By Shivam Patel and Uditha Jayasinghe NEW DELHI/COLOMBO (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $565-million credit line and launched free trade talks with the Maldives on Friday during a visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago,

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a $565-million line of credit to the Maldives during his visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

India's trade deal with Britain is a sign of New Delhi's new gradual shift to opening up its markets while shielding crucial sectors from competition and could be its template for future agreements, government officials and analysts said on Friday.

King Charles has held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sandringham, after a free trade deal was signed between the UK and India. UK cars and whisky will be cheaper to export to India and Indian textiles and jewellery cheaper to export to the UK under the multi-billion pound export boost.

The UK and India have sealed a landmark $6.5 billion trade deal after years of negotiations. Can Trump and Modi strike a similar pact? (Source: Bloomberg)