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PM welcomes Fall of Assad

In a statement hours before his first trip to the Middle East, the prime minister said the developments in Syria were “unprecedented” and called for a political solution to the vacuum in power…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has welcomed the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s “barbaric regime” in Syria and called for civilians to be protected after rebel forces took control of Damascus.

The prime minister said the developments in Syria were “unprecedented” and called for a political solution to the vacuum in power.

“The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure,” Starmer said. “Our focus is now on ensuring a political solution prevails and peace and stability is restored.”

He called on all sides to protect civilians and minorities and to ensure aid can reach the most vulnerable, and said the UK government was speaking to its partners in the region.

Starmer has arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night. He will meet the UAE president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, on Monday before travelling to Saudi Arabia for talks with its Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

The meetings are sure to touch on the political situation in Syria after Assad, who has waged a bloody war against his people since a rebellion against him 13 years ago, was unexpectedly ousted by a lightning rebel offensive.

“If Assad’s regime has fallen I welcome that news,” Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips earlier on Sunday. “What we need to see is a political resolution in line with the UN resolutions. We need to see civilians and infrastructure protected. Far too many people have lost their lives; we need stability in that region.”

Rayner said the government had been working to evacuate British citizens from Syria over the weekend and would continue to support them. Russia, a staunch ally of Assad, issued a statement confirming that he had left office and the country.

The leading insurgent group in Syria is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK on the basis that it was an alternative name for al-Qaida. It is also designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN.

The developments prompted fresh scrutiny of Labour’s decision under Ed Miliband to oppose British military intervention against Assad’s regime in 2013. A stunned David Cameron ruled out British involvement in Syria after losing a Commons vote by 13 votes.

David Taylor, the Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead and a former charity worker, said on X that “from 2013 this has been a truly shameful chapter in our party’s history and should never be allowed to happen again”.

Taylor told Guardian, “For many years I supported Syrian activists in the UK in calling for a no-fly zone to protect Syrians from Assad and Putin, as Jo Cox did, and I’m convinced that if we’d done that half a million people would still be alive. It’s well documented that [Jeremy] Corbyn and co spent more energy casting doubt on whether chemical weapons were being used than on ways to protect civilians. I’m glad our party has moved on from this period.”

Asked about Miliband’s decision in 2013, Rayner told Times Radio: “Parliament decided and that’s the right way. We have a democratic process in the UK … I think what we’ve got to do is focus on how we take stability forward in the region.”

In 2015, Jeremy Corbyn opposed Cameron’s proposed airstrikes against Daesh in Syria but gave Labour MPs a free vote to prevent a mass revolt. The Commons overwhelmingly backed the action after 66 Labour MPs sided with Cameron’s government.

Ben Bradshaw, a former Labour foreign minister who stepped down as an MP this year, said on X that Labour “opposing Cameron’s motion in August 2015 was a shameful moment in our party’s history and one [we] must never repeat”.

Starmer and Rayner both voted against the strikes, despite Labour MPs having a free vote. A total of 11 members of the shadow cabinet voted in favour, including the then shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn.

John Sawers, a former head of MI6, said the government should review its proscription of HTS because it had cut ties with al-Qaida over the past decade.

Sawers argued it would be “rather ridiculous” not to be able to engage with the rebels who had taken control of Syria because of the group’s proscription. “I think Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader, has made great efforts over the last 10 years to distance himself from those terrorist groups and certainly the actions we’ve seen of Tahrir al-Sham over the last two weeks has been those of a liberation movement, not of a terrorist organisation,” Sawers told Sky News.

“So, I think the home secretary will be asking MI5 and the joint terrorism assessment centre for a review of the situation about Tahrir al-Sham and whether it should remain on the proscribed entity list.”

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9 December 2024
Prince William and Trump meet after Notre-Dame reopening

After shaking hands at the ceremony, the pair also met afterwards, with the president-elect describing the prince as a “good man” doing a “fantastic job”. ..reports Asian Lite News

The Prince of Wales met US President-elect Donald Trump while visiting France for the ceremonial reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral. Prince William joined other world leaders in Paris to mark the restoration of the world-famous landmark, which was devastated by a fire five years ago.

After shaking hands at the ceremony, the pair also met afterwards, with the president-elect describing the prince as a “good man” doing a “fantastic job”. During the event, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech in which he said of the restoration: “We must treasure this lesson of fragility, humility and will”.

Other leaders and dignitaries at the event included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and outgoing US First Lady Dr Jill Biden, who was representing President Joe Biden. Prince William was expected to discuss the importance of the US-UK “special relationship” with both Trump and the first lady during their respective meetings.

Greeting the prince at the ceremony, Trump gave William a pat on the shoulder before the two shook hands and spoke for a few seconds. He last met Trump in 2019 when the then-president made a state visit to the UK.

Prince William, who attended at the request of the UK government, joined French President Emmanuel Macron and dozens of other heads of state at the ceremony on Saturday. William and Trump met at the residence of the British ambassador in Paris.

The prince was standing in the foyer when Trump arrived. The pair shook hands and greeted one another again, before Trump gestured to the Prince of Wales and said: “Good man, this one”. Prince William asked the president-elect if he had warmed up, and Trump replied that he had and that “it was a beautiful ceremony”.

Kensington Palace has described the meeting between as “warm and friendly.” During their 40 minutes together, William and Trump discussed a range of global issues but focused on the importance of the UK/US special relationship.

The president-elect also shared some warm and fond memories of the late Queen for which the prince was said to be “extremely grateful.” William had also been due to meet Trump and Dr Biden earlier in the day but Kensington Palace said he had been delayed by weather on his journey from the UK to France.

Reuters President Macron, wearing a black overcoat and scarf with a white shirt, says something to Prince William, who is also wearing a black overcoat and a white shirt with a blue tie. Brigitte Macron, wearing a black coat, black scarf and beaded black bag looks on beside them as they stand outside the Notre Dame Reuters

Prince William’s journey to the ceremony was delayed by stormy weather At the ceremony, The Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich led more than 1,500 guests through the reopening service.

A choir sang out as Macron took his seat next to Trump. A message from the Pope was read aloud before the French president delivered his address. Parts of the event had to be reconfigured due to the stormy weather – with a concert that was due to take place on the esplanade actually being staged on Friday.

The prince’s last official trip to Paris was in 2017, when he visited with the Princess of Wales for a two-day trip in the aftermath of the Brexit result.

He joined other world leaders in Normandy earlier this year for the 80th anniversary commemorations of the Second World War D-Day landings. The medieval cathedral has been closed since a major fire tore through it in 2019, destroying its wooden interiors before toppling its spire.

Macron set a five-year goal for the reconstruction of the Catholic church shortly after the fire. An estimated 2,000 masons, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundry-workers, art experts, sculptors and engineers worked on the project, which reportedly cost €700m (£582m).

Tickets for the first week of Masses in the cathedral sold out in 25 minutes, the cathedral’s rector said.

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8 December 2024
‘Only half of asylum decisions meet its quality standards’

Only 52% of asylum decisions sampled in the Home Office’s internal quality assurance process were satisfactory in 2023/24, new figures show, down from 72% the previous year. …reports Asian Lite News

Only half of the Home Office’s recent asylum decisions have met its own internal quality checks, significantly fewer than before Rishi Sunak’s push to clear a backlog of old claims. Civil servants and lawyers say errors and omissions are also driving a huge increase in costly legal challenges, with more than 9,300 appeals lodged between this April and June.

Only 52% of asylum decisions sampled in the Home Office’s internal quality assurance process were satisfactory in 2023/24, new figures show, down from 72% the previous year.

In the same period, the number of appeals against asylum decisions lodged at the First-Tier Tribunal rose from 8,000 to 29,000. Almost half of challenges are currently successful.

An asylum official who spoke to the Observer on condition of anonymity said changes implemented after former prime minister Sunak’s pledge to process more than 90,000 old asylum claims by the end of 2023 had made decisions less safe.

“They significantly shortened the training period for asylum decision-makers,” they added. “They raised the targets to clear the backlog, focusing on quantity rather than quality. Decision-makers were expected to crank out seven ‘events’ a week, come hell or high water, and that adversely impacted on the quality of their decisions.”

The Home Office also introduced a two-hour limit for most asylum interviews, which the official said “made it very difficult to gather enough information to write a sustainable decision that could withstand legal scrutiny”, and “concise” templates for explaining refusals.

The quality assurance process was also downgraded during the push to clear the legacy backlog, with an internal Home Office report from June 2023 warning of “insufficient activity to identify risks” and a “risk of incorrect or unsustainable decisions”.

The asylum processing changes have been maintained since the general election, the Observer understands, despite Sunak declaring the legacy backlog “cleared” in January.

The Freedom from Torture charity called the quality assurance figures “alarming”. Head of asylum advocacy Sile Reynolds said: “If quality is sacrificed in the pursuit of efficiency, then we risk sending refugees back to torture and persecution.

“If this government doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the previous government, then it needs to urgently prioritise quality alongside speed.” Lily Parrott, a solicitor at Duncan Lewis who specialises in asylum claims, said she and her colleagues had “noticed a drop in decision-making quality”.

She added: “We’ve been seeing a lot more unexpected refusals, and we’re very conscious that will probably just move the backlog from the Home Office to the tribunal. As the quality of decisions goes down, that’s leading to more refusals and more appeals.”

Parrott said errors in asylum refusals included decision letters with the wrong name, the wrong nationality, the wrong gender, and where “they’ve been clearly copying and pasting sections of other people’s decisions”.

The Observer has also been told of cases where the Home Office booked interpreters for asylum interviews who spoke the wrong dialect, generating inaccurate records of applicants’ testimony as a result.

The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association said members were seeing “factual mistakes”, failures to consider evidence and “poor-quality interviews”. It added: “The Home Office is refusing cases on the basis that it does not believe individuals are at risk, because there is insufficient detail about the risk of persecution, while simultaneously appearing not to seek that detail or information.”

The Care4Calais charity said mistakes had a “profound” impact on vulnerable asylum seekers, who face “further needless anxiety, uncertainty and months in limbo for appeals to be processed”.

Hannah Marwood, the charity’s head of legal access, said: “These poor-quality decisions will wreck people’s lives by denying them the right to safety and protection.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. We are getting the asylum system moving again by processing cases and increasing returns of people who have no right to be here.”

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8 December 2024
Sadiq may be in line to receive knighthood

Khan will be joined by other senior Labour MPs and Conservatives who either stepped down, or lost their seats at the last election. …reports Asian Lite News

The mayor of London Sadiq Khan is understood to be in line to receive a knighthood in the new year honours list, alongside other senior politicians who will also be given awards.

Khan, the first Muslim mayor of an EU capital when elected in 2016, is expected to be awarded for political and public services after working for more than 20 years as a Labour politician, first as MP for Tooting followed by his mayoral role.

Khan will be joined by other senior Labour MPs and Conservatives who either stepped down, or lost their seats at the last election.

News that Khan could be given a knighthood alongside other politicians was first reported in the Financial Times.

Emily Thornberry was reported to be in line for a damehood, having been the only member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet who did not receive a government role.

She now sits as a backbencher, chairing the Commons foreign affairs committee. It is thought the honour will be in addition to her title of Lady Nugee, which she uses because of her husband’s knighthood.

The former trade secretary and health secretary Patricia Hewitt is also expected to be awarded.

But it is not only Labour politicians who are set to receive honours, with Andy Street, the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, expected to be included on a draft list.

Street lost his mayoralty in a very narrow race in the May local elections. Ranil Jayawardena, the environment secretary under Liz Truss and Marcus Jones, who both lot their seats in the general election, are also expected to be awarded.

Jones was deputy chief whip during Rishi Sunak’s premiership. Nick Gibb, a Tory MP who has served as schools minister across three appointments is set to be another recipient of a knighthood.

The Cabinet Office said: “We do not comment on speculation on honours.” In October, former Tory ministers Sir David Davis and Sir Gavin Williamson received knighthoods for their public service.

At the time, Labour politicians condemned the honour, including health secretary Wes Streeting, who tweeted: “Reward for failure. Shameless.”

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8 December 2024
Council panels to be bypassed in bid to build more homes

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the planning process was acting like a “drag anchor” on aims to deliver more housing and vowed to bring a “sweeping overhaul” of the local committee system…reports Asian Lite News

The government will be given the power to bypass council planning committees in England under plans to make it easier to build new homes. Officials will be allowed to speed up the process by rubber-stamping proposals that comply with existing council strategies without getting permission from a committee.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the planning process was acting like a “drag anchor” on aims to deliver more housing and vowed to bring a “sweeping overhaul” of the local committee system. House builders broadly welcomed the streamlining, but councils said a better way would be to give them more resources.

A Conservative spokesman said the government’s plans are “nothing more than a list of empty promises which will do nothing to ensure that Britain has the housing it needs where it needs it”. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer restated his pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029 despite accepting it could be “a little too ambitious”.

The fast-track planning process would apply to housing proposals and associated infrastructure such as schools, if they had already been broadly agreed as part of local development plans where councils set out a strategy for land use in their areas. If the proposals “comply” with these plans, the government said, they could “bypass planning committees entirely to tackle chronic uncertainty, unacceptable delays and unnecessary waste of time and resources”.

Rayner said building more homes and infrastructure meant “unblocking the clogged-up planning system that serves as a chokehold on growth”. “Building 1.5 million homes over five years means tackling the housing crisis we inherited head-on with bold action,” she added.

According to government planning statistics, between January and March 2024 only 19% of major applications were determined within the statutory 13-week period and only 38% of minor applications were determined in the statutory eight-week period.

The push for more homes may be popular among those voters struggling to get on the housing ladder. But even small housing projects are often opposed by people living nearby for a variety of reasons, including concerns about the impact on local schools, doctors, roads and parking.

Taking away the option for local people to prevent a development by making a case at a planning committee may result in a political backlash, particularly in rural areas. Labour has already angered farmers by bringing agricultural land within the scope of inheritance tax, and needs to nurture support outside cities if it is to maintain political strength.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said that, far from planning delays being to blame for holding up house building, a million proposed homes had in fact been agreed in principle by councils in their local strategies but developers had not brought forward plans. Councillor Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the association representing councils, said local authorities and communities “need to be full partners in tackling the housing crisis together”.

He added this could be achieved with “new development supported by the infrastructure needed to make communities thrive and proper consultation and engagement that can help ensure local people are able to benefit”.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said that while “democratic involvement and oversight of planning” was a “fundamental element of the process” it could be “very frustrating for applicants to have the principle of development debated over and over again”.

The housing ministry also hopes to streamline the strategic planning process and introduce a requirement for better training for members of planning committees. A Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be introduced next month.

Many in local government and the housebuilding industry believe the now-mandatory target of 1.5 million new homes by 2029 will be impossible to meet.

A Conservative spokesman said the government had “set a house building ‘target’ that the OBR has already said they can’t achieve because of their own Budget”.

The HBF agreed with the LGA that councils needed more planning resources and also called for more financial help for young home buyers. Kate Henderson, the National Housing Federation’s chief executive, said the industry needed a “significant boost in funding for social rented homes and equal access to building safety funding for social landlords” at the upcoming spending review “as part of a package of long-term measures to help the social housing sector rebuild its capacity after decades of cuts”.

Next week the government will announce further reforms by updating England’s planning rulebook, the National Planning Policy Framework.

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8 December 2024
Storm Darragh rages

Gusts of 35-45mph are more widely expected inland, and up to 70mph in coastal areas, meaning some travel disruption and further power cuts are possible

Forecasters say strong winds will continue to batter the UK on Sunday in the wake of Storm Darragh which left two men dead and thousands left without power.

The Met Office has issued four yellow weather warnings for wind across much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with south-east Scotland.

Gusts of 35-45mph are more widely expected inland, and up to 70mph in coastal areas, meaning some travel disruption and further power cuts are possible.

The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for wind on Saturday as Storm Darragh brought gusts of up to 93mph as it swept across the UK.

The two victims of Saturday’s storm were killed in separate incidents when trees fell on their vehicles in Lancashire and the West Midlands. The Energy Networks Association said on Saturday evening that 259,000 customers were still without power.

It added that engineers would be working through the night said they would be working through the night and into Sunday to restore power.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said more than 20,000 properties were without power on Saturday evening and warned it may take days for supplies to be fully restored. At the storm’s peak, more than 48,000 premises were affected. Sixty-four flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – and 147 flood alerts are in place for parts of England following heavy rain, according to the Environment Agency.

In Wales, which is still recovering from the flooding left by Storm Bert last month, Natural Resources Wales says 25 flood warnings and 49 alerts are in force. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has two flood warnings in place.

Disruption to train travel is also expected to continue, with National Rail warning passengers to check their journeys before travelling.

It said there is likely to be “significant disruption with heavy rain and wind” to services in south-west Scotland, north and south-west England and Wales. Operators including Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railways, Northern, LNER and Transport for Wales currently face delays and cancellations.

Belfast International Airport said that a full flight schedule is planned for Sunday but it could be subject to delays. Storm Darragh was the fourth named storm of the season following Bert and Conall last month.

Millions sent alert

Around three million people in parts of Wales and south-west England were sent an emergency alert from the government as Storm Darragh approached. It was the largest use of the warning system yet and has been sent to the mobile phones of people in areas covered by the Met Office red weather warning for the storm.

The alert made a loud siren-like sound when it was delivered to devices, even if they were set on silent, and lasted for around 10 seconds.

Red weather warning issued

A rare red warning for wind for parts of North Wales, has been issued by the Met Office as Storm Darragh sweeps in. The eight hour top Met Office alert comes into force tomorrow (Saturday) at 3am, lasting until 11am, covering Anglesey, Conwy and Gwynedd. It also covers other parts of west and south Wales.

Weather forecasters have urged people to take extra care. A Met Office statement said: “A period of extremely strong winds will develop during the early hours of Saturday morning as Storm Darragh moves across the Irish Sea.

“Gusts of 90 mph or more are possible over coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches.

“The strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning, though it will remain very windy with Amber wind warnings still in force until the evening.”

The statement added: “Keep yourself and others safe; avoid travelling by road during potentially dangerous conditions. It is not safe to drive in these conditions. Don’t risk injury to others or damage to your property. If you can do so safely, check for loose items outside your home and secure them. Items include; Christmas decorations, bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences. Being outside in high winds makes you vulnerable to injury. Stay indoors if you can. ”

Over 200 flood alerts

As the winds subsided, the rain poured down. Natural Resources Wales issued 27 flood warnings and there were 17 more in England. There were also more than 200 flood alerts, where flooding was possible. In Scotland, where an amber warning was in place, there were warnings in the Borders and Tayside.

Most people avoided the roads, but a few took a risk. Woodbine, who runs Woody’s Glamping, a site in the foothills of Snowdonia, said a family with four children had turned up unexpectedly, asking to stay in one of his tents. He put them up in a more secure lodge instead.

“My wife said to them: ‘there’s a warning – please, if you’re leaving, you’re going to have to take it very, very carefully’.”

Traffic cameras showed mostly empty roads yesterday. Even the M25’s “road to hell” section near Heathrow was comparatively quiet – the airport had suffered 83 cancellations by Saturday afternoon, according to Flightaware, a tracking service, with dozens more flights cancelled elsewhere and ferry crossings at Stranraer, the Western Isles, Holyhead and Fishguard also halted. Network Rail listed 14 disruptions.

People who did venture out found few places to go in the worst affected areas. Events were cancelled and businesses stayed shut after the storm knocked out power. The Energy Networks Association said 177,000 homes in mainland Britain were without electricity yesterday afternoon, and its member networks’ online incident maps showed a sea of dots stretching from Eastbourne on the south coast to Bamburgh in Northumberland.

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8 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