Prince Charles greeted the Sikhs in the UK and across the Commonwealth, on the festival of Vaisakhi.
"In these challenging times, the Sikh community is making an extraordinary and invaluable contribution to the life of this country, and to so many others, just as it has always done," he said in a video message posted on twitter.
Keir Starmer speaks during an Advent reception in Downing Street, London, December 11, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS.
BRITAIN on Thursday (12) outlined details of an overhaul to its planning system to help boost growth and hit a target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years, including ordering local authorities to build more houses.
The housebuilding target was one of six measurable "milestones" announced by prime minister Keir Starmer a week ago, as he pledged to revamp a planning system he described as having a "chokehold" on growth.
Even though no government has hit such a target in decades, Starmer on Thursday said there was no "shying away" from a housing crisis which meant the "dream of homeownership feels like a distant reality" to many people.
"Our plan for change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people's pockets," he said in a statement.
The Local Government Association said planning reform needed to be coupled with "work to tackle workforce challenges, the costs of construction and the financial headroom of local authorities and housing associations," adding that swifter planning decisions didn't guarantee more housebuilding.
The government said there would be new immediate mandatory housing targets, with the least affordable areas needing the most stringent targets.
Local authorities would have 12 weeks to come up with timetables for new housebuilding plans, it said, or else risk intervention from ministers.
Previously developed land, known as "brownfield" sites, would be prioritised for development. Councils must also review boundaries of the green belt - a designation intended to prevent urban sprawl - to meet targets, and look to develop lower quality "grey belt" land.
The government stressed that green belt development would have to ensure development of necessary infrastructure was prioritised.
Councils will be given an additional £100 million ($127.60m) to support their work.
(Reuters)
TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.
Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.
The British Medical Association (BMA) criticised the proposal, with its chair, Philip Banfield, stating that it demonstrates a "poor grasp" of unresolved issues, The Times reported.
"For this government to believe a 2.8 per cent pay rise is enough indicates a poor grasp of the unresolved issues from two years of industrial action," Banfield said.
Unison, representing nearly half a million NHS workers, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also condemned the recommendation. Nicola Ranger, general secretary of the RCN, called the proposal "deeply offensive," adding, "The government has today told nursing staff they are worth as little as £2 extra a day."
The dispute follows earlier industrial actions across the public sector. Nurses and NHS staff are seeking an above-inflation increase, frustrated by this year’s 5.5 per cent rise, which was lower than the junior doctors’ 22 per cent deal over two years.
Helga Pile of Unison warned that the proposed rise "barely covers the cost of living." She added, "The decision to push tackling the outdated pay structure back into next year means there could well be more [strikes]," the newspaper reported.
Ministers argue the 2.8 per cent offer aligns with the Bank of England’s inflation forecast of 2.75 per cent, making it a real-terms increase. However, unions contend that pay adjustments fail to address ongoing workforce issues.
Education unions also voiced concerns. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said, "There are no ‘efficiencies’ that can be made without further damaging education." He warned of potential action, emphasizing the "depth of the crisis" in schools.
A government spokesperson highlighted prior pay awards for over 1.5 million NHS staff and the resolution of recent strikes by junior doctors, adding, "We started the pay-setting process in September — the earliest it’s started for several years," The Times reported.
NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.
The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.
A majority of lawmakers supported the motion, which did not require cross-community support from both pro-UK and pro-Irish unity members. However, the decision drew opposition from unionist members who argued that trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland still persist.
The vote triggered a response from the UK government, with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn pledging an independent review of the trading arrangements. "The Government welcomes that [Assembly members] have agreed on the continued application of the Windsor Framework," Benn said in a statement. "I will now proceed as required by the law, including to commission an independent review."
Benn emphasised the government’s commitment to implementing the framework in good faith. "The government remains committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in a way that offers stability and works for Northern Ireland, for businesses, and for traders," he added.
The Windsor Framework keeps Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market for goods while removing checks on goods transported from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This adjustment eliminated the Irish Sea border, which had been a point of contention for pro-UK unionists who feared it weakened ties between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
A central aspect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of sectarian violence, was maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. However, the UK’s 2016 Brexit vote introduced challenges, as Northern Ireland's open border could potentially allow unchecked goods to move in and out of the EU.
The 2020 post-Brexit trading arrangements sought to address this by introducing checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland while keeping the region partially aligned with EU rules.
(With inputs from AFP)
THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.
The report titled "Racism, Belonging and Covid's Legacy of Ethnic Inequalities in Scotland," published on Tuesday (10), noted that the impact of Covid has exacerbated these disparities, deepening ethnic inequalities across the region.
Jewish, Chinese, and Bangladeshi communities in Scotland reported lower levels of bereavement compared to their counterparts in England and Wales, the report added.
Several factors contribute to these disparities, including the differential impact of Covid-19, variations in family structures and social networks, underlying health differences, varying levels of poverty and deprivation, and access to care and support services, the report by researchers from the University of St Andrews noted.
The findings assume significance as Scotland's population is becoming increasingly diverse, with 13 per cent identifying as an ethnic minority other than white Scottish or white British.
The report from the Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) highlighted the challenges and experiences of these ethnic minorities in Scotland, focusing on areas like Covid bereavement, racism, ethnic and national belonging, and political trust.
According to the report, one in four ethnic minorities reported facing recent racist insults, and 1 in 6 experienced unfair treatment at work or in education, with 1 in 10 encountering similar issues in housing or from the police. There have been physical attacks linked to racism, affecting 10 per cent of ethnic minorities.
"Black and Chinese communities report particularly high levels of racist insults and unfair treatment by the police. The experience of racism is generally comparable across ethnic groups in Scotland and England and Wales, with some evidence suggesting higher levels for Chinese, black Caribbean, and black Other groups in Scotland," the report, authored by Prof Nissa Finney from the School of Geography and Sustainable Development, said.
Over a third of ethnic minorities worry about racial harassment, with the concern particularly pronounced among Black, Pakistani, Indian, and Jewish communities.
Trust in the Scottish parliament remains high across ethnic groups, significantly more so than trust in the UK parliament.
Over the past five years, about a quarter of ethnic minorities in Scotland experienced racist insults or other forms of racism in public spaces. Overall, 38 per cent of ethnic minorities in Scotland are concerned about racial harassment.
This report, which addresses these issues, is a collaboration between researchers from the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) at the University of St Andrews, the University of Manchester, and the Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector umbrella body BEMIS.
The highest levels of concern are reported by Other black (78 per cent), Pakistani (66 per cent), Other Asian (61 per cent), white and black African (58 per cent), Indian (55 per cent), black Caribbean (52 per cent), and black African (50 per cent) ethnic groups, as well as Jewish groups (48 per cent). In Scotland, levels of worry about racial harassment are generally higher compared to those in England and Wales for many of these groups.
Religion plays a significant role in identity, with high proportions expressing its importance. For instance, black Caribbean and Mixed white and black Caribbean groups show 99 per cent importance, followed by White Irish (97 per cent) and Pakistani (95 per cent) groups.
Over three-quarters of black African, Arab, and Bangladeshi respondents see religion as crucial to their sense of self, and over two-thirds of Jewish and Chinese respondents share this view.
US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.
“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Dhillon, a Sikh, graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School. She has clerked for the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished civil liberties, including taking on big tech for censoring our free speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during Covid, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers,” Trump said.
He described her as “one of the top election lawyers in the country,” noting her efforts to ensure that “all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted.” Trump also highlighted Dhillon's role as a respected member of the Sikh religious community and said she would enforce civil rights and election laws “fairly and firmly” in her new position.
Dhillon has previously faced racial attacks, including an incident after she recited Ardas at the Republican National Convention in July. Last year, she ran unsuccessfully for the position of Republican National Committee chair.
Born in Chandigarh, Dhillon, 54, moved to the US as a child with her family. In 2016, she became the first Indian-American to appear on stage at the GOP Convention in Cleveland.
Expressing her gratitude for the nomination, Dhillon wrote on X, “I'm extremely honoured by President Trump's nomination to assist with our nation's civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by @PamBondi. I cannot wait to get to work!”
She also credited her family, saying, “I would not be here today without my amazing mother and brother's support, and my beloved father Tejpal and husband Sarv, who did not live to see this day. I hope I will honour their memories, with God's grace.”
(With inputs from PTI)
