#MALDIVES: Crucial Election Will Determine Relations With Chna, India, Votes In

[world politics news]

 
Polls have closed in the Maldives where voters have cast their ballots in a parliamentary election crucial for President Mohamed Muizzu, who has taken a pro-China stand and turned the archipelago nation away from longtime ally India since coming to power last September

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Opposition Accuses PM Modi Of "Hate Speech" In Election Year

[world politics news]

Indian opposition leaders have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest remarks, which they say were aimed at Muslims, a minority group in largely Hindu India.

Modi said the main opposition Congress Party wanted to distribute people's wealth to "infiltrators" and "those who have many children." Congress denies the accusation. India is in the middle of a 7-phase nation election.

He didn’t directly say he was talking about minorities, but added that the Congress Party believed Muslims had the first right over the nation's wealth. A former Congress Party PM said something similar to this while telling a Muslim crowd they were also entitled to the nation's wealth, too. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (PJP) leans Right, and is largely Hindu fundamentalist in character. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Largest Election Underway For New Parliament

[world politics news]

Indians bin voting today to choose their next parliament in the first of seven voting days that end on June 1. Nearly a billion people are eligible to cast their ballot.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming for a rare third consecutive term in power.

Several key opposition parties, including the Congress, have formed an alliance in many states to take on Modi’s party. Main issues include a jobs crisis, rising prices, a crackdown on dissents and the opposition and the politics of religion. Results will be announced on June 4.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Resolution Would Change Nation's Name to Bharat

[world politics news]

The Indian government appears to be considering a change in the nation’s official name, with “Bharat” – from Sanskrit – emerging as the alternative, even appearing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s G20 dinner invites for later this month. 

The resolution would change the name in the Indian constitution from “India, that is Bharat” to the “Republic of Bharat” and is likely to be introduced in the Indian parliament during the upcoming special session scheduled from September 18-22. 

The resolution needs to obtain a majority in both houses of the nation’s parliament before the government can amend the constitution.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: MP Introduces Financial Literacy Education Bill

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Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya (BJP Party) urged the government to consider introducing financial literacy as a subject in schools and colleges to help the young generation plan their financial future better

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Data Protection Bill Ready For 2023 Session Of Parliament

[world politics news]

The Hindu news service  reports Indian Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw indicated a fresh data protection bill will be published for public comments soon and hopefully be tabled during Indian Parliament's Budget Session in January 2023.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Plans Commerce Dep't. Restructure

[world politics news]

 

In order to achieve the government's goal of expanding exports to $2 trillion  a year by 2030, it has announced plans to restructure the commerce department.

"As part of the restructuring exercise, a dedicated trade promotion body would be set up to advise an overall strategy to achieve targets and make it future ready," said union minister Piyush Goyol.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Twitter Sues Gov't Over Free Speech

[world politics news]

Twitter announced that it has launched a lawsuit against the Indian government, the latest salvo in an ongoing fight over the country's aggressive speech laws. The suit comes after Twitter was ordered to remove a number of accounts and posts that violate India's obscenity and defamation laws, The New York Times first reported. 

Twitter has now removed the posts, but it is seeking court protection from such orders in the future, citing free speech.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Blocks YouTube Channels, Facebook Acct, For Misinformation

[world politics news]

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday issued directions for blocking 16 YouTube news channels and one Facebook account, a statement said.

Of the 16 news channels, six are from Pakistan and 10 from India, it said. The statement alleged that the YouTube channels, with a cumulative viewership of over 680 million people, were spreading disinformation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't To Introduce Cryptocurrency, Tax Them All At 30%

[world politics news]

 

India has announced plans to launch a digital currency by next year and tax cryptocurrencies and NFTs as the country moves closer to recognizing cryptocurrencies as legal tender in the world’s second largest internet market.

Income from the the transfer of any virtual assets will be taxed at 30%, the nation’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: PM Modi Scraps Controversial Farming Legislation After Year-Long Protests

[world politics news]

India’s Parliament has voted to scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, after a surprise U-turn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped out on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi for more than a year – one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s Hindu nationalist government since he came to power in 2014.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Protests Use Of "Indian Variant" Language On Social Sites

[world politics news]

India’s government has sent notices to social media platforms ordering them to take down content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the COVID-19 virus. 

The letter from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sent Friday was not made public, but was viewed by several news outlets.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Four Arrested For Seeking Christian Converts Under New State Law

[world politics news] 

A Korean Christian and three nationals of India are in jail in Uttar Pradesh state, India, accused of fraudulent conversion attempts while distributing food and other aid to people in need due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Under a new “anti-conversion” law that went into effect in Uttar Pradesh state, India on Nov. 28, police arrested 50-year-old Mi Kyung Lee of Seoul, South Korea and the three others in Greater Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar District, said the aid organizer, Raj Kumar Masih.

The four were arrested and charged with offering money do Hindus if they removed idols of Hindu gods from their homes.

[FULL STORY HERE] 

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world. 

 

#NEPAL: Parliament Approves New Map, Claiming Territory Disputed With India

[world politics news]

Nepal’s Parliament has approved a new map of the country, that includes areas disputed with India, with India's government rejecting the changes, saying that the addition of Indian territory was not based on historical facts or evidence. The move signals a hardening of Nepal’s position over a decades-long border dispute that has strained ties between the South Asian neighbors.

The revised map was approved by 258 out of 275 members of parliament, exceeding the required two-thirds majority. There were no votes against.

The map must also be passed by the National Assembly, the parliament’s upper chamber, and approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari before it becomes a part of the constitution.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Cabinet Approves Restrictions On Muslim Immigration

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Thehe Union Cabinet has signed off on a legislation that stands to give citizenship to certain religious minorities who fled from neighboring countries before 2015, but does not include Muslims.

The 1955 citizenship act's naturalisation clause currently allows resident immigrants to get citizenship if they have lived in the country for more than 11 years - along with other terms and conditions.

The bill, if passed, would change a key part in the category for illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - Muslim-majority states that were once part of the undivided India.

The residency requirement would also be reduced from 11 years to 6 years, for Hindusddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Parsis fleeing persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, but not for Muslims.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Parliament Members Call For Sanctions On India Over Human Rights Abuses In Kashmir

[world politics news]

Members of the European Union Parliament on Friday called for trade and travel sanctions on India over the alarming human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

The Co-Chair of the Friends of Kashmir Group in the EU parliament, Richard Corbett, reportedly called for utilizing all possible means to mount pressure on India to ease the military curfew in occupied Kashmir.

He proposed the imposition of trade sanctions on New Delhi and restrictions on the travel of those involved in committing human rights violations and acts of terrorism in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Bill Would Make Sexual Offenses Gender Neutral

[world politics news]

A bill introduced in the Lower House of parliament proposes amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Criminal procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act to ensure that the words "any man" and "any woman" in the sections relating to sexual offenses in the laws are changed to read as "any person".

This would extend the protection of the law to women and men, as well as to transgender persons for the first time in India.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Dodging Questions About Religious Citizenship Bill's Future

[world politics news]

Media in India recently noted an incident in parliament in which a question from a member to the government about its citizenship reform bill received a vague answer.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, in this year's election, said it would reintroduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill in this parliament if it was returned to power. Instead, a response by Minister of State Nityanand Rai simply noted the history of the bill and noted that it died in the last parliament, after being passed in the lower house on Jan. 1.

The bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have been discriminated on grounds of religion. Under current law, the Citizenship Act, 1955, there's no provision for granting Indian citizenship on the basis of religion. The bill is controversial in northeastern India, where it was argued that it violated a treaty that restricted immigration from Bangladesh.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Proposed Parliamentary Reform Legislation Voted Down

[world politics news]

India's upper house of parliament has rejected a member's bill that would have sought to improve the productivity of Parliament.

The bill, which was rejected by a Voice vote, sought to fix the minimum number of days in a year for which Parliament shall be in session, introduce special session in addition to the existing three sessions, compensate the budget for the hours unused due to floor disruptions, and spell out obligations of the presiding officers of both houses and the members of Parliament.

The member who proposed the bill, Naresh Gujaral, was not present for the two-and-a-half-hour debate.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Yoga Guru Says Failure To Do Yoga Cost Opposition Leader Gandhi's Party Election

[world politics news]

A national yoga guru has attributed the Opposition National Congress Party's drubbing in the recent legislative elections to party president Rahul Gandhi failing to practising yoga.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is preparing to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21.

Ramdev praised Prime Minister Narenda Modi for his daily yoga practice. But Modi didn't join in the attacks, instead wishing Gandhi a happy birthday in a gracious tweet, that read, "Best wishes to Shri @RahulGandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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