Page 3 - Britain

London protest by far-right activist exceeds 100k as minor clashes erupt

A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 100,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters. Several officers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the Unite the Kingdom rally, Metropolitan Police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus officers on duty. At least nine people were arrested, but police indicated that many other offenders had been identified and would be held accountable. Police estimated that Robinson drew about 110,000 people, while the rival March Against Fascism protest organised by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers. Anti-migrant theme Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. The march wa

UK police probe rape of British Sikh woman as 'racially aggravated assault'

The UK police on Friday issued an appeal for information over an alleged rape of a British Sikh woman earlier this week, which the force said is being treated as a racially aggravated assault. Police said it was called on Tuesday morning after the woman, in her 20s, reported being sexually attacked at Tame Road, Oldbury, in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands region of England. The two white male suspects are said to have targeted the woman and made a racist remark during the attack. We're investigating after a woman reported to us that she had been raped in Oldbury in what we are treating as a racially aggravated attack, West Midlands Police statement said. The woman has told us that a racist remark was made to her during the attack. We are currently treating it as an isolated incident, the statement added. Police said they are keen to speak with anyone in the area who may have seen the two suspects. One of them is said to have a shaved head, heavy build and was reported to be

British Parliament panel opens inquiry into impact of India-UK FTA

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has opened an inquiry this week into the impacts and implications of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), concluded during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Britain in July. The cross-party panel, which includes British Indian Conservative peer Baroness Sandy Verma, is seeking evidence from experts and stakeholders as part of the parliamentary process before the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) can come into effect. With a target to double bilateral trade to USD 120 billion by 2030, the CETA has been pitched by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer-led government as a landmark agreement" that will increase trade by 25.5 billion pounds and UK GDP by 4.8 billion pounds annually in the long run. As we undertake a new programme of evidence gathering, covering the terms of the FTA, its potential benefits and disadvantages, and provisions for key UK sectors, among other issues, we encourage anyone with experience

Prince Harry visits UK, sparking talk of possible reunion with King Charles

Prince Harry will make a flying visit to his UK-based charities this week, leading to a flurry of speculation about whether he will meet with his father, King Charles III, for the first time in 19 months. Amid signs of a thaw in the frigid relationship between Harry and the rest of the royal family, British media suggest that the prince's trip to London on Monday's third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II provides an opening for a long-overdue rapprochement between Charles, 76, and his estranged son. Harry has had little contact with his father and elder brother, Prince William, since he and his wife, the former Meghan Markle, gave up royal duties and moved to California in 2020. The relationship became even frostier after the couple bared their grievances with Buckingham Palace in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, a Netflix series and Harry's memoir, Spare. A frosty relationship The last time Harry and Charles met was in February 2024, when the prince flew to .

UK outraged at Israel restricting aid, works to evacuate sick Gaza children

British officials are working to get critically sick and injured children out of Gaza so they can receive specialist treatment in UK hospitals, the British foreign secretary said Monday, adding that the first patients will arrive in coming weeks. David Lammy said he was outraged by Israel not allowing enough aid to enter Gaza as he announced USD 20 million more for medical assistance for Gaza and the region. This is not a natural disaster, it's a manmade famine in the 21st century, he said. I'm outraged by the Israeli government's refusal to allow in sufficient aid. We all know there is only one way out an immediate ceasefire, Lammy added. He told lawmakers that British officials are also supporting students from Gaza who have been granted scholarships at UK universities so that they can start their studies in the fall. Lammy said a massive humanitarian response was needed to prevent more Palestinians from dying and starving after the world's leading authority on food crises said

Starmer reshuffles Downing Street team to reset govt after first year

The moves are an attempt by Starmer to get a grip of his administration after criticism that he has lacked direction on overall strategy as well as on policy areas ranging from economy to immigration

NRI industrialist Swraj Paul passes away in London at 94

Lord Paul, founder of the UK-based Caparo Group, had fallen ill and was recently hospitalised, passing away in the company of his family

UK growth slows in second quarter but comes in higher than expected

Britain's economy slowed down during the second quarter of the year in the face of higher taxes on businesses and global tariff uncertainties, but growth came in higher than anticipated, official figures showed Thursday. The Office for National Statistics said output expanded by 0.3% during the second quarter from the previous three-month period, largely as a result of a strong performance in June. Though that was lower than the 0.7% increase in the first quarter of the year, it was ahead of market expectations of only a 0.1% rise. The bigger than expected increase will be welcome news to the Labour government, which has made improving growth its number one priority since it returned to power in July 2024. Higher growth will also bolster public finances as it leads to higher tax revenues. If growth continues to beat expectations in coming months, Treasury chief Rachel Reeves will be under less pressure to deliver another big tax-raising budget this fall. Reeves said Thursday's fig

India on UK's 'deport now appeal later' expanded list for foreign criminals

India is among the countries being added to an expanded UK government list of countries where foreign criminals will be deported once they are sentenced before their appeals are heard as part of measures to crack down on rising migration to the country. In an announcement on Sunday, the UK Home Office confirmed that the scope of its Deport Now Appeal Later scheme will be nearly trebled from eight countries to 23, with foreign nationals from these countries to be deported to their home countries before they can appeal against that decision. Foreigners who have had their human rights claim refused will have a chance to take part in their UK appeal hearing remotely from overseas using video technology. For far too long, foreign criminals have been exploiting our immigration system, remaining in the UK for months or even years while their appeals drag on. That has to end, said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Those who commit crimes in our country cannot be allowed to manipulate the syste

466 arrested during London protest backing banned group Palestine Action

Under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, membership in or support for the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison

Air India crash: British families await update on DNA-matched remains

British families, waiting for the remains of relatives aboard the London-bound Air India 171 plane that crashed soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, are expecting confirmation on DNA matches after high-level India-UK government talks, their legal team has said. Keystone Law, which has been working with aviation experts to assist many of the families who lost loved ones in the June 12 crash, called for urgency in the process this week. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit last week, Downing Street had confirmed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had discussed the Air India plane crash during their bilateral talks against the backdrop of UK media reports of mislabelling of some remains repatriated to Britain. The UK and Indian governments have held high-level talks, as a result of the international media coverage of this problem, said James Healy-Pratt, Aviation Partner at Keystone Law. It is believed that some matched DNA remains may now have been located in India. ...

Statehood for Palestine? The legal test, the war, and the global shift

Global calls for Palestinian statehood rise, but legal, political, and diplomatic roadblocks remain complex and contested

Trump to meet UK PM Starmer at Scotland golf course to boost ties

President Donald Trump once suggested his golf course in Scotland furthers" the US-UK relationship. Now he's getting the chance to prove it. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting Monday with Trump at a golf property owned by the president's family near Turnberry in southwestern Scotland then later travelling to Abderdeen, on the country's northeast coast, where there's another Trump golf course and a third is opening soon. During his first term in 2019, Trump posted of his Turnberry property, Very proud of perhaps the greatest golf course anywhere in the world. Also, furthers UK relationship! Starmer is not a golfer, but toggling between Trump's Scottish courses shows the outsized influence the president puts on properties bearing his name and on golf's ability to shape geopolitics. While China initially responded to Trump's tariff threats by retaliating with high import taxes of its own on US goods but has since begun negotiating easing trade tensions, Starmer and his

Britain ready to fight China over Taiwan, backs peaceful resolution

If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together, said British Defence Secretary

UK cos can offer telecom services in India without local office under CETA

Companies from the UK will be able to offer services in sectors such as telecom, and construction in India without setting up a local presence, under the free trade agreement signed between the two countries. The British firms will be treated on par with Indian firms. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed on July 24 in London. It may take about a year for items implementation as the free trade pact needs approval from the British Parliament. "UK companies can now provide telecom, construction, and related services in India without establishing a local presence, enjoying full national treatment, meaning they will be treated on par with Indian firms," the commerce ministry said. Services is a key chapter in the agreement as both countries are strong in different kinds of services. India enjoys a trade surplus of around USD 6.6 billion with the UK. The country's services exports stood at USD 19.8 billion and imports at USD 13.2 billion. In the agreement, t

Govt offers duty relief on certain UK goods, sensitive sectors excluded

India has granted tariff concessions to a wide range of British goods under the recently signed free trade agreement (FTA), including pastries, pet food, cosmetics and microwave ovens, while keeping sensitive sectors out to safeguard domestic interests. The comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA), which was signed on July 24, also offers duty-free access to UK products such as cakes, protein concentrates, dog and cat food, soaps, shaving cream, detergents, and home appliances like air conditioners and washing machines. However, the concessions are phased across sectors to give Indian industry sufficient time to prepare for enhanced competition from UK firms. The agreement will come into force in about a year as it requires approval from the British Parliament. According to the analysis of think tank GTRI, India has committed to reducing or eliminating import tariffs on nearly 90 per cent of goods originating from the United Kingdom. "The agreement includes phased concess

India liquor stocks rally on UK trade deal, premium spirits focus

Shares of India's Tilaknagar Industries Ltd and Allied Blenders & Distillers Ltd have surged more than 40 per cent since late April

Trump's Scotland visit for golf course launch blurs politics, business ties

Lashed by cold winds and overlooking choppy, steel-gray North Sea waters, the breathtaking sand dunes of Scotland's northeastern coast rank among Donald Trump's favourite spots on earth. At some point, maybe in my very old age, I'll go there and do the most beautiful thing you've ever seen," Trump said in 2023, during his New York civil fraud trial, talking about his plans for future developments on his property in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. At 79 and back in the White House, Trump is making at least part of that pledge a reality, travelling to Scotland on Friday as his family's business prepares for the August 13 opening of a new course it is billing as the greatest 36 holes in golf." While there, Trump will talk trade with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a meeting he's said will take place at probably one of my properties. The Aberdeen area is already home to another of his courses, Trump International Scotland, and the president also plans to visit a Trump course near Turnber

PM Modi meets King Charles III in London, invites him to visit India

The Prime Minister expressed his happiness at the recovery of King Charles III's health and the resumption of his Royal duties

Tom Hayes Libor victory puts convictions in $10 billion scandal at risk

When star trader Tom Hayes was found guilty of rigging a benchmark interest rate in 2015, it set off a raft of other investigations of bankers and traders across the City of London