Page 2 - Lawmakers

Japan's new PM likely to pledge more spending to support economy, growth

The winner of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership race, scheduled on Sept. 27, will become next prime minister due to the party's control of parliament

African-American lawmakers support Prez Biden, but some express concern

The Congressional Black Caucus prides itself on its authority among Democrats and its influence with President Joe Biden in particular. So far, only one of its roughly 60 members have joined calls for Biden to drop his reelection bid due to concerns over his age and ability to win. But the caucus' broad backing of the president varies widely, ranging from enthusiastic support to outright skepticism. And a small but growing number are publicly expressing doubts about Biden's candidacy. Black voters are credited with helping Biden clinch the Democratic nomination four years ago and defeat Donald Trump. Whether Black lawmakers stick with the president now, and how fervently they do so, could be critical in the coming days as pressure builds from the highest levels of the Democratic Party for Biden to end his campaign. Biden's approval ratings with Black Americans are down from when he took office, reflecting weakened enthusiasm. Among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden .

US lawmakers protest Boeing's firefighter lockout, urge firm to reach deal

Hoyle, a Democrat, said she hopes Boeing will come to the table and do the right thing. They prioritise safety and they invest in their workforce

Supreme Court on bribe for vote: MPs and MLAs won't get immunity

Top court's unanimous verdict overrules 1998 P V Narasimha Rao judgment

SC junks PIL seeking round-the-clock digital monitoring of lawmakers

The Supreme Court on Friday trashed a PIL seeking a direction to the Centre to digitally monitor MPs and MLAs round the clock for better governance, saying "there is something called right to privacy also". A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J P Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra asked whether the court can put a "chip" in the body of the lawmakers to track their movement round the clock. At the outset, the CJI cautioned petitioner Surinder Nath Kundra, a Delhi resident, that he should be ready to pay Rs 5 lakh as a fine for misusing the judicial time on such an issue. "If you argue and we do not agree with you then a cost of Rs 5 lakh will be recovered from you as land revenue. This is public time and this is not about our ego," the bench said. "Do you realise what you are arguing? You want 24/7 monitoring of MPs and MLAs... This is done only for a convicted felon who can flee justice. There is something called right to privacy and we cannot digitall

Tory suspends lawmaker after he claims London mayor controlled by Islamists

The UK's governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics. The party said on Saturday that Lee Anderson was suspended after he refused to apologise for remarks made about Khan in a television interview on Friday. The action means that Anderson, a deputy chairman of the Conservatives until last month, will sit in Parliament as an independent. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other senior Conservative leaders had come under increasing pressure to reject the comments, which the chairwoman of the opposition Labour Party called unambiguously racist and Islamophobic. The controversy comes as the Israel-Hamas war fuels tensions in British society. Pro-Palestinian marches in London have regularly drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for an immediate cease-fire, even as critics describe the events as antisemitic hate ...

Present 'actionable, clearly defined' plan in March 3 meet: PM to Cabinet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his Cabinet ministers to prepare an "actionable, measurable and clearly defined" plan and present it in the meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 3, government sources said on Saturday. It may be noted that Modi in the last Cabinet meeting on February 21 had asked his ministerial colleagues to prepare an action plan for the next 100 days. He has asked them to undertake extensive consultation, including with experienced people like senior bureaucrats, those working on the ground and domain experts, before mapping out their action plan, the sources said. He has asked them and their ministries to brainstorm over the agenda for the period, which is also the likely duration before a new government takes office following the Lok Sabha elections expected in April-May. The prime minister, sources said, wants to ensure that the government's work goes on amid the poll cycle and his call for preparing the agenda for the next 100 days is part of su

China officials cut costs as Xi says 'belt-tightening rules here to stay'

The term xiguan is "foreseeing that the financial situation is unlikely to fundamentally improve for a considerable period in the future," said Lu Xi

Chinese lawmakers weigh stock market rescue package backed by $278 billion

Policymakers are seeking to mobilize about 2 trillion yuan ($278 billion), mainly from the offshore accounts of Chinese state-owned enterprises

Sunak will face UK lawmakers over decision to join US strikes on Yemen

Four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets took part in last week's US-led strikes on sites used by the Iran-backed rebels, who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea

Lawmakers to hold discussions with select banks, insurance cos next year

Indian government, in 2019, announced the merger of 10 state-owned banks into four lenders

205 lawmakers in MP crorepatis; BJP MLA tops list with Rs 296-cr assets

As many as 205 of the 230 newly elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis with state Congress president Kamal Nath figuring among the three richest lawmakers with more than Rs 134 crore worth of assets. The average assets of the MLAs stood at Rs 11.77 crore. Newly elected BJP MLA from Ratlam City, Chaitanya Kashyap, tops the list with declared assets worth Rs 296 crore, while his party colleague Sanjay Satyendra Pathak (Vijayraghavgarh) was at the second spot with Rs 242 crore assets, according an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report. It said the number of MLAs possessing assets worth more than Rs 1 crore increased to 205 in 2023 from 187 in 2018. Of these crorepati MLAs, 144 are from the BJP and 61 from the Congress. The BJP swept the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, winning 163 seats, increasing its tally from 109 in 2018. The Congress, which had won 114 seats in 2018 in the state, was reduced to 66 seats, while new entrant Bharat Adivasi Party managed to win in one .

Dutch leader who backed Nupur Sharma on 'Prophet' row wins elections

Only once in recent Dutch history has the leader of the biggest party not become prime minister

Lawmaker, USCIRF slam US cos for showing up for Chinese president's events

An Influential US lawmaker has slammed top American firms for showing up for events which Xi Jinping held on the sidelines of the APEC Summit here, saying corporate toasting of the Chinese president contradicts America's commitment to human rights and the rule of law. It is absolutely shameful that American business leaders, including executives from some of the nation's largest corporationsApple, Black Rock, Boeing and Pfizer, among othersgave not one, but two standing ovations in a banquet in San Francisco for Xi Jinping, Congressman Chris Smith said, Smith is the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee, Xi, he alleged, is responsible for the repression of predominantly Muslim Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, underground Christians, and human rights activists in China, and for cracking down on freedom in Hong Kong. He has created a massive surveillance state that .

Set up special bench to monitor criminal cases against MP, MLAs: SC to HCs

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court Thursday directed all high courts to set up a special bench and register a suo motu case to monitor criminal matters pending against MPs and MLAs to ensure their early disposal. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud issued a slew of directions to high courts and trial courts on a PIL filed by Ashwini Upadhyay seeking early disposal of pending criminal cases against lawmakers. The top court said it would be difficult for it to give uniform guidelines for trial courts for speedy disposal of cases against lawmakers. The judgement said the high courts will be setting up a special bench, presided over either by the chief justice, or by a bench designated by the chief justice, to monitor criminal trials against the lawmakers. The high courts may call upon special lower courts for reports on status of trials against the lawmakers in criminal cases, it said. "The trial courts shall not adjourn hearing of the cases against the Member of

Expulsion impossible without evidence: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee backs Moitra

According to sources, the committee can recommend the expulsion of Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha in cash for query case against the TMC MP.

SC protects Surjewala from Non-Bailable Warrant by MP/MLA court in old case

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted protection to Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala from a Non-Bailable Warrant issued by the MP/MLA court of Varanasi in connection with a 23-year-old criminal case. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud asked Surjewala to approach the court of special judge (MP/MLA) Varanasi for cancellation of the NBW within five weeks. "The petitioner is granted liberty to move an application for cancellation of NBW. The warrant shall not be executed in the meantime for a period up to five weeks," said the bench also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. The matter came up for hearing after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Surjewala, mentioned the matter in the morning seeking an urgent hearing. The case dates back to 2000 when Surjewala, who was then national president of the Indian Youth Congress, was booked for allegedly creating a ruckus while protesting against the alleged false implication of Congress leaders in

SC reserves verdict on 1998 immunity to lawmakers judgement reconsideration

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on reconsideration of its 1998 judgement which had held that MPs and MLAs enjoy immunity from prosecution for taking bribe to make a speech or vote in legislature. The constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud reserved the verdict after hearing a battery of senior lawyers including Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The larger bench is reconsidering the 1998 verdict delivered in the JMM bribery case by a five-judge bench by which the MPs and MLAs were granted immunity from prosecution for taking bribe to make a speech or vote in legislature. The apex court is revisiting the judgement 25 years after the JMM bribery scandal rocked the country. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while arguing the matter, urged the court to not go into the immunity aspect under Article 105 of the Constitution. The offence of bribery is complete when a bribe is given and accepted by

Will examine immunity to lawmakers if criminality attached to acts: SC

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will examine whether the immunity granted to lawmakers from prosecution for taking bribe to make a speech or vote in Parliament and state legislatures extends to them even if criminality is attached to their actions, as it began reconsideration of its 1998 judgement in the JMM bribery scandal that rocked the country 25 years ago. The apex court's 1998 verdict granted MPs and MLAs immunity from prosecution for taking bribes to make a speech or vote in legislature. At the outset of the day-long proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the seven-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that the court need not go into the immunity aspect under Article 105 of the Constitution and the controversy, possibly, can be narrowed down in view of the fact that the offence of bribery is complete when a bribe is given and accepted by the lawmaker, something which can be tackled under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Article ..

Structural shift

Fiscal conditions in the US will affect capital flows