New Delhi: India and Britain on Tuesday agreed to plug loopholes so that the bilateral trade agreement can be implemented at the earliest.Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal Talked with Britain’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle on resolving thorny issues as India worries over steel quotas and tariffs imposed by the Keir Starmer government.“We had a very good conversation on charting the next phase of India-UK economic engagement, taking forward shared business priorities and further strengthening our strong and forward-looking partnership,” Goyal said in a social media post.Engaged in wide-ranging discussions with Ms Amanda Brooks, UK Permanent Secretary on #IndiaUKCETA implementation. Took stock of progress and action on key points, as well as explored new avenues with #ViksitIndia under #IndiaUKCETA #GlobalTrade #EconomicPartnership. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, in a post on Twitter, reaffirmed @UKGovScotland’s commitment to regular engagement with @TradeGov for effective implementation.Britain’s safeguard measures on steel are coming in the way of implementing a trade deal that would lower tariffs and ease access for businesses, as India wants the issue resolved. Additionally, the government is seeking a carbon border adjustment mechanism, which will come into effect from next year.

Indian man will be deported from New Zealand after being caught in an underage sex ring. (Photo: NZ Herald)

An Indian man, Nishant Parakudiyil Prahaladan, is facing deportation from New Zealand after he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl he thought was 19. The 25-year-old migrant worker contacted the girl once in 2023 and paid her $250. He tried to call the girl again by sending a message but could not find her. As soon as the gang was busted, he was arrested and charged with contracting a minor to provide sexual services, to which he pleaded guilty.In 2025, he asked for release without conviction because it would affect his visa status. But he was convicted and sentenced to six months and two weeks of home detention. As a result of that conviction, Immigration New Zealand served him a deportation liability notice. After the review was refused, Prahladan appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal on humanitarian grounds.Prahladan filed an appeal and said that he confessed to his crime without understanding. He said he was sending money for his mother’s cancer treatment in India. He also said that if he returned to India he would face stigma and boycott. He may become a victim of vigilante groups and will struggle to find work in India.The tribunal decided that these factors were not strong enough to cancel his deportation and decided that he would be repatriated to India. The tribunal said he could face stigma if his conviction in India became known, but said he could relocate elsewhere in India to make a fresh start.The Tribunal ruled, “Leaving New Zealand earlier than he planned would be distressing and disappointing for the Appellant, but the Tribunal considers that he has not established circumstances which, individually or cumulatively, reach the high threshold of exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature.” “Furthermore, the return to India would be a return to a country with which he is familiar and maintains close family and cultural ties.“However, the tribunal granted a six-month work visa to allow Prahladan to stay in New Zealand temporarily to organize his affairs and continue supporting his family before returning to India. “There are clear indications that the appellant is unlikely to re-offend. Therefore, he is unlikely to pose a risk to the public in the further period in which he will be able to reside.”

Gurgaon: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has given permission to the state government to make a new policy regarding school teachers.Disposal of a batch of petitions challenging Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers HaryanaCadre change policy related to transfer system – A bench of Justices Ashwini Kumar Mishra and Rohit Kapoor on May 25 made it clear that the concerns raised by teachers about its validity – including claims of discrimination – should be taken into account by the state while formulating the revised policy.Under the cadre change policy, teachers can be moved to different cadres during transfer, with several petitioners arguing that the move was arbitrary and could affect their job security, seniority and working conditions. Many teachers also raised concerns about potential gender discrimination and a lack of transparency in the way the cadre change was implemented.This order falls short of ending or maintaining the existing policy. Instead, it puts the onus on the government to rethink and improve it. Legal observers say this approach ensures administrative flexibility while protecting the interests of teachers.The controversy has its roots in Haryana’s recent attempt to streamline teacher transfers through a centralized system, which included provisions for cadre changes. While the government aimed to bring efficiency and uniformity, many teachers felt that the policy had created confusion and could lead to unfair results.The court said a similar challenge to the model transfer policy has already been decided in a major case in May 2026. In that order, the court had given freedom to the Haryana government to make appropriate policy. Following the same reasoning, the bench disposed of the present batch of petitions, saying that these would be governed by the earlier order.Now with the court directing a reconsideration, teachers’ groups are expected to demand consultation and clear guidelines before introducing the new policy. The High Court also disposed of all the pending applications related to the case along with the main petitions.

Indian travelers will not require transit visa for stopover at any German airport from June 3.

Germany announced that Indian citizens will no longer require a transit visa while traveling to another country with a stopover at a German airport. The new rule will come into effect from June 3. “This implements the outcome of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India in January this year. It underlines the commitment of the federal government to deepen German-Indian relations, facilitate the movement of people and further strengthen economic ties,” the German Embassy said in a statement.

What is a transit visa? What does this mean for Indian travelers?

When you travel from country A to country B and stop in country C in between, you may need a visa only for the stop in country C. This is called transit visa.Before Germany, France had removed the transit visa requirement for India. It came into effect on April 10, 2026. France became the first Schengen country to completely abolish transit visas for Indian citizens, although Germany was the first to announce the same in January. France announced this decision after President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to India in February. During Macron’s visit, France announced a six-month pilot scheme to allow Indian passport holders to transit through French airports without ATVs. The pilot was effective immediately. The pilot bailed out successfully. Airlines updated boarding systems, Paris CDG reported no compliance issues, and transit bookings by Indian passengers through French airports increased significantly. In April, France lifted the transit visa requirement.

Removal of transit visa does not mean visa-free entry

Removing transit visas does not mean travelers can enter the country. They are allowed to stay only in the transit zone. They cannot go out of the airport.

New Delhi: After Air India, IndiGo will also cut down its wider operations due to expensive jet fuel, longer routes following airspace restrictions and forex volatility. IndiGo will “temporarily cease its flight operations to and from Manchester from August 31, 2026” and return one of the six damp lease (hired along with operating crew) Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Europe’s Norse Atlantic Airways. The budget airline says it will “continue to operate all its remaining long-haul flights as planned.”IndiGo has leased six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from Norse Atlantic in early 2025 to “make strategic inroads to establish the IndiGo brand in the European market, ahead of the launch of services using its own Airbus A350 aircraft.” But it “has become much higher than originally envisioned” due to increased operating costs following the US-Iran war.Abhijit Dasgupta, IndiGo senior vice president (network planning and revenue management, IndiGo) said: “We inducted these wide-body aircraft on a short-term basis to fast-track our connectivity to high potential long-haul destinations like Manchester, and saw a very encouraging demand response. Therefore, it is unfortunate that due to the shortage of airspace with the dramatically increasing costs of flying long haul we have had to temporarily suspend our India – Manchester services. Was forced to take the decision to close. This amputation is temporary in nature.Air India is also making significant cuts to its wider operations for the same reasons. AI and IndiGo are also temporarily reducing domestic flights.