UK won't relax visa rules for India, Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will not relax visa rules for India, speaking before he arrived in the country to tout the benefits of a recent trade agreement, BBC reported.
The prime minister is leading a delegation of more than 100 entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and university vice-chancellors, as he attempts to boost UK investment and improve sluggish economic growth.
Sir Keir said there were "massive opportunities" to improve trade and cultural ties with India.
But he said there were no plans to open up more visa routes to Indian workers or students, according to BBC.
Israel, Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of peace plan, hostage-release, Trump says
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.
The ceasefire deal is to be signed on Thursday in Egypt at roughly 0900 GMT (2:30 p.m. IST), a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP.
Social media content restricted in Afghanistan, Taliban sources confirm
Restrictions have been placed on content on some social media platforms in Afghanistan, Taliban government sources told BBC Afghan.
Filters have been applied to restrict certain types of content on sites including Facebook, Instagram and X, the sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said.
It is not clear exactly what sort of posts are subject to filtering. Some social media users in Kabul told the BBC that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer viewable, while access to Instagram has also been restricted, according to BBC.
These restrictions on social media content come a week after internet and telecommunications services were cut off across the country for two days.
ChatGPT image snares suspect in deadly Pacific Palisades fire
A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January, BBC reported.
Evidence collected from Jonathan Rinderknecht's digital devices included an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city, justice department officials said.
The most destructive blaze in Los Angeles' history, it was sparked on 7 January near a hiking trail overlooking the wealthy coastal neighbourhood.
The Eaton Fire, ignited the same day in the LA area, killed another 19 people and razed 9,400 structures. The cause of that fire remains unclear. Mr Rinderknecht is due in court in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, according to BBC.
