The United Nations World Heritage Committee voted Sunday to list the Tell es-Sultan archaeological site in Jericho as a “World Heritage Site in Palestine.”

The decision was made at a conference held in Riyadh, UNESCO said on its official X account, formerly known as Twitter.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the decision, while Israel expressed ire.

The newly designated site, located in Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, contains ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BCE. Jericho itself is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

The Palestinian Authority Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the decision, lauding it as an acknowledgment of Jericho’s “cultural, economic, and political significance” and a testament to “10,000 years of human development,” according to a statement published on Sunday.

“The outstanding universal value of the site qualifies it to be one of the World Heritage sites,” Ma’ayah said.

But the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its disapproval of the decision, saying it saw the action as “another sign of Palestinians’ cynical use of UNESCO and politicization of the organization.”

Located in the Jordan Valley, Jericho is situated between the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west.

In 2010, Jericho celebrated being the oldest walled city in the world, dating back to the modern Stone Age.

A shoe belonging to a child and dating back more than 2,000 years has been unearthed in Austria with its laces still intact.

The design of the leather shoe, whose size roughly corresponds to EU 30 (US 12), suggests it was likely made in the 2nd century BC, according to the German Mining Museum Bochum-Leibniz Research Museum for Geo-resources.

The shoe was excavated by archeologists in the western village of Dürrnberg, where rock salt mining took place from as early as the Iron Age, it said in a recent press release.

The salt, which is particularly good at preserving organic remains, is thought to have kept the shoe in extremely good condition.

“Our research activities at Dürrnberg have been providing us with valuable finds for decades in order to scientifically explore the earliest mining activities. The condition of the shoe found is outstanding,” Professor Thomas Stoellner, head of the Research Department at the German Mining Museum, said in the press release.

Excavation work at Dürrnberg is being done to obtain information on the work and lives of Iron age miners, according to the museum.

Archeologists discovered the shoe among other organic remains, including a fragment of a wooden shovel blade, as well as remains of fur with lacing that might have come from a fur hood.

The remnants of the shoe’s lacing found preserved were likely made of flax or linen, according to the release.

Finding a child’s shoe is “always something special,” because it shows that children were present underground, the museum said.

Stoellner added,”Organic materials generally decompose over time. Finds like this child’s shoe, but also textile remains or excrement like those found on Dürrnberg, offer an extremely rare insight into the life of Iron Age miners.”

Dartmouth College’s head football coach Buddy Teevens, 66, died Tuesday of injuries sustained after being hit by a truck while cycling on March 16 in St. Augustine, Florida, the Teevens family announced in a statement released through the school.

“Our family is heartbroken to inform you that our beloved ‘coach’ has peacefully passed away surrounded by family. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained proved too challenging for even him to overcome,” the statement said.

“Throughout this journey, we consistently relayed the thoughts, memories, and love sent his way. Your kindness and letters of encouragement did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by both Buddy and our family.”

“This is tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire football world. Buddy not only was synonymous with Dartmouth football, he was a beloved coach and an innovative, inspirational leader who helped shape the lives of generations of students,” Dartmouth president Sian Leah Beilock and director of athletics Mike Harrity said in a letter to the Dartmouth community.

The March incident occurred when a bike ridden by Teevens was struck by a pickup truck, according to the school, which it described as an “accident.” In updates about his condition, Teevens’ wife Kirsten shared in April that his right leg had to be amputated after the accident and that he had suffered spinal cord injuries.

Teevens coached Dartmouth for 22 seasons, having previously played for the Big Green as a quarterback, winning Ivy League Player of the Year honors in 1978.

“Buddy was nationally known for his drive to make football safer,” the letter from Beilock and Harrity said. “He reduced full-contact practices by focusing on technique, leading to the development at Thayer School of Engineering of the Mobile Virtual Player, a robotic tackling dummy that has also been used by other college programs and NFL teams.”

Interim Head Coach Sammy McCorkle informed the team of Teevens’ death after Tuesday’s practice.

Dartmouth announced that it will play its scheduled game Saturday against Lehigh and honor Teevens during the 2023 football season.

“There will be a moment of silence prior to the game and a gathering of remembrance afterward,” the school said. “Dartmouth also plans to honor his legacy in the coming weeks and months with input from the Teevens family.”

Formula One risks disarray in the unlikely event of Felipe Massa winning a threatened legal claim for the 2008 world championship, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

Former Ferrari driver Massa, now 42, has alleged he was denied the title by a “conspiracy” because the sport’s leaders knew the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was manipulated but took no action until a year later.

The Brazilian lost that title by a point to Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, then at McLaren and now at Mercedes and a seven-time world champion.

“I don’t think he has a case, to be honest,” Wolff told reporters at the latest edition of the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend.

“We are signing up to sporting regulations that are very clear and you commit (to) as a license holder. If everybody were to open up situations then the sport would be in disarray and especially when you look at the full championships.

“There’s so many things that have an influence whether you win or lose that I don’t see the case to be honest.

“For me this is like watching a telenovela or soap opera playing out in front of me,” added the Austrian.

The www.motorsport.com website quoted Massa saying Wolff’s comments showed “we are on the right path and that people in F1 are realizing the seriousness and importance of our case.

“I’m seeking justice, my childhood dream, a title for an entire nation, for Brazilians. And for the tifosi (Ferrari fans) too.”

Wolff had said earlier that Massa’s case was sure to set a precedent and Mercedes were watching “with curiosity”.

Hamilton lost the 2021 championship in controversial circumstances at the final race in Abu Dhabi to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen when the safety car procedure was changed by now-departed race director Michael Masi.

A dispute between the Spanish women’s soccer team and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) appears to have reached a breakthrough after the two parties, along with the government’s High Council of Sport (CSD), came to a series of agreements.

Earlier this week, 20 players named to the national team squad reiterated their refusal to play in two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures, including against Sweden on Friday.

However, 21 of the 23 players selected in the squad for the upcoming games have now agreed to play and will travel to Sweden, according to a statement from CSD President Víctor Francos.

Two players, Barcelona Femení stars Mapi León and Patricia Guijarro, have asked to leave the squad, saying that their situation is “different than for the rest of our colleagues.”

Francos told reporters in the early hours of Wednesday that a “very solid agreement” had been reached between all parties and promised immediate changes in Spanish soccer regarding “the policies on gender equality, advancing on equal pay, advancing on the equity of the quality of infrastructure for sport and, in this case, women’s football.”

He added that the players will not face any sanctions having initially refused to play in the two upcoming fixtures.

“The parties … reached a point where what could have been a disaster won’t be and what could have been bad news looks like it won’t be,” said Francos.

A Mixed Commission featuring representatives for the players, RFEF and CSD will also be created to implement further changes in the future.

“In that committee, we’ve agreed on some powers that cover all of the points that [the players] have spent so much time demanding, like the changes in the women’s football body, the strategic plan of women’s football and the rest of the changes we’ve been talking about these days,” Amanda Gutiérrez, president of players’ union FUTPRO, told reporters on Wednesday.

Montse Tomé, who replaced Jorge Vilda as head coach of the women’s national team in the wake of the Rubiales controversy, is set to remain in her position having met with the players privately, according to Rafael del Amo, the head of women’s football at RFEF.

Asked about the apparent misleading statements from Tomé at her Monday press conference regarding Hermoso’s absence from the squad to “protect” the player, del Amo told reporters: “I think at this moment we have to protect her from the pressure that can arise. In the end, she is a player we trust fully. We believe it to be this way and we must be respected.”

Tomé had selected the squad for the upcoming games against Sweden and Switzerland, despite the players stating their “firm will to not be called up for motives which are justified.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday about leaving the squad alongside Guijarro, León said: “It’s true that the situation for Patri and for me is different than for the rest of our colleagues.

“We know that these aren’t the ways or forms to come back … This is a process. We’re happy because it’s also true that there are changes happening.

“We’ve reached another port. Little by little, changes are being made and in this we’re totally supporting our colleagues as we’ve been doing from outside during all this time.”

For her part, Guijarro said: “They’re working on those changes and we’re with our colleagues, but yes, it’s true they haven’t been made yet, but they’re working on it.

“It’s quite difficult and hard to be here, and with how everything happened, mentally, you’re just not in a place to be able to be here.”

Both León and Guijarro are part of a group of players dubbed ‘Las 15 (The 15)’ which have been in conflict with RFEF since over a year ago and the vast majority were left out of the World Cup squad in July and August.

How we got here

Wednesday’s announcement is the latest development in a long-running saga between the Spanish women’s team players, who won a first Women’s World Cup title last month, and RFEF.

The tension between the two parties intensified after Luis Rubiales, the former RFEF president, gave an unwanted kiss to Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso during the World Cup final medal ceremony in Sydney.

The players’ dissatisfaction with the federation dates back over a year when 15 members of the senior women’s squad (‘Las 15’), sent personally signed letters to RFEF saying that they would no longer play for the national team unless there were wholesale changes made throughout the coaching staff.

Of the 15 players who signed the letters, only three were in Spain’s World Cup squad: Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí and Ona Batlle. That trio was included in Tomé’s squad announced on Monday, along with León and Guijarro.

Despite those off-field struggles, a young Spanish side produced a superb run at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, defeating England in the final to lift a first title.

The achievement was subsequently overshadowed by Rubiales’ actions during the medal ceremony and the fallout which followed, culminating in the ex-soccer boss resigning as RFEF president on September 11.

However, now that Vilda and Rubiales have left their positions, RFEF hopes to kick-start a new chapter in women’s soccer.

On Monday before announcing the squad list, it released a statement underlining its commitment to enforce changes in the organization.

“It’s evident that the Federation, society and the very players are aligned with this same objective: the renewal and beginning of a new era where football is the great winner of all of this process,” the statement said.

Some players score touchdowns on their NFL debuts. But for many, they are made to wait.

That means that when that moment comes, it’s all the sweeter.

That was the case for Indianapolis Colts tight end Kylen Granson who scored his first career touchdown in his 31st game on Sunday.

Shortly before halftime in the Colts’ game against their division rivals, the Houston Texans, Granson caught a short pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew before diving for the endzone.

Although the officials initially ruled he was short of scoring, a review showed that the 25-year-old had indeed broken the plane and it was time to celebrate.

However, in the moment, Granson wasn’t able to celebrate his debut TD in what is his third NFL season.

“They ruined the momentum,” Granson said after the Colts beat the Texans 31-20. “So it was like, we were huddled up, we were looking at a thing and then they called it a touchdown. I’m like, well, now the field goal team’s running out here.”

However, Granson was able to celebrate his moment in the spotlight on social media in the days afterwards.

He posted a series of photos on Instagram with his touchdown ball cradled in a towel alongside his partner, imitating a photoshoot for a newborn child.

Posing with a flower behind his ear, Granson is seen lifting the touchdown ball aloft and tickling its stitching in the series of photos with the caption: “after 3yrs of trying… it’s finally here” and a baby bottle emoji.

Despite the photos, Granson plans to deliver on his preseason promise about what to do with his first touchdown ball.

“I gotta give it to Mom,” Granson said. “She’s gonna cry. It’s gonna be awesome.”

And although he wasn’t able to fully celebrate his maiden touchdown because of the uncertainty around it, Granson assures us he has big plans for his next.

“I’m going all out for the second one, going all out,” Granson said with a smile. “I’m gonna friggin’ pop some champagne. I’m gonna hide it underneath the goalposts.”

Granson was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round in 2021. He’s caught 49 receptions for 463 receiving yards and – now – one touchdown.

Sky-high passenger volumes. A shortage of pilots. Weather delays and cancellations.

Sounds like a recipe for disgruntled air travelers. But an “amazing thing” happened at North American airports over the last year, according to a news release from consumer insights and analytics firm J.D. Power: passenger satisfaction improved.

That’s the big takeaway of the J.D. Power 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which was released Wednesday. The study evaluates three airport categories – mega-airports, large airports and medium-sized airports – based on more than 27,000 traveler surveys collected from August 2022 through July 2023.

The improvement is “not totally unexpected,” says Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power.

Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports improved by 3 points this year – bringing the overall score to 780 on a 1,000-point scale.

The airports were evaluated by looking at six factors, listed in order of importance: terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.

This year’s uptick in satisfaction was driven by three factors – terminal facilities; food and beverage and retail service; and baggage claim. “Terminal facilities” refers to the cleanliness, comfort and ease of navigating areas including concourses, restrooms and gates as well as the quality of Wi-Fi service.

But naturally, some airports are better than others – as any traveler can confirm.

Least satisfying North American mega-airports

Air travelers routinely grumble about Newark Liberty International Airport, which sits at the bottom of the list of mega-airports (those with 33 million or more passengers per year).

Newark logged a score this year of 732, which lags well behind other low-ranked airports, but which is also an improvement from last year’s score of 719.

Newark’s new Terminal A opened to the public in January, so not all of the study participants saw its benefits this year.

Toronto Pearson International Airport had the second-lowest score – 749 out of 1,000. Taylor puts that performance down to very high passenger volume – up by as much as 50%.

“The more passengers, the lower the satisfaction scores. But that’s a problem an airport WANTS to have,” Taylor said via email.

Bottom five scorers on a 1,000-point scale for mega-airport satisfaction:

Boston Logan International Airport (762)

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (762)

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (754)

Toronto Pearson International Airport (749)

Newark Liberty International Airport (732)

Most satisfying North American mega-airports

On the upside, this year’s No. 1 most satisfying mega-airport — Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport — improved its score by 9 points from last year, coming in with a score of 800. The airport improved in all areas, with strong performance improvements in the TSA, baggage claim, and food, beverage and retail areas, Taylor said.

Last year’s top performer, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, dropped to No. 2 with a score of 796.

Top five scorers on a 1,000-point scale for mega-airport satisfaction:

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (800)

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (796)

Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (787)

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (783)

Miami International Airport (783)

The best and worst of the rest

In the large airport category (with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year), Tampa International Airport (TPA) ranked first for the second year in a row. And Indianapolis International Airport (IND) took the No. 1 slot among medium airports (with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year).

“TPA and IND have great terminal design, access is very efficient and both airports have goods and services that represent their location,” said Taylor. Those would involve flamingoes in Tampa and race cars in Indianapolis.

Tampa received a score of 832; Indianapolis scored 843.

At the bottom of the large airports list, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) received a score of 750.

“PHL does a lot of things right but really needs upgraded infrastructure.  They seem to be lagging other airports in investing in upgraded terminal facilities,” Taylor said.

In the medium airports category, Maui’s Kahului Airport ranked last with a score of 771.

Another Hawaii airport – Honolulu International Airport – was a low scorer in the large airport category with 753. Taylor put those low scores down to “a great deal of extended construction at the airports.”

More that airports can do

The bottom line for airports? There’s still room for improvement.

“While airports are doing a good job coping with the current issues, there is still more they could do to improve passenger experience while also improving their own bottom lines,” Taylor said in the J.D. Power news release.

The study found that passengers who were 10-out-of-10 “delighted” with their experience spend an average of $44 in the terminal, while “disappointed” passengers who gave airports scores of 5 or less spent just $29.

“Happy passengers spend a lot more money at the airport,” Taylor said, “so ongoing efforts to spread passenger volumes throughout the day and deliver superior service at all customer touchpoints will be critical.”

Traveling through one of the world’s best airports is set to get even smoother next year.

Starting in 2024, officials say Singapore’s Changi Airport will introduce automated immigration clearance, which will allow passengers to depart the city-state without passports, using only biometric data.

“Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration clearance,” Communications Minister Josephine Teo announced during a parliament session on Monday, during which several changes to the country’s Immigration Act were passed.

Biometric technology, along with facial recognition software, is already in use to some extent in Changi Airport at automated lanes at immigration checkpoints.

But the upcoming changes will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing,” Teo said.

Biometrics will be used to create a “single token of authentication” that will be employed at various automated touch points – from bag drops to immigration clearance and boarding – eliminating the need for physical travel documents like boarding passes and passports.

But passports will still be required for many countries outside of Singapore that do not offer passport-free clearance, Teo stressed.

Often ranked the world’s best airport and also one of the busiest, Singapore’s Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines that fly to 400 cities in around 100 countries and territories worldwide.

It handled 5.12 million passenger movements in June, crossing the 5 million mark for the first time since January 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

The airport is a destination in itself and currently has four terminals.

It is set to expand, adding a fifth to cater to the growing number of travelers.

Changi Airport is projecting a return to pre-pandemic levels of passenger and air traffic and expressed hopes that the upcoming biometric system will help make passenger flows smoother.

“Our immigration systems must be able to manage this high and growing volume of travelers efficiently and provide a positive clearance experience, while ensuring our security,” Teo said.

The future of travel?

Seamless travel has been catching on around the world and biometric identification could soon be the future of travel, observers say.

In 2018, Dubai International Airport introduced biometric “Smart Gates” tunnels, which use facial recognition to verify travelers’ identities in as little as five seconds. Passengers are also allowed to use their fingerprints or face scans for authentication, rather than rely on physical passports.

Elsewhere in the world, facial recognition technology is already in use to some extent at Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Indira Gandhi International in Delhi, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, among other airports.

Digital IDs, compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards in Aruba, allow travelers to travel using secure digital versions of their passports on mobile phones.

In the US, major airlines like American Airlines, United and Delta have been experimenting with biometric check-in, bag drops and boarding gates at select airports for the last couple of years.

It opened just over a year ago, but a luxurious 24-key Italian property has already been named the best hotel in the world.

Passalacqua, which overlooks Lake Como, beat off stiff competition to receive the top spot on the first-ever edition of the World’s 50 Best Hotels list, which was announced at an awards ceremony in the UK on Tuesday night.

Open since June 2022, the boutique hotel owned by the De Santis family – local hoteliers – was one of 21 Europe-based hotels included on the list, along with the Four Seasons Firenze in Florence, which came in ninth place.

Asia also did well in the rankings, with 18 hotels from the region making the list, including second, third, fourth and fifth place, awarded to Rosewood Hong Kong, Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, The Upper House in Hong Kong and Aman Tokyo, respectively.

‘Big recognition’

Taking the No. 25 spot, Aman New York, another relatively new addition to the hotel scene, was the highest US entry, while the five-star Equinox New York, located at Hudson Yards, came in at No. 48.

Host city London was well-represented, with stalwarts like Claridge’s (No. 16), The Connaught (No. 22) and The Savoy (No. 47) making the list, along with the more recent NoMad London (No. 46), the first international outpost from the NoMad Hotel brand.

Rosewood São Paulo, a former medical complex turned luxury hotel, was the only South American to make the list, coming in at No. 27, while urban resort The Calile in Brisbane was the sole Australian entry at No. 12.

The highly-anticipated list honored 50 hotels from 35 destinations across the world.

“Because we are a family-owned independent hotel. And we’re quite small. We just opened one year ago.”

“It was really unexpected. And it was beyond our wildest dreams to get to the top part of the top 25. So we couldn’t be prouder.”

The hotel’s general manager Silvio Vettorello said the award was “the best gift.”

The De Santis family, who also own Lake Como’s Grand Hotel Tremezzo, purchased the 18th-century property, a former home of composer Vincenzo Bellini, in 2018.

It opened last year after undergoing a three-year renovation and has earned rave reviews.

“It was a villa where a very noble family from Lake Como were spending holidays,” says De Santis, who describes Passalacqua as a “love affair.”

“And this is what we want to bring guests. So the biggest compliment that we can receive is that they feel at home (there).”

Special awards

Several hotels received special awards, including two UK properties. Gleneagles (No.32) an 850-acre estate located in the heart of Scotland, received the Art of Hospitality Award. The Newt in Bruton, Somerset, which came in at No.37, was given the Best Boutique Hotel Award.

At No. 11, The Capella Bangkok, set along Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, was the highest-ranked hotel to open within the two-year voting window, and subsequently received the Best New Hotel award.

The smallest property to make the list was Singita Lodges in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, which came in at No.15 and also received the Eco Hotel Award.

The Lodge at Blue Sky, a remote lodge in the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah, was named “One To Watch,” an award given to hotels that the 50 Best organization believes have the potential to appear on the list in the future.

“After seeing the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry, it’s been especially fulfilling to see so many hoteliers from around the world gather in London to celebrate each other’s achievements under one roof for the first-ever awards ceremony of The World’s 50 Best Hotels,” Tim Brooke-Webb, managing director for the World’s 50 Best Hotels, said in a statement.

“Our heartfelt congratulations go out to each and every hotel on the list, and we hope this list inspires travel lovers to book somewhere truly spectacular for their next trip.”

The World’s Best Hotel list is decided by the World’s 50 Best Hotel Academy, which is made up of 580 hotel industry experts, including hoteliers and travel journalists, from across the globe.

The World’s 50 Best Hotels: Full list

1. Passalacqua (Moltrasio, Italy)
2. Rosewood Hong Kong
3. Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
4. The Upper House (Hong Kong)
5. Aman Tokyo
6. La Mamounia (Marrakech, Morocco)
7. Soneva Fushi (Maldives)
8. One&Only Mandarina (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
9. Four Seasons Firenze (Florence, Italy)
10. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
11. Capella Bangkok
12. The Calile (Brisbane, Australia)
13. Chablé Yucatán (Chocholá, Mexico)
14. Aman Venice
15. Singita Lodges (Kruger National Park, South Africa)
16. Claridge’s (London)
17. Raffles Singapore
18. Nihi Sumba (Wanokaka, Indonesia)
19. Hotel Esencia (Tulum, Mexico)
20. Le Sirenuse (Positano, Italy)
21. Borgo Egnazia (Savelletri, Italy)
22. The Connaught (London)
23. Royal Mansour (Marrakech)
24. Four Seasons Madrid
25. Aman New York
26. The Maybourne Riviera (Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France)
27. Rosewood São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
28. Capella Singapore
29. Le Bristol Paris
30. Park Hyatt Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan)
31. La Réserve (Paris)
32. Gleneagles (Auchterarder, Scotland)
33. Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc (Antibes, France)
34. Cheval Blanc Paris
35. Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
36. Soneva Jani (Maldives)
37. The Newt in Somerset (Bruton, United Kingdom)
38. Amangalla (Sri Lanka)
39. Hoshinoya Tokyo
40. Desa Potato Head (Seminyak, Bali)
41. Eden Rock (St. Barths)
42. The Siam (Bangkok)
43. Badrutt’s Palace (St. Moritz, Switzerland)
44. Atlantis The Royal (Dubai)
45. The Oberoi Amarvilas (Agra, India)
46. NoMad London
47. The Savoy (London)
48. Equinox New York
49. Six Senses Ibiza (Balearic islands, Spain)
50. Hôtel de Crillon (Paris)

Canada’s accusation that India may have been involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on its soil has triggered a growing spat with Ottawa and New Delhi both expelling senior diplomats, sending relations between the two countries plunging.

The tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was investigating “credible allegations” linking India to the June killing of Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said in parliament on Monday, adding his government would take all steps necessary “to hold perpetrators of this murder to account.”

Canada said it had kicked out an Indian diplomat, who foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly described as the head of the Indian intelligence agency in the country.

“Today we’re acting by expelling a key diplomat, but we will get to the bottom of this,” she told reporters in Ottawa, adding Trudeau has raised this issue with both US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday responded in kind, saying it had expelled a senior Canadian diplomat based in India.

“The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” it said in a statement. “The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”

Nijjar was a prominent Sikh leader in western Canada, and according to local police, he was gunned down in his truck in June by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.

His death both shocked and outraged the Sikh community in Canada, one of the largest outside of India and home to more than 770,000 members of the religious minority.

Following Trudeau’s comments, two prominent Sikh community groups in Canada, the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council (BCGC) and Ontario Gurdwaras Committee (OGC), urged the Canadian government to “immediately suspend all intelligence, investigative and prosecutorial cooperation with India.”

“Canada’s comprehensive response must reflect the gravity of India’s role in the premeditated murder of a Sikh dissident living in Canada,” the groups added in a joint statement.

Nijjar’s son, Balraj Singh Nijjar, spoke with reporters on Tuesday from the parking lot where his father was killed. The 21-year-old thanked Trudeau and other Canadian politicians.

“It was just a matter of time for when the truth would come out,” the younger Nijjar said, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC. “When we heard the news today, it was a sense of relief that it’s finally coming to the public.” he said.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an outspoken supporter of the creation of a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, according to a statement from the World Sikh Organization, and often led peaceful protests against what the advocacy group called the “violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan.”

The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and considered a national security threat by the government – a number of groups associated with the movement are listed as “terrorist organizations” under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Nijjar’s name appeared on the Home Ministry’s list of UAPA terrorists.

In 2020, the Indian National Investigation Agency accused him of “trying to radicalize Sikh community across the world in favor of creation of ‘Khalistan,’” adding that he had been “trying to incite Sikhs to vote for secession, agitate against the Government of India and carry out violent activities.”

India on Tuesday said it rejected Trudeau’s allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated.”

“We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law,” a statement released by the country’s foreign ministry said.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern.”

The White House is “deeply concerned” about the allegations, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

“We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” she said.

Canadian police have not arrested anyone in connection with Nijjar’s murder. But in an August update, police released a statement saying they were investigating three suspects and issued a description of a possible getaway vehicle, asking for the public’s help.

A spokesperson for Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said the country is also “deeply concerned” by the allegations.

“We understand these reports will be particularly concerning to some Australian communities. The Indian diaspora are valued and important contributors to our vibrant and resilient multicultural society, where all Australians can peacefully and safely express their views.”

Souring relations

Canada’s allegations against the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are likely to further sour relations between the two countries.

An ongoing trade deal between them has been paused, India’s commerce and trade minister said, according to local reports, adding there are “certain issues which are of serious concern.”

The issue of activism within Canada’s large Sikh diaspora has long been one of the sources of tension.

When Modi hosted the Group of 20 (G20) leaders in New Delhi earlier this month, he did not hold a one-on-one meeting with Trudeau, instead meeting on the sidelines of the summit, where the Indian leader “conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada,” according to a statement from the Indian government.

Relations between the two leaders have been frosty for several years.

When Trudeau visited India in 2018, his calendar, which was relatively light on diplomatic meetings, was seen by many as a “snub” from New Delhi.

Analysts at the time pointed to Trudeau’s perceived sympathy for Sikh activists as a particular area of contention.

In 2017, the Canadian leader had been seen at a Sikh event in Toronto where separatist flags and posters depicting an extremist Sikh leader killed in a 1984 Indian Army operation were displayed.

In its statement about Trudeau’s allegations on Tuesday, the Indian government said: “That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern.”

“The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new,” the statement said. “We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil.”

Support for Khalistan overseas

The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the 15th century by Guru Nanak and has about 25 million followers worldwide. They are a minority in India, comprising less than 2% of the country’s 1.4 billion people, but form a majority in the northern state of Punjab, which was once home to a large and powerful Sikh empire.

The origins of the modern Khalistan movement trace back to around the time of India’s independence from Britain in 1947, when some Sikhs demanded that a nation be carved in the state of Punjab for followers of the faith.

When the Partition hastily divided the former colony along religious lines – sending Muslims to the newly formed nation of Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs to newly independent India – Punjab, which was sliced in half, saw some of the worst violence.

Around this time, Sikhs began a greater struggle for political and cultural autonomy, scholars have said, and the Khalistan movement gained prominence.

Over the years, violent clashes have erupted between followers of the movement and the Indian government, claiming many lives.

It came to a head in 1984 when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Indian troops to storm Amritsar’s Golden Temple – Sikhism’s holiest shrine – to kill Sikh separatists. That operation caused huge anger within the Sikh community and Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in the aftermath.

Deadly violence erupted in the days following her death, killing more than 3,000 people – mostly Sikh.

A year later the violence spilled over to Canada, when Sikh separatists bombed an Air India plane that had taken off from Toronto airport, killing all 329 people aboard, including numerous Canadians of Indian descent.

While Khalistan supporters within India remain on the margins, the movement continues to evoke a level of sympathy from some Sikhs within the global diaspora, particularly in Canada, Britain and Australia.

A small but influential number of those Sikhs support the idea of Khalistan, with referendums periodically held to reach a consensus to establish a separate homeland.