Page 23 - Britain

British businesses keep up recovery but prices still a worry, shows PMI

Closely watched by the BoE ahead of its 1200 GMT interest rate decision, the S&P Global Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) inched down to 52.9 in March from 53.0 in February

UK officials deny reports claiming King Charles III has passed away

Multiple media outlets, including those in Russia, claimed on Monday that King Charles III had passed away. This comes as the UK King is being treated for cancer since his January surgery

Exporters need to follow new British rules to avail duty benefits: DGFT

Exporters seeking to avail duty concessions on shipments to the UK will have to adhere to the new British rules under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). In a trade notice, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that the United Kingdom (UK) has replaced its existing origin declaration process under Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) with the UK DCTS effective from June 19, 2023. The transition period for this change was extended until December 31, 2023. "Starting from January 1, 2024, onwards, Indian exporters to the UK are required to adhere to the new rules under DCTS to avail concessions on their exports to the UK," the trade notice to the exporters community said. It added that goods that meet the UK DCTS Rules of Origin (RoO) requirements would be eligible to claim a concessional rate of import duty for exports to the UK. "Consequently, the origin criteria necessary for satisfying the Rules of Origin to avail tariff concessions on exports from India t

UK govt notifies stricter, 'more precise' definition of extremism

The UK government on Thursday issued a new "more precise" definition of extremism in response to increased threats since the October 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and to protect liberal democratic principles against extreme right-wing and Islamist extremists. Extremism in the UK is now defined as the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in the first two categories. The previous definition, introduced in 2011 under the government's Prevent strategy, defined extremism as "vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and belief". UK Levelling Up and

US govt could end legal fight against planned expedition to Titanic

The US government could end its legal fight against a planned expedition to the Titanic, which has sparked concerns that it would violate a law that treats the wreck as a gravesite. Kent Porter, an assistant US attorney, told a federal judge in Virginia on Wednesday that the US is seeking more information on revised plans for the May expedition, which have been significantly scaled back. Porter said the US has not determined whether the new plans would break the law. RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia company that owns the salvage rights to the wreck, originally planned to take images inside the ocean liner's severed hull and to retrieve artifacts from the debris field. RMST also said it would possibly recover free-standing objects inside the Titanic, including the room where the sinking ship had broadcast its distress signals. The US filed a legal challenge to the expedition in August, citing a 2017 federal law and a pact with Great Britain to treat the site as a memorial. More than 1,5

Britain will change law to ban foreign countries from owning newspapers

The decision comes at a time when Britain is using a separate regulatory process to weigh up whether to allow Redbird IMI's bid for the Telegraph

UK PM Sunak forced to defend Conservative Party after 'racist' remarks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on Wednesday forced to defend the governing Conservative Party even as he admitted one of the party's biggest donor's comments targeted at an Opposition Labour Party MP were racist. During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Sunak referenced his Indian heritage as he defended his government amid intense pressure over wealthy businessman Frank Hester's reported remarks in a 2019 meeting that Labour MP Diane Abbott makes you want to hate all black women. In a separate meeting, Hester who has donated GBP 10 million to the Tories in the past year said Abbott should be shot. The alleged comments were wrong, they were racist and he has rightly apologised for them and that remorse should be accepted, Sunak told members of Parliament. There is no place for racism in Britain and the government that I lead is living proof of that, he said. While Labour Leader Keir Starmer sought to capitalise on the controversy as he said it wa

Britain sells 4 billion pounds of new 30-year inflation-linked bond

The 1.25% November 2054 index-linked gilt will be priced to yield 1.5 basis points more than the 1.25% November 2055 index-linked gilt, which acts as the benchmark

UK ban on overseas care workers bringing family comes in force this week

Overseas care workers, including Indians, will be restricted from bringing dependant family members with them to the UK under new visa rules that come into force from this week. The UK Home Office had announced the plans earlier and on Monday said the new rules follow a "disproportionate" 120,000 dependants accompanying 100,000 workers on the care visa route last year. It is claimed the move will radically cut net migration to the UK and tackle visa abuse to bring down unsustainable levels of legal migration. Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need. But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system and unsustainable migration numbers, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly. It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue. We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring numbers .

Will provide 10,000 drones to Ukraine in its fight against Russia: Britain

Britain said Thursday that it would provide 10,000 drones to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The announcement by Defense Secretary Grant Shapps during a visit in Kyiv with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy includes an investment of 125 million pounds ($160 million) on top of 200 million pounds ($256 million) previously committed for drones. The weaponry will include 1,000 one-way attack or kamikaze drones and models that target ships. Ukraine's Armed Forces are using U.K. donated weapons to unprecedented effect, to help lay waste to nearly 30% of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Shapps said. On Tuesday, Ukrainian sea drones reportedly sank another Russian warship in the Black Sea, the latest in a series of strikes that has crippled Moscow's naval capability.

Air India deboards Religare Enterprises Chairperson Saluja from UK flight

The incident happened on flight AI 161 before the scheduled pushback for take off and Saluja was deboarded following advice from the captain of the flight

UK trade minister Badenoch doesn't see Indian election as deadline for FTA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a third term, with the official election campaign expected to begin in the coming weeks

Britain's draft UN resolution calls for ceasefire in conflict-torn Sudan

Britain has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in conflict-wracked Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins soon. The draft, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press, expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur. With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, likely on Friday. Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Sudan's western Darfur region it took on a different form, with bru

Apple on track to collide with EU as new Digital Markets Act kicks in

The world's most ambitious digital regulation is being closely watched by other nations, including Japan, South Korea, Turkey and the UK, which are contemplating their own versions

Indian-origin executives appointed to Britain's competition regulator CMA

Indian-origin executives with years of experience in the field of law and finance have been appointed to the board of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a non-ministerial department responsible for strengthening business competition and curbing anti-competitive practices. Dharmash Mistry, a venture capitalist specialising in technology, new business models and finance, was named among four new non-executive directors of the CMA by the British government's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) last week. Meanwhile, Cyrus Mehta a former partner at international law firm CMS in London was named on the CMA board as a Panel Member, Non-Executive Director. Our new board members will bring further fresh perspectives and expertise at a time when our responsibilities, and our positive impact on people, businesses and the economy, are growing significantly, said CMA Chair Marcus Bokkerink. They will help us continue the great strides we have made over the past year to ensu

British accounting watchdog fines KPMG $1.9 mn over Saatchi audit failings

KPMG and its partner Adrian Wilcox failed to audit with sufficient professional skepticism, according to the Financial Reporting Council, which published a decision notice on Monday

Wales and Maharashtra explore collaboration on Future Generations Act

The visit of MLAs to Wales last year ignited interest as Wales delved into the intricacies of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act

Prince Harry loses legal challenge over security level in Britain

Prince Harry on Wednesday lost a legal challenge against the British government over the level of his security protection when he is in the UK, with a High Court judge in London ruling that the decision to remove police protection was not unlawful or irrational. The 39-year-old, younger son of King Charles III, who relocated with his family to the US after stepping back as a frontline royal, had argued that he was treated wrongly in the government's decision to change the level of his UK taxpayer-funded personal security. His lawyers told the court that it was "unlawful and unfair" to take such an approach to his protection while he is in his home country. However, Judge Sir Peter Lane ruled that the decision to remove police protection was not unlawful or irrational. "Even if such procedural unfairness occurred, the court would in any event be prevented from granting the claimant [Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex] relief, said Lane. "This is because, leaving aside any such ...

British Airways official on the run in India over £3 mn visa racket: Report

British police are working with their Indian counterparts to trace a British Airways supervisor believed to be on the run in India after his role in an alleged GBP 3 million visa scam from over five years came to light, according to a UK media report on Tuesday. The Sun' newspaper reports that the unnamed 24-year-old suspect worked at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport and is said to have charged customers GBP 25,000 per trip to abuse a loophole and fly them across the British Airways (BA) network without crucial visa documents. British police are now said to be working with their Indian counterparts to try to trace the man, who reportedly vanished with his partner a BA ground services staffer after he was arrested on January 6 and released on bail. He is believed to have flown out to India where he has reportedly bought several properties. As part of his fiddle, he got clients, most from India, to fly to the UK on a temporary visitor visa where he arranged for them to jet elsewhere,

Jacob Rothschild, banker who turned away from dynasty, dies at 87

Jacob Rothschild was also one of the UK's leading philanthropists. He chaired the boards of the National Gallery and the National Heritage Lottery Fund