Ramandeep Dhillon and his family often spent time outside

An Indian-origin father has died in a tragic two-vehicle crash while working a late evening Uber shift in New Zealand, leaving his family devastated.Ramandeep Dhillon, 36, of Papamoa, died on Wednesday when the vehicle he was traveling in crashed on the Te Puke Highway between Bell Road and Poplar Lane about 7.15pm.Police said one person died at the scene, while two people in the other vehicle were injured. An investigation into the circumstances of the crash continues and has been referred to the coroner.Dhillon had left home that evening after spending time with his wife Veerpal Kaur and 18-month-old daughter Kudrat. He told them he would return later for dinner, but never came back.Concern grew when he stopped answering calls, before police arrived in the night to inform his wife of his death.“I cried, I cried, I cried. I thought my life was ruined,” Kaur told the NZ Herald.Dhillon was born in Punjab, India and moved to New Zealand in 2015 on a student visa. He later returned to India in 2024 to marry Kaur after being introduced through family connections.After their marriage, the couple settled in Papamoa, Bay of Plenty, where he worked in kiwifruit orchards, Dhillon later began driving for Uber to support the family and spend more time at home after the birth of their daughter.Kaur said the job allowed him to be closer to his child, and expressed how excited he was to become a father.“He was very excited when he found out he was going to be a father,” she told the NZ Herald.The couple named their daughter Kudrat, which means “nature.” Since his death, the girl has been constantly asking where her father is.Friends and family described Dhillon as a devoted husband and father who always prioritized spending time with his daughter, even during work breaks.A close friend told the NZ Herald, “If he missed his daughter, he would come home, spend time with her and then go back to work.”His best friend of 12 years, Gurlabh Singh, said Dhillon was a positive and caring person who supported those around him, including picking him up from the airport when he first arrived in New Zealand.The GiveLittle page set up for the family has raised thousands of dollars to help cover funeral costs, rent and living expenses as Kaur and her daughter face life without her.

TOI correspondent from Washington: “Iran never won the war, but it also never lost the negotiation,” US President Donald Trump said during his first term in office in January 2020. It’s a row that may be coming back to haunt his second-term administration. After weeks of military escalation against Israel as well as Iran, a chastened Trump is now moving toward an agreement that falls well short of the maximalist goals declared at the beginning of the conflict: no “complete and total surrender” by Iran, no regime collapse in Tehran, no verified dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and no surrender of all highly enriched uranium reserves.Instead, the immediate US objective has been somewhat limited: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and preventing a broader global economic recession caused by the disruption of Gulf energy shipments. Trump said on Saturday that the strait would be “opened up” under a new understanding with Tehran, possibly due to pressure from other Gulf allies. Ironically, the strait was functioning normally before the US-Israeli military operation began.“An agreement has been substantially negotiated between the United States, Iran and several other countries, and is yet to be finalized… The final aspects and details of the agreement are currently being discussed and will be announced soon,” Trump said on “Truth Social.” In leaks to US media, US officials claimed that the proposed agreement included a pledge by Tehran to give up its uranium and reopen the strait unconditionally. But Iran’s state-linked Fars news agency said there was no such commitment, stressing that Tehran would continue to exercise sovereign control over passage routes, timing, permits and access through the strategic waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.According to ongoing reports in Washington diplomatic circles, the proposed framework could include a series of concessions by the US, including partial sanctions relief for Iran, access to approximately $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets and a phased reopening of maritime traffic in exchange for renewed but undefined discussions on Tehran’s nuclear program.

An Indian man with a lengthy criminal record has been arrested by US immigration officials in Los Angeles and may now face deportation proceedings, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.ICE said Parminderpal Singh, 26, a citizen of India, was arrested this week and is in immigration detention pending removal from the United States.Authorities said Singh’s criminal history includes crimes including vehicle theft, grand theft, trespassing and vandalism. ICE has not yet released further details about his immigration status or any upcoming court proceedings.The arrests come as U.S. immigration authorities continue to step up enforcement operations targeting noncitizens accused or convicted of criminal offenses. In recent years, many Indian nationals have faced detention or deportation proceedings by ICE under a variety of circumstances, including criminal convictions, visa violations, and outdated immigration orders.One of the most famously discussed cases involved Subramaniam Vedam, who spent 43 years in a Pennsylvania prison in a murder case that was later overturned. In 2025, ICE took him into custody shortly after his release due to a separate decades-old deportation order tied to an earlier drug conviction. Vedam had lived in the US since childhood and faced possible deportation to India.Another case involved 53-year-old interpreter Meenu Batra, who had been living in the US for more than three decades. He was detained by ICE during a work trip in Texas in 2026 after authorities cited an old deportation order despite having legal work authorization and humanitarian protection status. He was later released after legal intervention and after a judge questioned his detention.US authorities have also deported Indian citizens convicted of financial crimes. In 2025, Angad Singh Chandhok was deported to India after serving a prison sentence in an international technical-assistance scam targeting elderly Americans. He helped operate shell companies that were used to launder millions of dollars obtained through fraud.In another recent case, Aman Kumar was arrested by ICE in California in 2026 after authorities released him following a hit-and-run incident involving a four-year-old child. ICE alleged that Kumar was living in the country illegally at the time of his arrest outside the Fresno courthouse.

Britain’s teenage rape victim criticized a judge’s decision after three boys were spared jail.

A teenage rape victim has criticized a court’s decision to release three boys from jail after they were convicted of attacking two girls in Hampshire, Britain.The victim, now 16, spoke to the BBC after the defendants were given youth rehabilitation orders instead of custodial sentences at Southampton Crown Court.“What was the point of putting me into this?” He said.The girl was 15 when she was raped in an underpass near the River Avon in Fordingbridge in November 2024 after traveling to meet a boy they had interacted with on Snapchat.In January 2025 two boys, now aged 15, were convicted of the attack and a separate rape involving another teenage girl. A third defendant, now 14, was also convicted for his role in the second attack.The court heard the attacks were filmed on mobile phones, with some of the footage later circulated online.The two older boys received three-year youth rehabilitation orders with intensive supervision and monitoring requirements, while the youngest defendant was given an 18-month order.At sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland said he wanted to avoid “criminalizing” the “very young” defendants, although he acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes and said that filming the attacks made them “all the more serious”.The judge also said that peer pressure had played a “big role” in the incidents.Reacting to the verdict, the victim said the verdict hit “like a rock straight in my face”.He said, “It seemed as if what the boys did was not OK, but in the eyes of the law it was OK because they were still kids.”The teen also described the emotional stress of having to relive the attacks during court proceedings.“Why did I put myself through the pain of going to court, going through the trial, reliving everything because of the evidence, and seeing it all happen again?” He said.She said she waited six months before reporting the attack because she was struggling to cope with the trauma.She said, “I said it because I was losing it. I was going fast. I needed help, but I didn’t know how to get it, so I spoke out.”His family also criticized the sentencing results and described the punishments as inadequate.The girl’s mother appealed to the authorities to reconsider the case and urged the government to intervene.“Please help,” she said.“If this was your daughter, your niece, your son, your nephew, your family member, would you be happy?”His partner said he felt “physically ill” after hearing the sentencing verdict and claimed the culprits “got away scot-free”.

A billboard put up by a candidate in the upcoming local body elections in Taiwan showing a turbaned man holding a ‘no entry’ sign has irked the small but growing Indian community on the island – and drawn a sharp rebuke from one of the country’s most senior officials.The hoardings were put up about a fortnight ago in Kaohsiung city by Lee Hung-yi, currently head of Gangming Ward in the city’s Siaogang district, who is contesting as an independent candidate in the city council elections in November. The photos circulated widely on Taiwanese social media.

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When questioned by local media, Lee spoke candidly. He said that he is not against migrant workers in general, only Indian workers. The statement drew an immediate reaction from Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s longest-serving former foreign minister and current secretary general of the National Security Council – India’s equivalent of the National Security Advisor.I feel ashamed to see a local politician doing this to gain attention. I condemn such despicable conduct in a very welcoming society. “I will continue to work hard to strengthen Taiwan-India mutual cooperation,” Wu said. Despite the efforts, Li could not be reached for comment.Indians currently living in Taiwan – they number just over 7,000, according to the national immigration agency, making them the ninth-largest foreign resident group on the island – say the billboards are troubling but not entirely surprising. “This seems to be an extension of anti-India propaganda on popular social media platforms like TikTok and Threads in Taiwan, which is being promoted by some countries that work against India’s interests,” said Arpita Biswas, a marine science research scholar at National Taiwan University who has been living in the country for the past five years. He said Taiwanese society is largely welcoming, but hostility towards Indians exists in a small section and is being amplified online. “We see anti-India propaganda posts almost every day. They are largely driven by a lack of understanding about Indians and their culture due to limited contact between people,” he said.An engineer who has lived in Taiwan for four years, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that anti-India sentiment has so far been limited to social media rather than spreading into daily conversations. “We have not faced direct racism from anyone here. But we can definitely feel the undercurrent on social media, where Indians are targeted in racist posts by people with vested interests. “It seems like this candidate is trying to capitalize on that trend to attract younger voters.”

Media professional and documentary-maker Suvam Pal, who has been in Taiwan since 2022, traced the roots of the campaign to earlier reports that the Taiwan government was planning to recruit one lakh Indian workers to address the labor shortage. “A certain section of the country’s politicians campaigned against this move, creating a kind of fear psychosis as if Indian workers would descend the very next day and take over the country. That’s not going to happen – there are many checks and balances in the recruitment process,” Pal said.

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Sikh organizations across the UK have issued a public statement urging people not to associate Sikhism with the ongoing murder trial involving the death of 18-year-old University of Southampton student Henry Novak.A statement issued by the British Sikh Federation expressed condolences to Novak’s family and described the incident as inconsistent with Sikh teachings and values.“On behalf of Sikh organizations and communities across the country, we express our deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life,” the statement said.“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Novak family and loved ones during this extremely difficult time.”The organizations said the case should not be used to make broad assumptions about Sikh beliefs or religious practices.“The incident as reported is not in keeping with the Sikh faith, the Sikh community or its principles,” the statement said.“Sikh teachings are based on compassion, justice, humility, responsibility and service to humanity.”The statement described the Sikh community as peaceful, well-integrated and an important part of British society.Community leaders urged the public to allow the legal proceedings to proceed without prejudice and called for restraint in public discussion of the case.“We respectfully urge everyone to allow the judicial process to proceed fairly and without prejudice and to refrain from making blanket assumptions or judgments about the Sikh faith or Sikh religious practices based on an individual case,” the statement said.The comments came during the trial of 23-year-old Vikram Digva at Southampton Crown Court.Following the fatal stabbing of Henry Novak in Belmont Road, Southampton on 3 December 2025, Degua denied murder and denied carrying a blade in public.The court heard that Novak, of Chafford Hundred, Essex, suffered five wounds from a 21cm kirpan, a ceremonial Sikh blade, including a fatal wound to the chest.DeGwa claims she acted in self-defense after an altercation in which she alleges Novak racially abused her, punched her, pulled off her turban and grabbed her hair during a confrontation after a night out.The defendant told the court that he feared Novak would use the saber against him.His mother Kiran Kaur is also accused of allegedly helping a criminal by removing weapons from the crime scene. She denies the allegation.The case is going on.

FILE – Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir gestures after the release of election exit poll results at his party’s headquarters in Jerusalem on November 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Oren Ziv, File)

France announced it has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he released videos mocking and intimidating pro-Palestinian activists detained from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The video shared by the Israeli minister has also drawn widespread international condemnation and renewed calls for European sanctions against the far-right minister.The French foreign minister announced the move in a post on Twitter, accusing Ben-Gvir of “inexplicable” behavior towards French and European citizens, who were among hundreds of activists stopped by Israeli forces in international waters earlier this week. Barrot wrote, “To date, Itamar Ben-Gvir is prohibited from entering French territory. This decision follows his unspeakable actions towards French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla.”“We cannot tolerate that French citizens can be intimidated, threatened or brutalized in this way – even more so by a public official,” he said, adding that he also urged the EU to impose bloc-wide sanctions on the Israeli minister.The ban comes after a video shared by Ben-Gvir on Wednesday sparked outrage across Europe and rights groups. In a post on Twitter, he shared a video of detained flotilla activists and captioned it, “This is how we accept supporters of terrorism. Welcome to Israel.”In one clip, the minister is seen waving a large Israeli flag over prone detainees, whose hands appeared to be tied. Another clip of the video shows him shouting “Am Yisrael Chai” – Hebrew for “the nation of Israel lives”) at a kneeling activist with zip-tied wrists.The footage also showed detainees kneeling with their foreheads pressed to the ground inside an outdoor holding area while the Israeli national anthem played and armed guards surrounded them. The footage was titled “Welcome to Israel”.Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters when the convoy attempted to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. The activists set sail from Turkey aboard about 50 ships as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative, saying they were delivering humanitarian aid and protesting the blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.According to French authorities, the detained activists included 36 French citizens. Israel later said the detainees would be deported.Barrot criticized the flotilla mission itself, saying that France did not support the activists’ viewpoint.They wrote, “We reject this flotilla approach, which produces no useful effect and imposes an additional burden on diplomatic and consular services.”Despite that criticism, France said the treatment of detainees crossed a line. Barrot said he was coordinating with Italy in pursuing EU sanctions against Ben-Gvir.Spain has also urged the European Union to impose sanctions on an Israeli minister, while the United Kingdom has summoned Israel’s most senior diplomat to London over what it described as an “inflammatory video”.Netanyahu distanced himself from the video but refrained from taking action against his coalition partner. The Israeli Prime Minister said Ben-Gvir’s conduct was “not in line with Israel’s values ​​and norms”, although he retained him in his Cabinet, news agency AP reported.At the same time, Netanyahu defended Israel’s interception of the flotilla, previously describing the aid mission as a “malicious plan” aimed at supporting Hamas.Israel has maintained tight control over all entry points into Gaza for nearly two decades. The blockade is facing increasing international scrutiny during the ongoing Gaza war, as there are severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies in the area. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of worsening humanitarian conditions, particularly during the period when Israel completely halted aid distribution.The latest flotilla operation follows a similar attempt last month that was stopped by Israeli authorities in international waters near Greece, with most of the activists later expelled to Europe.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a powerful blast that targeted a train carrying military personnel near the Chaman Fatak railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sunday, officials said.According to police officials, the blast occurred near railway tracks in Quetta and caused partial damage to a train, while at least 10 vehicles parked nearby were also damaged.GeoTV reported that the impact of the explosion shattered windows and glass panels of nearby buildings. Many injured people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.According to AFP, army personnel were also among those killed in the attack in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.The train carrying army personnel and their family members was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar for the Eid holidays when the blast occurred.The official said the train was crossing the signal at Chaman Pattak when the explosive-laden device hit a compartment, causing a powerful explosion.Images and video from the site showed a damaged train carriage lying on the ground and people climbing over the debris in search of survivors. Several injured victims were seen being carried on stretchers as armed security personnel cordoned off the area.Following the incident, authorities declared an emergency in government hospitals in Quetta and called in additional doctors and medical staff to deal with the situation.Railway officials said that after the blast, Peshawar-bound Jafar Express was stopped at Quetta railway station as a precautionary measure.Provincial Home Minister’s spokesman Babar Yousafzai said all concerned institutions have been put on high alert after the blast.He also urged people to avoid gathering near the blast site so that rescue and emergency teams can continue operations without any hindrance.Immediately after the blast, security personnel and rescue teams reached the area and started relief and investigation operations.Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, has long suffered from instability and underdevelopment. The region has also seen a long-running insurgency, with separatist groups accusing the federal government of exploiting its rich natural gas and mineral resources without sufficient local benefits.

According to US media outlet Axios, the United States and Iran are close to signing a proposed deal that would extend the current ceasefire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iran to resume oil exports, while negotiations continue over Tehran’s nuclear program.According to the report, the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without tolls during a period of 60 days while Iran will clear mines deployed in the waterway to restore shipping traffic.In return, the US would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and issue sanctions relief, allowing Iran to sell oil freely, Axios reported, citing a US official.The proposed agreement would include negotiations on curbing Iran’s nuclear activities.

Key points of the proposed deal

60 day ceasefire extension:

Strait of Hormuz to reopen:

No toll on shipping:

America will reduce economic pressure:

‘Relief for Performance’ Model:

Nuclear commitments by Iran:

Iran will commit to:

Further nuclear talks during the ceasefire:

US troops will remain in the area temporarily:

Israel-Hezbollah conflict will end:

Israel retains the right to take action against Hezbollah’s threats:

Possible widespread reestablishment in relationships:

Nuclear talks remain central

The proposed agreement reportedly includes Iran’s commitments that it will never build nuclear weapons and that it will negotiate to suspend uranium enrichment and remove its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.According to Axios, Iran has already provided verbal commitments through mediators about the concessions it wants to make on enrichment and nuclear materials.The development comes after a New York Times report cited two US officials as saying that a key element of the proposed deal is an “explicit commitment” by Tehran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.According to the report, how Iran will surrender its uranium reserves will be discussed in the subsequent rounds of nuclear talks. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran currently has about 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%.Iranian officials had previously opposed including the uranium issue in the early stages of talks and wanted it to be delayed to later talks.

Trump says deal close, Iran alert

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a “massively negotiated” peace memorandum was near completion and claimed the Strait of Hormuz would reopen under the deal.“The final aspects and details of the deal are currently under discussion and will be announced soon,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.However, Iran’s Fars news agency refuted Trump’s claim regarding the strait, saying that Iran would continue to manage the waterway and described Trump’s comments as “inconsistent with reality”.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai said, “There are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators,” stressing that Tehran’s priority is to end threats of new US attacks and address the conflict in Lebanon.

Mediation efforts led by Pakistan

Pakistan has emerged as the main mediator in the talks. Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir recently met senior Iranian leaders, including top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in Tehran.The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan backed the emerging framework during a conference call with Trump on Saturday.The proposed framework is expected to be unveiled in phases, starting with formally ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and opening a 30-day negotiating window for a comprehensive nuclear deal.Axios further reported that US forces mobilized to the region will remain deployed during a period of 60 days and will return only after a final agreement is reached.

Concerns over Israel, global oil markets

According to Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly raised concerns over parts of the proposed agreement during a call with Trump, particularly provisions related to ending the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon.The agreement is being closely watched globally as the Strait of Hormuz handles a large share of global oil shipments. Global energy markets had been severely disrupted by the closure of waterways since the beginning of the war.Oil prices and shipping routes remain volatile amid uncertainty over conflict and negotiations.Under the talks, Iran has demanded an end to the US blockade on its shipping and relief from sanctions.