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UK’s Rwanda Asylum Bill Under Fire

The UN human rights office has reiterated the concerns expressed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that the scheme is not compatible with international refugee law, the statement said…reports Asian Lite News

The UK’s recent legislative moves to facilitate the removal of asylum-seekers to Rwanda run contrary to the basic principles of the rule of law and risk delivering a serious blow to human rights, the UN Human Rights Chief said.

The bill would also drastically strip back the courts’ ability to scrutinise removal decisions, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Monday in a statement as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The UK’s proposed legislation, known as the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, requires every decision maker — be it a government minister, immigration office, or court or tribunal reviewing asylum decisions — to treat Rwanda as a “safe country” in terms of protecting refugees and asylum seekers against refoulement, irrespective of evidence that exists now or may exist in the future, he added.

“Settling questions of disputed fact — questions with enormous human rights consequences — is what the courts do … It should be for the courts to decide whether the measures taken by the government since the Supreme Court’s ruling on risks in Rwanda are enough,” Turk said.

“You cannot legislate facts out of existence.”

“It is deeply concerning to carve out one group of people, or people in one particular situation, from the equal protection of the law. This is antithetical to even-handed justice, available and accessible to all, without discrimination,” he added.

The UN human rights office has reiterated the concerns expressed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that the scheme is not compatible with international refugee law, the statement said.

“The combined effects of this Bill, attempting to shield government action from standard legal scrutiny, directly undercut basic human rights principles,” Turk added.

Turk urged the UK government to “take all necessary steps” to ensure full compliance with the UK’s international legal obligations and to uphold the country’s history of “effective, independent judicial scrutiny”.

“Such a stance is today more vital than ever.”

ALSO READ-Parliamentary watchdog flays Rwanda plan

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-Top News USA

Biden Ready to Negotiate with House Speaker on Ukraine Arms Bill

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden has said that he is willing to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson in order to secure the long-awaited passage of a bill that contains funding for the provision of additional arms to Ukraine.

“Sure, I’d be happy to meet with him if he has anything to say,” Biden told reporters on Monday as he returned to the White House from Delaware, where he spent the weekend.

The President said House GOP members, led by Johnson, are “making a big mistake by not responding” to the repeated calls from the White House that they should approve the administration’s supplemental budget request and meet Ukraine’s urgent need for resupply of ammunition in its conflict with Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, they way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden added.

Johnson, who’s been withholding a vote in his chamber on a Senate-passed national security spending bill in order to squeeze out Democrats’ compromise allowing significant upgrades to border security, told reporters last week that he had been requesting a meeting with Biden “for weeks”.

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said.

“And I’m going to continue to insist on that, because they’re very serious issues that need to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the House can’t meet with the President of the United States, that’s a problem.”

ALSO READ-‘Advancements in Afghanistan Discussions, But Barriers Persist’

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-Top News India News Politics

LS passes Bill to prevent paper leaks

New Delhi, Feb 6 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conducts the proceedings of the House during the Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/Sansad TV)

The bill has stringent provisions against malpractices. Students in several states have suffered in the past due to examinations getting cancelled for malpractices including paper leaks…reports Asian Lite News

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed ‘the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, which seeks to deal sternly with malpractices and irregularities in government recruitment examinations and competitive entrance tests.

The bill covers exams conducted by the UPSC, Staff Selection Commission and entrance tests such as NEET and JEE. Bonafide candidates and students as defined in the Bill shall not be liable for action within the purview of the Bill.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Personnel and Training Jitendra Singh.

Singh said the proposed law is meant to safeguard the interest of meritorious students and candidates.

“This is above politics and concern which deals with the daughters and sons of this country, which we all of us should share. There are few doubts as we have not read the bill thoroughlly. Firstly I want to clear that the students or the candidates do not fall in the purview of this legislation. This Bill is for those who indulge in unfair means and adversely impact the public examination system for wrongful gains,” he added.

The bill has stringent provisions against malpractices. Students in several states have suffered in the past due to examinations getting cancelled for malpractices including paper leaks.

Officials said the bill, aimed at competitive and entrance exams, entails setting up a high-level technical committee to tackle challenges of cyber security in public examinations.

At present, there is no specific substantive law at the national level to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by persons, organized groups, or any other agency or organisation that adversely impacts the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.

The bill provides for a hike in the punishment for malpractices. The objective of the bill is to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to the public examination systems and to reassure the youth that their sincere and genuine efforts will be fairly rewarded and their futures are safe.

The bill covers exams conducted by the UPSC, Staff Selection Commission and entrance tests such as NEET and JEE. Bonafide candidates and students as defined in the Bill shall not be liable for action within the purview of the Bill.

Officials said the government has introduced several reforms to enhance transparency in examinations for recruitment as well as admission to higher education institutions. These include introducing self-attestation, shortening the examination cycle (from 18-22 months to 6-10 months), doing away with interviews for recruitment to Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts, introduction of computer-based tests and issuance of appointment letters through digital means under ‘Rojgar Mela’.

In the recent past, many states have had to cancel or were unable to declare the results of their public examinations due to the adverse impact of unfair practices and means adopted by anti-social and criminal elements. (ANI)

Bill to amend Water Act clears RS

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill which seeks to decriminalise minor offences related to water pollution, enable the Centre to prescribe service conditions of chairpersons of State Pollution Control Boards, and exempt certain categories of industrial plants from statutory restrictions. Piloting the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill 2024 in the Upper House of Parliament, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that development and environment protection must go together.

‘Budget share for entire South is less than UP’

Congress Lok Sabha member DK Suresh on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi-led Union government of betraying the South Indian states with discriminatory budget allocation. He said that the budget share for the entire South is less than Rs 2 lakh crores while the single state of Uttar Pradesh is Rs 2 lakh crores. “South Indian states contribute the maximum but are betrayed by the Union government. The budget share for the entire South is less than Rs 2 lakh crores while the single state of Uttar Pradesh is Rs 2 lakh crores,” DK Suresh posted on X.

MHA lists 17 organisations as unlawful

Seventeen organisations are currently named in the list of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as unlawful associations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai shared the details in a written reply, naming Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI); United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA); National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB); Meitei Extremist Organizations, among those 17 organisations declared as unlawful associations under the UAPA.

‘Prices of perishable items within tolerance band’

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman displays a digital tablet wrapped in ‘bahi khata’ before presenting the Union Budget 2023, at the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo: Biplab Banerjee/IANS)

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said prices of perishable items have come down and are well within the tolerance band. To a query raised by AIADMK’s M Thambi Durai on the rise in retail inflation, during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha today, she detailed the interventions made by her government to keep in check the price rise.

ALSO READ-SP names of 16 candidates for Lok Sabha polls

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-Top News Europe

Tougher French immigration bill passes, Macron’s majority wobbles

The French government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants…reports Asian Lite News

French lawmakers gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants on Tuesday, giving President Emmanuel Macron a policy victory that nonetheless exposed cracks in his centrist majority.

The bill, a compromise reached between Macron’s party and the conservative opposition, illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to fend off the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.

“Today, strict measures are necessary,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said after the vote in the lower house. “It’s not by holding your nose in central Paris that you can fix the problems of the French in the rest of the country.”

The minister expressed relief that the bill passed with the votes of his centrist coalition and the conservatives, without relying on the surprise endorsement of far-right lawmakers, whose support had caused embarrassment in the presidential camp.

The French government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants.

In order to gain support from the right, however, the government agreed to water down the residency permits measures, while delaying migrants’ access to welfare benefits – including benefits for children and housing allowances – by several years.

The French have long prided themselves on having one of the most generous welfare systems in the world, granting payments even to foreign residents, helping them pay rent or care for their children with means-tested monthly contributions of up to a few hundred euros.

The far right and, more recently, conservatives, have argued these should be reserved for French people only. The deal agreed on Tuesday would delay access to housing benefits for unemployed non-EU migrants by five years.

The compromise also introduces migration quotas, makes it harder for immigrants’ children to become French, and says that dual nationals sentenced for serious crimes against the police could lose French citizenship.

The deal, hashed out by a special committee of seven senators and seven deputies and later approved by both houses, was initially good news for Macron, who had made the migration bill a key plank of his second mandate and could otherwise have had to shelve it.

Just six months before European Parliament elections in which immigration will be key, however, it could also boost Marine Le Pen who, sensing a political opportunity, called the rejigged bill “a great ideological victory” for her far-right party.

She surprised the government by announcing her party would vote for the bill, causing immense embarrassment to the left wing of Macron’s party, who find it unpalatable to vote in unison with the far right.

One of the most vocal representatives of Macron’s left wing in parliament, Sacha Houlie, voted against the bill, his entourage told Reuters. In the end, 20 members of Macron’s Renaissance party voted against the bill, 17 abstained and 131 voted for the bill.

Speculation about some ministers threatening to resign if the vote passed had swirled in French media ahead of the vote. But none had immediately materialised after the results were announced.

ALSO READ-UK MPs seek revised immigration bill

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India News Politics

Rajya Sabha passes Bill to repeal 76 obsolete laws

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after passing Inland Vessels Bill 2021. (Credit RSTV)

Besides repealing 76 obsolete laws, the Bill seeks to correct a minor drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011…reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill to repeal 76 laws that are obsolete or that have been made redundant by other laws.

The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, was passed through voice vote in the Upper House after a short debate with the participation of eight legislators in the discussion, as almost the entire Opposition walked out of the House on the issue of security breaches in the Lok Sabha.

Besides repealing 76 obsolete laws, the Bill seeks to correct a minor drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.

First Schedule of the Bill lists 24 laws that would be repealed. Of these, 16 are amending Acts, and two are from before 1947. The Second Schedule of the Bill lists 41 Appropriation Acts that would be repealed. These include 18 Appropriation Acts for the Railways. These Acts span the years from 2013 to 2017.

Responding to the debate, Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said 76 laws that had been obsolete are being repealed through the Bill as this is the procedure to repeal any Bill.

The Minister said that eight MPs took part in the debate and pointed out that the government has to come up with a Bill to repeal obsolete laws as they cannot die naturally like human beings. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Intruders smoke bomb MPs in House

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India News Politics Telugu Vaartha

Bill to establish Central Tribal University in Telangana passed

New Delhi : Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan speaks in Rajya Sabha during winter session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Sansad TV)

It is pertinent to note that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, provides that the central government will establish a Tribal University in Telangana…reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at establishing a Central Tribal University in Telangana for providing higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population.

The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed unanimously through a voice vote after the Opposition earlier walked out of the house in the middle of the debate over the security breach issue in the lower house. Two persons jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour and released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

The bill was already passed by the Lok Sabha on December 7. It was introduced in the lower house on December 4. It amended the Central Universities Act, 2009.

As the Bill establishes a Central Tribal University in Telangana, it will be named the ‘Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University’. Its territorial jurisdiction will extend to Telangana. It will provide avenues of higher education and research facilities primarily for the tribal population of India.

It is pertinent to note that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, provides that the central government will establish a Tribal University in Telangana.

Responding to the debate on the bill, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government aimed to establish Central Tribal University in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Regarding the delay in the university’s establishment in Telangan, Pradhan attributed it to the time taken by the Telangana government to identify a suitable location for the institution.

He stated that the ‘Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University’ will incur an expenditure of approximately Rs 900 crore.

Pradhan also highlighted significant growth in Ph.D. course registrations, with an 81 per cent increase from 2014-15 to 2021-22, totalling over two lakh registrations. Notably, women’s enrollment in Ph.D. courses surged by 106 per cent during the same period.

Emphasising the government’s commitment to filling vacancies in higher education institutes, Pradhan revealed that over 11 thousand posts out of 18 thousand vacant positions have been filled in the last two months. Additionally, he announced the government’s mandate for NAAC accreditations for all higher institutions.

The passage of the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, reflects a significant stride towards providing accessible and quality education for the tribal population in India. (ANI)

ALSO READ-No passes for visitors’ gallery till further orders

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-Top News India News

RS passes bill on appointment of CEC

New Delhi, Dec 11 (ANI): J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session, in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI Photo)

Congress leader further said that there was a time when EC meant ‘Electoral Credibility’, today it means ‘Elections Compromised’…reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the legislation on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, while the Opposition walked out of the proceedings after markings its objection to the proposed law.

The bill was passed after a reply by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who said that the Election Commission will continue to “work independently” and that bill had been brought following a Supreme Court judgement.

Calling the Bill an attack on the democracy of India, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala said that the autonomy, fearlessness and fairness of India’s democracy and electoral machinery have been crushed by a bulldozer.

“Modi government has attacked the democracy of India. The autonomy, fearlessness and fairness of India’s democracy and electoral machinery have been crushed by a bulldozer,” Surjewala said.

He further said that the Modi government is passing a law in Rajya Sabha today to make the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners of the Election Commission of India, a ‘pawn Election Commissioner’.

“The Modi Government is passing a law in Rajya Sabha today to make the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners of the Election Commission of India, a ‘pawn Election Commissioner’,” he added.

Congress leader further said that there was a time when EC meant ‘Electoral Credibility’, today it means ‘Elections Compromised’.

“They will appoint a Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners of their own choice. They will run their Election Commission as per their desire. They will prepare an electoral list as per their desire…This is perhaps one of the biggest blows to democracy hurled by the Modi government in the last 9 years…We will take it to the end and the struggle will continue from Parliament to the streets,” he added.

Moreover, DMK MP T Siva said that the passing of the bill will be totally in the government’s favour.

“This will be totally in the government’s favour, it can’t be neutral in the way it is expected. In a democratic country, how can this be acceptable?” he added.

The amendments moved by the opposition parties to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, were negative.

The bill provides for the appointment, qualifications, Search Committee, Selection Committee, term of office, salary, resignation and removal, leave, pension of the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners.

Meghwal said that Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991 does not contain provisions regarding the qualifications, search committee for preparing a panel of persons for consideration and recommendation by the Selection Committee for appointment as CEC and election commissioners.

The Supreme Court, in a writ petition, declared that the appointment of CEC and ECs shall be made by the President on the basis of advice tendered by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or leader of the largest opposition party in the House and the Chief Justice of India. Meghwal said judgment had noted that the norm provided by the Supreme Court will continue to hold good till a law is made by the Parliament.

“We are bringing the law for this purpose,” he said.

Participating in the debate, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said the bill does not pass “constitutional muster”. “It is manifestly arbitrary; its intent is disastrous and the result is disastrous,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the independence of the Election Commission is sine quo for democracy.

Other opposition members also opposed the bill. They later staged a walk-out. BJD supported the bill.

The bill will replace the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991. (ANI)

Bill to reserve one-third seats for women in J&K assembly introduced  

A bill seeking to reserve one-third of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in the House by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.

The bill seeks to enable greater representation and participation of women as public representatives in law-making processes of Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Parliament has enacted the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 to pave way for reservation of one-third of the total number of seats for women in Lok Sabha, state assemblies and \in Delhi assembly.

The bill seeks to make similar provisions in Jammu and Kashmir by amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said that elections have not been announed to Jammu and Kashmir assembly and there is no hurry to introduce the bill. (ANI)

ALSO READ-RS clears 2 landmark J&K Bills

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India News Politics Woman

Central Government Seeks Passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Members of Parliament in the new Parliament building during a special session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, September 19, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Sansad Tv)

It proposes that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there would be a quota for SC and STs within the reserved seats for women…reports Asian Lite News

The Central government on Wednesday will seek passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will move the Bill in the Lok Sabha for discussion and seek it’s passage.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 or the Women’s Reservation Bill, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business on Tuesday.

It proposes that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there would be a quota for SC and STs within the reserved seats for women.

The legislation however is unlikely to be implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sources said. 

It will be rolled out only after the delimitation process is over, most probably in 2029, they added.

The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the Bill.

Meanwhile the government will also seek introduction and passage of the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The Bill has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who heads the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), will lay in Lok Sabha two reports related to ground water management and issues related to cultural institutions.

BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab will also present a report by the standing committee on labour in Lok Sabha.

Sonia to Lead Congress in Women’s Reservation Bill Debate

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will lead debate on Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha.

Sources said that Sonia Gandhi will lead the party on the long awaited Bill and she will be the main speaker of the Congress for debate on it.

Earlier in the day, when asked about the government bringing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi said, “It is ours, ‘apna hai’.

She made the remarks while she arrived in Parliament on Tuesday morning.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business.

The Women’s Reservation Bill has proposed that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there will be quota for SC and STs within the reserved seats for women. The legislation however is unlikely to be implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

It will be rolled out only after the delimitation process is over, most probably in 2029, they added.

The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the bill.

The government said women participate substantively in panchayats and at municipal bodies, but their representation in State Assemblies, Parliament is still limited.

Women bring different perspectives and enrich quality of legislative debates and decision-making, it added.

The Congress has dubbed the Bill as a poll jumla and also a betrayal with women and girls of the country.

ALSO READ-Women’s Reservation Bill Gets Cabinet Approval After Decades

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-Top News USA

Bill to declare October as Hindu American awareness month

Bill to proclaim October as Hindu American awareness in California.

The year 2023 also marks the 123rd anniversary of when he founded the Vedanta Society in the city of San Francisco in 1900…reports Asian Lite News

California State Assembly member Ash Kalra has again introduced a resolution proclaiming October 2023 as the “Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month” in the state.

The resolution, introduced nearly annually in California since 2013, seeks to bring local awareness, recognition and acknowledgment of the significant contributions made by Hindu Americans across the US.

“For the 10th year California has recognised October as Hindu American Awareness and Appreciation Month, with the introduction of a resolution by Assembly member Ash Kalra,” a Hindu American Foundation (HAF) statement said.

Nearly 2,230,000 Hindu Americans live in the US with California being home to the largest Hindu American population, including individuals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia and other nations.

Highlighting the contributions of Hindu Americans, the bill said that the country has benefited from the Vedanta philosophy, ayurvedic medicine, classical Indian art, dance, music, meditation, yoga, literature and community service.

“HAF congratulates Assembly member Ash Kalra for once again speaking up for the contributions of the Hindu American community in California, as well as highlighting the challenges being faced by the community, such as misunderstanding of our sacred symbols such as the swastika, immigration issues disproportionately affecting our community, and the rise of Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu hate crimes, and bullying of Hindu students,” HAF Managing Director Samir Kalra said.

The introduction of the bill in the year 2023 marks the 130th anniversary of when Hinduism was officially introduced to the US by Swami Vivekananda in 1893 at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

The year 2023 also marks the 123rd anniversary of when he founded the Vedanta Society in the city of San Francisco in 1900.

Hindus started immigrating to California in the early 1900s, and came in increasing numbers after the lifting of the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924 in 1943 and the abolishment of quotas for immigrants based on national origin in 1965.

The first Hindu temple in the US was built in San Francisco, and at the dedication of the temple on January 7, 1906, it was proclaimed to be the “First Hindu Temple in the Whole Western World”.

There are now more than 120 Hindu temples, religious centres, and cultural centres throughout California, and the Greater Bay Area is home to over 40 of those temples and centres.

ALSO READ-Indian-American bags $50,000 Young Scientist award

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-Top News UK News

Tory rebellion over small boats bill

The Prime Minister is facing objections to the terms of the Bill from two wings of his party, both the liberal and the right…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak is facing potential Conservative rebellions over his Illegal Migration Bill as MPs prepare to go through the legislation line by line.

The controversial legislation designed to put a stop to migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats returns to the House of Commons for its committee stage on Monday.

The Prime Minister is facing objections to the terms of the Bill from two wings of his party, both the liberal and the right.

Right-wing MPs have signalled that it does not go far enough, with some calling for ministers to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to drive through tighter border controls.

Others on the liberal wing want to see Mr Sunak commit to establishing safe routes via which asylum seekers can come to Britain.

Under the legislation’s proposals, it would see asylum seekers arriving through unauthorised means being detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being “swiftly removed” to their home country or a “safe third country” such as Rwanda.

In preparation for two days of debates on the small boats law, tens of would-be Tory rebels have put their names to amendments designed to tighten rules around blocking deportations and migrant accommodation in Britain.

As of Sunday, close to 30 Tories had put their name to an amendment to the Bill that would stop the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from preventing removals from taking place.

It comes after the ECHR last year granted an injunction, via its Rule 39, that effectively grounded a flight sending asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been in what she called “constructive” negotiations with the Strasbourg court to secure a higher legal threshold for any injunction under Rule 39 to be imposed on any future deportation flights.

It is understood the discussions have also involved the European court taking the UK High Court’s decision into account when considering any future Rule 39 orders.

In an amendment sponsored by Tory Devizes MP Danny Kruger, he wants the provisions in the Bill to “operate notwithstanding any orders of the Strasbourg court or any other international body”.

Former minister Andrea Jenkyns, one of its backers, tweeted that she had signed amendments with the intention of “strengthening the bill and stopping the European Court of Human Rights’ laws superseding British law”.

Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove was asked on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme if the rebels’ ECHR amendment would be considered by the Government.

It follows reports that Downing Street officials are preparing to meet with a gang of rebels on Monday to discuss their concerns about the legislation.

Gove suggested Home Office ministers were open to further talks about the strength of the Bill.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has recently returned from a trip to Rwanda where Britain wants to sent migrants who enter the country unlawfully (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

He said: “I know that the immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been working incredibly hard to make sure that this legislation works, has been talking to MPs who may be in a position to ensure that every aspect of this Bill works.”

Downing Street said Mr Sunak is continuing to engage with backbenchers over the legislation’s proposals.

A Home Office source said the legislation contains a “marker clause” relating to ECHR deportation orders.

It is understood the clause allows for initial negotiations with Strasbourg to conclude before ministers consider setting out further legal measures.

Sunak and Braverman have both stressed that they think the draft law complies with international obligations and that Britain would not need to exit the European Convention on Human Rights to introduce the plans.

But in a letter to MPs following publication of the Bill earlier this month, the Home Secretary conceded there is a “more (than) 50% chance” her legislation may not be compatible with the convention.

Separately, Tory MP Tim Loughton has proposed an amendment that would force the Home Secretary to declare “safe and legal routes by which asylum seekers can enter” the UK.

It has been signed by former Brexit secretary David Davis and Dame Diana Johnson, the Labour chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

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