Page 14 - Uk

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

UK blames GenZ, Millennial's busy lifestyle for upending labour data

The trend forced the ONS to scrap its usual data on employment and unemployment on Tuesday

India negotiates for UK carbon tax concessions in proposed FTA deal

FTA talks in final stage, but some differences still remain

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US, UK extend support to Israel while urging it to uphold humanitarian laws

Leaders of the US, the UK, France, Canada and Italy extended support to Israel's right to defend itself against the Palestinian militant group Hamas but urged the Jewish state to uphold international humanitarian laws and protect civilians. A joint statement was issued on Sunday by the White House after US President Joe Biden initiated a call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the UK. The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, the joint statement said. The latest conflict was triggered by unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas militants on October 7. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. Welcoming

Hundreds in Scotland told to evacuate as northern Europe braces for floods

Hundreds of people were being evacuated from their homes and schools closed in parts of Scotland on Thursday, as much of northern Europe braced for stormy weather, heavy rain and gale-force winds from the east. The UK's weather forecaster, the Met Office, issued a rare red alert the highest level of weather warning for parts of Scotland, predicting exceptional rainfall Thursday and Friday that is expected to cause extensive flooding and danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater. The last red alert in the UK was issued in 2020. Forecasters say the storm, named Babet by UK officials, could bring more than a month's worth of rain in the worst-affected regions in Scotland. Babet already brought floods and swollen rivers that swamped several towns and villages in Ireland, with some areas remaining under water and without power Thursday. Soldiers helped with evacuation measures in the town of Midleton in County Cork, where more than 100 properties were flooded. Cork County ..

India, UK free trade deal unlikely to finalise by month end: Report

Both sides already missed the Diwali deadline last year former set by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

India needs to be cautious of carbon levy in FTA, says GTRI report

India must make domestic rules and standards before taking commitments under the FTAs on non-trade issues

India's labour-intensive goods to get benefit: GTRI on FTA with UK

India's high quality labour-intensive goods such as apparel, footwear, carpets and cars will benefit from the removal of import duties by the UK, under the proposed free trade agreement between the two countries, according to think tank GTRI. However, the overall gains for India will be limited because most of the goods from here are already entering the UK at low or zero tariffs (import or customs duties), the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. In 2022-23, India's merchandise exports to the UK were valued at USD 11.41 billion and out of this, USD 6 billion worth of goods such as petroleum products, medicines, diamonds, machine parts, airplanes, and wooden furniture entered Britain at zero levy, it said. "The FTA is expected to have a limited impact on increasing these exports because over half of Indian products already enter the UK with low or no tariffs. The average duty on goods imported from India into the UK is 4.2 per cent," GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava ...

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UK PM Sunak deploys Royal Navy ships to support Israel against Hamas

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has directed UK military assets to be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, reinforce regional stability and prevent escalation, Downing Street announced in London on Thursday. A Royal Navy task group will be moved to the eastern Mediterranean next week as a contingency measure to support humanitarian efforts and maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft will begin flying in the region from Friday to track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups. The military package, which includes P8 aircraft, surveillance assets, two Royal Navy ships RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus three merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines, will be on standby to deliver practical support to Israel and partners in the region, and offer deterrence and assurance. We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated. Alongside our allies, the deployment o