British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday on a two-day visit to bolster ties between the two countries and line up a free trade deal.
Mr Johnson and a 70-member British delegation were received by the head of the western Gujarat state — the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and began a tour of Ahmedabad city, a major commercial hub known as the “Manchester of India” for its cotton-textile industry. It is also the ancestral home of about half of the Indian-heritage population in Britain.
The trip is his first to India as prime minister and the first by a British leader to Gujarat, which has also hosted the heads of state of China, Japan, Israel, and most recently the former US president Donald Trump in 2020.
Mr Johnson was greeted by traditional dance performances and sounds of drums and carnival puppets outside the airport as hundreds of people gathered waving British and Indian flags.
Mr Johnson, who is embroiled in the “partygate” controversy at home after attending gatherings in breach of coronavirus lockdown rules, waved at the boisterous crowd as he made his way to his hotel, passing several large posters welcoming him to the city.
First up on the list of destinations was the Sabarmati ashram, one of Mahatma Gandhi’s homes, where Mr Johnson received two books as gifts, including an unpublished guide written by the revered independence movement leader on how to live in London.
The British prime minister also tried his hand at the spinning wheel called the ‘charkha’, which became a symbol of the campaign for Indian independence.
In a message in the visitors’ diary, Mr Johnson wrote: “It is an immense privilege to come to the ashram of this extraordinary man, and to understand how he mobilised the simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better.”
Mr Johnson then met Gautam Adani, India’s richest man and chairman of the Adani Group, and the two discussed climate and sustainability, new energy, defence and aerospace technology.
He also squeezed in time in a jam-packed schedule to inaugurate a new centre for excavator manufacturer JCB near Vadodara city. The company’s chairman Lord Bamford backed Mr Johnson’s Conservative leadership bid in 2019.
Before his visit to India, Mr Johnson announced an array of commercial agreements and collaborations, trade and investments worth £1 billion ($1.30bn).
India is the second largest FDI investor in the UK. Its exports to the UK stood at $8.15 billion in 2020-21, while imports totalled $4.95bn.
Since Britain’s departure from the European Union in January 2020, London has sought free trade agreements (FTAs), especially with countries in the Asia-Pacific region that has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
London has also been negotiating a FTA with India aimed at increasing bilateral trade to more than $100 billion by 2030.
Mr Johnson told British journalists that the countries expected to finalise the FTA by “autumn” and he was hopeful that the investments through the agreement would create 11,000 jobs in the UK.
“What we're focusing on today is the incredible opportunities to deepen this partnership … we've got about a billion pounds worth of investment coming from India into the UK,” Mr Johnson told the BBC.
“They're the second-biggest investor in the UK, that investment alone is going to drive 11,000 jobs. We're hoping to complete another free trade agreement with India by the end of the year, by the autumn,” he added.
Mr Johnson is the latest high-ranking dignitary to visit India after a slew of Western diplomats visited New Delhi as the South Asian country walks a tightrope of diplomacy over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the British leader said that the UK understands New Delhi’s historic relationship with Moscow and wants the two democracies “to stick together” despite differences over Russia’s actions, because of the growth potential in the Indo-Pacific region which is dominated by “autocracies” — an apparent reference to China.
New Delhi has refused to criticise Moscow, its biggest arms supplier, and the two countries have increased energy trade, much to the dismay of western countries which have imposed economic sanctions on Russia.
“As you know the UK is making an Indo-Pacific tilt in our integrated review of our national defence and security strategy. That's the right thing to do given the huge portion of the … growth of the world economy that can be found in this area,”
“India and the UK both share anxieties about autocracies around the world. We're both democracies, and we want to stick together,” he said.
Mr Johnson will leave for the capital, New Delhi, in the evening where he will hold “in-depth talks” with Mr Modi and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on bilateral ties, defence, and diplomatic and economic partnership on Friday.
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
More on animal trafficking
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WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
England 12-man squad for second Test
v West Indies which starts Thursday: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PLAY-OFF%20DRAW
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Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
