Lee Hsien Loong Singapore PM

Singapore: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong invoked India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru while arguing how democracy should work in the city-state during a passionate debate in Parliament.

“Most countries are founded and start off on the basis of high ideals and noble values. But more often than not, beyond the founding leaders and the pioneer generation, over decades and generations, gradually things change,” Lee said on Tuesday during the debate on the Committee of Privileges’ report on complaints about untruths told by former Workers’ Party lawmaker Raeesah Khan.

“Things start off with passionate intensity. The leaders, who fought for and won independence, are often exceptional individuals of great courage, immense culture, and outstanding ability. They came through the crucible of fire and emerged as leaders of men and nations. They are the David Ben-Gurions, the Jawaharlal Nehrus, and we have our own too,” he said.

Imbued with enormous personal prestige, they strive to meet the high expectations of their peoples to build a brave new world, and shape a new future for their peoples, and for their countries. But beyond that initial fervour, succeeding generations often find it hard to sustain this momentum and drive, Lee said.

The texture of politics changes, respect for politicians declines. After a while, the electorate comes to think this is the norm, and you cannot expect better. So, standards get debased, trust is eroded, and the country declines further, the prime minister said.

“Many political systems today would be quite unrecognisable to their founding leaders. Ben-Gurion’s Israel has morphed into one which can barely form a government, despite four general elections in two years. Meanwhile, a stream of senior politicians and officials in Israel face a litany of criminal charges, some have gone to jail.

“While Nehru’s India has become one where, according to media reports, almost half the MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them, including charges of rape and murder. Though it is also said that many of these allegations are politically motivated,” Lee said.

The 70-year-old prime minister said each succeeding generation must protect and build upon the system that Singapore has inherited.

“This requires us to uphold integrity, enforce rules and standards, apply the same rules equally to everyone, make sure nobody is above the law. If we can do that consistently, persistently, unflinchingly then we have a shot at making things work. People can trust our leaders, our systems, and our institutions.

“Our democracy can mature, deepen and grow more resilient, as both the governed and the governing embrace and express the right norms and values. Singapore can continue to flourish. But if we allow ourselves to slacken loosen standards here, just a bit; overlook a lie there, just this time the virtuous cycle will stutter and start to fail,” he said.

The Committee of Privileges, chaired by Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, was looking into Workers’ Party parliamentarian Khan’s conduct after she admitted on November 1 that she had lied in Parliament. This was over a claim that she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station where the victim was treated insensitively.

The committee has recommended that Khan be fined SGD 25,000 for stating an untruth in Parliament on August 3. She repeated the untruth on October 4, for which the committee is recommending an additional fine of SGD 10,000.

In November, Khan confessed in Parliament that she had in fact heard this anecdote in a support group she was part of, and had shared it without the victim’s consent.

Khan, 29, resigned as a WP member and MP on November 30, a mere 15 months after being sworn in as Singapore’s youngest MP after the 2020 general election.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1494216518196133889&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.varthabharati.in%2Fsports%2Fsingapore-pm-invokes-nehru-to-argue-how-democracy-should-work-during-a-parliamentary-debate&sessionId=67960c2855200acaf100a80dc2ae5d4b49f47146&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2582c61%3A1645036219416&width=550px

Union Minister Dr Bhagwat Karad

Aurangabad: A proposal has been sent to the Union government for renaming 13 airports, including the one in Aurangabad, and a decision on the same will be taken by the cabinet, Union Minister Dr Bhagwat Karad said.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad city on Wednesday, the Union minister of state for finance said a proposal to rename the airport after Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji was sent to the Centre earlier.

“I have been regularly following up on the issue. At least 13 airports in the country are to be renamed and the cabinet will take a decision about these airports,” Dr Karad said.

Earlier, while speaking at a virtual inauguration ceremony of an establishment in Aurangabad, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said that legislators who go to Delhi should pursue the matter of renaming of the airport and get it done. 

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to provide information sought by him on various issues at the earliest.

Dhankhar, who has been at loggerheads with the TMC government, claimed that his queries have not been responded to.

He had on February 15 urged Banerjee to visit him at Raj Bhavan during the week to discuss several issues to avert a “constitutional stalemate”.

The governor, however, said that he has not received any response from her so far.

“Hon’ble CM Mamata Banerjee has been urged to make it convenient for an interaction at Raj Bhavan anytime during the week ahead as lack of response to issues flagged has potential to lead to constitutional stalemate which we both are ordained by our oath to avert.

“Impressed upon Hon’ble CM Mamata Banerjee that ‘Dialogue, discussion and deliberation, particularly amongst constitutional functionaries, like the Chief Minister and the Governor, are quintessential to democracy and inseparable part of constitutional governance’,” he said in a series of tweets on Thursday.

Dhankhar urged Banerjee to respond to all issues flagged thus far by him at the earliest.

“There has been no response, now for long, to issues legitimately flagged,” he said in a letter to Banerjee dated February 15, a copy of which was attached to the tweet.

He said it was the chief minister’s constitutional duty under Article 167 to impart information to the governor.

Mangaluru: Dr. Sekiba Ali Kadur secured the first rank and gold medal in Karnataka MDS (Dentistry) examinations. 

Dr. Sekiba reportedly obtained the first rank in the Dental Postgraduate Examinations (Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics) conducted under the Rajiv Gandhi Health and Science University. 

Daughter of the couple Ali Kadur and Zuhura Ali, residents of Kadur at Paivalike panchayat in Kasaragod district, Dr. Sekiba was studying at the Hasanamba Dental College and Hospital in Hassan, pursuing a degree in MDS. 

She had completed her BDS at the Victoria Medical College in Bengaluru. Before that, she finished her PUC education at the Vitla PU College in Dakshina Kannada district. Dr. Sekiba obtained her Primary education at Paivalike Panchayat’s Kadur Government School and later studied in the Kurudapadavu School as well. 

Dr. Sekiba’s achievement is truly a matter of pride for the Kannadigas residing in the border regions. Having studied in Kannada medium, Dr. Sekiba has garnered admiration from Kannadigas. 

Hasanamba Dental College Principal and head of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Dr. Sahadev C. K., and the chairman of Hassan’s S.H.D.C.H. Yathish H.C have congratulated Dr. Sekiba’s efforts and achievements.

Manmohan Singh

Chandigarh: The BJP had been in power for more than seven years and was still blaming first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the problems of the people, former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh said on Thursday in a scathing attack against the Modi-led government.

Targeting the Central government on a host of issues, including the farmers’ agitation, foreign policy, price rise and unemployment, the former prime minister said ahead of the Punjab elections on February 20 that the Congress had never divided the country for political gains or hidden the truth.

“On the one hand, people are facing problems of price rise and unemployment, on the other, the present government which has been in power for the last seven and a half years, rather than admitting their mistakes and making amends, is still blaming first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for being responsible for people’s problems,” Singh said in a video message in Punjabi.

The Congress played the message at a press conference here.

“A few days ago, in the name of the prime minister’s security, an attempt was made to defame Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the people of the state,” he said, referring to Modi’s convoy being stuck on a flyover in Ferozepur during the prime minister’s visit to the state.

“During the farmers’ agitation, too, an attempt was made to defame Punjab and Punjabiyat,” he said.

The world salutes the bravery, patriotism and sacrifice of Punjabis, but the NDA government did not talk about any of this, Singh said.

As a true Indian hailing from Punjab, all these things deeply hurt me, he said. 

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a Punjab and Haryana High Court order granting an interim stay on a Haryana law providing 75 per cent quota in private sector jobs for residents of the state.

A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha also directed the Haryana government not to take coercive action against employers.

“We do not intend to deal with merits of matter as we propose to request the high court to decide expeditiously and not later than four weeks. Parties are directed not to seek adjournment and be present before court for fixing the schedule for hearing.

“In the meanwhile, Haryana is directed not to take coercive action against employers. The impugned order passed by the high court is set aside as the high court has not given sufficient reasons for staying the legislation,” the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Haryana government.

The order came on an appeal filed by the Haryana government challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order granting an interim stay on its law providing 75 per cent quota in private sector jobs for residents of the state.

The high court, had on February 3, granted the interim stay on the Haryana government law based on pleas filed by various industry associations from Faridabad and other bodies in the state, including in Gurugram.

Washington: A Russian invasion of Ukraine can happen anytime now, the White House said Wednesday as President Joe Biden announced plans to dispatch Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Tony Blinken to attend the Munich conference to meet world leaders and unite them against Moscow.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki anticipated that an attack could take place at any time.

“We are in the window where we believe an attack could come at any time, and that would be preceded by a fabricated pretext that the Russians use as an excuse to launch an invasion,” Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

“We have talked about this a bit here, we’ve seen these tactics used in the past. Those could include but not be limited to the report you just referenced, claims of provocation in Donbass, false state media reports, which I think you should all, everybody should keep their eyes open and be aware of potentially fake videos and accusations about chemical weapons or accounts of attacks on Russian soldiers that have not actually occurred,” she said.

In response to a question, Psaki told the reporters that there could be a range of false flags and pretexts that would proceed to an invasion. “And again, we remain in that window.”

Both Harris and Blinken are now flying to Germany to attend the Munich security conference from February 18 to 20.

“She will build on the President’s and the national security team’s intensive engagement with European allies and partners and continue to emphasize with our partners our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies, underscore our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reaffirm our shared interest in upholding the principles that have underpinned European peace and security,” Psaki said.

“She’ll be participating in the formal programme of the conference as well as engaging with allies and partners and meeting with leaders on the margins,” the press secretary said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied it has plans to attack Ukraine but demanded that NATO never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members and the military alliance roll back troop deployments in former Soviet bloc nations.

“What the President expects, he expects and knows, given she is the first in the room and the last in the room, that she will continue to convey to the rest of the world, again, our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies, our commitment to defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and our commitment to putting in place severe economic consequences should Russia invade, she said.

Earlier in the day, Secretary of State Blinken said the Russian troops remain massed in a very threatening way at the border. Of course, the door continues to be open to diplomacy, Psaki said.

New Delhi: With 30,757 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of cases rose to 4,27,54,315, while the recovery rate crossed the 98 per cent-mark again, according to Union health ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll has climbed to 5,10,413 with 541 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The daily COVID-19 cases have been recorded at less than one lakh for the last 11 consecutive days.

The active cases have declined to 3,32,918, comprising 0.78 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 98.03 per cent, the health ministry said.

The recovery rate had last crossed the 98 per cent-mark on January 5, when it was 98.01 per cent.

There has been a reduction of 37,322 cases in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours, it said.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 2.61 per cent while the weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 3.04 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,19,10,984, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.19 per cent, it said.

The cumulative doses administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 174.24 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

Kyiv: Ukrainians defied pressure from Moscow with a national show of flag-waving unity Wednesday, while the US warned that Russia had added as many as 7,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders despite Kremlin declarations that forces were being pulled back from the region.

While a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine did not materialize as feared, the United States and its allies maintained that the threat is still strong, with Europe’s security and economic stability in the balance.

Russia has massed more than 150,000 troops east, north and south of Ukraine, according to Western estimates. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled that he wants a peaceful path out of the crisis, and US President Joe Biden promised that the US would continue to give diplomacy “every chance,” but he struck a sceptical tone about Moscow’s intentions.

Biden also insisted that Washington and its allies would not “sacrifice basic principles” respecting Ukraine sovereignty.

Russian Defence Ministry video showed a trainload of armoured vehicles moving across a bridge away from Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It also announced that more tank units were being loaded on trains to move back to their permanent bases after training exercises.

But at the same time, Russia continued war games near Ukraine’s borders and across its vast territory.

A senior US administration official said the West detected that Russia had increased its force near Ukraine by 7,000 troops, with some arriving as recently as Wednesday, and that there had been a marked increase in false claims by Russians that the Kremlin might use as pretext for an invasion.

The official said those claims included reports of unmarked graves of civilians allegedly killed by Ukrainian forces, statements that the US and Ukraine are developing biological or chemical weapons, and claims that the West is funnelling in guerrillas to kill Ukrainians.

The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive operations and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official did not provide underlying evidence for the assertions.

The US and Europe are maintaining threats of harsh sanctions. Trust between East and West remains elusive.

“We haven’t seen a pullback,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News. “He (Putin) can pull the trigger. He can pull it today. He can pull it tomorrow. He can pull it next week. The forces are there if he wants to renew aggression against Ukraine.”

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US had seen “more Russian forces, not fewer.”

Asked why Russians would claim to be withdrawing when government intelligence, commercial satellite photos and social media videos showed no evidence of that, Price said: “This is the Russian playbook, to paint a picture publicly while they do the opposite.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance also had not seen “any withdrawal of Russian forces,” as did multiple European governments. Before chairing a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, he said: “If they really start to withdraw forces, that’s something we will welcome, but that remains to be seen.”

In the meantime, the alliance is examining this week how and when to rapidly dispatch troops and equipment to countries closest to Russia and the Black Sea region should Moscow order an invasion.