Uk

After months of protests, UK eases inheritance tax burden on farms

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers Union, said the original proposals represented a "pernicious and cruel tax" that his organisation had fought for 14 months

Nirav Modi's Bank of India trial adjourned over UK prison paperwork delays

A London court has allowed a plea by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges, to adjourn a trial in an unrelated Bank of India unpaid loan case until March over UK prison delays. The 54-year-old accused, fighting extradition to India in the estimated USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam, was shifted from Thameside prison in south London to HMP Pentonville, north London, in October to facilitate an appearance at the High Court in London. At an online review hearing for the USD 8-million Bank of India case on Friday, Judge Simon Tinkler partially granted Nirav's application to adjourn the eight-day January trial by a few weeks until March 23 next year following delays by UK prison authorities in providing access to important legal paperwork. There must, in my judgment, be some doubt as to whether those papers will ever make their way to Mr Modi if they indeed currently still exist, Justice Tinkler noted. It does seem t

Britain appoints new ambassador to US, replaces Epstein-linked diplomat

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed a new UK ambassador to the United States on Thursday, replacing a diplomat who was fired over his over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Christian Turner, currently the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations, will replace Peter Mandelson, who was sacked in September because of his friendship with Epstein. The appointment comes as US President Donald Trump has been critical of Europe and at a time when Starmer and his European peers are pushing to make sure that a US brokered peace plan between Russia and Ukraine does not leave Kyiv vulnerable. The United Kingdom and United States have a very special relationship, and Christian's extensive experience as an outstanding diplomat will support this uniquely close bond and ensure it continues to flourish," Starmer said. Turner, a veteran diplomat, will take on the role after US agreement. He was previously political director of the Foreign, Commonwealth and

US pauses $40 bn tech deal with UK over digital rules, food standards

Britain hailed the visit as proof of close ties and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ability to work with Trump on trade and technology

British Indians support to far-right, far-left parties on rise, says census

The votes of British Indians must not be taken for granted by the major parties as the electorate is getting increasingly drawn towards the extremes on the right and left of the political divide, the British Indian Census 2025' reveals this week. The research by the 1928 Institute think tank, released in a House of Commons committee room in London on Tuesday, found that Indian diaspora support for the anti-immigration Reform UK tripled to match a similar rise in young voters backing the climate action focussed Green Party. While support for the governing Labour Party is still higher among British Indians than the national average, at 35 per cent compared to 22 per cent within the wider population, there has been a 13 per cent decline in this support. Meanwhile, the Opposition Conservatives have lost ground with a 12 per cent fall since 2019 and the Liberal Democrats registered no change at around 9 per cent support within the community. Political support among British Indians is ..

Explained: Arunachal woman detained at Shanghai airport: What happened?

A woman from Arunachal Pradesh, now living in the UK, was detained for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai airport after Chinese officials declared her Indian passport “invalid”. >

Who is Prema Thongdok, Indian woman allegedly detained at Shanghai airport

Prema Wangjom Thongdok alleged harassment at the Shanghai airport during her three-hour layover, with authorities calling her Indian passport 'invalid'

Unilever considers sale of British brands Marmite, Bovril, Colman's: Report

The London-listed company is considering shedding the century-old, yeast-based spread Marmite brand, the people said

India's medtech sector sets sights on tripling UK exports by 2030

A 7-member AIMED delegation explored regulatory alignment, market access and technology-sharing opportunities in the UK as India targets a sharp rise in medical device exports by 2030

UK's Reeves abandons plans to raise income tax rates, roiling markets

As recently as Monday, she said it would not be possible to stick to this pledge without 'deep cuts' to public investment

Supreme Court questions petitioners on reliance on UK Covid vaccine data

You trust the data put out by the United Kingdom but not the figures given by the Indian government, the Supreme Court on Thursday told the petitioners who claimed that authorities reported "alarmingly low" number of deaths due to adverse effects of Covid vaccine. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing arguments on the pleas including the one which alleged that two women lost their lives in 2021 after taking the first dose of Covishield vaccine. It was alleged that after vaccination, both of them suffered from severe adverse effects following immunization. The top court reserved its order in the matter. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for petitioners in one of the pleas, said the same vaccine was used in the UK and India administered 30 times more jabs as compared to the UK. "The difference is so large that there seems to be a worrying discrepancy between the UK, which is putting its data transparently, and India which is hiding the data of deaths,

Rachel Reeves signals possible UK tax hikes ahead of November budget

In a pre-budget speech in Downing Street carried on national broadcasters, Reeves argued she would prioritize bringing down borrowing costs and inflation

Andrew to get a six-figure payment, annual stipend from King Charles

The relocation package is said to include a six-figure sum to cover moving costs, followed by a regular stipend several times larger than his £20,000-a-year navy pension

Tipu Sultan pistols, Ranjit Singh painting set new auction record in UK

A pair of pistols made for Tipu Sultan and an intricate painting of Maharaja Ranjit Singh were among the starring lots that helped set a new auction record for Sotheby's in London this week. The Arts of the Islamic World and India' sale on Wednesday fetched a combined total of over 10 million pounds, with both historic Indian auction lots outshining their guide price estimates considerably. The 18th century Mysore ruler's silver-mounted flintlock pistols, made especially for the Tiger of Mysore, sold to a private collector for almost 14 times the estimate for 1.1 million pounds. The painting of the 19th century founder of the Sikh Empire, depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh in procession through a bazaar by artist Bishan Singh set a new record for Sikh art as it was acquired by an institution for 952,500 pounds. This wonderfully detailed processional scene depicts Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh leader, riding his elephant through a bazaar in Lahore, reads the Sotheby's catalogue ...

Former UK PM Sunak turns columnist, offers budget advice against tax rises

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday began a new role as a newspaper columnist with some advice for the government ahead of the UK budget next month, cautioning Chancellor Rachel Reeves against resorting to tax rises to bolster the nation's finances. Writing in The Sunday Times', the 45-year-old former chancellor in the Conservative Party-led government draws upon his own experiences in the Treasury at No. 11 Downing Street in London to acknowledge the tough choices faced by a finance minister. However, the Opposition MP believes the answer for the Labour government lies in spending cuts rather than tax hikes as the latter would have a depressionary effect on economic growth. Raising taxes would be a disaster for the UK and particularly if increases are concentrated on a narrow base as Reeves tries to remain technically compliant with manifesto commitments. Such tax rises would be particularly distortionary and damaging to growth, writes Sunak. The choice then is simple: ..

Watch: Full joint presser by PM Modi & UK PM Keir Starmer | India-UK relations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met for a delegation-level discussion in Mumbai on Thursday.

UK signs $468 million deal to supply India with lightweight missiles

Britain also said on Thursday it reached a new milestone with India on a tie-up for electric-powered engines for naval ships as both countries signed the next phase of a deal

Technocraft share rallies 6% on €10 million UK expansion plan; details here

Shares of Technocraft Industries rallied after the company announced its proposal to invest 10 million euros over the next three years

UK businesses hit by cyberattacks, halting car production & grocery supply

Cyberattacks seem inevitable lately, and large-scale theft of customer data has begun to feel almost routine. Attacks that upend company operations are exposing troubling vulnerabilities

Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover secures UK loan guarantee post cyber-attack

The UK government on Sunday announced that it will support iconic British brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee of up to 1.5 billion pounds to give certainty to the Tata Motors owned carmaker's supply chain following a devastating cyber-attack. The loan will come from a commercial bank, backed by the Department for Business and Trade's (DBT) Export Development Guarantee (EDG), provided by export credit agency UK Export Finance, to be paid back over five years. The aim is to bolster JLR's cash reserves following the production shutdown since early this month in the wake of the hack to help support firms in the supply chain, many of them small and medium enterprises (SMEs) struggling to stay afloat. This cyber-attack was not only an assault on an iconic British brand, but on our world-leading automotive sector and the men and women whose livelihoods depend on it, said Peter Kyle, Business and Trade Secretary. Following our decisive action, this loan guarantee will help