Page 2 - Uk

UK expresses interest to partner with Kerala in higher education sector: CM

The United Kingdom has evinced interest to work with the Kerala government in the higher education sector among others, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday. Vijayan called on British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandru Iyer, here and discussed the potential in state's collaboration with the United Kingdom in the areas of healthcare, education, Fintech among others. "Had a fruitful discussion with the British Deputy High Commissioner, @chandruiyer, regarding potential collaboration between the UK and Kerala to enhance crucial sectors like education, healthcare, and scientific research. Thank you for your valuable insights and support," Vijayan tweeted. Detailing the efforts of his government, Vijayan said it has been focusing more on the quality of higher education in the state and there was ample scope to cooperate with Britain in that sector. "The Deputy High Commissioner has informed about the plan to conduct an Education World Forum. We will discuss the possibility o

Security beefed up around Indian mission in UK over protest by Sikh groups

There is a heightened security presence and barricades have been erected outside the Indian High Commission here on Wednesday due to a planned demonstration called by some British Sikh groups. Banners for a so-called "National Protest", organised by groups such as the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO) and Sikh Youth Jathebandia, have been circulating on social media since before a protest on Sunday, which ended in violent disorder at the India House. The Indian government registered a strong protest over the lack of security measures at its diplomatic mission, which ended in Khalistan flag-waving protesters smashing windows of the mission and attempting to pull down the tricolour. Since the weekend, several uniformed officers have been patrolling the area in Aldwych and Metropolitan Police vans have been stationed at India Place. Wednesday's planned demonstration claims to be in response to discriminatory actions of the Indian Police in Punjab. The Indian High Commission in .

UK ex-PM Boris Johnson to be grilled by Parl panel over partygate scandal

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson will be grilled by a cross-party parliamentary panel for several hours on Wednesday to establish whether he knowingly misled the House of Commons over the partygate scandal of COVID law-breaking parties at Downing Street. The House of Commons Privileges Committee has published a fresh bundle of evidence, including photographs and statements from Johnson's close aides at the time, ahead of the oral evidence session. The seven-member committee, which scrutinises members of Parliament, said it was publishing the material for the benefit of those following the oral evidence session. The documents comprise the evidence and materials that will be referred to in the course of oral questioning by MPs, it said, adding that much of the material has already been previously published. Among the documents is the written evidence of Martin Reynolds, the former principal private secretary to Johnson when he was Prime Minister, who claims he questioned .

'Sensationalist lies': India's high commissioner to UK on media reports

India's High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami said that there is no truth to sensationalist lies being circulated on social media, while giving details of the situation in Punjab

UK learning from India's work in financial inclusion: London Lord Mayor

Scope for UK green finance investments in India, says Nicholas Lyons

Security up near Indian mission in UK post vandalism by pro-Khalistanis

Security was beefed up around the Indian High Commission here on Monday and Scotland Yard detained one person in connection with vandalism at the mission by Khalistan supporters a day earlier as India asked the UK to quickly arrest and prosecute those involved in the attack. The tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London was grabbed at by the protesters waving separatist Khalistan flags and chanting pro-Khalistan slogans on Sunday. After the incident, police arrested one person related to the violent disorder. In New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Monday that India has asked the UK to quickly arrest and prosecute those involved in pulling down the Indian flag at its mission in London. Kwatra said that India lodged a strong protest and clearly indicated to the British authorities the need for putting up adequate security at the Indian high commission. Following the incident, India summoned the senior-most British diplomat in Delhi and demanded an ...

UK to take security seriously after vandalism by pro-Khalistani protesters

The UK government will take the security of the Indian High Commission here "seriously", top British officials have said as they condemned as "disgraceful" and "completely unacceptable" the vandalism at the mission by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags. The tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission was grabbed at by the protesters chanting pro-Khalistani slogans on Sunday, leading to an arrest related to the violent disorder. Officials from the mission said the "attempted but failed" attack had been foiled and that the tricolour was now flying "grander". The Metropolitan Police said two members of security staff sustained minor injuries which did not require hospital treatment. An investigation has been launched. Responding to the incident, London's mayor Sadiq Khan said he condemned "the violent disorder and vandalism that took place". "There is no place in our city for this kind of behaviour," he tweeted. The British High Commissioner to India Alex

UK phones to get emergency alert system to warn of life-threatening events

A siren-like alert will be sent to mobile phone users across the UK next month to test a new public warning system over life-threatening events such as severe weather events, the British government announced on Sunday. A UK-wide alerts test will take place in the early evening of Sunday, April 23, which will see people receive a test message on their mobile phones. The government said the new Emergency Alerts will be used very rarely, only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people's lives, so people may not receive an alert for months, or even years. While currently not covered, terror alerts could also be added to the list of potential events that would trigger a notification over time. We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alerts system, to deal with a wide range of threats from flooding to wildfires, said Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden. It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and he

UK govt powers up Rolls-Royce's plan to build N-reactor on moon

The UKSA said it wanted to establish a new power source to support systems for communications, life-support and scientific experiments on the Moon

Rahul Gandhi has become part of 'anti-nationalist toolkit', says Nadda

Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the UK and said that he has become a permanent part of the anti-nationalist toolkit

UK reveals measures to boost economy, eases cost-of-living burden

The UK has unveiled a clutch of measures to boost its struggling economy, including childcare reforms, tax cuts for businesses, and policies to ease the cost-of-living burden for households

British, German fighter jets intercept Russian plane near Estonia airspace

British and German air force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace, the U.K. defence ministry said Wednesday, amid mounting concerns about confrontation in the skies near Russia and Ukraine. The U.K. and Germany are conducting joint air policing missions in Estonia as part of NATO efforts to bolster its eastern flank in response to Russia. Britain's defence ministry said the Typhoon jets responded Tuesday after a Russian air-to-air refuelling aircraft failed to communicate with Estonian air traffic control. The Russian plane didn't enter the airspace of Estonia, a NATO member. UK and German planes are patrolling together as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission until the end of April. Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commander of the RAF's 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, said it was great to see the UK and German elements operate as one team. U.K. armed forces minister James Heappey said this joint UK and German deployment i

US, UK, Oz leaders unveil nuclear submarine deal to counter China

The programme will cost up to A$368 billion ($245 billion) over the next three decades, a defence official said on Tuesday, the country's biggest single defence project in history

US, Australia and UK ink submarine deal to counter Chinese aggression

The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom has announced a nuclear-powered submarine deal, a step aimed at countering the Chinese aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region. The announcement was made after the leaders of the three countries attended a summit meeting in San Diego on Monday and asserted that the move is to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open. With the support and approval of the Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability a decade earlier than many predicted, Biden said in San Diego with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. This state-of-the-art conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine will work -- that will combine the UK submarine technology and design with the American technology, he said. Australia's future SSN, which Biden described

UK boosts defense spending by $6 bn in response to Russia and China

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds (USD 6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the epoch-defining challenge posed by China. The increase, part of a major update to U.K. foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted. Sunak said the U.K. would increase military spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product in the longer term, but didn't set a date. Britain currently spends just over 2 per cent of GDP on defense, and military chiefs want it to rise to 3 per cent. The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain's ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Some will also go towards a U.K.-U.S.-Australia deal to build nuclear-powered submarines. The world has become more volatile, the threats to our security have increased, Sunak told the BBC during a visit to the U.S. It's important that we protect ourselves ..

HSBC Holdings to buy Silicon Valley Bank's UK arm for £1 in tech repreive

The London-listed lender's "ring-fenced subsidiary, HSBC UK Bank plc, is acquiring Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited (SVB UK) for £1," HSBC said in a statement Monday.

UK commits to supporting UNSC reforms, India's permanent membership

The UK government made its first major commitment to support UN Security Council reforms and India's permanent membership within it as part of a refreshed defence and foreign policy review tabled in Parliament on Monday. The 'Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a More Contested and Volatile World' builds on the 2021 review (IR2021) which had a so-called Indo-Pacific tilt at its heart. In the refresh, the government believes the Indo-Pacific is no longer just a tilt but a permanent pillar of Britain's foreign policy, as it also commits to working towards a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. "Moving beyond IR2021, the UK will support reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and would welcome Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members," reads the refreshed review. Downing Street pointed out that this marks an important policy evolution, just as the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 (IR2023) was tabled in the House of Commons by UK Foreign Secretary James ...

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hikes country's defence spending on US tour

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is on a tour of the US on Monday for a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during which he confirmed a hike in Britain's defence budget of an extra GBP 5 billion over the next two years. The world leaders will agree on details of a UK-US agreement to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS pact, which was signed in 2021 as part of a joint effort to counter Chinese military power in the Indo-Pacific region. Downing Street said GBP 3 billion from the extra defence spending would be earmarked to support the pact, along with boosting industrial infrastructure and servicing UK submarines. As the world becomes more volatile and competition between states becomes more intense, the UK must be ready to stand our ground, said Sunak. By investing in our armed forces for the long-term, we will be ready for the challenges of today and of the future. As I will discuss with

Why Rahul Gandhi remains in the BJP's cross hairs

It is not in the BJP's interest to have the national attention once again focused on Rahul Gandhi

Saudi Aramco earned profits of $161 bn in 2022 due to high crude oil prices

Oil giant Saudi Aramco said Sunday it earned a USD 161 billion profit last year. The firm, known formally as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said in its annual report that higher crude oil prices propelled its profits. It made the announcement on Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange. In 2021, Aramco declared profits of USD 110 billion, as compared to USD 49 billion in 2020 when the world faced the worst of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, travel disruptions and oil prices briefly going negative. Benchmark Brent crude oil now trades around USD 82 a barrel, though prices had reached over USD 120 a barrel back in June. Aramco, whose fortunes hinge on global energy prices, announced a record USD 42.4 billion profit in the third quarter of 2022 off the back of that price spike. Those high prices have further strained ties between the kingdom and the United States, traditionally a security guarantor among the Gulf Arab states amid tensions with Iran. Before the midterm elections in November, t