According to Politico, British PM Rishi Sunak’s trade deal with India will not include legally enforceable commitments on labour rights or environmental standards, thus allaying fears that the deal’s labour and environment chapters will undermine the UK workers’ rights and efforts to tackle climate change. Ahead of the 13th round of negotiations of an India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) this week, the deal’s labour and environment chapters were shared with businesses, unions, and trade experts on 13 September, with crucial enforceable dispute resolution powers missing from them.
India reaffirmed its commitment to universal, non-discriminatory, and verifiable nuclear disarmament at the Annual High-Level Meeting on “International Day for The Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons” on Wednesday. At the meeting, Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted that India is an important partner in global efforts towards disarmament and non-proliferation and emphasised India’s “step-by-step approach for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”
Pro-Khalistan slogans were found on a flyover in the Kashmere Gate area of north Delhi, India, the police confirmed on Thursday, after a video of the same had surfaced a day prior, adding that a case has been registered in connection with the incident. According to a police source, slogans like “Delhi banega Khalistan” (“Delhi will become Khalistan”) were found on both sides of the flyover.
On Thursday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Following Blinken’s meeting with his Indian counterpart, the US State Department released a statement, which avoided any mention of Sikh Separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death or Canada. Blinken and Jaishankar discussed matters like India’s G20 leadership, establishing the India-Middle East-Europe corridor (IMEC), and topics such as defence, space, and clean energy.
The US government announced that it is admitting Israel to the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), which would allow Israeli citizens to enter the country visa-free starting 30 November. US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed the announcement “strengthens the security, economic, and people-to-people ties between the United States and Israel.”
US soldier Travis King, who crossed into North Korea in July, arrived at a US military base in Texas early Thursday morning, the Defence Department confirmed. US Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee stated that Travis King was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Centre at Joint Base San Antonio.