U.S. adds 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghans; backers say more are needed

Washington — U.S. lawmakers provided an additional 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans supporting the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in a $1.2 trillion spending bill, extending the program through the end of 2025. 20,000 less than they asked for. President Joe Biden signed long-awaited spending bills into law on Saturday, hours after Congress approved … Read more

National Grid: Nearly £60bn of grid upgrades needed to meet green targets

According to National Grid, the UK needs nearly £60 billion to build its future energy network in order to achieve climate change mitigation milestones in just 10 years. National Grid says the UK electricity grid needs £58 billion of investment to meet its 2035 decarbonisation targets. New cables will need to be built to carry … Read more

NHS leaders welcome £6bn budget increase but say more is needed

NHS leaders have welcomed Jeremy Hunt’s £6bn budget boost for the struggling service to help it meet growing demand, tackle a backlog of care and overhaul outdated IT systems. The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned on Monday it would receive less funding next year than it will thereafter, with the chancellor allocating an extra £2.5bn … Read more

Tech layoffs 2024: eBay to cut 1,000 jobs; Says, ‘Change is needed’

The start of 2024 has heralded massive workforce cuts in the technology industry, affecting notable organizations like Google, Amazon, and Bytedance. And it’s highly likely that these layoffs will continue, as tech leaders including Google CEO Sundar Pichai have indicated. Now, in a recent development, popular e-commerce platform eBay has announced its decision to lay … Read more

PM Modi’s tribute to Karpoori Thakur: Our government has followed his path, we lost him when we needed him most

Today is the birth centenary of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur ji, whose tireless efforts for social justice had a positive impact on the lives of crores of people. I never got the opportunity to meet Karpoori ji, but I heard a lot about him from Kailashpati Mishra ji who worked closely with him. He belonged … Read more