Britain’s Trade Minister has defended a contentious tax break for some Indian workers agreed as part of a landmark free trade agreement with India, saying the idea that he had undercut British workers was absolute nonsense. The trade deal, which includes a range of tariff cuts on British imports to India, also exempts some short-term workers from India from paying into Britain’s social security system for three years. The exemption…

The United Kingdom government’s central justification for sweeping changes to environmental protections in its controversial new planning and infrastructure bill has been dealt a major blow by its own impact assessment. According to the analysis conducted by Whitehall officials, there is very little evidence to support the claim that environmental protections delay development. The bill, which is currently under scrutiny, aims to fast-track housing and infrastructure projects by allowing developers…

Ed Miliband has called for a massive expansion of solar power through the untapped potential of Britain’s car parks. The Energy Secretary while seeking views on how to spur the construction of solar panel canopies above parking spaces at supermarkets, offices and shopping villages. The idea is viewed as a win-win because it would make better use of sprawling car parks while also generating more green electricity, potentially lowering bills…

The United Kingdom (UK) may soon introduce tougher visa requirements for citizens of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, citing concerns over high rates of overstaying and subsequent asylum claims. According to a report by The Times, the UK Home Office is taking steps to curb what it sees as growing abuse of work and study visas. Citizens from these countries are reportedly more likely to remain in the UK beyond…

President Donald Trump said Moscow and Kyiv want to settle the war in Ukraine and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was more inclined towards peace after the recent fall in the price of oil. “I think Russia, with the price of oil right now, oil has gone down, we are in a good position to settle, they want to settle. Ukraine wants to settle,” Trump said on Monday. The price…

The introduction of steep U.S. tariffs on low-value shipments from China and Hong Kong has pushed a Hong Kong-based watch company to shift its business strategy, turning its focus from America to Europe. Quinn Lai, founder of the DIY Watch Club, which specialises in do-it-yourself timepiece assembly kits, saw the writing on the wall when the U.S. announced it would end duty exemptions for small packages from China and Hong…

In his bid to become the country’s 10th chancellor, Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has failed by falling short by six votes in the first round of voting in parliament. Merz, who had been widely expected to win the parliamentary vote, needed 316 votes in the secret ballot held on Tuesday, but he received only 310. The failure to win the required majority means that…

The United Kingdom is falling behind international efforts to tackle the growing crisis of microplastic pollution.

The Trump administration announced on Monday that it will pay a sum of $1,000 stipend and travel assistance to illegal immigrants for self deport from the U.S said the Department of Homeland Security. The stipend and potential airfare for migrants who voluntarily depart would cost less than an actual deportation, the agency said. The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about $17,000, according…

Ahead of the conclave beginning this week, all 133 Catholic cardinals eligible to vote for a new pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican confirmed on Monday. They will enter into seclusion in the Sistine Chapel at 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Wednesday, voting in secret until one of them secures the required two-thirds majority to become the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. Summoned following the death of…

Beneath the solemn gaze of Sir Winston Churchill’s statue and under the chimes of Big Ben at noon, Britain paid tribute to one of the most pivotal moments in modern history: the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. In an emotional and grand ceremony that unfolded across central London on Monday, military pageantry blended with poignant remembrance, honouring the generation that bore witness to the final triumph of the…

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is considering naming his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, as national security adviser. “I have a lot of people that want the job, I can tell you,but I’m going to be naming somebody who needs to fill the job within six months.” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington from a weekend at his…