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1 week ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
Faced with concerns around migration and tariffs, the U.K. government found itself having to defend a comprehensive “free trade” agreement (FTA) with India, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).
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4 weeks ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
On the eve of its Spring Meetings, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on countries to find a settlement on trade issues, which it said was the top priority for a multipolar world.
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4 weeks ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
The legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, the U.K.’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. The unanimous ruling, which is victory for those who want gender to be based on biological sex and a blow for transgender rights, should not be seen as a victory of one group over another, the court said. The ruling is the outcome of a protracted six-year legal battle between the Scottish government and women’s rights group For Women Scotland (FWS) over the U.K.’s Equality Act, 2010.
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4 weeks ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a trade-related probe into the risks to U.S. national security from reliance on processed critical minerals and their derivatives. The order directs U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to conduct a probe under Section 232 of the U.S.’s Trade Expansion 1962 and to produce recommendations on strengthening domestic production and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
In an increasingly fragmented and multipolar world, countries are prioritising bilateral arrangements, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. However, she denied that the India-U.K. trade negotiations were going to be sped up because of the tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, even as she was optimistic that the negotiations would be concluded “sooner rather than later”.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on America’s trade partners, including 20% on E.U. goods, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was “prepared to respond”, even as she appeared to keep the door open for negotiations. “I deeply regret this choice,” she said, referring to Mr. Trump’s tariffs, as she delivered a video broadcast on Thursday morning.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
On the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on April 2, the E.U. and U.K. had starkly contrasting responses planned, with the E.U. gearing up for retaliation and the U.K. bracing for impact and deciding for now not to impose retaliatory tariffs as it hopes to reach a deal with Mr. Trump. On Tuesday (April 1, 2025), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was considering the use of all of its policy instruments in response to Mr. Trump’s move.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
Reacting to news reports that “hundreds” of Indian citizens in the U.S. had received visa revocation emails for campus activism and been told to “self deport” towards the end of last week, the U.S. State Department said it routinely invoked its authority to revoke visas when information came to light suggesting a visa holder had become ineligible to continue holding the visa. The State Department declined to confirm the specific news reports, citing privacy reasons.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
The U.K.’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced that she would deepen previously announced cuts to disability and sickness benefits as part of a £14 billion package to fix the country’s public finances. The Chancellor, who emphasized higher borrowing costs and greater trade uncertainties in the world, also confirmed a previously announced increase in arms expenditures as part of the U.K. increasing its contributions to the defence of Ukraine and Europe.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Sriram Lakshman
Defence Chiefs of some thirty Western countries gathered in London on Thursday (March 20, 2025) for a “planning” meeting to discuss peacekeeping in Ukraine in a post-ceasefire scenario with Russia. This was “a chance for the thirty nations that represent the ‘coalition of the willing’ to come here to start the military planning as to what that force might look like”, Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said in a broadcast interview to the BBC.
