planned transfer of such advanced military technology to India”.

The ministry claimed the transfer would “accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability”.

“We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing positions that are one-sided and deviate from ground reality.”

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Asia-Pacific region was not a “chessboard for geopolitical maneuvering”. “Forming exclusive circles and engaging in group politics will not bring security and will only harm regional and global peace and stability.”

Lockheed Martin, the makers of the F-35, said “we are encouraged by the recent announcement by president Trump to provide the F-35 to India”. The US foreign military sales are considered government-to-government deals where the Pentagon acts as an intermediary between the buying government and the defence contractor.

“We look forward to working closely with both governments on upcoming strategic procurements,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said.

While the F-35 fighter jets would be a major win for New Delhi, it would also be mutually beneficial for Washington, which sees India as a foil to China’s rising power in the East.

India and China share a 3,488km border that runs from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Relations between the hostile neighbours hit a new low in July 2020 after at least 20 Indian army personnel and four Chinese soldiers were killed in a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in one of the most major conflicts in 45 years.

China in December last year appeared to have tested novel sixth-generation stealth military tailless aircraft after they were seen flying over Chengdu city.

“The Chinese are inducting modern fighters and Pakistanis are also getting some Chinese support whereas the Indian Air Force, in terms of combat squadrons, is deficient. There is no doubt about it,” said Laxman Behera, a defence expert at government-funded Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

“We’ll have to wait and watch,” he told Reuters.

The Indian Air Force does not have US fighter jets in its active fleet, but about 50 aircraft are powered by General Electric engines, with 170 more on order. Mr Modi and Mr Trump In a joint statement at the White House announced plans to sign a new 10-year framework later this year for the US-India Major Defence Partnership.

Rahul Bedi, an independent defence analyst based in India, said the deal with the US for F-35 stealth fighter jets will not fill India’s immediate need for more than 100 aircraft. “They are not going to come tomorrow. It’s going to take several years to start arriving,” he told the Associated Press.

New Zealand faces heat for tourism ad targeting Australian visitors

A New Zealand tourism campaign targeting Australian tourists is facing backlash for its blunt wording, with critics likening it to a clearance sale.

The NZD$500,000 (£227,742) campaign features the slogan “Everyone Must Go” as a way to create urgency for Australian tourists to visit the country. However, critics, including Labour MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, have questioned the slogan’s quality and cost.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and tourism minister Louise Upston launched the campaign on Sunday, set to run across Australian airwaves and social media for about a month starting this week.

“What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we’re open for business, there are some great deals on, and we’d love to see you soon,” Ms Upston said.

Tourism New Zealand’s CEO René de Monchy said the campaign was designed to create a sense of urgency for Australians – New Zealand’s only short-haul market – to visit.

Authorities claimed the campaign would increase Australian visitor numbers from the current 88 per cent of pre-Covid levels to 93 per cent.

“The number of Australian arrivals in New Zealand increased by more than 90,000, up from 1.27 million to 1.36 million over the past year, but we know there’s more room to grow,” Ms Upston said.

However, the tagline “Everyone Must Go”, paired with photographs of people sightseeing, quickly became the target of mockery in New Zealand, with opposition politicians and social media users comparing it to a clearance sale ad, a marketing campaign for the apocalypse, or a frantic plea for bathroom access.

Labour’s tourism and hospitality spokesperson, Ms Tangaere-Manuel, said while the party supported the goal of growing the tourism industry, the government’s initiative lacked long-term vision.

“The theme with the policies that have been rolling out across the board recently seem a bit knee-jerk to me,” she said.

“We need to be looking at how we leverage our amazing country and safeguard it as well.

“We’ve had the digital nomad announcement, now we’ve got this – and the attitude of anyone, anytime, anywhere, is concerning,” she said.

She was quoted as saying by RNZ: “If we bring people and our infrastructure can’t handle them, they’re going to have a poor experience, and then they’re going to take that messaging back to … whichever part of the world they come from.”

Ms Tangaere-Manuel also expressed concern over the message conveyed by the “Everyone Must Go” slogan, stating that when she first heard it, she thought, “surely not”.

“I mean, it makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale … the irony of that messaging is, that’s how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now. There’s been so many cuts, so people feel like ‘well, what’s not on the list of cuts’.” Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand.

Green Party tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown saw other connotations in the slogan. “I think ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous.

“I was up in Paihia for Waitangi, and people were saying when the cruise ship comes in it doesn’t really benefit many tourism operators, because too many people here for too short a time.

“They don’t go kayaking, they don’t go diving, but, my goodness, they queue at the toilets.”

Launching the campaign, Mr Luxon said: “Our job… is to make sure we get New Zealand to the top of the bucket list” for Australians.

“My message to Australians is it’s time to swap thongs for jandals.”

Ms Upston said: “We always love to see our Australian friends holidaying here… soaking up the great Kiwi experiences.”

But many New Zealanders mocked the messaging. One person joked that the slogan could be a subtle jab at the Australian government’s stance on deporting criminals who have ties with New Zealand. He said: “Surely ‘Everyone Must Go’ is a subtle dig at the Australian government’s intransigence concerning 501 deportees.”

Another person said: “Can’t believe that slogan cost half a million dollars. Is that the best our tourism can offer?”

Another noted: “If I was in a [government] seeing record emigration I simply would not pick ‘everyone must go’ as a slogan.”

One X user wrote: “How embarrassing. National and Co have made us look pathetic on the world stage. What a comedown from (Jacinda) Ardern’s leadership.”

Others pointed out record emigration numbers. According to data from Statistics New Zealand, 131,200 people left New Zealand last year in the first half of the year, the highest number on record. One observer commented on X about the “Everyone Must Go” campaign: “Already a highly successful campaign: Tens of thousands of Kiwis have already gone.”

At least 18 killed in stampede as Maha Kumbh pilgrims crowd trains

At least 18 people were killed and over a dozen injured in a stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday night as passengers rushed to board trains to the Hindu Maha Kumbh festival.

The dead included nearly a dozen women and five children who were trapped in a sudden crush of passengers running to board a pair of special trains to Prayagraj that were running late.

The incident occurred on platforms 14 and 15 after the station authorities wrongly announced a change of platforms, causing confusion and chaos, preliminary reports said.

Pictures and videos of overcrowding at the railway station showed hundreds of passengers stumbling and pouring over each other on the platforms without any security measures in place. Railway authorities initially dismissed reports of a crowd crush as rumours but confirmed the death toll after midnight.

Porters at the railway station called ambulances after noticing people falling and getting injured on the platforms. “Several porters gathered there to stop the crowd. We took at least 15 bodies and loaded them into an ambulance. There were only shoes and clothes on the platform. When the crowd waiting at platform 12 and the crowd from outside tried to reach platform 16, people started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs. We called the police, fire tenders, and three to four ambulances reached there, and people were taken to the hospital,” one porter told the news agency ANI.

Delhi’s acting chief minister, Atishi, said many of the victims were pilgrims on their way to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, in Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Narendra Modi said he was “distressed by the stampede”. “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede,” the prime minister said on X.

The railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the situation was brought under control by the Delhi police and the Railway Protection Force.

He also announced an investigation.

“The entire team is working to assist all those who have been affected by this tragic incident,” he said on X.

Opposition leaders criticised poor infrastructure and arrangements by authorities for thousands of devotees wanting to attend the festival.

Senior Congress party member Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely sad” and “distressing”. The incident showed the “failure” of the railway system and the government’s “insensitivity”.

“Given the large number of devotees heading to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station,” he posted on X. “The government and administration must ensure that no one loses their life due to mismanagement and negligence.”

Priyanka Chaturvedi, a member of parliament, called for the resignation of the railway minister.

“Those who keep saying ‘not the right time to criticise or seek accountability’ after every tragedy are effectively telling the reel mantri ‘not the time to take onus and resign’. How many derailments, accidents, stampedes, lives lost, passenger fare raised, passengers having to travel in inhuman way will it take to become the right time for seeking accountability?” she said.

India has witnessed several railway accidents in the past two years, including a collision in 2023 that killed at least 288 people.

The crowd crush at the New Delhi railway station is the second fatal stampede involving Maha Kumbh pilgrims. At least 30 people were confirmed killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh grounds in Prayagraj last month as millions of Hindus gathered to take a bath in sacred river waters on the most auspicious day of the six-week festival. The actual death toll was 79, according to an investigation by independent media outlet Newslaundry.

Second flight of 119 illegal migrants deported by US lands in India

A second flight carrying over 100 Indian illegal migrants deported from the US landed in the northern city of Amritsar on Saturday, days after prime minister Narendra Modi met president Donald Trump in Washington.

The C17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft of the US military returned at least 119 Indian migrants, including 100 from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. Most of the deportees were men aged 18 to 30, but there were four women and two minors as well, The Indian Express reported.

A third batch of more than 150 illegal immigrants was expected to be deposited in Amritsar on Sunday night.

Indian authorities said arrangements were in place to send the deported people to their home states. While people from the western states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra would be sent home on early morning flights, a senior official said, those from Punjab and Haryana would travel by road.

India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, said around 500 Indians were listed for immediate deportation as the Trump administration cracked down on illegal immigration in the US, in fulfilment of a key campaign promise.

Indian illegal migrants often pay smugglers tens of thousands of dollars, raised by mortgaging land or jewellery, to get into the US and other nations in the West.

The first flight of Indian illegal migrants from the US landed in Amritsar earlier this month. The migrants were brought back handcuffed and shackled on a military plane.

A political row erupted shortly after the flight landed with opposition parties calling out the Modi government for staying silent about Indian citizens being “humiliated” in such a manner.

“Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian,” Pawan Khera, the chief spokesperson for the Congress party, said.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, took aim at Mr Modi himself.

“While Modi was shaking hands with his friend Donald Trump, Indian citizens were being deported in chains on a military aircraft. The chained Indians being sent back are Trump’s return gift to Modi,” he said on Saturday.

Mr Modi’s government previously said it would cooperate with the US on the deportations and was ready to accept the returned Indians after proper verification.

It was against illegal immigration in general, the government said, mainly because it was linked to several forms of organised crime.

“For Indians, not just in the United States but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals, and they are overstaying or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back, provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality that they are indeed Indians,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last month.

“If that happens to be the case, then we will take things forward. We will facilitate the return to India.”

Taiwan cracks down on firms helping residents apply for Chinese IDs

Taipei is cracking down on Taiwanese people illegally procuring Chinese identity cards, apparently in a bid to contain Beijing’s expanding influence.

The Mainland Affairs Council said it is taking action against residents who hold valid identity documents for both the self-governed island and the mainland.

Interior minister Liu Shyh-fang said investigators have identified several companies that allegedly help people apply for Chinese ID cards.

This comes shortly after two Taiwanese influencers shared a video showing how Beijing is luring the island’s residents to apply for Chinese identity cards in a tactic move to swing public opinion in its favour.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and doesn’t rule out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwanese leaders, however, reject Chinese sovereignty.

At least 4,000 Taiwanese residents are reported to have applied for Chinese identity cards in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province. About half of them did so without giving up their Taiwanese identification documents or travel permits required to visit the mainland.

One of the influencers behind the YouTube video, Pa Chiung, has alleged that three to five travel and public relations companies in Taiwan and two firms in China are assisting Taiwanese residents in securing People’s Republic of China identity cards during trips to the mainland.

Ms Shyh-fang confirmed this. “Three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan have allegedly helped Taiwanese apply for Chinese ID cards and are under investigation for potential legal violations,” the minister said earlier this month.

Ms Shyh-fang, whose ministry oversees Taiwan’s immigration and investigation agencies, said at least 30 individuals are being questioned in connection with the procurement of Chinese identity papers.

The interior ministry is also investigating whether the Taiwanese companies under investigation were driven by “purely commercial” motives or were part of a larger operation to promote China’s annexation of Taiwan.