UK unlocks $8.6bn in trade and investment deals with Saudi Arabia during Reeves visit
The British government announced on Wednesday that it had struck a series of trade and investment agreements worth $8.6 billion with Saudi Arabia, mar...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer begins a two-day visit to India on Wednesday, joined by more than a hundred leaders from the business, culture and university sectors in an effort to promote a recently signed trade deal.
Britain and India signed a free trade agreement in July during a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sealing a deal to cut tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky and cars, and allow more market access for businesses.
Talks on the trade pact were concluded in May after three years of stop-start negotiations, with both sides hastening efforts to clinch a deal in the shadow of tariff turmoil unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The deal between the world's fifth- and sixth-largest economies aims to increase bilateral trade by a further £25.5 billion ($34 billion) by 2040.
But the government has said that the projections were a floor, not a ceiling, to the ambition of the deal, and the visit with executives from the likes of oil major BP, engine maker Rolls-Royce, telecom firm BT, was aimed at maximising Britain's biggest post-Brexit trade deal.
"It's not just a piece of paper, it's a launchpad for growth," Starmer said, adding that India was projected to be the third-biggest economy in the world by 2028.
"The opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled."
Starmer will hold bilateral talks with Modi on Thursday. Both sides have said they are looking to ratify the deal and bring it into effect within the next year.
Growth is one of Starmer's key priorities as he tries to reverse a slide in the polls, with a November fiscal budget expected to show a tricky fiscal picture.
British Airways, owned by IAG, said it would add a third daily flight from London's Heathrow Airport to Delhi in 2026, while Manchester Airport also said it would add a Delhi route, operated by IndiGo.
The trip also features representatives from drinks maker Diageo and the Scotch Whisky Association, with the UK-India trade deal set to cut whisky tariffs faced by UK firms to 75% from 150%, before reducing them to 40% over the next decade.
The industry has been lobbying the UK government to reduce U.S. tariffs after a deal between the countries did not cover whisky.
A small, silent object from another star is cutting through the Solar System. It’s real, not a film, and one scientist thinks it might be sending a message.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
The British government announced on Wednesday that it had struck a series of trade and investment agreements worth $8.6 billion with Saudi Arabia, marking a major step in the UK’s efforts to boost economic relations across the Gulf.
U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Wednesday urged Japan to move swiftly on its plan to raise defence spending but said he had not made any specific requests regarding the scale of the increase during talks with his Japanese counterpart.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 29 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on the final stop of his Asia tour, seeking breakthroughs on trade talks with Seoul and Beijing as President Lee Jae Myung rolled out a lavish welcome featuring the nation’s highest honour and a symbolic golden crown.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza remains intact despite Israeli airstrikes that killed dozens, as Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the fragile truce.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment