British Prime Minister

Big countries, little people: Indian diaspora as seen in Bollywood films

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic Bollywood film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the Indian diaspora that it had wooed is in troubled waters

India growing force on world stage: UK PM Starmer updates Parliament

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday updated the House of Commons on his two-day visit to Mumbai last week with the country's biggest trade delegation to India, scoring deals worth around 1.3 billion pounds. Addressing Parliament as it resumed from recess this week, Starmer said both countries were united by the future following a historic trade deal struck in July to open up new opportunities for businesses and boost job creation. The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit two months ago, is expected to significantly enhance the bilateral trade partnership from the current 44 billion pounds a year. India is a growing force on the world stage, on track to have the third largest economy by 2028, said Starmer. So, in addition to the bond we already shared, the living bridge of family and history, we are also united by the future and the incredible opportunities that we see before us. That's why, back

Keir Starmer visits India, PM Modi renews ‘Make in India’ pitch, Nobel Prize in Chemistry #newsinamin

British PM Keir Starmer, on his first visit to India since taking office, said the opportunities under the India-UK Free Trade Agreement are ‘unparalleled’ and the deal is a ‘launchpad’

Ramgoolam, Starmer, and probably Putin: Hosting world leaders outside Delhi

PM Modi's meetings with global leaders outside New Delhi mark a shift toward decentralising India's diplomacy, with Mumbai, Varanasi and possibly Goa hosting summits

Two dead in car and stabbing attack at UK's synagogue, suspect shot

The attack was declared 'Plato', a code-word used by the UK police when responding to a marauding terror attack

Trump praises his hosts for royal welcome on UK visit, sidesteps key issues

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was tremendously thankful for the pageantry and splendour lavished on him during his second state visit to the United Kingdom as he wrapped up a trip that largely sidestepped major public disagreements over difficult trade and geopolitical issues. The mutual warmth, along with Trump's abundance of kind words bestowed on the host country, suggested that an all-out charm offensive by the royal family and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had its desired effect, even though there was a notable lack of progress on some key matters. Trump and Starmer signed what both sides hailed as a historic agreement on science and technology, and they held a roundtable with global business leaders where they suggested the deal could mean significant job gains. Among the topics tackled mostly in private talks between Trump and Starmer were the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and US tariff rates on steel imported from Britain. "The bond between our countries is .

After royal pomp, Trump meets UK PM Starmer on final day of state visit

After the pomp, it's time for the politics. President Donald Trump will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, the final day of the US leader's state visit to Britain, with tech investment, steel tariffs and potentially tricky topics on the agenda. The president and first lady Melania Trump were feted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at Windsor Castle with all the pageantry the monarchy can muster: gold-trimmed carriages, scarlet-clad soldiers, artillery salutes and a glittering banquet in a grand ceremonial hall. British officials have festooned the trip with the kind of superlatives Trump revels in: It's an unprecedented second state visit for the US leader, featuring the biggest military honour guard ever assembled for such an occasion. On Thursday it is Starmer's turn to welcome the president to Chequers, a 16th-century manor house northwest of London that serves as a rural retreat for British leaders. Trump's British hosts want to celebrate the streng

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

India-UK trade deal: Double contribution pact to smoothen ops for IT cos

So far, Indian professionals working for a limited period in UK contributed to the country's social security funds, but they would not get benefits as they would return once the project is completed

PM Modi to embark on visit to UK, Maldives from today; what's on agenda

His visit to the UK will primarily focus on the formalisation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Besides holding wide-ranging talks with Starmer, PM Modi will also be meeting King Charles III

Starmer faces down revolt over welfare reform after first year in office

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer marks a year in office this week, fighting a rebellion from his own party over welfare reform and reckoning with a sluggish economy and rock-bottom approval ratings. It's a long way from the landslide election victory he won on July 4, 2024, when Starmer's center-left Labour Party took 412 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons to end 14 years of Conservative government. In the last 12 months Starmer has navigated the rapids of a turbulent world, winning praise for rallying international support for Ukraine and persuading US President Donald Trump to sign a trade deal easing tariffs on UK goods. But at home his agenda has run onto the rocks as he struggles to convince British voters and his own party that his government is delivering the change that it promised. Inflation remains stubbornly high and economic growth low, frustrating efforts to ease the cost of living. Starmer's personal approval ratings are approaching those of Conservative Pr

Starmer moves to quell Labour mutiny ahead of key welfare policy vote

After a U-turn on disability benefit cuts, Starmer will spend Monday urging Labour MPs to support a revised plan ahead of a crucial vote that could test his authority within the party

In UK, Yunus says no direct communication with British PM

Bangladesh interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that he has had no direct communication with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in connection with the recovery of stolen money allegedly under the previous Hasina regime in Dhaka. Downing Street sources indicated that no formal meeting had been agreed during the Chief Adviser's visit to London this week. Yunus told The Financial Times' newspaper that the UK has a moral responsibility to assist Bangladesh in tracing and retrieving funds stolen by the previous regime and allegedly funnelled into Britain. I have no direct conversation with him, Yunus told the Financial Times' with reference to Starmer. I have no doubt he would support us. This is stolen money We need the support from the people of Great Britain, he said. The 84-year-old Nobel Laureate took over as the head of the interim government after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a massive student-led protest in Bangladesh in August last year

King Charles sends personal note to Joe Biden following cancer diagnosis

King Charles, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, privately sent a message of support to Joe Biden after the latter's aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis

Did Macron hide cocaine on train to Ukraine? French media fact-checks claim

A viral video sparked claims that French President Emmanuel Macron hid a cocaine pouch during the Ukraine visit. The French media debunked the rumour, calling it an 'absurd conspiracy'

Donald Trump says 'yes' to King Charles' invitation for state visit

Trump accepting this invitation from King Charles, makes him the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch

UK PM Keir Starmer willing to send troops to Ukraine to 'safeguard peace'

Meanwhile, officials from US and Russia are expected to meet in Saudi Arabia in coming days to formally initiate the peace talks to bring the three-year long war to end

UK Oppn wants PM Keir Starmer to scrap plans for Islamophobia definition

Britain's Opposition Conservative Party is leading calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to scrap government plans for an official definition of Islamophobia over fears it would restrict free speech and action against wrongdoing. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said this weekend that a "false label" of Islamophobia had hampered investigations into the child abuse grooming gang scandal involving men of Pakistani heritage. It comes as The Daily Telegraph newspaper claims that the Labour Party government is considering a formal definition of anti-Muslim discrimination. The government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia, Jenrick told the newspaper. Throughout the grooming gang scandal the false label of Islamophobia was used to silence people. It appears that the government has learnt nothing and is determined to press ahead with a definition that will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech, he said. In a social media post, the Tory M

British author David Lodge, twice Booker Prize nominee, dies at 89

British author David Lodge, who was twice short-listed for the country's leading literary prize, has died. He was 89. Lodge's family said they were very proud of the prolific writer, who died on New Year's Day, according to a statement issued by his publisher, Penguin Random House. Lodge is probably best known for his two Booker Prize-nominated novels, 1984's Small World: An Academic Romance and Nice Works four years later. The two novels followed on from 1975's Changing Places, the first in a trilogy series about a fictional university. The trilogy was adapted successfully for television in the 1980s. Lodge, who also wrote memoirs and television scripts, taught in the English department at the University of Birmingham between 1960 and 1987 before retiring to focus on writing. It was interesting growing up with David Lodge as a father," his family said. Conversation over the supper table was always lively, our mother Mary very much held her own, meanwhile, David was ready with a .

PM Keir Starmer plans reform of UK state in bid to counter criticism

Starmer's reset moment, including six 'milestones' designed to be tools to measure the government's progress, instead triggered more disquiet and confusion about his strategy