Page 15 - Rishi Sunak

Suella Braverman ramps up stop & search to crack down on knife crime in UK

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Monday gave her full support to police to ramp up the use of stop and search powers to crack down on knife crime and prevent attacks in the country. The intervention comes days after three separate incidents of knife attacks in England, which claimed the lives of three people of Indian heritage. A knife attack in north London ended in the fatal stabbing of 27-year-old student Tejaswini Kontham from Hyderabad last Tuesday, the same day as another fatal stabbing in Nottingham of British Indian teenager Grace O'Malley Kumar. On Friday, 38-year-old Aravind Sivakumar from Kerala was found stabbed to death outside an apartment in south London. Suspects in all three knife crime cases are currently in custody and charged with murder. "Carrying weapons is a scourge on our society. And anyone doing so is risking their own lives as well as the lives of those around them. This dangerous culture must be brought to a stop, said Braverman in a statement. My

UK PM Rishi Sunak joins raid on illegal migrants, over 100 arrested

UK PM Rishi Sunak joined the officials in the raid which ended with the arrest of over 100 illegal immigrants from 20 different nations, according to the statement released by the UK government

We need global cooperation on AI, global AI safety summit soon: Rishi Sunak

Artificial intelligence (AI) doesn't respect traditional national borders so we urgently need global cooperation between nations and labs, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday

Biden, Sunak hold White House talks on challenges to Ukraine, world economy

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched wide-ranging talks at the White House on Thursday by vowing that they would work in lockstep as the globe tries to adapt to a period of rapid economic, political and technological change. The leaders' Oval Office talks were expected to cover the war in Ukraine, China, economic security, international cooperation on regulating the growing field of artificial intelligence, and more. Biden and Sunak have already had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October, but the talks in Washington will offer the two leaders a chance for their most sustained interaction to date. We will put our values front and center," Biden said. Sunak reflected on the significant conversations that their respective predecessors have had over the years in the Oval Office and acknowledged that both he and Biden were facing their own daunting moment. The visit to Washington is Sunak's first since becoming Britain's pri

UK to lead way on AI safety with first global summit: PM Rishi Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is on a visit to the US, on Thursday announced plans for a first-ever global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) later this year, bringing together key countries, leading tech companies and researchers to agree on safety measures to evaluate and monitor AI's most significant risks. While participating countries have not been confirmed by Downing Street at this stage, India is likely to be among the countries as Sunak stressed the importance of like-minded allies and companies working together to develop an international framework to ensure the safe and reliable development and use of AI. The summit, which will be hosted in the UK this autumn, will consider the risks of AI, including frontier systems, and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action. It will also provide a platform for countries to work together on further developing a shared approach to mitigate these risks. AI has an incredible potential to

Biden, Sunak to focus on Ukraine, economic security UK PM's first WH visit

President Joe Biden is welcoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for wide-ranging talks on Thursday as the British leader makes his first White House visit as premier. The leaders' Oval Office talks are expected to cover the war in Ukraine, China, economic security, international cooperation on regulating the growing field of artificial intelligence, and more. Biden and Sunak have already had four face-to-face meetings since Sunak became prime minister in October, but the talks in Washington will offer the two leaders a chance for their most sustained interaction to date. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the 15-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine will be top of mind. The US and UK are the two biggest donors to the Ukraine war effort and play a central role in a long-term effort announced last month to train, and eventually equip, Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Rishi also is looking to make the case to Biden for UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace to succeed ...

Sunak lands in Washington, will talk Ukraine, economy and AI with Biden

But he's also pragmatic, and has restored stability to Britain's government after the turbulent terms of predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss

UK PM Sunak unveils anti-obesity drug pilot to support health service

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a two-year pilot scheme to reduce pressures on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) which will see general practitioners (GPs) prescribe game-changer anti-obesity drugs to patients with at least one weight-related health condition. The British Indian leader, whose father Yashvir is a retired GP, said obesity puts additional pressure on the NHS and helping people lose weight would help cut waiting lists for access to procedures in the health service. Under the GBP 40-million two-year pilot scheme, the NHS will explore how approved drugs can be made safely available to more people by expanding specialist weight management services outside of hospital settings. Obesity puts huge pressure on the NHS, said Sunak. Using the latest drugs to support people to lose weight will be a game-changer by helping to tackle dangerous obesity-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer -- reducing pressu

British PM Rishi Sunak confirms plans to house illegal migrants on ships

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday claimed that his plan to "stop the boats" of illegal migrants coming to UK shores is working as he announced plans to house them on ships to reduce pressure on taxpayer-funded hotels. Addressing a press conference at the border town of Dover in Kent, Sunak said the first such ship will be ready later this month and two others to accommodate a further 1,000 migrants soon after. He pointed out that important legislation, referred to as the Illegal Migration Bill or Stop the Boats Bill, has cleared the House of Commons and will give his government the right to detain and deport migrants who enter the country illegally. "I promised we would get illegal migrants out of hotels and into alternative sites, including military facilities," said Sunak. "To reduce pressures on local communities, we'll also house people on ships. The first will arrive in Portland in the next fortnight. And we've secured another two today that will accommodate anothe

Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Frederiksen, Sunak

President Joe Biden is welcoming Denmark and Britain's prime ministers this week to Washington for talks that will focus heavily on what lays ahead in the war in Ukraine -including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for US aircraft Biden's separate meetings with the leaders of two key NATO allies - he'll huddle with Denmark's Mette Frederiksen on Monday and the UK's Rishi Sunak on Thursday - come at a crucial period in the 15-month war as Ukraine readies to launch a counteroffensive. It's also a moment when the U.S. and Europe are looking to demonstrate to Moscow that the Western-alliance remains strong and focused on cementing a longer-term commitment to Ukraine with no end to the conflict in sight. One of the things we'l

UK PM Rishi Sunak planning London-based global AI watchdog: Report

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering a London-based global artificial intelligence (AI) watchdog to oversee any threats posed by the fast-growing technology, according to a UK media report on Saturday. Sunak will discuss ways to cooperate on monitoring AI when he meets US President Joe Biden at the White House next week, according to The Times'. Among the ideas under consideration in Downing Street is setting up a global AI authority in London, modelled on the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA, founded in 1957 with 176 countries including India as members, monitors the use of nuclear energy, promotes safe standards, and checks that it is not used for military purposes. A British minister told the newspaper that the UK would be the best place in the world for any new body because many leading companies already have a strong presence here. Though plans are at an early stage, if Sunak pushes ahead, the UK government could seek to recruit ..

Changes in visa rules won't impact undergrad students, says UK minister

His comment comes days after UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman recently announced changes to the existing visa rules, which included disallowing students from bringing dependants into the country

'Shocked' UK PM Rishi Sunak clamps down on free vapes for children

"My daughters are 10 and 12, and I don't want the way vapes are marketed, promoted and sold to be attractive to them," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday as he launched a crackdown to protect children from "rogue companies and online crooks". Announcing the new set of measures aimed at curbing under-age vaping, Sunak said expressed his shock at reports of illicit vapes containing lead getting into the hands of schoolchildren. Taking to Twitter, the father of schoolgirls Anoushka and Krishna said: My daughters are 10 and 12, and I don't want the way vapes are marketed, promoted and sold to be attractive to them." That's why I am launching a new crackdown today to protect children and go after the rogue companies and online crooks who are putting vapes into their hands, he said. A loophole that allows retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England is set to be closed under the new plans. While selling vapes to under 18s is illegal in the country, ...

Will UK's new visa rules impact Indian students? Here's what report says

Home Secretary Suella Braverman also announced that the government is mulling removing the ability for international students to switch to work visas before finishing their courses

Indian nationals bag top spot on UK's skilled worker, student visa tally

According to the data released, net migration in 2022 reached a record high of 606,000, adding pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who vowed to bring the numbers down

UK to soon disallow international students to bring dependants along

The move comes ahead of the official data, which is expected to show that legal migration has hit a record high of 700,000 this year

Modi, Sunak agree to work towards ambitious' FTA during talks in Japan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Sunday reviewed the progress of the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and agreed for their trade teams to continue at pace towards an ambitious deal, Downing Street said. Modi and Sunak met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 advanced economies here in Hiroshima. In their second in-person meeting since the G20 Summit in Indonesia last November, the two leaders are said to have discussed the deep ties shared between the nations. In relation to India's G20 presidency, Downing Street also indicated that the British Indian leader's first visit to India is expected to be for the G20 Summit in New Delhi later this year. The leaders reflected on the deep ties between the UK and India, rooted in our human connections, and the vital importance of democracy and fair and open trade, said a Downing Street spokesperson. "They discussed progress on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement. The leaders agreed that

PM Modi, British counterpart Sunak review bilateral strategic ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held productive talks with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak during which they reviewed bilateral strategic partnership, including progress in India-UK FTA negotiations. The two leaders also agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas such as trade and investment and science and technology. Modi and Sunak met on the sidelines of the summit of the G7 advanced economies here in Hiroshima. "A boost to - Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. PM @narendramodi held productive talks with PM @RishiSunak of the UK in Hiroshima. The two leaders reviewed their Strategic Partnership, including taking stock of progress in India-UK FTA negotiations," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted. Leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide range of areas, such as trade & investment, science & technology, higher education, and people-to-people relationship, it said. India and the UK have been negotiating an FTA since ...

Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty's fortunes take a hit in new rich list analysis

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty, who made their UK rich list debut last year, lost around GBP 201 million since then as a result of a drop in the value of Murty's shares in Infosys, according to a media report on Friday. The couple has slipped from 222nd position in 2022 to 275th in this year's tally with an estimated wealth of GBP 529 million, largely attributed to the Indian software firm co-founded by Murty's father Narayana Murthy, claimed "The Sunday Times Rich List" 2023. The couple's most valuable asset has long been a shareholding in Infosys, an Indian IT giant set up by Murty's father, the rich list analysis said. Over the past year, their wealth has fallen by more than half a million pounds a day. When the pair made their debut on the Rich List 12 months ago, this stake was worth about GBP 690 million. Since then Infosys' shares have plummeted owing to lower revenues from its banking, tech and other clients, it noted. The annual compilation of ..

British PM Sunak welcomes Ukraine President Zelenskyy on surprise visit

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday laid out a warm welcome for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a surprise visit to the UK and reiterated his support for the war-torn European nation by offering further military support, including air defence missiles and armed drones. Downing Street said Zelenskyy updated Sunak on his meetings with European leaders over the weekend as Ukraine prepares for an intensified period of military activity. The visit also comes ahead of the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland, which Sunak is due to travel for this week ahead of a visit to Tokyo for the G7 Summit in Japan. This is a crucial moment in Ukraine's resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke. They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year, said Sunak. We must not let them down. The frontlines of [Russian ...