Britain

Britain agrees to join Asia-Pacific trade pact in post-Brexit deal

The UK has agreed to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact that includes Japan, Mexico and Australia the biggest new trade deal Britain has struck since leaving the European Union three years ago. The British government said Friday that it had clinched an agreement after almost two years of negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. The government said membership would reduce tariffs on British dairy products and other goods and remove red tape for services, boosting the UK economy by 1.8 billion pounds "in the long run". Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal "demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms". "Joining the CPTPP trade bloc puts the U.K. at the centre of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies, as the first new nation and first European country to join," Sunak said. The deal comes as the UK pursues an "Indo-Pacific tilt" in its economic and foreign policy in response to the ...

Ex British PM Johnson admits misleading parliament in 'partygate' scandal

"I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No.10," Johnson said on Tuesday

UK Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt predicts 'no recession' in Britain this year

UK Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has predicted the country will not enter technical recession this year. Hunt summed up the state of the British economy by saying authorities remain vigilant and take whatever steps are necessary for economic stability.'' Today the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that because of changing international factors and the measures I take, the UK will not now enter a technical recession this year,'' he told the House of Commons on Wednesday. He added that Britain's independent budget watchdog "forecast we will meet the Prime Minister's priorities to halve inflation, reduce debt and get the economy growing. We are following the plan and the plan is working. But that's not all we've done.'' There have been predictions that the country would dip into recession in part because of record inflation and rising energy prices due to the war in Ukraine.

UK overtakes India as world's 6th-biggest stock market with $3.11 trn mcap

The UK's equity market capitalization remains behind France after losing its place as Europe's biggest stock market last year.

Love in time of inflation: How much will Valentine's Day set you back?

According to the latest data from Britain's Office of National Statistics, eating at restaurants in December cost 9.4 per cent more than last year

Jaishankar speaks to British foreign secretary Cleverly on bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his British counterpart James Cleverly focusing on various aspects of bilateral ties and India's G-20 presidency. The phone conversation came ahead of the British foreign secretary's likely visit to India to attend a meeting of the G-20 foreign ministers on March 1 and 2. "Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly. Reviewed our bilateral relationship and discussed the agenda of India's G20 Presidency," Jaishankar tweeted. It was the first phone conversation between Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Cleverly after a controversy broke out over a two-part BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. India dismissed the documentary as a "propaganda piece" saying it is designed to push a particular "discredited narrative". It is understood that the implementation of a 10-year roadmap between India and the UK to bolster the ties in diverse areas figured in the phone conversation. However, it is not known whether ...

Tata considers Spain, Britain for EV battery plant for supply in Europe

India's Tata is considering setting up a battery cell plant for electric vehicles (EV) in Spain or Britain

Tata Power Q3 net profit nearly doubles to Rs 1,052 cr on higher revenue

Tata Power on Friday said its consolidated net profit almost doubled to Rs 1,052.14 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 compared to a year ago, mainly due to higher revenues. The consolidated net profit of the company was Rs 551.89 crore in the quarter ended on December 31, 2021, a BSE filing showed. Total income rose to Rs 14,401.95 crore in the quarter from Rs 11,018.73 crore in the same period a year ago.

Australia to remove British monarch from banknotes, says report

The decision followed a consultation with the Federal government

Britain only major industrialised country to see its economy shrink in 2023

Britain is expected to be the only major industrialised country to see its economy shrink this year after the impact of Liz Truss' brief premiership prompted a sharp growth downgrade from IMF

FTA negotiations with India 'well advanced', next round soon: UK minister

Negotiations between Britain and India for an ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are well advanced, with the next round of talks set to commence very soon, a UK Foreign Office minister told peers in a debate in Parliament here, asserting that a strong deal could boost the country's economy. Lord Tariq Ahmad, the UK Foreign Office Minister for South Asia, also said Britain's relationship with India is central to its foreign policy and as one of the world's biggest economies it is a key partner. Ahmad was responding to the debate entitled The Importance of the Relationship Between the United Kingdom and India in the House of Lords on Thursday, tabled by British Indian peer Baroness Sandy Verma. He confirmed that negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) are well advanced, with the next round of negotiations set to commence very soon. It is true that, as we set up and strengthen this relationship, the United Kingdom's relationship with India is central to UK foreign ..

Household wealth optimism collapses, finds Edelman Trust Barometer

The Edelman Trust Barometer found that economic pessimism was at its highest in some of the world's top economies such as the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan

Britain and Japan sign pact to allow two-way military deployments

'Most significant defence agreement between the 2 countries in a century'

Arms supplied by US, Britain continue to fuel Yemen's long conflict: Report

Arms supplied by the US and Britain continues to fuel Yemen's years-long civil war, killing and injuring many civilians, an investigation report released by charity organisation Oxfam revealed

UK government meets trade unions but fails to end wave of strikes

UK government ministers met trade union leaders on Monday but fell short of ending a wave of strikes that has hobbled the rail network and strained the overburdened health system. There were small signs of progress but no breakthrough after a meeting between Health Secretary Steve Barclay and health care unions. Other ministers met with railway unions that have staged months of strikes, and teaching unions considering classroom walkouts. Barclay said the talks had made progress and the government wanted "to work constructively with the trade unions. There was definitely a change of tone today," said Sarah Gorton of UNISON, which represents some health workers. However Onay Kasab, negotiator for the Unite union, said the talks had been a missed opportunity. Unions said strikes by nurses and ambulance staff planned for this month would go ahead. Nurses are due to walk out on Wednesday, and ambulance workers next week, while junior doctors are voting on whether to strike later this ..

Cornwall channels Cape Canaveral with its first planned space flight

The flight, slated for Monday, involves a so-called horizontal launch, with a rocket deployed from beneath a modified Boeing Co. 747 jet departing from Newquay's former air force runway

Cornwall channels Cape Canaveral with its first planned space flight

The flight, slated for Monday, involves a so-called horizontal launch, with a rocket deployed from beneath a modified Boeing Co. 747 jet departing from Newquay's former air force runway

UK saw hottest-ever year in 2022 as Europe's climate warms: Met Office

Britain had its warmest year on record in 2022, official figures showed Thursday, the latest evidence that climate change is transforming Europe's weather. The Met Office weather agency said the provisional annual average temperature in the U.K. was 10.03 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit), the highest since comparable records began in 1884. The previous record was 9.88 Celsius (49.8 Fahrenheit) set in 2014. Met Office scientists said human activity - primarily fossil fuel emissions - has made such warm conditions vastly more likely. The results showed that recording 10C in a natural climate would occur around once every 500 years, whereas in our current climate it could be as frequently as once every three to four years, said Met Office climate attribution scientist Nikos Christidis. Britain is not alone. France's average temperature was above 14 Celsius (57.2 Fahrenheit) in 2022, making it the hottest year since weather readings began in 1900. In Spain, preliminary data from the end

Rafael Nadal loses in three sets to Britain's Norrie at United Cup

Rafael Nadal has ended an up-and-down 2022 with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 loss to Britain's Cameron Norrie at the United Cup mixed teams tournament on Saturday. Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open to take his career Grand Slam si ngles total to a leading 22. But foot, rib and abdomen injuries meant he played only four events after Wimbledon in July. Norrie's win gave Britain a 1-0 lead over Spain. Norrie failed to win a set in his four previous matches against Nadal. "It was pretty crazy. I was thinking I'd never won a set before, so I wanted to come out and firstly do that," Norrie said. "It was a super physical match and I enjoyed it. It's a great way to end 2022 for me." In other matches, Top-ranked Iga Swiatek gave Poland an early lead over Kazakhstan when she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-1 6-3 at Brisbane. "First matches of the season are always kind of rusty, so I'm happy that in the important moments I was really composed," Swiatek said. At Perth, Bulgaria and Belgium were leve

Charles chooses multi-faith theme for first Christmas broadcast as UK King

King Charles III chose a multi-faith message for his first-ever Christmas Day broadcast on Sunday as British monarch, referencing the work of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and gurdwaras across the UK and wishing everyone a Christmas filled with peace, happiness and everlasting light. The 74-year-old King, who had recorded the message earlier this month at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, focussed on the unifying theme of light overcoming darkness celebrated across all faiths. The traditional broadcast was also packed with heartfelt tributes to the life and legacy of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away aged 96 in September. While Christmas is, of course, a Christian celebration, the power of light overcoming darkness is celebrated across the boundaries of faith and belief, said King Charles. So, whatever faith you have, or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light, and with the true humility that lies in our service to others, that I ...