Page 18 - Britain

UK election: FTA with India on manifesto agenda for both Tory, Labour

As the UK enters the final phase of campaigning ahead of the general election on Thursday, a free trade agreement (FTA) with India is seen as high on the agenda no matter whether the verdict is in favour of the incumbent Tories or the Opposition Labour. Both sides have been working towards clinching a pact to enhance the GBP 38.1 billion bilateral trading partnership but with India's phased general election followed by Britain's, the negotiations remain stalled in the fourteenth round of negotiations. The FTA talks formally kicked off in January 2022 when Boris Johnson was the British prime minister and have since had to contend with political turmoil that first led to a short-lived Liz Truss premiership followed by Rishi Sunak as Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage. We will finalise a free trade agreement with India, alongside a deeper strategic partnership on technology and defence, reads the Conservative Party manifesto, spelling out the British Indian leader's ...

BIS sends govt debt warning ahead of general elections in major countries

BIS General Manager Agustin Carstens said with interest rates not about to go back to ultra-low levels

Temple trail: Sunak, Starmer both try to woo British Hindu voters

On the final weekend of campaigning ahead of the UK general election on Thursday, both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the man who is fighting for his job at 10 Downing Street Labour Leader Keir Starmer, have hit the temple trail to woo British Hindu voters. While 44-year-old Sunak was at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden on Sunday to promise to keep trying to make the community proud, 61-year-old Starmer chose another north London Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury on Friday to reiterate his commitment to building a strategic partnership with India. The move follows a Hindu Manifesto' being launched by an umbrella group of British Hindu organisations for the first time ahead of a British general election, calling on elected representatives to take proactive steps to protect Hindu places of worship and tackle anti-Hindu hate. "This mandir stands as a great statement of the contributions that this community makes to Britain, said Sunak, in his speech at the iconic Neasden ..

UK's landmark postwar elections: When Thatcher became 1st female PM in 1979

Britain's upcoming general election is widely expected to lead to a change of government for the first time in 14 years. Many analysts believe it will be one of the country's most consequential elections since the end of World War II. Ahead of the July 4 vote, The Associated Press takes a look back at other landmark UK elections since the war. Britain's general election in 1979 is without doubt the most significant since 1945, with Margaret Thatcher becoming the country's first female prime minister on a radical Conservative economic agenda. At its heart, Thatcherism represented a total rethink over the role of the state. Since Labour's big victory in 1945, a so-called postwar consensus on the economy existed between the two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives. Despite the changes in power, their economic approaches aligned. Governments targeted full employment and would intervene in the economy to pursue that goal through tax and spending policies. That consensus was getti

UK's Labour Party vows to eliminate anti-India sentiments within its ranks

The UK's Opposition Labour Party, hoping to win a mandate to form a government after the July 4 general election, has committed itself to stamping out anti-India sentiments within its ranks and building a strong strategic partnership with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led administration. The party's resolution during an annual conference under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in favour of international intervention in Kashmir was widely seen as having cost it British Indian votes in the 2019 general election. There have also been concerns over some Labour councillors espousing pro-Khalistan views. At a Political Hustings' event for Britain's South Asian community organised by Asian Voice' in partnership with City Sikhs and City Hindus Network in London on Friday evening, Labour Party chair and shadow secretary of state for women and equalities Anneliese Dodds claimed that the party led by Keir Starmer is confident of having cleansed its ranks of any members with such extremist

Tata Steel UK begins legal action against union, fears plant closure

Tata Steel on Friday said it is being forced to commence legal action to challenge the validity of a steelworkers' union strike ballot, as it warned that its blast furnaces at Port Talbot may have to pause operations amid the industrial action. The Mumbai-headquartered steel major had originally planned to shut down one of the blast furnaces by the end of June and the second one by September. However, Unite the Union's proposed strike from July 8 could result in the closure being forced earlier. Following the announcement by the Unite Union to unilaterally call strike action from July 8, Tata Steel is unfortunately forced to commence legal action to challenge the validity of Unite's ballot, a Tata Steel spokesperson said. In the coming days, if we cannot be certain that we are able to continue to safely and stably operate our assets through the period of strike action, we will not have any choice but to pause or stop heavy end operations (including both blast furnaces) on the Port .

Jaipur Rugs opens store in UK, plans to open two more int'l stores in FY25

Handmade rugs maker Jaipur Rugs, which has opened its showroom in London this week, plans to add two more stores this fiscal taking the total count to five, said its Director Yogesh Chaudhary. The company, which is known for its hand-knotted rugs and carpets, would continue to expand in the domestic market by opening stores in tier I & II cities. The company plans to open five new stores in the domestic market this year to tap the fast-growing demand for luxury home decor solutions. In December 2021, Jaipur Rugs opened its first international store at Milan, Italy, the fashion capital of the world. The company opened its second international store in Dubai last year. "We are thrilled to expand our global footprint, building on our success in Milan and Dubai, as we showcase Indian design and craftsmanship to a global audience through our new showroom in London. This marks a significant milestone for our company and by the end of this fiscal year, we aim to open 2 or more ...

Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets ship as US aircraft carrier heads home

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden but apparently caused no damage, authorities said Saturday, in the latest strike on the shipping lane by the group. The Houthi attack comes after the sinking this week of the ship Tutor, which marked what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of strikes on ships in the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, US officials reportedly ordered the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America's response to the Houthi attacks, to return home after a twice-extended tour. The captain of the ship targeted late Friday saw explosions in the vicinity of the vessel, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. A later briefing by the US-overseen Joint Maritime Information Centre said the vessel initially reported two explosions off its port side and a third one later. Th

Hinduja Family: British-Indian Business Dynasty with Global Impact

The Hinduja Group, valued at $20 billion, operates across 11 sectors worldwide

India, UK ministers to address annual IGF at election inflection point

Recently re-appointed Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw will make his first intervention on an international stage at the annual India Global Forum (IGF) in London starting on Monday. His virtual address will outline the Modi 3.0 government's immediate priorities and the opportunities for global partners to participate in the Viksit Bharat initiative of becoming a developed nation by 2047. On the UK side, Foreign Office Minister in charge of South Asia Lord Tariq Ahmad will lay out the Conservative Party led government's highlights of the bilateral partnership. The week-long event comes at an inflection point, soon after the Indian general election and at the peak of the UK's campaign for the July 4 general election. In keeping with the non-partisan outlook of IGF London, Opposition shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is set to lay out his vision for strategic ties between India and the UK under any future Labour Party .

Incredibly angry over election date betting accusations: British PM

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that anyone involved in using inside information to bet on the date of Britain's July 4 national election should be expelled from his Conservative Party. Sunak said on the BBC on Thursday that he was "incredibly angry, incredibly angry" to learn of allegations that Conservative politicians betted on the election date, and that they "should face the full force of the law" if they were found to have broken the law. "It's right that they are being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities," he said. "If anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party." Two weeks ahead of the general election, it was an uncomfortable experience for Sunak, whose Conservative Party is trailing the main opposition Labour Party by 20 points by many polls ahead of the vote. Earlier, asked about reports that the UK's ..

Bank of England to keep rates at 16-year high of 5.25% before UK election

Last month the central bank forecast inflation would rise to around 2.6 per cent by the end of the year

UK takes top spot in Europe, Israel for GenAI startups, says Accel

Accel analysed 221 GenAI startups and found that 30 per cent were founded in the UK, 14 per cent in Germany, and 13 per cent in Israel

JLR to licence Freelander to develop EVs on Chinese JV partner's platform

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover on Wednesday said it has signed a letter of intent with its Chinese joint venture partner Chery to license the Freelander brand to their JV for development of electric vehicles in China. Under the proposed new licensing agreement, CJLR -- a 50/50 joint venture of Jaguar Land Rover Ltd and Chery Automobile Company Ltd - - will pivot to produce an advanced portfolio of electric vehicles based on Chery's EV architecture, exclusively under the Freelander name, the company said in a statement. JLR's Freelander brand was a Land Rover vehicle which was produced between 1997-2015. It was succeeded by the Discovery Sport in 2016. "In reborn CJLR form, Freelander will offer a range of mainstream electric vehicles, initially sold in China through a distinct network but over time destined for global export," the statement said. The vehicles will be designed in collaboration with both Chery and JLR's creative teams to create a new positioning in the rapidly .

Children were sent to distillery by school bus: NCPCR chief on MP case

Police in the state of Madhya Pradesh launched an investigation into Som after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights last week found 39 boys and 19 girls working at the factory

UK approval of arms exports to Israel plunged sharply at start of Gaza war

The United States and Germany increased arms sales to Israel after the start of the war with the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year

Gatwick Airport aims to double India traffic in 5 yrs: CCO Jonathan Pollard

Currently, a total of 24 flights per week are being operated between India and Gatwick Airport. Air India has been operating all 24 services since April last year

StanChart fails to cut US sanctions breach claims from London lawsuit

The lawsuit comes after the London-based bank agreed to pay $1.1 billion in 2019 to US and British authorities

Ship evacuated, ablaze after attack by Yemen's Houthis, says UKMTO

The Houthi campaign in the Red Sea region has disrupted global shipping, cascading delays and costs through supply chains

Kate Middleton makes first public appearance since cancer diagnosis

Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year. The annual event was also a show of stability by the monarchy after months in which both the king and Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, have been sidelined by cancer treatment. Kate joined other members of the royal family on a Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the King's Birthday Parade. The family and crowds outside the palace watched a flyby of military aircraft to cap ceremonies marking the monarch's official birthday Kate announced Friday that she would attend the royal birthday celebrations after making progress in her treatment. She disclosed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer. It was her first public appearance since December. I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are