UK updates immigration and university fee policies: Expedited visa, sponsorship costs rise – see details

The United Kingdom has announced fresh hikes for in-country expedited immigration services, effective October 21, Tuesday, continuing a trend of significant hikes over the past two years.Expedited processing of sponsorship management requests for worker, temporary worker, or student sponsors now costs GBP 350, up 75% from GBP 200. Meanwhile, priority service for sponsor licence applications…

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Low costs, tech focused & more: How can Indian exports stay competitive? Explained

The global economy is slowing down and trade dynamics are undergoing a change.At a time like this, India needs to evaluate its export strategies, with focus on long-term competitiveness through technology, cost efficiency, and domestic production, Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) explainedSpeaking to ANI, Srivastava said, “The focus should be…

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‘Strong immunity to Western restrictions’: Russia hits out as Trump sanctions its oil firms; ‘step entirely counterproductive’

Russia said that recent US sanctions targeting its oil sector could potentially undermine diplomatic initiatives. (AI image) Russia has slammed Donald Trump administration’s sanctions on its oil firms saying that the move undermines efforts for peace, adding that it is immune to any such restrictions.Russia said that recent US sanctions targeting its oil sector could…

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No oil from Russia soon? Trump sanctions to hit India’s crude imports; ‘all but impossible for flows to continue’

Indian refiners anticipate a significant decline in Russian oil imports, potentially even reaching zero. (AI image) The Donald Trump administration’s latest move to sanction major Russian oil firms Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC will likely make it almost impossible for India to continue procuring crude from Russia. Analytics firm Kpler reports that Russian oil made…

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Trump sanctions on Russia oil firms: What does US move mean for Indian refiners? Contracts being reviewed

India is the world’s third-largest oil-importing and consuming nation and it depends heavily on overseas supplies. (AI image) With the Donald Trump administration slapping sanctions on two major Russian oil firms – Rosneft and Lukoil – refiners in India are reviewing their oil contracts. State-owned refiners are reportedly examining their documents for Russian oil procurement…

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Asian stocks today: Markets trade in red tracking Wall Street’s losses; Nikkei down almost 800 points, Kospi sheds 1%

Stock markets in Asia struggled on Wednesday, mirroring Wall Street losses as investors weighed worries that this year’s tech-driven rally may be approaching its limits. Hong Kong’s HSI fell 22 points or 0.09% to 25,759. Nikkei traded at 48,509, shedding 797 points or 1.6%. Shanghai and Shenzhen also traded in red, down 0.66% and 0.87%,…

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Global oil prices: Trump’s sanctions on Russian firms trigger sharp rise; Brent crude futures soar nearly 5%

Oil prices rose sharply on Wednesday, triggered by America’s fresh sanctions on Russian oil companies.Brent crude futures jumped $3.03, or 4.94%, to $64.35 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude added $1.42, or 2.43%, to $59.92 after the settlement at 6 PM EDT (2200 GMT). Earlier, Brent had settled $1.27 higher at $62.59…

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‘Putin wasn’t ‘honest’: US imposes sanctions on Russian oil firms; Scott Bessent reveals why Donald Trump was ‘disappointed’

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (R) The Donald Trump-led US administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, intensifying pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine. The move marks one of Washington’s largest-ever sanctions packages against Moscow, announced after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Vladimir Putin…

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