Unholy nexus: The British government is reported to be actively backing the US in warning Pakistan against continued and heavy support to the Taliban that now threatens to take over Afghanistan. British intelligence has picked up on growing support from Pakistan to the Taliban all along and through the Afghan-Pak border, which has included arms and ammunition supply. The Afghan government backed by the US, the UK and India is rapidly becoming a beleaguered force.
Heated India-UK talks likely over coal: Alok Sharma, British MP who is president of the UN climate change conference due in Glasgow in November is due to visit India next week in what is likely to be an acrimonious confrontation. That will come principally over coal, which the West wants to be phased out, and which India is not prepared to do in the manner and to the extent expected. India has already skipped a ministers’ meet over this issue, and the UK is looking to prevent a confrontation — and failure — at the big conference in November.
Patel rap: Actor Dev Patel spoke for many British Indians when he accepted rather candidly that he’s “not British enough to be fully British, not Indian enough to be fully Indian”. He occupies, he said, a “cultural no man’s land”. He told The Guardian he often asks himself where he’s “allowed to exist”. And this has affected his career, he said. He’s been waiting for far more offers than the few that came his way after the success of Slumdog Millionaire.
The price of throwing out illegal migrants: A costly flight to Jamaica has warned Britain of the difficulties, and the price, of sending undocumented Indians back to India, illegal migrants as they are more commonly called. A flight chartered by the UK government could leave for Jamaica with only seven on board, at a cost of about 30,000 pounds each. The rest due to be deported back on the plane won a reprieve. The last attempt to round up two Indians failed because neighbours stood in the way. It might be just too late in the day to give back people who have been staying in Britain for years and years.
Trade talks and Test cricket: India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal will be in the UK later this month to firm up new trading terms between the two countries. For some reason, some of the talks will be held while watching Test cricket for a day. India will be hoping the talks, and the cricket, goes the way the first day did at Lord’s. But trade talks are not just proceeding with the UK they are in progress also with the EU, Australia, Canada and the UAE. If not all at a Test match.
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