Yes it is an internal way of each individual university for salaries division. This is the case in the UK.
In Germany it is not. There is a universal system which is called TV-L. But again inside it, there is divisions depend on experience. Another funny thing in this system, you can be hired with 100% salary or 50% salary. For PhD students 50% salary means getting 50% of the salary but does not necessarily mean working 50% of the time!

I am sorry for these bad encounters. It is brave from you to admit you were mistaken. I think the best is to write an apology Email. Late is better than never. You can include a statement like "I do not expect a reply". Everyone makes mistakes and those academics must have seen worse. Then put all behind you and just move on with your life. Alternatively, you can send a greeting card with a short apology.

I hope it is not too late but I highly recommend NOT to use Linux or Unix. I get fed up once with Windows and Microsoft and installed Linux on my laptop for a while. It is not that user friendly. A lot of things to care about. It is not meant to be a replacement for Windows.
One analogy to this. Some people do not like the way USA and west Europe lead the world and think Russia and China are the alternative. Are they? Microsoft Windows and office are bad but do not replace them with even worse (in terms of user friendly and ease of use at least) operating system and office.

Why do you think you do not have a good CV? Many PhD graduates have no publications at all. Once the papers are submitted, you can include them in CV. If I were you, I would start applying right away.
I never heard of this 35 years old criteria. I bet they exist only with narrow-minded universities in "developing" countries.

I am sorry for your less. I am also sorry that it has impacted your relationship with supervisors. I think the only way to deal with it is to set with them and put some milestones before a formal progress meeting. If they do not want to continue supervising you "formally", there is nothing can be done. They could do it also with any student if they do not like their progress. You can ask directly what are exactly your shortcomings and what they expect from you in a reasonable frame time (6 months or so).
If this also did not work, then it is for your benefit to leave. It is not the pleasant thing to happen but you can start fresh somewhere else a PhD or a job.

Hi Shashank, I am sorry for your problem. But this is a general problem not related to academia even. It happens everyday in workplace that expectations either from supervisor/employer or student/employee are not met. This happens even when two partners or even room mates live together. What you are doing and saying is not helping. Get over it and try either to survive or seek another opportunity.

Go for it as soon as possible. I have neglected the signs that my project is not suitable for a PhD and there were no prospects. It ended spending five years and exiting with nothing. If you are unhappy and the project and environment are bad, you have to leave immediately. Do not feel sorry for supervisor. He/she will not be affected.

Hi. I am sorry to hear this but I am not surprised. Most academics are or think they are too busy to reply to prospective students. They tend to change their minds. Their enthusiasm to prospective students might suddenly drop. During communications with potential supervisors, they might disappear forever or reply after a year.
Nevertheless, two weeks are not that long. Be a bit patient but keep in mind that without a formal PhD offer, all possibilities are open. Just apply somewhere else and if you get a positive reply from him, go forward with it. It is a general problem in academia not personal neither to you or him.

I agree with pm133. It is a common mistake we all make. There is a big work cultural difference between Asia and Europe. You have to see if it is realistic to work for 10 hours a day for 3-4 years. I knew people who spent sometime in Japan and they liked everything except work culture. You have to be sure that you "can" work 10 hours a day and it is either "accepted by other" or you are able to ignore what they say/look/feel about it.
Otherwise quitting is still an option. The early you take the decision, the less consequences it has.

Congratulations. Thanks for sharing your happiness with us.

I think also time management is crucial. What do we do in the 16-17 hours everyday?
It also depends on targets. What would you like to achieve professionally and personally in 1 year, 5 years and 10 years? I think setting goals is important.

He should not do this. The best is to contact your government and they should deal with it. It does not look like a good start anyway. Change supervisor is a good option especially your government pays then who has the money has the power.

I have got a job outside academia in the same field. I want to publish papers but I have no immediate plans. I might write a book even or I might do nothing also.
In fact I do not know if I should go further in research or concentrate on my work.

Hi rewt. I also do not have a solution to this dilemma. Everyone speaks English and wants to come and stay in the UK. Should they tighten or loosen the rules? I do not know honestly. What was bad is opening all doors to EU immigrants so that people "hated" the word immigrants and shutting doors for "some" international immigrants. At the end, we came to the Brexit with neither British, nor EU nor non-EU citizens happy with.