100 British firms head for India to signal business as usual

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - British companies have been banned from doing business with two Iranian firms linked to Tehran's nuclear programme, Exchequer Secretary Sarah McCarthy-Fry announced late Monday. The two Iranian firms being targeted are Bank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

September 25th, 2009 LONDON - Two high-level Indian technology delegations are to visit Britain next week amid a bid by both countries to deepen their technology ties. Members of the Indian Semiconductor Association are to visit from Sep 29 to Oct 2 for seminars and networking events organised with Silicon South West, South West Regional Development Agency and East of England International.

September 17th, 2009 LONDON - In a survey released by the British First Secretary of State, Lord Mandelson, British firms have been urged to enhance their efforts to seek out opportunities in emerging markets like India and China The survey, entitled Survive and Prosper, found that almost two-thirds of UK companies expect to earn more than 20 per cent of their revenues from these emerging markets within the next five years. "UK businesses should be strategic about their exports and plan for the long term.

September 13th, 2009 LONDON - Britain's Trade, Investment and Business Minister Lord Mervyn Davies is to visit India for four days beginning Monday for talks to expand growing ties in defence technology and other cutting-edge sectors. High on his agenda is the city of Nagpur, which is being developed as India's new aerospace hub and, according to the UK-India Business Council, needs new infrastructure and engineering capability.

July 29th, 2009 LONDON - Gauri Advani, head of India Group at the law firm Eversheds, has joined the board of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC). The council announced Wednesday that Advani is among seven new entrants in its 25-member board following the appointment of former cabinet minister Patricia Hewitt, MP, as the new chair of the UKIBC - the lead British agency promoting bilateral trade, business and investment between India and Britain.

July 12th, 2009 LONDON - A 60-strong Indian business team representing the defence and security sectors - the largest such from the country - is to visit Britain in September for talks that could lead to a massive boost in military business ties. The Indian companies they represent will be matched up with British firms to explore areas of mutual interest and expertise, former British trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt said.

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - An Indian-born member of the British House of Lords has told the historic chamber that growing Indian investments need not cause fears of an Indian Raj over Britain. Rather than causing a reversal of history, he told members, Indians could surely show Britain a way out of the current recession.

June 25th, 2009 LONDON - Indian investments need not cause fears of an Indian Raj over Britain, the House of Lords has been told by an Indian-born member, but instead would surely show Britain a way out of the current recession. In the 17th century, Britain entered into trade with India in the name of the British East India Company, Lord Navneet Dholakia of the Liberal Democrat Party told the British upper house of parliament.

May 21st, 2009 MUMBAI - State-run energy firms have floated a joint venture for overseas acquisition of coal mines and securing cooking and thermal coals supplies. The new company, International Coal Ventures, would be formed in collaboration with Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Coal India (CIL), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL), NMDC and NTPC, formerly National Thermal POwer Corp.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The huge mandate to the Congress came with the challenge of 'rising expectations' and people, especially the youth, would not tolerate a 'business as usual' attitude, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday. Addressing his party's newly elected MPs, the prime minister said: 'The youth of India have voted in large numbers for our party.

May 18th, 2009 LONDON - The UK India Business Council Monday welcomed the outcome of the Indian elections, saying it bodes well for the Indian economy. 'The markets have given their verdict - a 17 percent increase in stock prices today,' the group said in a statement.

May 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's service sector is set to grow substantially in the next 12 months, though its business activity prospects remain lowest in the BRIC block comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, says a survey by global auditing agency KPMG released Thursday. April's BRIC Business Outlook Survey, which covered around 1,400 service sector firms in the BRIC nations, said 31.1 percent of Indian companies saw their activity levels expanding, up from 15.3 percent last autumn.

April 17th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - British Columbia will invest Rs.60 lakh in Chandigarh to set up an office of its in-market business investment and skills liaison representative, a senior official of the Canadian province said here. 'British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell chose the Baisakhi parade in Vancouver city to announce that his province will further encourage trade and investment from northern India,' Crystal Sawyer, manager-India operations for the British Columbia regional innovation chair of the Canada-India Business and Economic Development Centre (BEDC), told IANS.

January 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It seems everybody wants a piece of India's nuclear pie. Less than a week after a US nuclear industry team visited India, officials from the British and Canadian nuclear power industry will be in the country from Monday to interact with their counterparts in the public and private sectors here.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Friday clarified that there was no shortage of compressed natural gas (CNG) and it had run 100 more buses than usual. 'There is no shortage of CNG supply for our buses.