Page 9 - Uk Govt

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

Russia, Germany, UK urge restraint as Iranian threat puts W Asia on edge

The German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital and Russia warned against travel to West Asia

Tata protests: Steelworkers at UK's plant vote to strike over job losses

Around 1,500 Tata Steel workers based at two plants in Wales voted in favour of industrial action on Thursday over the company's plan to close its blast furnaces and shed 2,800 jobs. The Mumbai-headquartered steel major said it was disappointed over the move while consultation continues and pointed to significant irregularities in the ballot process in favour of strikes. While the company says its restructuring plans were important to sustain the business as it transforms to new electric technology, Unite the Union said its workers from the Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern plants had voted against the disastrous plans because they did not agree with the approach. We are naturally disappointed that while consultation continues, Unite Union members at Port Talbot and Llanwern have indicated that they would be prepared to take industrial action up to and including strike action if an agreement cannot be reached on a way forward for the business and its employees, a Tata Steel ...

Higher income threshold regime to apply for UK Family Visa comes into force

The minimum income required for British citizens and residents, including those of Indian heritage, wanting to sponsor their relatives on a Family Visa increased by over 55 per cent from Thursday, as the incremental increase in salary thresholds announced by the government last year are enforced. Starting Thursday, for someone to be sponsored to come to the UK on a Family Visa, they must have a minimum annual salary of GBP 29,000, up from GBP 18,600. By early next year, this will have increased two more times to match the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold of GBP 38,700. The UK Home Office said it marks the final measure in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly's package to reduce legal migration and ensure those arriving here do not burden the taxpayer. We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people, said Cleverly. I promised action and we have

Gaza war: UK sends naval ship, announces support for maritime aid corridor

Apart from deploying navy ship, the UK government also committed to provide aid deliveries worth up to £9.7 million, equipment support to the corridor

Defeat predicted for Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party in UK polls: Survey

Public survey conducted by YouGov shows that the Opposition Labour Party is heading towards a landslide victory

UK airports get more time to put in new scanners allowing liquids, laptops

Drink it or bin it: That phrase should have become history this summer at all UK airports. But it's set to persist for at least another year after the British government said it will grant extensions to several large UK airports unable to meet the June 1 deadline to fully install new scanning technology. The airports include London's two biggest, Heathrow and Gatwick. The new scanners use computed tomography, commonly known as a CT scan, to produce clearer images. They are being rolled out globally, including in the US and across Europe, and will allow passengers to go through security with 2 litres (70 ounces) of liquid in their hand luggage rather than the current paltry 100 millilitres (3.5 ounces). They will also mean laptops and tablets won't need to be removed from bags saving even more time. The restrictions were introduced around the world in 2006 following a foiled terror plot to blow up planes flying from London to the US with homemade liquid bombs. They were not expect

UK's Thames Water faces new crisis as shareholders refuse to invest

The group has become a poster child for the failures of privatisation, after its performance deteriorated in the 2010s when its previous investors took out huge dividends

Japan approves plan to sell future next-generation jets to other nations

Japan's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it's developing with the UK and Italy to other countries, in the latest move away from the country's postwar pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan's role in the joint fighter jet project and part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan's arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to countries other than the partners. Japan has long restricted arms exports under the country's pacifist constitution, but has rapidly taken steps to deregulate amid rising regional and global tensions, especially from nearby China. The decision on jets will allow Japan to export lethal weapons it coproduces to other countries for the first time. Japan is working with Italy and the UK to develo

New Zealand joins US, UK in claims of China-backed cyber espionage

Hackers linked to the Chinese government launched a state-sponsored operation that targeted New Zealand's Parliament in 2021, the country's security minister said on Tuesday. New Zealand's allegation comes a day after US and UK authorities announced a set of criminal charges and sanctions against seven hackers, all believed to be living in China, who targeted US officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the UK's election watchdog. "The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable," Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) Judith Collins said in a media statement. Collins said the agency had also established links between a state-sponsored actor linked to China and malicious cyber activity targeting parliamentary entities in New Zealand. "The GCSB's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) completed a robust technical assessment following a compromi

US, UK accuse China of broad cyberattacks, British voter data theft

The hackers, part of a state-sponsored group known as APT31, have been charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud

UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch called 'massive fraud' mastermind by US

Lynch's lawyer, Reid Weingarten, countered in his opening that the government's narrative paints a black-and-white picture and "that ain't the way the world works"

UK's contentious plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda likely to clear Parl

The British government hopes one last push can revive its stalled plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. A bill aimed at overcoming a UK Supreme Court block on deportation flights returns to the House of Commons and could be passed into law within days. That would be a boost for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is facing disquiet from fellow Conservative lawmakers as the party lags in opinion polls ahead of an election due this year. Britain and Rwanda signed a deal almost two years ago that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently. So far, no migrant has been sent to Rwanda under the agreement. Lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday rejected changes made to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by Parliament's upper chamber, the House of Lords. The Lords inserted a series of amendments designed to water down the legislation. All 10 amendments, backed by opposition members of

Plane carrying UK minister gets its GPS jammed as it flew near Russia

A plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its satellite signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory, the government said on Thursday. The government said the Royal Air Force jet carrying Shapps, officials and journalists temporarily experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad on a flight from Poland to the UK. The Times of London, whose reporter was onboard, said that for about 30 minutes mobile phones couldn't connect to the internet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. Shapps visited Poland on Wednesday to see UK troops participating in a large NATO exercise, Steadfast Defender. Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania, home to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman, Dave Pares, said the jamming didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft at any point. He said it was not unusual for aircraft to experience electronic jamming near ...

Will back legislation to ban foreign ownership of British newspapers: UK

The UK government said on Wednesday it will back legislation banning foreign state ownership of British newspapers and magazines, a move that could upend a planned takeover by a United Arab Emirates-led consortium of the Telegraph Media Group. The development comes after numerous lawmakers from across the political divide urged for an explicit ban, rather than using a regulatory approach to ensure that publications don't parrot views of state actors. The minister in charge of media, Stephen Parkinson, said the government will table an amendment to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill currently making its way through Parliament. The bill, which is expected to pass easily, will prevent the takeover of British publications by foreign governments. However, foreign individuals and firms will continue to be able to own papers and magazines. Freedom of the press is fundamental to a functioning democracy," said Parkinson. What freedom of the press means is freedom from ...

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

Indian envoy to UK, other dignitaries meet Bihar CM Nitish in London

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is currently in London, was on Sunday paid a visit by Vikram K Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Others who came to meet Kumar, who has been abroad for about a week, included Baba Mohinder Singh, the Jathedar of UK Seva Dal, a body of Sikhs, and a number of people from Bihar settled in Britain. According to the office of the chief minister, during the "courtesy call" from Doraiswami, Kumar shared with the envoy his impressions about the renowned science museum in London, which he had visited a few days ago. Kumar also told Doraiswami that a "science city" was coming up in Patna, and it has been named after former president APJ Abdul Kalam. The science city would, among other things, "highlight the contributions in science of ancient India", including the city of Pataliputra, the name by which Patna was known in the distant past. Kumar was greatly impressed with the water management techniques adopted in Scotland,

Former British PM Theresa May to stand down at next election after 27 years

Theresa May, who was the prime minister of Britain between 2016 and 2019, on Friday announced her exit from frontline politics after 27 years as a member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The 67-year-old, whose travails with getting a Brexit deal through Parliament in the wake of the June 2016 referendum ended in a forced exit from 10 Downing Street over four years ago, said she had taken the "difficult decision" to not contest in the next general election from her Maidenhead constituency in south-east England. She has been the Conservative MP for the Berkshire seat since 1997, having been elected seven times. "Since stepping down as prime minister I have enjoyed being a backbencher again and having more time to work for my constituents and champion causes close to my heart including most recently launching a Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, said May in a statement to her local Maidenhead Advertiser'. These causes have been taking an increasing amount

UK's Jeremy Hunt plays down talk of big tax cuts in pre-election budget

'We don't have as much of a positive outlook as we had at the end of the Autumn Statement,' he said in an interview, referring to last November's fiscal update

Rishi Sunak warns of 'toxic' culture in UK politics amid threats to MPs

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned against a growing toxic culture in politics amid reports of members of Parliament facing security threats over their voting intentions in the House of Commons related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The 43-year-old British Indian leader issued a statement on Saturday to condemn the hijacking of protests on the streets of the country by extremists to glorify terrorism. It came as a report in The Sunday Times' newspaper claims that three unnamed female MPs have been sanctioned additional security after concerns about their safety. "The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on the 7 October [2023] are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put antisemitism is racism," said Sunak in his statement. "Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament ...