Page 27 - Britain

EAM Jaishankar to visit UK from November 11-15, set to meet counterpart

During his visit, Jaishankar will hold a meeting with his UK counterpart James Cleverly. He will also meet several other dignitaries

Rishi Sunak under pressure to sack minister Braverman over Palestine remark

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to sack his Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, as the row surrounding her controversial newspaper article attacking the Metropolitan Police over its handling of Israel-Hamas protests in London continues to gain momentum on Friday. While Sunak's official spokesperson at 10 Downing Street has said that he has full confidence in the Home Secretary, they did confirm that the contents of The Times' Op-Ed did not have the full clearance of her boss. The harshly worded piece on Wednesday attacked the Met Police for having double standards and playing favourites by not taking tougher action against pro-Palestinian protesters when they turned aggressive. "The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used," UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told broadcasters when asked about the row. While clearly distancing himself from her stance, the senior Cabinet minister stressed that he has a productive relationship with her as a colleague"

British economy flatlines in Jul-Sep quarter ahead of budget statement

The British economy flatlined in the third quarter of the year, official figures showed Friday ahead of a budget statement from the government later this month. The Office for National Statistics said growth in the July-to-September period was zero compared to the previous three-months. All sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, broadly showed the same subdued picture. Despite the uninspiring headline figure, the quarterly outcome was slightly ahead of analysts' expectations for a modest decline in output. The British economy, like many others particularly in the world, is struggling to grow in the face of higher interest rates, which are aimed at taming inflation. Last week, the Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at the 15-year high of 5.25% and indicated that borrowing costs will likely remain at these sort of elevated levels for a while. The Bank of England, like other central banks, raised interest rates aggressively from near zero as it sought to

UK to add India as 'safe state' to cut asylum claims amid migrant crisis

With this addition, all asylum claims from Indian nationals who arrive on small boats or illegally on other routes will be deemed inadmissible. There will be no appeals and they will be sent back.

Japan, UK look to boost security ties under new pact on sidelines of G7

Japanese and British foreign and defense ministers are to talk on Tuesday about deepening their military cooperation under a new security pact that allows their militaries to enter each other's turf for joint exercises. Japan and Britain have expanded their cooperation in recent years amid concern about China's growing influence. Japan, whose only treaty ally is the United States, has signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement with Australia and the UK so far, making them semi-allies. The talks in Tokyo among Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps are the first since the RAA took effect in mid-October. They are meeting on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced nations on Tuesday and Wednesday that are expected to focus on the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war and tension in the Indo-Pacific region. The four ministers' .

Russia to face trial in Britain over $60 billion unpaid dues to Yukos Oil

The Wednesday ruling is the latest staging post in a sprawling legal saga that's dragged on for two decades

India agrees to historic international AI collaboration pact at UK summit

Some of the countries who are publicly endorsing the Declaration include India, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates

India, United Kingdom negotiations for proposed FTA going on, says Official

Negotiations between senior officials of India and the UK on the proposed free trade agreement are going on with a view to bridge differences on issues related to goods and services sector, a senior government official said. "Talks on the 13th round is underway virtually. We have not talked about any deadlines to conclude talks," the official said. India and Britain launched the talks for Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) in January 2022, with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in the UK. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments, and intellectual property rights. The investment treaty is being negotiated as a separate agreement between India and the UK. The Indian industry is demanding greater access for its skilled professionals from sectors like IT, and healthcare in the UK market, besides market access for several goods at nil customs duties. On the other hand, the

BoE keeps main UK interest rate unchanged at 15-year high of 5.25%

The Bank of England has kept its main interest rate unchanged at the 15-year high of 5.25 per cent, as inflation across the UK is expected to fall further over the coming months. In a statement on Thursday, the bank's nine-member Monetary Policy Committee indicated that inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, is set to fall toward a 2 per cent target rate over the coming year. In the year to September, inflation stood at 6.7 per cent. Most economists expect a sizable decline over coming months as domestic energy bills fall. The bank in September ended a nearly two-year run of interest rate rises.

UK PM Sunak hails landmark Bletchley Declaration to tackle risks from AI

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is leading the talks on Thursday at the AI Safety Summit convened by the UK, hailed the Bletchley Declaration as a landmark agreement between 28 countries, including India, on the shared responsibility to address the risks associated with artificial intelligence. In the lead up to the two-day AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, Sunak had already announced the world's first AI Safety Institute to be set up in Britain to examine, evaluate, and test new types of AI to inform national and international policymaking. The summit is aimed at focussing on international priorities for artificial intelligence. Besides his discussions with government representatives from around the world on day two of the summit, Sunak will also hear from companies at the forefront of AI, academia and civil society, focused on the concrete action needed to ensure AI safety. Those attending include major AI business leaders like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind

Zydus Lifesciences acquires UK-based LiqMeds Group for 68 million pounds

Zydus Lifesciences on Tuesday said it has acquired UK-based LiqMeds Group for GBP 68 million (around Rs 689 crore). The Ahmedabad-based group, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Zydus Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd, will also pay yearly earn-outs until 2026 depending on the achievement of certain agreed milestones towards the acquisition. LiqMeds Group of companies specialises in the development, manufacturing and supply of oral liquid products for global markets. The group's subsidiary LM Manufacturing Ltd has an oral liquids manufacturing site at Weedon, Northampton, UK, which supplies products to the US and UK markets. "Zydus will pay an upfront consideration of GBP 68 million and yearly earn-outs until 2026 depending on the achievement of certain agreed milestones towards the acquisition of the LiqMeds Group of companies," the company said in a regulatory filing. The transaction will be EPS accretive for Zydus from the first year of acquisition, it added. "We believe that liquid ora

Suspect in attack on Salman Rushdie scheduled for trial in January 2024

The accused, Hadi Matar is expected to stand trial on January 8, according to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt

India criticises safeguard measures on steel import by EU, UK at WTO meet

Certain WTO countries, including India, Switzerland, Russia, and Japan, have criticised the safeguard measures imposed by the EU and the UK on imports of certain steel products, stating it is inconsistent with global trade rules, an official said. The comments were made by these countries during the meeting of World Trade Organisation's (WTO's) Safeguards Committee on Wednesday. The Geneva-based official said, "Switzerland, Brazil, Japan, China, Korea, Russia and India criticised the European Union's decision to maintain its safeguard measure on imports of certain steel products, which was imposed by the EU after the US imposed additional duties on steel imports during the Trump administration. These members regretted the EU's decision not to terminate the measure during a recent review and argued the safeguard was inconsistent with WTO rules, the official said. However, the EU argued that the safeguard will expire at the end of June 2024. Further India, Korea, Switzerland, Japan,

Indian-origin academics among 30 winners of UK's 3 mn pound research prize

Indian-origin academics from the University of Oxford and a South Asian historian from King's College London are among 30 winners of the UK's 3-million-pound 2023 Leverhulme Trust award, which recognises exceptional research across different fields. Professor Amia Srinivasan from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Oxford has been recognised for her work on epistemology, social and political philosophy, feminism, metaphilosophy, and the history of philosophy. Fellow Oxford University Professor, Ridhi Kashyap, from the Department of Sociology, has been honoured for her work on demography, social statistics, computational social science, digital and computational demography, and gender inequalities. Oxford is an exciting place to conduct research at the intersection of demography and computational social science. I look forward to continuing my research in both substantive and methodological directions and contributing to the advancement of digital and computational ...

We do not agree with Indian decisions: UK on Canadian diplomats' exit

The UK government has expressed its disagreement with Indian government decisions, which it believes resulted in the departure of Canadian diplomats amid an ongoing standoff between India and Canada over the killing of a Sikh separatist. The move impacted the effective functioning of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday. It came after Canada said it had withdrawn 41 diplomats following an alleged Indian threat to unilaterally revoke their status amid strained bilateral relations over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims of Indian agents being involved in the June murder of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly rejected the allegation and also refuted any violation of the Vienna Convention in relation to the diplomats' exit. Resolving differences requires communication and diplomats in respective capitals. We do no

Shows ambition, capability of India: British envoy on Isro's success

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Saturday announced the success of the 'TV-D1' (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) in the Gaganyaan Mission

Inflation in UK unchanged at 6.7% in Sept, still way more than BoE's target

Inflation in the UK held steady at 6.7 per cent in September as easing food and drink price rises were offset by higher prices at the pump for motorists, official figures showed Wednesday. The flat reading reported by the Office for National Statistics was disappointing as most economists had predicted another, albeit modest, fall. It means that the UK's inflation rate remains more than three times higher than the Bank of England's target rate of 2 per cent. The bank, though, is not expected to raise interest rates at its next policy meeting in early November, opting instead to keep its main borrowing rate unchanged at the 15-year high of 5.25 per cent. Last month, the bank brought an end to nearly two years of interest rate rises as inflation fell from multi-decade highs above 11 per cent. Most economists expect a sizeable decline in inflation next month. Progress on falling inflation has stalled, for one month at least," said James Smith, research director at the Resolution ...

Greta Thunberg charged with public order offence in UK over protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with a public order offence after being arrested at a demonstration against an oil and gas industry conference in London. The Metropolitan Police force said Wednesday that the 20-year-old Swedish campaigner was one of 26 people charged after protesters gathered outside the luxury InterContinental Hotel during the Energy Intelligence Forum. Thunberg was among dozens of protesters who chanted oily money out and sought to block access to the hotel on Tuesday. Thunberg was detained and taken to a police station before being released overnight, police said. She was charged with breaching a section of the Public Order Act that allows police to impose limits on public assemblies and was released on bail until a November 15 hearing at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court. The other protesters facing charges were also allowed bail. The three-day conference, which runs until Thursday, features speakers including the chief executives of Sh

Hopes of sealing India-UK trade deal this month may be fading: Report

The hope that the ongoing 13th round of negotiations towards an India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) could conclude with a deal for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign off in time for the India versus England World Cup cricket clash in Lucknow on October 29 seem to be fading, according to a UK media report on Wednesday. The Financial Times' quoted officials briefed on the negotiations to say that a lack of movement towards opening up of the Indian market to British professional services in the field of law and accountancy is among the factors for the slowdown. So much so that cricket fan Sunak's proposed return visit to India after an inaugural visit as UK Prime Minister to New Delhi for the G20 Summit last month is looking very, very unlikely to happen. The discussions are not where we want them to be, the newspaper quoted a British official familiar with the talks as saying. The Prime Minister has said he will not sign a trade deal on arbitrary deadlines. He's going to do t

Rolls-Royce cutting up to 2,500 jobs in overhaul of UK jet engine maker

Jet engine maker Rolls-Royce said Tuesday it's cutting up to 2,500 jobs globally as part of a corporate overhaul that its new CEO is carrying out. The aerospace company was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic that decimated demand for air travel. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over as chief executive in January, said the layoffs are aimed at making Rolls-Royce "more streamlined and efficient". Rolls-Royce, based in Derby, central England, didn't disclose where jobs will be cut, but around half of its 42,000-person workforce is based in the United Kingdom. The cuts will remove duplication and bring cost efficiencies in the latest stage of its "multi-year transformation", the company said. We are building a Rolls-Royce that is fit for the future," Erginbilgic said. The company slashed 9,000 jobs globally in 2020 as it grappled with the collapse of air travel during the pandemic. The new turnaround plan also includes creating a new company-wide procurement division that can take advantag