Page 22 - Britain

EU, Britain, Spain to hold more talks on post-Brexit status of Gibraltar

British and Spanish foreign ministers will meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. The two ministers will hold talks with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo will also attend. Spanish Foreign Minister Jos Manuel Albares said that while the meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron may not be the final day," he was optimistic of an agreement as soon as possible. These are complex, technical issues, and then we will have to draft a whole set of documents, but we are already close to reaching an agreement on the general political lines, Albares told Spain's Onda Cero radio on Thursday. All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. T

UK's higher salary thresholds for overseas skilled work visas kick in

Significantly higher salary thresholds for overseas workers, including Indians, applying for the UK's Skilled Worker visas kicked in on Thursday, as part of tough new measures announced earlier to cut Britain's overall migration figures. For those applying under the Skilled Worker visa route, the salary threshold for an application will rise from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700 an increase of 48 per cent. The UK Home Office said it forms part of a robust and fair package of measures, which will mean 300,000 people who arrived in the UK last year would now not be able to and also prevent undercutting of domestic workers by cheap overseas labour. It's time to turn off the taps and end the flow of cheap workers from abroad. Mass migration is unsustainable, and it's simply not fair. It undercuts the wages of hard-working people who are just trying to make ends meet, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly. We are refocusing our immigration system to prioritise the brightest and best who have t

British PM Rishi Sunak faces potential revolt over new homelessness law

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a potential revolt from within his party ranks over new legislation that is set to criminalise homelessness and hand police powers to crack down on rough sleepers on the country's streets. According to a report in The Times' on Monday, several Conservative Party MPs have warned that they will vote against the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently going through the House of Commons and set to become law before a general election expected later this year. The proposals, which had been unveiled by former Indian-origin home secretary Suella Braverman, would mean rough sleepers in England and Wales could be fined as much as 2,500 Pounds or face prison terms. A lot of colleagues believe that the bill as it stands is completely unacceptable because it would have the effect of criminalising people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets. We are urging ministers to think again, said Tory MP Bob Blackman, who is also joint ..

Mega pre-election survey indicates even UK PM Rishi Sunak's seat at risk

A new so-called mega poll released by a civil society campaign organisation indicates that the governing Conservative Party is in for a major drubbing in the general election expected later this year, with even British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's seat in North Yorkshire hanging in the balance. The 15,029-person MRP poll conducted by Survation on behalf of Best for Britain puts the Opposition Labour Party on 45 per cent of the vote share with a 19-point lead over the Conservatives, up three points from the group's previous poll at the end of last year. The Sunday Times' analysis of the major seat-by-seat survey claims Tory prospects have hit a record low, which means they are on track for their worst election result, winning fewer than 100 seats. Labour could win 468, giving Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer's party a whopping 286-seat majority. Our MRP forecast shows that, if the election were held tomorrow, Sunak's Conservatives would lose 250 MPs across the country and the Labour

UK court says Assange can't be extradited until US rules out death penalty

A British court ruled on Tuesday that Julian Assange can't be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless US authorities guarantee he won't get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site's publication of classified American documents. Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange a new appeal unless US authorities give further assurances within three weeks about what will happen to him. The ruling means the legal saga, which has dragged on for more than a decade, will continue and Assange will remain inside London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent the last five years. Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said the US must guarantee that Assange, who is Australian, is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed. The judges said that if the US files new assurances, "we will give the parties an opportunity to .

US, UK accuse China over spy campaign that may have hit millions

Britain's government is expected to blame a string of cyberattacks targeting the U.K.'s election watchdog and lawmakers on hackers linked to the Chinese government, Officials are expected to announce Monday measures against cyber organizations and individuals affiliated with the Chinese government for an attack that may have gained access to information on tens of millions of U.K. voters held by the Electoral Commission, as well as cyberattacks targeting lawmakers who have been outspoken about the China threat. The Electoral Commission said in August that it identified a cyberattack on its system in October 2022, though it added that hostile actors had first been able to access its servers since 2021. At the time, the watchdog said the data included the names and addresses of registered voters. But it added that much of the information was already in the public domain, and that possessing such information was unlikely to influence election results. Separately, three lawmakers, ...

UK court to rule on Mar 26 whether Assange can challenge extradition to US

A London court is due to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets one final appeal in England to challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Two judges are scheduled to issue a judgment Tuesday morning in the High Court that could put an end to Assange's long legal saga or extend it further. If he fails in winning the right to appeal, his legal team fears he could be swiftly sent to the U.S. to face charges, though they're likely to ask the European Court of Human Rights to block any transfer. Assange, 52, has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website's publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago. American prosecutors allege that Assange encouraged and helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published. During a two-day hearing last month, Assange's lawyers argued that he was a secrecy-busting journalist wh

Kate, Princess of Wales, says she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate, the Princess of Wales, said Friday she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. The video announcement came after weeks of speculation spread on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was hospitalized in January for unspecified abdominal surgery. Kate, 42, hadn't been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, walking from a farm shop near their Windsor home. Kensington Palace had given little detail about Kate's condition beyond saying it wasn't cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. The news is another shock for the royal family since the announcement last month that King Charles III was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was caught while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate. Charles, 75, has withdrawn from public duties while he has cancer treatment, though he'

British businesses keep up recovery but prices still a worry, shows PMI

Closely watched by the BoE ahead of its 1200 GMT interest rate decision, the S&P Global Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) inched down to 52.9 in March from 53.0 in February

UK officials deny reports claiming King Charles III has passed away

Multiple media outlets, including those in Russia, claimed on Monday that King Charles III had passed away. This comes as the UK King is being treated for cancer since his January surgery

Exporters need to follow new British rules to avail duty benefits: DGFT

Exporters seeking to avail duty concessions on shipments to the UK will have to adhere to the new British rules under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). In a trade notice, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that the United Kingdom (UK) has replaced its existing origin declaration process under Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) with the UK DCTS effective from June 19, 2023. The transition period for this change was extended until December 31, 2023. "Starting from January 1, 2024, onwards, Indian exporters to the UK are required to adhere to the new rules under DCTS to avail concessions on their exports to the UK," the trade notice to the exporters community said. It added that goods that meet the UK DCTS Rules of Origin (RoO) requirements would be eligible to claim a concessional rate of import duty for exports to the UK. "Consequently, the origin criteria necessary for satisfying the Rules of Origin to avail tariff concessions on exports from India t

UK govt notifies stricter, 'more precise' definition of extremism

The UK government on Thursday issued a new "more precise" definition of extremism in response to increased threats since the October 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and to protect liberal democratic principles against extreme right-wing and Islamist extremists. Extremism in the UK is now defined as the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in the first two categories. The previous definition, introduced in 2011 under the government's Prevent strategy, defined extremism as "vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and belief". UK Levelling Up and

US govt could end legal fight against planned expedition to Titanic

The US government could end its legal fight against a planned expedition to the Titanic, which has sparked concerns that it would violate a law that treats the wreck as a gravesite. Kent Porter, an assistant US attorney, told a federal judge in Virginia on Wednesday that the US is seeking more information on revised plans for the May expedition, which have been significantly scaled back. Porter said the US has not determined whether the new plans would break the law. RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia company that owns the salvage rights to the wreck, originally planned to take images inside the ocean liner's severed hull and to retrieve artifacts from the debris field. RMST also said it would possibly recover free-standing objects inside the Titanic, including the room where the sinking ship had broadcast its distress signals. The US filed a legal challenge to the expedition in August, citing a 2017 federal law and a pact with Great Britain to treat the site as a memorial. More than 1,5

Britain will change law to ban foreign countries from owning newspapers

The decision comes at a time when Britain is using a separate regulatory process to weigh up whether to allow Redbird IMI's bid for the Telegraph

UK PM Sunak forced to defend Conservative Party after 'racist' remarks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on Wednesday forced to defend the governing Conservative Party even as he admitted one of the party's biggest donor's comments targeted at an Opposition Labour Party MP were racist. During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Sunak referenced his Indian heritage as he defended his government amid intense pressure over wealthy businessman Frank Hester's reported remarks in a 2019 meeting that Labour MP Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women. In a separate meeting, Hester who has donated GBP 10 million to the Tories in the past year said Abbott should be shot. The alleged comments were wrong, they were racist and he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted, Sunak told members of Parliament. There is no place for racism in Britain and the government that I lead is living proof of that, he said. While Labour Leader Keir Starmer sought to capitalise on the controversy as he said it wa

Britain sells 4 billion pounds of new 30-year inflation-linked bond

The 1.25% November 2054 index-linked gilt will be priced to yield 1.5 basis points more than the 1.25% November 2055 index-linked gilt, which acts as the benchmark

UK ban on overseas care workers bringing family comes in force this week

Overseas care workers, including Indians, will be restricted from bringing dependant family members with them to the UK under new visa rules that come into force from this week. The UK Home Office had announced the plans earlier and on Monday said the new rules follow a "disproportionate" 120,000 dependants accompanying 100,000 workers on the care visa route last year. It is claimed the move will radically cut net migration to the UK and tackle visa abuse to bring down unsustainable levels of legal migration. Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need. But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system and unsustainable migration numbers, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly. It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue. We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring numbers .

Will provide 10,000 drones to Ukraine in its fight against Russia: Britain

Britain said Thursday that it would provide 10,000 drones to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The announcement by Defense Secretary Grant Shapps during a visit in Kyiv with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy includes an investment of 125 million pounds ($160 million) on top of 200 million pounds ($256 million) previously committed for drones. The weaponry will include 1,000 one-way attack or kamikaze drones and models that target ships. Ukraine's Armed Forces are using U.K. donated weapons to unprecedented effect, to help lay waste to nearly 30% of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Shapps said. On Tuesday, Ukrainian sea drones reportedly sank another Russian warship in the Black Sea, the latest in a series of strikes that has crippled Moscow's naval capability.

Air India deboards Religare Enterprises Chairperson Saluja from UK flight

The incident happened on flight AI 161 before the scheduled pushback for take off and Saluja was deboarded following advice from the captain of the flight

UK trade minister Badenoch doesn't see Indian election as deadline for FTA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a third term, with the official election campaign expected to begin in the coming weeks