All posts tagged: Government

Greek government survives no-confidence vote over deadly Tempi train trash – POLITICO

Greek government survives no-confidence vote over deadly Tempi train trash – POLITICO

The opposition had put forward the vote after a report in the To Vima newspaper alleged an audio file, which was leaked to the media in the hours following the head-on collision between the two trains, had been doctored to make it appear the accident was caused by human error rather than by Greece’s aging rail network. Ahead of the parliamentary vote Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis dismissed the report as “misleading,” arguing the full transcripts had been “available to the judicial authorities from the beginning.” “You are saying that my concern and thought was to tamper with these dialogues. Aren’t you ashamed to say so?” he asked. “It is legitimate for business people and publishers to want to influence politics. Let them get into the arena themselves and not by proxy.” Earlier in the day, two top Mitsotakis aides — Minister of State Stavros Papastavrou and Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Yiannis Bratakos — resigned after allegedly spending a night at the house of media mogul and shipowner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns To …

Arvind Kejriwal: the Delhi chief minister jailed by Modi’s government | Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal: the Delhi chief minister jailed by Modi’s government | Delhi

When Arvind Kejriwal emerged on to India’s political scene in 2011, he was an outsider with over a decade of activism behind him. Today he is one of the country’s most recognised opposition leaders and his political party governs two powerful states. Yet Kejriwal’s swift rise from newcomer to political heavyweight, standing up against the might of the Narendra Modi government, has appeared to come at a cost. Last week, Kejriwal, who is the longstanding face of India’s anti-corruption movement, was detained on corruption charges – becoming the first sitting chief minister to be arrested. He will be held in custody for at least 10 days. The case against him was instigated by a powerful investigation agency under the control of the Modi government. Kejriwal called it a political conspiracy to crush his party and tarnish its chances in India’s election, which begins next month. The Modi government denies any political agenda. Kejriwal did not come from a political background. A mechanical engineer who later worked for the income tax department, he instead rose to …

Twitter Caught Selling Data to Government Spies While Complaining About Surveillance

Twitter Caught Selling Data to Government Spies While Complaining About Surveillance

In for a penny, in for a data mine. Double Dealing The social network formerly known as Twitter and now called X has for the better part of the past decade been involved in a lawsuit suing the US government for greater transparency on its surveillance practices on the platform. The lawsuit continued under Elon Musk after he took over in 2022. When the Supreme Court eventually struck down the suit in January, Musk wrote that it was “disappointing.” But now, newly obtained emails have left both X and Musk, who has long claimed to be a champion of free speech, with egg on their faces. The Intercept reports that despite railing against state spying, the social media company has been quietly profiting off it this entire time — selling a “firehose” of user data for the explicit purpose of being used by law enforcement. Buddy-Buddy According to the report, the data is sold to the surveillance firm Dataminr, which uses AI technology to constantly monitor public activity on social media and other parts of the web. …

Palestinian Authority President Abbas approves new government

Palestinian Authority President Abbas approves new government

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Mohammad Mustafa, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, March 14, 2024. PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT OFFICE / VIA REUTERS Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, March 28, approved the new government presented by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, who aims to see it play a role in post-war Gaza. Mustafa said the “top national priority” for the new government, whose members are set to take office on Sunday, would be the end of the war in Gaza. He added that his cabinet “will work on formulating visions to reunify the institutions, including assuming responsibility for Gaza.” In his first public appearance after his nomination, Mustafa talked of “transparency” and “zero tolerance” for corruption. The PA has long been stained by divisions, corruption scandals, authoritarian tendencies and the apparent collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The new government is made up of 23 ministers, including three women and six Palestinians from Gaza, among them former Gaza City mayor Maged Abu-Ramadan. Read more Subscribers only Palestinian …

Government Has Scaled Back The Renters’ Reform Bill

Government Has Scaled Back The Renters’ Reform Bill

Ministers appear to have delayed their own plans to ban no-fault evictions 4 min read2 hr Ministers have delayed their own plans to ban no-fault evictions, as the landmark Renters’ Reform Bill has been watered down. The pledge to abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions is a cornerstone of Michael Gove’s landmark legislation to reform the private rental sector, but has been met with fierce backlash from some Conservative backbenchers and landlords. A letter from levelling up minister Jacob Young sent to Tory MPs on Thursday, first reported byThe Sun, lays out a series of amendments that the government will bring forward to the legislation when parliament returns from Easter recess in April.  Among them is a plan for there to be an assessment on “readiness of the courts” before section 21 will be abolished for existing tenancies. It is believed that serious court backlogs could hold up landlords wishing to evict troublesome tenants.  The Bill in its current form allows for tenants to end a tenancy with two-months notice at any point, however a new amendment will …

Jordan’s government struggles to contain unrest as Gaza protests grow

Jordan’s government struggles to contain unrest as Gaza protests grow

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Jordanian capital Tuesday for a third straight night to call for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, clashing with baton-carrying riot police before tear gas rained down on them. On Wednesday night, demonstrators were back on the streets. “Open the borders,” they chanted. Though there have been regular protests in Amman, Jordan, throughout the nearly six-month war, the government has largely managed to contain the situation by aligning itself with public sentiment — harshly criticizing Israel’s conduct of the war and championing the Palestinian cause. But the scenes this week appeared more spontaneous, the crowds larger and the anger more raw, sending shock waves through the country’s powerful security establishment. “Jordan is in an unenviable position,” said Saud al-Sharafat, a former Brig. Gen. in the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate and founder of the Sharafat ِCenter for the Study of Globalization and Terrorism. The grinding conflict in Gaza, and the soaring Palestinian death toll, are testing the state’s “ability to maintain the tempo that exists now, so that [things] …

Dutch government to launch plan to keep ASML in Netherlands

Dutch government to launch plan to keep ASML in Netherlands

AMSTERDAM : The Dutch government is expected to lay out initial plans on Thursday to keep the country’s largest company ASML, from moving operations outside the Netherlands over concerns ranging from anti-immigration policies to infrastructure problems. Semiconductor equipment maker ASML, Europe’s largest tech company, shocked the Dutch government into action after CEO Peter Wennink went public with complaints about policy, including ending a tax break for skilled migrants which would make it harder for the company to hire vital staff. ASML also said the government has been failing to invest properly to improve infrastructure in the booming Eindhoven technology hub where it is based, from highways to housing to electrical grid improvements. Details of the plan dubbed “Operation Beethoven” have been leaked in the Dutch press, citing draft documents. Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported the plan includes restoring the tax break for skilled migrants and setting aside 1 billion to 1.3 billion euros ($1.1-$1.4 billion) for development in the Eindhoven region. A spokesperson for the Economic Affairs ministry said details could not be confirmed until …

The White House Puts New Guardrails on Government Use of AI

The White House Puts New Guardrails on Government Use of AI

The US government issued new rules Thursday requiring more caution and transparency from federal agencies using artificial intelligence, saying they are needed to protect the public as AI rapidly advances. But the new policy also has provisions to encourage AI innovation in government agencies when the technology can be used for public good. The US hopes to emerge as an international leader with its new regime for government AI. Vice President Kamala Harris said during a news briefing ahead of the announcement that the administration plans for the policies to “serve as a model for global action.” She said that the US “will continue to call on all nations to follow our lead and put the public interest first when it comes to government use of AI.” The new policy from the White House Office of Management and Budget will guide AI use across the federal government. It requires more transparency as to how the government uses AI and also calls for more development of the technology within federal agencies. The policy sees the administration …

“Short-Term” Spending Leaves Next Government Facing “Critical” Challenges

“Short-Term” Spending Leaves Next Government Facing “Critical” Challenges

Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Dame Meg Hillier said government must get better at “slow politics”. (Alamy) 5 min read28 min A new report from the influential Public Accounts Committee of cross-party MPs has criticised the government for “short-termism” in policy making – highlighting a number areas in public spending the next government will have to grapple with. Chair of the committee, Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, in the foreword to the report said a future government must become better at “slow politics” to ensure the long term investment in public services the UK needs.  “We must recognise that some of the major challenges facing Britain require long-term investment and planning,” she wrote. “These challenges should never become merely matters of political controversy, but instead should be dealt with over decades, and always in the national interest.” A general election must be called before the end of this year, with Labour widely expected to win. But the current opposition party, which is making a pitch for change to dissatisfied voters, has faced …

Haiti’s future governing council vows to restore ‘public and democratic order’

Haiti’s future governing council vows to restore ‘public and democratic order’

The governing council that aims to oversee a political transition in Haiti vowed Wednesday to restore “public and democratic order” in its first statement to the Caribbean nation wracked by a worsening security crisis. Issued on: 27/03/2024 – 23:36 2 min Impoverished Haiti, which has long grappled with spiraling violence, has been rocked by an uptick in clashes since late February when gangs launched a coordinated offensive and demanded Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign. “We are determined to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people, trapped for too long between bad governance, multi-faceted violence and disregard for their perspectives and needs,” said the statement from the Presidential Council, which has yet to be officially installed. Signed by eight of the nine members of the council, it said that — once in place — the body will appoint a prime minister who will assist in forming a government to “put Haiti back on the road to democratic legitimacy, stability and dignity.” The statement ended with a plea for unity, warning that Haiti is at a “crucial …