France's Dassault and India's Tata to produce Rafale fuselage in Hyderabad
NEW DELHI, June 5 (Reuters) - France's Dassault Aviation (AM.PA), opens new tab and India's Tata Advanced Systems have agreed to manufacture the fuselage of the Rafale fighter aircraft in India, the companies said on Thursday, the first time it will be produced outside France.
India, the world's biggest arms importer, has been looking to step up domestic production and boost defence exports, which jumped 12% in the fiscal year to end-March, to $2.76 billion.
Tata will set up a production facility in the southern city of Hyderabad to manufacture key structural sections of the Rafale as part of the agreement, the companies said in a statement.
The first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in the 2028 financial year, with the facility expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month, they said.
The statement did not say how much the deal was worth nor whether the finish products would be for domestic use or export, but Tata Advanced Systems said on X that the fuselage would be "for India and other global markets".
The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale fighters. India also signed a deal in April with France - its second-largest arms supplier - to buy 26 naval versions of the jets for $7 billion, which are expected to be delivered by 2030.
The South Asian nation is looking to modernise its military and boost domestic weapons' production, particularly to strengthen its defences against neighbours Pakistan and China.
India used fighter jets in four-days of fierce clashes with Pakistan last month, after a deadly attack by Islamist assailants that killed 26 men in Indian Kashmir.
Pakistan's defence minister had said three of India's Rafale fighter jets had been shot down during the fighting but did not share any evidence.
One U.S. official told Reuters that at least one downed Indian aircraft was a Rafale. Dassault Aviation had declined to comment.
India's chief of defence staff told Reuters in an interview last week that India suffered losses in the air, but declined to give details.
($1 = 85.7970 Indian rupees)
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The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Inside the fightback against student flats in Edinburgh
This is a place as rich with history as it is character. In a past life it was frequented by highwaymen as the first stop and changeover point for the horse-drawn stagecoach to London, with its name referenced as far back as 1650. Over time, the village that occupied this crossroads has been absorbed into the growing sprawl of the capital. Cars replaced the humble wagon and tenements rose, laying the foundations for a new community. Impressively, the essence of its origins has remained. Now, that's fading slowly before the eyes of locals who feel defeated by developers. To this day, a pub still sits on the site once home to the coaching inn which gave this area its name, its single-story structure and double gable roof matching the original building's style. Soon, however, it will be gone. The Willow's windows are boarded up with metal sheets; inside, a pint hasn't been pulled for over a year. This watering hole, along with the Indian takeaway, disused recording studio and another pub next door to that, is destined for the bulldozers. In their place will rise seven storeys of student flats described as an 'imposing monolithic block'. Read more from our series, The Future of Edinburgh: So far, so typical for Edinburgh where the relentless expansion of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), against the backdrop of a 'housing emergency', ranks high on the list of peoples' peeves. However, at Jock's Lodge, this may just be the beginning of a wholesale transformation into a student village, some residents fear. Next door to the properties awaiting demolition, The Ball Room, a popular sports bar and pool hall which covers an even larger site, is being pursued by student housing developers, with a preliminary planning proposal sent to the council. Owners maintain there will be 'no change to our business for a very, very long time'. Slightly further along to the west and set back from the street is St Margaret's House, a 1970s office block that now houses community arts spaces. The prospect of this being replaced mostly by PBSA also looms large; planning permission has already been consented for its demolition to make way for 361 student beds and 107 flats for sale. The building was put up for sale earlier this year. Jock's Lodge (Image: The Herald) A growing sense of the community here being chipped away only deepened in February when the Church of Scotland announced it was going to close and sell Willowbrae Parish Church, which sits just off the junction. 'I think the pace and scale of change is obviously understandably really uncomfortable for a lot of people,' Danny Aston, SNP councillor for the area said. 'One of the things that's concerned me the most throughout all of these multiple applications has been that this area around Jock's Lodge is designated in the last local development plan, and the new one, as a 'local centre' which effectively means it's the closest thing to a high street this area has. Taken together these applications will really seriously undermine the value of this place for the community. 'This used to be somewhere where people came to meet up, have a drink, maybe have something to eat - and that's being greatly diminished. And I certainly wouldn't blame anyone on the other side of the road for feeling concerned about suddenly seven stories appearing in front of them, and the effect that will have on this really busy junction.' Martin O'Donnell, who lives just around the corner on Willowbrae Road, points out the closure of the pub has meant more than locals simply losing a place to have a drink. 'A lot of community groups met there, and it hosted public meetings,' he said. 'One of the main issues is the community having some facility to go to, be it shopping or hospitality. I would like to see more space in the development devoted for public amenities. 'If you come down Willowbrae you get a nice perspective of Jock's Lodge, the Willow pub and that's now going to be a huge block.' More from the Future of Edinburgh investigative series: The approved plans for a 191-bed block on the corner of Jock's Lodge and Smokey Brae were initially refused by councillors in 2023 after hundreds joined a local campaign opposing the development, arguing it would 'change the nature of the community'. However, this decision was overturned on appeal by the Scottish Government, in line with other similarly unpopular PBSA projects across the city that have gained consent. Other arguments made against the plans when they were considered in the City Chambers included that the building would be too tall and 'imposing', and as the site wasn't close to any university campuses it wasn't the 'right site for student accommodation'. Cllr Aston said at the meeting held two years ago: 'In the place of six commercial units – including the two pubs – there will only be one pub and the common room of the student accommodation which does not contribute to the local area.' This month he said there was now a 'question mark' over whether a bar and restaurant on the ground floor would still form part of the new development. 'I went to the planning committee and made the case on behalf of the community against the application,' he added. 'The committee agreed with me on that occasion, I think they made the right decision. I think the government reporter looked at it and made the wrong decision.' Kirsty Pattison from the Save Jock's Lodge campaign said: 'It does feel this area is completely under threat. I do get we need development, I understand that. I've grown up in this area. Cities change, but it just feels like we've been forgotten about for so long - Jock's Lodge, Craigentinny, Lochend have been forgotten about for so long. 'Now they're going to change the whole of Jock's Lodge, if all of it becomes student flats that's a material change. 'The church is going up for sale, that is a listed building so at least that can't be turned into PBSA.' She added discussions were ongoing about the possibility of pursuing a community buyout. Cllr Aston added: 'It's really important to protect the church. I've had conversations with local people who are really keen to make sure that it remains a space available to the community. 'There's been some quite positive developments which I can't unfortunately go into at this time, so it's really important and I am hopeful ultimately that it can remain open to the community in one way or another. A community buyout option is one of the options that's being discussed, but there are other options available.' The Edinburgh-based artist and activist known as Bonnie Prince Bob, who grew up at Jock's Lodge, said the council had 'allowed private developers to once again change the entire aesthetic of an area that's been the same way for a long time'. He said: 'I grew up here on the front street, at first glance it's not the most, you know, salubrious, inspiring area. It's a main thoroughfare - it's actually the main road to London. But it actually has a good community vibe. It's got a lot of charm, this area - there's a lot of people who have lived here for a long time. 'It's going to change. The Jock's Lodge pub has always been that single elevation pub on the corner. It's been a watering hole, a libation hole for a long, long time. When you approach this junction, whether it's from Smokey Brae, Willoebrae Road, whichever side you approach this junction from, it's going to change dramatically how that is. It's going to become much more closed in. Bonnie Prince Bob and Shaukat Ali (Image: The Herald) 'If you approach this junction, there's space - there's airspace. And I don't think people appreciate how important that is until that's gone. 'When that's gone you're suddenly faced with this imposing monolithic block. It's depressing, it changes the vibe entirely. I feel sorry for the people who live opposite it.' 'I believe this area does have a bit of charm, a bit of character at the moment and it will become this amorphous place. If you poll the people who live here, pretty much everybody is opposed to it.' Connor Robertson, an academic from Leith, told The Herald that the situation at Jock's Lodge is a perfect example of gentrification in action. He argued the proposed changes will push out local residents and businesses in favor of wealthier newcomers, eroding the area's traditional character and community ties. 'The universities themselves and other multinational conglomerates play an active role in gentrification of certain areas,' he said. Read more: 'There's a transient student population and there's a homogeneous, lukewarm, vacuous aesthetic to the whole place. There's nothing genuine or real or authentic to what parts of the city used to be and it all just ends up looking the same. 'With every single new or proposed PBSA block every one I speak to is like 'oh more student housing, when's there going to be enough student housing'. No one I know wants to have more. 'They've completely mismanaged the city, Edinburgh is another symbol of a wider global problem. Gentrification of areas that once were producers and now, the whole thing is based on consumption. And who can consume? The middle class can consume, so the working-class people are if not displaced then marginalised.' Properties on the west of The Willow were sold to developers by Shaukat Ali, who runs a corner shop across the road. He said student accommodation was not his preferred option for the site but 'no person ever came wanting to build houses'. He said: 'If there was an alternative, if there were different people who say 'we want to do this, we want to do that' I would go for something different. 'It's the council's fault and the government's fault. You can't blame that on people who want to make a lot of money. It's not my fault - it's the system that's wrong. 'If the council or the government said we'll buy this site - they had lots of time to do it - and will make it affordable housing. But they didn't want to do it.' Cllr Aston added: 'This shows us that the incentives that are stacked up in favour of developing purpose-built student accommodation are significant for developers. 'Some of the obligations that are placed on mainstream housing developments simply don't apply to student accommodation; there's much lower space standards in terms of the living arrangements for the students.' Edinburgh Council is in the process of drawing up new non-statutory planning guidance for student housing developers, which it says will 'seek to ensure the provision of good quality PBSA in appropriate locations whilst protecting the character of existing areas'. However, Councillor Aston said he wasn't getting his hopes up that it would have the desired effect. 'In the new city development plan the classification for PBSA is commercial, and I can understand some of the reasoning behind that. 'It's not treating it as housing because I think it's pretty clear it does belong in a different category from that. But, I'm concerned that potentially undermines some of the arguments that can clearly be made against applications like the one here at Jock's Lodge - that it's undermining the commercial heart of the community. If it's then possible to point at the most important piece of planning guidance, the City Plan, and say actually that categorises it as a commercial development, I have concerns about that.' In response to the growth of student accommodation, Leith Central Community Council (LCCC) recently called for a moratorium on further PBSA developments in Leith, highlighting the area as being home to a third of Edinburgh's PBSA beds (6332) and 67% of all the city's PBSA buildings. The approved plan for Jock's Lodge PBSA (Image: Allumno) In a statement the group said: '[We] oppose any new PBSA developments in the Leith area, citing the absence of a local university, the oversaturation of current PBSA's in Leith, and the pressing need for housing that serves long-term residents and diverse community needs. 'Leith is a vibrant, mixed community, and further PBSA developments risk upsetting this balance by increasing transient populations and reducing the availability of housing for families, key workers, and long-term residents.' Speaking to The Herald, LCCC chair Charlotte Encombe said: 'I'm not a planning expert but I can feel something in my bones when something is just not right. 'We have no problem with students, we're all very happy with students. But I think we really need to concentrate on getting affordable housing in the centre of Edinburgh. That is mainly the reason we've gone in quite hard. 'Enough is enough. All we do is PBSAs, PBSAs, PBSAs. 'It is a very profitable activity. It's just very difficult for a community council, a group of volunteers with mixed expertise, to try and stem this flood of more and more.' Cllr Aston said he believed a moratorium on new student accommodation blocks in areas already heavily concentrated with such developments is 'something we should very seriously consider'. He said: 'I suppose I would expect there not to be a shortage of communities that would put themselves forward. 'It would then be a matter for councillors to decide, if we were going to pursue that, which of those communities that felt they were oversaturated with student accommodation would be part of the moratorium. Or indeed, if we would look more widely than that.' Restrictions on PBSA are not unprecedented in Scotland. In Glasgow, new PBSA developments were effectively put on hold from 2019 to 2021 while the council engaged with various stakeholders to gather their views on student housing in the city, responding to concerns about an over-concentration of such provision. Following this consultation, the authority introduced new planning guidelines specifying that new student housing would no longer be supported in two areas: South Partick and Yorkhill, and Cowcaddens and Townhead. Read more: Meanwhile, The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's heritage watchdog, warned last month that across Edinburgh, the "continued proliferation of PBSA" was "reshaping both the physical character of neighbourhoods and the daily life of the communities within them'. It said: 'From the tightly packed crescents of Marchmont and the Southside to the narrow streets of the Old Town and city fringe, developers are increasingly targeting former commercial premises, brownfield sites, and even viable historic buildings as opportunities for large-scale student accommodation.' Rather than 'relying on speculative delivery and developer-led policy formation,' it added, "it may be time to reassert a civic-led approach that places the needs of communities, students, and heritage on equal footing'.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Police arrest 300 people in major crackdown on illegal working in Scotland
Officers have been swooping on businesses across the country in a bid to tackle those abusing the UK immigration system. Over 300 people have been arrested in Scotland as part of an operation to disable illegal working in the UK. Officers have been swooping on businesses across the country in a bid to tackle those abusing the UK immigration system and exploiting vulnerable people. A particular focus has been on cracking down on employers facilitating illegal working - often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage. Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted. Since July 2024, 469 visits resulted in 309 arrests - marking a 63% and 68% rise respectively to the previous year. Last month, a raid in Glasgow saw six arrested after immigration enforcement officers undertook visits to businesses across the city. Four men and two women were arrested for having no right to work in the UK and overstaying their visas. The individuals were of Indian, Iraqi, Colombian, Spanish and Portuguese nationalities. Businesses to be targeted in the sting included Malaga Tapas West End, Malaga Tapas Bearsden, The Malletsheugh, The Marmaris and Lamegos. The action forms part of a nationwide intensification which has seen illegal working visits increase by 48% and arrests spike by 51% across the UK. It comes alongside a ramp-up of operational activity to restore control of the immigration system, including the return of nearly 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: ' Illegal working simply will not be tolerated under this government. 'That's why we are intensifying our enforcement activity to target illegal workers and unscrupulous employers who undermine our border security. 'Under our Plan for Change, we are finally restoring order to our immigration system and ensuring the rules are respected and enforced.' Lynne Davidson, HM Inspector, Scotland ICE Team, said: 'There is no excuse for ignoring employment and immigration rules and those who do should be in no doubt that they will face the full consequences. 'Businesses have a legal requirement to carry out right to work checks on employees and we will continue to pursue unscrupulous employers and those who break immigration laws.' Ramping up illegal working enforcement activity forms a key part of the Home Office's drive to restore order to the immigration system under the UK Government 's Plan for Change. In many cases, individuals travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK, when in reality they often end up facing poor pay, inhumane working hours and squalid living conditions The UK Government is also introducing tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working by extending Right to Work checks on those hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.
NBC News
4 hours ago
- NBC News
California professor sues university over suspension for online comments on Gaza
A professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that the university violated her freedom of speech by suspending her for her online comments on Israel's war in Gaza, according to court documents. Rupa Marya's social media posts included expressing 'solidarity with the hospitals and healthcare workers that Israel was attacking in Gaza,' according to court documents. The complaint stated that Marya 'felt an obligation to speak out and did so using her X account.' Israel's war in Gaza has left more than 52,000 people dead since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 people hostage. Israel has received intense criticism from around the world, including from the United Nations, for its actions in Gaza. 'Firing Dr. Marya doesn't only violate her right to free speech, it threatens all of us,' attorney Mark Kleiman said in a statement. 'We all need to urgently speak up against these kinds of attacks on our basic rights to advocate for justice, and we expect the Court will agree with us that Dr. Marya's rights have been violated and must be remedied.' Marya was placed on leave in September 2024 and her clinical privileges were suspended by the UCSF Executive Medical Board on Oct. 1. The board called her a 'possible imminent danger' and cited social media posts, according to court documents. Her privileges were reinstated on Oct. 15. According to court documents, Marya received 'rape and death threats' as well as 'repeated harassment and threats' because of her posts, according to court documents. Before her suspension, Marya had several interactions with the university regarding her online activity. In November 2023, the dean of UCSF's School of Medicine notified Marya that the school would be assessing whether her social media activity violated university policies. In response to one of Marya's social media threads that went viral in January 2024, UCSF posted a statement regarding a circulating 'conspiracy theory.' 'Although the statement did not name Dr. Marya, Dr. Robert Wachter acknowledged in an email that it was in direct response referring to Dr. Marya's social media thread from January 2,' the complaint claimed. 'UCSF's January 6 statement accused Dr. Marya of promoting a 'racist' and 'antisemitic' 'conspiracy theory.'' According to court documents, Marya's posts "never impeded the performance of her duties as a physician or faculty member, or the regular operation of the University.' 'As a medical doctor, American citizen and as a person of South Asian descent raised in the Sikh religious tradition, Dr. Marya has long been concerned about American foreign policy, including in the Middle East and the issues surrounding the conflict between Israel and Palestine,' the complaint reads. 'Her posts take aim at state policy and supremacist political ideologies, not at any religious or ethnic group.' A spokesperson for the University of California, San Francisco said that because of privacy laws, the school is unable to comment on the lawsuit. Marya completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California at San Francisco in 2007, was subsequently offered employment and joined the faculty. For the past five years, however, Marya had no teaching duties and focused exclusively on patient care in the non-teaching hospital medicine services, according to court documents. Marya was also appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to the Healthy California for All Commission in 2021, an initiative to advance a system for universal healthcare in the state.
