United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) will relocate its visa approval centre from Bangkok to New Delhi, starting in June this year. The move is part of UKVI’s longstanding global strategy to modernise its visa operations and consolidate visa decision-making in large regional hubs, said a press release issued by the British Embassy to Thailand on Friday. There will be no change to the current visa application process in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, or to overall service standards, the release said. The move to New Delhi will maximise the benefits of new technology that allows visa decision-making to be independent of the country of application. It will drive efficiency savings and achieve greater standardisation of visa decisions around the world, according to the release. British Ambassador to Thailand, Brian Davidson, said the number of Thai nationals applying for UK visas and travelling to the UK rises every year. “We are delighted at this growth as it shows the strength … [Read more...] about UK to shift visa approvals from Bangkok to New Delhi
Delhi
WTO’s informal 2-day mini-ministerial in Delhi from Monday
Representatives from 50 countries invited by India will gather here for a WTO mini-ministerial meeting on March 19-20, an official statement said on Sunday. A Commerce Ministry statement said this informal meeting of World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministers, without a pre-announced agenda, is aimed at facilitating an exchange of views on various challenges facing the multilateral trading system "with the hope that it will lead to political guidance on some major issues". This will be the second WTO mini-ministerial meeting being hosted by India, after the first in 2009. Taking note of the collapse of the WTO Buenos Aires ministerial talks in December last year, it said: "It is hoped that the New Delhi meeting will provide an opportunity for ministers to explore in greater detail the options on different issues for re-invigorating the WTO." The talks at the 11th ministerial conference at Buenos Aires broke down as the US reneged on its commitment, along with other countries, to find a … [Read more...] about WTO’s informal 2-day mini-ministerial in Delhi from Monday
PH pugs cop medals in Delhi tourney
The national boxing team bagged one gold, one silver and one bronze medals in the 1st India Open International Boxing Tournament held at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi, India. World Championship silver medalist Nesthy Petecio won a gold medal in the women’s featherweight (54-57 kgs.). Petecio posted an impressive 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Indian bet Sonia Lather in the championship round of the tournament that drew more than 300 boxers from different parts of the region. The 25-year old Davao del Sur pride made it to the finals by ousting 2017 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Thongjan Tassamalee of Thailand in the quarterfinals (5-0), and 2015 SEA Games silver medalist Christina Marwan Jembay of Indonesia in the semifinals (5-0). World Championship and SEA Games gold medalist Josie Gabuco, on the other hand, settled for silver in the women’s light flyweight (45-48 kgs.). She suffered a 1-4 loss to Olympian Mary Kom of India in the gold-medal match. … [Read more...] about PH pugs cop medals in Delhi tourney
Eight-month-old girl raped in Delhi
NEW DELHI: An eight-month-old Indian girl was Tuesday recovering in hospital after she was raped at her home in Delhi, the latest such case in a country notorious for high levels of sexual violence. The girl's parents rushed her to hospital after discovering her bed covered in blood when they returned from work on Sunday. She later underwent a three-hour operation for her injuries.The Press Trust of India said the girl's 27-year-old cousin had been arrested and charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, meaning he could face a life sentence."The worst has happened," tweeted Swati Maliwal, the head of the Delhi Commission for Women, after visiting the girl in hospital."An eight-month-old baby has been brutally raped in the Capital and is battling for her life in a hospital."A UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2014 said one in three rape victims in India was a minor and expressed alarm over the widespread sexual abuse of children.Nearly 11,000 cases of … [Read more...] about Eight-month-old girl raped in Delhi
Singapore Airlines steward arrested at New Delhi airport for smuggling gold
Singapore – A Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew member has been arrested in India for allegedly smuggling gold.The senior steward – believed to be Singaporean – was arrested by Indian customs officers on Monday (Jan 22) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.An SIA spokesman who confirmed the news told The Straits Times: “SIA confirms that a member of its cabin crew operating on SIA Flight SQ402 on Jan 22 was detained by Delhi Customs authorities”.“SIA will provide full co-operation to the investigating authorities. We are unable to provide details of the crew member concerned due to confidential reasons.”The airport’s Joint Commissioner of Customs Anubha Singh told Indian media that officers intercepted the SIA steward, who had arrived from Singapore. “We searched him and recovered 1,048g of gold,” he said.Initial investigations revealed that the crew member had intended to hand over the gold, worth about … [Read more...] about Singapore Airlines steward arrested at New Delhi airport for smuggling gold