Page 8 - Uk Govt

2,500 job cuts inevitable in Tata Steel's UK operations: CEO Narendran

Loss of jobs for around 2,500 workers at Tata Steel's operations in the UK, which are in a transition phase, is "inevitable", the company's CEO T V Narendran said. Fear of job losses has attracted criticism of the workers' unions and they are continuously protesting against the company in the UK. India-based Tata Steel owns the UK's largest steelworks of 3 million tonne per annum (MTPA) at Port Talbot in South Wales and employs around 8,000 people across all its operations in that country. As part of its decarbonisation plan, the company is shifting to low-emission electric arc furnace (EAF) process from the blast furnace (BF) route which is nearing its end of life cycle. Speaking to PTI, Narendran said the transition to EAF with the UK government aid will make the company competitive in terms of reduced production cost, and also help in reduction of 5 million tonnes of Co2 per year. "But all this involves 2,500 job losses and that is what the unions obviously are not happy with.

Rishi Sunak backtracks plan to restrict Graduate Route; tightens visa rules

The UK government decided to keep the Graduate Route intact for now after facing opposition from cabinet but introduced stricter measures for student visas to prevent abuse of the immigration system

Early general elections in UK may further delay FTA deal with India

Sunak sprang a surprise on Wednesday by advancing the election to July 4, well ahead of the January deadline

Find out why the High Commissioner for India owes 8 mn pounds to the UK

London's embassies and international bodies owe more than GBP 143 million 'outstanding congestion charge' to the Transport for London

India, UK reaffirm their FTA commitment at annual Strategic Dialogue

India and Britain have reaffirmed their commitment to conclude a mutually beneficial free trade agreement (FTA) at the annual UK-India Strategic Dialogue here, as the two sides reflected the "good progress" on the 2030 Roadmap since the last review. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, who is on a visit to the UK, held discussions with his counterpart, Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Friday. After their meeting, the FCDO said the two leaders reviewed the progress made on the UK-India 2030 Roadmap since the last strategic dialogue in January last year and looked ahead to the next phase of bilateral cooperation. The two reflected on good progress on the 2030 Roadmap since the last review, noting key areas where the UK and India have worked together to tackle some of the world's biggest challenges, the FCDO said in a statement. This included collaborating on the world's first malaria vaccine, working closely on Indi

Russia asks British diplomat to leave country in a week in tit-for-tat move

Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defence attach persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defence attach earlier this month over spying allegations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attach from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence gathering operations in the UK Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties ...

UK PM Rishi Sunak asks university chiefs to fight rise in antisemitism

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday urged university chiefs to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and disruption of learning in reaction to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Sunak and his ministers will meet with university vice-chancellors to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse is adopted on all campuses, Downing Street said. The government said it wants to make it clear that debate and the open exchange of views in universities is essential but that this can never tip over into hate speech, harassment or incitement of violence. Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their community, said Sunak. A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to stop, he said. The meeting is to also help to inform planned government guidance on combatting ...

Kalasha Naidu of Kalasha Foundation Felicitated with Honorary Doctorate

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UK PM Sunak under pressure amid dire local election results for his party

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership is under severe pressure on Friday as the results of local elections and a crucial by-election poured in overnight, delivering what is being characterised as one of the worst poll outcomes for the governing Conservative Party in 40 years. Rebels from within his party are expected to renew their attacks on the British Indian leader after the Opposition Labour Party made definitive gains, including overturning the Tory majority in the Blackpool South by-election which was necessitated following a resignation amid a lobbying row. Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer declared the result as a "seismic" victory and an overall poll verdict in favour of the party as it comes on the eve of a general election, expected later this year. "Blackpool speaks for the whole country... This is the one contest where voters had the chance to send a message to Rishi Sunak's Conservatives directly, and that message is an overwhelming vote for change," said Starmer

Gurbani, messages of harmony at UK Parliament complex for Baisakhi

The devotional strains of Gurbani and messages of harmony rang out at the Houses of Parliament complex in London this week for a first-of-its-kind Baisakhi celebration. Organised by the British Indian think tank 1928 Institute and diaspora membership organisations City Sikhs and the British Punjabi Welfare Association (BPWA), the event brought together a cross-section of professionals, community leaders and philanthropists at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Room on Monday evening to spotlight the UK-India relationship and contributions of the Sikh community to British life. City Sikhs Chair Jasvir Singh led the proceedings, which included speeches and Gurbani by the Anahad Kirtan Society. It's a real honour to celebrate Baisakhi, the birth of the Khalsa by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. Baisakhi celebrates the beginning of the Khalsa and the teachings that accompany this, focussing on equality by proactively removing forms of hierarchy, ego and fear, said Kiran Kaur .

LS polls: Makhana traders demand policy refit for opportunity pop-up

Returning entrepreneurs hamstrung by inadequate policy measures

Hindujas inks new India-UK healthcare pact with King's College London

The Hinduja Group and King's College London on Wednesday announced a new partnership aimed at improving healthcare outcomes in India and the UK, through training and research capacity building as well as scholarships for Indian students. King's College London, Guy's & St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, the Hinduja Foundation UK and Mumbai's P.D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre run by the National Health & Education Society are involved in the new strategic partnership to advance two-way training, education and research capacity building. It will lead to the creation of a new Hinduja-King's Health Partners Academy with the aim of driving forward the development of new technologies to address global healthcare challenges. This collaboration will only strengthen the UK's close links to India, and create greater research capacity in healthcare engineering, clinical innovation, and advanced training," said UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden after a visit last ...

UK businesses expand at fastest pace in 11 months, shows PMI survey

Last month the Bank of England estimated the economy grew just 0.1% in the first quarter and would do only slightly better in the second

Nothing will stand in way of Rwanda flights: Sunak after key bill passes

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's latest effort to send some migrants to Rwanda finally won approval from Parliament early Tuesday, hours after he pledged deportation flights would begin in July. The parliamentary logjam that had stalled the legislation for two months was finally broken just after midnight when the unelected House of Lords recognised the primacy of the elected House of Commons and dropped the last of its proposed amendments, clearing the way for the bill to become law. Earlier in the day, Sunak held a rare morning press conference to demand that the Lords stop blocking his key proposal for ending the tide of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, promising that both houses of Parliament would remain in session until it was approved. The legislative stalemate was just the latest hurdle to delay implementation of a plan that has been repeatedly blocked by a series of court rulings and opposition from human rights activists who say it is illegal and .

UK retail sales stagnate in March despite easing inflation, shows govt data

Friday's figures contrasted with some business surveys that showed a pick-up in retail sales in March

Google's ad-privacy changes not enough to protect consumer privacy: UK

Google plans to completely phase out the use of third-party cookies for users in the second half of 2024

US, UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to weekend attack on Israel

The US and UK on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16 people and two entities in Iran that produce engines that power the drones used in the April 13 attack on Israel. Additionally, the UK is targeting several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran's drone and ballistic missile industries. We will continue to deploy our sanctions authority to counter Iran with further actions in the days and weeks ahead," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. The action comes after US officials earlier this week warned that they were readying new sanctions in response to Iran's activity in the region and to prevent future attacks. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill also have been quickly pushing forward legislation that would financially punish the Islamic Republic and its leaders. Iran'

Britain's plan to send some migrants to Rwanda hits hurdle in Parliament

A law that will enable Britain to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda suffered a setback on Wednesday after Parliament's upper chamber pressed its attempt to amend the contentious legislation. The House of Lords inserted amendments into the Safety of Rwanda Bill, sending it back to the lower House of Commons in a process known as parliamentary ping-pong. The government had hoped members of the Lords would stop blocking the bill on Wednesday, relenting to the parliamentary rule that the unelected Lords ultimately can't overrule the elected Commons. The Lords' resistance underlines the strength of opposition in the upper house, where the governing Conservative Party does not have a majority. The bill is still overwhelmingly likely to become law, but the latest move delays its passage, likely until next week. The legislation will pave the way for deportation flights to take off though opponents plan new legal challenges that could keep them grounded. The Rwanda plan

UK consumer price inflation slows by less than expected to 3.2% in March

The Bank of England - which has an inflation target of 2% and economists polled by Reuters had forecast an annual rate of 3.1%

UK govt criminalises creation of deepfake images without consent

Despicable people who create sexually explicit deepfakes will face prosecution under a new law going through its parliamentary journey, the British government said on Tuesday. Deepfake refers to images and videos made to look hyper-realistic, with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent. Under the new offence, those who create such images without consent face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. If the deepfake content is then shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail. The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared, said Laura Farris, UK Minister for Victims and Safeguarding. It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others - especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it. This new offence sends a crystal-clear message that ..