Month: July 2024

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-Top News China USA

Closely monitoring Chinese seizure of Taiwan fishing boat: US

This comes after the Chinese coast guard boarded and seized Da Jin Man No. 88 and detained its crew on July 2….reports Asian Lite News

The US State Department said on Thursday that it is closely monitoring the status of a seized Taiwanese fishing boat by China and its crew, Taiwan News reported.

This comes after the Chinese coast guard boarded and seized Da Jin Man No. 88 and detained its crew on July 2.

A US State Department spokesperson told CNA it is monitoring the situation and encouraging both parties to “maintain open lines of communication” to resolve the matter peacefully.

The Taiwanese boat was intercepted by two Chinese coast guard ships 43.89 km (23.7 NM) northeast of Liaoluo Bay in Kinmen and taken to Fujian’s Weitou Port. Two Taiwanese and three Indonesians were on board the fishing vessel, as reported by Taiwan News.

The Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said on Wednesday that the incident occurred within Chinese waters. The CGA also said it would request relevant authorities to advise the fishing associations to avoid operating in these waters during China’s summer fishing moratorium.

CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin said that follow-up negotiations with China would be handled through the Mainland Affairs Council and the Fisheries Agency. Hsieh called for the release of the crew and boat.

However, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office claimed the vessel’s seizure was an act of “normal law enforcement” and the relevant departments would handle it per laws and regulations.

Earlier in the day, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has said that it detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and 8 naval vessels operating near its territory from 6 am (local time) on Wednesday and 6 am (local time) on Thursday.

According to Taiwan’s MND, 19 of the Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). In response to China’s action, Taiwan sent aircraft, and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor China’s military activity, Taiwan News reported. (ANI)

ALSO READ: UAE, EU step up efforts to combat financial crimes

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-Top News EU News Europe

EU slaps heavy tariffs on Chinese EV producers

The additional taxes will be imposed on China-made Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) starting July 5, Euro News reported on Thursday….reports Asian Lite News

The European Commission (EC), in a bid to counter China’s attempts to capture the European markets, imposed additional tariffs to maintain healthy competition in the EU’s electric vehicle market.

The additional taxes will be imposed on China-made Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) starting July 5, Euro News reported on Thursday.

The decision to impose the taxes was taken after an extensive nine-month investigation conducted by the EC, which concluded, “The EV value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers.”

Additionally, the investigation also examined possible consequences and impacts of the measures on importers, users, and consumers of BEVs in the EU.

“Public money was detected everywhere, from the mining of raw materials needed to churn out batteries to the shipping services employed to bring the finished products to Europe’s shores,” Euro News quoted a European Commission official as saying.

The report also mentioned that the huge scale of subsidies allowed by the Chinese authorities to their BEV manufacturers enables them to sell their Chinese EVs at significantly lower prices compared to EVs made in Europe.

The European news organization claimed that these lower prices have triggered significant differences in the market share of China-supplied BEVs, with the difference being noticeable from 3.9 per cent in 2020 to 25 per cent in 2023, data released by the EC stated.

This cost difference in BEVs from both regions poses a threat to the EU economy, affecting approximately 12 million jobs directly and indirectly, causing major losses to European countries. Quoting the EC statement, the Euro News report stated that the taxes will be imposed on top of the existing 10 percent tax rates for EVs in the EU.

The EU imposed these taxes based on the parent company, annual turnover, and suspected amount of subsidies received by China.

According to the EC report quoted by Euro News, the EU has imposed a 17.4 per cent duty on vehicles by BYD, 19.9 per cent on vehicles by Geely, and 37.6 per cent on vehicles made by SAIC.

The EC report further mentioned that other BEV producers in China, which cooperated in the investigation but have not been sampled, would be subject to a weighted average duty of 21 per cent. All other BEV producers in China which did not cooperate in the investigation would be subject to a residual duty of 38.1 per cent. (ANI)

ALSO READ: UAE, EU step up efforts to combat financial crimes

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Crime India News Politics

6 bridges collapse in Bihar over last two days

Most of these bridges were thirty years old and the foundations were not very deep, officials said, adding that the foundation was damaged during de-siltation….reports Asian Lite News

A total of six bridges collapsed on the Gandak river in Bihar’s Siwan and Saran over the last two days, officials said on Thursday, blaming engineers and contractors for the back-to-back incidents.

Several projects, including the de-siltation of rivers, were initiated after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took feedback in Gopalganj and adjoining areas. It seems that engineers did not take care and the contractors were not careful, officials said, adding, “Engineers concerned seem to be at fault prima facie.”

Special teams have been sent to the spot, and strict action has been taken against engineers and contractors, they said.

Officials further said that new bridges will be constructed and the cost of construction will be borne by the contractors concerned.

Most of these bridges were thirty years old and the foundations were not very deep, they said, adding that the foundation was damaged during de-siltation.

Notably, five bridges – in Araria, Siwan, East Champaran, Kishanganj, and Madhubani districts – have collapsed across the state in the last nine days.

The first incident of a bridge collapse was reported on June 18 in Araria. The latest one took place in Madhubani.The Madhubani incident came just a day after another bridge fell in Kishanganj district.

On June 22, a bridge over the Gandak River in Siwan, approximately 40-45 years old, also fell. On June 23, a bridge under construction in East Champaran, costing around Rs 1.5 crore, collapsed, with locals blaming the use of substandard materials.

Earlier this month, on June 18, a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river in Pararia village of Bihar’s Araria district collapsed on Tuesday.

The bridge connecting Araria’s Sikhti and Kursakatta was washed away before its inauguration.

Last year in June, a portion of a temporary bridge built on River Ganga in the Vaishali district of Bihar was partly washed away by strong winds.

The temporary bridge connected Raghopur to the Vaishali District Headquarters. (ANI)

Plea in SC seeks audit of all bridges in Bihar

A petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking to issue direction to the Bihar Government to conduct the highest level structural audit of all existing and under construction bridges in the state and to demolish or retrofit weak structure depending of feasibility in the wake of bridge collapses in the state.

The petitioner and advocate Brajesh Singh, on Wednesday, urged the top court to issue directions to the Bihar Government to conduct the audit.

The petitioner said that the instant issue of bridge collapses in Bihar requires an urgent consideration of the top court as within two years, three major under-construction bridges and other several incidents of the collapse of the large, medium and small bridges happened.

He said that in the said unfortunate man-made incidents some people succumbed and others were injured adding that in the future other incidents may also happen due to the gross negligence of the government and the corrupt nexus of the contractors and concerned agencies.

“It is a matter of grave concern that in a state like Bihar, which is the most flood-prone state of India, the total flood-affected area in the state is 68,800 sq. km which is 73.06 per cent of the total geographical area. Hence such routine accrual of the incident of falling bridges in Bihar is more disastrous as the lives of people at large are at stake. Therefore the urgent intervention of this Hon’ble Court is required to save the lives of people, as the under-construction bridges before its accomplishment collapsed routinely,” the petitioner said.

The petitioner has also sought appropriate direction specifically from the State of Bihar for making proper policy or mechanism for real-time monitoring of the bridges constructed, old and under construction concerning the bridges falling exclusively under the domain of the respondent, the state of Bihar on the same analogy as developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, vide dated March 4, 2024, for the preservation of National Highways and Centrally Sponsored Schemes and it was issued as a mandatory Guidelines vide, subjected, identification and implementation of real-time Health Monitoring of bridges using sensors to the states including the respondent.”

The petitioner has also sought to issue direction to respondents specifically Bihar for making an efficient permanent body through legislation or executive order, comprising high-level experts from the concerned field for continuous monitoring of all the existing and under-construction bridges in Bihar and also for maintaining the comprehensive database on the health of all existing bridges in the state.

The Public Interest Litigation has highlighted various bridge collapses mostly river bridges in Araria, Siwan, Madhubani, and Kishanganj districts among others in Bihar. (ANI)

ALSO READ: PM2.5 pollution killed 33,000 Indians, Delhi worst-hit

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

Rajasthan minister Meena resigns to ‘fulfill poll vow’

The 72-year-old leader announced his decision at a prayer meeting here on Thursday….reports Archana Sharma

Senior BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena’s sudden resignation as Rajasthan minister on Thursday in line with his poll-time undertaking to quit if he failed to ensure his party’s victory in any of the seven Lok Sabha seats in eastern Rajasthan that were assigned to him, has evoked shock and surprise and also raised several questions.

The 72-year-old leader announced his decision at a prayer meeting here on Thursday.

Meena, a key leader of the tribal community and a five-time MLA and two-term MP, was assigned the responsibility by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hence, made his vow.

However, the Lok Sabha election results saw the BJP unable to score a hat-trick of sweeping the state like in the 2014 and 2019 polls, losing crucial seats like Dausa, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Tonk-Sawai Madhopur – over half of the seats assigned to Meena, triggering speculation as to whether Meena would stick to his word.

However, the senior BJP leader had given hints at stepping down as minister, as he stopped using his official vehicle after the election results were announced.

An MBBS doctor by profession, Meena started his career with the BJP, though he left the party in 2008 over some issues but rejoined in 2018.

He has been a firebrand leader of the Meena community, which has a significant vote share in eastern Rajasthan, leading agitations and being a whistleblower in several alleged scams, including the Jal Jeevan scam that drew raids by central agencies which seemed to have worked for the BJP.

A former Rajya Sabha member, he won the Assembly elections from Sawai Madhopur in 2023, sending a message to the Meena community to ensure the party’s dominance in the eastern region of the state.

However, with his resignation, questions are being raised as to who shall lead from the front in eastern Rajasthan.

State BJP leaders seemed split over his resignation, with some claiming that his decision seems to be a pressure tactic to demand a portfolio of his choice.

Some sources claimed that Meena was considered a CM candidate after the Assembly polls where the BJP unseated the Congress, but was given the agriculture portfolio which he did not like.

Further, he sought a ticket for his brother from Dausa in the Lok Sabha polls, but his request was rejected. Then, he was reportedly unhappy when the state Education Department questioned his decisions on transfers. All this left him displeased with the setup and hence, came his resignation, the sources said.

Now it remains to be seen whether his resignation will be accepted, and if there is a new leader from the area waiting in the wings.

ALSO READ: PM2.5 pollution killed 33,000 Indians, Delhi worst-hit

Categories
-Top News Environment India News

PM2.5 pollution killed 33,000 Indians, Delhi worst-hit

New Delhi: Mobile anti-smog guns spray water to curb air pollution in New Delhi, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.(Photo: IANS/Wasim Sarvar)

Delhi had the highest across all cities studied, followed by Mumbai (about 5,100 each year), while Shimla had the lowest air pollution levels yet it claimed 59 lives per year….reports Asian Lite News

Short-term air pollution exposure claimed 33,000 lives annually in 10 cities in India and Delhi tops the list with 12,000 deaths every year, according to a study published on Thursday in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The study showed increases in the risk of death were steep at lower concentrations of PM2.5 and tapered off at higher concentrations. Even levels of air pollution below the current National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 60 micrograms per cubic meter lead to increased daily mortality rates in India, showed the findings led by an international team of researchers from Ashoka University, Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC) — an independent Delhi-based research organisation — and Boston University (US).

Delhi had the highest across all cities studied, followed by Mumbai (about 5,100 each year), while Shimla had the lowest air pollution levels yet it claimed 59 lives per year.

The other cities include Kolkata (4,700 each year), Chennai (2,900 each year), Ahmedabad (2,500 each year), Bengaluru (2,100 each year), Hyderabad (1,600 each year), Pune (1,400 each year), Varanasi (830 each year).

“We found that about 33,000 deaths per year across these cities are attributable to air quality levels that exceed the WHO 24-hr exposure guideline (15 micrograms per cubic meter of air), with Delhi topping, followed by Mumbai,” said Bhargav Krishna, Environmental health and policy researcher at SFC, in a post on X.com.

The team based the study on short-term exposure to PM 2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 microns in size) and daily mortality in 10 cities between 2008 and 2019.

For the study, they used novel causal modelling techniques that isolate the heightened impact of local sources of air pollution such as waste burning and vehicular emissions among others, and generated estimates of mortality attributable to air pollution for cities (such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata) and at lower concentrations previously unstudied in India

The results showed that between 2008-19, 7.2 per cent of deaths were due to high short-term air pollution in these cities.

Further, using a hybrid machine learning-based exposure model the team observed a significant number of deaths even in cities like Chennai,

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune — generally considered to have good to moderate air quality under our current air quality standards. 

“Every 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air increment in PM2.5 was associated with a 1.42 per cent increase in daily deaths. This number almost doubled to 3.57 per cent when we used a causal instrumental variable model that isolates the effect of local air pollution,” Bhargav said.

The study stressed the need to make the national air quality standards more stringent and to redouble efforts to control air pollution.

“Our current definition of what is good air quality needs to change to better reflect the science. Remedial action on air quality needs to expand far beyond a black and white classification of clean and ‘non-attainment’ cities,” Bhargav said. 

He further noted that the current policy instruments such as Graded Response Action Plans (GRAP) focus largely on seasonal extremes. Instead, there is a need to drive year-round action as a large proportion of risk is concentrated in low to moderate air pollution levels, where GRAP is essentially ineffective.

ALSO READ: Soren back as Jharkhand CM

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-Top News Politics UK News

Labour Wins Landslide in UK Election

The Labour Party has secured the win on over 390 seats and comfortably crossed the halfway mark of 326 seats in the 650-member Parliament…reports Asian Lite News

After securing resounding win in the UK general election, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said that his party is ready to restore Britain to the service for working people.

Addressing his supporters at a reception to celebrate his win in the election, Starmer thanked the people for the amazing reception.

The 61-year-old leader said, “The work of change begins today. Thank you so much for the amazing reception. We did it.”

Amid huge public applause, Starmer said, “You campaigned for it, you fought for it and you voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now…”

“It feels good, I have to be honest… Four-and-a-half-years of work… changing the party… This is what it is for… A changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people,” he said.

The Labour Party has secured the win on over 390 seats and comfortably crossed the halfway mark of 326 seats in the 650-member Parliament, BBC reported.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau congratulated Starmer on the win.

His address comes after UK Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak conceded defeat in the polls.

ALSO READ: Labour’s Triumph Nears

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-Top News India News Politics

Soren back as Jharkhand CM

Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28 after spending five months in jail…reports Asian Lite News

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president Hemant Soren assumed charge of office after taking the oath as Jharkhand Chief Minister on Thursday.

“After assuming charge as the Chief Minister of the state, Hemant Soren reached the Secretariat and started performing his duties. Jharkhand will not stop,” Hemant Soren posted on X.

The floor test of the new government in Jharkhand, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who took oath of office for the third time on Thursday, will be held on July 8 during a special session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Earlier today, Hemant Soren was sworn-in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.

In a veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president Hemant Soren slammed the BJP and said that the “arrogant people intoxicated with power” tried to “silence” him but with the support of the people, he was released from jail.

Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28 after spending five months in jail.

Before he took the oath, he posted a video message on X in which he slammed “arrogant people intoxicated with power (BJP) who tried to silence me” and said, “Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. Jai Jharkhand, Jai Hind.”

“Today is July 4. On January 31, from the same place, I conveyed a message to you all on how the opposition has conspired against me. They were successful. For five months, they tried to keep me inside the jail by different means. We took the legal path and people supported us. The people of the state supported us and at last the court released me from jail,” said Hemant Soren in a video message before taking oath as Jharkhand CM.

He further said that the opposition put him in jail by levelling false allegations.

“In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly Elections, the people of Jharkhand gave our party mandate but the conspirators were unable to digest how an Adivasi youngster can sit in such a high position. At last, on January 31, they (the BJP) put false allegations on me and removed me from the post of Chief Minister. Because of the people’s blessings, I’m here out sitting in front of you. We will always be the voice of the people. Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. By taking charge, the work will be carried out again,” he said.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Soren, asserted that the latter will continue to work for the people of the state.

“After the High Court order, Hemant Soren has taken over again as CM. He will continue to work for people like he has always done. We have less time now,” Kalpana Soren told reporters.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren congratulated Hemant Soren for taking the oath as Jharkhand CM.

“I congratulate ‘Hemant Babu’ for the formation of the new government. I congratulate all our alliance members,” Champai Soren said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji said that the vision to make Jharkhand the number one state will be fulfilled under the leadership of the Hemant Soren government.

“JMM is a family, not a party and all the members of this family unitedly run the government for the people. Now he has got the responsibility, so it is definitely in the interest of the people and the state. His vision to make Jharkhand the number one state, will be fulfilled now,” Maji said.

After Hemant Soren took the oath as Jharkhand CM once again, BJP leader Sita Soren said that JMM has its own Constitution.

“Whenever they want, they remove someone from power or put someone in power…Only a few months are left before the elections, they (JMM) should have let him (Champai Soren) continue,” Sita Soren said.

Earlier today, Hemant Soren arrived at the oath ceremony, with JMM national president Shibu Soren arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.

Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office to Soren.

Soren, on June 28, was released on bail in a land scam case after spending around five months in jail.

Champai Soren resigned from the post just five months after taking the oath, setting the ball rolling for Hemant Soren to again take over the role on Wednesday.

Champai Soren took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in the Raj Bhavan on February 2 this year.

Hemant Soren was released from the Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months following bail from Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on January 31.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering.

Earlier on December 29, Hemant Soren took the oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

The event was termed as ‘Sankalp Diwas’ by mark the beginning of an era of new Jharkhand.

Hemant Soren’s return as CM will bolster the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2019, JMM fought the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and got a comfortable majority with forty-seven seats in the 81-member house. (ANI)

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-Top News UK News

Top contenders for key role in new govt

The former Bank of England economist is in line to become the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, living next door to Starmer at 11 Downing Street…reports Asian Lite News

With Labour predicted to become the biggest party in the UK parliament, here are the contenders for the most prominent ministerial positions.

Angela Rayner, 44, is an outlier in a country long dominated by a ruling class disproportionately educated at private schools and Oxford and Cambridge universities.

She grew up in social housing in northern England, left school without a degree and became a single mother at 16.

A trade unionist before being elected to parliament in 2015, she was elected as Labour’s number two in 2020.

Her left-wing background and straight-talking style — complete with strong northern accent — contrasts with Starmer’s more staid public persona.

“He smooths off my rough edges. I bring him out of his shell,” she has famously said of their partnership.

As well as being deputy prime minister — filling in for Starmer at weekly parliamentary questions when he is unable to attend — Rayner would be responsible for housing policy and tackling regional inequalities.

The former Bank of England economist is in line to become the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, living next door to Starmer at 11 Downing Street.

Rachel Reeves, 45, has called that prospect shattering “the last glass ceiling in politics.”

A central figure in Labour efforts over the last four years to regain the electorate’s trust on economic issues, she insists it is now “the natural party of British business.”

Using her reputation for economic competence, Londoner Reeves, whose younger sister is also an MP, has pledged “iron discipline” on public finances.

The former child chess champion, an MP since 2010, has vowed to be both “pro-worker” and “pro-business” in her role overseeing the public purse.

David Lammy, 51, a black lawmaker descended from slaves, has honed his vision for UK diplomacy with dozens of foreign trips in the past two years.

He has argued that the foreign ministry needs to “rediscover the art of grand strategy” in the post-Brexit era.

Lammy, an MP since the age of 27 in 2000, is likely to steer Britain toward closer EU ties — no easy task with both Brussels and Euroskeptic Britons reticent.

He will also likely face pressure from Labour’s left flank over issues including its policy toward Israel and its war against Hamas in Gaza.

A friend of former US President Barack Obama, Lammy may also have to deal with the possible White House return of Donald Trump.

He once described Trump as a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “profound threat to the international order.”

Yvette Cooper’s decades of political experience will undoubtedly be sorely tested heading the Home Office — Britain’s interior ministry — a notoriously hard government department to succeed in.

An MP since the late 1990s and a minister in the 2000s, Cooper, 55, has been Labour’s home affairs spokesperson over two stints during its 14 years in opposition.

A candidate to be party leader in 2015, plaudits credit her grasp of policy and details as well as stellar communication skills.

Immigration — a major election campaign issue and potential weak point for Labour — will likely dominate much of the public discussion around her brief.

A fresh-faced Labour centrist, Streeting has been one of the most visible Labour figures during the election campaign.

Hailed as one of its best communicators, the 41-year-old from a working-class background in east London is tipped as a potential future leader.

But first he will have to prove himself in one of the toughest jobs in UK government, charged with reversing the decline in the country’s cherished but ailing National Health Service (NHS).

Weighed down by years of austerity under the Conservatives and still struggling to recover from the pandemic, Streeting — a cancer survivor — will rely in part on his own experience of the system.

Party veteran Healey is set to become defense secretary as the policy area gains importance given the war in Ukraine and rising global insecurity.

The 64-year-old, who first became an MP in 1997 when Tony Blair won power for Labour, held a series of government posts during the party’s 13-year spell in charge.

Labour has promised to increase military spending to 2.5 percent of GDP (from 2.3 percent this year) “as soon as” economic conditions allow.

ALSO READ-India, UK agree to deepen cooperation between cyber agencies

Categories
-Top News Politics UK News

Labour’s Triumph Nears

Elected to Parliament in 2015 for the first time at the age of 52, the Labour Party leader has promised to offer the change the country needs….reports Asian Lite News

With his Labour Party on course for a landslide victory in the general elections, Keir Starmer, all set to become the next British Prime Minister, declared on Friday that the United Kingdom is ready for a change.

“The change begins right here because this is your democracy, your community and your future. You have voted and now it is time for us to deliver,” the 61-year-old said after retaining his seat from north London.

Elected to Parliament in 2015 for the first time at the age of 52, the Labour Party leader has promised to offer the change the country needs.

Ending 14 years of Conservative rule, Starmer’s Labour Party has so far won over 266 seats with the Tories heading towards a historic defeat.

“Labour will deliver change for Wales and across the United Kingdom. But change will only happen if you vote for it,” Starmer had said a few hours before Britain headed to polls on Thursday.

A human rights lawyer and a “lifelong” Arsenal fan, Starmer has represented people on death row with the Labour Party describing its leader and former Chief Prosecutor as a man who has spent his entire career securing justice for those who need it.

Son of a toolmaker, Starmer faced challenging times right from his childhood which was spent in Surrey’s Oxted. His mother, a nurse who worked for the National Health Service (NHS), battled a rare and severe illness all her life.

“Despite the challenges this presented for Keir, he was hugely influenced by his mother’s courage and determination to live her life despite her illness. It also gave him a deep gratitude for the NHS,” the party said about its leader.

After entering politics and the British Parliament in 2015, Starmer was elected as leader of the Labour Party in April 2020.

Four years later, he is now promising a better future for Britain.

ALSO READ: Sunak urges right-wing voters to stand by his party

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-Top News Politics UK News

UK PM Sunak admits defeat

Suank admitted his party’s defeat in an acceptance speech after retaining his Richmond and Northallerton seat….reports Asian Lite News

London, July 5 (IANS) With the Conservatives staring at a historic loss, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded the general election to Labour Party’s Keir Starmer on Friday, admitting that it has been a “difficult night” for him and his party as the people have delivered a “sobering verdict.”

Suank admitted his party’s defeat in an acceptance speech after retaining his Richmond and Northallerton seat.

“On this difficult night, I’d like to express my gratitude to the people of the Richmond and Northallerton constituency for your continued support. The Labour Party has won this general election, and I’ve called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory,” looking visibly emotional after the verdict.

“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country’s stability and future. The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn and I take responsibility for the loss,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Keir Starmer-led Labour Party remained on course for a landslide victory in the general election.

All set to become the next British PM, Starmer declared Friday that the United Kingdom is ready for a change.

“The change begins right here because this is your democracy, your community and your future. You have voted and now it is time for us to deliver,” the 61-year-old said after retaining his seat from north London.

ALSO READ: Sunak urges right-wing voters to stand by his party