"The agreement opens govt procurement in both countries... The agreement is mutually beneficial for both the economies," commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal said at a press conference.India is eyeing major gains in pharmaceuticals sectors, where its exports are under $1 billion. Currently, 48.2% of India's exports by value (47.3% of tariff lines) enter the UK at zero duty under the MFN regime. With the FTA, the coverage will be 99% of the goods and 100% of the value.On its part, India has opened 89.5% of its tariff lines, covering 91% of the UK's exports. "It strengthens cooperation while preserving India's sovereign rights in matters of patent policy and access to essential medicines," it said.

The Guardian features a similar image alongside the latest warning about starvation in the territory, made by the UN. The Times highlights the recognition of a Palestinian state by France and says pressure is growing on Sir Keir to do the same. The Daily Telegraph is alarmed by official figures which suggest a record number of agricultural, forestry and fishing businesses closed over the past year. It says opposition parties have blamed the rise on the chancellor's decision to cut inheritance tax relief for some family farms. The government says farming profits in the UK increased by £1.6bn last year.

Cleo Laine, a British singer who excelled at the primarily American music genre of jazz, has died at age 97. Cleo Laine, whose husky contralto was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz and who was regarded by many as Britain’s greatest contribution to the quintessentially American music, has died. AdvertisementMusic JAZZ REVIEW : An Evening With Cleo Laine at the Hollywood Bowl Spending an evening with Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, even outdoors at the Hollywood Bowl, is not unlike sitting by the fireside, admiring its beauty and being warmed by its glow. AdvertisementA decade later, in 1951, she tried out for the Johnny Dankworth Seven, and succeeded. “Clementina Campbell” was judged too long for a marquee, so she became Cleo Laine.

Image President Trump has accused former President Barack Obama of treason and shared a fake video of Mr. Obama being led off to prison. But Mr. Trump and his allies have long chafed at the third asserted goal — that Russia also hoped to help him win. It did so in a fourth bullet point under the judgment that Mr. Putin aspired to help Mr. Trump’s chances of winning. Three became support for the assessment’s judgment that Mr. Putin’s motives included wanting to bolster Mr. Trump’s chances of winning the election. Mr. Trump reacted gleefully, reposting materials on social media based on her timeline and remarks, including a fake video of Mr. Obama being led off to prison.

British actor Micheal Ward, who stars in Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” faces two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. British actor Micheal Ward, known for the Netflix series “Top Boy” and and most recently Ari Aster’s movie “Eddington,” is facing charges of allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a woman in the United Kingdom in 2023. London’s Metropolitan Police announced in a Friday statement that prosecutors had charged BAFTA winner Ward, 28, with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault following an investigation into an alleged January 2023 incident. The statement did not provide details about the incident, including the location and the identity of Ward’s accuser. The actor is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court in London on Aug. 28.

President Trump headed to Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit, hoping to leave behind the chaos of Washington and the persistent questions over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files for what will be a mix of personal business and diplomacy. Mr. Trump will celebrate the opening of a new 18-hole course at Trump International Golf Links outside of Aberdeen, which initially had been announced as the MacLeod Course after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born in Scotland. He also plans to play at the Trump Turnberry course, which Mr. Trump bought in 2014, on the other side of Scotland. The Scots are generally not fans of Mr. Trump, and protests were already planned. A group called “Stop Trump Scotland” said it was organizing a “festival of resistance” against Mr. Trump during the trip and has called on John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland, to cancel plans to meet with him.

Act now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.

Rishabh Pant (Getty Images)How and why Rishabh Pant's England tour could come to an abrupt end due to toe fractureGo Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Poll Who do you think will win the fourth Test match between England and India? England IndiaNEW DELHI: England asserted their dominance on Day 2 of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, Manchester, ending Thursday’s play at 225/2. The deficit now stands at just 133 runs, despite Rishabh Pant ’s earlier half-century.Duckett and Crawley resumed the final session at 77 without loss and continued to pile on the runs. "The former captain added: "Rishabh Pant went out there on one leg, and got valuable runs today.

Act now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.

By day, Jessica Parks is a formidable judge in a London court, handing down sentences to drug-dealers, sex offenders and domestic abusers. By night, she’s a floundering parent to a teenage son who is being bullied at school. When he is accused of raping a female classmate, Jessica’s maternal instincts butt up against her feminist politics. She has always argued that victims must be believed, but her son protests his innocence, and she feels duty bound to stand by him. This follow-up, which runs at the National Theater in London through Sept. 13, essentially inverts the plotline: Whereas in “Prima Facie” the criminal justice system was on trial, in “Inter Alia,” the family unit is in the dock.

Tariffs on automotive imports will fall to 10% from over 100% under quotas on both sides. Indian manufacturers will gain access to the UK market for electric and hybrid vehicles, also under a quota system.“A new chapter begins today in the India-UK economic partnership!” Modi said in a post on X. India’s tariffs on British products will drop to 3% from 15%.Modi added: “India-UK CETA will add momentum to the ‘Make in India’-led growth and export promotion. This agreement will also provide Indian consumers with high-quality goods at competitive prices. Makhana, shahi litchi, Araku coffee, and Kashmiri saffron will also gain greater access to the UK market.

Live Events(You can now subscribe to our(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channelIndian suppliers will receive non-discriminatory treatment in the UK procurement markets under the free trade agreement signed between the two countries on Thursday, a commerce ministry official said.The official also said that India has preserved its policy space to provide preference to MSMEs under the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order.The government procurement (GP) chapter of the India-UK CETA ( comprehensive economic and trade agreement ) marks India's first successful negotiations of a comprehensive chapter with significant market access commitments.The chapter provides a legal guarantee for Indian suppliers to be treated on par with UK suppliers regarding social value considerations within procurement processes, ensuring a level playing field for Indian businesses to compete fairly.The official also said that India's market access commitments are limited to the Central Government Ministries/Departments, including their attached subordinate entities.Additionally, central public sector units in competition with private entities are also outside the scope of India's market access commitments made to the UK.It specifically excludes sub-central (state/local government) level procuring entities. "Indian suppliers will have guaranteed access to the UK procurements being conducted at the central level of government and some at the utilities level," the ministry official said.In 2022, these opportunities were worth about GBP 90 billion (or USD 120 billion) and included major central government entities procuring IT services, construction services, financial and insurance services.Indian suppliers will be able to participate in procurements by major government departments such as the Cabinet Office, Department for Business and Trade, National Highways, NHS Foundation Trusts (Department of Health and Social Care), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Education, among others.

“So, in the first place, at least we know in areas like Cornwall where all the short-term lets are, and then local authorities will be able to makes decisions about how they want to progress on the back of that. The legislation’s in place and we’re doing all the IT now to get it up and running, and I hope it will be ready for April for next year’s season.”

It paved the way for a similar deal with the UK.In agriculture, government officials are citing the UK, European Free Trade Association (comprising Switzerland and Norway) and Australia deals to block American President Donald Trump from opening the Indian market to US dairy, maize and soybean. While pushing for the final deal with India, Australia, too, had made fresh overtures for dairy.In trade negotiations, every deal is unique, but what has been opened becomes a floor for future talks. What the other trading partner offers is also critical.The new FTAs India is signing may impact older ones. India, which wants ASEAN members, Japan and South Korea to review existing trade deals, may face fresh demands. Japan, South Korea and Thailand may seek parity on automobile tariffs under the revised pacts.India has over a dozen trade agreements, and each partner is closely watching the new ones in the pipeline.

“It looks like it’s about $3.1 billion. It went up a little bit — or a lot. I don’t want to be that. I want to help them get it finished. And I want to help them get it finished.”