Month: October 2024

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-Top News Economy UK News

Regulated rail fares to rise by 4.6%  

While Rachel Reeves made no reference to train fares in her budget speech, the government said the rise would be “the lowest absolute increase in three years”…reports Asian Lite News

Rail fares will go up by 4.6% next March, the government disclosed alongside the budget – meaning they will rise above inflation for only the second time in 12 years. Meanwhile, the cost of most railcards will rise by £5, or almost 17%.

The increase has been set at 1% above retail prices index (RPI) inflation in July – which at 3.6% was substantially higher than the 2.2% consumer prices index (CPI) measure usually referred to by government.

While Rachel Reeves made no reference to train fares in her budget speech, the government said the rise would be “the lowest absolute increase in three years”.

However, fare rises in the past two years rose at rates considerably below RPI inflation. Since 2013, regulated fares – those set by government – have only increased above the rate of RPI inflation once, in 2021, when the industry had suffered a huge drop in passenger revenues during the pandemic.

Public subsidy to the railway rose by almost £10bn annually during the pandemic, when the government was forced to scrap franchising. Passenger revenues remain well below pre-pandemic levels, hurt by the trend of working from home. In subsequent train operating contracts the state has taken on liability for all revenue risks and firms receive a management fee.

In documents published alongside the budget, the Treasury said: “These policies will support the secretary of state for transport’s plans for reform, which will increase efficiency and reduce costs, while boosting ridership and revenue and improving performance, laying the groundwork for the transition to Great British Railways.”

The £5 increase in the price of most railcards will exclude the railcard for disabled passengers. The Treasury said railcards, which generally cost £30 a year, save users an average of “up to £158” annually.

The fare increase will apply in England from 2 March 2025. Almost half of rail fares in England are directly set by Westminster, with the devolved Scottish and Welsh governments usually capping fares at a similar level. Regulated fares include season tickets on most commuter journeys, off-peak returns on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for urban rail.

Campaigners and industry figures criticised the rise, which came as the chancellor followed Conservative chancellors in again freezing fuel duty on motorists.

Paul Tuohy from Campaign for Better Transport said: “Raising rail fares above inflation and hiking the cost of railcards is a kick in the teeth for people who rely on public transport, especially those on low income. Doing this at the same time as keeping fuel duty frozen sends entirely the wrong message. To tackle air pollution, congestion and climate change, we need to make public transport the attractive, affordable choice.”

Andy Bagnall, the chief executive of Rail Partners, representing private train operators, said: “Government should set fares at a level that will ultimately encourage more people to travel by train … The focus must be on growing passenger numbers, not making current passengers pay more.”

Rail passengers could be entitled to compensation after Northern was accused of breaking its fare evasion rules to prosecute commuters.

The train operator said on Monday all prosecutions of people accused of using a 16-25 railcard to obtain a discount at the wrong time of day were being withdrawn – with less than 25 previous cases being reviewed.

The company was criticised for prosecuting young people after they used their railcards in a way that would have saved a few pounds on morning journeys.

Under Northern rules, passengers with a railcard travelling on the wrong train must be offered the chance to pay back the deficit on the spot, the Telegraph reported.

A Northern spokesperson said: “We understand that fares and ticketing across the railway can, at times, be difficult to understand, and we are reviewing our processes for ensuring compliance with ticket and railcard terms and conditions. With regard to recent reported cases involving use of the 16-25 railcard with fares under £12 before 10am, we are withdrawing any live cases and will also look to review anyone who has been prosecuted previously on this specific issue.

“We are actively engaged with government and industry to simplify fares to help customers.”

Restrictions on a 16-25 railcard, which can also be bought by full-time students, mean discounts can only be applied to an “anytime” ticket before 10am if the fare is £12 or more, requiring cardholders to pay full fare for cheaper tickets.

However, there are exceptions to this rule: railcards can be used on early morning trains at a weekend, or during the months of July and August. Some rail users said the rules were confusing and they had fallen foul of the regulations after buying discounted tickets, unaware that their railcards were not valid.

Sam Williamson, 22, received a letter from Northern threatening him with prosecution over a £1.90 fare discrepancy after he mistakenly used his railcard on a morning train from Manchester to London on 5 September.

Last week, in a social media post seen by millions, Williamson told how he had received the notice from the government-owned operator. The engineering graduate from Glossop in Derbyshire said he was subsequently contacted by the train operator notifying him that it would “be taking no further steps” against him.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We expect Northern and all operators to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times. Northern are reviewing the details of these cases and will report back to the department.

“It is clear that ticketing is far too complicated with a labyrinth of different fares and prices, which can be confusing for passengers. That’s why we have committed to the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, including simplifying fares to make travelling by train easier.”

ALSO READ: Reeves Tastes Speaker’s Fury

Categories
-Top News Health UK News

£22.6bn cash injection for NHS  

Rachel Reeves hails biggest increase ‘outside of Covid’ since 2010 but health experts say patients may not feel impact…reports Asian Lite News

The NHS in England is to receive a £22.6bn cash injection over two years, the chancellor has announced, in what she called the biggest spending increase outside Covid since 2010. But health experts said patients may not feel the impact as much of the increase would be absorbed by pay rises and higher care costs.

Announcing the “down payment” on the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, due in spring 2025, Rachel Reeves said the NHS was the nation’s “most cherished public service” and that the extra funding would help the government cut waiting lists.

“This is the largest real-terms growth in day-to-day NHS spending outside of Covid since 2010,” she said. “Because of this record injection of funding, because of the thousands of additional beds that we have secured, and because of the reforms that we are delivering in our NHS, we can now begin to bring waiting lists down more quickly and move towards our target for waiting times to be no longer than 18 weeks by delivering on our manifesto commitment for 40,000 extra hospital appointments a week.”

Overall, the Treasury said, the average annual increase to the day-to-day NHS in England budget was 4%, while the total increase for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was 3.4%.

Reeves also announced a “record” £3.1bn two-year increase in the department’s capital budget, a 10.9% average annual rise. This includes £1bn for the repairs backlog and to tackle problems with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), £1.5bn of funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners and £70m for new radiotherapy machines.

Health experts welcomed the extra funding but cautioned that more investment in the NHS would be needed for patients to notice the difference. Siva Anandaciva, the chief analyst at the King’s Fund thinktank, said: “The health spending announced today is unlikely to be enough for patients to see a real improvement in the care they receive.”

While the budget increase would help sustain services, “it is unlikely to drastically improve care over the rest of this year, and certainly not overnight”, he added, because much of the £22.6bn extra would be absorbed by NHS staff pay increases and the rising cost of delivering care.

While the extra funding for the capital budget was also welcomed, the £3.1bn is considered a drop in the ocean compared with the £13.8bn backlog of NHS maintenance costs for buildings and equipment, and therefore only a modest downpayment on what is needed to tackle unsafe and outdated NHS facilities.

Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the budget brought a “welcome boost” for England’s NHS trusts, but years of underinvestment and severe staff shortages meant all areas of the NHS were in a “very tough” position.

She said: “Almost £14bn is needed to plug a rocketing backlog of NHS repairs. Vital bits of the NHS are literally falling apart, putting quality of care and sometimes the safety of patients and staff at risk. The devil is often in the detail and it will be critical to ensure that welcome funding increases fall where they are needed, including to bring down waits for mental health and community services and to improve ambulance performance.”

There was widespread consternation that an extra £600m announced for social care was substantially less than the NHS has received, especially when care providers face extra costs from national insurance changes and minimum wage increases, exacerbating the difficult financial position they are in.

Also announced in the budget was a new duty of £2.20 a millilitre on vape liquid, plus an additional one-off increase in tobacco duty to maintain the price differential and avoid incentivising smoking.

A consultation was announced on potentially expanding the levy on sugary drinks. This could lead to reducing the percentage of sugar allowed in a drink before the charge kicks in, and introducing a third, highest tier for the most sugary products.

The levy could be extended to milkshakes and other dairy drinks. Some of these can have more than 10% sugar content but were exempted from the levy when it was introduced in 2018.

Matthew Bazeley-Bell, the deputy chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said a 1p cut in alcohol duty on draught beer in pubs alongside increases for other drinks, was the right approach, reflecting the difference in harm between drinking in a pub and drinking high-strength alcohol bought elsewhere. “This is a welcome step in the right direction,” he said.

Earlier, health secretary, Wes Streeting, has warned, saying measures to be announced on Wednesday would “arrest the decline” amid significant reform of the health service.

Streeting told broadcasters new efficiencies in the health service would be the key quid pro quo for significant investment. The government is expected to announce a spending boost of at least 4% to the health budget.

Reeves said on Monday new cash would continue to drive down waiting lists, delivering more surgical hubs and radiotherapy machines – with the aim of an extra 40,000 appointments a week.

Streeting said on Tuesday he was confident there would be substantial improvements to the NHS over the course of the parliament. “I think people are realistic, you don’t fix the NHS overnight,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

ALSO READ: Reeves Tastes Speaker’s Fury

Categories
-Top News Crime UK News

Chancellor accused of betraying small family firms  

Chancellor also criticised for letting the very rich off the hook with a lower than expected rise in capital gains tax…reports Asian Lite News

Tax rises aimed at inherited wealth are at risk of backfiring, after the chancellor was accused of betraying small family businesses while letting private equity bosses off the hook.

Labour’s first budget in 14 years included measures to close inheritance tax (IHT) loopholes and press ahead with scrapping the controversial non-dom tax status, as well as levying higher taxes on private jet flights.

But Rachel Reeves came under fire from campaigners for pulling her punches on the rich, while she also faces a furious backlash from farmers and small business owners over fears that tax rises could force family firms to sell up.

From April 2026, a 20% tax rate – half the headline inheritance tax rate of 40% – will be applied to the value of farms and businesses worth more than £1m when they are passed on.

Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said two-thirds of farms would now be subject to inheritance tax, labelling the change “disastrous”.

“This budget not only threatens family farms but also makes producing food more expensive,” he said, adding that costs would be passed on to consumers.

Chris Groves, of Withers Worldwide, which advises clients on tax issues, said many would react with horror. “I’ve got a client who built a big international brand and is in his 80s. He wants to pass it on to the next generation. Now he’ll have to sell that business or move abroad,” he said.

Groves said generations-old family firms could end up locked in power struggles reminiscent of the dynastic disputes in the TV series Succession, or selling at knockdown prices. “Impatient heirs and private equity funds looking to pick up businesses” would benefit, he said.

Peter Harker, a partner at the accountancy firm Saffery, said the measures would catch small businesses. “You’re not talking about the super-rich here,” he said. The inheritance tax rises come “quite a long way down society,” he said.

The lobby group Family Business UK accused the chancellor of a betrayal of family business owners.

Under the IHT changes, pensions will be subject to inheritance tax from April 2027, while shares on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) will be taxed at 50%, having previously been exempt. However, the Aim market rose 4% on Wednesday, as some investors had feared relief on the stocks would be abolished altogether.

In total, Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax are slated to raise more than £2bn, compared with a total take of £7bn now.

While family firms braced for the impact, the private equity industry stands to benefit from a lower-than-expected rise in capital gains tax on “carried interest”, the share of profits that bosses make on successful deals.

Labour was widely expected to target receipts of more than £500m a year by raising the rate from 18%-28% to a level in line with income tax, up to 45%. Instead, the rate will rise to 32%, raising £300m by 2030.

In a restaurant near Bond Street, a group of fund managers celebrated their lobbying “coup” over lunch. One told the Guardian they had “pulled off the negotiation of a lifetime”.

“We got them down to 32% and made them feel like they had to be grateful for it,” one said.

Robert Palmer, the executive director at Tax Justice UK, said the change was a “big climbdown in the face on intensive lobbying from some of the richest people in the UK”. He welcomed measures on IHT and non-doms but said it was “disappointing that the chancellor didn’t look to the super-rich for a greater proportion of the tax rises”.

Wealth advisers said clients were already looking for ways to put their assets out of reach of the chancellor’s plans, including offshore trusts and taking out life insurance to hedge against death duties.

“There are no prizes for being the richest person in the graveyard,” said Robert Record, a partner at Partners Wealth Management.

Obi Nnochiri, a private client consultant at St James’s Place, said most clients were unlikely to leave the UK over the loss of non-domicile tax status, which allows people to live in the UK but pay tax in a different jurisdiction.

He said the “vast majority of these changes are taxes on wealth to a certain extent”, but that clients would find ways to minimise the impact between now and their implementation.

Luke Hildyard, of the High Pay Centre, said taxes on the wealthiest were “less ambitious than many people were expecting”.

Reeves did announce a 50% increase in air passenger duty on private jet passengers, equivalent to £450 per passenger, which she said would raise more than £700m.

One wealth adviser said: “You can’t really complain about that. If you can afford a private jet, you can afford to pay that tax.”

ALSO READ: Reeves Tastes Speaker’s Fury

Categories
Economy UK News

Reeves wins over voters

Chancellor hopes extra money for NHS and public services will make it easier to accept higher taxes and slow growth…reports Asian Lite News

Rachel Reeves used her budget debut to announce a massive package of tax, spending and borrowing increases as she gambled on voters rewarding the government for patching up Britain’s crumbling public services.

Insisting that she was delivering on the choices the public made in July’s general election, the chancellor told businesses and the better off that they must bear the brunt of £40bn of tax increases needed for an emergency NHS cash injection and to plug the hole in the public finances inherited from the Conservatives.

The chancellor raised £25bn by increasing employer national insurance contributions and hit those on higher incomes through increases in capital gains and inheritance tax, and changes to the rules covering wealthy foreign individuals living in Britain.

Reeves said she was making good on her pledge not to hit the pockets of working people, refusing to raise fuel duty for motorists and knocking a penny off the price of a pint of beer. Despite speculation, the chancellor also decided against extending the freeze on tax allowances and thresholds.

Addressing a meeting of Labour MPs after her speech, Reeves said: “At this budget, the Labour government made our choices. They’re not easy choices, but they are the responsible choices in the national interest, and we now need to take the fight to the Tories.”

In all, the budget, the first delivered by a female chancellor, raised spending by £70bn a year over the next five years – with about half the increase paid for by tax increases and the remainder from additional borrowing made possible by changing the government’s debt rules.

Reeves said the extra borrowing would allow a major programme of capital investment in schools, hospitals, railways and energy. The NHS will receive a £22.6bn cash injection in 2025-26 as the government seeks to reduce waiting lists.

The Office for Budget Responsibility said the UK would receive a short-term growth boost from the cash for the NHS that would prevent a new wave of spending cuts for many Whitehall departments.

Yet the government’s independent spending watchdog warned that tax increases on business would lead to lower private investment and that the expected boost to growth from higher infrastructure spending would not occur until the next parliament.

It also warned that the budget would lead to slightly higher inflation, which could lead the Bank of England to keep interest rates higher for longer – feeding through to higher mortgage rates.

In a blow to the government’s growth ambitions, the OBR said over the course of the current parliament the economy would grow no faster under Labour than had been projected under the Conservatives.

Although the tax increases were the highest ever announced in a budget, Reeves told Sky News that it would be “irresponsible” to rule out more rises in the years ahead. There were also warnings from a leading thinktank that Reeves might need to raise more money in the future.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said Reeves was gambling that a big cash injection for public services over the next two years would be enough to turn performance around, and that many of the temporary spending pressures would not persist.

“If she’s wrong about that, and spending pressures don’t dissipate after two years, then to avoid cutting unprotected areas she may well need to come back with another round of tax rises in a couple of years’ time – unless she gets lucky on growth.”

Reaction to the budget was mixed. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “This budget is the latest blow for hospitality businesses. Rising taxes, increasing costs and fragile consumer confidence risk bringing growth to a grinding halt.

“In the short-term, the tsunami of employment costs coming in April will ultimately do more to hamper growth than incentivise it. Increases to employer NICs and wages will make it harder for businesses to support employment and invest in their businesses.”

The TUC’s general secretary, Paul Nowak, said: “There is no link between rates of employer national insurance and wages. At a time when senior bosses are earning 100 times average pay, and dividends continue to outstrip wages, no union would accept that their members should pick up the bill for a modest rise in employer NI contributions.”

George Dibb, associate director for economic policy at the left of centre IPPR thinktank, said the OBR was underestimating the beneficial impact of higher public investment, which he said would also boost private investment.

In addition, the OBR said it could not yet factor in Labour’s much-vaunted planning changes into its growth forecasts as there was “insufficient certainty” about them to adjust current forecasts.

Farmers across the UK reacted furiously to news that inheritance tax relief for farms would be limited to £1m. The National Farmers’ Union said it had been a “disastrous budget” for family farms, which would “snatch away the next generation’s ability to carry on producing British food” and they could end up being forced to sell land to pay tax.

ALSO READ: Reeves Tastes Speaker’s Fury

Categories
-Top News Culture India News

INDIA LIGHTS UP

Bhopal: A Rangoli created in the name of Lord Ram, with lamps lit to celebrate Diwali and the establishment of Ram Temple, in Bhopal on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo: IANS)

From bustling cities to quiet villages, India lights up in a dazzling celebration of Diwali, a festival of lights, victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

An illuminated view of Dakshineswar Kali Temple, adorned with lights on the eve of Diwali in Kolkata. (Photo: IANS)

People buy LED lights for Diwali at a shop in Amritsar. (Photo: IANS)

An illuminated view of Akshardham Temple bathed in vibrant lights on the eve of Diwali Festival in Jaipur. (Photo: IANS/Ravishankar Vyas)

A female vendor arranges earthen lamps (diyas) on the roadside ahead of Diwali in Haridwar. (Photo: IANS/Rameshwar Gaur)

Dancers and artists perform ahead of the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya. (Photo: IANS/@uptourismgov)

Artificial flowers and decorative items set up for sale along the roadside at Ghazipur market on the eve of Diwali in New Delhi Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (Photo: IANS)

An illuminated view of Jaipur’s Pink City seen from the historical Nahargarh Fort ahead of the Diwali Festival in Jaipur on Monday, October 28, 2024. (Photo: IANS/Ravishankar Vyas)

ALSO READ: Air India cancels 60 flights to US in peak season

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-Top News Asia News Bangladesh

Mizo group seek shelter homes for refugees from Bangladesh, Myanmar

A senior YMA leader said that during the organisation’s conference recently, many demands and proposals were unanimously approved and these would be implemented in a phased manner….reports Asian Lite News

Mizoram’s most influential civil society organisation, the Young Mizo Association (YMA) on Wednesday requested the state government to set up proper shelter homes for over 44,000 refugees from Manipur as well as neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh living in the northeastern state for some time now. 

A senior YMA leader said that during the organisation’s conference recently, many demands and proposals were unanimously approved and these would be implemented in a phased manner.

“The conference resolved to urge the government to arrange proper shelter homes or accommodation for the people currently sheltered in different districts of Mizoram after they fled from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur,” he said.

The YMA, which has been involved in all aspects of Mizo society for the past several decades, would also urge the government to set up proper shelter homes in different districts and provide relief and required support on humanitarian grounds.

“The government should also formulate guidelines for managing, supervising and helping the refugees who took shelter in the state after being fled from their original habitat areas,” he said.

During the YMA conference, the organisation decided to intensify its efforts against drug menace and drug peddling and to further promote the Mizo language and steps to protect it.

The incumbent Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government headed by Chief Minister Lalduhoma has taken several steps for the benefit of the refugees and sought support from the Centre for the purpose.

According to a state Home Department official, a total of 33,004 Myanmar nationals, including 12,572 children, are currently sheltered in different camps, government buildings and rented houses in all 11 districts of Mizoram. They took shelter in Mizoram in phases after the military takeover in the conflict-ridden country in February 2021.

Over 2,000 tribals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of southeast Bangladesh also took shelter in Mizoram since November 2022 after they fled from their villages in CHT following ethnic troubles in the neighbouring country. Around 7,800 refugees belonging to the Kuki-Zo community from Manipur have also taken shelter in several districts of Mizoram after the ethnic violence broke out in the neighbouring state in May last year.

The refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur belong to the Kuki-Zo-Chin-Hmar-Bawm tribal community who also share ethnic, traditional, cultural and linguistic ties with the Mizos of Mizoram.

The Centre recently allowed the Mizoram government to procure 1,379.34 metric tonnes (MT) of rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses for the refugees from Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh. According to a senior Mizoram government official, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would bear the cost of the rice (Rs 5 crore) while transportation of the rice would be arranged by the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry and the state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.

The official said that after procurement of the rice from FCI warehouses, the Deputy Commissioners of Mizoram’s 11 districts would ensure that it reaches the refugees.

ALSO READ: Air India cancels 60 flights to US in peak season

Categories
-Top News Asia News Bangladesh

UN probes attacks on minorities in Bangladesh

Turk said that the authorities must hold the perpetrators accountable….reports Asian Lite News

United Nations are investigating the reported attacks on minorities in Bangladesh after August changeover, UN human rights chief said in Dhaka on Wednesday.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk met interim government Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, and other advisers, civil society member, students.

“Our fact-finding mission is investigating allegations of attacks against minorities between 5 and 15 August”, Turk said at a news conference after concluding a two-day visit in Bangladesh.

“Transitions are always fraught with risk – and this is all the more pronounced for vulnerable groups. I commend the efforts made by students and others to protect minorities,” he added.

Turk said that the authorities must hold the perpetrators accountable.

“It is vital that the authorities respond quickly to any incidents reported, by conducting thorough investigations and holding perpetrators accountable. This will help build trust with minority communities, especially in light of troubling campaigns of misinformation and disinformation as well as hate campaigns on social media,” Turk said.

Earlier in September, the Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad (HBCOP), the largest organization of minorities in Bangladesh, had called on the United Nations to investigate communal violence against minorities in the country.

“Criminal justice is key, but it is crucial to ensure that charges are not brought in haste, and that due process and fair trial standards are upheld throughout, including in the International Crimes Tribunal”, UN human rights chief said.

Bangladesh authorities are considering using Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies to arrest ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other her party leaders for alleged crimes against humanity committed during July-August uprising.

“It is key that criminal cases are not filed against individuals solely on the basis of their previous political affiliation, including members or supporters of Awami League”, he added.

“There are concerns that some charges are not founded on proper investigation, including a large number of murder charges against journalists,” he said.

Two months ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600. Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Air India cancels 60 flights to US in peak season

Categories
-Top News Asia News Politics

EU set to increase tariffs on Chinese EVs

Extra tariffs on China-made electric cars will go ahead as planned, despite ongoing talks with China and will apply as of Wednesday….reports Asian Lite News

The European Commission has given the final green light to steep tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China, officially closing the probe that began one year ago, as per Euro News.

According to Euro News, the extra tariffs on China-made electric cars will go ahead as planned, despite ongoing talks with China and will apply as of Wednesday.

They are set to remain in place for the next five years.

Meanwhile, Brussels will continue negotiations with Beijing so as to secure a deal on minimum prices that can replace the tariffs. It was observed by Euro News that this solution which was advocated by Germany is highly complex and would be difficult to implement.

Despite the introduction of tariffs, Brussels claims it remains committed to finding a solution with Beijing through enforcement of customs duties and rules which are compatible with the World Trade Organization (WTO), although this remains elusive.

“By adopting these proportionate and targeted measures after a rigorous investigation, we’re standing up for fair market practices and for the European industrial base,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, the Commission’s executive vice president in charge of trade.

As per Euro News, the entry into force was widely expected after the inconclusive vote earlier this month where member states failed to mount the necessary majority in favour or against the measures.

The Commission invoked its trade powers to break the impasse and approve the duties, which come on top of the existing 10% rate and vary according to brands.

For instance, for Tesla, it is 7.8 per cent, BYD, 17 per cent; Geely, 18.8 per cent; SAIC at 35.3 per cent; other EV producers in China who cooperated in the investigation but have not been individually sampled, 20.7 per cent, and other EV producers in China who did not cooperate, 35.3 per cent.

Euro News reported that the executive argues that additional tariffs are necessary to offset the effects of the subsidies it claims Beijing is injecting on a large scale across its domestic EV sector.

The financial aid provided to the Chinese producers has resulted in them selling their products at lower prices than compared with those of their European competitors, the Commission attested.

Because of this it was observed that the Chinese firms’ EV sales in Europe have increased at extraordinary pace with their market share jumping from 1.9 per cent in 2020 to 14.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, according to the Commission’s estimations.

It was observed that if strict measures are not taken, EU’s carmakers would suffer unsustainable losses and be pushed out of the lucrative market of net-zero mobility, leading to the closure of plants and the dismissal of thousands of workers, Euro News reported.

“There’s a clear and imminent threat to our car industry not making the transition to electric vehicles and being therefore wiped out,” a senior EU official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

As per Euro News, China denounced the Commission’s probe from the outset as a “naked protectionist act” consistently denying the existence of subsidies, describing the findings “artificially constructed and exaggerated,” and threatening retaliatory measures against the EU’s dairy, brandy and pork industries, setting alarm bells ringing in some capitals.

“We disagreed on each and every fact that we established in the investigation,” the senior EU official said. “It was a broad disagreement.”

In recent times when the US and Canada have put 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese EVs, Europe continues to remain one of the wealthy markets available for Beijing’s high-end products. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Air India cancels 60 flights to US in peak season

Categories
-Top News China USA

US lawmakers seek probe into China’s silicon photonics industry

Chairman Rep. Moolenaar & RM Congressman Raja call on Sec. Raimondo to restrict advanced photonic semiconductor technology to China…reports Asian Lite News

The leadership of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP) urged the US Department of Commerce to conduct a thorough investigation into China’s rapidly growing silicon photonics industry, emphasising national security risks and competitive challenges.

In response to these concerns, SCCCP Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi have specifically called on US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to impose restrictions on the transfer of advanced photonic semiconductor technology to China.

In a post on X, the SCCCP stated, “Chairman Rep. Moolenaar & RM Congressman Raja call on Sec. Raimondo to restrict advanced photonic semiconductor technology to China.”

They advocate for the inclusion of silicon photonics equipment and products on the Commerce Control List (CCL) to safeguard American technological leadership.

Silicon photonics, which utilises light particles instead of electrons for data transmission, is seen as the next frontier in semiconductor technology. Experts suggest that this innovation could lead to an astonishing 1,000-fold increase in computational speed compared to traditional electronic chips, potentially redefining the semiconductor landscape.

The letter emphasises that while the US has historically led in semiconductor technology, it is currently falling behind as China intensifies its investments in photonics. The Chinese government has identified silicon photonics as a strategic priority in its national plans, and state-owned enterprises are reportedly allocating billions to advance this field.

Key players in China, such as Huawei and the Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute, are cited as significant contributors to this effort, raising alarms about the dual-use nature of photonics technology, which could bolster military capabilities. US lawmakers argue that American technology should not inadvertently support these endeavours.

To address these concerns, the lawmakers are asking the Commerce Department to assess the national security implications of China’s silicon photonics initiatives and to explore necessary amendments to the CCL.

They are also requesting a briefing by December 1, 2024, to discuss the national security threat posed by China’s silicon photonics industry, the current state of the US domestic sector, and the resources needed for effective oversight.

The outcome of these discussions could shape future U.S. policy on technology exports and strengthen domestic innovation in the rapidly evolving silicon photonics sector. (ANI)’

ALSO READ: Air India cancels 60 flights to US in peak season

Categories
-Top News Asia News Health

Malaria outbreak worsens in Sindh: 93k new cases in one week

Patients affected with dengue fever are treated inside mosquito nets at a hospital in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Sept. 15, 2022. Pakistan's capital Islamabad has been facing a surge in dengue cases as 72 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, amid an outbreak of the disease in the country, health authorities said. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Ehtesham Ali said that the southern districts were currently under the grip of the disease and emergency measures were being taken…reports Asian Lite News

The Sindh province of Pakistan has reported a sharp increase in malaria cases, with over 93,000 cases recorded in the past week, as reported by ARY News.

Data from Pakistan’s National Institute of Health shows that 93,002 malaria cases were reported across Sindh during the last week alone. Karachi, the provincial capital, also saw over 1,000 new cases during the same period, ARY News reported.

Last month, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Chief Minister Amin Gandapur’s Health Adviser, Ehtesham Ali, took notice of 54,000 cases of malaria reported from different parts of the province in 2024 and had directed all the District Health Officers (DHOs) of the respective districts to take immediate measures for malaria control and submit a report to his office, Ary News reported.

Ehtesham Ali said that the southern districts were currently under the grip of the disease and emergency measures were being taken. Ary News was also informed that due to climate change, the vector-borne diseases were increasing rapidly in the country.

In a report of the health department, it was noted that district Khyber of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province remained most affected by the disease.

10,000 cases of malaria were recorded from there in the time period between January 2024 and August 2024.

A similar rise in malaria cases was seen in various places. 6,000 were reported from Shangla for the first time, 3,000 from Battagram, 4,000 from DI Khan, 2,000 from Tank and Karak and 3,000 from Lakki Marwat, ARY News reported.

According to the World Health Organisation, malaria is one of the leading causes of illness and death in Pakistan. The disease is endemic in Pakistan and the cases have seen a rise in the country after the floods in June 2022, which badly impacted the health infrastructure of the country.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. (ANI)

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