Tag: boris johnson

UK’s Boris Johnson to visit India at end of April: Report

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit India at the end of April in what will be his first major international trip after Britain’s exit from the European Union as part of efforts to boost UK opportunities in the region, his office said on Monday.

PM Johnson had planned an Indian trip in January as part of efforts to speed up trade talks between the two nations but was forced to cancel amid a surge of COVID-19 infections at home.

At the time, his office said he had hoped to rearrange the visit before Britain hosted the meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven rich nations in June, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to attend as a visitor.

PM Johnson’s government said it would “tilt” its focus towards the Indo-Pacific region as part of its Integrated Review of government policy for the coming years, saying the area increasingly represented the geopolitical centre of the world.

Last month, Britain made a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), seeking membership of the 11-country bloc to open new avenues for post-Brexit trade and influence.

It has also applied to become a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We are pursuing trade deals from Australia to the U.S. and around the world – particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, a huge growth mark.

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Reopening England’s schools is step towards normality, PM Johnson says

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LONDON: The reopening of England’s schools to all pupils on Monday will mark the first step back towards normality, and is only possible because of the efforts of the public to bring Covid-19 infection rates down, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Johnson has announced a roadmap for lifting lockdown measures that sees schools open first, followed in later stages by the gradual easing of restrictions on mixing with other people and the re-opening of non-essential shops and other venues.

In the final stage, which will take place no earlier than June 21, the government hopes to remove all remaining legal limits on contact with others.

“The reopening of schools marks a truly national effort to beat this virus,” Johnson said.

“It is because of the determination of every person in this country that we can start moving closer to a sense of normality – and it is right that getting our young people back into the classroom is the first step.”

Each step on the roadmap will depend on the level of Covid-19 cases, the government has said. It hopes the pandemic can be contained by a vaccine programme that has already delivered a dose to nearly 22 million people, as well as regular testing.

Many secondary schools and colleges had already started inviting students for their first “lateral flow” Covid-19 tests, which give rapid results, with nearly 1 million conducted last week, the government said.

After three initial tests on site, students will be provided with two tests to use each week at home, it said, adding that nearly 57 million tests had been delivered to schools and colleges across the country.



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