#uk transport secretary louise haigh

[ceevee5]

This doesn’t make sense. She declared it to Starmer before joining his Shadow Cabinet. It was a discharge, and it’s spent (over 10 years ago). How does Labour get more ex-offenders into work if this is how someone is treated?

[head-post]

Largest global IT outage in history did not affect Russia

A global technology outage caused by a software update from US cybersecurity company Crowdstrike caused chaos around the world on Friday, with flights suspended and healthcare, banking and ground transport systems facing major disruptions.

George Kurtz, president and CEO of Crowdstrike, said Friday morning that the company is “actively working with customers affected by a flaw discovered in one content update for Windows hosts” – a glitch that affected Microsoft users around the world. He also added:

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organisations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

The Financial Times explained that Crowdstrike is “one of the world’s largest providers of “endpoint” security software, used by companies to monitor for security problems across a huge range of devices, from desktop PCs to checkout payment terminals.”

Troy Hunt, a security consultant, wrote on social media that “this will be the largest IT outage in history.” He also added:

“This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it’s actually happened this time.”

The impacts of the outage cascaded rapidly. Wired noted that “in the early hours of Friday, companies in Australia running Microsoft’s Windows operating system started reporting devices showing Blue Screens of Death (BSODs).” It continued:

“Shortly after, reports of disruptions started flooding in from around the world, including from the UK, India, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US: TV station Sky News went offline, and US airlines United, Delta, and American Airlines issued a “global ground stop” on all flights.”

The UK has been hit by a glitch

As The New York Times observed, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom “was crippled throughout the morning on Friday, as a number of hospitals and doctors offices lost access to their computer systems.”

Whitehall crisis officials were coordinating the response through the Cobra committee that deals with matters of national emergency or major disruption. Ministers were in touch with their sectors to tackle the fallout from the IT failure, and the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said she was working “at pace with industry” after trains and flights were affected, The Guardian reported.

In the US, flights were grounded owing to communications problems that appear to be linked to the outage. American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines were among the carriers affected. Berlin airport temporarily halted all flights on Friday, while in Australia, Melbourne airport advised customers it was “experiencing a global technology issue which is impacting check-in procedures for some airlines.”

Global flight cancellations

There had been more than 1,000 flight cancellations worldwide so far due to the IT failure, according to the aviation analysis firm Cirium.

Long lines formed at airports in Asia as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services at a time when many travelers are heading away on summer vacations. News outlets in Australia — where telecommunications were severely affected — were pushed off air for hours. Hospitals and doctor’s offices had problems with their appointment systems, while banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages to their payment system or websites and apps.

At Hong Kong’s airport, Yvonne Lee, 24, said she only found out her flight to Phuket in Thailand was postponed to Saturday when she arrived at the airport, saying the way it was handled would “affect the image of Hong Kong’s airport very much.” Her already short five-day trip would now have to be further shortened, she said.

In India, Hong Kong and Thailand, many airlines were forced to manually check in passengers. An airline in Kenya was also reporting disruption.

Some athletes and spectators descending on Paris ahead of the Olympics were delayed as was the arrival of their uniforms and accreditations, but Games organisers said disruptions were limited and didn’t affect ticketing or the torch relay.

In Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport halted flights for several hours due to difficulties in checking in passengers, while landings at Zurich airport were suspended and flights in Hungary, Italy and Turkey disrupted.

The Dutch carrier KLM said it had been “forced to suspend most” of its operations.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned that the outage was having a “major impact on flights” to and from the busy European hub. The chaotic morning coincided with one of the busiest days of the year for Schiphol.

Israel said its hospitals and post office operations were disrupted.

In South Africa, at least one major bank said it was experiencing nationwide service disruptions as customers reported they were unable to make payments using their bank cards in stores. The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank said their services were down as well.

Shipping was disrupted too: A major container hub in the Baltic port of Gdansk, Poland, the Baltic Hub, said it was battling problems resulting from the global system outage.

Russia was unaffected by the outage

Meanwhile, Russia was less affected by this outage, mainly due to sanctions, import substitution strategy and technological sovereignty.

The global IT failure of devices running the Windows 10 operating system did not affect the operation of Russian airports and airlines, with flights running as scheduled. There are no problems with the information systems of Russian Railways.

“Rosatom” reported that the systems of the concern “Rosenergoatom” work on “import-independent software,” so there are no problems in operation. The disruption in Microsoft’s work will not affect the operation of Russia’s energy system in any way, the agency said.

Read more HERE

[articleinsurance]

Britain’s Young Drivers Should Face Stricter Rules, Says CEO of AA Breakdown Service

Young British drivers who have just passed their test should be banned from carrying passengers of a similar age and should display special plates, according to the chief executive officer of the AA car breakdown service. The measures, proposed by Jakob Pfaudler in a letter sent to UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh last week, are aimed at reducing accidents by new, young drivers. They are…

[lizseyi]

Labour Government Hails Budget’s ‘Significant’ Investment In Northern England Transport Links

It would not be an understatement to suggest that the recent Autumn Budget – presented to Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves on 30th October – was one of the most anticipated for many years, and not merely because of certain major historical milestones. 

While the Budget was the UK’s first to ever be delivered by a woman, as well as the Labour Party’s first for more than 14 years,transport consultants and their clients were also watching the Chancellor’s announcement closely to learn of its implications for the transport sector. 

In the event, transport infrastructure in the north of England was a major focus of the still only recently installed Government’s fiscal plans. Ms Reeves declared that measures including the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and improvements to the A57 road signalled an end to “14 years of neglect” of the region under the previously governing Conservative Party. 

Hopes of improved rail and road connectivity boosting the region’s economic growth

The Chancellor joined Transport Secretary Louise Haigh on a visit to Manchester on 7th November, drawing attention to the role they believed the aforementioned rail and road schemes would play in better connecting northern England’s people, communities, and businesses. 

As far as rail passengers are concerned, the Department for Transport (DfT) said the TRU programme would turn the main line from Manchester to York, via Leeds and Huddersfield, into a high-performing, electrified railway offering quicker, more frequent, and more environmentally friendly journeys. 

It is anticipated that the improvements will reduce journey times between Manchester and Leeds from 50 to 42 minutes, in addition to taking 10 minutes off the typical journey time from Manchester to York. 

Another important announcement in the Budget from the perspective of transport consultants and those they serve, was the Chancellor’s confirmation that works on the long-awaited A57 link road upgrade would begin within weeks. This £250 million project is expected to “drastically decrease” journey times between Manchester and Sheffield, with two new links roads set to be created. 

“For too long, the north’s transport infrastructure has been neglected” 

The Chancellor stated in light of the Budget announcements: “Investment in our transport infrastructure is vital to delivering our growth mission. Without improvements to our roads and rail, we won’t be able to create jobs and boost business”. 

Ms Reeves said the key northern economic centres would be brought closer together by the delivery of the confirmed improvement works, with the Government “bolstering the region’s immense growth power to benefit the whole country.” 

Meanwhile, the Transport Secretary commented that “for too long, the north’s transport infrastructure has been neglected.” Ms Haigh expressed delight, however, about the Budget’s announcements in relation to the two schemes, which she said would “make a huge difference to people’s everyday journeys – making travelling between these great towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.” 

Our transport consultants at Transport Planning Associates (TPA) stand ready to provide the guidance and expertise that could be instrumental in steering your own projects to success. To learn more about what working with us would entail, please contact your nearest TPA office. 

[norainahmadme-blog]

UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh Resigns After Fraud Conviction Revealed

In the latest setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Louise Haigh resigned from the cabinet Friday after admitting she pleaded guilty to a type of fraud in 2014. Source link

[businesspr]

UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh Resigns After Fraud Conviction Revealed

In the latest setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Louise Haigh resigned from the cabinet Friday after admitting she pleaded guilty to a type of fraud in 2014. source https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/29/world/europe/uk-transport-secretary-louise-haigh-resigns-conviction.html

[odnewsin]

UK transport secretary steps down over decade-old cellphone fraud case

London: British Transport Minister Louise Haigh resigned Friday over a decade-old fraud conviction for claiming her cellphone had been stolen. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Haigh said “I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from outside government.” “I appreciate that whatever the facts of the matter, this…

[leprivatebanker]

Louise Haigh resigns as UK transport secretary over phone offence

MP had admitted she pleaded guilty a decade ago to a minor criminal offence relating to a mobile phone

[charlotteswebbbbb]

What's the vibe? #70

Burberryyyy.

The Circa Prize came and went. Congrats to Bernice Mulenga who is a great photographer and film maker who won with their film "Let's Move On".

For those not in the know: The Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts (CIRCA) is an art and culture platform with purpose. They stop the clock on global billboards every evening at 20:24 (local time), and mobilise the world’s greatest creative minds to broadcast unique works of art that consider our world circa now.

The finalists of the prize has their work shown each day in Piccadilly Circus in September and people were free to vote online for their top 3.

Yoox-Net-A-Porter sold to Mytheresa. So really it's MyTheresa and Farfetch vs trad department stores

No one is spending money because of the war.

The economic downturn in the world and the lack of consumer spending isn't just down to the lack of money within the middle class. It's a lot down to the mood of the world. Climate change, wars, economists and consumer data analysts can't predict those but in the future they can probably predict. The longer the conflicts go on however, leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who support artists.

"Other art-market centres are feeling the pinch, even New York, as geopolitical events continue to dampen the all-important mood, which influences art buyers’ willingness to part with their money. Global sales at auction fell 27 per cent in the first half. But for many operating art businesses in the UK, the feeling is that all this could not have come at a worse time. “There are challenges everywhere,” says Camille Houzé, director of Shoreditch’s Nicoletti. “But in London these had already increased because of Brexit — and then you get a global economic crisis on top.” - from Economic and political challenges threaten London’s art market on the FT

Even Tim Blanks on the BOF podcast on his and Imran's SS25 roundup was saying that "I have gallerist friends who've had boom years, and this year, even their wealthiest clients who don't actually have to think about things like downturns aren't shopping. So I think as a general caution, I think there's a realignment."

Good News if You Want to look Demure - New York Times Style

The demure-ness of many collections is really stark when in comparison to maybe the idea that sex is on the runway at Hermes, Victoria Beckham or Balenciaga. It feels odd that those three plus maybe rogues like Luar, or Vaquera. It's the reason why Chappell Roan feels so stark out there if demure is the mode de ce moment.

Related: Transport secretary Louise Haigh has turned off Euston's big advertising screen. The taste for distraction is gone. Britain is dying for proper function and utility.

frieze after party?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by INFINITE FXX (@infinitefxxlive)

Cool People:

foodxforms aka fofo based in Barcelona

Pièces Uniques based in France

New fragrance:

New Glossier scents - Reve and Doux

New Bottega scents - inspired by the city of Venice and Bottega's leather.

Listening parties:

last thought:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Polyester (@polyesterzine)

[alabs1]

Nigeria To UK: Failure To Allocate A Space For Air Peace In Heathrow; Will Make Us Cancel British Airways And Virgin Atlantic Slots At Lagos And Abuja Airports

The row over Air Peace’s flight operations from the United Kingdom has taken another turn with Festus Keyamo, the Nigerian minister of aviation and aerospace development, writing to his British counterpart to lodge a formal complaint, TheCable understands. In a letter dated August 1, 2024 and addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK secretary of state for transport, Keyamo warned that if Air Peace is…

[randgugotur-6]

As engineers frantically battle to restore services and share prices dropped following what Elon Musk called 'the biggest IT fail ever' - NHS services across the country are hit as GP booking system go down - with one hospital postponing cancer appointments; Huge queues are seen at airports with Ryanair flights grounded and trains also axed - although 'most' services are still running; Experts reveal the truth behind blackout as computer users seen 'the blue screen of death' ; US - American Airlines and Delta ground ALL flights as 911 and hospital systems go down ; Australia - Qantas makes stunning announcement to passengers as global crash sends travel into chaos' ; Office workers rejoiced after the the outage shut down systems as staff joked they could end the week early ; The Cobra system that deals with matters of national emergency or major disruption has been fired up to manage the UK Government's response, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said this morning. Ministers are in touch with their sectors to tackle the fallout from the IT failures, with Transport Secretary Louise Haigh saying she is working 'at pace with industry' after trains and flights ground to a halt. Mr McFadden, who is in charge of the Whitehall machine, said: 'Many people are being affected by today's IT outages impacting services across the country and globally. 'Ministers are working with their sectors and respective industries on the issue. I am in close contact with teams co-ordinating our response through the COBR response system.'

An emergency Cobra meeting was held at official-level - rather than ministers - on Friday morning to discuss the IT chaos, Downing Street said. A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters: 'We recognise the impact this is having on services and the Government is working closely with the respective sectors and industries on this issue, which is affecting services not only across the UK but also globally. 'Officials have met in the Cobra unit this morning and of course are updating ministers regularly on this issue.' She said she was not aware of plans for a Cobra gathering with ministers present. Asked why Sir Keir Starmer did not chair the meeting of the committee, she said: 'The Prime Minister's had bilaterals with President Zelensky and Cabinet this morning, but all ministers including the Prime Minister are being kept informed with the latest.' Royal Surrey Hospital today said it had seen issues with Varian, the IT system the hospital uses to deliver radiotherapy treatments. Earlier the hospital was unable to deliver scheduled radiotherapy treatments, but this afternoon's appointments will take place as scheduled, the trust said in an update. Appointments into next week could still be affected due to remaining disruption to the system, the statement added.

[lizseyi]

Amid Government Cuts, CIHT Warns About “Stop-Start Approach” To UK Transport Infrastructure

With the still-young Labour Government having been in power for more than a month at the time of typing, transport consultants and their clients are continuing to see signs of how Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s administration will approach this critically important sector. 

However, not all the news impacting on transport planning and infrastructure so far has been positive. Indeed, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves made a dispiriting announcement to the House of Commons on 29th July, stating that the new Government had discovered a large gap in the UK’s finances. 

What did the Chancellor say, and what are the implications for UK transport? 

Ms Reeves said that an unfunded governmental overspend amounting to £22 billion had been passed on to the new Labour ministry from the previous Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Government. 

She went on to say that to help tackle this deficit and relieve the associated pressure on public finances, various measures and cuts would be necessary. These have included the cancellation of certain transport infrastructure projects. 

It had been intended under the Conservative administration that works would be carried out on the A303 and the A27, but these projects will no longer go ahead. Also getting the axe is the Restoring Your Railway scheme, a move that will apparently save £85 million. 

Declaring that “if we cannot afford it, we cannot do it”, the Chancellor said there was a total of £1 billion worth of transport projects – committed to for next year – that was “unfunded”. She did, however, add that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh would undertake a review of those commitments. 

Greater “certainty” needed on transport projects, UK charity says 

Chief Executive at the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), Sue Percy CBE, described Ms Reeves’ Parliamentary announcement as “disappointing”, but “not surprising given the continuing pressure on public finances.” 

She went on to warn, however, that “one of the consequences of cutting transport infrastructure projects is the negative impact this has on the sector, economy, and society.

“It is really important,” Ms Percy continued, “that the Government works with the sector to ensure we have a sustainable pipeline of transport projects to give firms and [CIHT] members more certainty and end this stop-start approach to infrastructure planning and delivery.” 

Our transport consultants can assist your efforts to achieve success with your projects 

While the current times may seem relatively straitened ones for the UK transport sector, this situation further underscores how important it is to ensure the careful and informed planning and delivery of the transport infrastructure projects that still proceed. 

To benefit from our transport consultants’ expertise and guidance, please contact your nearest Transport Planning Associates (TPA) officetoday. When you do, we can provide transport planning advice based on your specific circumstances and requirements.