The Sankore call for proposals will support the UK government’s partnership with governments in Ghana and Nigeria facilitate commercialisation of innovative solutions…reports Asian Lite News
Through the West Africa Research and Innovation Hub (WARIH) the UK Government has launched Sankore to support economic growth by strengthening technology and innovation across West Africa, in close partnership with country governments.
The Sankore call for proposals will support the UK government’s partnership with governments in Ghana and Nigeria facilitate commercialisation of innovative solutions, improve innovation policy and enhance government digital service delivery. It will establish new partnerships worth up to £1.9 Million with non-profit organisations.
Launching a call for proposals at a press conference in Accra, Lord Collins, UK Minister for Africa, said, “This initiative is all about how we can work together to strengthen the global technology sector, creating opportunities for rapidly growing economies with lots of potential to compete on the world stage. The Sankore grant fosters partnerships at its heart, with a strong message that we go far when we go together.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji said, “Sankore project is a pivotal opportunity for Nigeria to enhance its innovation landscape, by strengthening industry-science linkages and developing an enabling policy environment. This partnership underscores our shared commitment to developing practical solutions that lead to sustainable and inclusive growth.”
British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, added, “Sankore exemplifies the UK’s commitment to driving innovation and sustainable development in Nigeria. The project will strengthen partnerships between businesses and innovators as well as drive the development of innovative solutions that address critical gaps in priority economic sectors. The project will build on the UK’s wider efforts to support economic growth, create job opportunities and propel Nigeria’s technology and innovation ecosystem.”
This is the new West Africa Research and Innovation Hub’s accountable grant mechanism of up to £1.9 million to support technology and innovation systems strengthening in Ghana and Nigeria. The project is part of the Africa Technology and Innovation Partnerships (UK-ATIP) Programme.
This project complements to other UK-supported efforts and builds on existing UK initiatives to support sustainable economic and private sector growth in Nigeria, including through FSD Africa, Manufacturing Africa, MOBILIST, and British international Investments.
Foreign Secretary warned UK’s previous funding commitments on the issue would have to be reviewed given the “dire” state of the country’s finances…reports Asian Lite News
The foreign secretary has said climate change is a more pervasive and fundamental threat than terrorism. In his maiden speech, 100 days after taking office, David Lammy said the climate issue, along with a decline in nature, would be “central to all the Foreign Office does”.
He also announced the government would launch a global initiative to accelerate the rollout of clean energy. But Lammy warned the UK’s previous funding commitments on the issue would have to be reviewed given the “dire” state of the country’s finances.
The foreign secretary made clear the government considered action on climate change and nature the focus of every department. “The threat may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an imperialist autocrat. But it is more fundamental. It is systemic, it’s pervasive and accelerating towards us at pace,” he said.
He also said: “While I am foreign secretary, action on the climate and nature crisis will be central to all the Foreign Office does. This is critical given the scale of the threat, but also the scale of the opportunity.” As evidence of that united front, Ed Miliband, the new energy secretary, echoed the same sentiments in his first major public speech on Tuesday morning, at an Energy UK event.
Both were keen to emphasise that action on this issue would bring benefits to the British people, not just costs – as conservative MPs and unions have previously warned. “We know we can only deliver energy security, lower bills and good jobs for today’s generations if we become a clean energy superpower,” Miliband said.
He blamed the recent hike in energy prices on the UK’s reliance on oil and gas. “The central lesson of the crisis for Britain is that we paid a heavy price because of our exposure to fossil fuels. The government’s view is we cannot go on like this,” Miliband said.
Lammy made his speech at Kew Gardens, in the nation’s capital, but it was clear he wanted to send a message not just to a national audience, but to a global one, that the UK would be leading on climate action internationally. “This domestic programme is not just essential to our economy but to restoring our international credibility… we are ending our diplomacy of ‘do as I say, not as I do’,” he said.
He said he wanted the UK to help developing nations in their rollout of renewable energy, and support regions, such as the Caribbean, in recovering from the impacts of climate events.
In this vein, he announced the government would create two new special representatives for climate and nature who would provide advice and support to the government. And it would establish a global clean power alliance, in which the country could share experience and expertise from its own transition away from fossil fuels.
The move has been welcomed by international environmental groups and aid agencies.
Hannah Bond, co-CEO at ActionAid UK, said: “We are encouraged to see the new UK government take the first step in seriously addressing the urgent climate crisis impacting billions worldwide, after years of delayed promises and empty gestures.”
This summer has brought record flooding to parts of the world, as more extreme weather events like hurricanes and cyclones have battered North America and parts of South East Asia.
Storm Boris has brought havoc to Central and Eastern Europe in recent days – with dozens of people killed or missing as a result of flooding. Although it is too early to attribute this event to climate change, scientists have predicted the region will get wetter as a result of rising temperatures.
Lammy’s speech did end with a warning though – that despite the government’s commitments to the issue, this may not extend to financing it.
He would not guarantee the previous Conservative government pledge to provide £11.6bn to developing countries to respond and recover from climate change. This is despite the energy secretary promising to keep the pledge in July at a meeting of international climate ministers.
The foreign secretary said that his current focus was “on how we can actually deliver that promise given the dire financial inheritance from the last government”. Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said the government must remain committed to its international pledges.
“To avoid perpetuating existing injustice and inequality, countries least responsible for causing the climate crisis and most vulnerable to its impacts must be supported with extra public finance from developed countries,” she said.
The Australian state of Victoria was originally chosen to stage the multi-sport event but withdrew as host due to rising costs. ..reports Asian Lite News
Glasgow is to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after a deal was backed by the Scottish government. A scaled-down version of the event, featuring fewer sports and athletes, will return to the city 12 years after it last hosted the Games.
The Australian state of Victoria was originally chosen to stage the multi-sport event but withdrew as host due to rising costs. Australian authorities have promised “a multi-million pound investment” to help finalise the deal.
Health and Sport Minister Neil Gray held talks with Commonwealth Games Australia on Monday to discuss funding, and received the assurances the Scottish government were looking for. It has now written to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to officially back a “a scaled back, but high-quality” event which will see see 10 sports take place across four venues in the city.
The compulsory sports of Athletics and Swimming will be held at Scotstoun Stadium and Tollcross International Swimming Centre but the additional venues, as well as the dates for the event, have not yet been confirmed.
Gray said the fact that the city was asked to step in and host the games was a “testament to Glasgow and Scotland’s fantastic reputation for hosting international events”. He said: “In 2026 all eyes will once again be on Glasgow, and I have every confidence that Scotland’s largest city will provide a fitting platform for some of the world’s top athletes.”
The minister added that CGS would be responsible for the budget and delivery of the event. He said, “If there is a situation where we go beyond a very substantial contingency, CGS will need to look at the way then Games are being delivered rather than calling on either the UK or Scottish government for resource.”
He added that he hoped a more “sustainable offering” would allow for a more “diverse mix of countries to host the games in the future”. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said this was a “positive outcome” for both Glasgow and the Commonwealth Games. He said: “There are still a few hoops to jump through but I’m very much looking forward to an incredible celebration of sport and seeing Scottish athletes in action in front of a home crowd.”
CGF president Chris Jenkins said it would work closely with Commonwealth Games Scotland to formally announce Glasgow as the host city as soon a possible.
He said: “We believe Glasgow 2026 will be an important first step in our commitment to reset and reframe the Commonwealth Games as a co-created, sustainable model that minimises costs, inspires athletes, and excites hosts and International federations.” He confirmed that Commonwealth Games Australia had contributed £2.3m to “enhance the event”. Ian Reid, chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS), said he was “delighted” at the confirmation.
He said: “We have been clear from the outset that our Games concept for Glasgow 2026 aligns with the CGF’s strategy to make the Games more accessible for future hosts, whilst ensuring that public funds are not required.
Reid added: “Glasgow is one of the few cities in the Commonwealth that can deliver on time given its world-class facilities, experienced workforce and strong supply chain. This is a really exciting opportunity and we will be working hard over the coming days to bring the final pieces of the puzzle together.”
A final decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.
Organisers have stated the Games will come at no cost to the public purse, with funding coming from compensation paid to the CGF after the Australians pulled out.
The government will provide financial support in the event of any increased security threat but had refused to completely underwrite the Games. Gray previously insisted that there was “a reputation risk as well as financial risk” for Scotland in taking on hosting duties again, and that no public funds could be used. The total budget for the Games is expected to be about £114m.
Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar said: “Glasgow is a great city, but it is in need of economic investment and renewal. By hosting the games, we can showcase Glasgow and Scotland on the international stage and bring investment and tourism here. This is our chance to complete the legacy of the 2014 games, show global leadership and deliver the change that Glasgow needs.”
Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said a deal with Tortoise “has the potential to be a very positive thing…reports Asian Lite News
News publisher Guardian Media Group said Tuesday it is in talks to sell The Observer newspaper to Tortoise Media, a “slow news” outlet founded by a former BBC executive and a US diplomat.
Founded in 1791, the Observer is the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper. It was bought by Guardian Media Group, which also publishes the Guardian, in 1993. Tortoise was co-founded in 2019 by James Harding, a former BBC news executive and editor of The Times newspaper, and Matthew Barzun, who was a U.S. ambassador to Britain between 2013 and 2017.
Tortoise has produced multimedia investigations including the popular podcast “Sweet Bobby,” which is set to be made into a Netflix documentary. The companies did not disclose the price or terms of the potential deal.
Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said a deal with Tortoise “has the potential to be a very positive thing.” “My number one priority is a future in which both titles continue to thrive and deliver high quality journalism to our readers,” she said.
Harding said the Observer “is one of the greatest names in news.”
“We believe passionately in its future – both in print and digital,” he said, promising to maintain the newspaper’s “uncompromising commitment to editorial independence, evidence-based reporting and journalistic integrity.”
The Observer, like the rest of the newspaper industry, has suffered a decline in print sales. Its circulation was 136,656 copies in 2021, before GMG stopped publishing ABC sales data.
Its online content is closely integrated with the Guardian’s.
Tortoise said it would continue to publish The Observer on a Sunday and build the digital Observer, combining it with Tortoise’s podcasts, newsletters and live events.
“Like its many, many loyal readers, we admire the strength and heart of The Observer’s reporting, we prize its original, unbiddable thinking and we love it for its passions: food, music, film and art,” Harding said.
“George Orwell described The Observer as ‘the enemy of nonsense’; we’re excited to show readers, old and new, that it still is,” he added.
GMG’s 2023-24 results, published on Tuesday, showed pressure from a slowdown in advertising and the long-term print decline.
Overall revenue fell 2.5% to 257.8 million pounds ($340.6 million), it said, and adjusted cash outflow rose to 36.5 million pounds, from 17.3 million pounds in the previous year.
The company is owned by the Scott Trust, an endowment fund valued at 1.275 billion pounds, the results showed.
The boy, who can’t be identified because of his age, had earlier admitted to a charge of violent disorder in the town of Southport on July 31…reports Asian Lite News
A 12-year-old boy who threw stones at police during rioting outside a mosque has become the youngest person to be sentenced so far over far-right riots that erupted in England this summer.
The boy, who can’t be identified because of his age, had earlier admitted to a charge of violent disorder in the town of Southport on July 31.
District Judge Wendy Lloyd sentenced the boy Tuesday to a three-month curfew order and a 12-month referral order, which requires him to commit to a rehabilitative program.
She told the boy the riots had “shaken society to the core.” “It was an angry mob and you chose to be part of it,” she said.
Rioting in Southport kicked off soon after a stabbing attack at a dance class in the town that left three young girls dead. False rumours spread online that the suspect in the attack was an asylum-seeker.
The boy was part of a crowd of hundreds of rioters who set a police van on fire and tried to storm the Southport Islamic Society Mosque. The violence quickly spread around towns and cities around the country, but the unrest fizzled out after the swift charging and sentencing of those found to be involved. Police have made more than 1,000 arrests and brought more than 800 charges.
The court heard that the boy handed himself in to Merseyside police after his mother recognised him when the force circulated images of people they wanted to speak to in connection with riots in the area.
Prosecuting, Angela Conlan played footage of the violence to the court. She also read statements from a police officer who was injured during the Southport incident and a mosque leader who was trapped inside with worshippers when the building was targeted by a mob.
“It was like being under attack in a war,” the mosque leader said. “I was very scared and worried.”
When smoke from fires that had been deliberately started during the violence came in through the mosque windows, he said he thought “if we do not get killed by the crowd, we’re going to die by smoke inhalation from the fire”.
“I am so drained by what has happened,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep going and be available to the community.”
Defending, Heather Toohey said the defendant had no previous convictions and had shown remorse for his actions.
The court also heard that the boy had not attempted to conceal his identity, nor had he gone to the area specifically with the intention to cause trouble.
While many adult rioters said they had become “caught up” in incidents of violence, Toohey said that “when you’re a young man, when you’re 12 years old, getting caught up in spontaneous acts is much more understandable, much more believable”.
Passing sentence, Lloyd told the boy: “You have had a complicated and in many ways sad young life.” She said that despite being 12, he had suffered problems with alcohol, which she described as “extremely concerning”.
“What you did that night was very wrong,” she said. “It really was a horrible situation, and you made it all the more horrible by joining in and throwing stones.”
Oxford Street is one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, with about half a million visitors on average every day….reports Asian Lite News
London’s mayor is facing opposition to his resurrected plan to ban traffic from part of Oxford Street, which he says is backed by the new Labour government. Sadiq Khan’s proposals include pedestrianising the stretch between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus, with potential restrictions introduced further east towards Tottenham Court Road.
This follows the Labour mayor’s previous attempt to pedestrianise part of the world-famous shopping street in 2018, which was blocked by the then-Conservative local authority. The Conservatives say the plan will be unpopular and that Khan is “forcing things through”.
Oxford Street is one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, with about half a million visitors on average every day. Khan said he believed the plans would help revive the area, which has suffered the effects of big-name shop closures in recent years such as Debenhams and House of Fraser.
“Oxford Street was once the jewel in the crown of Britain’s retail sector, but there’s no doubt it has suffered hugely over the last decade,” he said. “Urgent action is needed to give the nation’s most famous High Street a new lease of life.”
The mayor of London said he wants to make the street more attractive to its half a million visitors each day The mayor said he was working with the new Labour government, retailers and businesses to restore the street to its “former glory”.
The project is expected to cost about £150m, with the mayor’s office hoping it could be paid for by a combination of local businesses, new revenue streams and private funders. The plans also include the addition of planters, trees, water features and seating.
The mayor’s office said there would be access for disabled people, but the plans had not been finalised. The new plan depends on the government awarding the mayor new planning powers to create a “Mayoral Development Area” around Oxford Street.
This would mean Khan would take control of the area from Westminster City Council, although the boundaries of this proposed area are not clear. The government currently supports his proposal, Khan said. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “Oxford Street is a world-renowned shopping destination and we want it to stay that way. By working with the mayor and local leaders, we can ensure it gets the boost it needs.”
She added the plan would create jobs and boost the area’s night-time economy. The proposal appears similar to those submitted by Khan in 2017, which were later thrown out by the local authority as they lacked support from local residents.
Paul Swaddle, leader of the Conservatives on Labour-run Westminster City Council, said he believed the new plan would be equally unpopular with locals. “They have real concerns about access for those with low mobility, for the elderly.
Westminster City Council’s chief executive said the authority already had its own £90m “shovel ready” plans for developing the street, which were popular with the community and local businesses. These included wider footpaths, more seating and trees being planted – but stopped short of introducing traffic restrictions.
Stuart Love said: “The latest pedestrianisation proposal from the mayor of London was only shared with us last Thursday. It will be important to receive further details about what is planned, including how long it could take to be delivered and how the concerns of local residents and users of the street will be addressed. We will want to know how they will benefit from any proposals, particularly given the practical challenges pedestrianisation may have for the wider area.”
He added: “The council intends to work constructively with the mayor and the government to ensure the best outcomes for local communities, businesses and London.”
Ahead of that budget, Starmer said that, while dealing with that black hole was essential for creating the stability necessary for growth, all decisions would be made against the objective of growth
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government’s first budget next month wouldn’t take steps that undermine his goal to generate growth, but warned that unfunded spending commitments could damage the economy.
Elected in July, Starmer has said he has a dire inheritance left by the previous Conservative administration, and new finance minister Rachel Reeves has warned that taxes are likely to rise in her first budget on Oct. 30 because of what she said was a 22 billion pound ($29 billion) black hole in the public finances.
Ahead of that budget, Starmer said that, while dealing with that black hole was essential for creating the stability necessary for growth, all decisions would be made against the objective of growth.
“If it promotes economic growth, it’s in the Yes column; if it inhibits economic growth, then it’s in the No column,” Starmer said.
“And because I believe that stability is vital for economic growth — I don’t think we’re going to get economic growth if we don’t stabilize the economy — we’re going to do the really hard stuff now.”
Labour has committed to a fiscal rule that day-to-day costs are met by revenues and debt must be falling as a share of the economy within five years under a budget’s forecast.
Asked if he would tweak fiscal rules to promote growth, amid concern from some economists about underinvestment in the economy, Starmer said it was a matter for the budget but strong fiscal rules were important.
“I’ve always thought it’s important to borrow to invest,” Starmer said, though he warned he didn’t want a repeat of the unfunded budget measures that sparked a crisis that forced Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss from office in 2022.
“Unfunded commitments for spending are just as bad (as unfunded tax cuts) and likely to have the same impact on the economy.”
Meanwhile, The economy continued to flatline in July on a month-on-month basis, flash figures published from the Office for National Statistics showed last week.
Gross domestic product (GDP) came in below the expectations of economists polled by Reuters, who had forecast growth of 0.2%. The country also logged no GDP growth in June.
Britain’s dominant services sector showed slight growth of 0.1% in the month to July, while production and construction output fell by 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively.
Britain’s economic growth was up 0.5% in the three month to July, slightly below economist expectations and the 0.6% recorded in the second quarter ending in June.
“The economy recorded no growth for the second month running, though longer term strength in the services sector meant there was growth over the last three months as a whole,” Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said.
The economy had recorded modest but steady expansion almost every month so far this year, having emerged from a shallow recession at the start of the year.
The reading is the first under Starmer’s new Labour government, which was elected on July 4. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said the print left her “under no illusion” of the challenges faced by the economy.
“I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight. Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation,” Reeves said.
It comes ahead of the forthcoming Oct. 30 Autumn Statement, when Reeves will reveal her annual budget. She has already warned will be painful after she said she inherited a £22 billion ($29 billion) hole in the public finances from the former Conservative government. He predecessor Jeremy Hunt has denied the claims, describing the alleged black hole as “fiction.”
Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter Investors, said the prospect of tax raises could add further caution to consumer spending over the coming months. “Tax rises have been flagged ahead of the Autumn Budget, and consumers and businesses may feel rather more cautious heading into the winter months as they await details from the Treasury,” she said.
But she added that further movement in interest rates anticipated from the Bank of England could help ease wider growth pressures. The central bank is set to meet next week for its latest policy decision, after cutting rates for the first time in four years last month.
The auto giant has already been making the EQS sedan in India and has sold around 500 units, as per reports….reports Asian Lite News
As the market for luxury cars and top-notch electric vehicles (EVs) ramp up in India amid friendly government policies and shifting ‘generational mindset’, more and more global automakers are lining up to manufacture/assemble vehicles in India.
The German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has just launched the EQS SUV which is assembled locally in India, which is now the second country to assemble the EQS SUV outside of the US. The made-in-India luxury EV is priced at Rs 1.41 crore.
The auto giant has already been making the EQS sedan in India and has sold around 500 units, as per reports.
Mercedes-Benz is reportedly making an additional investment of Rs 200 crore in 2024 towards manufacturing operations, new product start-ups and digitisation of manufacturing processes in India.
Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO of Mercedes Benz India, said the localisation of the EQS SUV “manifests our local competencies, creates value for Indian customers and supports the government’s vision of ‘Make in India.’”
In May this year, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it plans to start assembling the flagship Range Rover model, along with Range Rover Sport, in India for the first time, significantly bringing down the prices.
The company’s Pune plant currently assembles the Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar F-PACE, and Discovery Sport models. The India-assembled Range Rovers will be available for delivery by the end of this month while Range Rover Sport will arrive in the market by August.
According to N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, the local assembly of the flagship models marks an inflection point for the India subsidiary and shows the confidence the company has in the market.
As per industry data, the sale of luxury cars from brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin are experiencing strong demand in the Indian market. According to a latest wealth report by Knight Frank, India is likely to see more ultra-wealthy individuals, with those possessing a net worth exceeding $30 million to reach 19,908 by 2028 — up from 13,263 in 2023.
Sales Surge on Heavy Discounts
After sluggish sales in the first five months of this fiscal, automobiles and consumer electronics companies saw some surge in demand due to discounts and promotional offers during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam festivals, multiple reports said.
“In view of festivals like Onam, Navratri, Diwali, and Dussehra, electronics, automobile and smartphone companies are offering discounts of up to 30 percent to customers,” the reports stated.
Maruti Suzuki reported a 10 per cent increase in bookings in Kerala before Onam and deliveries in Maharashtra and Karnataka rose similarly on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Two-wheeler sales surged by 15 to 16 per cent during Onam.
During the festive season, vehicle sales may increase by 15 per cent from the average of 3,30,000 units in the first five months of the current financial year.
Sales of consumer electronics may see an increase of 7 to 8 per cent compared to last year. Sales of frost-free refrigerators increased by 15 per cent during Onam. However, sales of single-door refrigerators have declined by 6 to 7 per cent.
Sales of fully automatic washing machines have increased by 12 to 13 per cent, while those of semi-automatic washing machines have increased by 4 to 5 per cent.
Earlier a report said that the upcoming festive season in India is likely to see the creation of up to 10 lakh jobs with a notable surge in gig and female workforce participation. Many industries are gearing up for a rise in hiring, including retail, hotel, e-commerce, logistics, consumer goods, banking, financial services, insurance (BFSI), and retail, according to NLB Services, a technology and digital talent solutions provider.
Among these industries, e-commerce will see the highest demand with a 22 per cent increase over last year.
The win made India the most successful team in the tournament’s history with a record-extending five titles…reports Asian Lite News
Defender Jugraj Singh’s decisive strike in the 51st minute helped the Indian Men’s Hockey Team successfully defend their Asian Champions Trophy title, clinching a hard-fought 1-0 victory over hosts China in the final at the scenic Moqi Hockey Training Base, China Daur Ethnic Park, Hulunbuir, on Tuesday.
The win made India the most successful team in the tournament’s history with a record-extending five titles. India also became the only team to win the title five times, having retained the trophy for the second consecutive edition after their triumph in 2023. India had previously achieved back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2018.
To reward the team’s efforts, Hockey India announced a cash prize of INR 3 lakh for each player and INR 1.5 lakh for each support staff member.
The final saw both teams jostling to find their rhythm early on, with India’s Vivek Sagar Prasad creating the first major chance as he slipped into the circle and set up Sukhjeet, whose audacious shot between his legs forced a swift save from Chinese goalkeeper Wang Weihao. India applied steady pressure in the first quarter, probing for openings, while China adopted a half-court press to counterattack when India’s defence was exposed.
India’s forward line, including Rajkumar, Sukhjeet, Nilakanta, and Raheel, consistently tested the Chinese defence, while captain Harmanpreet Singh narrowly missed with a penalty corner flick. China responded with a penalty corner of their own, but Krishan Pathak was sharp to deny Jiesheng Gao’s attempt.
The second quarter saw India slowing the game’s tempo, searching for gaps in China’s tight defence. Sukhjeet earned another penalty corner late in the half, but Harmanpreet’s shot deflected off the post. China’s Benhai Chen then launched a counterattack, only for Jugraj Singh to make a crucial sliding tackle, keeping the score 0-0 at half-time.
The third quarter brought increased intensity from India, but China’s defence remained steadfast. Harmanpreet’s passes found Abhishek on multiple occasions, but they struggled to convert. China earned two penalty corners midway through the quarter, but Pathak’s reflexes kept the score level. China ended the quarter by putting pressure on the Indian defence, but India held firm.
China’s Changliang Lin made a couple of dangerous runs early in the fourth quarter, but India soon took control. India’s persistence paid off when, with time running out, Harmanpreet found Jugraj in the circle, and he expertly slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner to give India the crucial lead.
Riding on the support of the capacity partisan crowd, China responded by pushing forward in search of an equaliser, leading to an end-to-end finale. However, India remained composed, controlling possession and running down the clock to secure the 1-0 win and their fifth Hero Asian Champions Trophy title.
Award Winners:
Player of the Tournament – Harmanpreet Singh – India
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament – Yang Jihun (9 Goals) – Korea
Promising Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Kim Jaehan – Korea
Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Wang Caiyu – China
Rising Star of the Tournament – Hanan Shahid – Pakistan’
We are losing faith in the various institutions at central or local government level that rule our lives. This is a very worrying development. What it means is that politicians can emerge who seek and even win power by saying the system is corrupt and cannot be trusted, writes Mihir Bose
The night after the fire at Grenfell Tower I was doing the Paper Review on BBC News, a program that no longer exists. The papers we were reviewing reported the fire extensively with all of them reporting how the fire had started, how many may have died, at that time there was no definite number of the people killed, and praise for how the fire brigade had responded. There was nothing about cladding or the real causes of the fire. The papers had complete confidence that the authorities bore no responsibility for this disaster and that they would handle the aftermath with great care giving attention to those who had survived. Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s enquiry shows how wrong the papers were although it has taken us seven years to learn the truth.
The 1,700-page final report makes it very clear the fire “was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry to look carefully into the danger of incorporating combustible materials into the external walls of high rise residential building and to act on the information available to them”.
In the days after the fire much was made that there was cladding at Grenfell to improve energy efficiency leading to criticism about those who campaign about energy. That says the report was not the case. The “initial motive for cladding Grenfell Tower was to improve its physical appearance and to prevent it looking like a poor relation” to a building next door. The argument to improve energy efficiency came later. The report makes it clear there was always a relentless focus on cost.
In the days after the fire much was made about how well the survivors were being looked after. But the report says survivors were “comprehensively failed” and “left to fend for themselves”. They were “abandoned” without information after the fire had taken place, killing 72 people, and this was a fire scene that was described as a “horror film” and “war zone”. The survivors were not sure who had escaped and as they looked for loved ones they experienced feelings of “utter helplessness and despair”. For the survivors there is “long-lasting trauma” and their “lives have been changed forever”.
As for the emergency accommodation provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which was extensively reported in the weeks after the fire and praised, this was not adequate and arrangements for obtaining food at some hotels made some people “feel like refugees”. “Survivors described it as living in a limbo, with no space to heal.”
The papers on the day I did the Paper Review and immediately afterwards praised the London Fire Brigade. The report says, “One significant shortcoming was a failure to recognise the possibility that in the event of a fire in a high-rise residential building a large number of calls seeking help, both from within and outside the building, might be generated. The LFB failed to take any steps to enable it to respond effectively to that kind of demand. As a result, when faced with a large number of calls about people needing to be rescued from Grenfell Tower, both those in the control room and those responsible for handling that information at the fireground were forced to resort to various improvised methods of varying reliability to handle the large amount of information they received.”
An apartment building is engulfed by a massive fire in western London, Britain, June 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Han Yan/IANS)
All this means there is a gap growing between those who rule us and the reality we experience. Grenfell is not the only example and comes after the shocking Post Office and contaminated blood scandals. In all of these cases people relied on government to help them only to find that they not only did not but often did not want to. Their attitude was the one the great dramatist Bertolt Brecht mocked when living in communist East Germany. “Some party hacks decreed that the people had lost the government’s confidence and could only regain it with redoubled effort. If that is the case, would it not be simpler, If the government simply dissolved the people and elected another?”
Looking at the government’s response to these scandals you do get the impression our government, despite being democratic, would like to elect another people.
Now in many developing countries this is common. I remember when I was living in India there was a coal mine disaster. Immediately a figure was given out by the authorities about how many had died. I was told that figure was obviously wrong. It had been understated. It was much higher.
In these former colonial countries suppressing the truth is not uncommon and they are, you could say, carrying on in the way the colonial authorities behaved. So, there is still discrepancy about how many were killed by the British at Jallianwala Bagh when General Dyer ordered his troops to shoot innocent people gathered in an Amritsar park. Read any history book on the subject and you will find two figures. One given in the Hunter inquiry appointed by the British Raj is 379 and the other figure, given by a rival inquiry held by the Congress party, is well over a 1,000. There is similar disagreement about how many people died in the Bengal famine, the worst famine in south Asian history, during the war with the difference running into millions, the British Raj figure being the smaller one. But then it suited a conqueror to conceal the truth. That in free India people do not believe what the government says after a disaster shows how in that respect society has not changed.
But however Britain behaved in its colonies, something many people in this country do not know and even now cannot come to terms with, we in Britain are supposed to be different. Here a disaster is followed by a report of inquiry which makes recommendations. Grenfell is part of that tradition. It is very likely that as a result of this report there will be changes in building regulations, the defects of which the report highlights. It recommends a single regulator, answerable to a government minister, so that officials and industry can be held to account. The government may well accept that recommendation to show it is responding. The police are also conducting a major inquiry with potential crimes under investigation including corporate manslaughter, fraud and misconduct in public office.
One problem is the time it has taken. The inquiry took seven years to finish its work, interrupted by Covid. Any trial as a result of the police investigation may not take place until 2027, ten years after the fire.
But more that, like former colonial countries, what the Grenfell fire shows is that we as a country now face a huge problem. We are losing faith in the various institutions at central or local government level that rule our lives. This is a very worrying development. What it means is that politicians can emerge who seek and even win power by saying the system is corrupt and cannot be trusted. In America this has happened and may happen again this November.
Donald Trump is the classic example of that. His whole strategy is to call his opponents liars and say he is the only man telling the truth. So much so that he has refused to accept his defeat in the last Presidential election and still insists he was cheated by the rigging of the vote. That is the sort of thing that we hear after elections in developing countries. That it is now coming from the country proud to have been the first to democratically elect its head of state shows how things have changed. It is because of such distrust that Trump’s followers do not find it outrageous that in the Presidential debate with Kamala Harris he claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Illinois were eating cats despite the city authorities saying there was no evidence of it. When you have lost faith in institutions you will believe anything, and Trump thrives on it. He knows his followers will believe whatever he says and that is the path to power.
Our politicians in Britan do not go that far but there is growing sense in this country that when they, or an institution they run, says something they may be hiding the truth.
Sir Keir Starmer has promised to restore our trust in government. This may explain why he has become the merchant of gloom. But if this turns out to be just a political weapon to paint the Conservatives as unable to govern and not quite the whole truth then it will do nothing to restore trust. The distrust between the governors and the governed will in fact grow and we will be faced with politicians emerging in this country who are in the mould of Trump profiting from such alienation. A lot is riding on Starmer to fulfil his promise to make us believe that we can trust those we elect to rule us to tell it like it is.
(Mihir Bose is the author of Thank You Mr Crombie Lessons in Guilt and Gratitude from the British.)
