Page 3 - Uk

Mahindra plans to export EVs to UK with trade agreement in place

Mahindra & Mahindra plans to export its electric vehicles to the UK, leveraging improved trade opportunities following the finalisation of the India-UK free trade agreement, according to Group CEO and Managing Director Anish Shah. The Mumbai-based auto major is a leading player in the electric vehicle segment in the domestic market and expects EVs to comprise 30 per cent of its overall sales by 2030. In 2022, the company inaugurated Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (M.A.D.E) at Banbury, Oxfordshire, the UK. The facility serves as the conceptual hotbed for the company's portfolio of electric products. In an interaction with PTI Videos, Shah noted that India has the potential to emerge as the automobile manufacturing hub of the world. "We are looking forward to exporting our electric vehicles to the UK and to take a bigger share of the UK market and competing in the UK on the back of this FTA," Shah stated when asked to comment about the benefits for the Indian industry and the ...

UK police make over 500 arrests in largest Palestine Action protest

The Metropolitan Police on Sunday arrested more demonstrators, taking the previous figure of 474 to over 500 during a weekend that saw the UK's largest protests in support of Palestine Action, banned by the government recently, making it a criminal offence to show any backing for the group. While 522 of those arrested during a demonstration in London were detained under the UK's Terrorism Act for showing support for a proscribed group, others were held for other offences, including assaulting police officers. Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Israel counter-protesters also marched through central London on Sunday, demanding the release of hostages still held in Gaza and in a show of solidarity with Israel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Many of those arrested at the pro-Palestine demonstrations were displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action. The average age of those arrested was 54, and the most arrests 147 of them were of people aged between 60 and 69. The

UK may recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes action

Starmer held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before making his announcement, said a source, who asked not to be named

MakeMyTrip adds UK's largest hotel chain to strengthen hotel portfolio

Premier Inn's addition expands MakeMyTrip's directly contracted hotel base, aligning with its strategy to capture outbound demand in long-haul destinations like the UK and Europe

'Historic' FTA with Britain shows world's trust in India: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the recently concluded FTA between India and UK as 'historic,' and said the trade pact showed the world's trust in the country. As regards Operation Sindoor, he said weapons manufactured under the 'Make in India' initiative played a great role during the cross-border military offensive in destroying enemy targets and made enemies lose sleep. The PM inaugurated, laid foundation stones and dedicated projects worth Rs 4,900 crore here and underscored the NDA government's commitment towards Tamil Nadu's growth. In his address after inaugurating the projects, Modi said he was blessed to directly land in Tamil Nadu after completing his foreign tour during which the India-UK Free Trade Agreement was signed before his visit to the Maldives. The trade pact with Britain was 'historic.' "India and Britain signed a FTA. This shows the growing trust of the world and our self-confidence. We will make Viksit (developed) Bharat and Viksit Tamil N

India reserves right to retaliate if carbon tax hurts our exports: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said India will "react and retaliate" if the UK imposes a carbon tax in the future that harms domestic exports. The UK government in December 2023 decided to implement its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), starting in 2027. "As of now, no CBAM, we are a sovereign and a very powerful nation today...So, if anybody hurts our exports interest, we will react and hurt and retaliate or rebalance to make sure that our interest is not hurt," he told reporters when asked about the UK's proposed CBAM. "I can assure that no unilateral measure which hurts India can go away without a proportionate response from India," he added. Sources have said India flagged the issue during negotiations of the trade agreement. The comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) was signed on July 24, with an aim to double bilateral trade by 2030. The issue is not in the pact, as Britain has not yet notified of the tax. Goyal added that the E

India, UK firms upbeat on FTA to double trade to $112 bn by 2030: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that businesses in Britain as well as India are optimistic about the free trade agreement which aims to double the bilateral trade to USD 112 billion by 2030. The India-UK free trade agreement, also called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was signed by Goyal and his counterpart Jonathan Reynolds in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. In a post-signing interaction with business leaders from across sectors, Goyal said," Investors are looking to double down on their investments. People in industry and manufacturing are looking to expand markets. The services sector is excited about the growth potential. Everybody, whether from government or from the private sector, has a shared commitment to double the trade between the two countries by 2030." Anuj Chande, Partner at Grant Thornton UK and Head of its South Asia Business Group said," It (the deal) certainly .

India, UK to work on recognition of professional degrees to ease movement

India and the UK have agreed to negotiate mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) after implementing the trade deal, as these pacts are important for facilitating the movement of professionals such as nurses, accountants and architects to Britain, an official said. The India-UK trade agreement was signed on Thursday and it may take about a year for its implementation as it requires approval of the British parliament. "It has been agreed that both countries will engage on mutual recognition of qualifications because in certain professional services, recognition of qualifications is an essential requirement like nurses, architects, accountants, and dentists. Within a period of 36 months, we will try to enter intoAs with the UK," a commerce ministry official said. MRAs in professional services are voluntary pacts between competent authorities of respective nations. These confer recognition of certain licensing or qualification requirements obtained in the jurisdiction of other ...

India fails to secure exemption from UK carbon tax in trade deal: GTRI

India was unable to secure an exemption from the UK's carbon tax in the free trade agreement, signed on Thursday, a move that will impact India's carbon-intensive exports to Britain, think tank GTRI said on Friday. The UK government in December 2023 decided to implement its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) starting 2027. By not securing a carve-out or exemption clause on CBAM (carbon border adjustment mechanism), India lost a vital opportunity to protect its carbon-intensive exports, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Founder Ajay Srivastava said. "From January 2027, the UK can impose carbon taxes on Indian steel and aluminum, even as we grant UK goods duty-free access. That's a serious asymmetry. Expect the same treatment in India's trade agreement with the EU," he said. The GTRI in May stated that India's exports worth USD 775 million to the UK may be impacted due to Britain's decision to introduce a carbon tax on products such as iron and steel, aluminium, ...

India-UK FTA may restrict India's use of compulsory licensing: GTRI

India has accepted language in the intellectual property chapter of the free trade agreement with the UK that subtly curtails its ability to issue compulsory licences, a critical tool for accessing life-saving technologies during emergencies, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. It also said that India has agreed to "adequate remuneration" norms for compulsory licensing for the pharma sector in the agreement with the UK, thus risking delays in future access to affordable medicines and green tech. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that in "a significant concession, India has accepted language in the Intellectual Property (IP) chapter of the agreement that subtly curtails its ability to issue compulsory licenses (CL), a critical tool for accessing life-saving technologies during emergencies". "For the first time" in any trade agreement, India has explicitly agreed to wording that stresses the need for 'adequate remuneration' to patent holders, GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava

India-UK FTA to cut spirit duties, but price drop may be limited: Experts

The India-UK free trade agreement will reduce duties on imported spirits, making premium international options more accessible to Indian consumers, according to industry players, but experts cautioned that the benefits may be limited as the maximum price reduction could be only up to Rs 300 per bottle. As per the FTA signed in London between the two governments, India is reducing duty on UK whisky and gin from 150 per cent to 75 per cent and further to 40 per cent in the tenth year of the deal. "Whisky producers will benefit from tariffs slashed in half, reduced immediately from 150 per cent to 75 per cent and then dropped even further to 40 per cent over the next ten years - giving the UK an advantage over international competitors in reaching the Indian market," as per an official statement of the UK government. Reacting to the development, the International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI), which represents premium alcoholic beverage companies in India (mostly MNCs)

Indo-UK deal to give Indian market access at lower tariff, says JLR

Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday said the India-UK free trade agreement would help the marquee automaker to access lower tariffs in India for its luxury models. Under the India-UK FTA, India will reduce tariffs on automotive imports from about 110 per cent to 10 per cent under quotas on both sides, benefiting companies such as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). "We welcome this free trade agreement between the UK and India, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR's luxury vehicles," a company spokesperson said in a statement. India is an important market for the company's British-built products and represents significant future growth opportunities, the spokesperson added. In a separate query regarding a change in pricing of imported products into the Indian market, a UK-based spokesperson said: "No decisions have been made on pricing." Around 60 per cent of the cars JLR sells in India, including popular models in the Range Rover portfolio Range Rov

PM Modi begins 2-day visit to Britain; to witness signing of India-UK FTA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday kick-started his two-day visit to the UK to expand the bilateral ties in areas of defence, trade and technology, with the formalisation of the landmark India-UK free trade deal set to be a major outcome of his trip. The Prime Minister was received at the airport by UK Foreign Office Minister in charge of the Indo-Pacific Catherine West along with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Dorsaiswami and British High Commissioner to New Delhi Lindy Cameron. Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with his British counterpart Keir Starmer on Thursday that is expected to focus on imparting a new momentum in the strategic ties between the two countries. Starmer is set to host Modi for the talks at Chequers, the official country residence of the British prime minister that is located 50 km northwest of London. Modi was greeted by cheering groups of community leaders, students and parliamentarians gathered in anticipation on the outskirts of London. Th

610 antiquities retrieved from six countries in five years, says govt

A total of 610 antiquities were retrieved from the US, the UK and four other countries over the last five years, the government informed Parliament on Monday. Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared this information in a written reply to a question on whether the government has conducted any survey or study regarding theft of Indian artefacts in the last five years; and details of the total number of artefacts recovered, still missing and unaccounted for over the same period. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains up-to-date data of theft cases in respect of protected monuments, sites and museums under its jurisdiction, he said. On retrieval of antiquities from abroad, according to the data shared by him, in 2020, three artefacts were brought back from Australia and five from the UK. In 2021, 157 antiquities were brought back from the US and one each from Canada and the UK. In 2023 and 2024, the figures stood at 105 (the US) and 297 (the US) ...

Iran may hold nuclear talks with UK, France, Germany next week: Report

The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the United States withdrew in 2018

UK lifts 5-year ban on Pak's national carrier PIA ahead of privatisation

The UK imposed a ban on PIA in 2020 after one of its aircraft crashed into a Karachi street, resulting in the death of nearly 100 people

UK aviation regulator backs Boeing, says no safety concerns found

UK Civil Aviation Authority echoes FAA, says Boeing aircraft pose no safety risk as India and South Korea mandate inspections after AI171 crash findings

UK and France order more cruise missiles, pledge nuclear cooperation

The announcement made during a state visit to the UK by Macron is part of an attempt by both leaders to signal their commitment to Europe's sovereign defense capabilities amid the threat from Russia

UK court convicts 3 men in Russia-linked arson plot targeting Ukraine aid

A British jury convicted three men on Tuesday of arson in an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing equipment destined for Ukraine. Authorities said Russian intelligence was behind the plot. Prosecutors said the March 20, 2024, attack was planned by agents of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has deemed Wagner a terrorist organisation. The prosecution said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and StarLink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored. The StarLinks are frequently used by Ukraine's military in fending off Russia's invasion. Authorities said the arson was part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies. A jury at London's Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23; Ugnius Asmena, 20; and Nii Mensah, 23 guilty of aggravated arson. A

UP govt to hold roadshows in US, UK and Europe to attract investments

The Uttar Pradesh government will hold roadshows and business round-tables across the US, UK, and Europe to attract companies seeking to diversify their supply chains away from China. As part of invest-UP initiative, these efforts are expected to position the state as a strong and reliable alternative for international investors, a press statement said on Friday. Meetings will be held in key global cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Amsterdam, and Birmingham. These events are being organised in collaboration with Indian embassies and industry bodies, the statement said. In the US, dialogues will be held with companies such as Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle and others, it said. Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh emphasised that UP is not just inviting investment, but building sustainable, employment-driven value chains. The state's 33-plus sector-specific policies, streamlined approvals, and digital ...