Global Pulse

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  • Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong slams Greens over Gaza ‘misinformation’

    Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong slams Greens over Gaza ‘misinformation’

    A fiery partisan clash erupted during recent Australian Senate estimates hearings, pitting Labor Foreign Minister Penny Wong against Greens Senator David Shoebridge over claims about the visa exit process for Palestinians fleeing Gaza and the West Bank. At the core of the dispute is conflicting accounts of how 415 Palestinians already approved for Australian visas navigate Israel’s exit requirements, with Wong accusing the minor party of spreading misinformation to stoke national division.

    Shoebridge opened the questioning by arguing that Israeli’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) had publicly stated Palestinians seeking exit via a third-country mechanism only needed their home embassy to send a formal withdrawal request to the agency. He claimed the Australian government had failed to take this simple step to speed up departures of approved visa holders, while also reiterating the Greens’ condemnation of Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank and renewing criticism of Australia’s ongoing export of F-35 fighter jet parts used in the campaign. Shoebridge further pushed the government on its failure to appoint a Palestinian ambassador, more than a year after Australia formally recognized Palestinian statehood.

    Wong pushed back forcefully against Shoebridge’s claims, rejecting his framing of the process as a simple matter of sending a fax to COGAT. She emphasized that the exit process through Israeli territory is far more logistically complex, requiring precise cross-border coordination at every step, and that Shoebridge’s oversimplified claims amounted to dangerous misinformation that exploited the grief and pain of affected communities to peddle false hope. “It is wrong to assert that in an environment such as this, that a single request to COGAT is all that is required … it’s not right for you to say all you have to do is fax a form, that is not the nature of these transits,” Wong told the hearing. She added: “Really, in the context of what we have seen in this country, maybe it’s time the Greens actually tried to work to bring people together rather than divide people. You see political benefit in division, and you’re happy to use misinformation to enable that division.” Shoebridge countered that Wong had deliberately misrepresented his questions during the exchange.

    Departmental officials outlined the detailed, multi-step process currently in place for facilitating departures: Australian authorities compile a verified list of approved visa holders (including Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family members), send the list by post to Australian diplomatic staff in Amman, Jordan, forward the vetted list by post to COGAT in Tel Aviv for Israeli review, and after Israel approves a departure date, coordinate with a United Nations agency or partner country for on-ground logistics, before approved Palestinians travel to Jordan and catch a flight to Australia within a 72-hour window. To date, 415 approved Palestinians have completed this process and exited to Australia.

    On the question of appointing a Palestinian ambassador, senior Australian official Dr Ralph King, former Australian ambassador to Israel, outlined that Australia set clear preconditions for full diplomatic relations after recognizing Palestine last year. These require the Palestinian Authority (PA), which holds nominal control over parts of the occupied West Bank, to deliver on a series of governance and security reforms: a public commitment to recognizing Israel’s right to exist, a public call for Hamas to disarm, a commitment to hold long-delayed presidential elections (no national presidential vote has been held in the Palestinian Territories since 2005), improved governance structures, greater financial transparency, and the abolition of government payments to the families of imprisoned Palestinians and those labeled martyrs. While Dr King confirmed some progress has been made, he noted Australian authorities remain engaged in dialogue and have not yet concluded that sufficient progress has been delivered to meet the preconditions.

    Wong reaffirmed the Australian government’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. She acknowledged that Australia cannot singlehandedly resolve the decades-long conflict, but said the country can work to contribute to breaking the ongoing cycle of violence. “We believe that only happens through a two-state solution,” she said. “There are commitments that the Palestinian Authority has made … we are tying progress on practical implementation of recognition to progress against those commitments, including the setting up of diplomatic missions. But, we are not simply sitting and waiting. We understand that we need to do work with others to build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority for strong and credible governance, that is essential to building peace. We are working with the UK and Canada on this.” Wong also pushed back against Shoebridge’s suggestion that the government bore responsibility for delays, saying it was unfair to mislead the public by claiming a single administrative step would resolve all barriers to exit amid the ongoing conflict.

  • Show must go on for ballerinas in crisis-hit Cuba

    Show must go on for ballerinas in crisis-hit Cuba

    On a Caribbean island grappling with persistent economic crisis, crippling fuel shortages, and rolling daily blackouts, one artistic tradition remains unbroken: Cuban ballet continues to take the stage, carried by the relentless passion of dancers who refuse to let hardship steal their craft. For Laura Kamila Rojas, a 25-year-old Afro-Cuban soloist who earned a coveted spot with the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) just 12 months ago, every performance is a small victory over the daily struggles that define life in modern Cuba.

    Once shy offstage, Rojas transforms into a commanding, confident performer the moment she steps under the stage lights, spinning through pirouettes and executing precise leaps that have already earned her critical acclaim across the country. Her recent turn as Swanilda, the plucky heroine of the beloved 19th-century ballet *Coppelia*, left even the most discerning Havana audiences cheering, with crowds shouting “Bravo, Kamila!” after a flawless sequence of turning jumps during an April performance at the city’s National Theater. But Rojas’ path to the spotlight has been far from easy, as she navigates the same systemic shortages disrupting every corner of Cuban life while building her career at the top of the country’s most iconic cultural institution.

    Ballet has occupied a central place in Cuban national identity since the 1959 Revolution, which expanded public access to the arts and opened dance training to people from all social classes. Under the leadership of legendary dancer Alicia Alonso, the country developed its own distinct ballet pedagogy and built one of the most respected professional companies in the world. For Rojas, that legacy of accessibility shaped her own journey: born and raised in Jesus Maria, a working-class Havana neighborhood steeped in Afro-Cuban cultural tradition, she grew up surrounded by folk dance, with a mother who performed in a troupe directed by her father. Her choice to pursue classical ballet instead of carrying on the family folk tradition surprised everyone who knew her, but her unwavering passion has carried her through every obstacle, including the current crisis.

    Today, crippling fuel shortages, worsened by decades of U.S. trade blockade, have shrunk the country’s cultural sector and upended daily operations for the BNC. Company buses that once transported dancers to rehearsals are now only deployed for performance days, forcing Rojas to find creative ways to travel the five kilometers from her home to the company’s Vedado neighborhood studio every morning. “If necessary…I’d come on foot,” she says, a quiet determination that echoes across the entire company. Once full-day, 8-plus hour rehearsals have been cut back to just four hours a day to conserve electricity, allowing dancers time to travel home before blackouts descend, but the artistic demand on performers remains as high as ever. “We all want to be here, because this is what we love,” Rojas explains.

    Offstage, the daily toll of the crisis makes preparing for performance even more grueling. Summer heat combined with routine blackouts means Rojas often cannot run a fan or air conditioner to cool her home at night, leaving her sleep deprived and battling mosquitos before early morning rehearsals. Yet the moment she steps into the studio or onto the stage, all of that hardship fades: “When I dance, I forget everything. Anything can happen, but my thing is dancing.”

    That resilient, dedicated attitude is what keeps the company moving forward, says BNC director and prima ballerina Viengsay Valdes, who has led the institution through the current crisis. “They have a lot of talent and a real desire to dance, and that is essential,” Valdes notes, adding that continuous training is non-negotiable for professional dancers: “If they stop, that body has to be trained all over again.” Even as most other cultural institutions across Cuba have scaled back or paused programming amid shortages, the BNC has kept rehearsals running and performances scheduled, adjusting show times only to align with available electricity.

    The company’s grit has not gone unnoticed by audiences, who continue to fill the National Theater’s nearly 2,000-seat auditorium for every show. Spectators travel on foot, by bicycle, or by motorcycle through sweltering heat to attend, turning out to support the art form that has long been a point of national pride. For audience members, the performance offers a much-needed escape from the constant stress of daily crisis. “You sit there watching the ballet, in the middle of Havana, with so many problems, and it’s like a bubble that takes us out of reality,” said Teresa Betancourt, a 52-year-old teacher who attended a recent performance. “It’s strange, but beautiful.”

  • Deloitte warns slowing economy, not AI, will make it harder to find a job

    Deloitte warns slowing economy, not AI, will make it harder to find a job

    For Australian job seekers, the market is set to become noticeably tighter by 2026 – but contrary to widespread public fears, artificial intelligence is not the root cause of rising hiring headwinds, a new quarterly analysis from Deloitte Access Economics has confirmed. While the rapidly advancing technology is reshaping day-to-day work across industries, it has not triggered the mass layoffs many experts once predicted, the report concludes.

    Deloitte’s research focused on 82 job categories classified as “AI-disrupted”, meaning large portions of their core tasks do not require human judgment, empathetic reasoning, or advanced interpersonal skills. Even in these roles most exposed to AI automation, the analysis found total employment is still growing, defying common narratives about AI-driven job displacement. Deloitte Access Economics partner David Rumbens emphasized that to date, AI has not resulted in broad job loss across Australia’s workforce. “The limited evidence of widespread job cuts suggests AI is currently acting more as an augmenting tool than a replacement for workers in the Australian labour market,” Rumbens explained. “Australian businesses have not prioritized AI for full automation of roles, so far.”

    That does not mean job seekers will face an easy market in 2026, however. The report warns that broader economic pressures have pushed the labour market into a cooling trend, making new roles harder to secure than in recent years. Three consecutive interest rate hikes and ongoing economic spillover from the Middle East conflict have created widespread business uncertainty, slowing hiring activity across the private sector. Official data included in the analysis shows annual employment growth slowed to just 0.9% in the 12 months to April 2026, down from an average of 1.9% recorded over the prior three years. The national unemployment rate has also climbed 0.4 percentage points since December 2025, marking a clear shift from the tight, worker-friendly labour market of the early 2020s.

    “Rising economic uncertainty has pushed businesses to adopt a far more cautious approach, which has tempered hiring plans and put a brake on employment growth going into the next year,” Rumbens said. Tightening government budgets at both the federal and state level are adding further pressure, with public sector employment growth also projected to continue slowing. Hiring momentum in non-market sectors including healthcare, education and public administration has already softened, a shift Rumbens attributes to widespread fiscal restraint across all levels of Australian government.

    The report’s findings come amid a wave of high-profile layoffs at global and domestic tech firms, many of which have publicly cited AI productivity gains as justification for cutting headcount. Globally, Microsoft has offered voluntary buyouts to 7% of its United States-based workforce, while Meta has implemented cuts affecting roughly 10% of its global staff. On the domestic front, major Australian tech firms have also restructured: Atlassian cut 1,600 roles and WiseTech Global eliminated 2,000 positions in recent restructuring rounds.

    While mass job displacement has not materialized, Deloitte does acknowledge AI is playing a secondary role in slowing hiring growth. Sarah Rogers, Deloitte’s lead partner for workforce strategy, noted that hiring growth in AI-exposed sectors is projected to slow over the next five years. From an average annual growth rate of 1.9% over the past five years, employment expansion in AI-disrupted roles is forecast to drop to 1.2% annually through 2031. These AI-vulnerable roles are concentrated primarily in white-collar, knowledge-intensive sectors including finance and insurance, professional scientific and technical services, and information media. Rogers added that the tasks most vulnerable to AI disruption in these roles are exactly those that do not rely on human-centric soft skills.

  • Senate Republicans axe $1bn for Trump’s new White House ballroom

    Senate Republicans axe $1bn for Trump’s new White House ballroom

    A months-long deadlock on a key US immigration spending bill has broken after Republican lawmakers removed a controversial $1 billion funding allocation earmarked for security upgrades tied to President Donald Trump’s planned new White House ballroom, clearing the way for the Senate to move the legislation forward.

    The $1 billion request for U.S. Secret Service security enhancements tied to the construction project was submitted after an April shooting at a Trump-attended hotel gala. Trump has long maintained that the expanded ballroom is a critical upgrade to accommodate large-scale official state events and modernize outdated security infrastructure, and he has repeatedly claimed the entire construction project would be covered exclusively by private donations.

    When finalized, the reconciliation bill will allocate approximately $72 billion to federal immigration agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. Democrats had fiercely pushed back against attaching the White House security funding to the immigration legislation, a position that was ultimately upheld by the Senate’s procedural rulekeeper.

    On Wednesday, the Senate voted 53-45 to advance the legislation to the floor debate stage. Lawmakers will now consider the bill and propose amendments before holding a final vote, a process that is expected to extend for several hours and potentially bleed into Thursday. If the bill passes the full Senate, it will next move to the House of Representatives for consideration before it can be transmitted to President Trump for his signature.

    Democrats have uniformly opposed Trump’s plan to construct a large new ballroom on the site of the demolished White House East Wing. The removal of the funding from the immigration bill marks a clear procedural setback for the project, though the long-term impact on construction timelines and financing remains uncertain.

    Progress on the bill, which had been stalled for months, faced an additional hurdle over a separate controversial proposal: a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation fund” put forward by the Department of Justice to compensate individuals claimed to have been harmed by government overreach. Critics across the political spectrum have decried the fund as an unaccountable slush fund designed to payout Trump’s political allies, including the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021 in an attempt to block the certification of former President Joe Biden’s election victory.

    During testimony before lawmakers on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the Department of Justice would abandon plans to establish the fund, but refused to provide a written commitment of the decision. Speaking to reporters shortly after, Trump indicated the proposal had not been fully scrapped, noting he would “have to ask the lawyers” about the way forward.

    Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has announced he will introduce standalone legislation to permanently block the creation of the fund. Other GOP lawmakers have also issued sharp criticism of the proposed fund, and congressional Democrats have confirmed they are also preparing their own legislative measures to prohibit its establishment.

  • ‘He won’t travel with us’: Roosters to welcome back Kangaroos star, but they’ve lost a winger for the trip to Canberra

    ‘He won’t travel with us’: Roosters to welcome back Kangaroos star, but they’ve lost a winger for the trip to Canberra

    The Sydney Roosters are heading into Friday night’s blockbuster clash against the Canberra Raiders with a mix of bad news and a massive boost for their backline, confirming that Australian Kangaroos representative winger Mark Nawaqanitawase is set to make his long-awaited return from a season-disrupting injury, just as inspirational comeback story Cody Ramsey is abruptly ruled out of the trip with an illness.\n\nNawaqanitawase has not taken the field since Round 9, when he suffered a severe syndesmosis injury that required surgical intervention and forced him to withdraw from a potential debut with the New South Wales Blues State of Origin side. But after completing a full, contact-heavy training session on Wednesday, the dynamic winger has passed all final fitness tests to be available for selection against the Raiders.\n\nHis comeback arrives at a critical time for the Roosters, who have already been without veteran starting winger Daniel Tupou in recent weeks. Roosters head coach Trent Robinson confirmed the positive update on Nawaqanitawase’s availability, noting that Wednesday’s session was the final hurdle to clear for his return. “Yesterday was the real test for us to make sure that he was right to tick off everything he needed after that syndesmosis injury. It’s looking good for him to play tomorrow,” Robinson told reporters.\n\nThe electrifying winger brings a unique attacking spark to the Roosters lineup, combining creative playmaking with a lethal finishing ability that has made him one of the most exciting young talents in the National Rugby League. Still, Robinson emphasized that the club’s game plan remains rooted in collective effort rather than relying on one individual to turn recent fortunes around. “In some areas he brings a creativity and a finish that’s really important. He’s a high-quality player,” Robinson said. “But then in other areas, that’s just a team concept rather than an individual that’s going to change it. It’s a whole-team concept, so no individual coming in or out is going to change that. It has been a collective.”\n\nNawaqanitawase will slot into the starting right wing position, a spot that was set to be filled by Ramsey – who is now forced to miss the clash just weeks after completing one of the most anticipated comebacks in recent rugby league history. Ramsey, who was sidelined for 1337 days recovering from a serious long-term injury, had already produced one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 NRL season with his return to the top flight. However, Robinson confirmed the club only learned of Ramsey’s illness roughly 30 minutes before speaking to media, ruling him out of travel and selection for the fixture. “Cody’s actually a bit crook. We only just found that out sort of half an hour ago, so he won’t travel with us,” the coach added.\n\nBeyond the backline selection news, the Roosters’ main focus in training this week has been fixing a costly ball control issue that has derailed their last two outings. Against the Melbourne Storm last Saturday, the side coughed up 18 unforced errors and managed just one try on the night, following on from a 14-error performance in a Magic Round loss to the North Queensland Cowboys. A visibly frustrated Robinson addressed the errors directly with his playing group in the sheds after the Storm loss, and this week the squad has prioritized tightening up their completion rates on the training paddock.\n\n“The first thing is to discuss it, and then the second thing is to do it at training,” Robinson explained. “That’s a really key part of the game is talking about it, but training it, and then it’s up to us to perform that tomorrow night. It’s not the single focus, either. You want to improve that, and we’ve been pretty good at that this year. The last two games has not been what we wanted, So we talk about it, practise it, and then go out and do it.”\n\nThe 2026 NRL rule changes have placed unprecedented emphasis on retaining possession and territorial control, making reliable ball handling more critical than ever for title contenders. The Roosters have long built their identity on an expansive, attacking style of play that has sometimes come with higher error counts, but Robinson says the squad has already proven this season that it can balance elite attacking movement with high completion rates. Citing a standout performance against Manly where the side posted a 96% completion rate and only one unforced error, the coach said his side is capable of fixing the recent slump ahead of Friday’s kickoff.\n\n“I think we’ve shown that we can do both,” Robinson said. “I go back to the Manly game where it was sort of about 96 per cent completions. I think we had one error in that game, and there’s been others throughout that period where we’ve been able to do both. We’ve been able to score points but then also control the ball, and that’s the game. That’s pretty clear what’s needed in the game, and our job is to go out and get it done.”

  • Germany blames Russia for ‘bitter defeat’ in UN Security Council bid

    Germany blames Russia for ‘bitter defeat’ in UN Security Council bid

    In a surprising outcome that has sent ripples through global diplomatic circles, Germany failed to secure one of the two rotating Western European and Others Group seats on the United Nations Security Council in Wednesday’s vote, marking a stinging diplomatic setback for the country’s ambitions to play a more prominent role in global governance. The winning candidates for the two-year terms starting in 2027 were revealed as Portugal, which earned 134 votes, and Austria, which secured 131 votes, while Germany only collected 104 backing ballots from UN member states. Three other countries — Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe — also won election to the 15-member body in concurrent voting for the remaining rotating seats.

    The UN Security Council, the only UN organ empowered to pass legally binding resolutions covering everything from the imposition of international sanctions to the authorization of military interventions, comprises five permanent veto-wielding members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — alongside 10 rotating non-permanent members elected on a regional basis to two-year terms.

    Senior German figures have been quick to offer explanations for the unexpected defeat, with senior lawmaker Johann Wadephul labeling the result a “bitter defeat” for the nation. In his post-vote analysis, Wadephul argued that Germany’s unwavering public support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia directly contributed to the loss, noting that Moscow has actively worked to turn global opinion against Berlin’s Security Council bid. “It is no secret that Russia stirred up sentiment against Germany,” Wadephul stated, adding that Germany’s clear-cut positions on high-stakes global issues are not shared by all 193 UN member states.

    Beyond the fallout from the Ukraine war, Wadephul also cited Germany’s long-standing commitment to supporting Israel amid the ongoing Middle East conflict as another factor that cost the country critical votes. “The fact that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes,” he explained. He also acknowledged that Germany’s late entry into the race for the rotating seat created additional obstacles for its campaign.

    To date, Russia has not issued any public response to German claims that it lobbied against Berlin’s Security Council candidacy.

    The failed bid comes as a particularly sharp embarrassment for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has centered his political brand on a pledge to restore and elevate Germany’s standing on the global stage following a series of domestic political challenges. Opposition critics have seized on the result to argue that the defeat highlights Merz’s weakened position at home and failed diplomatic strategy abroad, leaving him beleaguered on the domestic front and embarrassed internationally.

    Despite the setback, Merz struck a measured tone in his public remarks after the vote, congratulating Austria and Portugal on their successful campaigns and reaffirming Germany’s long-term commitment to multilateral cooperation. “This result does not alter the tasks we face at the United Nations. Germany remains a reliable pillar of the multilateral system,” Merz said, emphasizing that Berlin would continue to uphold its international responsibilities even without a seat at the Security Council table.

  • World Cup fans barred from bringing water bottles into stadia

    World Cup fans barred from bringing water bottles into stadia

    Just months ahead of the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, global soccer governing body FIFA has implemented a sudden, controversial policy shift that will bar spectators from bringing their own refillable water bottles into match venues, forcing attendees to purchase overpriced bottled water inside stadiums, sports outlet The Athletic first reported Wednesday.

    The policy reversal marks a sharp departure from FIFA’s publicly released stadium guidelines as recently as one month ago, which explicitly permitted fans to carry empty, transparent reusable plastic water bottles of up to one liter into grounds. The updated code of conduct, however, has been amended to outright prohibit all reusable water containers, removing the prior allowance entirely.

    In an official comment to Agence France-Presse, a FIFA spokesperson defended the last-minute rule change as a safety-focused adjustment, noting that multiple host stadiums already enforce similar bans on outside bottles for their own local events. “FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff,” the organization’s statement read. “FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees. Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.”

    FIFA also sought to address concerns over access to hydration, confirming that multiple cooling and hydration resources including misting stations, portable fans, dedicated hydration points, and cooling tents will be positioned across all stadium precincts. The organization added that the price of bottled water sold inside venues will match the pricing used for other major events held at the same stadiums, though it did not disclose specific price points.

    The new rule has been introduced despite urgent warnings from climate and health experts that extreme heat at many open-air World Cup venues could pose significant public health risks for attendees. A recent analysis published by climate research group World Weather Attribution last month projected that 26 of the tournament’s 104 total matches will be played in conditions where the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) — a composite metric measuring heat stress that accounts for air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation — will exceed 26 degrees Celsius, a threshold linked to increased risk of heat-related illness.

    This is not the first time FIFA has faced criticism over water bottle bans at major events held in North America. During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup hosted in the U.S., attendees publicly complained about searing, dangerous heat inside venues after being barred from bringing their own water into the grounds, echoing the same concerns now being raised ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

  • New Delhi hotel blaze kills 21, including foreigners

    New Delhi hotel blaze kills 21, including foreigners

    On a Wednesday morning in a crowded residential neighborhood of South New Delhi, a devastating fire tore through the Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast, leaving at least 21 people dead and dozens more injured, in one of the deadliest urban blazes to strike the Indian capital in recent years. Local law enforcement and news outlets confirmed that a large share of the fatalities were foreign nationals, most hailing from Central Asian and African nations, many of whom had traveled to New Delhi to access affordable medical care in the city’s world-renowned healthcare hubs.

    Footage broadcast on major Indian television networks captured the scale of the emergency: bright orange flames bursting from the multi-story building, thick plumes of acrid black smoke billowing into the sky, and trapped guests on upper levels leaping onto hastily placed mattresses that local residents dragged from a nearby bedding store to cushion their falls. Eyewitness Mohammad Anees, one of the first locals to respond to the crisis, told Agence France-Presse that five women successfully jumped to safety on the improvised landing pads before first responders fully arrived on scene.

    By the time the blaze was fully contained eight fire engines that responded to the emergency, more than 40 injured guests had been transported to local hospitals for emergency care. A spokesperson for a nearby medical facility confirmed that eight of those patients remain in critical condition as of initial updates. Officials confirmed that 47 guests were registered at the hotel when the fire broke out.

    In the wake of the tragedy, senior Indian officials have offered condolences and launched a full investigation into the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office released a statement calling the loss of life “tragic”, extending formal condolences to all families who lost loved ones in the blaze. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed it is in constant contact with the embassies of the affected foreign nations, and is providing all necessary consular assistance to affected parties. Junior Foreign Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the update via the social platform X, noting that the government remains committed to supporting all those impacted.

    Preliminary investigations are still ongoing, and the exact origin of the fire has not been confirmed as of yet. However, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay told reporters that initial site assessments found the hotel only had a single entry and exit point, and lacked adequate fire safety infrastructure and ventilation. Upadhyay added that a formal public inquiry will be launched, and any individual found to have violated safety regulations or be culpable for the tragedy will face immediate arrest.

    This latest deadly fire has once again drawn attention to India’s persistent gap in public fire safety regulation. Fatal building fires are a recurring crisis across the country, driven by chronic underinvestment in firefighting infrastructure, lax enforcement of basic safety codes, and widespread non-compliance among small commercial properties. Electrical short circuits, caused by poorly maintained and outdated wiring, are the leading cause of fire-related deaths in India, and officials have not ruled out that this mechanism triggered the New Delhi blaze.

    The incident is the latest in a string of deadly fire tragedies to strike India in recent years. In March of this year, a fire at a state-run hospital in eastern India killed 10 critically ill patients who were trapped in the facility. The deadliest previous blaze in New Delhi dates back to 2019, when a fire at an unregulated factory building in Old Delhi killed 43 workers who were sleeping on the premises overnight.

  • Authorities warn of World Cup ticket, merchandise scams

    Authorities warn of World Cup ticket, merchandise scams

    As excitement builds for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first expanded 48-team iteration of the world’s biggest football tournament set to kick off across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada on June 11, cybercriminals and offline fraudsters are exploiting widespread fan enthusiasm and sky-high official ticket prices to run a growing wave of scams, law enforcement and cybersecurity researchers have warned.

    The tournament, which will feature 104 matches over the course of the competition, has already faced widespread criticism over its official ticketing structure, with record-high prices pushing many casual and passionate fans out of the market for official entry. This gap has created a perfect opportunity for malicious actors, who have built a sprawling network of fake platforms targeting fans searching for discounted tickets and official merchandise outside of FIFA’s accredited sales channels. Experts note that this large-scale, pre-event scam operation has become the “new normal” for major global sporting events.

    Last week, the FBI issued an urgent public warning, flagging more than 30 fraudulent domains crafted to mimic FIFA’s official website. These sites, which use deceptive URLs including “fifa-ticket.live” and “fifaworldcup26.sale”, are designed to either steal sensitive personal and financial information from visitors or sell non-existent tickets that fans will be unable to use at the tournament.

    Singapore-based cybersecurity firm Group-IB has uncovered an even larger coordinated scam operation, identifying more than 4,300 fraudulent domains registered since August that falsely claim affiliation with FIFA. Researchers added that more than 300 of these fake sites are operated by a single Chinese-speaking actor, and the majority of the domains remain dormant for now, primed to activate as the tournament draws closer and demand for tickets surges.

    “Scammers exploit fan excitement, limited ticket availability and the fear of missing out, knowing people may lower their guard when an opportunity feels exclusive or time-sensitive,” Justin Miller, associate professor of practice of cyber studies at the University of Tulsa, told Agence France-Presse. “Cybercriminals follow attention, urgency and money, and the World Cup sits at the intersection of all three. It has become easier for increasingly sophisticated bad actors to imitate trusted brands than it is to break through modern digital security systems, which is why these lookalike sites have become so common.”

    The fraudulent platforms are built with surprising sophistication, closely replicating the layout and branding of FIFA’s official ticketing portal, complete with official World Cup branding and logos from FIFA’s official payment partner Visa. Many feature fully functional interfaces that let visitors browse match schedules, select seats, and proceed through checkout, making it hard for casual fans to spot the deception.

    An AFP review of dozens of now-removed social media advertisements found multilingual campaigns hosted on Meta platforms that directed users to scam ticketing pages like “fifa.house”. Romania-based cybersecurity firm Bitdefender also recently detected 55 active football-related scam ad campaigns on Meta’s platforms, which not only promoted fake tickets but also non-existent official merchandise and limited-edition collectibles.

    A Meta spokesperson said the company has already begun implementing safeguards, adding pop-up warnings for Facebook users searching for World Cup tickets. The company also confirmed it has dismantled a network of accounts linked to spoofed FIFA sites that promoted fake gambling content.

    Beyond ticket and merchandise scams, some bad actors have expanded their operations to target job seekers hoping to land temporary roles at the tournament. These scams use names and profile photos stolen from real FIFA employees on LinkedIn to create fake recruitment offers, with one actual FIFA staff member publicly warning about the identity theft on the professional platform back in April.

    Offline fraud is also on the rise ahead of the tournament. On Monday, Toronto police announced they had seized more than 16,000 counterfeit World Cup jerseys and flags, alongside two fake replica World Cup trophies, in a recent raid.

    Authorities across all three North American host countries have issued coordinated guidance for fans, urging anyone planning to attend the tournament to only purchase tickets and merchandise through FIFA-verified sales channels, double-check website URLs for subtle typos or unusual domain extensions, and approach seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers on social media with extreme caution.

  • Bayeux Tapestry to be moved in secret to British Museum: minister

    Bayeux Tapestry to be moved in secret to British Museum: minister

    One of Europe’s most iconic medieval cultural artifacts, the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry that chronicles the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, is set to make a historic journey from its permanent home in the French town of Bayeux to London’s British Museum for a major exhibition opening this September. French Culture Minister Catherine Colonna confirmed the unprecedented loan in a Wednesday press conference in Paris, noting that the landmark arrangement was agreed by President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen ties between France and the United Kingdom.

    To safeguard the fragile 70-meter embroidery, which has already sustained more than 24,000 stains, 9,000 holes and 30 tears after nearly a thousand years of existence, every possible protective measure has been put in place. The exact travel date will remain undisclosed to the public for security reasons, and the artifact will be transported in a custom-built shock-absorbent container specifically engineered to minimize vibration and absorb harmful impacts. Officials revealed that experts completed a full trial run last month using a full-scale replica of the tapestry to test the logistics of the move, with a second round of testing carried out in April.

    A newly published culture ministry study of the April trial found that the specially designed crate can absorb up to 96 percent of force from any major impact encountered along the entire route. While Minister Colonna acknowledged that absolute zero risk can never be guaranteed for any cross-border movement of ancient art, she emphasized that this relocation has undergone more pre-transport testing, protocol development and risk assessment than any single artwork relocation in modern history. She compared the custom crate to a carefully prepared cradle for a newborn baby, rejecting recent suggestions from skeptical experts that the French cultural authorities have acted incompetently in approving the move as “particularly unfair.”

    After its exhibition run at the British Museum concludes, the Bayeux Tapestry will return to France in late 2027, at which point it will undergo a long-planned major restoration project that was delayed to accommodate the cross-Channel loan.