Pakistan slams UK for its slack visa norms

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - British anti-terror border controls were described as wholly inadequate after a newspaper revealed that only 29 out of 66,000 Pakistani immigration applicants were interviewed by British officials. Visa checks on immigrants from Pakistan were condemned as a sham after the Daily Mail said official figures showed that just 29 out of 66,000 applicants were interviewed by officials since Britain put in place a supposedly rigorous system last October.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan-based terrorists are exploiting Britain's shoddy visa system to come to the country. Pakistan is considered by Britain as the No.1 base for Islamic extremists brainwashing potential terrorists.

July 12th, 2009 LONDON - British school pupils are being advised that they have a "right" to enjoy a good sex life and that having intercourse on a regular basis can be good for their cardiovascular health. A National Health Service leaflet about the benefits of sexual pleasure has been circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - British immigration officials in Pakistan devote just 11 minutes to scrutinize and pass a visa application in a country considered to be the hotbed of terrorism, the Telegraph has revealed. The revelation that officials are also not checking supporting evidence in thousands of applications from Pakistan and Afghanistan has fuelled security concerns.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - Massive irregularities have been unearthed in Britain's immigration system with a shocking disclosure that more than one in every three successful visa applications from Pakistani citizens "lacked credibility". According to a secret internal report, which has been now leaked to The Sunday Times, travel permits were given to thousands of Pakistanis to visit Britain without even the most basic checks and investigations.

May 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Alina Percea, the 18-year-old Romanian girl who auctioned off her virginity for 8,800 pounds, could lose half the money in tax, with the act classed as "tantamount to prostitution". Alina, who is a student in Germany, was paid in cash for a weekend of sex with the Italian businessman after she auctioned her virginity online.

April 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two US senators have introduced a bill to make it tougher for American firms to employ foreign professionals under its H-1B and L1 visa programmes utilised the most by Indians and the Chinese. The bill introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin Given Thursday would require US firms looking for skilled foreign professionals to make a 'good faith' attempt to employ Americans first before seeking foreign workers.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - Students of Pakistani origin are being granted British visas on the basis of a telephone interview, even as investigation teams probe different aspects of a crackdown involving twelve alleged Pakistan 'student' terrorists. The Telegraph reports that British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted that some visa applications are being decided over the telephone.

April 11th, 2009 LONDON - At least two of the men suspected of being members of an alleged al-Qaeda cell were allowed to stay in Britain despite breaching conditions of their student visas, The Daily Telegraph has learnt. One man was stopped by immigration officials at Manchester Airport last week as he arrived from Pakistan, but was allowed to enter the country despite his visa documents being "all over the place", according to one source.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - Following the 9/11 incident the world saw Afghanistan as the hub of worldwide terrorism, but now the focus has shifted to Pakistan which experts believe is the origin of three-quarters of all terror plots. A report in The Telegraph states that at least three out of every four terror plots in Britain, which are being probed now, have Pakistani roots.

March 31st, 2009 LONDON - The British government Tuesday introduced a new strict visa regime for students from outside Europe amid a 30 percent rise in the number of Indians studying in Britain. International students in Britain last year paid tuition fees worth a total of 2.5 billion pounds.

March 24th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Brussels-based Europe India Chamber of Commerce has criticized the European Union's restrictive visa policy towards Indian business people and called for improvements, EuAsiaNews reported. 'This goes against the spirit of EU-India strategic partnership as due to the visa restriction it has become practically impossible for Indian business people to fulfil setting up businesses in Europe and also to conclude any business collaboration,' Sunil Prasad, secretary general of the body, said Tuesday.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - Troubled singer Amy Winehouse, who was all set to perform at the Coachella festival in America, is facing a major setback after being denied the US visa, as she has been charged with assaulting a fan in the country. The 'Back To Black' hitmaker was overzealous about performing at the Coachella concert with talented entertainers like The Killers and Paul McCartney, but she was left saddened after being denied the visa for punching a fan.

March 10th, 2009 LONDON - Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse's plans for a massive American comeback gig were shattered Sunday night after she was denied a US work visa. Mirror.co.uk reports that Winehouse was due to play at the Coachella festival, California, next month but was told her entry would be blocked because she has been charged with assaulting a fan.

January 23rd, 2009 LONDON - British singer Lily Allen slams a few of her ex-boyfriends in her new album 'It's Not Me It's You'. Mirror.co.uk reports that in the song 'Knock Back' she sings: 'You're really mean, you're supposed to care, that you never made me scream...