Sex assault: Jail for Queen’s kin
London, Feb. 23: A relative of Queen Elizabeth II was on Tuesday sentenced to a 10-month prison term for sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home in Angus, Scotland. Earl of Strathmore Simon Bowes-Lyon, who is the son of a cousin of the 94year-old British monarch, was found to have forced his way into the sleeping woman's room during an event he was hosting at Glamis Castle. The 34year-old was sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court after he had pleaded guilty.
According to the BBC, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Bowes-Lyon in court that he had repeatedly ignored his victim's pleas during the attack. "Even now — one year on — she still, occasionally, has nightmares and feels panicked because of being sexually assaulted by you. This has also had an impact on her emotional wellbeing," said Sheriff Carmichael. Last month, Bowes-Lyon apologised for his actions after entering his guilty plea, saying he felt "greatly ashamed" for causing "such distress to a guest in my home".
He said he had "drunk to excess" on the night of the assault, although he noted that this was "no excuse" for what transpired. "I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility," he said outside the court.
"Over the last year this has involved seeking and receiving professional help as well as agreeing to plead guilty as quickly as possible. My apologies go, above all, to the woman concerned but I would also like to apologise to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them," he said.
China regained its position as India's top trade partner in 2020, as New Delhi's reliance on imported machines outweighed its efforts to curb commerce with Beijing after a border conflict.
Two-way trade between the economic and strategic rivals stood at $77.7 billion last year, shows provisional data from India's commerce ministry. Although that was lower than the previous year's $85.5 billion, it was enough to make China the largest commercial partner displacing the US-bilateral trade with which came in at $75.9 billion amid muted demand for goods in the middle of a pandemic.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned hundreds of Chinese apps, slowed approvals for investments from the neighbour and called for self-reliance after a deadly clash along their disputed Himalayan border, India continues to rely heavily on Chinese-made heavy machinery, telecom equipment and home appliances. As a result, the bilateral trade gap with China was at almost $40 billion in 2020, making it India's largest.
Total imports from China at $58.7 billion were more than India's combined purchases from the US and the UAE, which are its second- and third-largest trade partners, respectively.
That said, India did manage to lower imports from its neighbour amid demand disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. India also managed to increase its exports to China by about 11 per cent from a year ago to $19 billion last year.
The tense relations are already weighing on India's ambitions to bolster its manufacturing capabilities. New Delhi has been slow to issue visas to Chinese engineers needed to help Taiwanese companies set up factories under a socalled production-linked incentive programme, or PLI, to promote local manufacturing.
"Still a very long way to go" is how Amitendu Palit, an economist specialising in international trade and investment at the National University of Singapore, described New Delhi's efforts to wean itself away from Beijing. "The PLI schemes will take at least four-five years to create fresh capacities in specific sectors. Till then reliance on China would continue."