Tag: minister

Pak finance minister hopeful of signing bailout deal with IMF this week

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Islamabad: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar vowed on Thursday that the government was “absolutely committed” to completing the current USD 7 billion bailout programme with the IMF, once again indicating that the cash-strapped country could sign the staff-level agreement with the global lender this week.
The Pakistan government is in a race against time to implement measures to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country has reserves barely enough for three weeks of essential imports, while hotly contested elections are due by November, Dawn newspaper reported.
Addressing a seminar organised by the Finance Ministry here, Dar said: “My team and I have decided that, in a short period of time, we will implement and we will discharge all the sovereign commitments that the previous government had made.” Pakistan and the IMF have been holding virtual talks after the two sides held 10 days of intensive negotiations with an IMF delegation in Islamabad from January 31 to February 9, which failed to reach an agreement.
He recalled that the coalition government was handed over an economy “in a shambles”.
“To top it [off], the previous government (led by Imran Khan) had agreed to a loan facility which was extended by the IMF. But instead of honouring the commitments, they reversed some conditionalities before leaving office. This led to a serious trust deficit [between the lender and Pakistan],” he highlighted.
However, the minister went on to say, the government had realised that these obligations were not made by an individual but by the sovereign state of Pakistan and decided to honour the commitments.
“We have been in the process of the 9th review which has taken longer than it should have […] we seem to be very close to signing the staff-level agreement, hopefully in the next two days,” Dar added.
The agreement with the IMF on the completion of the ninth review of a USD 7 billion loan Extended Fund Facility programme — which has been delayed since late last year over a policy framework — would not only lead to a disbursement of 1.2 billion but also unlock inflows from friendly countries.

The prerequisites by the lender are aimed at ensuring Pakistan shrinks its fiscal deficit ahead of its annual budget around June.
Pakistan has already taken most of the other prior actions, which included hikes in fuel and energy tariffs, the withdrawal of subsidies in export and power sectors, and generating more revenues through new taxation in a supplementary budget.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a slew of austerity measures last month, including cabinet members forgoing their salaries, paying their own bills, banning the purchase of luxury vehicles from 2024, and slashing the current expenditure by 15 per cent, among others.
The finance minister further said that Pakistan’s economic difficulties were compounded by the devastating 2022 floods, which caused physical and economic losses of nearly USD 30 billion.
The floods, which inundated a third of Pakistan, destroying land, crops, and infrastructure, left more than 1,700 persons dead.
“But despite the fiscal constraints and limitations, the federal and provincial governments have jointly allocated Rs 452 billion for relief and rehabilitation work of flood affectees.
“This persistent fake propaganda regarding the country defaulting on its international obligations is completely ill-founded and null […] in fact it harms the country,” he maintained, adding that “petty politics” was only doing more harm to the cash-strapped country.
Dar said that he had been appealing to the political parties to sit together and sign a charter of economy, but regretted that it always fell on “deaf ears.”
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#Pak #finance #minister #hopeful #signing #bailout #deal #IMF #week
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Shinde faction minister needles NCP for backing NDPP-BJP govt in Nagaland

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Mumbai: A Maharashtra minister belonging to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on Thursday taunted the Nationalist Congress Party for extending support to the newly-formed government in Nagaland, and wondered whether any monetary transaction was involved in the move.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, state Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil said the NCP has been criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by labelling it as a communal party, while in Nagaland it has extended support to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-BJP alliance government.
“Has there been any monetary understanding?” he asked.
Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar took a strong objection saying the BJP is in power in the state and the Centre and can probe the matter.
“What is the need to rake up political development in a north-eastern state here? Some decisions have to be taken in national interest,” he said.
The NCP extended its support to the newly-formed Nagaland government led by NDPP leader and Chief Minister N Rio. The BJP has already given support to the NDPP.
The Sharad Pawar-led party won seven seats in the recently-held polls to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. After the formation of the NDPP-BJP government, it was expected that the NCP will be the main Opposition party in the state.

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#Shinde #faction #minister #needles #NCP #backing #NDPPBJP #govt #Nagaland
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Former Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis attacked in central Athens

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ATHENS — Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was attacked in central Athens late on Friday, suffering a broken nose, cuts and bruises.
The assault, which his party DiEM25 described as a “brazen fascist attack,” took place while Varoufakis was dining in the central Exarchia district with party members from all over Europe.
“A small group of thugs stormed the place shouting aggressively, falsely accusing him of signing off on Greece’s bailouts with the troika [the country’s bailout creditors],” DiEM25 said in a statement. “Varoufakis stood up to talk to them, but they immediately responded with violence, savagely beating him while filming the scene.”
Politicians from across the political spectrum swiftly condemned the assault in Varoufakis, the motorbike-riding, leather-jacket-wearing politician who became well-known as the country’s finance minister in 2015.
As part of the left-wing Syriza-led Greek government, Varoufakis battled the so-called troika and Europe-imposed austerity. While the Greek administration eventually capitulated and signed a bailout agreement, Varoufakis quit government and founded a cross-border far-left political movement, DiEM25.
“They were not anarchists, leftists, communists or members of any movement,” Varoufakis said in a tweet early Saturday. “Thugs for hire they were (and looked it), who clumsily invoked the lie that I sold out to the troika. We shall not let them divide us.”
The Exarchia neighborhood has a reputation for being a bastion of self-styled anarchists. Varoufakis was publicly harassed in 2015 while dining in the same district at the height of the financial crisis.
Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Takis Theodorikakos said police would take all measures to identify and arrest the perpetrators of Friday’s attack. He noted that the DiEM25 leader, “at his own initiative, was not accompanied by his personal police detail” while at the restaurant.

Greece has been hit by the biggest mass demonstrations since the eurozone crisis in recent days, as Greeks have taken to the streets almost on a daily basis to protest the country’s deadliest train crash, ramping up pressure on the conservative New Democracy government ahead of coming elections. The wave of public rage follows a train collision on February 28 that killed 57 people and raised profound questions about the management of the rail system.
The train crash has also sparked deeper questions about the functioning of the Greek state and fresh anger against the political system.
“Let us please stay focused: We are mourning the 57 victims of rail privatization. We support the spontaneous youth rallies, the greatest hope that Greece can change. See you at the demonstrations,” Varoufakis tweeted, as another big rally is scheduled for Sunday.

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#Greek #Finance #Minister #Varoufakis #attacked #central #Athens
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 9, 2023
Cops involved in resisting Islamabad’s Aurat March suspended: Pak Minister

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Islamabad: Police in Islamabad on Wednesday apologised and suspended its personnel involved in baton-charging a women’s rally held here in the Pakistani capital to mark the International Women’s Day.
The Aurat March (Women Day March) rally was organised at the National Press Club in Islamabad as part of an event held across the country to celebrate with the rest of the world the International Women’s Day to recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Video clips circulating on social media showed police using force against women participants of the protest march in capital Islamabad, sparking anger.
The police personnel involved in baton-charging the participants of the Women’s March have been suspended, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.
“Moreover, other persons responsible for misbehaviour are also being identified, and proper action will be taken against them too,” he tweeted.
Inspector General Islamabad Akbar Nasir Khan took notice of the incident and sought a report to identify those involved in the violence.
“Islamabad police apologises for this incident,” the force’s official Twitter handle said. “The Islamabad police stands with the participants of the march for the struggle and protection of women’s rights,” the statement said.
Earlier, Interior Minister Sanaullah said he has noted the behaviour of the police personnel and summoned Islamabad police chief. He said “strict legal action” would be taken against those responsible for “this mistreatment”.

“I have taken strict notice of the behaviour meted out to the participants of the women’s march in Islamabad. The IG Police Islamabad has been summoned, and strict legal action will be taken against those responsible for this mistreatment,” he tweeted.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which is an independent body, also condemned the use of force by the Islamabad police. “Women have as much right to peaceful assembly as any citizen. The police are supposed to provide security to the marchers, not to resort to violence against peaceful demonstrators,” the commission said.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman also condemned the Islamabad police’s action against the Aurat March. “The Islamabad police had no business baton-charging a small peaceful procession,” she tweeted and added that an inquiry would be held to punish those responsible for it.
Talking about the use of force, Punjrush, one of the organisers of the march, explained that transgender persons were performing when police charged at the protesters, causing some of them to get “crushed”.
“Then they started pushing us so we started to push back and then they started fighting and we started fighting and it just got confusing,” she said.
Rallies are held every year on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, upsetting the conservative elements in the country.
Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected a petition filed by Amun Taraqqi Party (ATP) chief Muhammad Faiq Shah who had challenged the permission given to organisers to hold a women rally.
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#Cops #involved #resisting #Islamabads #Aurat #March #suspended #Pak #Minister
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 8, 2023
Indian-origin UK home minister proposes new crackdown on illegal migrants

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London: Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on Tuesday announced a new Illegal Migration Bill that will mean migrants arriving in the UK illegally on small boats will be “removed swiftly”.
The minister, whose father is of Goan heritage and mother of Tamil heritage, referenced her own migrant roots during her statement in the House of Commons to lay out details of the new “robust approach” against illegal migration.
“They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed back to your country, if it is safe, or a safe third country such as Rwanda,” Braverman.
“And that is precisely what this bill will do. That is how we will stop the boats,” she said.
The Home Secretary said the new bill will mean last-minute judicial reviews “conducted late at night with no chance to make our case or even appeal decisions” are no longer allowed.
“Now, the United Kingdom must always support the world’s most vulnerable. Since 2015, we have given sanctuary to nearly half a million people. These include 150,000 people from Hong Kong, 160,000 people from Ukraine, 25,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban.
“Indeed, my own parents decades ago found security and opportunity in this country, something for which my family is eternally grateful,” said Braverman.
“For a government not to respond to waves of illegal migrants breaching our borders would be to betray the will of the people we were elected to serve,” she said.

Under the new law, it will be her duty as Home Secretary “to remove” those entering the UK via illegal routes. This will take legal precedence over someone’s right to claim asylum although there will be exemptions for under-18s, those with serious medical conditions, and some “at real risk of serious and irreversible harm”.
Any other asylum claims will be heard remotely after removal. The bill allows for the detention of illegal arrivals without bail or judicial review within the first 28 days of detention, until they can be removed.
Besides a crackdown on unsafe boats crossing over from the French sea border, Braverman also revealed plans for an annual Parliament-set cap on migrants granted asylum in the UK through safe routes.
The bill, the full details of which are yet to be published in Parliament, comes after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak indicated plans for a tough new law over the weekend.
“Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay,” Sunak told the Sunday Express’ newspaper.
Refugee charities and human rights groups have warned of the legal implications for vulnerable asylum seekers.
“Of course, the UK will always seek to uphold international law and I am confident that this bill is compatible with international obligations,” Braverman insisted in the Commons.
The Opposition Labour party has raised doubts about the legality and feasibility of the bill and the Liberal Democrats said ministers had drawn up “another half-baked plan”.
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#Indianorigin #home #minister #proposes #crackdown #illegal #migrants
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 7, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Guwahati

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Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by supporters upon his arrival in Guwahati, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (PTI Photo)
Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by supporters upon his arrival in Guwahati, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (PTI Photo)
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#Prime #Minister #Narendra #Modi #Guwahati
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 7, 2023
China’s new foreign minister slams U.S. ‘malicious confrontation’

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“If the United States does not hit the brake, but continues to speed down the wrong path … there will surely be conflict and confrontation and who will bear the catastrophic consequences?” Qin said.
Qin hinted at the potential for nuclear conflict between the two countries by saying that those policies could risk “the future of humanity.” And he implicitly referenced Biden’s comments in his State of the Union speech last month that the United States seeks “competition, not conflict” with China by accusing the U.S. of “not fair competition, but malicious confrontation.”

Journalists prepare for a press conference by Foreign Minister Qin Gang held on the sideline of the annual meeting of China’s National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 7, 2023.
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AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Qin’s uncompromising tone echoes that of his patron, Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping.
On Monday, Xi accused the U.S. and other Western countries of “all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing Chinese state media. That rhetoric also casts doubt on the sustainability of Xi and President Joe Biden’s agreement in their meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in November to try to stem the slide in U.S.-China ties.
Bilateral ties have been battered by the discovery and subsequent destruction of a Chinese spy balloon over the continental U.S. in February. Biden administration warnings last month that the Chinese government is considering providing lethal weaponry to Russia in its war against Ukraine have further roiled relations. And the conclusion of a Department of Energy report published last week that concluded (albeit with low confidence) that a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, sparked the Covid-19 pandemic has renewed congressional anger toward China’s role in a pandemic that has killed more than a million Americans.
Qin insisted the balloon was a civilian air ship that an “unexpected accident” blew over the continental United States. Biden’s move to destroy the balloon “abused force and dramatized the accident, creating a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided,” Qin said.
The perennial hot button issue of U.S. support for Taiwan also was front and center in Qin’s press conference.
Qin warned that Beijing will take “all necessary measures” to enforce its claim of sovereignty over the self-governing island. And he floated a bizarre conspiracy theory for the Biden administration’s policy of continuing to provide defense weaponry to the island. “Why does the U.S. keep on professing the maintenance of regional peace and stability while covertly formulating a plan for the destruction of Taiwan?” Qin said, without elaborating.

Qin also touted Beijing’s Ukraine peace proposal unveiled last month as a vehicle “to promote talks for peace.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have both dismissed the proposal as a distraction that fails to challenge Russia’s aggression. Qin likewise avoided mention of that and instead implicitly blamed the U.S. for the conflict.
“There seems to be an invisible hand, pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict and using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agenda,” Qin said, without providing any additional details.
Beijing’s concerns about the Biden’s ability to rally allies and partners to counter what Blinken calls China’s threat to the rules-based international order also emerged in Qin’s remarks. Qin slammed the Indo-Pacific Strategy as a plot “to encircle China.” And he denounced Japan — which announced a dramatic expansion of its military forces in December — of taking part in “a new Cold War to contain China.”
And Qin flexed his familiarity with U.S. political fault lines with comments that appeared to target Donald Trump’s tough language on China at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday.
“If the United States has the ambition to make itself great again … containment and suppression will not make America great, and it will not stop the rejuvenation of China,” Qin said.
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#Chinas #foreign #minister #slams #U.S #malicious #confrontation
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 7, 2023
Rapid Growth Of Fisheries In J&K Reflects Pro-Farmer Approach Of Govt: Minister

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Tangmarg, Mar 3 (GNS): Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, during his visit to Baramulla for Public Outreach programme has made operational the Aquarium cum Awareness centre established at Trout Fish Farm Tangmarg for the upcoming summer season.
Union Minster inspected the Trout Rearing Unit Tangmarg and reviewed various Fisheries development schemes and activities being implemented in the district. He also had an exclusive interactive session with farmers.
He distributed fishing material among 39 beneficiaries including 14 women covered under beneficiary oriented schemes of PMMSY.
On the occasion, Union Minister instructed the officers to prepare estimates and submit DPR for upgradation of Fish Farm Bella, Baramulla, which was damaged during the floods of 2014.
Earlier, Union Minister distributed sanction orders amounting Rs. 193.1 lakh in favour of 28 beneficiaries of Baramulla under various components of PMMSY/UT CAPEX scheme
Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla was also present during the function.
Union Minister was briefed that fish production in J&K has reached 25.40 thousand tons. The UT has the monopoly of Trout culture and the Trout Production here has reached to 1663 tons. During the year 2021-22, the department has produced 148 lakh of Trout seed and 14 lakh Trout seed was exported to other cold water states of the country. For providing working capital to the fishers, the department has sanctioned 696 KCCs in Fisheries Sector. Keeping in view the success of Trout Culture in Private sector, the department has kept Trout fish under One district One Product scheme (ODOP) in Anantnag and Baramulla districts. The department also contemplates to register Trout Fish products for GI tagging to project UT in the world map as a hub of Trout production, he was further informed.
Union Minister was told that the department is going to implement a project in Fisheries sector with a total cost of Rs. 232.85 crore during the next five years under Holistic Development of Agriculture plan (HADP) with an aim to double the fish production in the UT. Apart from increasing fish production and productivity, the project envisages creation of direct and indirect employment for about 2.50 lakh youth of UT. The major technological interventions under the project included introduction of modern Technology of fish culture viz RAS, Biofloc, establishment of feed mill, Hatcheries, Ice plant etc under private sector in a big way besides upgradation and strengthening of Departmental Fish farms to exploit their full potential, he was informed. To improve the genetic vigour, growth rate and survival of Trout, the department is procuring 100 lakh of genetically improved eyed of Rainbow and Brown Trout under HADP.

Parshottam Rupala emphasized the need of adopting fish farming activity as it can contribute significantly in increasing the farmers’ income in J&K.
While describing the importance of Kashmir region as an epicenter for development of cold water fisheries, Union Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, various steps are being taken up by the Central Government for enhancing the productivity as well income of the fishers and special subsidy component has been kept for the Cold water states/UTs to attract more farmers for adopting this profitable venture.
Union Minister said that farmers would be made more resourceful through implementation of various schemes for marketing of Trout and also for its export to other states to get remunerative prices for their produce.
Appreciating the Department of Fisheries, he said that J&K is the leader in production of Trout and successful implementation of various centrally and UT Sponsored schemes and proposed technological interventions under HADP clearly reflects the pro-farmer approach of the present government in the UT.
Mohammad Farooq Dar, Director Fisheries, Purnima Mittal, Director Animal Husbandry, Kashmir and other senior officers of the department were present on the occasion.(GNS)
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#Rapid #Growth #Fisheries #Reflects #ProFarmer #Approach #Govt #Minister
( With inputs from : thegnskashmir.com )

March 3, 2023
Hijab not allowed during exams: Karnataka Education Minister

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Education Minister B.C. Nagesh on Friday asserted that students wearing hijab will not be allowed inside the examination centres.
The II PUC (class 12) examinations are set to begin from March 9 in the state.
Speaking to reporters he maintained that it has been clarified that all students should attend exams wearing uniforms. Hijab is not part of it. Those who want to write exams wearing hijab won’t be allowed into the examination hall, he added.
Minister Nagesh further claimed that there is an increase in the number of Muslim students who appeared for the examinations after the hijab ban. “After hijab ban, more number of Muslim sisters appeared for examinations and the enrolment of Muslim girl students has increased,” he added.
The hijab case, which is in the Supreme Court, is likely to be taken up after Holi vacation. Many students abstained from attending the examination as they were not allowed to wear hijab and write exams.
The Hijab crisis in Karnataka became international news as it turned into a law and order problem and communal issue. Hindu activists and minority groups came to a confrontational position. The crisis also had a deep impact on the psyche of the students and divided them on the basis of religion in campuses.
The Karnataka High Court has rejected the applications in this regard by students and upheld the government order on uniforms. It also said hijab is not an essential part of Islam.

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#Hijab #allowed #exams #Karnataka #Education #Minister
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 3, 2023
Greek prime minister apologizes over country’s deadliest train crash

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday apologized over the country’s deadliest train disaster and said he will ask Brussels for help to overhaul the country’s railway network as mass protests continued unabated.
“As prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all the relatives of the victims, a big SORRY,” Mitsotakis wrote on Facebook. “In the Greece of 2023, it is not possible for two trains to run on opposite sides of the same track without anyone noticing.”
Two trains traveling at high speed in opposite directions on the same line collided head-on in Tempe in northern Greece on February 28, killing at least 57 people and injuring 85. A train with at least 350 on board including many university students hit a cargo train.
“We can’t, won’t and shouldn’t hide behind human error,” added the prime minister. Mitsotakis previously said on March 1 that the disaster was “primarily down to a tragic human error.”
The stationmaster for the city of Larissa faces charges of negligent homicide and admitted to some responsibility in his first court appearance on Sunday, according to Greek broadcaster ERT.
But Greece’s aging 2,550-kilometer rail network has been in desperate need of modernizing and has faced criticism for alleged mismanagement, unfit equipment and poor maintenance.
The deadly crash has prompted massive protests across the country about the government’s responsibility in the disaster as the first funerals of the victims were taking place. Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in front of the parliament in Athens, including several children. “This crime will not be covered up. We will be the voice of all the dead,” protesters chanted as they released black balloons into the sky.
Clashes erupted between police and demonstrators during the protests in Athens, the country’s second-largest city of Thessaloniki and Larissa, the city where the accident took place, with police using tear gas and sound grenades.

Protests have been staged over the last five days across the country and more have been called for the coming week. National rail services were halted as workers have been on strike since the crash.
Mitsotakis, who is preparing for elections in the spring, has promised an independent expert committee will investigate the cause of the accident. He also said he will ask the European Commission and other EU capitals for help.
“I will immediately ask the European Commission and friendly countries for their contribution to know-how so that we can finally obtain modern trains,” said Mitsotakis. “And I will fight for additional community funding to quickly maintain and upgrade the existing network.”
In the meantime, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into a contract for the upgrade of the signaling system and remote control on the Greek railway.
“I can confirm that the EPPO has indeed an ongoing investigation, looking exclusively into possible damages to the financial interests in the EU,” an EPPO spokesperson told POLITICO, without providing any details regarding the “ongoing investigations in order not to endanger their outcome.”
The Greek government quickly announced the formation of an experts’ committee to investigate the deadly train collision, causing strong reactions from the opposition who said the move doesn’t have cross-party approval and aims to take over the judicial investigation.
“It is not possible for the person being audited to be an auditor at the same time,” main opposition party Syriza said in a statement.
One member of the experts’ committee already has resigned.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 2, 2023