Page 13 - Uk

Let inquiry committee decide: Indian envoy to UK on Canada's allegations

Earlier in June, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of "agents of the Indian government" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Indian, Australian High Commission to UK co-host Indo-Pacific conference

The unique collaboration brought together leading experts from Australia, India, and the United Kingdom to address threats to regional security and enhance strategic stability

Exicom announces entry into UK, Europe, plans to strengthen distribution

Power management solutions provider Exicom on Tuesday announced its entry into the UK and Europe markets and said it plans to strengthen its distribution channel and will provide EV chargers through direct sales channels. As part of this, the company, which has strong presence in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, also rolled out a range of scalable and user-friendly DC fast chargers at the London EV show, according to a release. The company said as it enters the UK market through the London EV Show 2023, its primary aim is to simplify EV charging, guaranteeing its reliability and future adaptability, aligning with the UK government's vision of achieving zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The nearly three decade-old Indian firm operates under two business verticals -- electric vehicle charger solutions for home and businesses while the and second vertical focuses on critical power solutions business, wherein the company services critical digital infrastructure -- providing ...

UK health authorities log first human case of swine flu, monitoring strain

A new strain of swine flu has been detected in a person in the UK for the first time and close contacts are being monitored to determine its potential to spread among humans, the country's health authorities reported here on Monday. The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) said the virus strain found in pigs was detected in a person with mild respiratory symptoms after a routine test at a general practitioner (GP) surgery was analysed in a lab. While investigations are underway to determine the source of the infection, the close contacts of the individual who has since fully recovered are being monitored. This is the first time we have detected this virus in humans in the UK, though it is very similar to viruses that have been detected in pigs, said Dr Meera Chand, Incident Director at the UKHSA. We are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce any potential spread. In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the ..

UK govt reaches pay deal with senior doctors, could end disruptive strikes

Britain's government reached a deal with senior doctors in England that could potentially end a series of disruptive strikes, officials said Monday. The Department of Health and Social Care said it submitted a pay offer to doctors' unions after weeks of talks, and union leaders agreed to put the proposal to their members for a vote. The British Medical Association said the government's offer is for an extra 4.95% this financial year on top of a 6% pay increase already awarded. Thousands of senior physicians walked off the job for 48-hour periods earlier this year to demand better pay and working conditions from the government, causing major disruptions at hospitals across England. Those strikes came on top of similar industrial actions by junior doctors, nurses and other health workers who organised their own strikes to obtain pay raises amid the UK's soaring inflation and cost-of-living crisis. Senior doctors said their pay has shrunk by a third in real terms over the past 14 ...

Rishi Sunak hails huge vote of confidence in UK at Global Investment Summit

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday announced that the world's leading investors have committed GBP 29.5 billion in new projects and capital as a huge vote of confidence in the UK economy. The British Indian leader, who welcomed CEOs of some of the world's leading businesses for a Global Investment Summit at Hampton Court Palace in London, said that thousands of jobs will be created across the country, including tech, life sciences, renewables, housing and infrastructure. Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds Bank are among those represented at the British Ideas Past, Present and Future entitled summit, to be followed by a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III. Today's investments, worth more than GBP 29 billion, will create thousands of new jobs and are a huge vote of confidence in the future of the UK economy, said Sunak. Global CEOs are right to back Britain we are making this the best place in the world to invest an

Nissan to invest $1.4 bn to make EV versions of its best-selling cars in UK

Nissan will invest USD 1.4 billion to update its factory in northeast England to make electric versions of its two best-selling cars, a boost for the British government as it tries to revive the country's ailing economy. The Japanese automaker manufactures the gasoline or gas-hybrid Qashqai and smaller Juke crossover vehicles at the factory in Sunderland, which employs 6,000 workers. Nissan Motor Co. said it's directly investing up to 1.12 billion pounds (USD 1.4 billion) to produce electric successors to the two models. The money also will enable wider investment in infrastructure projects and the supply chain, including a new gigafactory" for EV batteries at the site, the government said in a separate press release. Nissan's investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK's automotive industry, which contributes 71 billion pounds a year to the economy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. Sunak visited the factory for the announcement, posing for photos with Treasury chief Jerem

Broadcom closes VMware deal after 18-month saga ending in China: Report

VMware will now become the centerpiece of Tan's software operations

S Korea's prez to talk trade, technology and defence on state visit to UK

The leaders of Britain and South Korea will seek to strengthen trade and defense ties between their countries during a state visit to the UK by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon landed at Stansted Airport near London on Monday. Britain hopes his formal three-day visit will help cement an "Indo-Pacific tilt" in its foreign and trade policy. During that time, the president will be treated to both royal and diplomatic pomp, including a ceremonial welcome with military honour guards, an opportunity to address Parliament and a state banquet hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. He's also scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak focused on trade, technology and defense. The two countries will officially launch talks on an "upgraded" free trade agreement to replace their current deal, which largely replicates the arrangements the UK had before it left the European Union. Britain has launched trade talks with several countries since leaving the EU in 2020, though it h

Shell paid net corporate taxes in UK for 1st time in years on windfall levy

Last year, the company paid $40.5 million in tax from a UK profit of $1.81 billion, according to its annual tax-contribution report

Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by science, ex-adviser tells inquiry

Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, his chief scientific advisor said Monday. In keenly awaited testimony to the country's public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. I think I'm right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15," he said. I think he'd be the first to admit it wasn't his forte and that he struggled with the concepts and we did need to repeat them often. In extracts from his diary that were relayed to the inquiry, Vallance said Johnson was bamboozled by the graphs and data and that watching him get his head round stats is awful." Vallance said Johnson's struggles were not unique and said many leaders around Europe had problems in understanding the scientific evidence and advice, especially in the first stages of the pandemic in early 2020. I would also sa

UK PM Rishi Sunak promises tax cuts after meeting his inflation pledge

Under pressure from within his traditionally low-tax Conservative Party, Sunak said his govt needed to prioritise lowering the tax burden

Netherlands, UK, Australia push India's exports in April-October period

India's imports contracted 8.9 per cent in April-October period though inward shipments shot up 12.3 per cent in October led by a near doubling of gold imports

UK seeks customs duty concessions on EV exports in FTA with India

The UK has sought customs duty concessions on exports of electric vehicles to India under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), which is under negotiations, an official said. However, the official said, no decision has been taken so far on the issue. There is a demand to provide concessions on a specified number of vehicles per year, the official added. The fast-growing EV market in India is catching the eyes of global players. The UK is also looking at phasing out ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles by 2035, and the British auto market is export-driven. According to experts, the UK's major export destination for vehicles is Europe, and they are looking to diversify their exports. "The UK has sought concessions on electric vehicles from India as part of the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations," the official, who did not wish to be named, said. India's electric vehicles market is expected to grow to one crore units in annual sales by 2030 and create five crore direc

Jaishankar holds 'good discussion' with British NSA on global challenges

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met British National Security Adviser Tim Barrow and held a "good discussion" with him on regional and global challenges. Jaishankar is on a five-day official visit to the UK with an aim to review various aspects of bilateral ties and give "new impetus to the friendly ties". "Glad to meet UK NSA Tim Barrow. A good discussion on pressing regional and global challenges, Jaishankar posted on X. Earlier this week, Jaishankar met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, newly-appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Home Secretary James Cleverly. At a special Diwali Reception organised by the High Commission of India at Westminster Central Hall near the Houses of Parliament here on Monday evening, Jaishankar said that the free trade agreement (FTA) is very much the focus of the India-UK relationship and India is hopeful of finding a "landing point" in the negotiations that works for both sides. The Indi

UK govt policy to deport refugees to Rwanda ruled unlawful: London SC

The UK government on Wednesday lost a crucial legal challenge after the Supreme Court in London ruled that its policy to deport refugees to Rwanda while their application for asylum is processed is unlawful. The country's highest court agreed with a previous Court of Appeal decision to say that there are "substantial grounds" to believe people deported to Rwanda could then be sent to places they would be unsafe by the Rwandan government. It was one of the flagship policies championed by recently sacked home secretary Suella Braverman, who in a scathing pre-emptive letter had sought to lay the blame for such a ruling at the door of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claiming he had failed to prepare any sort of credible Plan B to tackle the issue of illegal migration. Sunak admitted it was not the outcome the government wanted as part of his "stop the boats" pledge but stressed that he had prepared for such an eventuality. We accept the Home Secretary's submission that the Rwandan ...

Rishi Sunak hits inflation target amid Suella Braverman's scathing attack

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared buoyant on Wednesday as official statistics revealed that inflation dropped to 4.6 per cent, meeting his end of year target to curb price rises against the backdrop of his sacked home secretary's attack claiming his plan is not working. The target to half inflation from the highs of over 10 per cent when he took charge at 10 Downing Street last year was among Sunak's top five priorities for his government. The British Indian leader, who undertook a surprise Cabinet reshuffle earlier this week starting by sacking Suella Braverman for repeated insubordination, firmly declared that he will stay the course a day after his former Cabinet minister unleashed a scathing attack on his leadership in a very public three-page letter. We have halved inflation, meeting the priority I set out in January, said Sunak in a statement. It's involved hard decisions and fiscal discipline, rejecting calls for higher spending and more borrowing. As many people .

UK PM Rishi Sunak condemns violent protesters on Remembrance weekend

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned violent clashes involving far-right and extremist groups as he and his wife Akshata Murty joined King Charles III for Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph war memorial near Downing Street here. Members of the royal family and politicians laid wreaths as Big Ben chimed at 1100 GMT to signal the start of a two-minute national silence. The service in London, which honours the contribution of military and civilian servicemen and women in World Wars I and II and other conflicts, comes a day after the Metropolitan Police made 126 arrests as counter-protesters clashed with officers in central London on Saturday. Around 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through the streets during largely peaceful protests against the Israel-Gaza conflict, with police later issuing images of suspects wanted for extremist actions and displaying racially offensive banners. "I condemn the violent, wholly unacceptable scenes we have seen from the EDL

Agreements at UK summit tip balance of humanity against AI threats: Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that achievements at the first international AI Safety Summit would tip the balance in favour of humanity in the race to contain the risks from rapid advances in cutting-edge artificial intelligence. Speaking after two days of talks at Bletchley Park, a former codebreaking spy base near London, Sunak said agreements struck at the meeting of politicians, researchers and business leaders show that we have both the political will and the capability to control this technology, and secure its benefits for the long term. Sunak organised the summit as a forum for officials, experts and the tech industry to better understand cutting-edge, frontier AI that some scientists warn could pose a risk to humanity's very existence. He hailed the gathering's achievements, including a Bletchley Declaration committing nations to tackle the biggest threats from artificial intelligence, a deal to vet tech firms' AI models before their release, and an ...

UK reveals AI agreement as Elon Musk warns of humanity's extinction

Britain published a Bletchley Declaration, agreed with the European Union and 28 countries including the United States and China