With PM Modi in Trinidad & Tobago, Congress recalls Indira Gandhi's 1968 visit
Trinidad and Tobago is a small twin-island republic that has produced a number of world figures. We in India know it as one of the places to which the British took thousands of indentured labour in the 19th…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 4, 2025
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Free Balochistan': Who is Tommy Robinson? Controversial far-right activist who gained support from Elon Musk
British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has drawn fresh attention online after he posted on X "Free Balochistan". The post, shared with his more than one million followers on X (formerly Twitter), is the latest in a series of controversial statements from the 42-year-old figure known for his inflammatory views, legal troubles, and vocal presence on social media. — TRobinsonNewEra (@TRobinsonNewEra) Tensions are running high in Balochistan following a violent crackdown by authorities on a peaceful rally in Hub Chowki. The protest, organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), was held to denounce the extrajudicial killing of Zeeshan Zaheer, a BYC member from Panjgur, allegedly targeted by a state-backed death squad. The BYC reports that a large number of women, children, and families of forcibly disappeared persons had joined the rally. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, security forces responded with aerial firing, tear gas shelling, and mass arrests once the demonstration ended. Among those detained were four women — Sadiya, Samina, Aseela, and Mehtab — and human rights activist Abdullah Baloch. More than 20 hours later, their whereabouts remain unknown, with no legal proceedings initiated. Who is Tommy Robinson? Robinson rose to prominence in the UK as the founder of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right, anti-Islam group notorious for staging violent protests between 2009 and 2013. His activism has long focused on immigration, Islam, and what he describes as the failure of British authorities to confront crimes like grooming gang abuse. Over the years, he has been jailed for assault (2005), mortgage fraud (2014), and previous contempt of court offences (2019), the latter for filming defendants during a grooming gang trial and potentially jeopardising judicial proceedings. Robinson portrays himself as a whistleblower silenced by the state, gaining significant online backing, including from Elon Musk earlier this year, who reinstated Robinson's X account and has echoed his claims about establishment failures in prosecuting child sexual exploitation cases. Musk had also advocated for his release from jail in January saying, "Why is Tommy Robinson in a solitary confinement prison for telling the truth? He should be freed and those who covered up this travesty should take his place in that cell."
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Indira Gandhi attacked Golden Temple in collaboration with the British, claims BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday accused former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of attacking the Golden Temple in Amritsar in collaboration with Britain and alleged that the Congress party has used the Sikh community for political gain. In a post on X, Dubey shared a letter written by the then Private Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Brian Fall, to the then Private Secretary to the Home Secretary, Hugh Taylor. He used this to support his claim that British army officers were present in Amritsar at the time of Operation Blue Star in 1984. 'In 1984, Indira Gandhi launched an attack on the Golden Temple in collaboration with Britain, with British army officers present in Amritsar at that time. For Congress, the Sikh community is merely a toy,' Dubey wrote. He further alleged that Kartarpur Sahib was handed over to Pakistan through an agreement signed in 1960 by Sardar Swaran Singh. '1. Pakistan was finally given Kartarpur Sahib in 1960 through an agreement made by Sardar Swaran Singh,' the BJP MP wrote. Dubey also claimed that prominent Sikh leaders were elevated to high offices to mask the events of 1984 and shield Congress leaders accused of involvement in the anti-Sikh riots. '2. During the 1984 attack on the Golden Temple and the killing of innocent devotees, Giani Zail Singh was made President. 3. To cover up the 1984 massacre of Sikhs and to protect senior leaders H.K.L. Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, and Sajjan Kumar, Manmohan Singh was made a puppet Prime Minister in 2004. The story of selling out the country and surrendering before foreigners continues,' the X post read. These comments come a day after Dubey's earlier post on Sunday, in which he accused the Congress government of giving away 80 per cent of India's share of Indus River water and the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara to Pakistan in 1960. 'Do you know that in exchange for Pakistan's blood, we gave 80 per cent of our water in the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, and in that same 1960, another agreement took place between Sardar Swaran Singh Ji and Pakistan's Home Minister K.M. Sheikh on January 11, 1960?' Dubey posted. He questioned the legitimacy of the agreement and accused the then-leadership of surrendering national interests. '1. Look at the politics--Sardar Swaran Singh Ji was neither the Home Minister nor the Foreign Minister, yet he was making the agreement? 2. Because in that agreement, we gave away our religious centre, Kartarpur Sahib?' the X post read. He further accused former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of giving away parts of land in Punjab and favouring Pakistan. '3. We gave away Sarja Majra, Rakh Hardit Singh, and Pathanke in the Lahore-Amritsar region. 4. We donated some parts of Punjab's Firozpur district. 5. We gave away the areas of Sulemank and Chak Ladke. They announced this in Parliament as if it were the personal property of Nehru Ji or the Gandhi family. Under the Constitution, this is illegal, but this history of Pakistan favouritism is a shameful and deplorable example of political mentality,' the BJP MP claimed. (ANI)
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Migrants on UK Skilled Worker visa face debt, fake agents, exploitation
A key British work visa route used by thousands of Indian and other foreign professionals leaves migrants vulnerable to abuse by their sponsors, a parliamentary panel has warned. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which reviews government spending, raised concerns on July 5 over the structure of the Skilled Worker visa and the Home Office's failure to prevent exploitation. How the Skilled Worker visa works The Skilled Worker visa allows people from outside the UK and Switzerland to live and work in the UK for an approved sponsoring employer. It replaced the earlier Tier 2 (General) work visa and is a major part of the country's post-Brexit immigration system. Applicants must have a job offer from a UK employer with a sponsor licence, and their right to remain in the country is tied to that employer. This dependency, according to the PAC, increases the risk of exploitation. Parliament flags abuse, debt bondage and fake agents 'There is evidence that applicants have been charged extortionate fees for Skilled Worker visas in their home countries, before they come to the United Kingdom,' the PAC report notes. It adds that workers have been subjected to debt bondage, long working hours and poor conditions. These issues have been particularly severe in the social care sector, which was opened to foreign recruitment in 2022 to address shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Government moved swiftly to open up the visa system to help the social care system cope during the pandemic… Our report finds that this speed came at a painfully high cost – to the safety of workers from the depredations of labour market abuses, and the integrity of the system from people not following the rules,' said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, PAC chair and Conservative MP. He added that the Home Office still lacks basic data, including how many visa holders have been identified as victims of modern slavery or have overstayed their visas. PAC criticised the Home Office for not doing enough to stop fraudulent recruitment practices in migrants' home countries. Many applicants have fallen prey to bogus agents promising jobs in the UK and charging illegal fees. Adis Sehic, policy manager at the Work Rights Centre, said the findings confirmed concerns of widespread abuse involving at least 39,000 migrant care workers, including many Indians. 'This report is yet more damning evidence that the principle of sponsorship, which ties migrant workers in the UK to their employer, is inherently unsafe for workers and, in our view, breaches their human rights,' said Sehic. 'Structural reform of the sponsorship system must urgently be undertaken if this government is to meaningfully uphold its commitments relating to employment and human rights.' Drop in Indian work visas amid rule changes According to UK Home Office data, Indian nationals accounted for 81,463 of the 369,419 work-related visas granted by the UK in 2024 — the highest of any nationality at 22%. However, this marks a sharp 50% drop from 162,655 visas issued to Indians in 2023. The number of main applicants fell by 53% and dependents by 48%, likely reflecting new restrictions introduced in early 2024. These included: • Raising the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas to £38,700 • Banning social care workers from bringing dependents • Reducing the number of jobs eligible for lower salary sponsorship • Increasing the income requirement for spouse or partner visas from £18,600 to £29,000 Within the Indian cohort: • 34,954 were main applicants (43%) • 46,509 were dependents (57%) • 30,301 held Health and Care Worker visas (37%) • 27,922 were on Skilled Worker visas (34%) Other categories included senior or specialist business workers (6,219), creative workers (1,860), international sportspeople (241), religious workers (148), seasonal workers (101), and ministers of religion (70). The Home Office has said it will formally respond to the PAC's recommendations in due course. A spokesperson said, 'We have rolled up our sleeves to fix the broken immigration system, suspending the highest total of skilled worker sponsor licences since records began in 2012, raising the Skilled Worker threshold back to degree level and ending overseas recruitment to the care sector.' The government also recently released its Immigration White Paper, proposing further changes to the Skilled Worker route and international recruitment practices.
