USA

A group of Roblox users is re-creating real life school shooting incidents on the gaming platform that’s popular with kids, including attacks at Columbine High School and the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Known as “Active Shooter Studios,” or A.S.S., the group has attracted hundreds of fans on Roblox to its detailed re-creations of the events, according to a report prepared by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism.

A.S.S.’s influence has extended to other platforms, according to the report, including a private Discord server that has been used as a central hub for discussion and promotion of content. It has also been seen on TikTok, where users share content or ask for links to games, and Reddit, where users shared copies of A.S.S.’s maps. One YouTube video posted to the A.S.S. Discord server introduces a game based on the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, which contains live footage from the attack and has received dozens of comments.

A.S.S. specializes in making highly detailed, disturbing re-creations of actual tragedies, the ADL said. The group is part of a larger online subculture known as TCC, many of whose followers have a fascination with serial killers and mass murderers. A.S.S. had also been running a Roblox group that contained about 800 members, where the leaders share announcements and promote their Discord server, according to the report. Roblox said it shut the group down last Friday after being contacted by the ADL.

“The maps created by A.S.S. are not simple game environments-they are disturbingly graphic and detailed, designed to mimic the mass shootings they’re based on with unsettling accuracy and gore,” according to the ADL report. In A.S.S.’s games, players maim or dismember other players or characters, actions that are nominally prohibited by Roblox’s community standards.

Games that re-create incidents of mass violence can desensitize young people to such events and normalize the re-creations as a form of entertainment, according to the ADL.

In one A.S.S. group game seen by Bloomberg, more than 60 players gathered in a re-creation of the events at Columbine. Gamers’ Lego-like avatars formed a mob in front of the school holding pitchforks and repeating the White supremacist phrase “You will not replace us.” Players with guns shot students while other players dressed as police officers attempted to gun down the attackers.

The game was removed. However, later the same day a new shooting game that advertised its connection to A.S.S. debuted, attracting more than 1,000 visits before it too was removed. 

“Roblox is committed to safety and civility, and our Community Standards explicitly prohibit any content or behavior that depicts, supports, glorifies, or promotes terrorist or extremist organizations in any way,” a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg. “We take steps to remove violative material and accounts from our platform detected by our AI scans, flagged by users, or flagged by external organizations.”

Discord said it has a “zero-tolerance policy against content that glorifies violence on our platform. We take decisive actions when we detect violations of our policies, including removing content, banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with law enforcement.” 

The Discord server referred to in the ADL report was removed by Discord’s Counter Extremism team on April 18, before it was notified by the ADL, according to the company. Discord has removed several accounts related to the community leaders of A.S.S. and has set up alerts so they can track and ban the accounts if they return.

A spokesperson for TikTok said its Community Guidelines “prohibit the promotion or incitement of violence, including praising a violent act, and we do not allow anyone to promote violent or hateful actors.”
Representatives for Reddit and YouTube didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Leaders of the A.S.S. community couldn’t be reached for comment.

Roblox Corp., which attracts about 85 million players to its platform daily, has struggled at times to police content. The site is particularly popular with younger kids, though in recent years has begun skewing to older teens and young adults. The company has been called out by researchers and law enforcement officials for not doing enough to protect children from sexual predators and has had to deal with other games inspired by real-life mass shootings for years.

The ADL previously found re-creations of the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, which were later taken down.

Roblox said “the vast majority” of the community on its platform doesn’t seek out the A.S.S. content and it is not easily searchable through our the site’s discovery mechanism. “And because of the swift, proactive safety measures we have in place, it is very unlikely users would be exposed to such content on our platform,” the spokesperson said. “Combatting content that supports extremist views is an internet-wide challenge, as these individuals constantly try to evade detection.”

Roblox works with organizations including the United Nations-supported Tech Against Terrorism initiative and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which gave Roblox a high score on moderating hate online. The company is constantly evaluating and improving its moderation practices, according to the spokesperson.

Despite Roblox’s efforts to take down the maps created by A.S.S., the group continues to find ways to make the content available, according to the report. For example, it has turned to hosting games on paid Roblox private servers, which give players control over who is admitted to the spaces and make it harder to be detected by Roblox and have their accounts suspended.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

With lawsuits and tirades about “the enemy of the people” Donald Trump has launched a frontal assault on the mainstream media, while empowering conservative bloggers and podcasters to get his radical agenda across.

The president has stepped up his long-established hostility towards TV news channels like CNN and newspapers such as The New York Times, but even the respected Associated Press news agency has been under intense fire.

The AP has become a test case for editorial independence after it was barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One over its decision to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” — and not the “Gulf of America” as decreed by Trump.

As well as his fiery rhetoric against the press, Trump has sued private channel CBS, regional newspaper The Des Moines Register, and pressured ABC which paid $15 million when threatened with a defamation lawsuit.

“The White House’s moves to curtail journalists’ abilities to do their jobs and document what’s happening is unprecedented,” said Katherine Jacobsen, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ US program director.

“This attempt to control the narrative threatens both freedom of the press, and American democratic values.”

The Trump administration has moved fast — pressing to dismantle US overseas outlets Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, and threatening to starve NPR public radio and PBS television of federal funds.

Trump’s cheerleader and dismantler-in-chief Elon Musk has even said the team behind CBS’s flagship “60 Minutes” show deserve prison.

“Wielding the power of the government to stifle free speech and to threaten news organizations — I think we’re in a new territory,” said NYU journalism professor Reece Peck.

The Federal Communications Commission — headed by a Trump ally — has launched probes into CBS, ABC and NBC, alongside NPR and PBS, he said as an example.

The United States fell from 45th to 55th place in 2024 in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

It is unclear how far Trump can go in a country that has a rich tradition of investigative reporting and where freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution’s First Amendment.

“His ability is limited,” said Northeastern University journalism professor Dan Kennedy.

“He can try to find some targets here and there, but he certainly hasn’t been able to do anything about The New York Times, which has been doing excellent reporting on the chaos of the Trump administration.”

But Kennedy warned Trump was seeking to design a media system where the Times “will simply be ignored by everybody, except their core audience.”

Suspicious of media 

Trump is drawing on mounting suspicion and disregard for traditional media among ordinary Americans.

Just 31 percent of people surveyed by Gallup in 2024 said they trusted the mainstream media to provide complete, accurate and unbiased information — a figure that was above 50 percent in the 2000s.

In its first 100 days, the White House has welcomed influencers, podcasters, and commentators aligned with his agenda and on whom Trump relied during the election campaign — not known for speaking truth to power.

One such figure, Real America Voice’s Brian Glenn, joined the official pile-on against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he visited Washington.

“Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level in this country’s office and you refuse to wear a suit. A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the office,” Glenn said to the wartime leader, parroting White House talking points.

“Trump cultivated relationships with independent, alternative right-wing media way, way back in 2015 and 2016,” said Peck, a move born of necessity because Fox News, with its conservative viewership, had yet to support the then-candidate.

Trump has continued the successful “flood the zone” strategy to dominate the news cycle, pioneered by his one-time adviser Steve Bannon.

As the news gets ever more hectic — and hard to cover — Kennedy said the question now is whether any outlets are “big enough to cover everything that’s happening?”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day India trip, has arrived in Jaipur along with his family, where he visited Amber Fort–a UNESCO World Heritage Site– on Tuesday. During his stay in the Pink City, the US Vice President and his family are also likely to visit other popular monuments like Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and meet dignitaries, including the Chief Minister and Governor of Rajasthan.

The US Vice President, his wife Usha Vance, and their three children — Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel — are staying at Hotel Rambagh Palace. The luxurious hotel has hosted several dignitaries and celebrities in the past, including Hollywood and Bollywood actors.

Vance is scheduled to deliver a lecture on US-India relations at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) later in the day, which will be attended by diplomats, Indian officials, academics, and policy experts.

He is also likely to meet with the Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place across Jaipur for the vice president’s visit. A Rajasthan government official told news agency PTI that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed the preparations for the visit in a meeting on Saturday.

The official said the Vance family will be welcomed in traditional Rajasthani style by two elephants-named Chanda and Pushpa– who have been trained at Hathi Gaon near Amber for their welcome.

The Amber Fort palace was closed to visitors for 24 hours from 12 noon on Monday to ensure strict security measures for the US Vice President’s visit. One of the top tourist attractions of the Pink City, the 16th-century fort sits atop a small hill, about 11 km from the main city. It is an extensive palace complex built with pale yellow and pink sandstone and white marble.

The Vance family will leave for Agra on Wednesday morning and then return to Jaipur in the afternoon, as he is scheduled to visit the City Palace here. They will depart for the US early Thursday morning.

Vance, who arrived in India on Monday, held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday. The two leaders discussed ways to enhance cooperation in areas of defence, energy and technologies.

PM Modi also hosted the Vance family over dinner at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence after the official talks.

Canadians head to the polls next Monday with many expressing concern that the country is at a turning point as it faces an unprecedented crisis with its US neighbour. Here is what voters told AFP were on their minds in the final weeks of campaigning between Liberal leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

‘A Good Leader’

“I think we need somebody to stand up to people,” said Karen Allan, a 54-year-old metal and glass artist, alluding to US President Donald Trump, but refusing to say his name aloud.

Trump’s trade war has raised fears of a Canadian recession and his repeated references to annexation have sparked outrage among many voters.

The Victoria, British Columbia resident believes the country is in a time of crisis and needs “a good leader.” For her, “that’s Mark Carney.”

Vote For Change

Francesco Campo, a 33-year-old hairdresser in Toronto, voted Liberal in the past, but feels the country “needs a change,” so he will be casting his ballot for the Conservatives. He hears from clients worried about “losing work” and the effects of “things that are happening down south” in the United States.

He himself is most concerned about finding affordable housing in the nation’s largest city, which has seen real estate prices soar in recent years. “I have a family of four and I need to buy them a house,” he told AFP. “I look around and homes are $1 million plus… all needing work.”

‘Strategic Voting’

Kyle Moon, 34, a musician from the Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario, has always voted for the leftist New Democratic Party, but this round is leaning Liberal.

He is among many Canadians switching their allegiance from smaller parties to the Liberals in order to keep Poilievre’s Tories out of office. He is keenly interested in safeguarding Indigenous rights as well as guarding against Ottawa’s plans for mining in Canada’s north, which is rich in critical minerals used in the manufacturing of electronics, EV batteries, and other items.

“Exploiting more resources in the north could affect water supplies and a lot of nature,” he said.

What About Other Issues?

Montreal barista Laurie Beausoleil, 24, is disappointed that Trump has sucked up most of the oxygen and that issues such as women’s rights and discrimination are not being discussed more.

“For me, the environment is really important,” she said. “We hear a lot about Trump and the economy, which is also very, very important, but it’s definitely disappointing to see that a big issue like this isn’t even addressed.”

Beausoleil said she will be voting Liberal, as she believes the Conservatives are too similar to Trump and his MAGA Republicans.

“I would be afraid of having a party that aligns with Trump, or that defends similar values,” she said.

‘Stakes Are Higher’

Marcus McCullough, a 38-year-old youth outreach worker with Native Friendship Centre in Victoria, is undecided. “The stakes are a bit higher this year, with everything going on,” he said, referring to Canada’s relations with the United States under Trump.

He is concerned about “the rising costs of basically everything.” “This is going to be the first election where I’m waiting until the final day to actually make my decision,” he said.

“Everything’s evolving almost daily it seems, so I really want to give all the parties time to really explain their platform and to choose which one best represents my interests.”

‘Historic Election’

Kendel, a 39-year-old Ottawa delivery driver and Conservative supporter who did not disclose his last name, said it was “a very historic election.” He came to Canada as an immigrant in 2007 and has struggled. “It’s been very, very difficult.” This will be his first time voting. He is eager to cast a ballot because the outcome, he said, “could be a game changer with the way that the economy is going.”

After nearly a decade of Liberal rule, he said he’s hoping for a Conservative win because he feels “it’s time for a change.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

 Early voting in the Australian election began on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor party holding a slim lead over the conservative opposition coalition.

A steady increase in early and postal voting means as many as half of eligible Australians will cast their ballots before the May 3 election date, according to data from the country’s election commission.

The beginning of voting coincides with a slump in popularity of the opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, who has struggled to shake off perceived ideological closeness to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Dutton was forced to abandon a policy that would have required federal government workers to return to the office full time while cutting tens of thousands of public sector jobs, seen as taking inspiration from Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), set up by Elon Musk.

Albanese has surged in the polls from a deficit of six points against Dutton’s conservative coalition as recently as January to a lead of as much as nine points earlier this month.

Polling from Newspoll released on Sunday showed Labor held a four-point lead over the opposition when votes from smaller parties are redistributed as part of the country’s preferential voting system where voters rank their choices.

“There’s no complacency from my camp, I assure you of that,” Albanese told a press conference on Monday.

“This election is certainly up for grabs.”

He pointed to the 2019 federal election, when some betting firms paid out early on a Labor victory, in an election that was ultimately won by Liberal leader Scott Morrison.

Campaigning in the election, where voting is compulsory for Australians over 18, is expected to be subdued on Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis.

Dutton and Albanese are due to meet in a third and final televised election debate on Tuesday evening.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Canada’s political script took a dramatic turn in early 2025, pushing the nation towards an unexpected snap election in April – months ahead of the scheduled October timeline. The catalyst was the resignation of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in January, setting the stage for an all-new electoral landscape.

In his place rose Mark Carney – former central banker turned Prime Minister – now tasked with rallying a divided Liberal base and defending Canada’s global standing. Across the aisle stands Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader who has spent the last few years galvanising support with promises of tax cuts, tougher borders, and a fresh economic agenda.

This political shift is drawing comparison to another moment of dramatic upheaval – the 1993 federal election, known for one of the most devastating defeats in the history of modern democracies. Known as the Conservative Party of Canada today, the political outfit came into being after the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) and the Canadian Alliance in 2003.

Back in 1993, the ruling Progressive Conservative Party, led by Kim Campbell – the first and only female prime minister of Canada – suffered an astonishing collapse. From a commanding 156 seats, the party was reduced to just two. The wipeout didn’t just end a government; it dismantled a party and fractured conservative politics for years.

What Went Wrong In 1993?

Several factors played into it. First, Campbell had only recently taken over from Brian Mulroney, whose government had grown deeply unpopular due to economic downturns, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and failed constitutional reforms like the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords. Though Campbell was personally well-liked and seen as a fresh face, the electorate was unforgiving.

Second, the conservative vote split sharply. The newly formed Reform Party (1987), led by Preston Manning, surged in the West, while the Bloc Quebecois – born out of Quebec’s nationalist movement – dominated the province. That left the Progressive Conservatives squeezed from both sides, with no regional stronghold to fall back on.

Third, the Liberals, led by Jean Chretien, capitalised on the unrest, promising jobs, growth, and a break from Mulroney-era fatigue. Their message resonated across the country, earning them 177 seats and a decisive majority, reducing the Conservative Party to just two seats.

20th Prime Minister Of Canada

Jean Chretien became Prime Minister of Canada after the 1993 federal election.

He led the Liberal Party to a massive majority victory, winning 177 of the 295 seats in the House of Commons. Chretien was officially sworn in as Prime Minister on November 4, 1993, succeeding Kim Campbell of the Progressive Conservatives.

Chretien would go on to serve as Prime Minister for a decade – from 1993 to 2003 – making him one of Canada’s longest-serving leaders.
 

Paramilitary shelling on Sudan’s besieged city of El-Fasher, in the western region of Darfur, killed more than 30 civilians and wounded dozens more, activists said on Monday.

The attack, which took place on Sunday, involved “heavy artillery shelling” and targeted the city’s residential neighbourhoods, said the local resistance committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid across Sudan.

Since April 2023, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a brutal war.

El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, remains the last major city in the vast Darfur region that the paramilitary group has not conquered.

Last week, the RSF launched a renewed offensive on the city and two nearby displacement camps — Zamzam and Abu Shouk — killing over 400 and displacing some 400,000 people, according to the United Nations.

In a bloody ground offensive, the RSF took control of Zamzam camp — where up to one million people were sheltering according to aid sources.

Following the army’s recapture of the capital Khartoum last month, the RSF has intensified efforts to seize El-Fasher, raising fears of a devastating urban battle and a new wave of displacement.

The war in Sudan, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced 13 million and created what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has effectively divided the country in two with the army holding the centre, east and north while the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and, with its allies, parts of the south.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died, the Vatican announced on Monday. He was 88. The pope had suffered various ailments in his 12-year papacy and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia recently.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel.

“At 7:35 (5:35 GMT) this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father…His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”

He died on Easter Monday, just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica.

The pontiff had become pope in 2013 after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, resigned.

Recent Hospitalisation

The Pope was admitted to the hospital for bronchitis treatment on February 14. In the days that followed, the Vatican said the Pope was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and was in a “critical condition” and was showing “initial, mild” signs of kidney failure.

But his condition improved over the course of five weeks, and on March 23, he made his first public appearance in over a month on a balcony of the hospital and gave a thumbs-up to the crowds gathered outside.

He returned to the Vatican later to begin two months of prescribed rest and recovery.

On April 19, the Pope met US Vice President JD Vance. A day later, he greeted crowds at the Easter Sunday Service.

The Pope was earlier hospitalised with a respiratory infection in March 2023. That same year, he also underwent surgery for a hernia, and in 2021, he had colon surgery. He also had a part of his lung removed as a young man.

Francis suffered from knee pain that required him to use a wheelchair, and had fallen twice in recent months.

Burial

Pope Francis will be the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican. He had wished to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica but in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.

He also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to be buried in just one, made of wood and zinc, to reflect his role as a humble pastor.

The Legacy

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Francis was the first Jesuit to lead the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics and the first from the Americas. He was elected on March 13, 2013, at age 76, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric as an outsider.

Francis inherited a Church that was under global scrutiny over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy. Over the years, he sought to forge a more open and compassionate church.

During his papacy, Francis faced criticism from conservatives and progressives alike. While conservatives accused him of trashing cherished traditions, progressives felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old Church.

While he struggled with internal dissent, he strongly defended social justice, the rights of migrants and the environment and tackled the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.

Over 12 years, he had reorganised the Vatican’s bureaucracy, written four major teaching documents, made 47 foreign trips to more than 65 countries, and created more than 900 saints. He had also held five major Vatican summits of the world’s Catholic bishops to discuss contested issues such as women’s ordination and changing the Church’s sexual teachings.

Overall, Francis was widely seen as trying to open the staid global Church to the modern world. Among major decisions, he had allowed priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis and had appointed women to serve as leaders of Vatican offices for the first time.

The Conclave

The Pope’s death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals– the process of choosing a successor. The process generally takes place between 15 and 20 days after the death of a pontiff.

In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.

US Vice President JD Vance will begin his four-day official visit to India from today, running from April 21 to 24. Accompanied by his Indian-origin wife, Usha Vance and their children, this marks Vance’s first trip to India.

Vice President Vance is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today. His aircraft is expected to land at Air Force Station, Palam in New Delhi at approximately 9:30 am IST and will be formally received at 10:00 am. A formal meeting between Vice President Vance and Prime Minister Modi is scheduled for 6:30 pm at the Prime Minister’s official residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

Their discussions can be focused on strengthening economic, trade, and defence cooperation between the two nations.

Following official meetings, the Vance family is set to visit Jaipur and Agra. Vice President Vance will travel to Jaipur on Tuesday. On April 23, he is scheduled to visit Agra.

The world-famous UNESCO World Heritage site, the Taj Mahal, is being prepared for the upcoming visit of Vice President Vance. The monument, which has welcomed many global leaders over the years, will now see Vice President Vance and his wife walking through the mausoleum and admiring its timeless beauty. Earlier, in 2020, US President Donald Trump visited the Taj Mahal along with First Lady Melania Trump.

Meanwhile, as JD Vance embarks on his visit to India with his family, the small village of Vadluru in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh is abuzz with anticipation. Vadluru is the ancestral home of Usha Vance (nee Chilukuri), the wife of Vice President Vance, and locals are hopeful the couple will visit their village during their time in the country. The visit has sparked a wave of excitement and emotion among villagers who take great pride in Usha’s achievements.

Vance’s visit to India will conclude on Thursday, April 24, with his departure from the country at 6:40 am.

The visit is also crucial as all relevant issues between India and the United States will be discussed during the upcoming visit of US Vice President JD Vance from April 21 to 24, which is expected to strengthen bilateral ties further, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

During the weekly media briefing last Thursday, when asked about the possibility of tariff discussions, Jaiswal said, “We have a comprehensive strategic global partnership, when you have that level of partnership with any country … obviously you will discuss all relevant issues…”

He added, “Of course our relationship is such that we are doing anything that is part of our human endeavour from part of our bilateral engagement … so all these bilaterall issue will be discussed and we are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties.”

Jaiswal also highlighted the ongoing discussions between India and the US regarding a potential trade agreement. “We are talking to the US side so that a bilateral trade agreement can be done,” he said.

Jaiswal also stated that India has a Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership with the US, and when such a high-level visit takes place, all issues of importance are discussed.

“This is an Official Visit. He will be meeting the Prime Minister. And with the United States of America, we have a Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership. So, when you have that level of partnership with any country, obviously you will discuss all relevant issues,” Jaiswal said.

He added that India was confident that the visit would provide a further boost to India-US bilateral ties.

“And with America, with the United States, of course, our relationship is such that we are doing anything that is part of human endeavour… forms part of our bilateral engagement. So, all these issues, bilateral issues will be discussed. And we are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties,” he said.

Earlier, JD Vance and his family concluded their three-day visit to Italy, where he held bilateral meetings and attended religious services during the Easter weekend.

Vance arrived in Italy on Friday and held expanded bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Saturday, he met with Church officials, including Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Vice President concluded his visit on Easter Sunday after a meeting with Pope Francis.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren visited the iconic Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, accompanied by a delegation.

During the visit, they learned about Antoni Gaudi’s architectural vision and the cultural significance of the landmark.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, along with the delegation, visited the iconic Sagrada Família in Barcelona today. The delegation also learned about Antoni Gaudí’s visionary architecture and its deep cultural significance. @MEAIndia @IndiainSpain pic.twitter.com/X0sWxjIOJo

— India in Barcelona (@CGIBarcelona) April 20, 2025

In a post on X, India in Barcelona wrote, “Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, along with the delegation, visited the iconic Sagrada Familia in Barcelona today. The delegation also learned about Antoni Gaudi’s visionary architecture and its deep cultural significance.”

Upon Soren’s arrival, Acting Consul General in Barcelona Aarsha NS welcomed him.

Earlier in the day, the delegation led by the CM had engagements with Indian diaspora entrepreneurs and Spanish dignitaries.

Acting CG @Aarsha_NS welcomed Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, to Barcelona. The delegation led by CM has engagements with Indian diaspora entrepreneurs, Spanish dignitaries, and key meetings with @firabarcelona & @FCBarcelona for future collaborations.… pic.twitter.com/kt8db9oFXJ

— India in Barcelona (@CGIBarcelona) April 19, 2025

“Acting CG @Aarsha_NS welcomed Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, to Barcelona. The delegation led by CM has engagements with Indian diaspora entrepreneurs, Spanish dignitaries, and key meetings with @firabarcelona & @FCBarcelona for future collaborations,” India in Barcelona said on X.

The Sagrada Familia is a one-of-a-kind temple, for its origins, foundation and purpose. Fruit of the work of genius architect Antoni Gaudi, the project was promoted by the people for the people. Five generations have now watched the Temple progress in Barcelona. Today, more than 140 years after the laying of the cornerstone, construction continues on the Basilica, the Sagrada Familia’s official site noted.

Hemant Soren’s visit to Spain has come under criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. State President and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi launched a sharp attack on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Marandi questioned the timing and purpose of the foreign trip, alleging that while the state struggles with rising incidents of daylight murders and a worsening electricity situation, the Chief Minister is embarking on an overseas visit with a large government delegation, accompanied by his wife, JMM MLA Kalpana Soren.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)