Central News Hub

Month: December 2024

Jaishankar: Democracy Has Delivered for India

You can see it today, that in our eighth decade of our independence, actually democracy has delivered,” Jaishankar said after receiving the ‘India First’ award from AMG Media Network CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia at NDTV’s ‘Indian Of The Year’ ceremony…reports Asian Lite News

Spotlighting India’s phenomenal rise over the last 10 years, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Friday said that Indian democracy has delivered in the country’s eighth decade of independence. “We are more aspirational, more ambitious, more capable and confident. But, most of all, we are an India that is more Bharat.

You can see it today, that in our eighth decade of our independence, actually democracy has delivered,” Jaishankar said after receiving the ‘India First’ award from AMG Media Network CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia at NDTV’s ‘Indian Of The Year’ ceremony. The EAM stated that India is far more representative today with success not just being “elitist” or “metropolitan” and every walk of life – and every part of India – now having that equality of opportunity. “When I say democracy has delivered, I just don’t mean that our elections are better than everyone else’s. They are, but what I mean is that when you look at our politics, civil services, sports teams, and journalists, we are today far more representative as a selection of people than we have ever been before,” he mentioned.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong commitment to modernise India, the EAM said that there is a “degree of energy and sense of purpose” in the current government. Having worked with several governments, first as a diplomat and then as a Minister, Jaishankar said this is a “good moment” to be the External Affairs Minister of India. “Having a PM who is prepared to do the reforms we should, not just the reforms we must. I can tell you that every week when the Cabinet meets, if you look at the decisions that are taken and the policy implications that they have, it is really an extraordinary period in our national lives,” the EAM said. Highlighting India’s growth story, the External Affairs Minister also detailed journey from the early 90s to now, when the country is on its way to become a leading global economic power. “In 1991-92, we were a $250 billion economy with trade of $40 billion.

Today, we are a $4 trillion economy with a trade of $80 billion. Think about it, I’m throwing these numbers at you as it is a way of measuring how much more we are dealing with the world and how much we matter to the world.” The EAM reiterated that foreign policy has now become more relevant than ever before to Indian society and Indians are now aspiring towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’ – a developed India – a feeling which was missing 10 years ago. “This is today a ‘can-do’ generation, a generation that has done the Chandrayaan, a generation which was probably the most efficient producer and inventor of vaccines during Covid…Which has produced its telecom technology, our own 5G technology, a generation which today produces its own trains like Vande Bharat…” Taking an indirect dig at the Congress-led UPA government over its response following the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks, the EAM told the gathering that the country now knows it well how to give it back to those promoting terrorism from across the border. “In the past, India left 26/11 unanswered, but today we answered Pakistan with Uri and Balakot,” he said before wrapping up his speech at the NDTV ‘Indian of the Year’ awards ceremony.

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6 December 2024
NASA delays Moon missions, pushes back Artemis II to 2026

NASA will continue stacking its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket elements, which began in November, and prepare it for integration with Orion for Artemis II. …reports Asian Lite News

NASA’s Artemis programme has faced a setback, with the space agency announcing a delay in its mission. The Artemis II crewed test flight, previously scheduled for September 2025, has been rescheduled for April 2026, while the Artemis III mission has been pushed back to mid-2027.

NASA on its official website on Thursday said, “The experts discussed the results of NASA’s investigation into its Orion spacecraft heat shield after it experienced an unexpected loss of charred material during re-entry of the Artemis I uncrewed test flight.”

For the Artemis II crewed test flight, engineers will continue to prepare Orion with the heat shield already attached to the capsule. The agency announced it is now targeting April 2026 for Artemis II and mid-2027 for Artemis III. The updated mission timelines also reflect the time to address the Orion environmental control and life support systems.

“The Artemis campaign is the most daring, technically challenging, collaborative, international endeavour humanity has ever set out to do,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We have made significant progress on the Artemis campaign over the past four years, and I’m proud of the work our teams have done to prepare us for this next step forward in exploration as we look to learn more about Orion’s life support systems to sustain crew operations during Artemis II. We need to get this next test flight right. That’s how the Artemis campaign succeeds,” he added.

The agency’s decision comes after an extensive investigation of an Artemis I heat shield issue showed the Artemis II heat shield can keep the crew safe during the planned mission with changes to Orion’s trajectory as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and slows from nearly 25,000 mph to about 325 mph before its parachutes unfurl for safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

“Throughout our process to investigate the heat shield phenomenon and determine a forward path, we’ve stayed true to NASA’s core values; safety and data-driven analysis remained at the forefront,” said Catherine Koerner, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The updates to our mission plans are a positive step toward ensuring we can safely accomplish our objectives at the Moon and develop the technologies and capabilities needed for crewed Mars missions,” Koerner said.

NASA will continue stacking its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket elements, which began in November, and prepare it for integration with Orion for Artemis II.

Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, along with NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will fly aboard the 10-day Artemis II test flight around the Moon and back.

The flight will provide valuable data about Orion systems needed to support crew on their journey to deep space and bring them safely home, including air revitalization in the cabin, manual flying capabilities, and how humans interact with other hardware and software in the spacecraft, according to NASA.

With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work farther away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. (ANI)

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6 December 2024
US Lawmakers criticise loopholes in new export control rules

The lawmakers pointed out that, despite BIS’s efforts, the newly introduced controls may still fail to fully curb China’s ability to access crucial technologies. …reports Asian Lite News

Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the United States House Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have raised concerns over the US Department of Commerce’s recent export control rule, issued on December 2, 2024, aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology.

In a letter to Secretary Gina Raimondo, the lawmakers praised certain aspects of the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) rule, such as the inclusion of some of Huawei’s semiconductor facilities on the Entity List and the new controls on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technology, which could hinder China’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

However, they expressed disappointment over what they described as critical loopholes in the rule that continue to allow Chinese entities to access US technology.

The lawmakers pointed out that, despite BIS’s efforts, the newly introduced controls may still fail to fully curb China’s ability to access crucial technologies.

Specifically, they criticised the introduction of the “License Exception Restricted Fabrication Facility,” a list-based approach which they argued would be ineffective in protecting US national security. They also questioned the rationale behind BIS’s differing licensing policies for Chinese semiconductor firms like Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), noting that some of these companies had been given carve-outs for continued access to certain US technologies.

The letter specifically highlighted that SMIC’s facilities in Beijing were subject to a “presumption of denial,” but other SMIC locations, such as in Shanghai and Shenzhen, received special exemptions or different licensing policies.

The lawmakers also raised concerns over Huawei subsidiaries such as SwaySure Technology and Shenzhen Pengxinxu Technology, which were reportedly granted similar carve-outs, undermining the effectiveness of the new export controls.

Further criticism was directed at BIS’s failure to address the use of methods like “wafer bridges,” which allow Chinese semiconductor firms to circumvent restrictions by connecting blacklisted facilities with those under less stringent controls.

A recent report revealed that SMIC had used such a “wafer bridge” to transfer sensitive U.S. technology between facilities, bypassing BIS’s regulations. The lawmakers called for stronger counter-diversion measures to prevent the use of such tactics, arguing that the current loopholes pose a significant threat to US national security.

The lawmakers expressed concern over the apparent influence of industry interests on BIS’s decision-making and urged Secretary Raimondo to close the existing loopholes before her term ends. In addition, they requested that the Department of Commerce preserve all documents and communications related to the latest export control update so that any further weaknesses in the rule can be identified and addressed during the transition process.

The letter underscores ongoing scrutiny of the US government’s export control policies toward China, especially amid escalating tensions between the two countries over technology, trade, and national security. Lawmakers continue to push for stronger enforcement of export restrictions to prevent China from gaining access to sensitive technologies that could bolster its military and technological capabilities. (ANI)

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6 December 2024
Perdue to be ambassador to China

Perdue, 74, a business executive and politician, served as a senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021, and failed in a bid for governor of the state in 2022…reports Asian Lite News

President-elect Donald Trump named political ally and former Georgia senator David Perdue as his pick to be ambassador to China, a key trade partner the Republican has promised to impose punishing tariffs on.

“Tonight, I am announcing that former U.S. Senator, David Perdue, has accepted my appointment as the next United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China,” Trump wrote on social media.

Perdue, 74, a business executive and politician, served as a senator for Georgia from 2015 to 2021, and failed in a bid for governor of the state in 2022.

If confirmed by the Senate, Perdue will play a key role in managing the relationship between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies.

A Trump ally, he backed the former president’s false claims regarding alleged fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which the billionaire Republican lost to Joe Biden. A special grand jury had recommended indicting Perdue over those claims, but the district attorney ultimately declined to charge him in that case.

Trump ignited a trade war with China during his last term, and has promised to again weaponize the use of tariffs to prioritize US manufacturing.

He hailed Perdue as a “loyal supporter” in his social media post, touting his business experience as making him well-suited for the diplomatic role in Beijing. “He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” said Trump.

“David has been a loyal supporter and friend, and I look forward to working with him in his new role!” Perdue hails from a prominent Georgia business family, most widely known for their chicken industry empire.

While in the Senate, he served on the Armed Services Committee — chairing its Sea Power subcommittee — and on the Foreign Relations Committee. He was one of the richest members of Congress, and one of its most active traders on the stock market while in office, with the New York Times in 2020 reporting the US Department of Justice had investigated him for possible insider trading. Prosecutors did not bring charges in that case.

Sacks appointed AI, crypto czar

Trump on Thursday said he was appointing former PayPal Chief Operating Officer David Sacks as his artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, another step toward overhauling US policy.

“He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the US,” Trump said in a post on his social-media site Truth Social.

The crypto czar and other officials in Trump’s incoming administration such as the chairs of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission are expected to reshape US policy on digital currency along with a newly created crypto advisory council.

Trump’s tech backers generally want to see minimal regulation around AI and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, saying Washington would throttle growing innovative sectors with excessive rules.

Trump announced on Wednesday that he was nominating prominent Washington lawyer and crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC, in a move celebrated by the industry.

Trump — who once labeled crypto a scam — embraced digital assets during his campaign, promising to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet” and to accumulate a national stockpile of bitcoin.

Bitcoin broke $100,000 for the first time on Wednesday night, a milestone hailed even by skeptics as a coming-of-age for digital assets as investors bet on a friendly US administration to cement the place of cryptocurrencies in financial markets.

Born in South Africa, Sacks, 52, is a co-founder of venture capital firm Craft Ventures and an early leader of PayPal, a payment processing firm that was acquired by eBay in 2002.

Sacks is also a former chief executive of software company Zenefits and founded Yammer, a social network for enterprise users.

He was an early evangelist of cryptocurrencies, telling CNBC in a 2017 interview that he believed the rise of bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, was revolutionizing the Internet.

“It feels like we are witnessing the birth of a new kind of web. Some people have called it the decentralized web or the Internet of money,” he said.

Trump said Sacks will also lead a White House advisory council on science and technology.

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6 December 2024
Musk, Vivek bring Trump’s DOGE to Washington

Trump tapped the two business titans to head his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations…reports Asian Lite News

Billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy spent several hours Thursday swapping ideas with lawmakers about President-elect Donald Trump’s DOGE initiative to dismantle parts of the federal government.

Meeting behind closed doors at the Capitol, Musk told the mostly Republican lawmakers they would be keeping a “naughty and nice” list of those who join in the budget slashing proposals and those who don’t, according to lawmakers who attended.

“We’re going to see a lot of change around here in Washington,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, as Musk, with his young son on his shoulders, breezed by and into the private meeting.

Trump tapped the two business titans to head his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations — all part of what he calls his “Save America” agenda for a second term in the White House.

Washington has seen this before, with ambitious efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government that historically have run into resistance when the public is confronted with cuts to trusted programs that millions of Americans depend on for jobs, health care, military security and everyday needs.

But this time Trump is staffing his administration with battle-tested architects of sweeping proposals, some outlined in Project 2025, to severely reduce and reshape the government. Musk and Ramaswamy have said they plan to work alongside the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Trump’s nominee Russ Vought, a mastermind of past cuts.

“DOGE has a historic opportunity for structural reductions in the federal government,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. “We are prepared for the onslaught.”

Trump said Thursday that he would also name venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar” and lead the Presidential Council of Advisers for Science and Technology. Trump said in a social media post that Sacks would help “steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship.” Trump’s transition team didn’t say whether Sacks would be a government employee or a temporary government worker who would not be bound by the same ethics and disclosure rules.

Sacks visited Mar-a-Lago earlier Thursday, according to an investor who held an event at Trump’s Florida club. The longtime conservative was key to introducing Vice President-elect JD Vance to donors, helping him prove he could raise money. Sacks hosted a fundraiser for Trump and Vance at his San Francisco home.

Musk and Ramaswamy faced a first test as they sat on a auditorium stage in the Capitol basement, as House and Senate lawmakers, almost exclusively Republicans, lined up at the microphones to share ideas for ways to address the nation’s budget imbalances.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, brought up the Department of Education as a good place to cut. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, said to look at office space and how little of it is being used. Others talked about the need for workers to return to their offices.

Afterward, Johnson declined to say if Medicare, Social Security or other popular programs were off limits for cuts, describing this first meeting as a “brainstorming” session with more to come.

“They said everything has to be looked at,” said Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., who joined with Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, in launching what they are calling the DOGE caucus in the House, with more than 50 Republicans and two Democratic members.

Musk and Ramaswamy appeared to be taking it all in, Musk at times even taking notes, lawmakers said — experiencing a day in the life of congressional leadership, as the meeting went on and on, with lawmakers lined up 20-deep for their chance to speak.

“It was just what I’d hoped for, where it was a question and answer session, so that members could come up, express their ideas, concerns, ask questions,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who will chair a House Oversight subcommittee in the new year on DOGE.

To be sure, it wasn’t the full Congress participating, as most Democrats did not join.

New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi said when he heard Musk mention that he was open to hearing from Democrats, he dashed over to join toward the end of the session.

“Let’s do some things to try and make government more efficient — without hurting people,” Suozzi said.

Musk and Ramaswamy left lawmakers with the impression they would be back for more, holding regular meetings and starting a podcast or some other way to share information with Americans to gauge public support — or opposition — to the proposals.

While neither Musk nor Ramaswamy have much public service experience, they bring track records in private business — Musk’s operations have vast government contracts — and enthusiasm for Trump’s agenda, having campaigned alongside him in the final stretch of the election.

The world’s richest man, Musk poured millions into a get-out-the-vote effort to help the former president return to the White House. He is known politically for having transformed the popular social media site formerly known as Twitter into X, a platform embraced by Trump’s “Make America Great Again” enthusiasts.

Despite its name, the Department of Government Efficiency is neither a department nor part of the government, which frees Musk and Ramaswamy from having to go through the typical ethics and background checks required for federal employment. They said they will not be paid for their work.

ALSO READ: Musk hails India’s vote counting speed, mocks US process

6 December 2024
“Italian” puree from China shocks consumers

RFA cited a report by a media agency that revealed that 17 products, mainly store-brand items from British and German retailers, are likely made with Chinese tomatoes…reports Asian Lite News

The Parliament is considering potential actions against Beijing after an investigative report revealed that many tomato purees labelled as “Italian” in British supermarkets are frequently produced using forced labour from Uyghur workers in China Radio Free Asia reported.

RFA cited a report by a media agency that revealed that 17 products, mainly store-brand items from British and German retailers, are likely made with Chinese tomatoes. Some of these products, like Tesco’s Italian Tomato Puree, feature “Italian” in their name, while others include it in their product description.

Sarah Champion, a Labour Party MP and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said during a House of Commons session on Monday, that the investigation has “justifiably shocked the British public.”

She stated that tomato products sold in UK supermarkets, which were labelled as Italian-made or produced in Italy, were connected to forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

The news followed shortly after Tadashi Yanai, president and CEO of Japan’s Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, stated that his company does not source cotton from Xinjiang.

Companies worldwide are facing increased scrutiny to verify that their supply chains do not involve products made with Uyghur forced labour. In response to the report, China quickly denounced it, claiming, “This essentially equates Xinjiang with ‘forced labor,’ which is a clear attempt to tarnish China’s image,” in an editorial in the state-run Global Times.

The editorial further stated, “The BBC’s latest ‘fabricated story’ is rather unconvincing,” adding, “In Xinjiang, both cotton and tomatoes are mostly harvested using mechanized methods, replacing manual labour from planting to picking.”

Unlike the United States, which has laws prohibiting imports from Xinjiang based on the assumption they are produced with forced labour, UK companies are permitted to self-regulate and ensure that such labour is not involved in their supply chains.

Champion criticized the UK’s “weak and confusing product labelling regulation,” arguing that it allows for “linguistic manipulation” that likely aims to mislead consumers.

Addressing Douglas Alexander, the UK Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, she asked, “How much more evidence is needed to show that we need stronger labelling standards to provide consumers with clearer information about the sourcing countries of pre-packed products?” She emphasized that in the Uyghur region, severe human rights violations are happening daily, driven by a state-enforced system of forced labour, with an estimated 7,00,000 people being forced to work in tomato production.

Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, argued that the UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act, which aims to address modern slavery in supply chains, needs reform.

He pointed out, “At present, we are importing massive quantities of polysilicon arrays from Xinjiang, and nothing is being done about it.” He added, “This issue goes beyond Xinjiang; there are also a quarter of a million Tibetans subjected to forced labor.”

As per the media report, that it interviewed 14 individuals who either experienced or witnessed forced labour in Xinjiang’s tomato fields over the past 16 years. One person recounted that workers who failed to meet their daily tomato quotas for export were subjected to electric shocks. The news outlet also investigated shipping data, revealing that most Xinjiang tomatoes are transported by train through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia before reaching Italy.

In June, human rights lawyers, representing Uyghur advocacy groups, filed both domestic and international complaints, claiming that several containers of tomato paste shipped by rail from Xinjiang to Italy two months earlier were produced with Uyghur forced labour. (ANI)

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6 December 2024
Parliament hosts meeting on Balochistan crisis

Among the most alarming trends noted was the sharp increase in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in recent months…reports Asian Lite News

MP Sojan Joseph hosted a meeting at the Parliament House in London, to discuss the growing concerns about the escalating human rights violations in Balochistan, particularly those attributed to Pakistani security forces.

Prominent scholars, academics, and human rights activists gathered to discuss the dire situation in the region. They condemned the actions of Pakistani security forces, referring to them as acts of genocide.

Among the most alarming trends noted was the sharp increase in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in recent months.

The speakers urged the government to use its diplomatic influence to intervene and prevent further loss of life in Balochistan. They also called for urgent international action, demanding that UK government advocate for the establishment of a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate the severity of the human rights crisis in the region.

Key figures at the meeting included Aisha Siddiqua, Lakhumal Luhana, Naghma Iqtadar, Naseer Dashti, Fahim Baloch, and Qambar Malik, all of whom shared their expertise and personal insights into the ongoing violations.

The gathering emphasized the need for immediate international attention to bring justice and accountability to the people of Balochistan.

Human rights violations in Balochistan have been a persistent and significant issue for decades. Ethnic Baloch people in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have long accused the state of systemic discrimination, marginalisation, and the denial of political autonomy.

The Pakistani government has been criticised for forcibly suppressing Baloch nationalist movements, with reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture of activists, journalists, and civilians.

The Pakistani military, intelligence agencies, and paramilitary forces have been implicated in these abuses, often targeting Baloch insurgents and pro-independence groups under the guise of counter-insurgency operations.

In addition to the violence, Balochistan suffers from widespread economic underdevelopment, despite its wealth of natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals. This economic disparity, combined with limited access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure, has fueled growing discontent among the Baloch people. (ANI)

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6 December 2024
‘No plan for more tax rises’

Starmer said he knew some decisions were “not always popular” but voters could judge him at the next general election on whether they feel their living standards have improved…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told the BBC it is not his “plan” to have any more tax rises before the next election – but says he could not rule them out in the event of “unforeseen” circumstances.

The prime minister speaking shortly after setting out six pledges, including a promise to put more money in the pockets of working people.

Starmer said he knew some decisions were “not always popular” but voters could judge him at the next general election on whether they feel their living standards have improved. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the PM’s new pledges as a sign that Labour had not been “ready for government”.

In addition to improving living standards, the other “milestones” announced by Starmer in a speech on Thursday included building 1.5 million new homes in England, ending hospital backlogs and increasing the proportion of children who are “ready to learn” when starting school to 75%.

Labour has dismissed suggestions the new pledges are a reset following their first few months in government.

The chancellor announced a near-£70bn increase in public spending in her first Budget in October, of which more than half will come from higher taxes, with businesses set to bear the brunt of the rises.

Employers will see an increase in National Insurance contributions on their workers’ earnings which will raise up to £25bn a year for the government. And there will also be an increase to capital gains tax on share sales and a freeze on inheritance tax thresholds.

On the possibility of further tax rises, the prime minister said: “I don’t want to suggest we’re going to keep coming back for more because that isn’t the plan. What I can’t do, is say to you there are no circumstances unforeseen in the future that wouldn’t lead to any change at all. If you look at Covid and Ukraine, everyone knows there are things we can’t see now but I can tell you our intention was to do the tough stuff in that Budget, not keep coming back.”

Asked why he thought his popularity had fallen since the election, Starmer said he had chosen to take the “tough decisions” early on in his premiership. He said he knew the decisions would not always be popular but were needed “to turn the country around”.

“I just don’t want to do what politicians have done in the past which is to get in the warm bath of empty promises. I’m prepared to roll up my sleeves and tell people its tough – we’re going to do it but you’re going to be better off. You’ll have a better health service, you’ll have better houses, you’ll have better energy bills at the end of this and I’ll be judged, quite rightly, at the end of the parliamentary term whether I’ve delivered on what I said I would deliver on.”

In answer to a question about when people would feel better off, Sir Keir said that would be measured at the end of the Parliament but that he wanted people to “feel better off straight away”.

He added that a pay rise for those on the lowest wages meant three million people were already better off as a result of the government’s actions.

Following Starmer’s speech on Thursday, the Conservative leader said: “The prime minister’s emergency reset confirms that Labour had 14 years in opposition and still weren’t ready for government.

“Nothing concrete on immigration – because Labour have no plan to control numbers.”

The prime minister has said he wants to reduce migration levels but his six pledges did not include a measurable target. Starmer said that trying to put a “hard cap” on migration numbers hadn’t worked in the past.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said his party would “hold this government’s feet to the fire on keeping its promises, most of all on fixing the NHS and care. “It was worrying to see no clear plan in these targets to make sure people can see a GP when they need to.”

Meanwhile, the Confederation for British Industry has said that household incomes will be held back by budget tax increases in a blow to Starmer’s new goal of “raising living standards in every part of the UK.”

Starmer introduced the living standards target in a speech on Thursday, shifting the focus off his election manifesto pledge to deliver the highest sustained growth in the Group of Seven during Labour’s first term in government.

However, the CBI warned in forecasts published Friday that the “budget measures will weigh on household spending, due to weaker incomes growth.” The employers’ group added that a trade war with the US under Donald Trump posed only a small threat to the UK.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves raised taxes by £40 billion ($51 billion) a year and borrowed an extra £30 billion, which she said “wiped the slate clean” after years of Conservative rule by providing the funds to fix ailing public services and invest in essential infrastructure. But she faces a backlash from business, which bears the bulk of the tax rise.

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6 December 2024
Public to regain control of train services across England

Services across England will return to public control, transforming our railways into a more reliable, affordable and accessible system…reports Asian Lite News

Plans to overhaul the rail network and put passengers first have been announced as the Transport Secretary reveals South Western Railway’s services will be the first to transfer into public ownership next year.

The move comes just days after one of the government’s first major pieces of legislation, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, received Royal Assent, paving the way for a major shake-up of Britain’s railways.

The transition to a publicly owned railway will improve reliability and support the government’s number one priority of boosting economic growth by encouraging more people to use the railway.

It will also clamp down on unacceptable levels of delays, cancellations and waste seen under decades of failing franchise contracts and will save up to £150 million a year in fees alone by ensuring every penny is spent on services rather than private shareholders, all while coming at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

The announcement will see services across a wide area of southern England and East Anglia come back into public control by autumn 2025 and delivers on manifesto commitment to bring contracts with existing operators into public ownership as they expire without costing taxpayers a penny in compensation.

This government is fixing the foundations and delivering change with reform and investment to deliver growth and rebuild Britain. By bringing train operating companies into public ownership the government will turn the page on decades of delays, fragmentation and failure.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said, “For too long, the British public has had to put up with rail services that simply don’t work. A complex system of private train operators has too often failed its users. Starting with journeys on South Western Railway, we’re switching tracks by bringing services back under public control to create a reliable rail network that puts customers first. Our broken railways are finally on the fast track to repairing and rebuilding a system that the British public can trust and be proud of again.”

The Transport Secretary has also announced that publicly run services will be managed by DfT Operator Limited – previously known as DfT Operator of Last Resort Holdings Limited (DOHL) – whose functions will eventually be integrated into Great British Railways (GBR). DfT Operator Limited will continue to focus on transforming Britain’s railways into a more reliable, affordable and accessible system.

While the announcement marks a major change, the government’s first priority is ensuring the transition process is thorough and delivers the best outcomes for passengers. Allowing several months lead-in to each transfer will ensure there will be no adverse impact on passengers during this time, who will still be able to purchase their tickets as before, with railway staff assisting as usual.

The department expects the transfer of all passenger services operated under contracts with the Department for Transport (DfT) to complete over the next 3 years.

Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive, Darren Caplan, said, “The announcement is an important milestone on the journey to a restructured railway. The UK supply chain will work with and support the government’s plans to deliver improved rail performance and reliability, as we together develop world-class rail, both track and train. There is now a real opportunity to provide more certainty and visibility over work plans, which will help a reformed railway be a catalyst for boosting growth and connectivity across the nations and regions of the UK, with better services for rail customers – passengers and freight – and ultimately ensure enhanced value for money for the taxpayer.”

CEO of Campaign for Better Transport, Paul Tuohy, said, “This is the first real step towards the government’s plan to bring the railways under public control. There is an urgent need for action to give more people access to an affordable, reliable rail network. The government must work collaboratively across the sector and continue prioritising passengers by keeping them front and centre of its plans. Under the government’s broader plans to reform the railways, GBR will bring track and train together under one directing mind, with a relentless focus on improving services for passengers and customers. Until legislation for this is in place, Shadow GBR will make progress on ensuring the sector works together better under a publicly owned railway.”

In the new year, the government will be setting out plans for how Shadow GBR will be delivering on its initial priorities, including how it will be moving the network towards greater financial sustainability and delivering for passengers.

Meanwhile, the government has already made major strides towards improving performance and services for passengers. Since July 2024, the department has brought an end to long-running national and local industrial disputes and LNER cancellations due to train driver shortages have dropped to near zero.

The department is also working on plans with operators and Network Rail to display performance information at stations – this will provide passengers with transparency and will allow the public to hold the rail industry and the department to account for delivery.

Immediate improvements have also been delivered at Euston Station through a 5-point plan to reduce overcrowding and deliver a better experience for passengers. This has included a review into passenger information, including the shutdown of overhead advertising boards and a trial of early boarding of services – with more updates to come later this month.

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6 December 2024
Celebrating 77 years of iconic Trafalgar Christmas Tree

When Norway was invaded in 1940, the King of Norway, Haakon VII, sought refuge in Britain and the Norwegian government-in-exile was established in London….reports Asian Lite News

This year marks the 77th anniversary of the annual gift of a Christmas tree to the people of London from the City of Oslo, given as a token of gratitude for British Support to Norway during the Second World War. The tree will be in Trafalgar Square until Sunday 5 January 2025, the twelfth night of Christmas, before being recycled.

When Norway was invaded in 1940, the King of Norway, Haakon VII, sought refuge in Britain and the Norwegian government-in-exile was established in London.

To most Norwegians, London represented the spirit of freedom during these difficult war years. From London, news broadcasts were made in Norwegian, inspiring the people of Norway and keeping their hope of freedom alive.

The Oslo Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square symbolises the close and warm relationship between the people of Norway and the people of Britain.

The tree is approximately 20 metres high, around 60 years old and is a Norwegian spruce from Grefsenkleiva, in Oslo’s Forest. It is generally considered the ‘nation’s Christmas Tree’ and a symbol of enduring friendship and international cooperation with Norway.

This year’s tree was cut down by The Lord Mayor of Westminster Cllr Robert Rigby and The Mayor of Oslo Anne Lindboe, during a felling ceremony on Thursday 21 November 2024.

The carbon footprint of the Christmas tree gift is approximately 1,256 kg CO₂, which is equivalent to just under the average annual mileage of a passenger car. This year, the tree is being transported from Oslo to Brevik using an electric truck, a new initiative that is a positive step in the right direction. This helps reduce the carbon footprint and is an important part of the work to make the tradition more sustainable. It will be loaded onto a specially designed cradle and transported 180 km to Brevik before being shipped by sea to Immingham in England – a journey that takes about 39 hours. To reduce damage, the transport time is now shorter than before, limiting the time the tree lies horizontally, and it is stored below deck.

A specialist rigging team erects it in Trafalgar Square using a hydraulic crane. The tree is decorated in traditional Norwegian fashion, with vertical strings of lights. Energy-efficient light bulbs are used.

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6 December 2024