Singer Diljit Dosanjh’s India tour sells out within minutes

Tickets for actor and musician Diljit Dosanjh’s “Dil-luminati” India tour sold out within minutes of going on sale, leaving many fans disappointed.

A presale started on Tuesday and tickets for the concert in capital Delhi sold out in just under two minutes.

General tickets opened for purchase on Thursday and sold out within minutes, with fans showing the same level of enthusiasm as seen for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.

“We have already sold 150,000 tickets. While there is enormous demand, due to the rules, regulations, and venue capacities, we are expecting around 200,000 people across 10 venues,” tour organiser Janamjai Sehgal from Saregama India told NDTV.

“This level of response has never happened in India before, not even for international artists. On the first day of the presale, 8,000-10,000 transactions were made in a single minute. We sold 100,000 tickets within 15 minutes,” Sehgal said.

Fans who managed to get the tickets celebrated on social media and those who didn’t were trying desperately to find resellers even though they were asking for jacked up prices.

“Bajaj Finance IPO, if one lot is allotted of ₹14,900 (£135), could potentially become ₹28,757 (£260), assuming a 93 per cent GMP. Diljit Dosanjh concert tickets which people bought for ₹5,999 (£54) are being resold for ₹21,000 (£190), that’s a growth of 250.04 per cent! Next time, you know where to invest,” one fan joked on X.

Another fan posted screenshots of multiple tickets to reveal that he spent Rs 87,640 (£794) on them.

Several fans who weren’t able to get the tickets complained about the booking process, because patrons had to zoom in to the seats to confirm, which they said wasted time.

The “Dil-luminati” tour is set to kick off on 26 October in Delhi. Shows are also lined up in Chandigarh, Guwahati, Pune, Indore, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.

Dosanjh has been on a world tour since the early 2024, performing sold-out shows across North America, Australia and New Zealand. And he has shows lined up in Paris, London, Glasgow, and Amsterdam through September and October.

The singer has seen his global popularity surge since a performance at Coachella in 2023. His collaborations with international stars like NLE Choppa, Sia, and Saweetie have added to his appeal, and he’s often credited with putting Punjabi music on the map.

Earlier this year, he joined Ed Sheeran on stage in Mumbai to perform his hit track “Lover”. Dosanjh has also worked on a Punjabi-Spanish crossover track “Palpita” with Colombian singer Camilo.

He made his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed fan favourites “GOAT” and “Born To Shine”.

North Korea shows first photos of uranium facility for nuclear weapons

North Korea offered the world a rare look into a secretive facility producing enriched uranium as leader Kim Jong-un called for an “exponential” increase in nuclear weapons production.

Mr Kim visited the control room of the uranium enrichment facility and a construction site aimed at increasing its capacity for nuclear weapons production, KCNA reported. Pictures released by the state news agency on Friday showed the leader being briefed by scientists as he walked along rows of tall grey tubes, though it did not specify when or where the visit took place.

The photos showed around 1,000 centrifuges. If operated throughout the year, they could produce 20-25kg of highly enriched uranium, enough to manufacture one nuclear bomb, according to security expert Yang Uk from Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

It was not clear if the site Mr Kim toured was part of the Yongbyon nuclear complex but this was North Korea’s first disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility since 2010.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula deepened last year, after North Korea test-launched the solid-fueled Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile – its most advanced weapon designed to strike the mainland US – in its third test test in 2023.

Uranium is a radioactive element that exists naturally. To make nuclear fuel, raw uranium undergoes processes that result in a material with an increased concentration of the isotope uranium-235.

The Yongbyon complex, which North Korea calls “the heart” of its nuclear programme and research, has been at the centre of international concerns for decades. It’s not clear exactly how much weapons-grade plutonium or highly enriched uranium has been produced at Yongbyon and where North Korea stores it.

The move was likely aimed at increasing pressure on US and its allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, which have long been critical of the isolated country’s nuclear programme.

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in 2017. China and Russia vetoed a US-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. Since then, the two veto-wielding permanent council members have blocked any council action, including media statements.

Mr Kim underlined the need to expand uranium enrichment capacity and develop a new centrifuge, claiming his country needed greater defence capability against threats by the US and its allies.

He expressed “great satisfaction over the wonderful technical force of the nuclear power field” held by North Korea, KCNA reported.

South Korea criticised its neighbour’s “illegal” pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of UN sanctions” and called it a significant threat to international peace.

For outside analysts, “the images will provide a valuable source of information for rectifying our assumptions about how much material North Korea may have amassed to date”, Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the Associated Press.

“Overall, we shouldn’t assume North Korea will be as constrained as it once was by fissile material limitations. This is especially true for highly enriched uranium where it’s significantly less constrained in its ability to scale up than it is with plutonium.”

A few days ago, in a speech marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of North Korea, Mr Kim said there would be no limit on the expansion of the country’s military prowess, KCNA reported on Tuesday.

Pyongyong last month said it had moved 250 new mobile launchers for ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the frontline. The military also unveiled new suicide attack drones. All this, South Korea said. was happening for the first time.

Additional reporting by agencies.

Thai cave boys’ coach trapped again six years later by typhoon floods

A Thai football coach who was trapped with his players in a flooded cave six years ago and rescued in a complex operation that made headlines around the world found himself stranded again this week.

Ekkapol Chantawong was stuck on the roof of his house after flash floods struck Thailand’s Mai Sai district. The flooding was caused by typhoon Yagi, which wreaked havoc in neighbouring Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

He was among thousands of people stranded in the floods that prompted the Thai government to deploy military special forces in the northern provinces on Thursday.

Flood waters had started receding from some areas of Mai Sai but several riverside settlements were still flooded, district head Narongpol Kid-an said.

The flood waters arrived in Mr Ekkapol’s village on Tuesday and rose quickly, forcing him and his family to spend the night on the roof of their house.

“I was scared but I told myself I have to be calm. Wait and assess the situation,” he told AFP by telephone.

Mr Ekkapol said he was drawing on his 2018 experience with the “Wild Boars” team when they got trapped inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand due to flash floods.

The coach and 12 footballers of his team, then aged 11 to 16, were exploring the cave after practice when it suddenly flooded after a heavy monsoon downpour. A pair of British divers found the group 10 days later.

Instead of screaming or crying, they were sitting quietly in the dark, meditating.

Mr Ekkapol, who had spent a decade as a Buddhist monk, could meditate for up to an hour at a time, his aunt told the Associated Press. And he reportedly guided the trapped boys in the practice when they needed it the most.

They were eventually rescued after 18 days.

Mr Ekkapol said the water levels had reduced by Thursday, allowing him to go down to the ground floor of the house. But they were unable to leave due to strong water currents outside the building.

“I do not think it is different,” he said, comparing his current situation to the 2018 incident.

“First, we have to focus and start solving the problem we are facing.”

“I do not feel more pressure with this stranding. I see more of a way out,” he told AFP. “I hope I don’t have to go up on the roof again tonight.”

He shared videos of him and his family stranded on the roof of the house and flood waters gushing through the street below.

Civilian authorities, supported by naval special forces, were using boats and helicopters on Thursday to conduct rescue operations.

“The situation is very delicate,” Mr Narongpol told Reuters. “When it rains, the water rises very quickly.”

Flood waters had also entered Chiang Rai, one of the largest settlements in northern Thailand, inundating key roads and urban areas and forcing the cancellation of nine of the 10 scheduled flights at the city’s airport.

The airport itself was not flooded but rising waters had made the roads to the facility impassable, said Kornchit Chomphudeng, head of Chiang Rai’s Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

“The flooding this time has spread over a wider area than the recent floods,” he said.

Pope Francis wraps up historic Asia visit with message of tolerance

Pope Francis wrapped up his ambitious 12-day Southeast Asia tour on Friday by praising Singapore’s tradition of interfaith harmony and with the same message of tolerance that he delivered at the start.

He visited the country with the world’s largest Muslim population – Indonesia, with about 242 million – and the country with the highest percentage of Catholics outside the Vatican itself – East Timor, with some 98 per cent.

Francis, 87, presided over a gathering of young people from some of the religious traditions that are present in Singapore, where mosques, Buddhist temples and Christian churches.

He expressed concern for the country’s rapidly aging population, and its migrant workforce, but louded Singapore’s efforts to confront climate change, calling them a model for other countries.

He ditched his speech and urged the youths to take risks, even if it meant making mistakes. However, he came back to the topic at hand to make his main point about the need for people of different faiths to engage in constructive dialogue rather than insist on the righteousness of their particular beliefs.

“All religions are a path to arrive at God,” he said. “They are like different languages to arrive there. But God is God for all.”

Francis was in Singapore to encourage its Catholics, who make up about 3.5 per cent of the population of just under 6 million, while highlighting Singapore’s tradition of interfaith coexistence. According to a 2020 census, Buddhists make up about 31 per cent of the population, Christians 19 per cent and Muslims 15 per cent, while about a fifth of the population claimed no religious belief whatsoever.

History’s first Latin American pope offered an overwhelmingly positive message in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, praising Singapore’s economic development and making only one public appeal: that it treat its immigrant workers with dignity and a fair wage.

Francis’s journey took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor before Singapore. This was the longest he trip had been on since becoming head of the Catholic Church in 2013.

In Indonesia, he urged the country to live up to its promise of “harmony in diversity” and fight religious intolerance in a visit that included meetings with outgoing president Joko Widodo and president-elect Prabowo Subianto. He greeted Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians at Jakarta’s main cathedral.

After a meeting with the grand imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the two issued a joint call to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment.

The Pope traveled to the remote city of Vanimo in Papua New Guinea, where he brought about a tonne of medicine, clothing, musical instruments and toys to donate. He was greeted by some 20,000 people singing and dancing on the field in front of the Vanimo cathedral, where he donned a feathered headdress presented to him.

Overwhelmingly Catholic East Timor greeted Francis with huge crowds, with people jamming his motorcade route from the airport into town cheering as he smiled broadly and waved from his open-backed pickup truck. Nearly half the country showed up for him to celebrate Mass.

The 32,814km by air clocked for the trip make it the longest and farthest of his pontificate, and one of the longest-ever papal voyages in terms of days on the road and distances traveled.

Indians trapped in Russian war set to return to India after release

A father who has never met his newborn son is among six Indian nationals set to be released from serving in the Russian army, nervously awaiting their clearance to fly home after being sent back from the front line of Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

The families of the men confirmed to The Independent that they have been released from duty and are now waiting for the completion of their paperwork in Moscow before they can board flights back to India, in a process that is being coordinated by the Indian government.

In total, almost 100 Indian men, some as young as 22, have ended up on the front lines in Ukraine. The Independent previously reported how many feel they were tricked into serving with the Russian military after being promised safe, secure jobs in Russia and other countries.

The identities of the men being released from duty are Azad Yousuf Kumar, Mohammad Sufiyan, Sameer Ahmad, Abdul Nayeem, Kamal Singh and Syed Ilyas Hussain, The Independent has learnt.

Mr Kumar, who is from the Indian federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, told The Independent that they are currently lodging in a hotel in Moscow and waiting for their final documents before they board their flight to Delhi.

“We all are extremely happy. The nightmare that we have endured here will only end once we board the flight to India and land at the airport,” he said over the phone from Moscow.

Mr Kumar said he dug trenches for the Russian army after being lured into the country on 14 December. He alleges that he was duped by a YouTuber who promised him a job in Dubai.

His brother Sajjad Ahmad said Mr Kumar would finally meet his son, who was born after his deployment with the Russian army, for the first time.

“They have escaped death,” he said.

At least 91 Indian nationals have ended up serving Russia on the front line, and of those, eight have died so far, according to India’s foreign ministry.

The Indian government has come under sustained pressure to secure their release after their families spoke out about their plight, and the issue was raised by prime minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Moscow in July. Mr Modi’s government only confirmed the recruitment of Indian citizens in Russia after media reports highlighted the grim conditions in which they were working.

The family of Sameer Ahmad, a resident of Karnataka, confirmed the release of the 23-year-old, who was conscripted after he landed in Russia on 15 December.

Mohammad Mustafa, his brother, said Mr Ahmad would be home soon after a long struggle.

“We are elated, but at the same time sad about the Indian brothers who have already died there. This day has come after almost eight months of struggle that involved filing for appeals with the government, coordination, and additional financial expenses,” Mr Mustafa said.

Mohammad Sufiyan, 22, who has been stuck in Russia for the last nine months, also confirmed his release to The Independent.

His brother, Salman Zahoor Sayyed, said his family are relieved but will celebrate only when he returns to India. “It is a sigh of relief. We had lost hope for his return after the challenges we faced, but we are extremely happy now and just waiting for his return,” he said.

Mr Sayyed said they have spent around Rs200,000 (£1,826) during their efforts to get him released, taking flights to Delhi and to Hyderabad to request an intervention from the government.

Mr Sayyed first raised the matter with the MP Asaduddin Owaisi after the issue of Indians’ conscription in the Russian army came to light.

“The government helped but it was too late,” he said. “It is because of the media and Owaisi that our brothers are returning.”

He said that Raja Pathan, a YouTuber from Punjab who is living in Russia and briefly served in the army himself, assisted them in securing the release and became their point of contact.

The Independent understands that more people will be released in the coming days.

Russia promised an early release of all Indian citizens fighting in its army following prime minister Modi’s visit to Moscow.

Mr Modi “strongly raised the issue of early discharge” with Mr Putin, the Indian foreign ministry has said.

Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar told parliament in August that 91 Indians had been recruited to the Russian army and eight of them had died. He said others were seeking early discharge.

Among those killed was Tejpal Singh from Punjab, whose family told The Independent they had spent months trying to secure the return of his remains. Hemil Ashvinbhai Mangukiya, from Gujarat, and Mohammad Asfan, Ravi Moun, Harshal Anantrao Desale, Jishan Ashpak Pinjari, Jia Firoj Pinjari and Malik Gulamgous Mohammad Yakub have been identified as the others who have died.

Earlier this week, Vikramjit Sahney, another MP, confirmed that Russia is repatriating 15 Indian nationals and said that the contract for the remaining 69 is being invalidated, according to The Times of India.

The government is yet to confirm the release of the Indian nationals.

At least 197 dead in Vietnam amid floods and landslides after Yagi

Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and more than 125 are missing due to widespread flash floods and landslides.

On Wednesday, the death toll stood at 197 and 128 were still missing, while more than 800 have been injured, Vietnam’s VNExpress newspaper reported.

The toll spiked earlier in the week as a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam’s Lao Cai province Tuesday.

Hundreds of rescue personnel worked throughout Wednesday to search for survivors, but as of Thursday morning 53 villagers remained missing, according to reports, while seven more bodies were found, bringing the death toll in Lao Cai to 42.

Yagi, the strongest typhoon to hit Asia this year, unleashed torrential rain and strong winds across northern Vietnam, including Hanoi. Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued this week and rivers remain dangerously high.

Five days after the typhoon’s landfall the rainfall continued in Hanoi and as floodwaters continued to rise thousands of residents in low-lying areas were forced to leave their homes.

The flooding in capital Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades, and has led to widespread evacuations. Flood waters from the Red River receded slightly but many areas were still inundated.

In Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way.

Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water.

“This is the worst flood I have seen in 30 years,” said Tran Le Quyen, a 42-year-old Hanoi resident.

“It was dry yesterday morning. Now the entire street is flooded. We couldn’t sleep last night.”

The storm caused a bridge collapse on Monday and severe flooding across the Red River Delta, the region’s largest river system.

Some schools in Hanoi have closed for the rest of the week amid safety concerns. The floods have severely impacted communities, particularly those living near the Red River.

“My home is now part of the river,” said Nguyen Van Hung, 56, who lives near the riverbank.

Floods and landslides in other provinces have compounded the disaster’s toll. On Saturday when Yagi made landfall, it killed nine people. But landslides, floods and related incidents have since killed over a hundred people.

Factories and warehouses in northern Vietnam’s industrial hubs were also damaged, disrupting operations. With many multinational companies relying on these facilities, the impact could ripple through global supply chains.

Charity organisations have mobilised to assist affected residents.

“People were moving frantically,” said Carlota Torres Lliro, press officer for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, which evacuated its office after receiving flood warnings.

She expressed concern for “dozens of kids and families who live in slum areas and makeshift houses by the river.”

Before lashing Vietnam, Yagi churned through southwest China and Philippines, where it killed at least 24 people and left the streets inundated for days.

Yagi was the most powerful storm of the year, which reached the strength of a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in China.

The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online.

Pakistan’s transgender community gets its first ride-share service

Pakistan’s transgender community has got its first ride-sharing service in the latest effort to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, the business’s founder said on Wednesday.

The ride-share, called SheDrives, was launched over the weekend in the country’s cultural capital of Lahore, and will service only trans people and women, according to Ammaz Farooqi, the company’s chief executive.

For now, it will service only Lahore, but expansion is possible, Mr Farooqi said.

The trans community welcomed the new ride-share, expressing hope it would help reduce harassment of trans people on the road.

There are an estimated 30,000 trans people in Lahore, and organisations working for their welfare estimate that across Pakistan, the transgender community numbers about 500,000 out of the total population of 240 million.

Trans people are considered outcasts by many, especially in conservative areas of Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country. They are often sexually abused, assaulted and even murdered. They hesitate to enrol in regular schools to avoid discrimination, and when they travel on public buses or trains many are exposed to ridicule, hurtful jokes and other forms of harassment.

Many Pakistani women face similar harassment when travelling alone in bus or train coaches with male passengers.

“A unique aspect of this app and ride service is that the drivers and passengers will be women and transgender persons,” Mr Farooqi said.

Pink logos painted on the vehicles would allow women and trans people to recognise them.

Mr Farooqi, who is not trans, said he feels optimistic that the future will be more inclusive for everyone.

“I have taken a small step and we may expand this service to other cities,” he said.

Saro Imran, who is trans, praised the launch of the ride service and suggested the government should consider loaning motorcycles and cars to transgender persons and women to help reduce harassment in general.

“Men deliberately touch us when we walk on the streets, or when we travel in public transport,” she said.

Samina Khawar, 22, a university student, said she was happy with the launch of the service.

She has been offering rides to the trans community on her “pink bike” for a month now and was recently duped into giving a ride to a man pretending to be trans, which she realised within minutes of the ride.

“It was a terrible experience,” she said. “I immediately contacted the police and got him arrested.”

Punjab traffic police said it was offering special driving classes to transgender people and women wanting to learn how to drive motorbikes and other vehicles at their driving centres across the eastern Punjab province.

The centres offer trans people equal opportunity “to learn how to drive a motorcycle or a car, and they are treated respectfully,” said police spokesperson Mohammad Mubashir.

Pakistan established a hotline in 2022 to connect trans people to police offices and the Ministry of Human Rights. A year before, authorities had opened the country’s first government school for transgender students in the central city of Multan.

The parliament drafted a transgender rights bill to enable trans people to choose their gender identity for previously issued government documents, educational certificates and national identity cards.

The proposed law has caused controversy, with hardline clerics opposing it.

Human rights experts say a lot is still to be done to ensure recognition of trans people in society.

Swinney calls for release of Sikh activist jailed in India for 7 years

Scotland’s first minister John Swinney has called for the release of a Sikh blogger imprisoned in India for almost seven years.

Jagtar Singh Johal, a 36-year-old activist from Dumbarton, was arrested during a visit to India’s northern state of Punjab in 2017 for allegedly being associated with the banned Sikh separatist group Khalistan Liberation Force. Both the UK government and a UN working group have described him as “arbitrarily detained”.

His family claims he was bundled into an unmarked car and since has been subjected to torture, including electric shocks, during his time in prison. The Indian government has denied he was tortured or mistreated.

After meeting Mr Johal’s family, the first minister said he was “gravely concerned” and joined calls for his immediate release, praising the “resilience” of his relatives.

Mr Johal’s brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, who has persistently campaigned for him to be set free, has seen his X account banned in India in “response to a legal demand”.

Mr Johal’s brother said the UK government had a “responsibility to act” to bring the detained Scotsman home.

Following the general election in July, a Sikh action group called on foreign secretary David Lammy to use his first trip to India to push for Mr Johal’s release.

“The previous government failed our family; I’m hopeful that this government will bring my brother back home to Dumbarton where he belongs,” Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor, was quoted by BBC as saying.

The British foreign secretary earlier said he remained “absolutely committed to pushing for faster progress and to resolving this issue”.

The Scottish first minister said it was not a devolved issue but pledged to “use every lever” to call for Mr Johal’s release.

Mr Swinney said: “I am gravely concerned at the continued detention of Jagtar Singh Johal and allegations of his mistreatment and torture in custody.

“Jagtar should be released immediately in line with the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

“Jagtar has now been imprisoned for almost seven years and this remains an extremely difficult and distressing time for his family who have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of this ordeal.”

The UN working group on arbitrary detention in May 2022 found that Mr Johal’s arrest was in breach of human rights law.

“Although this issue is reserved, I and the Scottish government will continue lobbying the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and UK government to use every lever at their disposal to call for Jagtar’s release, and raise the case with Indian authorities on Mr Johal’s behalf,” he said.

Mr Johal was initially arrested in connection with an arms recovery case but later named in seven targeted attack cases, five of them being murder charges related to the separatist movement.

The MI5 and MI6 have been accused of supplying information that led to Mr Johal’s alleged abduction and torture.