LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas Monday in London, as the UK government edges toward recognizing a Palestinian state.
The leaders discussed “the need for an urgent solution to end the horrific suffering and famine” in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, a spokesperson for Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement.
Abbas welcomed the UK’s “pledge to recognizing a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month, unless Israel changes its course,” the spokesperson added.
Several countries including Britain and France have announced they intend to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month.
Starmer’s government said it will take the step if Israel fails to agree to a ceasefire in the devastating Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
The British leader has indicated he will do that in the coming weeks unless the Israeli government takes “substantive” steps to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace.
His meeting with Abbas “is part of the prime minister’s ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza,” Downing Street said ahead of the bilateral.
During their talks, both leaders “agreed there will be absolutely no role for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine” and reiterated the need for a “long-term solution” to the conflict.
Israeli president visiting
Abbas, 89, arrived in London on Sunday night for a three-day visit.
He was barred from attending the general assembly in New York by the US State Department last month.
During their meeting, Starmer “welcomed” Abbas’s “commitment to reform of the Palestinian Authority as a vital part of this work,” his office said.
The Palestinian Authority is a civilian body that governs in areas of the West Bank, where about three million Palestinians live — as well as around half a million Israelis occupying settlements considered illegal under international law.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will arrive in the UK on Tuesday for an official visit, his office announced Monday.
It is not clear whether Herzog will meet Starmer during his visit, which aims to “show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism.”
The Israeli president is due to meet Jewish community organizations as well as “members of parliament, public representatives (and) influencers,” according to his office.
Ties between Britain and Israel are increasingly strained over the conflict in Gaza, with London suspending trade talks and some arms exports, as well as deciding not to invite Israeli officials to the UK’s biggest arms showcase which also opens on Tuesday.
UK PM meets Palestinian leader ahead of statehood recognition
https://arab.news/j36eq
UK PM meets Palestinian leader ahead of statehood recognition
- The leaders discussed “the need for an urgent solution to end the horrific suffering and famine” in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas
- Abbas welcomed the UK’s “pledge to recognizing a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month
Iran war unsettles India’s packaged water makers as bottles, caps get pricey
- Higher polymer prices hurt bottled water industry
- Industry worth $5 billion has big multinational players like Pepsi, Coca-Cola
NEW DELHI: The Iran war is rattling India’s $5 billion packaged water market just ahead of the sweltering summer season.
One of the world’s fastest growing bottled water markets is seeing some manufacturers hike prices for distributors, as supply disruptions linked to the war fuel higher costs in everything from plastic bottles to caps, labels and cardboard boxes.
Though retail prices are yet to feel the heat and bigger companies are absorbing the pain, about 2,000 smaller bottled water makers have increased rates for their resellers by around 1 rupee per bottle, a 5 percent hike, which will rise by a further 10 percent in coming days, according to the Federation of All India Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers’ Association.
Consumers usually pay less than 20 rupees, or around 20 US cents, for a one-liter bottle.
“There is chaos and within the next 4-5 days, this will start impacting customer prices,” said Apurva Doshi, the federation’s secretary general.
Rising oil prices have increased the cost of polymer, which is made from crude oil and is a key material for the industry’s plastic bottles. The cost of material used in making plastic bottles has risen by 50 percent to 170 rupees per kilogram, while the price of the caps has more than doubled to 0.45 rupees apiece. Even corrugated boxes, labels and adhesive tape are costing much more, industry letters showed.
Clean water is a privilege in the country of 1.4 billion people where researchers say 70 percent of the groundwater is contaminated, leaving people reliant on bottled water. Companies including Bisleri, Coca-Cola’s Kinley, Pepsi’s Aquafina, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Tata all compete for a share of the $5 billion market. The companies did not respond to Reuters request for comment.
PREMIUM WATER FACES HEAT TOO
Within the broad bottled water market, natural mineral water is a $400 million business in India and a new, fast-growing wellness product for India’s wealthy.
The premium water segment accounted for 8 percent of the bottled water market last year in India, compared to just 1 percent in 2021, Euromonitor says.
Aava, which sells mineral water sourced from the foothills of the Aravalli mountains, has increased prices of its water bottles by 18 percent for resellers, Shiroy Mehta, CEO of the company, told Reuters.
“Most manufacturers are absorbing 40-50 percent of the cost to ensure that they don’t lose clients. It’s a poor situation for the beverage industry ahead of the summer season,” he said.
The mass market, however, is dominated by companies that produce “drinking water” to be sold in 1-liter bottles to customers. Clear Premium Water, a brand of India’s Energy Beverages, said in a notice to its distributors there had been an “unprecedented and continuous surge” in prices of key raw materials used in packaging and production.
“It is no longer possible for us to absorb the escalating costs while maintaining existing product prices,” the notice said.
