Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Vayutuvan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12062
Joined: 20 Jun 2011 04:36

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Vayutuvan »

Swapan Dasgupta wrote:http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.co ... -patronage
Is India actually in need of British patronage?
Swapan Dasgupta
... Sometime in the early-1980s, i recall visiting an Indian banker staying at the Savoy and being asked by the supercilious receptionist: "Does he work in the kitchen?"

<snip>
In 1983 I had a few days stay at Grosvenor Hotel. One morning I was coming down to the dining room for breakfast and overheard one man saying to another "So, they are allowing colored people to stay here?" in quite a loud voice almost daring me to talk back or something. By the way, the hotel was no great shakes either for the amount of money they charged.
sunnydee

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by sunnydee »

Sorry to hear about that sir...In 2010 i was walking with a couple of my white mates and an indian mate from wigan football stadium(dont ask what i was doing in that dump) to the town centre two toughies passed us and abt 10 yards ahead of us one says to the other " a lot of ragheads here today"....In 2007 in hyderabad a "friend" after a drinking session accussed sikhs of being terrorists (dont blame him too much as someone in england had called him a hindu terrorist and prob he didnt feel like saying anything to them)....Racism/prejudice is everywhere but yea england is slightly different as a friend of mine observed "in england racism is implicit" ...generally when someone says something offensive i generally feel superior as i look down at the other with contempt :)( a change from my school and under grad days in hyd in late 90's-2002 when i used to be very sensitive )

P.S let me be honest and admit i am no angel...
Murugan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4191
Joined: 03 Oct 2002 11:31
Location: Smoking Piskobidis

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Murugan »

Sudeshna Sen at her best in ET, 13th Feb 2012
Every time I think I'm getting used the Brits they go do something that's so typical that I can't resist being snarky. This time, they've whipped up a ridiculous palaver over the Dassault-Eurofighter deal, with random MPs and right-wing press complaining about why Britain gives $280 million in aid to India if we're giving our multi-billion defence contracts to the French. I'll get to the contract in a bit, but first the aid issue.

Last heard, I was getting offers for expert commentators on the whole aid to India issue, after apparently some UK paper "scooped" the fact that the Indians didn't really want that aid. Oh grow up, somebody.

This controversy came up more than a year ago, and the Indian governments' stance has been consistent. It's not a new or secret stance, Indian government officials and ministers have openly been telling the Indian media in the UK this at pressers for some years now.

...

Still it's currently a rumpus and doesn't yet rate the favourite tag of UK headlines, a row. If it does blow up - do the Brits realise how absolutely silly this makes them look internationally? Linking aid to defence deals harks back to the Cold War and 1970s. So terribly retro.

...

Dear TPTB in Britain, including erudite media editors. I hate to have to break bad news, but the empire is really over. :((

..

... But if defence deals - and they are - are more about government to government engagement than technical parameters, then I'm gobsmacked at how right the Indian government has managed to get things, for once.

Remember we're talking about getting into bed with someone for the next 50 years. Eurofighter as a consortium is backed by Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain. In the next ten years, we don't know if these nations will be in any position to supply anything to anyone, together. Or if the Eurofighter consortium will even survive, if so in what form, or get broken up into multi-currency, private equity tidbits.

...

Besides, it's just one supplier, instead of a hotchpotch of countries and companies who will spend more time negotiating among themselves than with the IAF.

The other grouse in Britain is why the Germans led the bid, given the UK's long-term relationship with India. Sigh. That's curry, not jets, people. Given my limited knowledge of how BAE functions in other areas, such as its usually inept attempts to engage with the Indian media for instance, I doubt it would have made much difference. The consensus expert view seems to be much the same.

Cameron and Co are more than aware that this much-touted historical relationship, in economic terms, is just wishful thinking on the part of some fuddy-duddies in the UK establishment, an urban myth.
....

Since I live on that border, I happen to know how it works - or doesn't, and why. What doesn't work, or help the British cause at all, is its popular media - widely seen in India - and MPs behaving like petulant schoolkids just because they lost to the French.
Rahul M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 17168
Joined: 17 Aug 2005 21:09
Location: Skies over BRFATA
Contact:

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Rahul M »

^^^ this is the link
http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.c ... pectations

posting reports without link is liable to get your post deleted.
Murugan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4191
Joined: 03 Oct 2002 11:31
Location: Smoking Piskobidis

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Murugan »

^ I know. Sir-ji, my junta do not allow us to access blog and share market wala sites from work place. So we rely on epaper sites. and this is a copy past job. Your call is final anyways, you may delete if you please. I am not posting for increasing post counts.
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32283
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by chetak »

This creep should have been deported immediately.


Furore over British MP's political outing in Goa
British MP of Indian origin Keith Vaz's electoral campaigning on Sunday for a controversial political family in Goa has triggered outrage in the Goan diasopra and on internet. Vaz shared the stage with Valanka Alemao, one of the four members of the Alemao family contesting the March 3 polls to the state assembly here. He has defended his presence at Valanka's debut electoral campaign from the Benaulim assembly constituency as a "personal issue".

The six-time Labour MP of Goan origin from Leicester addressed a Congress party election meeting at Varca in South Goa on Sunday. This sparked outrage among the Goan diaspora, of which some members have now shot off a letter of complaint to the British Prime Minister's Office at 10 Downing street, London, and the British high commission in New Delhi.

"Foreigners cannot take part in Indian politics... especially members of parliament of a foreign nation. Vaz's support to the controversial Alemao family is not a palatable thing for any of us," said Sarto Rodrigues, a member of the Goa NRI forum from Abu Dhabi, who has drafted the complaint.
Rahul M
Forum Moderator
Posts: 17168
Joined: 17 Aug 2005 21:09
Location: Skies over BRFATA
Contact:

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Rahul M »

Murugan ji, there is always the 24 hr window available to add the link later. this is about copyright, not post counts (whoever cared about those anyway) and ensuring BR doesn't get sued, I am pretty certain you care about that.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

This is the most harious proposal of the century thus far,by David Cameron,British PM!

London/Britain is afflicted by so much of drunkenness,saturated with so many boozers,is now ,if one proposal is accepted,have "booze buses",where paramedics satff the latenight buses meant for boozers! Bacchus must be organising the mother of all booze parties in the afterlife for the proposer!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... lture.html

Booze buses and drunk tanks to tackle Britain's drinking culture
A fleet of "booze buses" staffed with paramedics could be deployed across UK towns to tackle the problem of late night drunkeness, as part of the Prime Minister's agenda to curb excessive drinking.
The Prime Minister will attack the “scandal of our society” caused by Britain’s drinking culture which costs the NHS more than £2.7 billion annually.

He will suggest that “innovative solutions” such as the US-inspired drunk tanks, more police on patrol in A&E departments and “booze buses” — vehicles staffed with paramedics who help intoxicated revellers — be supported by the Government.

Drunk tanks, popular in America, are prisons used to “house” drunk people overnight until they sober up, avoiding the need for them to be formally arrested and charged or taken to hospital.

Mr Cameron will say that responsible drinking needs to “become a reality” as he prepares to unveil curbs on excessive consumption of alcohol.
DC is trying to clean up Britain from its reputation of global leadership in boozigng and is to crack down wiht the foll. measures.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... andal.html

David Cameron to launch attack on Britain's 'boozing scandal'
Cells known as “drunk tanks” which detain inebriated people until they sober up could be introduced to towns to tackle the nation’s growing alcohol problem, David Cameron signals on Wednesday.

PS:Keith Vaz is a disgraced singular "rent-boy" of the British political establishment.Scandals after scandals stain his reputatio..if he has one left.The GOI should immediately deport him.What by the way is the EC also doing? It should disqualify the candidate who has used Vaz as a tout.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ittee.html
MP suspended for month after scandal
Published on Friday 8 February 2002 00:00

FORMER Europe Minister Keith Vaz was today sentenced to a month's suspension from the House of Commons after he was found guilty of "serious breaches" of the MPs' code of conduct and interfering with an investigation into his affairs.

The Leicester East Labour MP was accused of "recklessly" making damaging allegations about one of And he was also found guilty of deliberately interfering with the investigation conducted by Retiring Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Elizabeth Filkin.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/mp_suspend ... l_1_941840

A damning report by the powerful House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee recommended that Mr Vaz be suspended from the Commons for a month – one of the heaviest sentences it has imposed
Truth about Keith Vaz and crooked lawyer: Sleaze scandal as Labour MP tries to take charge of crucial committee
Last edited by Philip on 15 Feb 2012 18:38, edited 1 time in total.
Aditya_V
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14332
Joined: 05 Apr 2006 16:25

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Aditya_V »

chetak wrote:This creep should have been deported immediately.


Furore over British MP's political outing in Goa
British MP of Indian origin Keith Vaz's electoral campaigning on Sunday for a controversial political family in Goa has triggered outrage in the Goan diasopra and on internet. Vaz shared the stage with Valanka Alemao, one of the four members of the Alemao family contesting the March 3 polls to the state assembly here. He has defended his presence at Valanka's debut electoral campaign from the Benaulim assembly constituency as a "personal issue".

The six-time Labour MP of Goan origin from Leicester addressed a Congress party election meeting at Varca in South Goa on Sunday. This sparked outrage among the Goan diaspora, of which some members have now shot off a letter of complaint to the British Prime Minister's Office at 10 Downing street, London, and the British high commission in New Delhi.

"Foreigners cannot take part in Indian politics... especially members of parliament of a foreign nation. Vaz's support to the controversial Alemao family is not a palatable thing for any of us," said Sarto Rodrigues, a member of the Goa NRI forum from Abu Dhabi, who has drafted the complaint.
Why, He is just bringing the Anglo-INC ties out in the open?
Hari Seldon
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9373
Joined: 27 Jul 2009 12:47
Location: University of Trantor

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Hari Seldon »

New Delhi NDM-1 superbug: Indian scientists nail British hoax

The NDM-1 saga plays out as expected. A Briturd farce thinly veiled as science.

Image

read it all.
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Prem »

Hypocracy,Perfidy,Thy Name is Poor Britain
This nuclear deal is good for Britain and the battle against climate change
Although the UK-French nuclear power deal signed by David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy today does not add up to much in terms of its details – a few hundred millions here and there, not much in the multi-billion-pound world of civil nuclear generation – it does send an important political signal: Britain and France will not follow Germany down the path of eschewing nuclear power. Instead, the governments and industries of both countries will work closely together to up the pace of nuclear new-build in the UK.This matters, because within the next 10 years all but one of our current fleet of nuclear reactors will be decommissioned – meaning the UK will lose nearly a fifth of its electricity-generation capacity, all of it zero-carbon. Even if we build windmills flat-out and stick solar panels on as many buildings as we can afford, this lost nuclear capacity must be urgently replaced – or Britain's carbon emissions will inevitably rise as we burn more coal and gas to bridge the gap.
It is instructive that the German Green party is now weakening climate targets at a state level – precisely because the nuclear phase-out leaves the country more reliant on domestic dirty brown coal and imported Russian gas. Despite insisting that climate change remains their pre-eminent concern, greens around Europe insist on putting their anti-nuclear ideology ahead of any concern for the stability of our planet's climate. Both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are effectively lobbying for more gas plants in their anti-nuclear campaigning, making a mockery of their years spent raising awareness of global warming.

Although a small number of "environmentalist" protesters (eight at the last count) have already moved onto the proposed site for the UK's two first new nuclear stations at Hinkley Point in Somerset, today's Anglo-French deal makes it far less likely that they will have their way and stop or delay new nuclear construction. Hinkley is in line for Britain's first two EPRs – a new "generation-III"-type power station able to pump out a hefty 1.6 gigawatts of zero-carbon power at full capacity. The EPR also includes protection against airline impacts for its reactor dome and an impressive array of safety features, which would make a Fukushima-style meltdown vanishingly unlikely and any radiation properly containable even if the worst ever did happen.
There is also a danger that Britain will become over-reliant on France for its nuclear capacity, although today's deal with Rolls-Royce for power-station components potentially worth £400m offsets this somewhat. Areva in particular is currently lobbying heavily for the UK government to commit to a new plant (likely at Sellafield) to convert the country's 100-tonne plutonium stockpile into "mixed-oxide" fuel (MOX), which can be burned in its EPR stations. However – as the Guardian recently revealed – there are fourth-generation technologies already available that can dispose of both plutonium and waste stockpiles much more reliably and cheaply.
Haresh
BRFite
Posts: 1497
Joined: 30 Jun 2009 17:27

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Haresh »

:( 'Trapped' Illegal Immigrants Sleeping On Streets :(

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16175386

This is a very sad situation, I have seen the area where some of the people shown are living.

The sad thing is the people who exploit them the most are their fellow Indians.
Some will even work for food.

The previous labour government was just plain stupid in it's immigration policy.
These guys will never be able to pay back the money they borrowed to come here, there families are ruined.
I tell my family in India quite openly that I am willing to help them start a business in India but there is no way I will arrange for them to come here.
The Indian government needs to start some major job creation schemes to stop this sort of thing.
Haresh
BRFite
Posts: 1497
Joined: 30 Jun 2009 17:27

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Haresh »

member_19686
BRFite
Posts: 1330
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by member_19686 »

Police officer hurt in disturbances
Thursday, 23 February 2012

A police officer was injured as disturbances broke out in the Heywood area of Rochdale.
Windows were damaged at a takeaway on Bridge Street and a number of vehicles were damaged, police said.

The officer suffered minor injuries during a disturbance with a group of youths.

Sources said earlier that gangs of youths had congregated and it was believed Asian takeaway businesses had been targeted.

Greater Manchester Police appealed to parents to ask their children to go home following the disorder.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney said police were aware of "tensions in the borough".

He said: "A group of youths have attacked a local business and clashed with police officers. We would urge parents in the area to call their children if they are not home yet. Reassurance patrols are in place to try and mitigate this and we ask the community to act responsibly during this difficult time. A number of local businesses have closed of their own volition and we will continue to work closely with them."

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 21792.html
This seems to be over Muslim sexual abuse of English girls according to this link:

http://thebritishresistance.co.uk/the-e ... manchester
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

They have them too in the UK..drunken MPs! However,contrast this with the manner in which Indian MPs and political parties behave.In the UK citizens brook no flouting of rules whether you are an MP or an ordinary citizen,rules apply for all.Recently,a minister,Chris Hume, was forced to resign after it was found out that he had lied about a speeding offence,implying that his wife was at the wheel.Had it happened here,it would've been immediately denied,saying that it was all a "media invention",dire threats issued to the mediawallahs,and if it reached the courts,"no comment as the matter is sub-judice",the latest excuse of the scoundrels.

In India,we have the glorious example of Mamta storming a cop shop to release an arrested partywallah,babies die by the dozen in her state's hospitals yet it moves her not,BJP MPs watching p*rn in the K'taka House,mining scamsters protected by a corrupt CM,and the PM himself vigorously defending the honour of his cabinet scamsters despite written pleas from his own ministers in the CWG scam,while he cannot defend the country's borders which are being nibbled away every day by the Chinese! In the case of the Italian marines who allegedly killed
Indian fishermen,now accepted as fact by the Italian consul himself,it appears that it was not the stout defiance of the GOI that has seen such a strong stand by India,but the threat by the Kerala CM that "if any attempt was made to release the marines and the ship,the local fishermen would prevent it by imposing a massive blockade themselves". So much for the guts of the GOI!

Enjoy this read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... brawl.html

MP Eric Joyce arrested and suspended from Labour party over House of Commons brawl
Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, has been arrested by police and suspended from the Labour Party allegedly headbutting another MP in a row over chairs in a bar of the House of Commons.
Lalmohan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 13262
Joined: 30 Dec 2005 18:28

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Lalmohan »

surasena, tv carried images of far right groups marching in rochdale - this is exactly the sort of 'cause' they are looking for. some of the accused used to work in a particular restaurant - i suspect that was the particular establishment targetted. the fascists will gain in sympathy for 'standing up' for the rights of 'poor defenceless waifs' - but it is a false sympathy
Neela
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4102
Joined: 30 Jul 2004 15:05
Location: Spectator in the dossier diplomacy tennis match

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Neela »

Watch out for new BBC series titled "Empire" .
For how long should the RoW bear the looters' nostalgia!
Atri
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4152
Joined: 01 Feb 2009 21:07

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Atri »

Neela wrote:Watch out for new BBC series titled "Empire" .
For how long should the RoW bear the looters' nostalgia!
The one by Jeremy Paxman? or there is a newer series still?
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

History lessons are very good,to remind the conquered never to allow it to happen again.

Lloyds massive losses,UK shares plunge.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012 ... 011-shares

Lloyds plunges to £3.5bn loss for 2011

• Shares in Lloyds Banking Group biggest faller in FTSE 100
• Taxpayer sitting on £10bn loss on its 41% stake

Xcpt:
Lloyds Banking Group has painted a subdued outlook for the UK economy as the bailed-out bank revealed it had plunged to a £3.5bn loss in 2011 and would pay out £375m in bonuses.

The chief executive, António Horta-Osório, reiterated the prolonged low interest rate environment would mean some key targets would not be met on time, but the bank would benefit from a faster than expected reduction in impairment charges during 2012.

At 35.6p the shares were among the biggest fallers in the FTSE 100, down 2.4%. The drop has left the taxpayer with a £10bn loss on the 41% stake in the bank amid concerns about its forecasts this year for profitability, measured by so-called net interest margin.
Neela
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4102
Joined: 30 Jul 2004 15:05
Location: Spectator in the dossier diplomacy tennis match

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Neela »

Atri wrote:
Neela wrote:Watch out for new BBC series titled "Empire" .
For how long should the RoW bear the looters' nostalgia!
The one by Jeremy Paxman? or there is a newer series still?
I apologise. Saw some ads and thought they were new.
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Prem »

Izz UK=Urinal King Of "Pakistan"

Could a New 'Commonwealth of Nations' Lead the Developing World?
India, once considered the jewel in the crown of the British empire, is a member of the fossilized skeletal remains left behind, the Commonwealth of Nations -- but is also a member of the BRICS, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the G-20, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit, IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), the NAM (or Non-Aligned Movement), the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization.Most big nations -- and even small ones -- are increasingly enmeshed in lots of overlapping global clubs. In part this is hedging, not wanting to be left out, not knowing what will eventually happen to the old-US fashioned, post-World War II structures that just don't align with global power realities today.But Lord Michael Ancram, also known as Lord Lathian -- a former conservative party shadow defense minister and foreign minister -- has proposed a 'Neo-Commonwealthianism' to kick-start the hopes and aspirations of both elder powers (like the UK), rising powers like India and South Africa -- and powers like Nigeria that matter but are flagging. In a provocative paper titled "Farewell to Drift: A New Foreign Policy for a Network World", Ancram notes that the Commonwealth -- whose 'head' remains today the Queen of England -- covers 30% of the population, has members on every continent, and strong representation of the world's most significant religions. Ancram believes that this left-behind infrastructure, that appears arthritic and worn out to most, could be revitalized into "a dynamic vehicle for proactive and constructive diplomacy."Some of the obvious leaders in Commonwealth 2.0 arrangement would be India, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, and Malaysia. Oil-rich Nigeria is also a key tone-setter on the African continent.

I asked Michael Ancram whether he really thought that these countries would be ready for the push of reset on one of the world's old colonial artifices -- and he quickly said, no -- not headquartered as the Commonwealth is today in London. Ancram stated that the capital of Commonwealth 2.0 had to be based in India. "India needs to lead this," Ancram said.Whether or not he convinces India, and South Africa to tilt more of their attention to revitalizing an old global network that includes states like the UK and thus de-emphasizing the time they put into the BRICS and IBSA, the proposal is a novel one. Like old designs on museum pieces and costumes from Tokugawa era Japan, or the early Renaissance in Europe making their way into the trendiest fashions today, Michael Ancram may be on to something important in revitalizing a network that once was the most powerful in the world.
shiv
BRF Oldie
Posts: 34982
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Pindliyon ka Gooda

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by shiv »

Lalmohan wrote:surasena, tv carried images of far right groups marching in rochdale
Rochdale and its environs were Pakistan as far back as 1985. Muslim right wing groups I guess.
Lalmohan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 13262
Joined: 30 Dec 2005 18:28

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Lalmohan »

no, white fascists
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

Britain's latest "crusade" for "democracy and development" (read OIL),with its sponsoring the peace seminar on Somalia,whixh is supposed to have the potential of another Kuwait.The truth has now leaked and it shows a familiar dirty black stain seen all over the Gulf.MEA,SMK,have you jokers woken up?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/fe ... sh-somalia

Britain leads dash to explore for oil in war-torn Somalia
Government offers humanitarian aid and security assistance in the hope of a stake in country's future energy industry
Britain is involved in a secret high-stakes dash for oil in Somalia, with the government offering humanitarian aid and security assistance in the hope of a stake in the beleaguered country's future energy industry.

Riven by two decades of conflict that have seen the emergence of a dangerous Islamic insurgency, Somalia is routinely described as the world's most comprehensively "failed" state, as well as one of its poorest. Its coastline has become a haven for pirates preying on international shipping in the Indian Ocean.

David Cameron last week hosted an international conference on Somalia, pledging more aid, financial help and measures to tackle terrorism. The summit followed a surprise visit by the foreign secretary, William Hague, to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where he talked about "the beginnings of an opportunity'' to rebuild the country.

The Observer can reveal that, away from the public focus of last week's summit, talks are going on between British officials and Somali counterparts over exploiting oil reserves that have been explored in the arid north-eastern region of the country. Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi, minister for international cooperation in Puntland, north-east Somalia – where the first oil is expected to be extracted next month – said: "We have spoken to a number of UK officials, some have offered to help us with the future management of oil revenues. They will help us build our capacity to maximise future earnings from the oil industry."

British involvement in the future Somali oil industry would be a boon for the UK economy and comes at a time when the world is increasingly concerned about the actions of Iran, the second-biggest oil producer in Opec.

Hashi, in charge of brokering deals for the region's oil reserves, also said Somalia was looking to BP as the partner they wanted to "help us explore and build our oil capacity". He added: "We need those with the necessary technical knowhow, we plan to talk to BP at the right time."

Somali prime minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said his government had little choice but to entice western companies to Somalia by offering a slice of the country's natural resources, which include oil, gas and large reserves of uranium. "The only way we can pay [western companies] is to pay them in kind, we can pay with natural resources at the fair market value."

Britain is not the only country looking to develop Somalia's vast natural resources. Last month oil exploration began in Puntland by the Canadian company Africa Oil, the first drilling in Somalia for 21 years. Hashi, who sealed the Africa Oil deal, said the first oil was expected to be extracted within the next "20 to 30 days".

The company estimates there could be up to 4bn barrels (about $500bn worth at today's prices) in its two drilling plots. Other surveys indicate that Puntland province alone has the potential to yield 10bn barrels, placing it among the top 20 countries holding oil. Chinese and US firms are among those understood to have also voiced interest about the potential for oil now that, for the first time in 20 years, the country is safe enough to drill.

Yet it is the extent of oil deposits beneath the Indian Ocean that is most exciting Somali officials. One said the potential was comparable to that of Kuwait, which has more than 100bn barrels of proven oil reserves. If true, the deposits would eclipse Nigeria's reserves – 37.2bn barrels – and make Somalia the seventh largest oil-rich nation.

The state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation has tried to acquire an interest in Somalia's reserves. Senior officials from the Somali transitional government are adamant that the imminent extraction of oil in Puntland next month would kickstart a scramble from the multinationals.

On Thursday, the last day of the London conference, BP and Shell unveiled an initiative to support job-creation projects in the coastal regions of Somalia. A subsidiary of Shell was thought to have acquired exploration concessions in Puntland before the descent into lawlessness in 1991.

A BP spokesman said there were "no plans" to work in Somalia and no official had recently visited the country.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

While there appears to be money to send British troops to Somalia,the Chancellor of the Exchequer,George Osborne has officially said that Britain "has run out of money".The Labour Party under Blair and Brown squandered Britain's wealth and Liam Byrne, the former chief secretary to the Treasury bluntly joked that Labour had left Britain broke when he exited the Government in 2010.

He left David Laws, his successor, a one-line note saying: “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you reere’s no money left”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... money.html

George Osborne: UK has run out of money
The Government 'has run out of money' and cannot afford debt-fuelled tax cuts or extra spending, George Osborne has admitted.
“The British Government has run out of money because all the money was spent in the good years,” the Chancellor said. “The money and the investment and the jobs need to come from the private sector.”
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Prem »

Utterly Pakindom
The busy scene on the banks of the lake appears to show our emergency services at their dynamic best. An air ambulance stands by as two specialist officers in yellow ‘immersion suits’ deliver a man who has collapsed into the water to paramedics at the water’s edge.They attempt to resuscitate him inside an inflatable tent. A queue of ambulances and fire engines stands by ready and waiting near a small crowd of shocked onlookers. Yet the story behind this picture is anything but impressive.This was Walpole Park in Gosport, Hampshire, on an overcast lunchtime last March when no fewer than 25 members of the emergency services, including a press officer, descended on a 3½ft-deep model boating lake minutes after Simon Burgess, 41, fell into the water when he suffered a seizure. But as an inquest heard last week, he lay floating face-down for more than half an hour while firemen, police and paramedics watched and did nothing.The reason? Even though they could all swim, the first fire crew to arrive hadn’t been ‘trained’ to enter water higher than ankle-deep. Instead they waited for ‘specialists’ to arrive to retrieve his body.
krisna
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5868
Joined: 22 Dec 2008 06:36

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by krisna »

Jhujar wrote:Utterly Pakindom
But as an inquest heard last week, he lay floating face-down for more than half an hour while firemen, police and paramedics watched and did nothing.The reason? Even though they could all swim, the first fire crew to arrive hadn’t been ‘trained’ to enter water higher than ankle-deep. Instead they waited for ‘specialists’ to arrive to retrieve his body.
:roll: :eek:
Some of the situations they are taught to follow the bookish training and fu*k the use of common sense.
ArmenT
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 4239
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 05:57
Location: Loud, Proud, Ugly American

Post by ArmenT »

The illegal immigrants desperate to escape squalor of Britain
They came to Britain illegally in search of a better life, but the reality turned out to be far removed from what they dreamed of.

The BBC has spoken to illegal immigrants who find themselves living amongst rats and rubbish in makeshift garden sheds and garages. They want to be deported back to India, but many are trapped in a bureaucratic no man's land without any documents.
Haresh
BRFite
Posts: 1497
Joined: 30 Jun 2009 17:27

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Haresh »

ArmenT,

I posted a similar link a short while ago, same story different source.

The tragedy is that their familes have borrowed £10,000 plus to send them to the UK. They could have borrowed a smaller sum and started some local business in Punjab/India.

My cousin is here from Punjab, working as a chef, when he goes back we will be converting the large family house into a guest house/hotel. This will provide him and his family a business opportunity, provide funds to maintain the property.

This will also provide employment to others, cooks, cleaners, dhobi, taxi services etc.

I have made it clear to my relations, there are no real opportunities in the UK any more and we will help them start businesses in India.

The government in Punjab/India must do more to create opportunities in India.
JohnTitor
BRFite
Posts: 1345
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by JohnTitor »

India’s tit for tat to UK on visa norms
NEW DELHI: Indians have often been at the receiving end of UK visa regulations in the recent past but New Delhi for once has managed to tame the British authorities. In yet another visa row between the two countries - this time around in a third country - India has forced the UK to roll back its decision to bar Indians to apply for UK visas from Belgium.

In what is being described by officials as a strange decision, British authorities stopped issuing visas to Indians in Belgium and instead asked them to travel to Paris to apply for the same.

With its new-found assertiveness, the foreign ministry retaliated by not just issuing a note verbale to British authorities to protest the decision but also immediately stopped issuing visas to UK nationals seeking Indian visa in Brussels. They were asked to go back to London and apply for Indian visa there.

Highly placed sources told TOI that the decision forced the UK to beat a quick retreat. Now, London has approached India, formally communicating its decision to roll back its decision and ensure visa facility to Indians from Brussels.

The Indian retaliation though was not limited to restricting UK nationals from applying for visa in Brussels. It also increased the visa fee, bringing it on par with the money charged from Indians for UK visa.

"Now that they have given in, we have also decided to restore visa facilities for UK nationals in Belgium. There will be no change in the visa cost though," said a source. Apparently, the number of UK nationals seeking Indian visa in Brussels was more than the other way round.

The UK decision not to issue visa to Indians inconvenienced not only diplomats and other Indians based in Belgium, but also many Indian travellers, including VIPs, who wished to fly to London and did not have a visa. Belgian capital Brussels is not only a travel hub in Europe, but also one of the main centres of international politics.

Besides, Britain announced further restrictions in its immigration system this week that could severely impact Indians planning to settle there. British immigration minister Damian Green declared that the changes in the UK immigration system will mean that migrant workers coming to the UK on a skilled worker visa will no longer be able to settle in the UK based on the amount of time they have spent in the country.

Breaking the link between coming to the UK to work and staying forever, the new rules will ensure that only "exceptionally talented people, investors and entrepreneurs" will have the option to stay in the UK. "Skilled temporary workers who want to apply for settlement will have to earn at least £35,000, or the going rate for their job, whichever is higher," said the British High Commission in a statement.
Extremely surprising! Seems like someone in the ruling class found their strength! If only this was across the board, especially when dealing with neighbors.

BTW, what is this "new found assertiveness" that the author talks of?
lakshmikanth
BRFite
Posts: 723
Joined: 27 Oct 2008 10:07
Location: Bee for Baakistan

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by lakshmikanth »

Shonu wrote:India’s tit for tat to UK on visa norms
<blah blah>

The UK decision not to issue visa to Indians inconvenienced not only diplomats and other Indians based in Belgium, but also many Indian travellers, including VIPs, who wished to fly to London and did not have a visa. Belgian capital Brussels is not only a travel hub in Europe, but also one of the main centres of international politics.

<blah blah>
Extremely surprising! Seems like someone in the ruling class found their strength! If only this was across the board, especially when dealing with neighbors.

BTW, what is this "new found assertiveness" that the author talks of?
The highlighted part above would explain it.
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Prem »

Brit still dont allow visa free transit to indian passport holders to change the plane/terminal at Heathrow. No European country have issue with it but the Urinal King only.
lakshmikanth
BRFite
Posts: 723
Joined: 27 Oct 2008 10:07
Location: Bee for Baakistan

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by lakshmikanth »

Jhujar wrote:Brit still dont allow visa free transit to indian passport holders to change the plane/terminal at Heathrow. No European country have issue with it but the Urinal King only.
Its a way to shame you and me and other brown brothas about their origin, when the almighty threw the dice he did not make us enter the white boys club. It could also be paranoia, what to do in case we jump out of the terminal into Her Holy Queendom's great and mighty bosoms, like rats jumping out of a sinking ship into a island of wood floating in the sea. Or it could be ...you see.. Asians are dangerous... they now come for our women and children.

Although seriously, the dont come here, go to Paris is rather a very dubious white-boy-clubish move. The process of getting a visa to France would filter out a lot of Indians and it would make the UQstani Visa officer's job of dealing with us much easier :)
nachiket
Forum Moderator
Posts: 9102
Joined: 02 Dec 2008 10:49

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by nachiket »

Jhujar wrote:Brit still dont allow visa free transit to indian passport holders to change the plane/terminal at Heathrow. No European country have issue with it but the Urinal King only.
That's not true. My parents flew with BA on their last trip here (khanland) in October last year. The stopover was at Heathrow. They did not have a UK visa only a visitor's visa for the US. One of my friends came via Heathrow on Kuwait airways in 2010. He too did not face any issues. He had a US student visa.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Philip »

The exorbitant UK exit/transit tax on air travel via the UK is one reason why BA has seen such a huge drop in traffic and the airline is lobbying hard for it to be removed.In some cases the transit tax is actually more than the cost of the air tkt! So beware leaving the UK/Heathrow by air,use the Eurostar instead and fly back from Paris/Brussels.
putnanja
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4665
Joined: 26 Mar 2002 12:31
Location: searching for the next al-qaida #3

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by putnanja »

nachiket wrote:
Jhujar wrote:Brit still dont allow visa free transit to indian passport holders to change the plane/terminal at Heathrow. No European country have issue with it but the Urinal King only.
That's not true. My parents flew with BA on their last trip here (khanland) in October last year. The stopover was at Heathrow. They did not have a UK visa only a visitor's visa for the US. One of my friends came via Heathrow on Kuwait airways in 2010. He too did not face any issues. He had a US student visa.
That is the catch. You need to have a valid US visa to transit at Heathrow. If you are a H1b holder, with a valid H1b but with say no stamp in passport(F1->H1 conversion, common case), or if your previous H1b stamp in passport has expired, or if you using Advance Parole(with no stamp in PP), then you can't transit through Heathrow.
Sriman
BRFite
Posts: 1858
Joined: 02 Mar 2009 11:38
Location: Committee for the Promotion of Vice and the Prevention of Virtue

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by Sriman »

putnanja wrote: That is the catch. You need to have a valid US visa to transit at Heathrow. If you are a H1b holder, with a valid H1b but with say no stamp in passport(F1->H1 conversion, common case), or if your previous H1b stamp in passport has expired, or if you using Advance Parole(with no stamp in PP), then you can't transit through Heathrow.
Correct. Ditto with Frankfurt and Paris. Brussels has no issues.
nachiket
Forum Moderator
Posts: 9102
Joined: 02 Dec 2008 10:49

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by nachiket »

putnanja wrote: That is the catch. You need to have a valid US visa to transit at Heathrow. If you are a H1b holder, with a valid H1b but with say no stamp in passport(F1->H1 conversion, common case), or if your previous H1b stamp in passport has expired, or if you using Advance Parole(with no stamp in PP), then you can't transit through Heathrow.
Hmm. Thanks for that info.
anishns
BRFite
Posts: 1382
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 09:43
Location: being victim onlee...

Re: Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Post by anishns »



Original Pakis and Pakis slugging it out!
Post Reply