Source: Europol
On 7 March 2025, Europol welcomed ministerial delegations from the Latin American Committee for Internal Security (CLASI) to its headquarters in The Hague. The visit marked the final day of the delegates’ official tour, following two days of high-level meetings in Brussels on the margins of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council on 5 March. Facilitated through the EU-funded…
Source: Scottish Government
Joe Griffin appointed top civil servant at the Scottish Government.
Joe Griffin has been appointed Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government and will take up post in April 2025.
Mr Griffin has served as a Director General in the Scottish Government since 2021 and led across a range of policy and delivery priorities during his 29 years in the Civil Service, including delivery of the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare to 1,140 hours per week, the same level as primary school.
This appointment has been made formally by the UK Cabinet Secretary, Chris Wormald, on the agreement of the First Minister, John Swinney, and the recommendation of the First Civil Service Commissioner. Mr Griffin will succeed John-Paul Marks, who will take up the role of First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
As chief official policy adviser, the Permanent Secretary works closely with the First Minister across the full range of responsibilities, including major strategic and policy issues, and is Secretary to the Scottish Cabinet.
The First Minister, John Swinney, said:
“My thanks to JP Marks for his devoted public service and leadership of the Civil Service. My Cabinet and I are grateful for the invaluable advice he has provided during his time at the Scottish Government. I join with so many across the Scottish public sector and beyond in wishing JP every success in his new role at HMRC.
“I welcome Joe Griffin’s appointment as Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government. He brings a wealth of experience to this role from his distinguished career in the Civil Service. I know from his record of delivery, not least on the massive expansion of early learning and childcare that he led, that Joe will deliver an unyielding focus on delivering for the people of Scotland.”
UK Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald said:
“I would like to congratulate Joe on his appointment. He brings extensive experience from his roles at Scottish Government, including as Director General for Strategy and External Affairs and previously Director General for Education and Justice. Joe is well placed to lead the organisation and provide excellent support to Ministers.
“I would like to thank JP Marks for his leadership of the Scottish Government over the last three years.”
Commenting on his appointment, Joe Griffin said:
“It is a privilege to be appointed Permanent Secretary and lead the Civil Service in the Scottish Government. I am grateful to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for this opportunity.
“My focus will be on working with colleagues and partners to drive progress and deliver the government’s four priorities; eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services. I look forward to leading the organisation as we deliver in the service of Scotland.”
Background
As the principal accountable officer for the Scottish Government, the Permanent Secretary is personally responsible to the Scottish Parliament for the exercise of their responsibilities. This includes the management of the Scottish Government’s budget and the economic, efficient and effective use of all related resources.
Joe Griffin is currently Director General Strategy and External Affairs and has served as a Director General in the Scottish Government since 2021. Joe brings a wealth of experience leading across a range of policy and delivery priorities, including external affairs, intergovernmental relations, strategic cross-cutting policy alignment and the education and justice briefs. He is also DG ally for the Race Equality Network.
Mr Griffin was previously Director of Early Learning and Childcare where he worked in partnership with local government to successfully expand services to 1,140 eligible two year olds, and all three and four year olds.
Earlier in his career Joe was a diplomat at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which included postings to New York and Paris.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 7 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for implementing the requirements for high-quality development to ensure a successful conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for military development.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s national legislature.
Source: City of Birmingham
Birmingham City Council has officially enacted a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the Coventry Road area.
The PSPO will provide authorities with additional powers to address persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) that has impacted local residents, businesses, and commuters.
The PSPO, which will be in place for three years, has been introduced following overwhelming reports of issues such as illegal street trading, peddling, charity cash or digital collections, and obstruction of the public highway.
By granting additional enforcement powers to both West Midlands Police and designated Council Officers, the order aims to create a safer, cleaner, and more welcoming environment for all, particularly whilst the community observes Ramadan.
Councillor Nicky Brennan, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, welcomed the implementation of the PSPO, stating: “We have listened to the concerns of residents, businesses, and commuters who regularly use Coventry Road, and it’s clear that action was needed. The introduction of this PSPO reflects our commitment to ensuring Birmingham remains a safe and vibrant city for everyone.
“With these additional powers, we can take decisive action against those who engage in behaviour that disrupts the lives of others. This is especially important as the community comes together to observe Ramadan, ensuring that people can celebrate and reflect in a safe and respectful environment.
“To everyone marking this sacred month, I wish you, your families, friends and loved ones a peaceful and healthy Ramadan.”
The PSPO empowers authorities to take necessary enforcement action against those who breach the prohibitions outlined within the order. Individuals found violating the restrictions may face warnings, fines, or further legal action where necessary.
Birmingham City Council encourages the community to continue reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour to support ongoing enforcement efforts. For more information on the Coventry Road PSPO, including specific prohibitions and enforcement details, please visit the Council website.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Contribute”, “Greenlane”, and “Twilight”, and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed “Champion” and “Windsand”, for four consecutive days from March 3 to yesterday (March 6). A total of 16 suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested. During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 26 target locations, including industrial buildings, residential buildings, restaurants and shopping malls. Eleven suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised three men and eight women, aged 35 to 59. Among them, one man and one woman were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, two women were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Three men and one woman, aged 35 to 63, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. During operation “Champion”, enforcement officers raided 21 target locations in the Western region. Five suspected illegal workers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised two men and three women, aged 38 to 55. Among them, one man and one woman were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.” The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.” The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences. Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
Source: Government of India
Tamil language, culture, and traditions are invaluable jewels of India’s culture
It is a matter of pride to name the CISF Regional Training Center in Thakkolam after the great warrior of the Chola dynasty, Rajaditya Chola
Now, youth can take CAPF recruitment exams in Tamil as well as all the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
Like the Chief Ministers of other states, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should also start medical and engineering courses in the Tamil language as soon as possible, This will benefit Tamil medium students
The security of ports, airports, and important commercial, tourism, and research institutions, as well as key establishments related to the country’s industrial development, cannot be imagined without CISF
Posted On: 07 MAR 2025 3:30PM by PIB Delhi
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah attended the 56th Raising Day Parade of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu, as the chief guest today. On this occasion, Union Minister, Dr. L. Murugan and CISF Director General Shri Rajvinder Singh Bhatti were also present.
In his address, the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah said that in the last 56 years, the CISF has not only ensured the development, progress and mobility of the country, but has also played an important role in their smooth functioning. He said that the security of vital installations associated with the industrial development of the country, including ports, airports, important business, tourism and research institutions cannot be imagined without the CISF. Shri Shah said that it is due to the unwavering loyalty, hard work and dedication of the CISF personnel that the country is moving forward safely in the field of industrial development. He said that CISF personnel have also taken interest in numerous social activities and taken it forward.
Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set the resolve to make India the third-largest economy in the world by 2027 and to make India the leader in every field by 2047, in front of the country’s 140 crore people. He emphasized that CISF’s contribution will be very important in fulfilling these goals. Union Home Minister said that it was decided in 2019 that instead of celebrating the CISF Raising Day in Delhi, it would be celebrated in different parts of the country. Accordingly, today, the CISF Raising Day event was held at the Regional Training Center in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the culture of Tamil Nadu has played a significant role in strengthening India’s culture in many ways. Whether it is administrative reforms, achieving spiritual heights, setting educational standards, or promoting the message of unity and integrity of the country, Tamil Nadu has greatly strengthened Indian culture in every field. He said that the Tamil language, culture, and traditions are invaluable jewels of India’s culture, and the entire country acknowledges this. Shri Shah mentioned that, in line with this, it has been decided to name the CISF Regional Training Centre in Thakkolam after the great warrior of the Chola dynasty, Rajaditya Chola, which is a matter of pride. He further stated that Rajaditya Chola, on this land, created numerous tales of valor and sacrifice, attaining martyrdom and advancing the glorious traditions of the Chola Empire.
Union Home Minister said that over 14,000 positions were filled in CISF last year. If we consider all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), more than one lakh youth have been provided employment, and the recruitment process for 50,000 more youth is currently underway.
Shri Amit Shah said that until now, there was no provision for recruitment exams for CAPF in regional languages. However, according to the decision of the Modi government, besides Hindi and English, now youth can take the CAPF recruitment exams in Tamil and other languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. He requested the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, like the Chief Ministers of other states, he should also start medical and engineering courses in the Tamil language soon. This will not only strengthen Tamil as a mother tongue but also benefit students studying in Tamil medium. It will not only empower the mother tongue but also provide equal opportunities for children educated in the Tamil medium.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that CISF has always prioritized security. Over the past 56 years, CISF has set golden standards in national security across every sector of the country. He mentioned that CISF personnel work to protect the movement of nearly one crore people at various places, including ports, airports, and metros, ensuring their safety from all threats. The contribution of CISF personnel is crucial for the industrial and educational development of the country and for the smooth functioning of the nation. Under their vigilance, all establishments, including ports, airports, and metros, are secure. It is a matter of pride that CISF personnel are also entrusted with the security of the new Parliament building. Shri Shah mentioned that CISF personnel ensure the safe movement of over 70 lakh passengers daily in the Delhi Metro with discipline and patience, without any lapses. Additionally, they are responsible for the security of 250 ports. He further stated that CISF’s responsibilities for port security are expected to increase in the future.
Union Home Minister said that the government has equipped CISF with state-of-the-art technology and is continuously providing the force with the latest technological advancements. He mentioned that ‘Digi Yatra’ has been implemented at many airports, which has significantly reduced the time required for security checks. CISF has not only adopted international standards in airport security but is also very close to setting records in this regard. He mentioned that an Internal Quality Control Unit has also been established, through which continuous training is ensuring the maintenance of high security standards. CISF has also established a special training center for counter-drone capabilities. Shri Shah mentioned that the Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh and the Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra will soon be included under CISF’s security. For this, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the establishment of three new battalions last year, one of which will be a completely women’s battalion.
Paying tributes to the 127 CISF personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in protecting the country, the Home Minister said that these 127 personnel made their supreme sacrifice while discharging the responsibility of security in different parts. He told the family members of these jawans that it was because of the sacrifice of their family member that the country today stands before the world with a high head.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the CISF’s annual magazine, Sentinel. He also honored 10 personnel with the President’s Police Medal, 2 with the Jeevan Raksha Medal, and 10 with the Gallantry Medal. Shri Shah stated that all these personnel have advanced the excellent traditions of CISF. Union Home Minister laid the foundation stone for six different infrastructure and development projects worth ₹88 crore to improve the health, smooth duty performance, and facilities for CISF personnel. He also inaugurated the newly constructed gym and Pup hall at SSG Noida.
Union Home Minister virtually flagged off the CISF Cyclothon 2025. He said that this cycle rally will cover every coastal village of the country and reach the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari. During this journey, our personnel will not only raise awareness about security in the coastal villages but also inform the villagers about development. Additionally, CISF personnel will collect suggestions related to security and village development. Union Home Minister emphasized that the ‘ground zero inputs’ provided by the personnel will help ensure better facilities and security in these coastal villages.
Shri Amit Shah said that CISF has planted more than five lakh trees in the past five years, and a target of planting over three lakh trees has been set for the next year. He mentioned that under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, every CISF personnel will plant a tree to express gratitude to their mothers. Shri Shah appealed to all CISF personnel to include yoga practice in their daily routine. He mentioned that several steps have been taken for the welfare of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, including the issuance of over 31 lakh cards under the Ayushman CAPF scheme. Additionally, 13,000 homes and 113 barracks have been constructed, and under the e-Housing Portal, it has been ensured that no housing remains vacant. Shri Shah stated that special barracks have been created for female personnel, and the ex-gratia amount has also been increased. He added that the sale of indigenous products in Central Police Welfare Stores is being promoted, and from April 1, 2024, a 50 per cent discount on GST is being offered.
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RK/ASH/PR/PS
(Release ID: 2109087) Visitor Counter : 56
Source: Government of India (2)
Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi
We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.
His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.
I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.
We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.
We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands
Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.
I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.
Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees
Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.
It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.
He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.
Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.
I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.
Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.
First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all. We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.
We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.
Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.
As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.
Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.
Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.
This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.
The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.
Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.
First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all. We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.
A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.
The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.
‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.
Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.
We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.
Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.
No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.
Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional
prescriptions.
We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.
Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.
Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.
We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.
The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.
“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”
“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”
This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.
But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.
I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”
This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.
Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.
These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.
Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach. The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.
Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.
There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.
I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.
Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.
India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.
India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.
Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.
There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries
Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.
Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.
And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.
We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.
And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.
I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.
There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.
There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.
Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.
Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.
From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.
Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”
Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.
“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.
****
JK/RC/SM
(Release ID: 2108969) Visitor Counter : 146
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi
We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.
His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.
I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.
We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.
We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands
Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.
I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.
Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees
Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.
It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.
He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.
Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.
I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.
Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.
First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all. We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.
We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.
Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.
As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.
Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.
Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.
This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.
The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.
Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.
First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all. We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.
A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.
The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.
‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.
Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.
We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.
Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.
No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.
Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional
prescriptions.
We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.
Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.
Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.
We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.
The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.
“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”
“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”
This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.
But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.
I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”
This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.
Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.
These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.
Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach. The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.
Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.
There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.
I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.
Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.
India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.
India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.
Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.
There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries
Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.
Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.
And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.
We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.
And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.
I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.
There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.
There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.
Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.
Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.
From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.
Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”
Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.
“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.
****
JK/RC/SM
(Release ID: 2108969) Visitor Counter : 27
Source: US State of California 2
SACRAMENTO – Foresters, firefighters, community leaders and wildfire experts are applauding Governor Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation to remove red tape and increase the pace and scale of forest management in California.
Following the devastation of the Los Angeles firestorms and with the risk of wildfire increasing statewide, Governor Newsom over the weekend proclaimed a state of emergency to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season.
Here is a snapshot of what leaders are saying across the state:
Doug Teeter, Butte County Supervisor: “Devastating wildfires unfortunately have greatly affected our State’s citizens and environment. I applaud the Governor’s commitment to reduce the bureaucratic bottleneck CEQA has become.”
Graham Knaus, Chief Executive Officer, California State Association of Counties: “This is absolutely the right move from Governor Newsom. Counties are ready to move quickly to address wildfire risks. The next step in recognizing that fire season is now year-round is to codify these orders in state law.”
Brian K. Rice, President, California Professional Firefighters: “Governor Newsom’s actions demonstrate a meaningful commitment to safeguarding our communities from the escalating threat of wildfires. By streamlining essential forest management projects and cutting through delays, this decisive action not only enhances public safety but also ensures that our firefighters can operate under safer conditions when responding to future incidents. Such proactive measures are crucial in mitigating the severity of wildfires and protecting both lives and property across California.”
Patrick Blacklock, Chief Executive Officer, Rural County Representatives of California: “Federal and State policy backed by the preponderance of science is clear that we need to accelerate the pace and scale of forest treatments if we are to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve the health of our forests. This EO is a significant step forward and we stand ready to collaborate with the Governor’s Administration to implement it.”
Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno): “I’ll be the first to give credit where it’s due—thank you Governor Newsom for suspending CEQA as our communities face the threat of massive wildfires. Now, we must act fast to create buffer zones between urban, wild lands and critical infrastructure. We don’t have any time to waste!”
Michael Wara, Senior Research Scholar, Stanford University: “Newsom trying to get more wildfire safety work done this year, addressing a critical issue for California.”
Pete Jackson, VP/GM, Green Diamond Resource Company: “As a Registered Professional Forester, a forest landowner, and the Vice President/General Manager of Green Diamond Resource Company’s California Timberlands, I support Governor Newsom’s proclamation of a state emergency to remove barriers to increasing the pace and scale of fuels treatment projects. Fire touches the lives of all Californians. This unprecedented emergency necessitates immediate action to protect communities and their homes, businesses, working forests, watersheds, and wildlife. We can solve this problem together. Let’s get to work.”
Matt Dias, President and CEO, CalForests: “The Governor’s Proclamation of Emergency supporting prevention activities is one of the critical and necessary actions to protect lives, communities and forests in an era of increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across California.”
Paul Mason, VP Policy and Incentives, Pacific Forest Trust: “To prevent destructive wildfires California needs to increase the use of prescribed fire by at least an order of magnitude. We’re excited to help rethink how California can improve the permitting for prescribed fire. Fire is both natural and inevitable, and when we are proactive we can have more fire under conditions that give good outcomes rather than always fighting fire under the worst conditions.”
Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity: “The Governor’s order is strategic.”
J. Lopez, Member of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection: “The Governor’s proclamation underscores the paramount importance of expediting the implementation of science-based resource management practices that safeguard and preserve natural and cultural resources, protect our towns and cities, and restore the traditional way of life for Californians.”
Seth Schalet, CEO, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: “Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Order is intended to fast-track fuel reduction projects across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a non-state entity covered in the EO, this allows us to accelerate shovel ready projects that normally would go through the lengthy CEQA process, so more fuel treatments and escape routes can be started before this year’s fire weather kicks in. One project we lead in Santa Clara County, the 110,000-acre West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project will leverage Governor Newsom’s EO by utilizing the California Vegetation Treatment Plan to implement ecologically restorative fuel reduction treatments across more than 110,000 acres in western Santa Clara County. These strategically placed treatments will focus on the Wildland Urban Interface and areas where high fuel loads are impacting the health of ecosystems.”
Christopher Anthony, former Chief Deputy Director of CAL FIRE & Wildfire Advisor: “I applaud Governor Newsom’s efforts to accelerate forest health and community risk reduction efforts to address the increasing size and severity of wildfires. Streamlining regulatory barriers will protect lives, property and the unique natural resources of the State. This effort will also guard against the downstream economic impacts wildfire can have on local communities. The Emergency Proclamation clears hurdles allowing the return of low-intensity, beneficial fire to fire adapted ecosystems across California, ensures community wildfire mitigation efforts can be implemented quickly, and expedites the reduction of hazardous vegetation from within and around communities. We have no other choice than to move forward with a sense of urgency to stabilize property loss and create a future where beneficial fire, not destructive fire, is the dominant contributor to annual area burned.”
California Biomass Energy Alliance: “CBEA applauds the Governor Newsom’s call for a state of emergency to expedite forest management projects in order to protect lives. CBEA is prepared to work with the state on removal of that wood waste and converting some of it to renewable energy.”
Joe Smailes and Lawrence Camp, Forest Landowners of California: “Forest Landowners of California (FLC) represents the nonindustrial forest landowners of the state of California. These landowners, estimated to be approximately 100,000 individuals, own and manage approximately 20 percent of California’s forested landscape. Historically, administrative burden and costs have slowed the pace and scale of vegetation management to reduce the risk of wildfire, maintain water quality, preserve wildlife habitat and store carbon. We strongly endorse the Governor’s proposals as set forth in his Executive Order issued on March 1, 2025.”
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000830/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Ilaria Salis (The Left), Martin Schirdewan (The Left), Carola Rackete (The Left)
On 6 February 2025, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that Maja T.’s extradition to Hungary was unlawful on account of the risk of inhuman or degrading treatment in Hungarian detention facilities. This confirms concerns documented in the Commission’s rule of law reports. However, the Commission’s responses to questions E-001970/2024[1] and P-002740/2024[2] did not fully acknowledge these risks in the context of the European arrest warrant (EAW). The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that extraditions must be halted if there is a real risk of fundamental rights violations.
Submitted: 25.2.2025
Source: Amnesty International –
Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Zimbabwean journalist and pro-democracy activist Itai Peace Dzamara, Amnesty International calls on authorities to urgently establish an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into his whereabouts.
On the morning of 9 March 2015, five men abducted Dzamara from a barber shop in the capital Harare’s Glen View suburb. The men accused him of stealing cattle before handcuffing him and driving off with him in a white truck with concealed number plates. All attempts by relatives and human rights lawyers to establish his whereabouts have been unsuccessful.
“Itai Dzamara’s family and loved ones have endured ten years without answers. The authorities have ignored calls for information and investigation, including from his wife Sheffra Dzamara,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “Zimbabwean authorities must urgently carry out an effective investigation into what happened to Itai Dzamara and end their official silence on his case.”
Dzamara was a leader of the Occupy Africa Unity Square, a pro-democracy protest group. Two days before his enforced disappearance, Dzamara addressed an opposition rally where he called for mass action against Zimbabwe’s deteriorating economic conditions.
“Itai Dzamara’s family and loved ones have endured ten years without answers. The authorities have ignored calls for information and investigation, including from his wife Sheffra Dzamara,”
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
Immediately after Dzamara’s abduction, his wife filed a missing person report at Glen Norah Police Station in Harare. The next day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights approached the High Court to try to force the state to expend all available resources to investigate and locate Dzamara.
The High Court of Zimbabwe ordered police and state security agents to search for Dzamara and report on their progress every two weeks. However, according to his lawyer, none of the security services have fully complied with the order. Police have reportedly not given any substantial information on the details of their supposed investigation when they submitted reports to the court, and have stopped submitting reports.
“Authorities have yet to conduct any credible inquiry into Itai Dzamara’s fate or whereabouts,” said Tigere Chagutah. “It is time for the authorities to stop pretending and get serious about finding Itai Dzamara and holding accountable whoever is suspected of responsibility for his enforced disappearance.”
Source: Amnesty International –
Responding to the Court of Appeal’s judgment on the appeal made by 16 Just Stop Oil protesters against their prison sentences for a range of peaceful protests, Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK’s Director of Campaigns, said:
“Today’s ruling highlights the urgent need for the UK’s protest laws to be revised.
“It’s good the Court confirmed that the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly will always be relevant to the sentencing of peaceful protesters, and it is welcome that some of the sentences in this case have been reduced. But we are in danger of having laws that only allow for protests that don’t bother anybody, and that treat peaceful protest worse than many violent offences. It’s incredibly unjust that peaceful protesters face being locked up for years.
“We call on the UK government to drop the new anti-protest laws that they have just tabled themselves and institute a fully independent and public review of the protest laws that have been passed in recent years.”
Policing protest in the UK
Today’s ruling involved 16 JSO activists from four separate cases. The decision by the court to conduct the hearing as a single, mass two-day event highlighted the significance of this case – it is rare for so many different appeals to be combined.
The right to protest in England and Wales has been eroded in recent years, despite being protected under international law. In 2022, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act handed police in England and Wales broad powers to shut down protests and expanded criminal offences and punishments for peaceful protest activities, including a maximum 10-year prison sentence for causing ‘public nuisance’ – the offence at the heart of many of the cases decided today.
This was followed by the even more draconian Public Order Act 2023 and the particularly controversial Serious Disruption Regulations 2023, regulations that were recently found by the High Court to be unlawful, but which remain in place while the Government pursues an appeal.
Thanks to this authoritarian legislation, police can define almost any demonstration as “seriously disruptive” and impose restrictions on it. Peaceful tactics like locking on, tunnelling and even causing “serious annoyance” were criminalised. New powers were created to issue orders banning people from even attending protests.
There has also been a steep rise in the use of facial recognition technology in the policing of protest. This is despite the UK Court of Appeal concluding in 2020 that the legal framework in place at the time for this technology violated human rights.
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested. Some have received long custodial sentences and many prosecutions remain pending. Following his visit to the UK in January 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders warned that environmental activists face a “severe crackdown” due to the repressive legislative framework and introduction of new criminal charges.
New stop and search powers, including suspicionless stop and search, can be used against people at or on the way to protests. Existing evidence highlights that stop-and-search powers are disproportionately used against Black and other minoritised people, itself a feature of an institutionally racist policing and criminal justice system. The expansion of these powers serves as a gateway for further racialised police encounters.
Anti-protest rhetoric and stigmatisation
Climate change and pro-Palestine protesters in the UK have been heavily stigmatised and their actions used in part as justification for further anti-protest legislation. High-ranking officials labelled disruption created by environmental protests as “a threat to our way of life” and described activists as “using guerilla tactics”.
Now the new government seems intent on following its predecessor, by introducing yet more anti protest measures in its new Crime and Policing bill. These include a power to criminalise the wearing of facial coverings at a protest, risking discrimination against Muslim women and people with health conditions, and the power for police to require foreign nationals such as student protesters to leave the country as a condition of issuing a caution, without any of the due process protections that apply to enforced removals.
Existing international human rights standards require Governments not to introduce any measures that place disproportionate restrictions on people’s freedom of expression and assembly – it is accepted that protest by its very nature can be disruptive.
As well as calling for the scrapping of recently passed laws, Amnesty hopes the Government will move away from previously used stigmatising discourse and rhetoric, fuelling harmful stereotypes and portraying peaceful protesters in a way that fuels hostility. This includes characterising protesters as criminals, terrorists, threats to public order and security, or a nuisance to be crushed. Amnesty also recommends that regular and systematised data collection and reporting on restrictions imposed by authorities, including the police, is undertaken.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Joe Griffin has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.
Joe Griffin has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. Joe, who is currently Director General, Strategy & External Affairs in the Scottish Government, was chosen following an open and fair competition chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner. The appointment has been made by the First Minister of Scotland in agreement with the UK Cabinet Secretary. Joe will take up the post on 7 April 2025.
First Minister John Swinney said:
My thanks go to JP Marks for his devoted public service and leadership of the Civil Service. My Cabinet and I are grateful for the invaluable advice he has provided during his time at the Scottish Government. I join with so many across the Scottish public sector and beyond in wishing JP every success in his new role at HMRC.
I welcome Joe Griffin’s appointment as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. He brings a wealth of experience to this role from his distinguished career in the Civil Service. I know from his record of delivery, not least on the massive expansion of early learning and childcare which he led, that Joe will deliver an unyielding focus on delivering for the people of Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald said:
I would like to congratulate Joe on his appointment. He brings extensive experience from his roles at Scottish Government, including as Director General for Strategy and External Affairs and previously Director General for Education and Justice. Joe is well placed to lead the organisation and provide excellent support to Ministers.
I would like to thank JP Marks for his leadership of the Scottish Government over the last three years.
Joe Griffin said:
It is a privilege to be appointed Permanent Secretary and lead the Civil Service in the Scottish Government. I am grateful to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for this opportunity.
My focus will be on working with colleagues and partners to drive progress and deliver the government’s four priorities; eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services. I look forward to leading the organisation as we deliver in the service of Scotland.
Published 7 March 2025
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
A man who raped two teenage girls he met on Snapchat has been jailed for nine years, following an investigation by specialist detectives at the Metropolitan Police Service.
On Thursday, 6 March, 2025, Himanshu Makwana, 42 (04.04.1982), of Thurlby Road, Wembley, was jailed at Harrow Crown Court after being convicted on two counts of rape. He will serve an additional four years on extended licence, and will be made to register as a sex offender for life.
The two offences were carried out on separate occasions, four years apart, but both with strikingly similar circumstances.
Detective Constable Lewis Jelley, who led the investigation, said:
“Makwana posed as a young man on social media in order to prey on young girls. He carried out a horrific attack on one woman, and then did the same thing again a few years later. He was brought to justice following a painstaking investigation.
“I want to thank the two brave young women who came forward and reported the offences to us. Without their courage, we would not be in the position we are today.”
In 2019, Makwana used a Snapchat account to communicate with his first victim, who was aged 18. After speaking for a few months, they decided to meet. He drove her to an empty office block, and once inside of the building, he raped her.
The offence was reported to police at the time and no suspect was identified.
In April 2023, Makwana again posed as a 19-year-old man on Snapchat and started speaking to his second victim, who had only recently turned 16.
Shortly afterwards, he parked on a street close to the victim’s school and waited for her, before asking for her help.
The victim agreed and helped Makwana carry some books. He then locked her in his car and identified himself as ‘Samir,’ which was the fake identity he had used on Snapchat. He then drove her to an empty commercial premises and raped her.
Makwana was arrested on Monday, 27 November, 2023 – the day after the second victim reported the incident – thanks to an image captured by a witness which showed the car used in the incident. This enabled officers to locate the vehicle, and arrest Makwana.
Analysis of a DNA sample taken on his arrest identified him as the previously unknown suspect for the offence against the first victim in 2019.
He was then charged with the rapes of both victims on Friday, 22 December, 2023, and remanded in custody ahead of trial.
Source: Scottish Government
Craig Naylor in post for a further three years.
Craig Naylor has been reappointed as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland for an additional three years.
Mr Naylor, who first took up the role in 2022, will continue to lead HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) to deliver a programme of independent inspection, monitoring and evaluation of Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.
He will also be a source of professional independent advice on police matters, publish reports of inspections and produce an annual report to Ministers on the police service in Scotland.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said:
“The role that HMICS plays in ensuring Scotland’s police officers and staff continue to perform their duties to a high standard, and that their systems and processes are accountable, is absolutely key to Scottish policing.
“Craig’s first three years in post have been hugely productive, with scrutiny of roads policing, how Police Scotland manages mental health incidents and a series of joint inspections with Health Improvement Scotland among the significant reviews undertaken and published.
“I am very pleased that Craig is remaining in post for another three years and look forward to the next HMICS scrutiny plan and continued constructive working to help maintain the high standard of policing in Scotland.”
Mr Naylor said:
“Over the last three years I have been honoured to serve as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland and I am delighted to have been reappointed for another three years.
“I feel extremely privileged to lead a dedicated team of very talented inspectors and support staff, working together to help improve policing across Scotland, and look forward to continuing this important role.”
Background
Craig Naylor was first appointed as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland on 17 March 2022, having been Deputy Director of Investigations at the National Crime Agency. He has more than 30 years policing experience and previously served with Police Scotland, where he held the role of Divisional Commander for Specialist Service and was responsible for firearms, public order, search and dogs. Prior to that, he worked in a number of roles across the former Lothian and Borders Police and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.
The appointment is made by Royal Warrant and the post is entirely independent of Government, police and the Scottish Police Authority.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland is an independent scrutiny body, which has been in existence since the nineteenth century. HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland is the senior professional police adviser to Scottish Ministers. The statutory duties of HMICS are set out in Chapter 11 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2102. For more information on HMICS please go to www.hmics.scot.
HMICS have also confirmed that Mark Hargreaves will be vacating the Assistant Inspector of Constabulary post as he retires from Police Scotland. Brian McInulty, currently a Lead Inspector with HMICS, will take on this role on a temporary basis until a new appointment is made.
Source: Anglia Ruskin University
Dr Imranali Panjwani, second right, receives his award
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) lecturer Dr Imranali Panjwani has received a national award for his important work helping vulnerable groups, including palliative patients at Farleigh Hospice in Chelmsford.
At a ceremony at Westminster Park Plaza in London this week, Dr Panjwani won the Spirit in the Community category of the prestigious GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards.
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, paid tribute to the British Asian community, describing them as “some our greatest Britons” as she congratulated winners at the event, which was attended by more than 700 guests, including politicians, entrepreneurs, celebrities and leaders from ethnic minority communities across the UK.
Dr Panjwani is a Senior Lecturer in Law and works within the Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion (CAJI) at ARU, which undertakes research and works with communities on current issues and challenges facing access to justice and inclusion in contemporary society.
Dr Panjwani also works closely with Chelmsford-based Farleigh Hospice, developing spiritual care for palliative patients from varying religious, non-religious and cultural backgrounds.
His research critically reviews immigration procedures relating to religious, linguistic and cultural evidence, enabling the UK asylum system to assign proper weight to primary source evidence they might otherwise discount.
His work resulted in 91 asylum seekers from the Middle East, North Africa, India and Southeast Asia being granted leave to remain in the UK. In addition to this work, Dr Panjwani trained 70 local nurses in spiritual healthcare as part of the East of England Palliative Care Network.
“I am extremely humbled to receive the GG2 Spirit in the Community award. I thank God, my parents, wife and children for their support and sacrifices that I am able to make to help those who live on the margins of society.
“If we are to forge ahead in these difficult times, we must never forget the golden rule – a rule that transcends religion, race, culture, gender and country, ‘Treat others as you would wish to be treated by them’.”
Dr Imranali Panjwani, Senior Lecturer in Law at ARU
The GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, now in their 26th year, celebrate the best of ethnic minority talent in Britain and are established as the premier awards for diversity and leadership in the UK.
Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council
Police staff from across the country were honoured at a special ceremony yesterday held at the Senior Police Staff Network conference.
Over 1,100 nominations were received across seven award categories for the inaugural National Police Staff Awards. These awards have been created to recognise the significant impact that police staff have in policing and celebrate where that work is helping to deliver policing priorities.
Nominations were received from across UK policing, showcasing the expansive roles and work that police staff undertake. Jointly hosted by the NPCC and College of Policing, this event forms part of the Police Staff Week of Celebration and Recognition 2025.
We were honoured to have in attendance the Home Secretary the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, who presented the award for the inaugural Police Staff Team of the Year. This was awarded to the police staff who responded after the tragic events in Southport in July 2024, and who would go on to provide vital support to the community in the days and weeks to follow.
ACO Gemma Stannard, Head of the NPCC’s Strategic Hub, and ACO Alexis Poole of Devon and Cornwall Police are co-founders of the SPSN and were in attendance at today’s ceremony. They said:
“Today’s event was very special, and we feel privileged to have been able to share it with so many wonderful colleagues from across policing.
“The police service created these awards to recognise the members of police staff who have gone above and beyond in support of their communities; to recognise those who have shown immense mental, emotional, and mental bravery whilst undertaking their role; and to celebrate those whose work has contributed to vital organisational change. It is so important that we as a service take the time to appropriately recognise and celebrate these achievements.
“We are sincerely grateful that we were able to have the Home Secretary in attendance presenting the award to Police Staff Team of the Year: these individuals displayed courage, bravery and professionalism of the highest order in unprecedented circumstances and will carry what they saw that day at Southport with them for the rest of their lives.
“In carrying out their actions, they made a huge contribution to the safety and recovery of the survivors of the attack as well as securing a crime scene to ensure best possible evidence was preserved. We know we speak for all in policing when we say they have our gratitude and our respect.
“To all of the award winners today across all categories: thank you for all that you do. We hope today was a truly fulfilling experience, and we wish you all the very best”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“It has been a privilege to attend the inaugural National Police Staff Recognition Week and honour some truly outstanding people and fantastic achievements.
“From working with our communities to providing compassionate care to those who need it most, the role our police staff and Police Community Support Officers play in keeping our streets safe is invaluable and will have a crucial role to play as we deliver our Safer Streets Mission.
“The skill and dedication the award winners have shown is just a fraction of what every team in every force across the country is delivering every day, often in such pressurised environments, and it is fantastic to see staff and their families celebrated.”
Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said:
“Police staff are too often overlooked, despite providing vital work for their communities every day, often in incredibly challenging circumstances.
“Whether it’s the intelligence from a police analyst who helps identify a criminal, a forensic investigator that provides the key piece of evidence that secures a conviction, or a PCSO who helps keep their community safe, police staff are absolutely integral to the police service, and I’m pleased we were able to acknowledge that today.
“I’m honoured that the College of Policing was able to host the inaugural Police Staff Awards, and I hope we get to see many more police staff being recognised for their brilliant work in the coming years.
Award Winners
Police Staff Team of the Year Award – Merseyside Sefton Area Police Community Support Team’
The winning team represents the Sefton Area Police Community Support Officers [as constituted at July/August 2024] and also the Social Media Officer who supported with critical work following the attack:
PSCO Eve Lancaster
PCSO Brendan Farrell
PCSO Chris Ward
PCSO Pawel Janik
Alexander Pouncey
PCSO Michelle Newman
PCSO Alice Cunningham
PCSO Lucas Cordeiro Reguin Da Silva
PCSO Timothy Parry
PCSO Barry Calder
Natalie Carroll, social media officer
Police Staff Member of the Year Award – Ian Lawrence, Family Liaison Coordinator, Lancashire Constabulary
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Lesley Yule Dunlevy, Public Enquiry and Support Assistant, Police Scotland
Police Staff Bravery Award – Anna Beaudro, Police Contact Enquiry Officer (PCEO), Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Ashely Heaton, Metropolitan Police Service Circulations Unit Supervisor, Met Police MO4.
New Police Staff Member (Exceptional Contribution Award) –
Ryan Clatworthy, Incident Risk and Resolution Officer, South Wales Police.
Olivia Prosser, Acting Senior Comms Officer, Cheshire Constabulary.
Police Staff Lifetime Achievement Award – Karen Boyd, Executive Assistant to Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations (ACSO), Metropolitan Police Service.
HIGHLY COMMENDED – David McMahon, Service Delivery Manger, Cheshire Constabulary – Enable Network.
Police Staff Ally of the Year Award – Claire Widdison, Head of Strategic Governance, Thames Valley Police
Police Staff Unsung Hero Award – [Undisclosed winner due to operational sensitivities]
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Hazel Parry, GMP Victims’ Services Coordinator – Bury, Greater Manchester Police.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
More dangerous criminals will be taken off the streets thanks to a 700-place expansion which will turn a Suffolk jail into the UK’s largest.
The three new, four-storey houseblocks at HMP Highpoint will boost its capacity by more than 50 percent– and is the latest step in Government action to create safer streets.
The houseblocks will include innovative workshops and teaching facilities to train prisoners with skills to secure a job on release and turn their backs on crime for good. The new cells will be fully operational by summer 2027.
The construction is a significant milestone in the Government’s plan to deliver 14,000 more prison places by 2031 to lock up dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.
Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord James Timpson said:
This government is fixing the broken prison system it inherited – wasting no time in getting shovels in the ground to deliver the spaces needed to protect the public.
These new houseblocks have been designed with a laser-focus on cutting crime and are a major step in our plan to deliver 14,000 more prison places by 2031.
But we cannot simply build our way out of this crisis, which is why we’re also reviewing sentencing so we can lock up dangerous offenders, cut crime and make our streets safer.
HMP Highpoint Prison Governor Nigel Smith said:
The expansion at Highpoint will provide much-needed prisoner places in our region.
The new accommodation will provide a safe and secure environment for us to rehabilitate prisoners and get them ready for release.
We are pleased that the construction work has officially begun and we look forward to working with our contractors to get things delivered.
The build will be delivered by Wates Group, a leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance company. Once completed Highpoint will be the largest prison in terms of land size in North-West Europe and the largest in the UK based on prisoner population.
It will help provide an economic boost to East Anglia with hundreds of jobs created during construction and over 200 permanent jobs at the prison once built. Construction alone will bring investment into local businesses with 30% of materials/subcontractors coming from within a 50-mile radius.
Phil Shortman, Regional Managing Director at Wates said:
We are proud to be involved in the major programme of delivering much-needed prison spaces.
Through the construction of this project, around 2,000 building components have been crafted in prison workshops, providing meaningful employment opportunities, helping develop valuable skills and supporting brighter futures.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the government delivering additional prison capacity with a focus on rehabilitation, sustainability and social value for the local community.
The development is part of the government’s 10-year prison capacity strategy published in December. It includes 6,400 places through new houseblocks and 6,500 places via new prisons. One thousand rapid deployment cells will be rolled out across the estate while more than 1,000 existing cells will be refurbished.
A 1,500-capacity prison in Yorkshire, HMP Millsike, will be opened in the coming weeks. The government is investing £2.3 billion to deliver these prison builds, while a further £500 million will go towards vital building maintenance across prisons and the probation service.
The strategy will work alongside the Independent Sentencing Review to ensure the most serious offenders can always be sent to prison to protect the public.
Published 7 March 2025
Source: Mayor of London
PUBLICATIONS
Tuesday 11 March
Building Safety
Fire Committee
The Fire Committee will publish letters relating to actions recommended to make London’s buildings safe and compliant with fire safety regulations.
MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252310 / [email protected]
Wednesday 12 March
Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan 2025-29
Police and Crime Committee
The Police and Crime Committee will publish its response to the Mayor’s Draft Police and Crime Plan for 2025-29.
MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251727 / [email protected]
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Tuesday 11 March
Broadband connectivity in London
Economy, Culture & Skills Committee – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am
The Economy, Culture and Skills Committee will meet to hear evidence on the work being done to improve London’s broadband speeds, the challenges of this, and the impact improved broadband speeds would have on London’s economy. The guests are:
Panel 1- 10-11.30am:
Panel 2 – 11.30am -12.30pm:
MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / A[email protected]
Wednesday 12 March
Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
Police and Crime Committee – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am
The Police and Crime Committee will explore the levels of VAWG amongst young people, what services are available for survivors, as well as the Mayor’s VAWG strategy and prevention principles. The guests are:
MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / A[email protected]
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, is reflecting on the remarkable year of achievements of its Blockchain4Her initiative. Since its inception in January 2024, Blockchain4Her has made impactful strides to bridge the gender gap in Web3 by empowering women through education, mentorship, funding and networking opportunities to thrive in the Web3 ecosystem.
In March 2024, Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget and initiator of Blockchain4Her, was invited to shed light on gender equality initiatives at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). This inclusion illuminates Bitget’s impact on the global stage and its voice in shaping conversations around diversity, inclusion, and equitable opportunities in the blockchain industry.
To further its mission, Bitget unveiled the Blockchain4Her Ambassador Program, enlisting female crypto leaders to be ambassadors and catalysts for change. Our distinguished ambassadors are; Tess Hau, Founder of Tess Ventures, Yevheniia Broshevan, Co-founder of Hacken and Cecilia Hsueh, the CEO of Layer 2 ecosystem project Morph. Leaning on their expertise and experience, the ambassador program aims to encourage more women to join space by building a safe-space for women to explore blockchain.
In September 2024, Bitget participated in the SheFi Summit in Singapore, which saw hundreds of participants from around the world. The event featured the inaugural Blockchain4Her Awards, recognizing five outstanding women for their contributions to the blockchain industry. Looking specifically at Southeast Asia, Bitget also held Southeast Asia Blockchain4Her Awards to honor the achievements of women leaders in the region. Entrepreneurs Jenny Nguyen (Nguyen Ngoc Son Quynh), Bea Llana, Theresa Tjandrawinata and Cheryl Law were awarded for their innovative solutions and contribution to the crypto scene while Tascha Punyaneramitdee won the “Innovative Web3 Female Entrepreneur Award – SEA edition.”
“At Bitget, we believe that innovation thrives when diversity leads the way. Blockchain4Her is more than just a program; it’s a movement. We’re committed to providing women with the education, mentorship, and opportunities they need to participate in the Web3 revolution and to lead it. The future of blockchain is inclusive, and together, we are shaping it,” said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget.
Bitget also launched the “Pitch n Slay” program, aiming to provide financial support, professional guidance, and exposure for female entrepreneurs. The final event was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2024, where shortlisted female-led projects had the opportunity to compete for a share of $100,000 in seed funding via Foresight Ventures. Anne Beh, Founder at Art3mis, an Oracle AI Tarot card fortune-telling achieved 3rd place, whereas Doris Hernandez, Co-Founder at Functor Network, an Automatic Layer for AI agents secured 2nd position. The first prize was won by Julija Bainiaksina, Founder at MiniMe, an AI agent as-a-service project.
In the past year, Blockchain4Her made significant strides in supporting and empowering women in the blockchain industry. The program distributed $50,000 to support promising projects led by women and recognized nine exceptional women with the Blockchain4Her Awards for their inspiring contributions. In addition, Blockchain4Her hosted over 10 meetups globally, fostering meaningful conversations and collaborations within the community. These events attracted more than 1,000 women who participated in networking, learning, and driving innovation in the blockchain space. The initiative also garnered substantial global media attention, amplifying its mission and impact worldwide.
Looking ahead, Bitget will continue to advocate opportunities for women in blockchain. Through partnerships and investing in education and mentorship, Bitget will continue to be a driving force in fostering an inclusive Web3 ecosystem, empowering women to lead, innovate, and shape the future of blockchain together.
To learn more about Blockchain4Her, please visit here.
About Bitget
Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.
Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.
For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet
For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e326feee-aa16-416b-9622-994a4f4320ff
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
London, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Expert insurance buyer Mactavish has recruited two senior Private Equity leaders to join its newly established PE Advisory Board as it looks to address the shortfall in insurance provision to the sector. Steve Darrington, former Partner at Phoenix Equity Partners and Yann Soulliard, former Managing Partner of Lloyds Development Capital, will bring 50 years of experience to help drive Mactavish’s engagement with the multi-billion pound turnover industry.
The board will work to address the gap in insurance provision that leaves many PE companies exposed to claims, both from the activities of their own organisations and the portfolio companies they manage. Bruce Hepburn, CEO and founder of Mactavish, said: “Over the past five years working with PE clients has taught us that many firms are totally unaware of the risks embedded in their own organisations and the exposure they have to their portfolio companies. All too often they buy insurance that is not for fit for purpose and will not deliver when called upon.”
PE sector insurance deficiencies that Mactavish has had to rectify include companies delivering on-site IT support not being protected for claims arising from work on third-party systems; fintech firms wrongly advised not to buy professional indemnity or cyber cover despite these being their main risks; sole-source manufacturers uninsured for supply chain interruption; insurance programmes excluding key entities, geographies or services entirely. As backers of often high growth innovators, the PE sector is especially exposed to failings arising from hastily arranged, overly standard insurance.
Steve Darrington said: “I’m delighted to be Chairing the Mactavish PE Advisory board. When I worked in Private Equity, I had first-hand experience of the problems that can arise from badly drafted insurance contracts. Mactavish sorted out the problems we faced which gives me enormous confidence to be working with them to support the sector.”
With the insurance cycle turning, and the market entering into a ‘soft’ phase, premiums are currently falling. While this may be viewed as good news for corporate buyers of insurance it also means revenues available for insurance claims will be restricted. Mactavish expects the change in market conditions will prompt more insurers to use weaknesses in insurance contracts to reject claims, pushing companies to the courts if they want to get paid out.
Mr Hepburn said: “Legal disputes over unpaid claims have been rising rapidly over the last 10 years. We expect that to only increase over the short to medium term as more insurers look to protect their balance sheets by saying no to claims they may have previously paid out on. Litigation can offer redress, but it is a long and arduous process which normally results in companies settling for much less than the full claim value. It is much easier and cheaper to get things right from the outset rather than try and fix something further down the line.”
*****
Mactavish is the UK’s leading independent outsourced insurance buyer and claims resolution expert. Combining technical and legal knowledge alongside commercial know-how and buying power, they support their clients by designing insurance programmes that are appropriate for their risk, to drive down cost and resolve large claims.
Mactavish’s claims practice is Chaired by Law Commissioner David Hertzell. It is built on three principles – Independence, Expertise, Flexibility: Mactavish offers fully independent advice to their clients. They have no affiliation to any insurer and only to represent their clients’ best interests to ensure they explore all avenues to resolution. Mactavish’s plural expertise in claim resolution, insurance analysis and placement operated under a Licenced Access model is critical when it comes to resolving clients’ claims. They ensure an outcome that holds insurers to account for the critical role they play in supporting businesses.
Mactavish takes a multi-disciplinary approach to claims resolution, meaning they can access the most appropriate legal, financial or technical specialists, depending on the circumstances of a client’s claim. They combine the best legal and technical insurance analysis from the start to get the right result.
See www.mactavishgroup.com or contact jamesoconnor@mactavishgroup.com / +44(0)207 046 7956 for more details
Source: City of Leeds
Over two hundred guests joined the Lord Mayor of Leeds and the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, at Leeds Civic Hall’s Banqueting Suite for a fast-breaking iftar meal on Wednesday 5 March.
The iftar meal is only the third of its kind to be held at the Civic Hall and was jointly hosted by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, and the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL, in support of the Lord Mayor’s chosen charity, the Leeds Community Foundation.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide fast (sawm) during the hours of daylight, abstaining from all food and drink. Iftar is the second meal of the day for those participating in Ramadan, and it ends the day’s fast, which starts immediately after the pre-dawn meal of suhur. The start of iftar is signalled by the call to evening prayer, the time of which alters daily to account for the lengthening days.
Joining the Lord Mayor and High Sheriff at the meal were notable dignitaries from across the region including the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson CBE, the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Professor Dame Hilary Chapman DBE, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, and the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, John Robins. Others in attendance included the Lord Mayors of Bradford, Wakefield, and Calderdale, as well as a cross-section of faith representatives from other communities.
Qari Asim MBE from Makkah Mosque led the call to prayer which signalled the start of iftar as the sun set. As is traditional, the fast was broken with the eating of dates and drinking of water before guests enjoyed a buffet-style meal.
Speakers at the iftar meal included the former Children’s Mayor, Mohammed Hussein and the Leeds Children’s Mayor finalist (2024/2025), Zoha Ahmed, who both spoke about what Ramadan means to them. The children’s thoughts add to speeches by the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, the Lord-Lieutenant, and the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis.
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, said: “It was a great honour to jointly host an iftar meal at the Civic Hall, together with the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Adeeba Malik.
“The holy month of Ramadan is not only a time of abstinence. It is a time of reflection and the coming together of communities. I hope that by sharing this meal, we brought our multi-faith communities in Leeds a little closer together and that it acts as a prompt for us all to reflect on how we can, in our own way, make the world a better place.”
Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “I was pleased to attend the iftar and take the opportunity to underline the Council’s full commitment to doing all we can to tackle anti-Muslim prejudice in Leeds. This includes our adoption in 2022 of the Anti-Muslim Prejudice definition as something that is direct or indirect hatred and discrimination against anyone of Islamic faith on grounds of their belief and practice.
“We undertake regular engagement work with various groups in communities across Leeds, and we run awareness raising campaigns on how to report Islamophobic hate and the support available to victims; as well as to highlight the many positive contributions British Muslims make every day to life in Leeds.
“This year we are also supporting the ‘Fasting in Solidarity” campaign for Ramadan 2025; and we plan to launch new hate crime and social cohesion strategies for the city.”
Source: City of Coventry
After a successful first year, the second Coventry Primary Aspirations Week took place this week, running from Monday 3 March to Friday 7 March.
Coventry City Council worked with partners across the city to bring the event back bigger and better for 2025.
Primary Aspirations week coincides with National Careers Week, which aims to raise young people’s awareness of future career pathways. Primary Aspirations Week aims to encourage primary school-aged children to think about possible career choices in the future, and how to develop some of the skills they might need to get there.
Over 1000 children in schools across Coventry took part in in-person events during Primary Aspirations Week 2025, hearing from a wide range of businesses and organisations in the city and beyond. Even more pupils (over 2500) engaged in an online learning session on Monday 3 March!
The children, aged between 7-11, were given the opportunity to learn about things in a fun way. For example, National Grid gave an insight into their world of work using an interactive app “Now Press Play” which provided a really engaging way of getting children to live the experience of a National Grid employee.
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire also hosted a session on giving the children the chance to see who is involved in the care industry when somebody needs medical help. Children asked questions and talked about this could be a possible future career choices for them.
Councillor Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “It’s really great to see how Primary Aspirations Week has expanded so much for this year. Once again, the feedback we’ve received from schools and children has been nothing but positive.
“We really wanted to give more children an opportunity to think about their futures and imagine the types of careers they might want to pursue. We know that children’s aspirations are shaped by their life experiences, so we wanted to create an event that gave children an insight into what they could go onto do after school.”
Jo Stanley, the headteacher at Little Heath Primary School, which played host one of the events, said: “It was a fabulous opportunity for primary children to hear from external speakers who brought their own experiences and skillset to inspire the children. The morning had an immediate impact on the children to think about their own skills and future aspirations outside of the classroom too. Providing opportunities for children to see and hear that they can set goals for their future career, and they do come true, is invaluable for all Coventry pupils.”
Organisations that took part in the event included: E.ON, Sky Blues in the Community, National Grid, West Midland’s Fire Service, Coventry Building Society, Ascension Dance Company, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire, Jaguar Land Rover, Severn Trent, Transport for West Midlands, the University of Warwick, Siemens Electrical, Lioncourt Homes, West Midlands Police, NFU, Canal & River Trust, Pet-xi, Sense, Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry Careers Hub and Coventry City Council.
Some comments from children at Little Heath were:
“Listening to the architects about building homes, I now want to become a builder when I grow up.” – Aroosh.
“It was great fun learning from the visitors.” – Sieanna
“I enjoyed aspiration day because we got to learn and explore different jobs we can do when we grow up.” – Zuzanna
“I really enjoyed learning about lots of jobs that helped my everyday life, opening more opportunities.” – Abanoub.
To keep up to date with the latest news, sign up for our Your Coventry email newsletter or follow the Council on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
The Met has confirmed conditions remain in place on a long-running protest in Swiss Cottage.
The static protest in Finchley Road, at the junction of Eton Avenue, has been taking place on a weekly basis on Friday’s since October 2023.
From Friday, 28 February the protest, organised by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), must take place within a designated area in Kings Cross.
The decision to impose these conditions has been made with a view to minimising serious disruption to the community in the Swiss Cottage area.
Superintendent Jack Rowlands, who is responsible for the policing operation across Camden and Islington, said:
“Our role is to ensure all those exercising their right to protest can do so without incident and without causing serious disruption to the lives of the wider community.
“We have imposed conditions under the Public Order Act on when and where this protest can take place. I would ask anyone attending to make themselves aware of these conditions as to breach them, or to incite others to do so, is a criminal offence.”
The conditions state:
– Any person participating in the IJAN protest must remain in the area shaded on the attached map outside Kings Cross Station, Euston Road, London, on the pavement between the bus stop and pedestrian crossing.
– The assembly must finish by 19:30hrs.
Officers will be in attendance and we would encourage people to speak to them if they have concerns. They are there to ensure everyone is kept safe.
If you want to report anything suspicious you can call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Source: Universities – Science Po in English
Echoing the Stand Up for Science movement, which was organised in the US to defend academic freedom, a call to mobilise in France has been launched for Friday, 7 March. Conferences, rallies and marches are being organised on the initiative of scientists united under the banner of Stand Up for Science France. Sciences Po, along with its partner The Conversation, has been committed from the outset to supporting those who advance research.
March 7 has been recognized as the “Day of the Stand Up for Science Movement”, launched in 2017 in response to the anti-science actions of the first Trump administration. Under the second, attacks on scientists and scientific inquiry have escalated into a systematic assault–tantamount to a coup d’Etat against science itself.
While Donald Trump is often portrayed as erratic, his policies in this area have followed a consistent trajectory. His new administration has once again declared ‘war’ on evidence-based national policymaking and science diplomacy in foreign affairs as evidenced by several early actions. Immediately after taking office, Donald Trump issued executive orders freezing or canceling tens of billions in research funding. All National Science Foundation projects have been halted pending review, while the National Institutes of Health faces suspensions under Health and Human Services directives. The US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, alongside a sweeping review of 90% of USAID-funded projects, signaling a major retreat from climate and global health diplomacy. Federal agencies and universities are in turmoil, leaving thousands of research-professors in limbo amid a politically driven funding freeze. The 2025 March simply calls for the restoration of federal research funding and an end to government censorship and political interference in science.
While the Trump administration is not the sole force undermining academia worldwide, its actions are particularly striking coming from the world’s leading scientific superpower. Moreover, the situation is especially concerning because developments in the United States often have a ripple effect, shaping policies in other regions in the years that follow.
Neither of the world’s top two scientific superpowers–Washington and Beijing–is positioned to champion academic freedom. China, having failed a liberal constitutional tradition and academic independence since the 1920s, restricts academic freedom to the confines of one-party rule. Caught between these rival scientific giants–both partners and competitors–the “old” Europe and like-minded coutries remain the only actors capable of setting new standards for academic freedom.
A decisive step toward its legal protection would be formal recognition by the Nobel Committees for Peace and Science of academic freedom’s fundamental role–both in ensuring scientific excellence and as a pillar of free, democratic societies.
For the past decade, the Scholars at Risk association (SAR) has documented a broader global decline in academic freedom in its annual Free to Think Report. The 2024 edition highlights particularly alarming situations in 18 countries and territories (including the United States), which recorded 391 attacks on scholars, students, or institutions across 51 regions in a year. Data from the Academic Freedom Index in Berlin confirm that more than half of the world’s population lives in regions where academic freedom is either entirely or severely restricted. Some of the most concerning conditions are in emerging scientific ecosystems such as Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, or Saudi Arabia. The overall trend is deteriorating: only 10 out of 179 countries have improved, while many democratic regimes are increasingly affected.
Academic freedom in the European Union remains relatively high compared to the rest of the world. However, nine EU member states fall below the regional average, and in eight of them, it has declined over the past decade–signaling a gradual erosion of this fundamental value. Hungary ranks the lowest among EU countries, placing in the bottom 20–30% worldwide. Recent laws have further weakened university autonomy across the EU: financial autonomy in Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Slovakia; organizational autonomy in Slovenia, Estonia, and Denmark; staffing autonomy in Croatia and Slovakia; and academic autonomy in Denmark and Estonia. Moreover, the European Parliament’s first report on academic freedom (2023) highlights emerging threats in France–political, educational, and societal–that impact the freedom of research, teaching, and study.
Freedom of expression, a fundamental pillar of academic freedom, has long been established as a human right, overcoming centuries of censorship and authoritarian control. In contrast, academic freedom is a more recent principle, granting scholars–recognized by their peers–the right and responsibility to research and teach freely in pursuit of knowledge. Like press freedom for journalists, it is a right granted to a few for the benefit of all.
Rooted in medieval Europe, academic freedom has evolved from a privilege granted to students in the Quartier Latin to a recognized principle in international rights frameworks. It gained a collective and concrete dimension in the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the rise of the modern university. Wilhelm von Humboldt, founder of the modern public university in Berlin (1810), articulated the concept of ‘freedom of science’ (Wissenschaftsfreiheit), later enshrined in the Weimar Constitution of 1919, which declared that “art, science, and education are free.” The rise of American universities around the same time reshaped the concept, giving rise to “professional academic freedom.” This was formalized in the American Association of University Professors’ 1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which affirmed the scholar’s primary duty to seek and establish truth. Though its roots lie in Germany, academic freedom ultimately became a cornerstone of American academic discourse.
In the United States, academic freedom draws from multiple sources, with its protection varying by state laws, customs, institutional practices, and the status of higher education institutions. However, U.S. Supreme Court rulings have gradually reinforced its constitutional foundation, particularly after the McCarthy era, by invoking the First Amendment. Landmark cases such as Adler v. Board of Education (1952), Wieman v. Updegraff (1952), and Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957) helped establish a constitutional doctrine on academic freedom. Finally, Keyishian v. Board of Regents (1967) extended First Amendment protections to academia, ruling that mandatory loyalty oaths violated both academic freedom and freedom of association.
Interestingly, the American interpretation of academic freedom is currently more restrictive than the German model in certain respects. Article 5(3) of the 1989 Basic Law affirms the “right to adopt public organizational measures essential to protect a space of freedom, fostering independent scientific activity”. In contrast, the U.S. places greater emphasis on prohibitions and prioritizing individual rights over institutional autonomy.
Despite local variations, academic freedom is fundamentally tied to a shared vision of the university that upholds freedom of thought, with rationality and pluralism at its core. It includes the genuine “right to be wrong”–the understanding that a scientific opinion may be incorrect or even proven so does not diminish its protection. This stands in stark contrast to the anti-science, scientistic, or techno-nationalist approach, which views knowledge as a tool of power to serve a predetermined truth and objective of dominance. Authoritarian science, driven by power interests, seeks to diminish critical humanities and social sciences while elevating religion. It tends to reject interdisciplinary work, is exclusively mathematized, and is oriented toward a centralized yet deregulated autocratic tech-utopian state model.
Since 1945, we have operated under the illusion that academic freedom is an indispensable condition for scientific excellence. However, we have recently learned that no systematic link exists between academic freedom and breakthrough scientific innovation in our era of new technologies. Given these circumstances, this proposal advocates for a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, for the first time in its history, in recognition of academic freedom.
The Nobel Prize Committees for Science and Peace share the responsibility of using their prestigious platforms to uphold fundamental scientific and democratic values. They are uniquely positioned to champion humanist science, reinforcing its importance for scholars, students, and civil societies worldwide. Since the 1950s, around 90% of Nobel Prize laureates in scientific fields have either been US citizens or have studied and worked at Ivy League research institutions.
While some US scientists are contesting actions of the Trump administration in court, academics worldwide should stand in solidarity with their American colleagues in resisting the erosion of science. To strengthen their efforts, they require the support of the Nobel Prize Committees.
Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)
MIAMI – Angelo Stephen, a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, a Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, have pled guilty to federal charges in separate federal cases for defrauding Covid-19 pandemic relief programs.
Stephen pled guilty this week before Chief U.S. District Judge Cecila M. Altonaga to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). He also admitted to wire fraud for his participation in two bank account takeover schemes.
Arestuche pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his receipt of one EIDL and one EIDL advance. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck accepted Arestuche’s guilty plea this week.
Angelo Stephen
During his change of plea hearing, Stephen admitted that in an EIDL application he submitted to the Small Business Association (SBA), he falsely claimed to be an independent contractor and sole owner of a 10-employee business that did event planning and entertainment services. He also admitted that in this EIDL application, he falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, his business had gross revenues of approximately $62,018 and a cost of goods sold of $0. Stephen obtained from the SBA $20,000 in EIDL funds, to which he was not entitled.
Stephen also admitted at the change of plea hearing that he submitted false information in two PPP loan applications. In both applications (one submitted in April 2021, the second a month later), Stephen falsely claimed that he owned a business that grossed $106,554 in income in 2020, submitting a fake IRS Form 1040 Schedule C to support his fraudulent requests. Stephen received separate $20,833 PPP loans from two different SBA-approved lenders for the non-existent business.
Finally, at the change of plea, Stephen also admitted his role in two bank account takeover schemes. On March 30, 2023, after his first scheme, Stephen received a $20,000 wire transfer from the account of an unsuspecting victim in Virginia, and thereafter quickly withdrew all illegally obtained money through a series of cash withdrawals and through Zelle transfers to others. In the second takeover scheme, Stephen and his accomplices obtained new checks from the credit union account of a different unsuspecting victim. Stephen then used one of those checks to obtain $8,500 in cash that he was not entitled to.
Stephen is scheduled for sentencing on May 22, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Altonaga in Miami, Florida, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
George Arestuche
According to the facts admitted at his change of plea, George Arestuche and a co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by submitting a false and fraudulent application to allow Arestuche to fraudulently obtain an EIDL loan in exchange for Arestuche paying the co-conspirator a large fee.
To carry out this conspiracy, on July 9, 2020, Arestuche’s submitted to the SBA a false and fraudulent EIDL application on Arestuche’s behalf claiming that Arestuche was an independent contractor and the 100% owner of an “Automotive Repair” business operating under the legal and DBA name “george.” That EIDL application falsely certified that for the 12-month period prior to January 31, 2020, “george” had gross revenues of $600,000, a cost of goods sold of $184,000, and 10 employees. In reality, Arestuche was not an independent contractor and did not own any type of business. This EIDL application was supported by a fraudulent 2019 IRS Form 1040 and Schedule C in Arestuche’s name that falsely claimed that he had a “mechanic” business that had gross receipts of $725,000 and earned a net profit of $706,151. As a result of this false and fraudulent EIDL application, Arestuche obtained from the SBA $149,900 in EIDL proceeds and a $10,000 EIDL advance, and he subsequently paid his co-conspirator $17,275 for helping him fraudulently obtain this money from the SBA.
Arestuche is scheduled for sentencing on May 12, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. before Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck in Miami, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Andrew Hartwell of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Inspector General Felix Jimenez of the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General (MDC-OIG) announced the guilty pleas.
DOJ-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the Stephen case. SBA-OIG and the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the MDC-OIG, investigated the Arestuche case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting both cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling forfeiture matters on the Stephen case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling forfeiture matters on the Arestuche case.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20014 and 25-cr-20001.
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Source: Tasmania Police
Man charged with drink driving twice in just over a week
Friday, 7 March 2025 – 7:33 pm.
Police are urging all motorists to be aware of the dangers of driving while affected by alcohol, after a man was charged for allegedly drink driving twice in just over a week.
On 21 February, police intercepted a heavy truck travelling on the South Arm Highway. Police will allege the truck was unregistered, and the driver, a 61-year-old man from Sandford, was suspended from driving. The man underwent a random breath test and returned a reading of 0.147 – almost three times the limit. He was disqualified from driving for a further 12-month.
Today, police intercepted the same truck on the South Arm Highway. Police will allege the truck remained unregistered and was being driven by the same man. The man underwent a random breath test and returned a reading of 0.109 – more than two times the limit. He was arrested and remanded to appear before an after-hours court.
Acting Sergeant Mohammadi said, “Police urge all motorists to remember that drink driving is one of the fatal five causes of deaths and serious injuries from crashes on our roads.”
“Getting behind the wheel when you’re affected by alcohol puts your life, and the lives of other road users at risk – don’t do it.”
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress in a highly partisan 100-minute speech, the longest presidential address to Congress in modern history on Wednesday.
Trump defended his sweeping actions over the past six weeks.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump praised his biggest campaign donor, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who’s leading Trump’s effort to dismantle key government agencies and cut critical government services.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And to that end, I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Perhaps.
Which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight. Thank you, Elon. He’s working very hard. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need this. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
AMY GOODMAN: Some Democrats laughed and pointed at Elon Musk when President Trump made this comment later in his speech.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s very simple. And the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.
AMY GOODMAN: During his speech, President Trump repeatedly attacked the trans and immigrant communities, defended his tariffs that have sent stock prices spiraling, vowed to end Russia’s war on Ukraine and threatened to take control of Greenland.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland: We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it.
But we need it, really, for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it.
‘A declaration of war against the American people.’ Video: Democracy Now!
AMY GOODMAN: During Trump’s 100-minute address, Democratic lawmakers held up signs in protest reading “This is not normal,” “Save Medicaid” and “Musk steals.”
One Democrat, Congressmember Al Green of Texas, was removed from the chamber for protesting against the President.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Likewise, small business optimism saw its single-largest one-month gain ever recorded, a 41-point jump.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEMBER 1: Sit down!
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEMBER 2: Order!
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions. That’s your warning. Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant-at-arms to restore order to the joint session.
Mr Green, take your seat. Take your seat, sir.
DEMOCRAT CONGRESS MEMBER AL GREEN: He has no mandate to cut Medicaid!
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: Take your seat. Finding that members continue to engage in willful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order, remove this gentleman from the chamber.
AMY GOODMAN: That was House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called in security to take Texas Democratic Congressmember Al Green out. Afterwards, Green spoke to reporters after being removed.
DEMOCRAT CONGRESS MEMBER AL GREEN: The President said he had a mandate, and I was making it clear to the President that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid.
I have people who are very fearful. These are poor people, and they have only Medicaid in their lives when it comes to their healthcare. And I want him to know that his budget calls for deep cuts in Medicaid.
He needs to save Medicaid, protect it. We need to raise the cap on Social Security. There’s a possibility that it’s going to be hurt. And we’ve got to protect Medicare.
These are the safety net programmes that people in my congressional district depend on. And this President seems to care less about them and more about the number of people that he can remove from the various programmes that have been so helpful to so many people.
AMY GOODMAN: Texas Democratic Congressmember Al Green.
We begin today’s show with Ralph Nader, the longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic, former presidential candidate. Ralph Nader is founder of the Capitol Hill Citizen newspaper. His most recent lead article in the new issue of Capitol Hill Citizen is titled “Democratic Party: Apologise to America for ushering Trump back in.”
He is also the author of the forthcoming book Let’s Start the Revolution: Tools for Displacing the Corporate State and Building a Country That Works for the People.
Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, all these different programmes. Ralph Nader, respond overall to President Trump’s, well, longest congressional address in modern history.
RALPH NADER: Well, it was also a declaration of war against the American people, including Trump voters, in favour of the super-rich and the giant corporations. What Trump did last night was set a record for lies, delusionary fantasies, predictions of future broken promises — a rerun of his first term — boasts about progress that don’t exist.
In practice, he has launched a trade war. He has launched an arms race with China and Russia. He has perpetuated and even worsened the genocidal support against the Palestinians. He never mentioned the Palestinians once.
And he’s taken Biden’s genocidal policies one step further by demanding the evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza.
But taking it as a whole, Amy, what we’re seeing here defies most of dictionary adjectives. What Trump and Musk and Vance and the supine Republicans are doing are installing an imperial, militaristic domestic dictatorship that is going to end up in a police state.
You can see his appointments are yes people bent on suppression of civil liberties, civil rights. You can see his breakthrough, after over 120 years, of announcing conquest of Panama Canal.
He’s basically said, one way or another, he’s going to take Greenland. These are not just imperial controls of countries overseas or overthrowing them; it’s actually seizing land.
Now, on the Greenland thing, Greenland is a province of Denmark, which is a member of NATO. He is ready to basically conquer a part of Denmark in violation of Section 5 of NATO, at the same time that he has displayed full-throated support for a hardcore communist dictator, Vladimir Putin, who started out with the Russian version of the CIA under the Soviet Union and now has over 20 years of communist dictatorship, allied, of course, with a number of oligarchs, a kind of kleptocracy.
And the Republicans are buying all this in Congress. This is complete reversal of everything that the Republicans stood for against communist dictators.
So, what we’re seeing here is a phony programme of government efficiency ripping apart people’s programmes. The attack on Social Security is new, complete lies about millions of people aged 110, 120, getting Social Security cheques.
That’s a new attack. He left Social Security alone in his first term, but now he’s going after [it]. So, what they’re going to do is cut Medicaid and cut other social safety nets in order to pay for another tax cut for the super-rich and the corporation, throwing in no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security benefits, which will, of course, further increase the deficit and give the lie to his statement that he wants a balanced budget.
So we’re dealing with a deranged, unstable pathological liar, who’s getting away with it. And the question is: How does he get away with it, year after year? Because the Democratic Party has basically collapsed.
Courts Just Say No to Trump’s Authoritarian Power Grabs https://t.co/wUZspBh6RQ
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) March 6, 2025
They don’t know how to deal with a criminal recidivist, a person who has hired workers without documents and exploited them, a person who’s a bigot against immigrants, including legal immigrants who are performing totally critical tasks in home healthcare, processing poultry, meat, and half of the construction workers in Texas are undocumented workers.
So, as a bully, he doesn’t go after the construction industry in Texas; he picks out individuals.
I thought the most disgraceful thing, Amy, yesterday was his use of these unfortunate people who suffered as props, holding one up after another. But they were also Trump’s crutches to cover up his contradictory behavior.
So, he praised the police yesterday, but he pardoned over 600 people who attacked violently the police [in the attack on the Capitol] on 6 January 2021 and were convicted and imprisoned as a result, and he let them out of prison. I thought the most —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ralph? Ralph, I —
RALPH NADER: — the most heartrending thing was that 13-year-old child, who wanted to be a police officer when he grew up, being held up twice by his father. And he was so bewildered as to what was going on. And Trump’s use of these people was totally reprehensible and should be called out.
Now, more basically, the real inefficiencies in government, they’re ignoring, because they are kleptocrats. They’re ignoring corporate crimes on Medicaid, Medicare, tens of billions of dollars every year ripping off Medicare, ripping off government contracts, such as defence contracts.
He’s ignoring hundreds of billions of dollars of corporate welfare, including that doled out to Elon Musk — subsidies, handouts, giveaways, bailouts, you name it. And he’s ignoring the bloated military budget, which he is supporting the Republicans in actually increasing the military budget more than the generals have asked for. So, that’s the revelation —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ralph? Ralph, if I — Ralph, if I can interrupt? I just need to —
RALPH NADER: — that the Democrats need to pursue.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ralph, I wanted to ask you about — specifically about Medicaid and Medicare. You’ve mentioned the cuts to these safety net programmes. What about Medicaid, especially the crisis in this country in long-term care? What do you see happening in this Trump administration, especially with the Republican majority in Congress?
RALPH NADER: Well, they’re going to slash — they’re going to move to slash Medicaid, which serves over 71 million people, including millions of Trump voters, who should be reconsidering their vote as the days pass, because they’re being exploited in red states, blue states, everywhere, as well.
Yeah, they have to cut tens of billions of dollars a year from Medicaid to pay for the tax cut. That’s number one. Now they’re going after Social Security. Who knows what the next step will be on Medicare? They’re leaving Americans totally defenceless by slashing meat and poultry and food inspection laws, auto safety.
They’re exposing people to climate violence by cutting FEMA, the rescue agency. They’re cutting forest rangers that deal with wildfires. They’re cutting protections against pandemics and epidemics by slashing and ravaging and suppressing free speech in scientific circles, like CDC and National Institutes of Health.
They’re leaving the American people defenseless.
And where are the Democrats on this? I mean, look at Senator Slotkin’s response. It was a typical rerun of a feeble, weak Democratic rebuttal. She couldn’t get herself, just like the Democrats in 2024, which led to Trump’s victory — they can’t get themselves, Juan, to talk specifically and authentically about raising the minimum wage, expanding healthcare, cracking down on corporate crooks that are bleeding out the incomes of hard-pressed American workers and the poor.
They can’t get themselves to talk about increasing frozen Social Security budgets for 50 years, that 200 Democrats supported raising, but Nancy Pelosi kept them, when she was Speaker, from taking John Larson’s bill to the House floor.
That’s why they lose. Look at her speech. It was so vague and general. They chose her because she was in the national security state. She was a former CIA. They chose her because they wanted to promote the losing version of the Democratic Party, instead of choosing Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, the most popular polled politician in America today.
That’s who they chose. So, as long as the Democrats monopolise the opposition and crush third-party efforts to push them into more progressive realms, the Republican, plutocratic, Wall Street, war machine declaration of war against the American people will continue.
We’re heading into the most serious crisis in American history. There’s no comparison.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph Nader, we’re going to have to leave it there, but, of course, we’re going to continue to cover these issues. And I also wanted to wish you, Ralph, a happy 91st birthday. Ralph Nader —
RALPH NADER: I wish people to get the Capitol Hill Citizen, which tells people what they can really do to win democracy and justice back. So, for $5 or donation or more, if you wish, you can go to Capitol Hill Citizen and get a copy sent immediately by first-class mail, or more copies for your circle, of resisting and protesting and prevailing over this Trump dictatorship.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph Nader, longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic, four-time presidential candidate, founder of the Capitol Hill Citizen newspaper. This is Democracy Now!
The original content of this programme is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence. Republished by Asia Pacific Report under Creative Commons.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
At the Annual General Meeting on 31 March 2025, the Supervisory Board of AS Inbank will propose the election of Isabel Margaret Anne Faragalli and Sergei Anikin to the Supervisory Board for a three-year term, effective 1 April 2025.
According to Jan Andresoo, Chairman of the Inbank Supervisory Board, the addition of strong finance sector and tech expertise, along with increasing the proportion of independent members, is aimed at supporting Inbank’s journey toward becoming a public company.
“As Inbank and the complexity of the business continue to grow, we need to further strengthen our governance structure which is why I’m very excited to welcome Isabel Faragalli and Sergei Anikin to the Supervisory Board. Isabel brings deep expertise in capital markets, while Sergei contributes strong leadership in technology. Together, they will help bolster and internationalize our governing bodies,” said Jan Andresoo.
“I am delighted to join the Inbank Supervisory Board. With almost 30 years of experience in the European capital markets, I have advised many European banks and consumer finance companies on their funding and growth strategy and I very much look forward to sharing such experience with Inbank and supporting them with their international expansion,” commented Isabel Faragalli.
“I am thrilled to join the Inbank Supervisory Board and collaborate with an exceptional team of professionals. In today’s world, technology is the key driver of success for any business, and I firmly believe that its strategic application can unlock new growth opportunities. My passion lies in leveraging technology to drive business transformation, and I look forward to helping Inbank scale its operations, expand internationally, and strengthen its position as a leader in financial technology,” said Sergei Anikin.
The Inbank Supervisory Board will consist of seven members, including Jan Andresoo, Roberto de Silvestri, Triinu Bucheton, Raino Paron, and Erkki Raasuke, alongside the newly proposed members Isabel Faragalli and Sergei Anikin.
Isabel Faragalli and Sergei Anikin do not hold Inbank shares.
Isabel Margaret Anne Faragalli brings extensive experience in investment banking, asset management, and structured finance, having held senior leadership roles across global financial institutions. She currently serves as Head of Investments Europe at Spectrum Principal Asset Management, where she leads investment strategy, asset origination, and business development across Europe. Previously, she spent over six years at Credit Suisse, driving capital market solutions and credit structuring within the Debt Capital Markets division, working with large European corporates and banks. Her career spans over two decades in leading financial firms, including EFG Bank, Swiss Re, Man Investments, and Credit Suisse First Boston, specializing in capital markets, investment consulting, and structured credit solutions. Isabel holds an MSc in Finance & Financial Law from the University of London and is a qualified English lawyer (non-practicing). Fluent in English, German, Italian, and Spanish, she also lectures at Hochschule Luzern’s MBA programs.
Sergei Anikin is a seasoned technology leader, angel investor, and board member with extensive experience in scaling startups, fostering innovation, and driving business growth. He is currently the Chairman of the Board at Bisly and Katana MRP, as well as an active investor and advisor focused on SaaS, deep tech, and company scaling. Previously, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Pipedrive, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the company from a 20-person startup to its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners, growing the engineering team from 10 to over 400 professionals and increasing annual recurring revenue from $1 million to $100 million. He has also held leadership roles at Tuum, Microsoft, Skype, and Hansabank, with expertise in software architecture, engineering management, and business transformation. Sergei holds a Master’s degree in Data Processing from TalTech and is known for his ability to align technology with business goals, making him a key player in driving innovation and scaling businesses globally.
Inbank is a financial technology company with an EU banking license that connects merchants, consumers and financial institutions on its next generation embedded finance platform. Partnering with more than 6,000 merchants, Inbank has 872,000+ active contracts and collects deposits across 7 markets in Europe. Inbank bonds are listed on the Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange.
Additional information:
Styv Solovjov
AS Inbank
Head of Investor Relations
+372 5645 9738
styv.solovjov@inbank.ee
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Genauer, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Flinders University
On March 3, US President Donald Trump paused all US military aid to Ukraine. This move was apparently triggered by a heated exchange a few days earlier between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
In response, European Union leaders have now committed to rearm Europe by mobilising €800 billion (about A$1.4 trillion) in defence spending.
26 of the EU leaders (excluding Hungary) signed an agreement that peace for Ukraine must be accompanied by “robust and credible” security guarantees.
They agreed there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation. It was also agreed the EU will continue to provide regular military and non-military support to Ukraine.
This jump in defence spending is unprecedented for the EU, with 2024 spending hitting a previous record high of €326 billion (A$558 billion).
At the same time, the United Kingdom has committed to the biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
The EU’s united front will create strong defences and deter a direct attack on EU nations.
However, for Ukraine, it will not lead to a military victory in its war with Russia. While Europe has stepped up funding, this is not sufficient for Ukraine to defeat Russian forces currently occupying about 20% of the country.
For Ukraine, the withdrawal of US support will severely strain their ability to keep fighting. Ukraine will likely need to find a way to freeze the conflict this year. This may mean a temporary truce that does not formally cede Ukrainian territory to Russia.
The vastly different approaches of the US under Trump and the EU point to a deeper ideological divide.
While the Trump administration has acted more quickly and assertively in foreign affairs than many expected, its approach is not surprising.
Since Trump won the US presidential election in November last year, Europe and Ukraine have known that a shift in US policy would be on the cards.
Trump’s approach to Ukraine is not only about economic concerns and withdrawing US military aid. It is about a deeper, more significant clash of worldviews.
Trump (and, it appears, his core support base) hold a “great power politics” approach to world affairs.
This approach assumes we live in a competitive world where countries are motivated to maximise gains and dominate. Outcomes can be achieved through punishments or rewards.
Countries with greater military or economic strength “count” more. They are expected to impose their will on weaker countries. This viewpoint underpinned much of the colonial activity of the 19th and 20th centuries.
This worldview expects conflict – and it expects stronger countries to “win”.
Consistent with Trump’s outlook, Russia is a regional power that has the “right” to control smaller countries in its neighbourhood.
Trump’s approach to Ukraine is not an anomaly. Nor is it a temporary and spontaneous measure to grab the global spotlight.
Trump’s worldview leads to the logical and consistent conclusion that Russia will seek to control countries within its sphere of influence.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented an attempt to impose its will on a militarily weaker country that it considered to be in its rightful domain of control.
Contrary to this view, the EU is founded on the premise that countries can work together for mutual gains through collaboration and consensus. This approach underpins the operation of what are called the Bretton Woods Institutions created in the aftermath of World War II.
This worldview expects collaboration rather than conflict. Mutually beneficial and cooperative solutions are found through dialogue and negotiation.
According to this perspective, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is about a conflict between the values of a liberal democracy and those of an oppressive authoritarian regime.
Zelensky has himself consistently framed the conflict as being about a clash of values: freedom and democracy versus authoritarianism and control.
Since Trump’s second inauguration, European leaders have presented a united front, motivated by facing a world where US military backing cannot be guaranteed.
However, there is internal division within European countries. Recent years has seen a sharp rise in anti-EU sentiment within EU member states. The UK’s exit from the EU is an example of this phenomenon.
EU leaders previously followed a path of cooperation with Russia, with limited success. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, France and Germany helped mediate the Minsk Agreements. These agreements, signed in 2014 and 2015, were designed to prevent further incursions by Russian-backed groups into Ukrainian sovereign territory.
This did not prevent Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In an emerging new world order, leadership might require going beyond the seeming contradiction of a focus on military strength or cooperation. Leaders may need to integrate both.
Jessica Genauer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. The EU will spend billions more on defence. It’s a powerful statement – but won’t do much for Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/the-eu-will-spend-billions-more-on-defence-its-a-powerful-statement-but-wont-do-much-for-ukraine-251710