Britain’s International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and India’s minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal still have some way to go after their scheduled meeting on Monday to take an India-UK trade agreement forward. The consultation period for an agreement ended on August 31 with vital issues still unresolved. This won’t be the easiest agreement to conclude, despite the political will on both sides.
Kerry to have coal talk with India: US climate envoy John Kerry is seeking to do better on his India visit than UK climate chief Alok Sharma did on his. The two are seeking to push India to take stronger steps towards a zero-emissions economy. That backing to the UK comes at an ironic moment: Britain has restarted one of its own coal power plants to meet growing demand.
Shastri to head home: Team India head coach Ravi Shastri is expected to leave the UK for India on Wednesday this week along with his colleagues Bharat Arun and R Sridhar. They have been in quarantine since September 4 after testing positive for Covid. They will still need a final negative result before they can leave, after completion of the quarantine on Monday.
Nasser Hussain bursts India’s bubble: Former England captain Nasser Hussain says that the Indian cricketers had “enjoyed a more relaxed bubble here in the UK”. Ravi Shastri has been facing criticism for taking time out for a book launch event attended by many people. Hussain, writing in his column in Daily Mail, did temper his criticism: “They have enjoyed a more relaxed bubble here in the UK and ultimately that is how Covid has got into the camp — but it is too easy for us to preach to the India team to play the game on the back of a round of negative PCR tests and double vaccinations.”
Anderson pitches for fifth Test: England fast bowler James Anderson has joined the chorus demanding that the abandoned fifth Test with India be played soon. He wrote on his Instagram account: “It’s such a shame the summer of international cricket ended this way. I’m gutted for everyone at @lancashirecricket, for the fans who paid for tickets/trains/hotels, for both sets of supporters that wanted to see the finish this series deserved. I hope it will be played again at some point and I hope I will get to play another international game at my home ground that I love so much.”
