Tag: Parliament

PM Modi inspects new Parliament building during surprise visit

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to the new Parliament building on Thursday evening.
Sources said that the Prime Minister spent more than an hour inside the new building, during which he inspected various works.
According to the sources, during his surprise visit, the Prime Minister also inspected the facilities being installed in both the Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).
During the visit, Modi also interacted with the workers engaged in the construction work of the new parliament building.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The new building, which was earlier expected to be completed by November last year, is likely to be inaugurated soon.
A series of pictures showed the Prime Minister interacting with construction workers, standing amid the big halls, and taking a tour of the place.
The new building will have facilities like a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas, ample parking space etc.
It will also have a new Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, India House and National Security Council Secretariat.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 30, 2023
Biden to mark Good Friday peace deal in 5-day Irish trip

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DUBLIN — U.S. President Joe Biden will pay a five-day visit to both parts of Ireland next month to mark the 25^th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord, according to a provisional Irish government itinerary seen by POLITICO.
The plans, still being finalized with the White House, have the president arriving in Northern Ireland on April 11. That’s one day after the official quarter-century mark for the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal designed to end decades of conflict that claimed more than 3,600 lives.
With Irish roots on both sides of his family tree, Biden has long taken an interest in brokering and maintaining peace in Northern Ireland. He has welcomed the recent U.K.-EU agreement on making post-Brexit trade rules work in the region — a breakthrough that has yet to revive local power-sharing at the heart of the 1998 accord.

According to two Irish government officials involved in planning the Biden visit itinerary, the president will start his stay overnight at Hillsborough Castle, southwest of Belfast, the official residence for visiting British royalty, as a guest of the U.K.’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
Then he’s scheduled to visit Stormont, the parliamentary complex overlooking Belfast, at the invitation of its caretaker speaker, Alex Maskey of the Irish republican Sinn Féin party.
That could prove controversial given that, barring a diplomatic miracle, the Northern Ireland Assembly and its cross-community government — a core achievement of the 1998 agreement — won’t be functioning due to a long-running boycott by the Democratic Unionists. That party has not yet accepted the U.K.-EU compromise deal on offer because it keeps Northern Ireland, unlike the rest of the U.K., subject to EU goods rules and able to trade more easily with the rest of Ireland than with Britain. Nonetheless, assembly members from all parties including the DUP will be invited to meet Biden there.
The president is booked to officiate the official ribbon-cutting of the new downtown Belfast campus of Ulster University. During his stay in Northern Ireland he also is expected to pay a visit to Queen’s University Belfast, where former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton serves as chancellor.
Next, the Irish government expects the presidential entourage to cross the border into the Republic of Ireland, potentially by motorcade, the approach last adopted by Bill Clinton during his third and final visit to Ireland as president in 2000.
This would allow Biden to pay a visit to one side of his Irish family tree, the Finnegans, in County Louth. Louth is midway between Belfast and Dublin. Biden previously toured the area in 2016 as vice president, when he met distant relatives for the first time and visited the local graveyard.
In Dublin, it is not yet confirmed whether Biden will deliver a speech at College Green outside the entrance of Trinity College. That’s the spot where Barack Obama delivered his own main speech during a one-day visit as president in 2011.
A White House advance team is expected in Dublin this weekend to scout that and other potential locations for a speech and walkabout. He isn’t expected to hold any functions at the Irish parliament, which begins a two-week Easter recess Friday.
Members of Ireland’s national police force, An Garda Síochána, have been told by commanders they cannot go on leave during the week of April 10-16 in anticipation of Biden’s arrival. The Irish expect U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to accompany the president and take part in more detailed talks with Northern Ireland’s leaders.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar plans to host the president and Blinken at Farmleigh House, a state-owned mansion previously owned by the Guinness brewing dynasty, inside Dublin’s vast Phoenix Park.
The final two days of Biden’s visit will focus on the other side of his Irish roots, the Blewitts of County Mayo, on Ireland’s west coast, which he also visited in 2016. Distant cousins he first met on that trip have since been repeated guests of the White House, most recently on St. Patrick’s Day.
White House officials declined to discuss specific dates or any events planned, but did confirm that Biden would travel to Ireland “right after Easter.” This suggests an April 11 arrival in line with the Irish itinerary. Easter Sunday falls this year on April 9 and, in both parts of Ireland, the Christian holiday is a two-day affair ending in Easter Monday.
Jonathan Lemire contributed reporting.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 30, 2023
Finland cleared to join NATO following Turkish vote

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The Turkish parliament on Thursday unanimously ratified Finland’s accession to NATO, effectively allowing Helsinki to join the military alliance but leaving Sweden out in the cold.
Finland could now become a formal member of NATO within days.
“All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö tweeted. “I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable Ally, committed to the security of the Alliance,” he said.

His country, the president added, “is now ready to join NATO.”
The Turkish vote, occurring minutes before midnight in Ankara, comes after months of delays.
Finland and Sweden initially applied for membership last May, prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And while the two countries were formally invited to join the alliance last summer, both Turkey and Hungary have been stalling on ratifying their memberships.
Ankara has raised concerns about the countries’ support of Kurdish groups and limitations on arms exports. But despite striking a deal with both Helsinki and Stockholm that spurred policy changes, Ankara ultimately decided to greenlight Finland while holding Sweden back.
Hungary’s parliament on Monday also ratified Finland’s membership but like Turkey has yet to schedule a vote on Sweden.
Western officials had hoped that both countries would become full members before a summit of NATO leaders scheduled to take place in Vilnius in July, but it remains uncertain whether Sweden could still become a member before the gathering.
Turkey is set to hold elections in May, fuelling speculation that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is withholding support for Sweden for domestic political reasons and could change his mind at a later stage.
Niinistö, the Finnish president, said in his tweet late Thursday that “we look forward to welcoming Sweden to join us as soon as possible.”
Now that Finland has Turkey’s formal support, only procedural steps are left before Helsinki officially joins NATO.
Finland will soon get a formal invitation from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and then give the U.S. its so-called instrument of accession. The U.S. will then issue a statement that Finland is now part of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The NATO chief welcomed Turkey’s vote.
“This,” Stoltenberg tweeted, “will make the whole NATO family stronger & safer.”

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 30, 2023
Pakistan PM Sharif urges parliament to curtail powers of Chief Justice

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Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that “history would not forgive us” if parliament did not enact laws to curtail the powers of the chief justice, a day after two Supreme Court judges questioned the suo motu powers of the country’s top judge.
Addressing the joint session of parliament, Sharif talked at length about the dissenting judgement by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court, who lashed out at the unlimited authority of the Chief Justice to take a suo motu (on its own) action on any issue and constitute benches of choice to hear different cases.
Their judgment was about the case of suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on February 22 about elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Speaking passionately about the need for new laws to limit the chief justice’s power, Sharif said that if the legislation were not passed, “history would not forgive us”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Cabinet has reportedly approved the draft of a legislation on Tuesday seeking to curtail the discretionary powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The bill, a copy of which is available with the newspaper, says that a committee of the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court would decide on any suo motu case being taken up by the apex court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution.
The suo motu power is based on the original jurisdiction of the court under Article 184 of the Constitution. However, its usage over the years has created an impression of partiality on the Chief Justices’ part.
It was openly challenged for the first time by the two judges who were part of a bench that, in its 3-2 majority decision of March 1, directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult with President Arif Alvi for polls in Punjab and Governor Ghulam Ali for elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The five-member bench was reconstituted by Bandial, who took a suo motu action against the delay in elections and initially formed a nine-member bench to deal with the issue. However, two of the nine judges differed with the decision to take suo motu notice, while two other judges recused themselves, prompting the Chief Justice to form a new bench.
Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail, in their detailed 28-page dissenting note, also rejected the 3-2 judgment in the suo motu case by saying that it was a 4-3 judgment to reject the maintainability of the case and lambasted the Chief Justice’s power to form a bench for important cases.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Sharif, which is supporting the ECP’s decision to delay the election in the two provinces until October 8, is trying to use the parliament to curtail the powers of the Chief Justice.
The premier also said that the courts were treating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan favourably and were not ready to hold Khan accountable.
Sharif said that “enough is enough” and the law would take its course while the government would not allow “the favourite” to play with Pakistan.
He added that the Constitution clearly defined the division of powers between the legislature, judiciary and administration and set a red line that no one should cross.
The powers of the legislature defined by the Constitution and the powers of the judiciary were being flouted, the prime minister said.
The joint session of parliament was summoned last week to discuss the key issues confronting Pakistan and provide guidelines to deal with those issues.
The development comes as the top court is hearing a case about the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan to postpone the provincial election till October 8, well beyond the 90 days deadline by the constitution to hold elections after the dissolution of an assembly.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
French unions vow further protests on 10th general strike against Macron’s pension plans

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PARIS — French unions vowed to continue demonstrations next week amid another day of protests Tuesday against French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms — the 10th general strike this year.
Clashes broke out between small groups of protesters and police, especially in Paris, where some people also ransacked a supermarket. But the number of protesters also decreased almost everywhere in the country compared to last week, according to estimates by both French authorities and unions. Around 730,000 people protested in total, compared to more than 1 million last Thursday, according to the French interior ministry. Estimates by trade union CGT, meanwhile, calculated that the number of protesters declined from 3.5 million last week to approximately 2 million on Tuesday.
But Parisians can expect some relief for their noses Wednesday when garbage collectors are set to resume work after weeks of a strike that has left piles of rubbish stacked along streets.
The protests have been running since the beginning of the year, prompted by Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and increase the level of contributions required to receive a full pension. Discontent mounted earlier this month when the government decided to force the measures through parliament without a vote, raising concerns that the protests could turn into a broader anti-government movement like the Yellow Jackets, which brought months of unrest during Macron’s first term in office.
The strikes on Tuesday hit sectors including public transport and schools as well as energy plants and oil refineries, causing fuel shortages.
But Macron’s administration has not shown signs that it will revise the reforms. Government spokesperson Olivier Véran on Tuesday rejected a proposal by the CFDT union to put the measures on ice and find a mediator to resolve the situation.
But Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has invited union representatives to meet at the beginning of next week for talks, according to CFDT leader Laurent Berger.
“The anger begins to rise, even among the most peaceful protesters,” Berger told broadcaster TMC Tuesday evening after protests died down.

Major trade unions are still planning a further day of strikes and protests next Thursday.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 28, 2023
BRS MPs move adjournment motion in Parliament, demand Women’s Reservation Bill

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BRS MPs moved an adjournment motion in the Parliament today, demanding the tabling and passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill. The MPs in the adjournment motion also request an all-party meeting to discuss the Women’s Reservation Bill.
MLC Kavitha from the BRS party earlier this month sat on a day-long protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Bharat Jagruthi led by MLC Kavitha organized a round table conference in New Delhi that witnessed the participation of over 15 political parties, civil society organizations, and the student community.
MLC Kavitha-led Bharat Jagruthi will also soon be launching a ‘Missed Call Campaign’ to further the demand for Women’s Reservation Bill. Along with the campaign, there will also be round table discussions in colleges and universities across India to discuss the need for tabling and passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Pro-Khalistan groups take protest to London’s Parliament Square

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London: A small group of protesters carrying pro-Khalistan flags and banners in support of Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh gathered at Parliament Square here on Saturday, as part of similar protests in Canada and the US.
Banners for the so-called “Protest against the discriminatory actions by Indian police forces against Bhai Amritpal Singh and other innocent Sikhs” had been circulating on social media, along with similar protests called in the cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Indianapolis and Fresno.
The protest in London comes days after a planned demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday when protesters hurled coloured flares and water bottles toward the mission.
They have since taken to social media to allege that the objects were hurled by the Indian mission instead, allegations which have been countered by India House.
It comes in the wake of violent disorder at the Indian mission last Sunday, when pro-Khalistan extremists smashed windows and also attempted to pull down the Tricolour from its flagpole at the mission.
India has registered a strong protest with the UK government and the issue was also raised in the House of Commons earlier this week.
“We strongly condemn the vandalism and violent acts that took place outside the Indian High Commission in London. It was a completely unacceptable action against the High Commission and its staff,” Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt told MPs.
“There is ongoing work with the Metropolitan Police to review the protection measures around the High Commission, and any changes will be made to ensure the safety and security of its staff so that they can go about their business, serving both this country and India,” she said.

It followed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s statement to condemn the unacceptable acts of violence and assurance to conduct a security review at the Indian mission in London.
“We are working with the Metropolitan Police to review security at the Indian High Commission, and will make the changes needed to ensure the safety of its staff as we did for today’s demonstration,” said Cleverly.
“We will always take the security of the High Commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this,” he said.
Meanwhile, ministers have been holding talks with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami during the week to reiterate plans to review the security measures at India House.
“Positive meeting with Indian High Commissioner @vdoraiswami today. As the Foreign Secretary said, we will always take the security of the High Commission & all foreign missions in the UK extremely seriously. The UK-India relationship is thriving & we are looking ahead to deeper ties,” tweeted UK Foreign Office minister Lord Tariq Ahmad after his meeting on Friday.
Positive meeting with Indian High Commissioner @vdoraiswami today. As the Foreign Secretary said, we will always take the security of the High Commission & all foreign missions in the UK extremely seriously. The 🇬🇧🇮🇳 relationship is thriving & we are looking ahead to deeper ties pic.twitter.com/UHHO0Z7gFP
— Lord (Tariq)Ahmad of Wimbledon (@tariqahmadbt) March 23, 2023
UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat met Doraiswami on Thursday, a discussion that the Indian High Commission said covered “wider security cooperation”.
India on Friday said it expects to see action against the perpetrators of vandalism at its missions abroad and hoped the host governments would prosecute those involved in these incidents instead of holding out assurances.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said India also expects the host governments to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
“I think we are not just interested in assurances, I think we would like to see action,” the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said in New Delhi.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Opposition vs govt stalemate to continue in Parliament today

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New Delhi: A stalemate is likely to continue in Parliament on Friday with the opposition continuing with its demand for a JPC in the Hindenburg-Adani row, while the BJP will carry on pressing for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made in London.
Opposition MPs will on Friday move suspension of business notices in the Rajya Sabha and adjournment notices in the Lok Sabha on the Adani issue.
The Thursday meeting of the floor leaders at the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s chamber in Parliament premises could not end the impasse as both sides remained rigid on their demands.
Dhankhar rejected the suspension of business notices given by the members of the opposition on the demand of JPC in the Adani issue.
Following this, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that the stalemate can only end with the constitution of the JPC.
On his part, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi should apologise on his London statement.
Dhankar said both sides are rigid and should hold a dialogue to end the stalemate.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Vandalism at Indian High Commission raised in UK Parliament

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London: The vandalism by pro-Khalistan extremists at the Indian High Commission here was on Thursday raised in the House of Commons, with British MPs demanding action against “Khalistani hooligans” and the safety of India’s diplomatic staff.
While Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman called for a debate in Parliament to discuss steps to ban groups behind the violence, Opposition Labour Party MP Gareth Thomas asked the Leader of the House of Commons about the steps being taken to ensure there is “no repeat of such behaviour”.
The Cabinet minister addressing the Business of the House, Penny Mordaunt, responded by reiterating Foreign Secretary James Cleverly earlier statement announcing a review of the protection measures around the Indian mission here.
“We strongly condemn the vandalism and violent acts that took place outside the Indian High Commission in London. It was a completely unacceptable action against the High Commission and its staff,” Mordaunt told MPs.
“There is ongoing work with the Metropolitan Police to review the protection measures around the High Commission, and any changes will be made to ensure the safety and security of its staff so that they can go about their business, serving both this country and India,” she said.
Blackman pointed out that the attack on Sunday was the sixth time in as many years that the Indian High Commission has been attacked in a similar way.
“The hooliganism of Khalistani hooligans outside the Indian high commission on Sunday is a disgrace to this country,” he said.
“Khalistani militants are operating across the world; Canada, the US and Australia saw similar attacks over the weekend. We are harbouring Khalistani terrorists in this country right now. Can we have a debate in government time on what action we can take to ensure that these terrorists are held to account and banned in this country,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Blackman as chair of the India (Trade and Investment) All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) raised the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the Commons and sought an update from the Business and Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston, who confirmed that the eighth round of FTA negotiations are currently under way.
“Both nations have committed to and are working together for a mutually ambitious deal. We are working through substantive issues such as goods, market access, services and investment,” said Huddleston.
Asked if the FTA is likely to be concluded by Diwali this year, having missed the Diwali 2022 deadline, the minister stressed that “it is about the deal, not the date”.
“We will not tie our hands by setting an arbitrary deadline,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in London has been working to counter disinformation being spread on social media alleging that the objects hurled during Wednesday’s planned pro-Khalistan demonstration came from India House.
“Fact check: the truth is, a small minority of protesters threw water bottles, ink balloons, eggs and flares at the High Commission in London, some of which hit other protestors and the police. Nothing was thrown by mission staff at our own brethren. We have proof,” the High Commission tweeted.
“Do not believe disinformation aimed to disrupt harmony. Indians will always respect the religious beliefs of all,” it said, alongside videos showing water bottles and coloured flares being hurled by Khalistan flag-bearing protesters towards India House.
The UK government has condemned the attacks as “unacceptable” and committed to “robustly respond” to such incidents of violence.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
It’s not just TikTok: French also warn against WhatsApp, Instagram

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PARIS — In a typically French move, France’s top lawmakers are refusing to side with the United States and single out China’s TikTok.
This week, top members of France’s National Assembly strongly encouraged fellow MPs to “limit” their use of social media apps and messaging services, according to a damning internal email seen by POLITICO. The recommendation does include Chinese-owned TikTok — at the heart of a storm on both sides of the Atlantic — but also features American platforms such as Snap and Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram, alongside Telegram, founded by Russian-born brothers, and Signal.
“Given the particular risks to which the exercise of their mandate exposes MPs using these applications, we wish to appeal to your extreme vigilance and recommend that you limit their use,” wrote Marie Guévenoux and Eric Woerth from Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party and Eric Ciotti from conservative Les Républicains.
France’s narrative of putting Chinese and American companies in the same basket is in stark contrast to moves by other European countries, including the Dutch government, which decided to target apps from countries that wage an “offensive cyber program” against the Netherlands, such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
But refusing to pick sides and follow the United States’ geopolitical lead is a long political tradition in France, which is often accused of anti-American bias. During the Cold War, French President Charles de Gaulle tried to position his country as an alternative between the U.S.’s capitalism and the Soviet Union’s communism.
“France has not mourned the loss of its power and is trying to resurrect the so-called third way, also carried by [European commissioner] Thierry Breton,” said Asma Mhalla, a tech geopolitics lecturer at Columbia University and Sciences Po. “This will serve as a political argument to put French sovereignty and French tech back on the table,” she added, arguing that the next step will likely be to promote French apps instead.
And indeed, the top lawmakers’ letter encourages members of parliament to use French software WIMI for project management and collaborative work.
Their main issue with foreign social media apps is that Chinese and American laws are extraterritorial. The personal data gathered via the platforms — including contacts, photos, videos, and both professional and personal documents — could be used by foreign intelligence services, they argued in their email.

During Macron’s tenure, France has fought tooth and nail against the U.S. Cloud Act, a piece of legislation that allows American authorities to seize data stored on American servers even if they’re located abroad. Paris has even come up with a specific set of rules for cloud services to try and shield European data from Washington’s extraterritorial reach.
In China, an intelligence law also requires domestic technology companies to hand over data to state authorities on subjects anywhere in the world.
“The U.S. are well aware that all their arguments used against TikTok — namely that Chinese law is extraterritorial — awkwardly echo what the Europeans have been reproaching them for some time,” said Mathilde Velliet, a researcher in tech geopolitics at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
“On the other hand,” she added, “the U.S. also believes they cannot be put on the same footing as China, because they’re a European ally with a different political and security relationship, and because it’s a democracy.”
Washington and EU capitals including Paris and Brussels also engage in dialogue on data security issues and cyber espionage, which is not the case with Beijing.
In the National Assembly’s corridors, however, the top lawmakers’ decision to call out foreign platforms from both the U.S. and China was very much welcome. “It’s all starting to look like a third way, which would be European sovereignty,” said Philippe Latombe, an MP from Macron’s allied party Modem. “And that’s good news.”
Océane Herrero contributed reporting.
This article has been updated.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 23, 2023