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India govt aims to pass pending bills

The government will also list The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was scrutinised by a Joint Committee of Parliament…reports Asian Lite News

The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament will begin today and it will continue till April 6.

While the focus of the second part of the Budget Session will be on demand for grants and passage of the Union Budget. As per the records, about 26 Bills are currently pending in the Rajya Sabha and close to 9 in the Lok Sabha for passage.

Two Bills – The Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022 were referred to a Joint Committee by the government last Winter Session and they are currently being examined by the panel.

It is known through sources that the CP Joshi-led panel discussing the Multi-State Cooperative Bill will be presenting its report in Parliament in the upcoming session. This panel has completed its discussion on the Bill and is likely to adopt its draft report today.

The government will also list The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was scrutinised by a Joint Committee of Parliament.

It is also known through the sources that the government may bring the keenly awaited Personal Data Protection Bill in the upcoming session. This Bill is likely to be cleared by the Union Cabinet soon.

Amongst the Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha, three Bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha including The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019, The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Earlier on March 13, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar held a meeting with the MPs of nine parties on the eve of the resumption of the second half of the Budget Session of the Parliament and sought methods to curb disruption in the functioning of the House, sources said.

Among those leaders who were present at the meeting at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in the national capital were Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, DMK MP M Shanmugam, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav, BRS MP K Keshava Rao, TDP MP K Ravindra Kumar, JD(U) Ram Nath Thakur, Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) Sanjay Raut. (ANI)

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-Top News India News

Govt not cooperating on Pegasus probe, panel tells SC

The Supreme Court said it will ascertain those portions of the Pegasus panel report that can be made public, and adjourned the case for four weeks…reports Asian Lite News

The government did not cooperate with the investigation into the Pegasus spyware cases, the panel report said. The Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing the Pegasus spyware cases as Chief Justice NV Ramana went through the report of the panel comprising three parts.

“Some part of the Pegasus panel report is confidential and may also contain private information, says CJI, adding the committee is of the view that technical committee reports may not be made public,” Justice Ramana said.

There was inclusive evidence on the presence of Pegasus spyware in any of the 29 phones scanned by the Pegasus panel, Some malware were found in five phones but nothing conclusive to show it was Pegasus, the report said.

The Supreme Court said it will ascertain those portions of the Pegasus panel report that can be made public, and adjourned the case for four weeks.

The three parts of the report include one by the technical committee on para 61A of the order of the court with digital images; two, the report of the technical committee on matters on para 61B of the order; three, a report of the overseeing judge on matters on para 61C.

As the CJI mentioned the part of the government’s “non-cooperation” with the probe, he said, “The same stand you took here, you have taken there”. To this, the Solicitor General said he was not aware of it.

ALSO READ-Pegasus Snooping No 10

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-Top News Afghanistan

Saleh to lead Afghan govt in exile

A statement is written and released by leaders of the previous government, political leaders, and other politicians but the names of none of them has been disclosed…reports Asian Lite News

A number of former Afghan officials, who fled the country along with President Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban takeover last month, have announced the continuation of the Afghan government in exile.

A statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Switzerland read that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the only legitimate government of Afghanistan that is elected by the votes of the people and no other government can replace a legitimate one, Khaama News reported.

The statement read that Afghanistan has been occupied by external factors and based on the historic responsibility of the Afghan government after consultations with the elders of the country, they decided to announce the government in exile.

 Ahmad Massoud

“After the escape of Ashraf Ghani and his rupture with Afghan politics, his first vice-president (Amrullah Saleh) will be leading the country,” the statement said.

The statement also said that the three powers of the government namely executive, judicial, and legislative will be activated soon and they have been busy consulting in this regard., as per the report.

The statement has also announced their support to the resistance front – the anti-Taliban front led by Ahmad Masoud – and has added that all the embassies and consulates of Afghanistan will be functional as normal.

The statement is written and released by leaders of the previous government, political leaders, and other politicians but the names of none of them has been disclosed.

ALSO READ: Thousands still desperate to flee Afghanistan

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-Top News Afghanistan EU News

Provisional govt falls short of promises, EU warns Taliban

“We are looking very, very carefully at how the new government is behaving before engaging,” he told a news conference following a meeting of EU commissioners…reports Asian Lite News.

The European Union voiced disapproval on Wednesday of the Taliban’s provisional government in Afghanistan after the Islamist militants named several leaders, saying they had not kept a promise to include women and other religious groups.

“It does not look like the inclusive and representative formation in terms of the rich ethnic and religious diversity of Afghanistan we hoped to see and that the Taliban were promising over the past weeks,” said Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy service.

“Such inclusivity and representation is expected in the composition of a future transitional government, and as result of negotiations,” he said in a statement.

A senior EU executive official also expressed wariness about the Taliban’s provisional government, which includes people under United Nations sanctions and wanted by the United States, even as the bloc tries to show openness to the militants.

“The European Union is ready to continue to offer humanitarian assistance,” European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said, adding however that longer-term donor money depended on the Taliban upholding basic freedoms.

“We are looking very, very carefully at how the new government is behaving before engaging,” he told a news conference following a meeting of EU commissioners.

Afghanistan faces the collapse of basic services and food and other aid is about to run out, the United Nations said on Tuesday, after the Taliban took control of the country on Aug. 15 and the United States and Western powers withdrew.

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-Top News UK News

UK govt pledges £2.45m to improve childbirth care

Due to be carried out by the end of this year, the ABC review aims to develop a nationally agreed approach for how staff monitor the condition of a baby during labour by various methods…reports Asian Lite News.

The UK maternity safety minister Nadine Dorries will announce £2.45 million in funding which will benefit NHS maternity staff and improve the safety of the women and babies they care for.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is awarding the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) almost £2 million to lead the first phase of the Avoiding Brain injuries in Childbirth (ABC) Collaboration.

This funding will be used to survey maternity staff and parents and test out best practices for monitoring and responding to a baby’s wellbeing during labour. It will also focus on managing complications with a baby’s positioning during caesarean section to reduce brain injuries.

Official portrait of Ms Nadine Dorries (Wikipedia)

“This new programme, which we’re supporting with over £2.45 million, aims to spot warning signs earlier and save lives, preventing families and their babies from facing the horrific ordeal of a life-changing brain injury. It will help us deliver on our ambition to halve brain injuries during birth by 2025,” Maternity safety minister Nadine Dorries has said.

“Having the right maternity staff in the right place at the right time means they can learn from one another, give the best care for mums and babies and build a safe and positive environment for both staff and pregnant women in maternity teams across the country,” she added.

Due to be carried out by the end of this year, the ABC review aims to develop a nationally agreed approach for how staff monitor the condition of a baby during labour by various methods.

The review will be carried out through a partnership with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute at the University of Cambridge and the RCOG.

The 3 organizations will agree on the best clinical practice for managing deteriorating conditions of babies during labor and test how this could be rolled out across maternity services in England in the future.

The DHSC has also provided almost £450,000 to the RCOG to develop a new workforce planning tool to improve how maternity units calculate their medical staffing requirements, to better support families and babies.

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President Rivlin asks Netanyahu to form govt

Rivlin entrusted the longest-serving Prime Minister with the task after Netanyahu received the most recommendations during post-election talks with party leaders…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government two weeks after the country’s fourth election in two years also ended in a stalemate.

Rivlin entrusted the longest-serving Prime Minister with the task after Netanyahu received the most recommendations during post-election talks with party leaders, reports dpa news agency.

The President emphasized that while none of the 13 groups represented in parliament currently held a majority, Netanyahu had slightly better chances of forming a coalition.

However, it was not an easy decision to put Netanyahu in charge of forming the government again, given he is being tried for corruption, Rivlin said.

Netanyahu, the first sitting premier in Israel’s history to stand trial, is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.

Prosecutors allege that he systematically accepted expensive gifts and tried to improve media coverage of him in return for favours.

Voters were again evenly split in the last election, giving no candidate a clear path to victory.

Also read:Netanyahu claims win in Israeli polls

As before, the split lies between a bloc supporting Netanyahu and a group of other parties hoping to oust the long-serving leader.

Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party again got the most votes, with 30.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz

Next came the Atid party, with 17. It has ruled out a coalition with Likud.

The conservative religious Shas party came in third place, with nine mandates.

The last election resulted in a broad, unstable coalition of political enemies that would have seen them taking turns in the Prime Minister’s office.

It collapsed after only a few months amid a fight about the budget.

Also read:Political logjam continues in Israel