International

Visitor visa holders can now work in UK — Government

Published

4 months ago

January 1, 2024

Visitor visa holders can now work in UK — Government

The United Kingdom has announced changes to its immigration rules, including one that will allow those with visiting visas to work in the country.

According to a report in Gatekeepers News, the amendments to the rules have been made public by the UK Government.

Following the amendment, those with visitor visas can now work in the country from January 31, 2024.

The amendments include:

Working with Clients: Visitors holding these visas can work with clients under certain conditions. This includes working in a company with branches in the UK and abroad, where client work constitutes a small part of their job abroad, and the work is necessary for a project or service by their employer’s UK branch. However, the project cannot be delivered directly to a UK client by the visitor’s employer overseas.
Remote Work: Visitors are allowed to work remotely from the UK, but the primary purpose of their visit should not be remote work.
Scientists, Researchers, and Academics: Professionals in these fields can engage in research activities in the UK, with the exception of academics applying for a 12-month visit visa or extending permission from within Britain.

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Lawyers: Lawyers can participate in additional activities in the UK, including giving advice, acting as an expert witness, participating in arbitrations, legal proceedings, and teaching.
Paid Speakers: Speakers visiting the UK on a visitor visa are now eligible to receive payment for their talks.
Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) Visitor Route: This route will be merged into the Standard Visitor route. Those engaged in paid activities will not require a separate visa but must plan the activity within 30 days of arriving.

These changes, particularly the allowance for remote work, are anticipated to attract increased business and tourism to the United Kingdom.

Last month the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt vowed that the UK government will expand the business visitor rules to permit businesspeople “to engage in a wider range of permitted activities and paid engagements, to take effect from January 2024. The government will also explore further reforms to the business visitor rules, during 2024.”

Travelling to the UK as a Standard Visitor encompasses purposes such as tourism, business, short-term study, and other approved reasons for up to six months, with the possibility of extension in special cases like medical treatment.

Visitor visa holders can now work in UK — Government

International

Melinda Gates resigns as co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation she launched with her ex-husband

Published

56 mins ago

May 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Melinda French and Bill Gates

Melinda Gates resigns as co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation she launched with her ex-husband

Melinda French Gates said Monday she would resign as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that she has helped lead after about 24 years.

As part of her separation agreement from former husband and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, Melinda said she will receive an additional $12.5 billion for her charitable work, saying she planned to focus her giving on groups that focus on women and families.

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“This is not a decision I came to lightly,” she said in a statement posted on X. “I am immensely proud of the foundation that Bill and I built together and of the extraordinary work it is doing to address inequities around the world.”

Melinda French Gates said she planned to leave the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on June 7, and she will share more about her future charitable plans in the near future.

Melinda Gates resigns as co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation she launched with her ex-husband

International

Man shoots stepmom trying to hug him during graduation ceremony

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Christian Bencomo

Man shoots stepmom trying to hug him during graduation ceremony

A woman has been shot by her stepson after she tried to hug him during a high school graduation ceremony.

The incident happened on Wednesday at Albuquerque in New Mexico, United States of America.

The man identified as Christian Bencomo, 21, is currently being held with no bail.

According to Fox News, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said it received a call around 5 p.m. that shots were fired at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

The media outlet report that authorities said the woman was attending the Southwest Secondary Learning Center graduation for her son.

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Her stepson arrived and “as she started to hug him, he produced a handgun and shot her in the neck,” police said.

APD Communications Director, Gilbert Gallegos, told the media at the scene there was a lot of chaos at the time.

Gallegos said there were over 100 people at the charter school graduation ceremony at the time, adding that the woman was rushed to a hospital and is expected to survive.

Bencomo was held by bystanders until the police arrived, the APD said.

According to jail records at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, Bencomo has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, aggravated battery with intent to cause great bodily harm to a family member and preventative detention

Man shoots stepmom trying to hug him during graduation ceremony

International

Binance runs into trouble in Canada, fined $4.38m

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Binance runs into trouble in Canada, fined $4.38m

Canada’s financial watchdog, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), has imposed a $6 million fine on Binance, a prominent cryptocurrency platform, for breaching the nation’s laws on money laundering and terrorist financing.

The penalty, valued in Canadian dollars, translates to approximately $4.38 million USD.

In a recent statement, FINTRAC revealed that Binance failed to register as a foreign money services business and neglected to report large virtual currency transactions exceeding $10,000, as required by law.

Sarah Paquet, director and CEO of FINTRAC, emphasized the importance of upholding Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regulations to safeguard the nation’s economy and citizens.

Paquet affirmed FINTRAC’s commitment to assisting businesses in understanding and fulfilling their obligations under the law while maintaining a firm stance on enforcement when necessary.

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Binance, known as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has faced regulatory scrutiny globally. Founder Changpeng Zhao recently received a four-month prison sentence in the United States for money laundering, unlicensed money transmission, and other violations related to transactions supporting terrorism, drug trafficking, and child exploitation.

In a separate case in the US, Binance agreed to a plea deal requiring the payment of over $4.3 billion in fines and restitution.

Additionally, the company is under investigation in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion, money laundering, and illicit foreign exchange rate manipulation.

Two senior Binance officials in Nigeria, Nadeem Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan, faced charges related to these accusations, with Anjarwalla escaping custody in March after being arrested in February.