Page 169 - India

Working towards best FTA with 'economic superpower' India: UK's Greg Hands

Describing India as an "economic superpower", Britain said on Wednesday that it was working towards the "best" Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is beneficial to both the countries. India and Britain launched negotiations for the FTA in January with an aim to conclude talks by Diwali but the deadline was missed due to a lack of consensus on issues. "We have already closed the majority of Chapters and look forward to the next round of talks shortly," Secretary of State for International Trade Greg Hands said while replying to a question from Nick Thomas-Symonds, Shadow international trade secretary. A "strong FTA can strengthen the economic links between UK and India, boosting the UK economy by more than 3 billion pounds by 2035, helping families and communities," he said. He said that the FTA can cut red tapes, make it cheaper for UK companies to sell into India's dynamic market , helping drive growth and support jobs across every nation and region. Greater access could help UK ...

India an important manufacturer of vaccines for world: White House

India is an important manufacturer of vaccines for the world, the White House said, acknowledging the crucial role the country played in supplying vaccines against COVID-19 globally. Because of its incredible manufacturing capacity, (India) has been a major exporter of vaccines, Dr Ashish Jha, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, told reporters at a news conference here on Tuesday. Responding to a question, Dr Jha said the QUAD partnership a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the US -- on coronavirus was important to the Joe Biden administration. I think India is an important manufacturer of vaccines for the world. I mean not just for India itself, this is a really important thing, he said at the White House news conference. Defending the Biden administration's decision to supply vaccines to the world, Dr Jha said the US will continue making them available for every low and several low- and middle-income countries. There are about 100 countri

Better for Indian policymakers to understand what makes oil prices move

India imports more than 85% of its crude, half of its gas, and 60% of the cooking fuel, and any uptick in rates reduces the purchasing power of Indian households, something that is called inflation

Continental power grid spanning Japan to India inches closer to reality

Plans for a web of sub-sea cables that would create a continental power grid spanning Japan to India are rapidly becoming cheaper and more feasible

Flipkart to raise up to $3 bn to expand product range in India: Report

Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart is considering raising $2 billion to $3 billion at a valuation of more than $40 billion to expand its product range in India

Hopes for India-UK FTA talks impetus with new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

As Rishi Sunak takes over as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister on Tuesday, there is renewed hope that the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) will get a much-needed impetus after the Diwali deadline for draft completion was missed amid political turmoil in the UK. While the October timeline was set by former prime minister Boris Johnson during his India visit in April, Sunak is on the record expressing his commitment to an FTA with India while Chancellor of the Exchequer at No. 11 Downing Street. He has flagged financial services as a particularly exciting aspect of the bilateral trade relationship and pointed to enormous opportunity for both countries in fintech and the insurance sector. I'm very supportive of India playing an increasingly influential role in the region, and indeed, in the world as a massive economy and the world's largest democracy and an FTA would prove a greater champion of that cause, Sunak told reporters back in July. Financial service is an area ..

No military or armed solution to Libya's issues, says India at UNSC

India on Monday at the UNSC meeting on Libya said there is no military or armed solution to Libya's issues and this point needs to be emphasized by the international community

Indian envoy meets Kenyan President Ruto over abduction of 2 Indians

India on Monday described as "very disturbing" the circumstances surrounding the abduction of two Indians in Kenya and subsequent lack of information in the case. Indian High Commissioner to Kenya, Namgya Khampa, met Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto and requested him for expediting the investigation into the matter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. A close aide of the Kenyan President last week claimed the two missing Indians, Mohammad Zaid Sami Kidwai and Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan, have been killed by the disbanded DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) unit, according to a media report. It is learnt that the Kenyan government has not said anything officially on the report. Kidwai and Khan, who were part of the Kenya Kwanza digital campaign team, went missing alongside taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania from Mombasa Road in July. "We have been in regular touch with the Kenyan government to locate the whereabouts of the two missing Indian nationals, Mohammad Zaid Sami Ki

Elizabeth Jones is Charg d'Affaires ad interim at US Embassy in Delhi

: The Biden administration has appointed senior foreign service officer Elizabeth Jones the Charg d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in New Delhi, an official announcement said. Jones, who was the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts recently, will depart to New Delhi soon, the State Department said in an announcement on Monday. Jones has earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She carries the highest foreign service rank of Career Ambassador. In India, Ambassador Jones will join our Embassy and Consulate interagency teams in advancing and expanding the partnership between our governments and people, a partnership that Secretary Blinken has called one of the most consequential in the world, the Department of State said.

Google Pixel 7 Pro an ideal smartphone for Indians in hybrid workplace

Android 13 on Pixel 7 Pro brings you the best Android experience yet. It's fast, smart and secure, along with fresh new style and customisation capabilities

India among 12 teams finalised for Men's 2022 World Team Chess Championship

Teams from 12 top chess-playing nations including India, China, the United States and the Netherlands have been included in the lineup for the 2022 Men's World Team Chess Championship here next month.

English gives Indians edge in global market but disparities stark: Report

Mok said among 112 non-English speaking countries, India and China are ranked side by side (48 and 49, respectively) in the EF English Proficiency Index

India records 1,994 fresh Covid-19 cases, active cases down to 23,432

With 1,994 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 4,46,42,742, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 23,432, the Union health ministry said on Sunday. The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,28,961 with four more fatalities, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The active cases account for 0.05 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 611 cases was recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours, it added. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.24 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.99 per cent, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,40,90,349, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry, 219.55 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered to the ...

India a leader in skills expansion of national curriculum, new study finds

India is a leader when it comes to expanding its national curriculum for education to include a broader range of new skills for young people, a new study of 20 countries around the world has found. The Economist Group's Economist Impact research arm used the Learning Ecosystems Framework, commissioned by Jacobs Foundation, to find that India is one of the best performing countries in matching ambitions for personalised learning with the time teachers get to spend with their students. The research also found that 70 per cent of teachers surveyed in India feel they have adequate time to spend with each student, compared to an average of only 50 per cent across the 20 countries studied. We hope that this Learning Ecosystems Framework will help countries understand how well their learning ecosystems are performing and how they can be supported to further evolve, said Fabio Segura and Simon Sommer, co-CEOs of the Jacobs Foundation. But this framework is only the first step in a long ...

Delhi, Bengal consume most sweets in India; Rajasthan top consumer of papad

In 2021, the sweet market in India stood at Rs 58,900 crore

100 yr-old unemployment prob can't be solved in 100 days: PM Modi

The 100-year-old problem of unemployment cannot be solved in 100 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said

LIVE: Taking new initiatives to shield India from global problems, says PM

From Reliance Jio's 5G services launch in Rajasthan to coronavirus cases, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

COP27 is rightfully christened COP of Implementation: Bhupender Yadav

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav said that COP 27 is rightfully christened the "COP of Implementation"

After a 9-year gap, India-EU free trade negotiations to see new dawn

As India-EU marks 60 years of bilateral relations the new free trade agreement negotiations can deliver what proved to be impossible 9 years ago, said European Parliament member Kathleen Van Brempt

2 missing Indians killed by disbanded DCI unit, claims Kenyan Prez aide

A close aide of Kenyan President William Ruto has claimed that the two missing Indians in Kenya have been killed by the disbanded DCI unit, a media report said on Friday. Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and his friend Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, who were part of the Kenya Kwanza digital campaign team, went missing alongside taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania from Mombasa Road in July. The two contributed immensely to the success of Ruto's campaign, said Itumbi, who was at the heart of Ruto's presidential campaigns, The Nation newspaper reported. Sometimes when our team was overwhelmed and we needed graphics, I sent (material) their way and they paused whatever they were doing and did me the favour, he said in a Facebook post. They visited Mombasa, Homa Bay, (Masai) Mara, nyama choma joints and loved our dance joints too. They invited me to India; I told them I would visit after (the) elections. Their eyes were primarily on enjoying Kenya as much as they could. When they sat down, they produced very ..