Republic of India - United Kingdom ( UK ) Relations

[Hindustani78]

Cabinet
03-January, 2018 02:38IST

Cabinet approves MoU between India and ‘Transport for London’,

United Kingdom to improve Public Transport in India.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and ‘Transport for London’, a statutory body established under the Greater London Authority Act, 1999 (UK) to improve Public Transport in India.

The MoU will help to improve the overall public transport system in the country, improve passenger services and promote the use of high capacity buses in India. It will go a long way in strengthening ties and promoting bilateral relations between India and United Kingdom.

The MoU will help in strengthening the integrated public transport for all. This will help people from poorer strata of the society to have access to a quality public transport system.

 

[Hindustani78]

New Delhi, January 04, 2018 21:52 IST
Updated: January 04, 2018 21:52 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...red-a-proclaimed-offender/article22369015.ece


A Delhi court on Thursday declared businessman Vijay Mallya a proclaimed offender in a FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act) violation case of 1995.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Shehrawat said: “Keeping in view the fact that accused Vijay Mallya s/o Lt. Sh. Vittal Mallya failed to appear before the court despite a lapse of more than 30 days and no representation has been made on his behalf... Vijay Mallya is declared as proclaimed offender in the present case.’’

Earlier, Special Public Prosecutor for the Enforcement Directorate Naveen Kumar Matta submitted that more than 30 days had passed but the accused failed to appear in court.

The court had in November last year started the process for declaring him a proclaimed offender after the ‘open-ended non-bailable warrant’ (NBW) against him was returned as unexecuted, giving him the last opportunity for appearance on December 18.

The court had in December 2000 exempted him from personal appearance in the case. However, it had modified the order in 2016 on an application by the ED and asked him to appear before it.

The passport authority has already revoked his passport. Mallya has been staying in London as a Permanent Resident for nearly three decades.

The case is related to his non-appearance before the ED despite issuance of four summons between 1999 and 2000 for investigation into charges of allegedly entering into an agreement with London-based company Messrs Benetton Formula Limited in 1995 for advertisement of the Kingfisher brand on racing cars in the Formula-I World Championship in 1996, 1997 and 1998 without taking prior permission of the Reserve Bank of India. As Mallya failed to appear in response to the summons, the ED had filed a complaint against him in the court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in the Patiala House courts here in 2000.

The court had later summoned him and framed the charges against him in 2001.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Nitin Gadkari and the British High Commissioner in India, Mr. Dominic Asquith witnessing the signing ceremony of an MoU between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Transport for London, in New Delhi on January 10, 2018.

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Nitin Gadkari addressing at the signing ceremony of an MoU between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Transport for London, in New Delhi on January 10, 2018. The Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya and the British High Commissioner in India, Mr. Dominic Asquith are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

UK Home Office officials believe Indians are among the top nationalities living illegally in the UK, estimated at more than 100,000.
world Updated: Jan 10, 2018 20:20 IST

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...al-migrants/story-vkjEH3lSFVjQCB3xsqPQwN.html


A key issue in relations between India and the United Kingdom will be addressed on Thursday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the speedy return of illegal migrants, which may lead to improvement in the current British visa offer.

The MoU is to be signed by minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, who is currently in London, following months of deliberations between British and Indian officials in New Delhi and London, including by former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi during his July 2017 visit here.

It is likely to be signed on the British side by newly appointed minister for immigration Caroline Nokes. Home Office officials believe Indians are among the top nationalities living illegally in the UK, estimated at more than 100,000.

The issue was flagged by Prime Minister Theresa May during her 2016 visit to New Delhi. “(The) UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the UK,” she had said at the time.

The sticking point between the two sides has been confirming the identity of suspected illegal migrants, who may destroy passports and other papers to make it difficult for authorities to deport them. New Delhi has been willing to accept those whose Indian identity has been confirmed.

The investigation to confirm identity involves police in India, which can take weeks, if not months. There have also been instances when Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens were sought to be sent to India, which was averted after investigations established they were not Indians.

Since biometric and other information is sought while seeking a British visa, the British side wants India to accept the details and issue travel documents to deport overstayers. New Delhi believes the identity can be confirmed only through an investigation by Indian authorities.

The Indian high commission here issues travel documents (Emergency Certificates) to those whose Indian identity is confirmed so that they can return. In 2016, a total of 582 Emergency Certificates were issued, but the Home Office believes there is much scope for speeding up the process.

May said in an interview before the 2017 election: “The Home Office is discussing various ways in which that process (of returns) can be improved.

“It is something I have said internationally, that I think where there are people who are in a country illegally, they should be returned, but it is a question of getting a smoother process so that people aren’t spending quite so long waiting to be returned.”

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...n-documents/story-PILPpR8unulGcMafFjnEUM.html
Vijay Mallya’s lawyer said many statements of police officers submitted in courts were unreliable, and the CBI had failed to present supporting evidence to the charges against the businessman.
Updated: Jan 11, 2018 23:07 IST
Hindustan Times, London

Serious doubts were expressed on Thursday on the quality of documents submitted by India in the Vijay Mallya extradition case in the Westminster magistrates’ court, as the judge gave the tycoon bail until April 2.

Claire Montgomery, appearing for Mallya, laid into the material submitted by India against him, and cited rulings by Indian courts and the Law Commission to claim that many statements of police officers submitted in courts were unreliable.

No date was set for the next hearing, but is expected to be in the next three weeks, when Mark Summers, representing India, will seek to refute Montgomery's claims about the quality and admissibility of evidence submitted.

According to Montgomery, since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is allegedly used in political cases, the behaviour of its officers was not reliable and they had failed to present supporting evidence to their charges against Mallya.

She particularly picked several holes in 12 witness statements submitted by India and said they had identical spelling mistakes, unintelligible passages, and repeated parts verbatim.

"They seem to be someone else's assertions... there seems to be a preconceived desire to blame the applicant when no evidence existed," she said and added that parts were repeated in a cut-and-paste manner in the statements.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot will rule on the admissibility of the documents after submission by Summers at the next hearing.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/business/In...ovt-critics/article22500317.ece?homepage=true
LONDON, January 23, 2018 22:30 IST
Updated: January 23, 2018 22:46 IST

Spoke in the wheel: Some have used the issue to bolster the case for another chance for U.K. to decide on Brexit. AP | Photo Credit: AP


Development cited as ‘example of damage’ spurred by Brexit

Plans by Jaguar Land Rover to cut production at its Halewood plant in the U.K. citing Brexit and concerns about the future of diesel and petrol vehicles gained political attention as critics of the government pointed to the development as an example of the damage wrought by uncertainty around Brexit and government policy on future engine systems.

Late on Monday, JLR, part of Tata Motors, said that following a regular review of production schedules, “temporary adjustments” would be made to production at Halewood, where the Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport are assembled, in a move that had already been communicated to the workforce.

The company pointed to the uncertainty around Brexit, which had hit demand in Britain, where demand for new cars had fallen by 5.7% in 2017, as well as more widely across Europe, which accounted for 45% of U.K. production. “Add to this, concern around the future of petrol and diesel engines, and general global economic and political uncertainty and it’s clear to see why industry is seeing an impact on car sales,” it said.

Earlier this month, the firm said it had sold over 620,000 units in 2017, its best year to date, though it had pointed to “tough conditions” in key markets including Britain.

Liberal democrat leader Vincent Cable, a strong opponent of Brexit, pointed to the development, raising questions about the impact on jobs, and knock on effects on the supply chain, including at the JLR engine plant in Wolverhampton. The development was also widely picked up on social media by pro-Remain groups, with some using it to bolster their case for the need for Britons to have another opportunity to decide on Brexit.

Diesel engine policy
“Brexit uncertainty along with the government’s confused policy on diesel engines [is] to blame,” said Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, who said they were in close dialogue with JLR.

Alongside Brexit, JLR and the wider car industry have repeatedly pointed to the direction of government policy regarding the internal combustion engine, as another major challenge awaiting the industry. Vehicle makers have already begun preparing for a new policy environment globally, amid an array of plans to push car makers towards the production of electric vehicles. Britain plans to ban the sale of conventional diesel and petrol cars from 2040 onwards, though industry has called for greater clarity, as well as initiative from the government in terms of infrastructure support. In early January the industry body, the SMMT, announced that in 2017, Britain’s new car market fell for the first time in six years. While sales of hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars rose sharply, and there was a modest rise in sales of petrol cars, there was a sharp fall in diesel sales amid concerns about future regulation and levies on such vehicles.

 

[Villager]

Labour Party Has Become Anti-Indian": British MP On Kashmir
Bob Blackman also said that India has a long-established tradition of respecting different faiths and religions.

Bob Blackman sent a strong-worded letter to British PM Boris Johnson. (File)

Amid a social media clash between British parliamentarians on India's decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, a Conservative lawmaker has stressed that the constitutional changes are an "internal matter" for India.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in support of India, Bob Blackman said: "There is a widely respected convention that we do not interfere in the domestic affairs of a third country, especially a long-standing friend and ally like India."

The spat among the British parliamentarians started after the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn tweeted on Sunday that the situation in the region was "disturbing". He called for the implementation of the UN resolutions over the scrapping of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Corbyn's tweet followed a letter from a British Labour MP who urged Mr Johnson to take steps against the so-called "illegal" actions undertaken by New Delhi.

In response to the provocative letter by the Labour MP, Mr Blackman stated: "Whilst not wishing to break this convention, it appears very strange that Labour MPs are criticising the Indian Government for equalising the rights of all its citizens."

"Surely such a step should be welcomed in any democracy," the lawmaker said.

Mr Blackman, in his letter, also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's democratically elected government is "perfectly entitled to implement its own election manifesto which explicitly proposed these constitutional changes to Articles 370 and 35A".

"Labour MPs should not be so surprised if an elected government keeps its promises. In making these changes it wishes to promote prosperity in the region by improving security and attracting inward investment in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

"It has been the long-held position of successive UK governments that any matter concerning Kashmir is a strictly bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," the letter read.

Mr Blackman also said that India has a long-established tradition of respecting different faiths and religions.

Attacking the Labour lawmaker over his inflammatory comments against India following the recent developments in the region, Mr Blackman stressed, "The comments made about promoting ''exclusive Hindu settlements'' are highly provocative since they totally ignore the tragic history of the region where thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homeland.

"The changes therefore redress, rather than promote, flagrant ethnic cleansing," he said.

"It is becoming clear that the Labour Party has become an anti-Indian, anti-Hindu party which is not interested in building a friendly relationship with the world''s largest democracy but instead wants to import the politics of the subcontinent to the UK for its own narrow and communal interests," the letter added.

 

[TejasMK3]

'Divisive tactics': WhatsApp messages urge Hindus to vote against Labour

One message said: “The Labour party is now the mouth-piece of the Pakistani government … It is anti-India, anti-Hindu and anti-[Indian prime minister Narendra] Modi. So if there are any Indians who are still voting for Labour, or are still members of the Labour party – then respectfully I say, they are traitors to their ancestral land, to their family and friends in India and to their cultural heritage.”

In a recent blog on the Hindu Human Rights website, Dudakia wrote that Labour were “a bunch of left-wing nutters indulging in their prejudices”.

Dudakia also spoke at a Diwali event in the House of Commons hosted by the Tory MP Bob Blackman last month, from which Labour MPs were reportedly banned

He said: “If the entire Indian community in the UK votes Tory, we will see a swing of around 40 seats to the Tories. This will swing the actual election result.”

The Result:

Words mean nothing, these guys brought a resolution against India in the parliament, not just statements, so only an equivalent action will undo damage.

Elections on the horizon, they have reversed their crackpot anti-India/anti Hindu stance atleast for namesake, now that they fear they might have alienated a decent chunk of the Indian vote after kissing Jihadi ass Hope people dont fall for this and teach them a lesson, and then watch for tangible changes in their tone and see if they genuinely change track.

 

[ezsasa]

'Divisive tactics': WhatsApp messages urge Hindus to vote against Labour







The Result:

Words mean nothing, without, these guys brought a resolution against India in the parliament, not just statements, so only an equivalent action will undo damage.

Elections on the horizon, they have reversed their crackpot anti-India/anti Hindu stance atleast for namesake, now that they fear they might have alienated a decent chunk of the Indian vote after kissing Jihadi ass Hope people dont fall for this and teach them a lesson, and then watch for tangible changes in their tone and see if they genuinely change track.

I wish british-indians continue with their threat, and swing the seats where possible.

Labour has to be taught a lesson.

 

[sorcerer]

I wish british-indians continue with their threat, and swing the seats where possible.

Labour has to be taught a lesson.

They better cuz pakistan does it the other way and overtly

 

[hurrians]

Select Indian PM, and home secretary with African roots then clamp down on legal migration routes.

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/uk-cautioned-against-unfair-visa-crackdown-on-indian-professionals-students-9056286/lite/

 

[Eagle Eye]

Select Indian PM, and home secretary with African roots then clamp down on legal migration routes.

Many Indians celebrated when Rishi become UK PM. West will appoint "Brown coolies" in impt position.

 

[Tshering22]

Many Indians celebrated when Rishi become UK PM. West will appoint "Brown coolies" in impt position.

India is in a situation where it needs to extract the last bit of benefits from the UK. They have some technological advantages that we need for ourselves. Once we extract that and can evolve these technologies locally, we will not need them.

The British may be diminishing but they are damn good at making aero engines and gas turbine engines. We need that tech, and also the ones in graphene development and defence.

 

[FalconSlayers]