Page 26 - Britain

UK's latest Family Visa crackdown to impact many Indian family plans

The UK government's latest set of visa crackdowns to cut immigration figures includes a major hike in the minimum salary threshold for British nationals and permanent residents applying to bring family members to join them in the UK, a move expected to impact several Indian families. The Family Visa category, under which long-term UK residents are able to bring their spouses and partners to join them, until now required the applicant to be earning at least GBP 18,600 annually. From March/April next year, this threshold will jump to GBP 38,700, inevitably set to have a significant impact on applicants from the Indian subcontinent with Indians making up the second-highest cohort under the Family Visa in the past year (5,870) after Pakistanis (15,038), as per official Home Office statistics. We will ensure that people bring only dependants whom they can support financially, by raising the minimum income for Family Visas to the same threshold as the minimum salary threshold for skilled

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson admits mistakes but defends Covid record at inquiry

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of COVID-19 on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the pandemic, saying the government got some things wrong but did its best. Johnson began two days of being grilled under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national lockdown in early 2020 and other fateful decisions. Johnson opened his testimony with an apology for the pain and the loss and the suffering of the COVID victims, though not for any of his own actions. Four people stood up in court as he spoke, holding signs saying: The Dead can't hear your apologies," before being escorted out by security staff. Inevitably, in the course of trying to handle a very, very difficult pandemic in which we had to balance appalling harms on either side of the decision, we may have made mistakes, Johnson said. Inevitably, we got some things wrong. I think we were doing our best at the time. Johnson had arrived at the inquiry venue

COP28 spotlights global warnings about the pain of climate change

In the day's opening address, Britain's King Charles is expected to warn that repeated signs of climate impact are being ignored, with devastating consequences

Britain's antitrust regulator wins appeal to probe Apple's mobile browser

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a full investigation last year into the dominance of Apple and Alphabet Inc's Google in mobile browsers

A century after debut, UK music store HMV makes Oxford Street return

The 363 Oxford Street address hosted the very first HMV store in 1921, opened by composer Edward Elgar, and was central to the development of British popular music and culture

Rioters clash with police in Dublin city center after knife attack

The unrest began after a stabbing incident close to a school in the city's north side

HSBC India, UK Export Finance tie up for 100 mn pound financing programme

HSBC India and UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK's export credit agency, have intended to establish a financing programme of up to 100 million pound to support Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and corporates for financing their imports from Britain. This partnership will enhance the availability of credit for Indian MSMEs and boost trade ties between the two countries, HSBC India said in a statement on Thursday. HSBC India and UKEF on Thursday signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), which enables them to work together on opportunities relating to UKEF's guarantee-backed structures. India was the UK's 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2023, accounting for 2.1 per cent of total UK trade. In 2021, around 7,500 UK SMEs, with around 3,17,300 employees, exported goods worth 1.2 billion pound to India, accounting for 85 per cent of all UK businesses exporting goods to India. Providing enhanced financial access and developing an ecosystem that ..

UK businesses grow for first time in three months, but high rates weigh

Britain's economy has suffered from the highest inflation rate among big, rich countries and gross domestic product failed to grow in the third quarter

UK govt cuts taxes to jam labour ahead of general elections next year

Hunt's most eye-catching announcement was a two percentage point reduction to the headline 12% rate of national insurance

Britain set to start cutting taxes ahead of likely election next year

Britain's Conservative government will try to win favour with voters by cutting taxes but avoiding worsening inflation in a budget statement on Wednesday, coming ahead of a likely national election next year that opinion polls suggest it will lose. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hinted that tax cuts are back on the agenda now that his self-imposed pledge to halve inflation this year has been met and government revenue is higher than anticipated. In a speech Monday, Sunak raised expectations that Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement will begin reducing the tax burden in the UK, which is the highest in 70 years in the wake of COVID-19 and the energy price spike triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sunak said on Monday that his government would cut tax and reward hard work but would avoid doing anything that puts at risk our progress in controlling inflation". Inflation eased to 4.6 per cent in October from a year earlier after hitting a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in

Sony faces $7.9 billion mass lawsuit over PlayStation Store prices in UK

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) was sued last year on behalf of nearly nine million people in the United Kingdom who had bought digital games or add-on content through Sony's PlayStation Store

Britain proposes antitrust overhaul after Microsoft-Activision case

Following Brexit, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a bigger say over mega-mergers such as Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the "Call of Duty" maker

UK-India trade body bats for FTA before general elections in both nations

UK-India Business Council (UKIBC), a trade body with a mission to grow trade and investments between the two countries, on Monday said the negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should conclude before the general elections due in both nations next year. Thirteen rounds of negotiations have been already completed between India and the UK on the FTA. "Because of the general elections in India and the UK going to polls next year, it is important that the negotiations for the proposed FTA are concluded early. Otherwise, there will be a pause in the negotiations while the general elections are on," UKIBC Managing Director Kevin McCole said. He said though the election date in the UK has not yet been fixed, the polls may be held between May and November next year. There is a risk that negotiations may have to pause till the elections in India and the UK are over, he said. McCole also said that the bilateral investment treaty between the two countries will help investments from t

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by science, ex-adviser tells inquiry

Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, his chief scientific advisor said Monday. In keenly awaited testimony to the country's public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. I think I'm right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15," he said. I think he'd be the first to admit it wasn't his forte and that he struggled with the concepts and we did need to repeat them often. In extracts from his diary that were relayed to the inquiry, Vallance said Johnson was bamboozled by the graphs and data and that watching him get his head round stats is awful." Vallance said Johnson's struggles were not unique and said many leaders around Europe had problems in understanding the scientific evidence and advice, especially in the first stages of the pandemic in early 2020. I would also sa

UK stance on agri GI items remains hurdle in FTA talks with India

The UK's demand of a higher level of protection for its GI products from the agriculture sector under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India remains an unresolved issue as the talks for the pact are on to iron out differences, an official said. British GI (Geographical Indication) products include Scotch whisky, Stilton cheese and Cheddar cheese. A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin. Once a product gets this tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name. India normally provides general protection for violation of GI rules, but the UK is seeking a higher level of protection, the official, who did not wish to be named, said. "Negotiations are going on between the two countries. There are some issue

India raises concerns over potential carbon taxes in UK FTA talks: Report

Earlier this year, Britain initiated consultations with domestic stakeholders on measures such as a potential carbon border tax, which could mimic the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism.

EAM Jaishankar presides over repatriation of 2 stolen idols in UK

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday presided over a repatriation ceremony in London for two 8th-century temple idols stolen from India and discovered in England recently. The Yogini Chamunda and Yogini Gomukhi idols, stolen from a temple in Lokhari in Uttar Pradesh between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, were recovered by the High Commission of India in London with support from India Pride Project, and Art Recovery International. Jaishankar unveiled the idols at India House on the final day of his five-day visit to the UK and said he looked forward to their return to their home country. It is important today, as we look to appreciate each other's culture, to ensure that cultural exchanges are legal, transparent and rules-based, said Jaishankar. Where there have been deviations, whenever these are corrected I think this is something of great importance, not just in this case, but as a message that this is a practice which is not acceptable in this day and age, he

Jaishankar concludes timely visit to UK amid substantial progress on FTA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar concluded his five-day visit to the UK on Wednesday, which he described as timely after a series of cross-party engagements amid substantial progress on the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations. During a media interaction at the High Commission of India in London before leaving, the EAM shared some insights from his discussions with the UK Cabinet ministers and Opposition leaders which covered a whole spectrum of global and bilateral issues. India's concerns regarding pro-Khalistan extremism in relation to the safety of its diplomats in the country were among the topics that came up during his meetings with UK Home Secretary James Cleverly and National Security Adviser (NSA) Tim Barrow. We have long-standing concerns about extremist and sometimes even violent activities of various forces, including those who propagate Khalistan, said Jaishankar. We have been trying to get the government here to understand that while we as a fellow democra

Big relief for Sunak as UK inflation drops to its lowest in 2 years to 4.6%

Inflation in the UK dropped sharply in October to its lowest level in two years largely because last year's steep rise in domestic energy bills dropped out of the annual comparison, official figures showed Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices in the year to October were 4.6% higher than the year before, much lower than the 6.7% recorded in the previous month. The decline means Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to halve inflation this year has been met. Sunak made the pledge soon after becoming prime minister when inflation was more than 10%. I did that because it is, without a doubt, the best way to ease the cost of living and give families financial security, he said. "Today, we have delivered on that pledge. The government can take comfort from the decline but the main reason why inflation has fallen in that time is because of the big interest rate increases from the Bank of England, which is tasked with meeting a target inflation rate of 2%. Earl

Suella Braverman launches scathing attack on Rishi Sunak after being fired

Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman lashed out at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a day after he fired her, calling his approach uncertain, weak and a betrayal of his promises. In a resignation letter she published on Tuesday, Braverman said Sunak had manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on key pledges and alleged that he never had any intention of keeping them. Sunak sacked Braverman on Monday after she made a series of intemperate statements that deviated from the government line. In recent weeks she called homelessness a lifestyle choice and accused police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protests, which she called hate marches. On Saturday, far-right protesters scuffled with police and tried to confront a pro-Palestinian march by hundreds of thousands through the streets of London. Critics accused Braverman's language of helping to inflame tensions. In her letter, she said Sunak had rejected her calls to ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for a ...