Page 11 - Britain

Qatar to invest $1.3 bn in climate tech in Britain, Rolls-Royce to benefit

The announcement was made during a two-day state visit to Britain by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

India, UK convene second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue in Delhi

The second India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue convened in New Delhi on Tuesday, underscoring the growing strategic partnership between the two nations.The Indian delegation was led by Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Europe West, Ministry of External Affairs, and Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Defence, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.Representing the UK were Ben Mellor, India Director, Indian Ocean Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Shimon Fhima, Director Strategic Programmes, Ministry of Defence.Discussions revolved around the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and highlighted the significance of sustained high-level engagement to advance the bilateral relationship.Both delegations reviewed progress under the India-UK Roadmap 2030 and emphasized revitalizing the partnership by identifying new areas of collaboration, added the release.Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of

Microsoft faces legal action in Britain over cloud computing licences

Microsoft in 2020 introduced new licence fees for running its software on major cloud providers

British firms downbeat about China business despite stimulus: Survey

Doing business in China had become tougher for five consecutive years and only 41 per cent of its members were expecting to have a better time next year, the survey said

UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill for terminally ill adults

Members of Parliament in the House of Commons on Friday voted in favour of a historic bill that could pave the way for terminally ill adults in England and Wales with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill tabled as a private member's bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater attracted 330 votes in favour as opposed to 275 against clearing its second reading stage by a majority of 55. This means the legislation can now progress through a lengthy process of amendments and scrutiny by the House of Lords before it can become law. The issue had deeply divided MPs, who were given a free vote without being constrained by party lines when deciding on this significant new legislation. People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today's vote, but this is a matter of conscience, said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the bill. It is for Parliament to de

Former British soldier convicted of passing on sensitive info to Iran govt

A former British soldier whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search was convicted on Thursday of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service. Daniel Khalife, 23, was found guilty by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court on violations of Britain's Official Secrets Act by collecting information useful to an enemy Iran. He was cleared of a charge of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. Prosecutors said Khalife played a cynical game by claiming he wanted to be a spy after he had delivered a large amount of restricted and classified material to Iran, including the names of special forces officers. Khalife testified that he had been in touch with people in the Iranian government but that it was all part of a ploy to ultimately work as a double-agent for Britain, a scheme he said he got from watching the TV show Homeland. The former soldier snuck out of a London prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial on the spying charges. Hesp

UK govt outlines first steps in new plan to get more people back into work

Britain is the only major economy where the inactivity rate remains above its pre-Covid-19 levels

British employers warn tax rise will hit investment, jobs, salary

"The rise in National Insurance and the stark lowering of the threshold caught us all off guard," CBI Chief Executive Rain Newton-Smith said as the organisation met for its annual conference

Russian forces capture British mercenary fighting with Ukraine: RIA

It was not clear when the video was filmed. The British Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment on the reports outside office hours

We want partnerships, not just investments: MP CM Yadav on UK-Germany visit

CM Yadav is on a six-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany, starting Monday, with the focus on enhancing investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh

FTA talks with India to relaunch early 2025: UK PM Starmer tells Parliament

The Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India -- expected to significantly boost the estimated GBP 42-billion a year bilateral trade partnership -- will be relaunched early in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has informed the UK Parliament here. It came during his statement to update the House of Commons on Thursday about his G20 Summit visit to Brazil, where he said he had a good discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other world leaders. The meeting earlier this week had led to both countries agreeing to resume the election-stalled Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks. I had a good discussion with Prime Minister Modi about deepening our bilateral ties, Starmer told the members of Parliament. We agreed to raise the ambition of our UK-India comprehensive strategic partnership, which covers security, defence, technology, climate, health and education, building on the unique bonds and cultural ties between our two countries. Crucially, this work will start with t

HSBC stops processing all Russia, Belarus payments for retail customers

A message sent from the bank to its personal banking customers and seen by Reuters said the lender has 'made the decision to stop processing payments' from the two countries

UK retail sales plunged more than expected before new govt's budget: ONS

A monthly rise in sales in September was also revised down to 0.1 per cent from a previous estimate of a 0.3 per cent gain

HSBC relaunches 'Premier' brand in UK in pursuit of wealthy customers

HSBC aims to double assets under management in its British wealth business to 100 billion pounds

India, UK to relaunch FTA talks in 2025, 'address remaining issues'

Announcement follows first meeting between Prime Minister Modi and his British counterpart during G-20 summit in Brazil

UK farmers to protest tax hike, say it could devastate family-run farms

With banners, bullhorns, toy tractors and an angry message, British farmers are descending on Parliament on Tuesday to protest a hike in inheritance tax that they say will deal a hammer blow to struggling family farms. UK farmers are rarely as militant as their European neighbours, and Britain has not seen large-scale protests like those that have snarled cities in France and other European countries. Now, though, farmers say they will step up their action if the government doesn't listen. Everyone's mad, said Olly Harrison, co-organiser of a protest that aims to flood the street outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office with farmers. He said many famers want to take to the streets and block roads and go full French. Organisers have urged protesters not to bring farm machinery into central London on Tuesday. Instead, children on toy tractors will lead a march around Parliament Square after a rally addressed by speakers, including former Top Gear TV host and celebrity farmer Jerem

UK PM Starmer seeks India trade deal even Sunak couldn't pull off

The UK's trading relationship with India was worth £42 billion in the 12 months to June 2024

UK hits Iran with new sanctions for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia

The U.K. government hit Iran with new sanctions Monday for sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the war against Ukraine. The Foreign Office said it will freeze assets for Iran's national airline and its state-owned shipping company that helped transfer weapons. It will also sanction the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 that delivered the missiles from Iran. Iran's attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. Alongside our international partners, we were clear that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would face a significant response." The announcement comes on the eve of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine and the day after U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use missiles supplied by Washington to strike deeper inside Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the G20 summit in ..

India vital partner, UK committed to foster deeper collab: British minister

The UK is committed to foster deeper cooperation with India as it is a "vital" partner and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, British Minister for Indo-Pacific Catherine West said on Monday as she embarked on a two-day visit to the country. West will continue to unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership and drive forward greater growth for both countries building upon the ambitions set out by Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his visit to New Delhi in July, a British government readout said. She will also reiterate that the UK remains committed to negotiating a mutually beneficial free trade agreement and bilateral investment treaty, it added. "I am delighted to be visiting India for the first time as Minister for the Indo-Pacific," West said. "As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is a vital partner," she said. Minister West's visit will include a meeting at the Ministry of External Affairs where she will reinforce the UK's ...

UK plans to create pension megafunds to unlock $100 bn for investment

British Treasury chief Rachel Reeves said Thursday the government planned to merge dozens of pension funds with the aim of unlocking tens of billions of pounds for investment and boosting the UK's subpar economic growth. Reeves said in her speech to finance leaders in central London that the creation of so-called megafunds will represent the biggest pension reform in decades. In her first so-called Mansion House speech, an annual ritual for British chancellors of the exchequer, Reeves said the changes could help unlock 80 billion pounds (USD 100 billion) for investment. Pension funds invest in a variety of assets, such as shares, bonds, real estate and infrastructure, in an attempt to increase the retirement benefits for their members. The proposed merger of 86 local authority pension funds in England and Wales has echoes in Australia and Canada, where pension funds are widely seen to have taken advantage of their bigger size to invest in assets and boost growth. By 2030, the new ..