Wrong route
Sir — With many romances now budding online, ‘meet-cutes’ are a thing of the past. Unfortunately, some people have resorted to unsettling ways of resolving this crisis. In New York City, for instance, female office workers have started stealing food orders placed by men working in the finance sector with the intention of later reaching out to them on LinkedIn to apologise for the ‘mistake’ and start a conversation. But having one’s lunch order misplaced during a long working day is the worst feeling. One is unlikely to want to pursue a relationship with someone responsible for his or her hunger pangs.
Drishti Pandey,
Ahmedabad
New deal
Sir — The historic free trade agreement between India and the United Kingdom is timely and welcome (“Deal done”, July 25). The FTA involves a reduction in import duties, potentially making certain British goods more affordable for India’s consumers and businesses. It also provides India with duty-free access to the UK’s markets for 99% of its exports. While some sectors will see reduced tariffs, there is concern about the potential impacts on domestic industries and job losses due to increased competition. Careful monitoring and implementation of the trade pact will be crucial to ensuring that the benefits are maximised.
P. Victor Selvaraj,
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
Sir — While the India-UK FTA has been projected as a mutually beneficial deal that aims to boost trade in sectors like textiles and pharmaceuticals, critics argue that it fails to address key issues like digital trade and labour mobility. Its long-term success thus depends on proper execution.
N. Sadhasiva Reddy,
Bengaluru
Sir — India’s recent trade agreement with the UK, being hailed as one of the most comprehensive deals that New Delhi has entered into, has indicated the country’s willingness to bring down tariffs substantially. This is India indicating that it seeks to work more closely with developed countries and invite more foreign investment. Under this new deal, the average tariffs on British products will fall from 15% to 3% which could potentially lead to a large increase in the UK’s exports.
Khokan Das,
Calcutta
Sir — An FTA between India and the UK should have been clinched long ago. It was delayed for various reasons. It had to be hastened because of the chaos that ensued after a tariff war was launched by Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America. Most countries are thus signing trade agreements.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Bold move
Sir — It is good to know that the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, has stated his intention to officially recognise Palestine as a sovereign state in the United Nations General Assembly in September. Norway, Ireland and Spain had previously recognised the Palestinian State. However, many powerful Western countries still refuse to recognise Palestine as an independent State. The list includes the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany. If permanent peace is to be achieved in the Middle East, then all countries will have to officially accept the two-state solution.
Jang Bahadur Singh,
Jamshedpur
Sir — Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of his decision to formally recognise Palestine without consulting the US or Israel puts added diplomatic pressure on Tel Aviv to cease its atrocities in Gaza. France is now the biggest Western power to recognise Palestine. This move could pave the way for other countries
to do the same. Predictably, the US and Israel have strongly opposed Macron’s statement.
Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai