Uber Announces Marketing Deal For English Channel Tunnel Trains
LONDON, May 21 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- Transport app company Uber said it has signed an agreement to co-brand trains running through the English Channel tunnel, PA Media/dpa reported.
Uber has formed a partnership with Gemini Trains, which is developing plans to launch international rail services from London St Pancras.
"Under the marketing agreement, Uber will co-brand the service, as well as offer passengers the opportunity to book tickets through the Uber app," a statement from Uber read.
bootstrap slideshow
The deal echoes Uber's collaboration with London's Thames Clipper boats, which involves Uber branding the service but operations being the responsibility of Thames Clipper.
Gemini Trains, chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley, is planning to purchase 10 new trains for its services.
Its initial routes would be from London St Pancras to Paris and Brussels - calling at Ebbsfleet, Kent - with plans to expand services to other European destinations.
Eurostar stopped calling at Ebbsfleet and Ashford, also in Kent, in March 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite local pressure for services to resume, the company has said it is focusing on its core routes.
Gemini Trains announced in March that it had been developing its plans for two years and had submitted an application to regulator the Office of Rail and Road for access to Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot in northeast London.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
EU pushes China to address ‘alarming' rare earth export controls
The EU has urged China to stop restricting the export of rare earth minerals and magnets, with the bloc's trade chief saying its industries are in an 'alarming situation'. The request was made during a meeting between the sides' top commerce officials in Paris on Tuesday. It comes as sectors across Europe raise the alarm about a shortage of rare earths, which are used to manufacture hi-tech goods ranging from electric cars and smartphones to military tanks and aircraft. 'I informed my Chinese counterpart about the alarming situation in the European car industry, but I would say industry as such because clearly rare earths and permanent magnets are absolutely essential for industrial production,' Maros Sefcovic said on Wednesday, briefing reporters a day after his meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. Around 90 per cent of the world's supply of rare earth minerals comes from China, which introduced export controls on their shipments in April in retaliation to US President Donald Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs. Rare earths consist of 17 elements. On April 4, Beijing added seven of these – dysprosium, gadolinium, lutetium, samarium, scandium, terbium and yttrium – to its export control list, plus several rare earth magnets, two days after Trump announced 'reciprocal tariffs', meaning licenses are now required for their export. While such restrictions were ostensibly intended to punish the US, firms around the world have been caught in the crossfire. Business chambers and industry groups have urged European governments to push for a solution, as mineral stocks run low and some areas of production grind to a halt. European companies have complained that China's commerce ministry seemed incapable of handling the voluminous requests, with licenses being issued slowly and on a piecemeal basis. 'Some applicants are asked for sensitive information that might compromise their intellectual property so they're reluctant to hand that over, but they need to if they want to get approval,' Adam Dunnett, secretary general at the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, said. The chamber has held 'emergency meetings' with Chinese authorities in recent days after an outpouring of anxiety from across European industry. 'I haven't seen anything of this magnitude for a long time,' Dunnett said of the level of concern among EU businesses. Sefcovic said that the two sides had compared figures on the number of applications versus the licenses issued. The figures did not match, Sefcovic said, adding that the EU would supply Beijing with 'all the data and would cover all the companies which are now in an extremely difficult situation'. Sefcovic suggested that Beijing could simplify its system, which now screens all requests for 'dual use' applications, meaning the rare earths could go towards military production. 'Some of the car companies are already announcing that if this issue is not addressed, there might be huge production difficulties in a short period of time,' Sefcovic said. 'His information was a little bit different, and therefore we agreed that he would clarify this as soon as possible, and that we would also address the propositions I made yesterday, and this was that our strong preference here,' he added. The EU's proposals include 'not to cover ... civilian production by this very complex system', Sefcovic said. The bloc would also like to see a 'general application ... to cover it once a year for the whole production', eliminating the need for cumbersome repeat applications. Sefcovic said the EU wanted the changes to avoid 'huge paperwork delays and stress, which this presents for our industry and for our companies. 'We agree that we will come back to this issue relatively soon.' Also on Wednesday, the EU named 13 projects it would initiate beyond its borders to help improve its self-sufficiency in rare earths and critical minerals. 'The export bans reinforce our will to diversify and perhaps even strengthen the relevance of our focus on reducing dependencies,' Stephane Sejourne, the European Commission's head of industrial strategy, said in announcing the projects in Brussels. Two projects will cover rare earth minerals in Malawi and South Africa, while others focus on various raw materials in Britain, Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, Brazil and New Caledonia, a French overseas territory. The rare earth crisis adds another complication to already tense EU-China trade ties. Earlier this week, the bloc's member states voted to exclude Chinese companies from its lucrative medical devices procurement market after Beijing refused to open its tenders to the EU. In a bid to crack down on a deluge of small packages from Chinese e-tailers Temu and Shein, Brussels plans to add a surcharge of €2 (US$2.28) to small parcels imported. The EU also remains frustrated over Beijing's refusal to acknowledge state subsidies that it claims are leading to market-distorting industrial overcapacity. China, on the other hand, claims that Europe's moves to target its exporters are against the rules of global trade. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Is China's promise of a new world order a self-serving power play?
As China has found itself in the midst of a rapidly escalating trade war with the United States after President Donald Trump launched global tariff measures, Beijing launched a sweeping outreach strategy intended to strengthen ties with Russian and Southeast Asian trade partners while also welcoming Latin American and European stakeholders. The multifront diplomatic charm offensive has had at its core one clear message: a shift to a multipolar world is accelerating, and Beijing is ready to work with partners to defend the 'rules-based, UN-centred' international system that has underpinned economic globalisation since World War II. Beijing's message holds that the post-war order, once symbolised by multilateral cooperation, is now being challenged by Washington's retreat under the banner of 'America first'. Observers have watched as China has amplified this theme to court Europe and the Global South, framing itself as a defender of multilateralism and a responsible stakeholder in the post-war system in contrast to what Washington now offers. But the analysts have also cautioned that divergent world views and competing national interests – as well as the strategic calculations of countries seeking to balance or benefit from US-China tensions – could undercut Beijing's vision of a multipolar world. China has used its membership in diplomatic platforms, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, to highlight its World War II sacrifices and contributions to the post-war international order. During a visit to Moscow last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that both sides should work together to defend their second world war legacies, as well as the rights of developing nations to pursue an 'equal and orderly' multipolar world. Victor Gao, vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, said Beijing has been reminding the world of the origins of the post-war international system. 'The international order established in 1945 was not unilateral from the outset – it was built on multilateralism, centred around the United Nations,' he said. 'The US launch of a global tariff war ... deprives other countries' rights to development, which China opposes.' Since Xi came to power, China has advanced its vision of a multipolar world order through initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative – all aimed at providing an alternative to the Western development model. The Belt and Road Initiative has been central to these initiatives to empower developing economies, alongside the expansion of Global South-focused blocs such as Brics. At the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Forumlast month, Xi highlighted a 'shared identity' with the region, calling for 'independent development paths' and joint efforts to promote multipolarity and reform global governance. In a separate meeting with African diplomats, Foreign Minister Wang Yi invoked a 'common destiny' shaped by historical injustice. Similar themes were echoed during Xi's April visit to Southeast Asia, seen as a 'back door' for China's exports to circumvent trade restrictions from Washington, where he has prioritised neighbourhood diplomacy and supply chain resilience in response to US tariffs. Gedaliah Afterman, a Chinese foreign policy specialist at Israel's Reichman University, described Chinese advocacy for a multipolar world order as both 'ideological and strategic.' 'This narrative resonates across the Global South, where China positions itself as a champion of 'pluralism' and 'win-win cooperation',' he said. 'However, China's embrace of multipolarity is selective and self-serving. While it publicly promotes a world of diverse centres of power, in practice it seeks to structure this order in ways that amplify its own influence.' Through its trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, China is expanding its footprint across developing regions, including Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The areas have become key destinations for Beijing to diversify its exports and supply chains, while also offering access to critical minerals amid US export controls. Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior researcher on African governance and diplomacy at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said Latin American and African countries embrace China's multipolar vision where it provides 'tangible benefits', such as technology transfers, industrial upgrades and 'institutional alternatives'. Latin American and African countries including Brazil and South Africa – both Brics members – have often backed China's push to reform global governance in favour of Global South interests. But 'rather than endorsing any particular power's vision of world order', these countries have hedged their ties with the US and Europe alongside China amid the US-China rivalry, de Carvalho said. He cited African nations ramping up lithium and battery production to serve both Chinese and Western markets, and Latin American countries pursuing trade deals with the European Union while deepening their economic ties with Beijing. 'This represents calculated hedging rather than ideological conversion,' de Carvalho said. Similar hedging strategies have also been adopted by Middle Eastern countries, as they position themselves to benefit from a future multipolar structure, Afterman said. 'China has found receptive ground for its multipolar vision in the Middle East, especially among states seeking greater strategic autonomy from Washington,' he said. 'For Gulf monarchies and other regional actors, multipolarity is not about endorsing a new global order but about expanding strategic space. These countries seek to balance between the US, China, Russia and others to advance their national interests.' '[But] divergences become clear when China's vision intersects with contested regional dynamics or entrenched security architectures ... China's growing economic role is evident, but whether it has the will or capacity to assume a meaningful political or security role in the region remains an open question.' Many Middle Eastern nations have long been reliant on US security guarantees, and the region has returned to the forefront of Trump's 'America first' strategy. His recent visit to the region secured billions of dollars in AI-related investments – an arena of intense competition between Washington and Beijing. At last week's China-Asean Gulf Cooperation Council forum in Malaysia, Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged to deepen regional economic integration, aiming to build a market where investment, technology and talent move freely. While many Southeast Asian nations have been open to China's call for a multipolar world, they have also been assessing whether Beijing was 'fully living up to' the ideals it has been pitching, especially when it comes to its approach on the South China Sea, according to Dylan Loh, a Chinese foreign policy specialist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. 'While [China] speaks of an equitable, multipolar and just world, [Southeast Asian] states are also assessing if this is the case. Its actions in the South China Sea, for instance, are seen by some as not fully aligning with some of the principles it espouses,' he said. Long-standing sovereignty disputes over the resource-rich region have strained China's relations with several Asean members. The contested waterway has also increasingly become a flashpoint for military tensions between China and US allies. Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University, said multipolarisation may offer smaller nations greater room to manoeuvre but also more pressure to choose sides. It remained doubtful that Trump's 'isolationism' would provide more room for China to increase its influence in the developing world, he added, noting that issues such as the South China Sea, Iran and Russia's war in Ukraine would continue to strain China's relations with Europe and the Global South. 'Apart from some limited and somewhat empty diplomatic gains, China's financial resources will be further squeezed, especially with that consumptive overseas involvement, if the Belt and Road Initiative has not been implemented effectively.' China has begun pivoting its belt and road spending toward more financially sustainable projects in green energy and hi-tech sectors as it continues to face economic headwinds. Many economists have predicted that sustained US tariffs would further slow its economy. Jo Inge Bekkevold, a Senior China Fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, said China's push for multipolarity has gained a lot of traction in the Global South, but less so in Europe. China has long seen the EU as a key pole in a multipolar world, urging Brussels to maintain 'strategic autonomy' as the bloc has aligned with Washington to counter Beijing's influence. EU-China relations have shown signs of thaw as transatlantic ties have been strained over Trump's tariffs and Ukraine policies. In a recent exchange of notes with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties, Xi called the EU a 'major force' in building a multipolar world alongside China. Bekkevold said Europe had not fully agreed with 'America's threat assessment of China' due to geographic distance, which has also allowed it more room to hedge and sustain economic ties with Beijing. At a May forum hosted by the EU delegation to China, European experts also pointed out that while Brussels and Beijing shared an interest in preserving UN-based multilateralism, their strategies and interpretations of it differed. When asked about possible EU cooperation with Brics, Justyna Szczudlik, deputy head of research and coordinator of the Asia-Pacific Programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, said Brics was 'China-led multilateralism', adding that the bloc had its 'own agenda' with the Global South. The EU has also diversified its global partnerships, recently signing a major trade agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur and pursuing a deal with India by year's end. According to Amit Ranjan, a China-India relations expert at the National University of Singapore, India saw multipolarisation as a way to gain influence in global governance. 'India also projects itself as an important player in world politics and world diplomacy. Therefore, India always calls for reformed multilateralism, because in the current multilateral structure, especially like the UN, it does not have a suitable space for New Delhi,' he said. Ranjan pointed to the UN Security Council, where India's bid for permanent membership has been blocked by China, which has been reluctant to share its status as the sole Asian permanent member amid concerns it could dilute Beijing's influence. Ranjan added that, like China, India has also considered itself a leader for the Global South and has been engaging with state players. Since 2023, India has hosted the annual Voice of Global South Summit with more than 100 nations taking part. It has long pushed back against China's dominance in Brics and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and has refused to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative. Additional reporting by Dewey Sim - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
Vietnam welcomes 9.2 million international visitors in first five months
International tourists visit Hanoi. - Photo: VNA file HANOI: Vietnam welcomed 9.2 million international arrivals in the first five months of this year, marking a 21.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Office reported on Friday (June 6). Of the total, 7.84 million visitors arrived by air, accounting for 85.2 per cent, followed by 1.18 million arrivals by road and 175,400 by sea. Asia remained the largest source market, contributing over 7.2 million visitors. European arrivals exceeded 1.2 million, while the Americas accounted for more than 496,900 visitors, followed by Oceania and Africa. According to the office, the surge in international arrivals was driven by favourable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion campaigns and celebratory activities marking major national holidays. - Xinhua
