This blog is now closed. Here’s a closer look at some major headlines from India on Friday, July 10
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit New Zealand since 1986 The leader’s visit to New Zealand comes almost three months after the countries signed a landmark free trade agreement
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Indian community in New Zealand meets Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met members of the Indian community in New Zealand’s Auckland on Friday evening.
The bond of the diaspora living in New Zealand with India was “unwavering,” Modi said.
“The love and affection of the New Zealand’s Indian community touched me deeply. They have waited four decades for the visit of an Indian Prime Minister and their extraordinary enthusiasm and warmth were visible today.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Sky Tower was lit with the colours of the Indian national flag as Modi reached the country.
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Tamil Nadu: Chief minister Vijay announces memorial for 2025 Karur stampede victims
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday announced a memorial for the victims of a stampede that occurred during his 2025 campaign rally in the southern state’s Karur district.
A total of 41 people, including children, died in the crush on September 27, as a huge crowd of thousands of people gathered to hear a speech by the popular actor-turned-politician, who launched his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party.
“No matter how great a height a man reaches in life, certain pains and wounds in the heart cannot be forgotten. More than anything else, the pain and wound that affected me the most is the Karur incident,” Vijay said as he visited the district for the first time after the incident and addressed a gathering.
Vijay blamed the police for not alerting him about the swell of people at the venue.
“The police could have alerted us that the crowd was swelling and become unmanageable to control. The police have all the right to cancel the meeting. Without doing so, the police escorted us on the highway,” he said.
Following the stampede, the police had registered a criminal case against TVK leaders.
On Friday, Vijay also appeared to refer to the ruling party at the time, saying that “they [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] tried to gain political mileage,” out of the incident and accused the party of stopping him from visiting the district.
Before his address, the Tamil Nadu chief minister handed compassionate job appointment orders to family members of the victims.
What is New Zealand talking about amid Modi’s visit?
Here is a breakdown of the conversations that surround Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s New Zealand trip:
Migration
As Modi touches down in Auckland, his visit has put the focus on an anti-migrant tenor in New Zealand which has come on the heels of the free trade between the two countries.
New Zealand’s parliament is widely expected to give its approval to the pact signed in April.
But some lawmakers including those in the right-wing populist New Zealand First (NZF) party — Prime Christopher Luxon’s coalition partner — have criticized the areas of the deal covering migration and visas.
“I don’t care how much criticism we get, I am just never going to agree with a butter chicken tsunami coming to New Zealand,” Shane Jones, government minister and deputy leader of the NZF, said in an April interview with local Reality Check Radio in controversial remarks.
Indian community groups in New Zealand slammed Jones’ statement as racist.
Speaking to Indian news agency ANI on Thursday on the safety of the Indian diaspora, New Zealand Member of Parliament Parmjeet Parmar — who is India-born — said “any kind of racism or any kind of intimidation has no place here in New Zealand.”
Calling the trade pact with India “historic,” she also highlighted opposition to a previous free trade deal between New Zealand and China.
“Yes, there will be some people who will be against it, but this is nothing new. In our previous free trade agreements, like when we had our free trade agreement with China, there were some people against that too,” she told ANI.
Religion
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has alleged a persecution of Christians in India under Modi, going on to suggest that New Zealanders should respond in a “tit-for-tat.”
“Let’s purge New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims,” Tamaki said in a video posted on social media.
‘Khalistan’ issue
Another issue being discussed as Modi arrives in New Zealand, is the “Khalistan” separatist movement which demands to create a homeland for Sikhs.
There are concerns in New Delhi about the presence of the movement’s supporters amidst the Indian diaspora in New Zealand.
A controversial, non-binding “referendum” was held in Auckland in 2024 by a Sikh Separatist group advocating for the creation of the Sikh homeland.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Luxon told The Indian Express that his government fully acknowledges that the Khalistan issue has “caused a huge loss of life and pain and suffering to people across India” and that New Zealand fully respects “India’s sovereign and territorial rights.”
“And yes, we’re a liberal democracy. But we have what we call rights and responsibilities, and so yes, you have the right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech, but accompanying that is a responsibility not to incite violence, intimidate others, denigrate others,” Luxon said in the interview.
How local media is covering India-New Zealand talks?
Public broadcaster Radio New Zealand published a profile of Modi under the headline ‘Who is Narendra Modi and why is he visiting New Zealand?’ as he becomes the first Indian prime minister to officially visit the country in 40 years.
“While he (Modi) has been credited for India’s rise on the global scene and economic prosperity, there have also been concerns about his actions on human rights, press freedom and crony capitalism, notably the impacts on the Muslim, Christian and Sikh populations in India,” RNZ said in its explainer.
Modi lands in New Zealand
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was received by his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon in Auckland on Friday as the two leaders walked down on a red carpet rolled out on the airport runway.
Modi’s engagements in New Zealand include bilateral talks with Luxon, interaction with business leaders and an address at an Indian community event.
“This visit is historic, being the first Prime Ministerial visit to New Zealand in four decades. I look forward to holding talks with Prime Minister Luxon and discussing the complete range of the India-NZ friendship,” Modi wrote on X, announcing his arrival.
Modi concludes Australia trip with sports cooperation
India’s Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is considered iconic by cricket lovers for being the birthplace of the sport’s Test format.
The two leaders jointly released the ‘India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap’ which promotes cooperation in areas like training, sports science, and staging major sporting events along with further opportunities in trade, tourism, and investment.
The politicians were joined by several Australian sportspersons, including cricket legends Lisa Sthalekar and Steve Waugh.
“For any Indian, coming to the MCG evokes two emotions at the same time. The first is a thrill of an India-Australia cricket match. The second is the realisation that in both countries cricket is not just a sport, it’s a shared passion,” Modi said at the event.
The Indian leader met young sports talent, signed their jerseys and high-fived Australia’s tourism mascot ‘Ruby the Roo’.
In a significant announcement, Albanese unveiled that the opening match of next season’s Big Bash League (BBL) — Australia’s premier men’s Twenty20 competition — will take place in the southern Indian city of Chennai on December 12.
The match between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers will see the BBL become the first foreign franchise league to play in India, as Australia looks to tap into the South Asian nation’s mammoth cricket market.
“I am excited to expand cooperation with India on sport, which not only brings joy to Australians but boosts trade, tourism and investment,” Albanese said.
The Australian Football League (AFL) also announced a long-term strategy to grow Australian Rules Football in India at the MCG evet.
“A few years ago, there were 150 people in India playing Australian Rules football. Today there are 10,000 players across 11 states, and I know that the AFL are big believers in that growth, and they’re investing in it,” Albanese said.
He later wrote on X: “Two great sporting nations, building something bigger together.”
New Zealand set to host Indian PM Modi
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for New Zealand from Australia where he concluded the third India-Australia Annual Summit.
Modi’s New Zealand visit is the first by an Indian prime minister in 40 years, with Rajiv Gandhi being the last leader to visit the country in 1986.
While in Auckland, Modi will hold bilateral talks with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on areas covering the full spectrum of ties between the two nations, including areas like trade and defense cooperation.
Modi’s trip comes after India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in April.
The pact eliminates duties on 100% of Indian exports while cutting or removing tariffs on 95% of New Zealand’s exports to India.
A day before Modi was set to arrive in Auckland, New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon announced that 57% of his country’s exports to India would be “tariff free from day one”.
He also hailed the trade deal between the two nations.
“New Zealand businesses are set to boom with our India Trade Deal,” Luxon wrote on X on Thursday.
Welcome to our coverage
This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW’s studio in New Delhi, bringing you our Friday digest of all the news, events and trends that have got India talking.
Monsoon rains have covered the entirety of India, the national weather agency has announced. While the downpour brings respite from a blistering season of heatwaves, it has also disrupted daily lives by causing landslides, flooding, road and building cave-ins. Several rain-related deaths have been reported across the country.
In news from the delicate domain of diplomacy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is jetting off to the final stop of his three-nation tour — New Zealand.
The trip would mark the first visit to the island country by an Indian Prime Minister in four decades.
The visit comes after Modi spent the week signing a raft of pacts on critical minerals, defense and agriculture in Indonesia, and striking a long-stalled deal in Australia that unlocks the supply of Australian uranium to India.
Modi’s tour to Jakarta, Melbourne and now Auckland is seen as key in boosting New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Stay tuned as we dive into all this and more.
