Tag: Concerns

‘Committee to address concerns of same-sex couples’: Centre to SC

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New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that a committee headed by the cabinet secretary would be constituted to explore administrative steps for addressing some concerns of same-sex couples without going into the issue of legalising their marriage.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which is hearing a batch of pleas seeking legal validation of same-sex marriage, that the government is positive about the suggestion for exploring administrative steps in this regard.
He told the bench, which also comprised justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, that this will need coordination between more than one ministries.

On the seventh day of hearing in the matter, Mehta said the petitioners can give their suggestions on the issue of exploring what administrative steps can be taken in this regard.
While hearing the matter on April 27, the apex court had asked the Centre whether social welfare benefits can be granted to same-sex couples without going into legalising their marriage.
The court had posed the question after observing that the Centre’s acceptance of right to cohabitation of same sex partners as a fundamental right cast a “corresponding duty” on it to recognise its social consequences.
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#Committee #address #concerns #samesex #couples #Centre
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 3, 2023
KCCI Addresses Concerns With EPFO Recovery And Penalty Notices

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SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCC&I) recently held a meeting on April 28^th 2023, with Mr. Rizwan ud din, Commissioner of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) in Jammu and Kashmir, to address concerns expressed by KCC&I member entities regarding recovery and penalty notices issued by EPFO under various provisions, particularly under Section 14B of the EPFO MFACT.
During the meeting, several stakeholders were present along with the KCC&I Office Bearers. The Commissioner of EPFO was accompanied by the Enforcement Officer of EPFO, Kashmir, Ankur. The stakeholders expressed their grievances with the issuance of penalty and recovery notices under Section 14B.
It was explained during the meeting that default or delay in payment and filing of relevant returns was caused by peculiar situations arising from the total restrictions imposed on public life in the State following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. This included internet shutdowns and other means of communication for nearly four months. The woes that the business of public life had suffered through the unpredictable restrictions were further compounded with the life-threatening Covid-19 pandemic.
Based on these facts, the KCC&I pleaded with the Commissioner to quash the demand raised through the notice issued under various provisions, especially Section 14B of EPF&MFACT, and condone the delay in filing the returns. The Commissioner was impressed upon to appreciate the ground situations prevailing during those difficult phases of disturbing events and takes a view accordingly.
The Commissioner listened keenly and enlightened the stakeholders about the applicability and implications of the relevant rules for persisting non-compliance of the Act. He advised that a proper representation be made to the Ministry concerned asking for waiver of the penalties.
The KCC&I is currently working out the details to be brought on the representation to be addressed to the concerned Ministry for favourable consideration, as advised by the Commissioner of EPFO. Faiz Ahmad Bakshi, Secretary-General of KCC&I, stated that the KCC&I will continue to work towards finding solutions to the issues faced by its members and the business community in Kashmir.

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#KCCI #Addresses #Concerns #EPFO #Recovery #Penalty #Notices

( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 1, 2023
Biden pushes back on concerns about age and low approval amid 2024 reelection bid: ‘I feel good’

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But voters will be the ultimate decider about whether he’s too old for office, he added. His answer marks his first public comments on the 2024 race after Tuesday’s launch — and his first addressing the obstacles hovering over his reelection bid.
“I respect them taking a hard look at it. I’ve taken a hard look at it as well — I took a hard look at it before I decided to run,” Biden said. “I feel good. And I feel excited about the prospects, and I think we’re on the verge of really turning the corner in a way we haven’t in a long time.”
Biden also said he has seen the poll numbers and is in a similar position to past presidents running for reelection.
“What I keep hearing about is that I’m between 42 and 46 percent favorable rating. But everybody running for reelection in this time has been in the same position. There’s nothing new about that. You’re making it sound like Biden’s really underwater,” he said.
The president then touted specific legislative accomplishments and economic growth.
“And the reason I’m running again is there’s a job to finish.”
Of the three presidents who failed to win a second term in recent decades, two had approval ratings roughly equal to Biden’s. But former Presidents Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan also hovered around Biden’s numbers, and both were reelected.
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#Biden #pushes #concerns #age #approval #reelection #bid #feel #good
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 27, 2023
NC asks govt to address concerns of FMGs

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Srinagar, Apr 19 (GNS): National Conference on Wednesday asked the J & K administration to address the demands and concerns of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) and allow them to do internships in medical colleges across J&K.
Echoing the concerns of the protesting FMGs, party’s State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, “As per the guidelines by NMC (National Medical Commission), students who have completed their MBBS degree from foreign medical universities are required to appear for the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) which allows them to practice medicine in India. Students who qualify for the exam are then required to undergo a mandatory medical internship. Forty thousand such FMGs had appeared in the test out of which only three thousand had cleared it. However the total number of FMGs that qualified the mandatory screening test in J&K is 400, out of which only 230 have been inducted for the mandatory Internship. While the fate of remaining 170 aspirants who had also qualified the test has been put into a lurch. Most of these FMGs had also applied for internships in other states but they were denied the same on domicile issues.”
Imran further said, “Intern doctors played a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir. Their work hours go beyond that of permanent faculty. They form an important part of the workforce in understaffed medical colleges and hospitals in rural areas and the distribution of doctors in J&K is already lopsided. The services of such Interns can be used to fulfil the shortage of staff in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare centers across J&K. Therefore, the government should increase the intake capacity of CRMI seats and refrain from any sort of discrimination.”
“I hope the concerned authorities will take cognizance of their plight and mitigate their sufferings on priority basis.” (GNS)
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#asks #govt #address #concerns #FMGs
( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

April 19, 2023
Israel’s PM rescinds firing of Defence Minister amid security concerns

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Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his decision to dismiss the Defence Minister whom he had recently said to fire for outspoken criticism of a controversial judiciary overhaul plan.
In a televised press conference on Monday, Netanyahu said that he decided to keep Yoav Gallant in his position, citing the escalating violence in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
“I decided to put the differences we had behind us,” Netanyahu said, adding “Gallant remains in his position and we will continue to work together for the security of the citizens of Israel.”

While having embroiled for weeks in an internal debate over the contentious plan to reform its judicial system, Israel faced two Palestinian attacks that cost the lives of four people and barrages of rockets from Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip amid escalating tensions with Palestinians in recent days.
Netanyahu announced the removal of Gallant, a senior member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, on March 26 after the minister called for a pause in the judicial overhaul that would weaken the powers of the Supreme Court and expand the authorities of the government.
Despite the announcement, Gallant technically remained in his ministerial post because Netanyahu never made the necessary formal steps needed for the firing to take place.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis held rallies across the country for the 14th week, calling on Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition government to cancel the reform plan.

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#Israels #rescinds #firing #Defence #Minister #security #concerns
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Amid security concerns, Australia to ban TikTok on government devices

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Canberra: Australia’s federal government will ban video-sharing application TikTok on government devices over fears that the application’s security could be compromised and the platform could be used for foreign interference by China, ABC News reported.
Australia becomes the last nation in the “five eyes” intelligence alliance to block the app after similar decisions were taken by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that the ban will come into effect “as soon as practicable.” He further stated that exemptions will be made on a case-by-case basis, as per the ABC News report.

In a statement, Mark Dreyfus said, “After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Victorian and ACT governments stated that they expected an imminent ban, as per the news report. A spokesperson for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said they will follow the Commonwealth’s guidance with regard to cybersecurity and they will now work on implementing these changes “across the public service as soon as possible.”
According to the ACT government’s spokesperson, the territory government will work with the government to implement restrictions. In a statement, they said, “The ACT government was notified yesterday of an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban TikTok from Government devices,” as per the news report.
They said that the ACT government will consider similar restrictions on territory government devices at a security and emergency meeting of the cabinet tomorrow, as per the news report. They stressed that the move could be made based on the Commonwealth’s advice, and the desirability of national cybersecurity consistency.
In recent months, several nations have decided to block the app, after revelations that TikTok staff based in the US and China used the app to spy on American journalists who were writing stories critical of the app, as per the ABC News report. US President Joe Biden has said that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance divest in the app or else face a potential nationwide ban in the US.

Earlier in March, the French government banned the Chinese video-sharing application TikTok on government devices, NHK World reported. The French government has reportedly debarred TikTok on the work phones of public-sector employees.
French Public Service Minister Stanislas Guerini declared that TikTok, a Chinese-owned video-sharing software, would no longer be allowed on the work phones of civil servants.”
In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” he tweeted. France’s Transformation and Public Administration Minister Stanislas Guerini made the announcement on Friday.
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#security #concerns #Australia #ban #TikTok #government #devices
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 4, 2023
Liberal groups raise ‘grave concerns’ about Biden judicial pick

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The controversy surrounding Delaney’s nomination is unusual for a Biden judicial pick, compounded with further concerns voiced by some Democratic members on the panel. The New Hampshire judicial nominee is under particular scrutiny for his representation of St. Paul’s School in a school sexual assault case. During that case, Delaney filed a motion that would have allowed the plaintiff, who was a minor, to remain anonymous only if she and her representatives agreed not to speak about the case publicly during the litigation.
The victim in the case, Chessy Prout, went public and a settlement was eventually reached in 2018. Prout recently wrote an op-ed in the Boston Globe encouraging the White House to withdraw Delaney’s nomination. During his confirmation hearing, Delaney said he was an “advocate” for St. Paul’s, and that the school “felt that the request to restrict [Prout’s] lawyers from trying the case in the media was compatible with her desire to proceed with privacy and anonymity.”
Delaney, a former New Hampshire attorney general, has strong support from his home state Democratic senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, as well as the White House. Hassan and Shaheen have made the case for his confirmation broadly to their colleagues, including at the caucus lunch this past week.
Delaney’s allies also highlight support from Susan Carbon, former President Barack Obama’s director of the office on violence against women at the Department of Justice, who wrote that he was “instrumental” in making changes designed “to improve the civil and criminal justice systems for victims of crime” in New Hampshire. Other endorsements include four former New Hampshire Supreme Court justices, appointed by both parties, and 29 past presidents of the New Hampshire Bar Association.
“The strong support for Michael Delaney from legal experts, survivor advocates and lawmakers spanning the political spectrum speaks to his qualifications, ethics and commitment to justice throughout his nearly thirty-year career,” said Sarah Weinstein, a Shaheen spokesperson. “Senator Shaheen believes that both his record and strong backing from individuals in the advocacy and legal sectors underscore his qualifications.”
Laura Epstein, a Hassan spokesperson added that “Delaney’s strong, bipartisan support from a wide cross-section of leaders … underscores his deep commitment to justice and why he will make for an excellent First Circuit Judge.”
White House spokesperson Seth Schuster said the White House “has the utmost respect for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors and expects senators to take Mr. Delaney’s full record into account when considering his nomination — as the White House did before nominating Mr. Delaney to the First Circuit.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to take up Delaney’s nomination next week, but that is likely to change depending on attendance. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been out of the Senate recovering from shingles. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have made the school sexual assault case a key focus and are not expected to support his nomination. While no Democrats have come out publicly against Delaney, it’s not clear he has the votes to get through committee.

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#Liberal #groups #raise #grave #concerns #Biden #judicial #pick
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 11, 2023
US inches closer to ban TikTok nationwide over data security concerns

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New York: The House Foreign Affairs Committee has voted 24-16 in favour of banning TikTok in the US, advancing a bill that would allow US President Joe Biden to ban the Chinese short video making app in the country.
The Technological Adversaries Act, or DATA Act, directs Biden to sanction or ban TikTok nationwide if his administration finds that the Chinese firm shared American users’ data with the Chinese government.
If that data was used to surveil, hack, or censor users, Biden could impose additional sanctions against TikTok and its parent-company Bytedance, reports The Verge.
“TikTok is a modern day Trojan horse of the CCP used to surveil and exploit Americans’ personal information,” said Rep Michael McCaul (R-TX).
However, some Democrats and civil liberty groups raised objections on the bill.
Democrat Gregory Meeks (D-NY) called the bill “dangerously overbroad”.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also raised its concerns in a letter sent to McCaul.
“Congress must not censor entire platforms and strip Americans of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression. Whether we’re discussing the news of the day, live streaming protests, or even watching cat videos, we have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at ACLU.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is likely to appear before the US Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23 over questions related to TikTok’s relationship with the Chinese government.
Banned in India, ByteDance-owned TikTok has also been in the news for reportedly stealing US users’ data.
The Chinese short-form video app has been banned on mobile devices issued by the US House of Representatives. The House ordered staff to delete TikTok from all mobile phones.
Canada has become the latest country to ban TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.
The country joined the European Union in banning TikTok on government devices.
The European Commission late last month directed all employees to remove TikTok from their corporate devices.
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#inches #closer #ban #TikTok #nationwide #data #security #concerns
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 2, 2023
Hyderabad: L&T denies metro related concerns; issues clarification

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Hyderabad: Larsen and Turbo (L&T) spokesperson for the Hyderabad metro rail on Tuesday denied a report published in a vernacular newspaper that the metro was “making sound and peeling off”.
“As per L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail’s SOP, we do regular preventive maintenance work for all the civil structures including viaduct parapets across the metro rail network. During these preventive measures, wherever any superficial hairline cracks are noticed, which is a common phenomenon for areas subjected to continuous vibrations, we rectify them immediately by applying an epoxy coating for protection from weather and as a proactive measure towards the safety of the public,” said the statement issued by L&T.
L&T further said that the contextualized photographs shown in the article are incorrect and misleading in nature, as they are in fact those of post rectification work process for hairline cracks, and not any cement peeling off as claimed in the story.
The statement further read, “Regarding noises, Hyderabad Metro Rail is the only metro in the country, to have such a unique alignment with many sharp curves and steep gradients due to the topography of Hyderabad city. Under these circumstances, rail and wheel metal interaction creates more vibrations and screeching sounds, compared to straight-line metros. To address this issue, regular monitoring of the structure is done as part of the SOP, which also includes continuous/frequent track lubrication to reduce both vibration and noise levels.”
“We also monitor the noise levels regularly and the values are kept well within the permissible limits,” L&T added.
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#Hyderabad #denies #metro #related #concerns #issues #clarification

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 14, 2023
Govt blocks 232 foreign apps over gambling, money laundering concerns

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New Delhi: The government has blocked 232 apps operated by overseas entities, including Chinese for being involved in betting, gambling and unauthorised loan service, according to an official source.
Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has issued orders to block these apps following instructions from Ministry of Home Affairs.
“The order to block 138 apps that were involved in betting, gambling and money laundering were issued last evening. Separately, an order to block 94 apps engaged in unauthorised loan service has also been issued. These apps were being operated from offshore entities, including Chinese. They were posing a threat to the economic stability of the country,” the official, who did not wish to be named , told PTI.
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#Govt #blocks #foreign #apps #gambling #money #laundering #concerns
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 5, 2023