Page 14 - Uk Govt

UK PM Sunak proposes raising legal age to buy cigarettes in England

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday proposed raising the legal age that people in England can buy cigarettes by one year, every year until it is eventually illegal for the whole population and smoking will hopefully be phased out among young people. Setting out his plan at the annual Conservative Party conference, Sunak said he wanted to stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place." It is currently illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to people under 18 years old throughout the UK. Sunak's office said the incremental changes would stop children who turn 14 this year and those younger than that now from ever legally being sold cigarettes in England. If Parliament approves the proposal, the legal change would only apply in England not in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. People take up cigarettes when they're young. Four in five smokers have started by the time they're 20," he said. Later, the vast majority try to quit ... if we could bre

UK high commissioner condemns heckling of Indian envoy at Glasgow gurdwara

Alex Ellis, the UK's High Commissioner to India, on Wednesday said the incident in Glasgow last week where his Indian counterpart was blocked from entering a gurdwara by pro-Khalistan extremists was something that "absolutely should not have happened." Arrests were made after protesters gathered outside the High Commission of India in London on Monday, waving anti-India placards and chanting slogans, and similar action had been taken in March too, he said. "There are other ways in which the British authorities can act where they see extremism of any form. For example closing down TV stations, charities and schools, none of which are what they say they are," the UK envoy said at the India Today Conclave here. Security "around people and the buildings of India" too was enhanced, he added. "Something happened (in Glasgow) which absolutely should not have happened," Ellis further said. As per a statement issued by the High Commission of India in London, three people from outside ...

Suella Braverman orders review into UK police firearms regulations

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has launched a review into the legal protections for officers on firearms duties after a revolt within Scotland Yard ranks following a murder charge against a Metropolitan Police officer who had discharged his gun while on duty. The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is said to have offered soldiers as backup support for armed police in London after several officers turned in their weapon-carrying permits since their colleague was charged last week. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had authorised charges against the officer, granted legal anonymity, in connection with a shooting in September last year. "We depend on our brave firearms officers to protect us from the most dangerous and violent in society. In the interest of public safety, they have to make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressures," Braverman said in a post on X on Sunday. "They mustn't fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties. Officers risking their

UK might ban smoking: Here's what the Indian law says about smoking

In 2004, Bhutan became the first country in the world to completely ban the cultivation, harvesting, production, and sale of tobacco products

UK PM Rishi Sunak defends shift in climate policy as realistic approach

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday defended his shift in climate action policy as a pragmatic and realistic approach towards delivering the country's Net Zero target, amid criticism over proposed delays in certain measures. A day after his speech set out a pushback of petrol and diesel car ban and other cost-intensive measures to reduce the country's carbon emissions, Sunak fought back suggestions that he was filtering down the UK's climate commitments. Amid criticism from within his own party and also from Opposition and industry, he stressed that his updated approach was designed to protect "hard-pressed British families" from "unacceptable costs". We're very confident being in government, with all the information at our disposal that we are on track to hit all our targets, Sunak told the BBC in an interview. We're absolutely not slowing down efforts to combat climate change. I'm very proud of our country's leadership. We've decarbonised faster than any other major

France rolls out red carpet for King Charles III's 3-day state visit

King Charles III of the United Kingdom starts a three-day state visit to France on Wednesday meant to highlight with great pomp both nations' friendship, after the trip was postponed in March amid widespread demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's pension changes. Charles and Queen Camilla will be greeted by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at Paris-Orly airport, before heading to the city centre for a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in the presence of Macron and his wife, Brigitte. The visit shows the deep historical ties that unite our two countries. It is also an opportunity to showcase France's cultural, artistic and gastronomic excellence, the French presidency said. At the Arc de Triomphe, both nations' hymns will be played before a review of French troops and a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark the shared sacrifices of the past and an enduring legacy of cooperation, according to Buckingham Palace. The jet fighters of the Patrouille de France a

Truly a turning point in resetting competitiveness: Tata Steel ED & CFO

Tata Steel ED & CFO, Koushik Chatterjee, discusses how the structural issues of the plant are going to be fixed and impact of carbon border adjustment mechanism

UK Parliament researcher held by UK police for China spying, says report

Hours after the arrest was made public, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi

British PM Sunak emplanes for UK after productive G20 Summit in India

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak concluded his two-day long visit to India as he departed on Sunday after attending a successful G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi

UK PM Rishi Sunak signs new strategic pact with Singapore in India

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has agreed a new strategic partnership with Singapore during a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the margins of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. Following the new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership, Downing Street said both countries will work to conclude a "new and modern" bilateral investment treaty the first the UK has negotiated since Brexit. The pact is expected to give Singaporean companies more confidence to invest in the UK and vice-versa, creating jobs and growth for both economies. This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners, said Sunak in a statement from Delhi. As Prime Minister, I've put the interests of the British people front and centre of my international engagement. I am ensuring that diplomacy delivers. You have already seen that through deals that will stop

London room rental costs surpasses £1,000 per month for first time

Data compiled by SpareRoom, a website that matches people seeking roommates, shows the average rent for a single room in the capital rose 15% from a year ago to £1,013 in August

G20 Summit 2023: UK PM Rishi Sunak shares his vision for UK-India relations

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks about his family's Indian origins, deepening bilateral relationships and potential collaborations between the two nations. Here are the highlights

UK acknowledges possible encryption hurdles as online safety law looms

"If appropriate technology does not exist which meets these requirements, Ofcom cannot require its use," Parkinson said

UK PM Rishi Sunak's family in India prepares for grand G20 welcome: Report

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will land in India later this week for the G20 World Leaders' Summit and can expect a grand welcome from his relatives in New Delhi, according to a UK media report. The Daily Telegraph' reported over the weekend that Sunak's relatives will host a feast with flower bouquets and non-stop dancing to Punjabi music. Dr Gautam Dev Sood, 65, a maternal uncle of the UK Prime Minister of Punjabi heritage, said all relatives have been asked to come to the Indian capital to mark his arrival. It is a great honour for us that he is visiting his ancestral land, Sood told the newspaper. Subhash Berry, Sunak's paternal uncle, added: We can't divulge exact details but a plan is in place to welcome the (British) prime minister. We are gearing up for a night of non-stop dancing, mostly to the lively beats of the traditional Punjabi music, although I imagine we might also groove to a few English tunes along the way. The newspaper notes that Sunak is unlikely to att

UK to ban Russia's Wagner mercenary group as terrorist organisation

The UK government will table a draft proscription order in the House of Commons on Wednesday which will impose a ban on Russia's mercenary Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation. The proscription order will make it illegal to be a member of or support the Russian group in the UK, the Home Office said. Certain offences related to banned terror organisations can result in 14 years imprisonment in the country. As part of the Home Office draft order, Wagner's assets can also be categorised as terrorist property and seized. "Wagner is a violent and destructive organisation which has acted as a military tool of [President] Vladimir Putin's Russia overseas, said UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman. While Putin's regime decides what to do with the monster it created, Wagner's continuing destabilising activities only continue to serve the Kremlin's political goals. They are terrorists, plain and simple and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law, she said. The Indian-origin H

India's Covid vax rate falls 75% since Apr as US, UK ready for another shot

In recent weeks, over 70 per cent of India's current vaccinations have been adminis­tered to people in the age group of 45-60 years

UK PM Sunak appoints Grant Shapps as new defence minister in mini reshuffle

Grant Shapps, one of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's staunchest Cabinet allies, was named UK defence secretary on Thursday as Sunak began a Cabinet reshuffle ahead of a general election that is expected to take place next year. The move came after Ben Wallace formally submitted his resignation earlier in the day, honouring a promise made last month. Wallace was defence secretary for four years, overseeing Britain's military response to the war in Ukraine. Shapps, who supported Sunak during his campaign to become Conservative Party leader and prime minister last year, has been a Cabinet member since 2019, most recently serving as secretary of state for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero. Wallace used his resignation letter to press for increased funding for the military, long his primary issue. I genuinely believe that over the next decade the world will get more insecure and more unstable," Wallace wrote in his letter to Sunak. We both share the belief that now is

England to be offer world-first seven-minute cancer treatment injection

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) will be the first in the world to offer an "under the skin" injection for cancer treatment, possibly decreasing treatment times by up to three quarters

UK government to hold world's first summit on AI safety in November

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that no country will be untouched by AI and an international approach in the interconnected world

UK has no intention of becoming a place to evade justice: British Security

The United Kingdom has no intention of becoming a place where those seeking to evade justice can hide, British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said, amid India's continuing push for extradition of billionaire fugitives Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. Tugendhat, without citing specific cases, said legal processes must be adhered to in matters relating to extradition. "We both (the UK and India) have legal processes that must be gone through. But the UK government is absolutely clear, we have no intention of becoming a place where those who are seeking to evade justice can hide," he told PTI in an interview. Tugendhat was in India on a three-day visit from August 10-12 primarily to attend the G20 anti-corruption ministerial meeting in Kolkata. In Delhi, he held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The British Security Minister was replying to a question on India's persistent demand for extradition of a number of economic offenders