New Delhi : Many issues including 5G/6G spectrum, Predator drone will be discussed in the bilateral meeting of PM Modi and Joe Biden

Many issues including 5G/6G spectrum, Predator drone will be discussed in the bilateral meeting of PM Modi and Joe Biden

PM Modi-Joe Biden Bilateral Meeting: United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said today that important and emerging technologies, progress in civil nuclear sector etc. will also be discussed in this meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden, who is coming to New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit 2023 . This meeting will be held at the Prime Minister's residence, in which positive progress will be seen on many issues including GE jet engine deal, 5G and 6G spectrum, purchase of Predator drones.  

United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said today that in this bilateral meeting (Modi-Biden Bilateral Meeting), issues like important and emerging technologies, progress in civil nuclear sector etc. will also be discussed.

Rail deal with India and Arab world not confirmed

However, Sullivan did not confirm reports that the US is signing a major rail deal with India and the Arab world to connect the Gulf countries and other Arab countries. Planning to announce. But he said that this is an initiative in which America has made efforts with its allies.

Connectivity from India to Europe will bring economic benefits to all countries

Along with profit, you will also get strategic benefits. I can't say until tonight where things stand with regard to possible announcements later this week.

US ready for joint statement of G20 member states: Jake

Sullivan Ready to play his part. He said, "Will every country come forward, be responsible, be constructive? If the answer is yes, then we will get a joint statement. But it is too early to tell." 

China : How does the "Public Security Management Punishment Law" expand the power of the police?

The National People's Congress of China has been soliciting opinions online for the revised draft of the "Public Security Management Punishment Law" since the beginning of September this year, causing heated discussions across the Internet. In addition to Article 34 including words and deeds that "damage the spirit of the Chinese nation and hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation" within the scope of punishment, new provisions in the draft regarding the collection of biometric information samples from the public have also raised questions from the outside world. The draft is intended to continue to expand existing Suspected of abusing the power of the public security organs, the basic rights of citizens may be damaged.

Will the National People's Congress' proposed amendment to the law "hurt the sentiments of the Chinese nation" become a pocket crime?

 

The revised draft of the "Public Security Management Punishment Law" (hereinafter referred to as the "Public Security Law") is open to the public for comments. It was posted online on September 1 on the National People's Congress website. At the same time, there are four other draft laws on the Internet, including the third The review draft of the "Company Law" is open for comments until September 30. However, it is clear that the "Public Security Law" has received far more attention than the other four laws. According to the data on the website of the National People’s Congress, as of the time of writing, none of the other four draft laws had more than 700 participants, while the Public Security Law had nearly 50,000 participants (48,633); opinions collected on the other four draft laws None of the articles reached 1,000, while the "Public Security Law" was close to 60,000 (57154).

How does emotion enter the law?

In fact, it can be seen from social media both inside and outside the Great Firewall of China that the revision of the Public Security Law has become a hot topic recently. Whether on Weibo, Zhihu, or overseas Twitter sites, many people are expressing doubts, anger, or sarcasm about the revised draft.

Among them, one of the most concerned ones is Article 34 (2) and (3) of the revised draft of the Public Security Law. These two articles stipulate that wearing or wearing in public places or forcing others to wear them in public places is harmful to the public. Those who use clothing or symbols that harm the spirit of the Chinese nation or hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation; and those who produce, disseminate, promote, or disseminate items or remarks that harm the spirit of the Chinese nation or hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation will be fined or detained.

The common question aroused by this provision among the public is how does emotion enter the law? Wu Shaoping, a Chinese human rights lawyer in the eastern part of the United States, said to this station, "What kind of behavior is hurting the feelings of the Chinese nation? These are purely ideological things. Unlike other behaviors, they can be objectified, determined and Fixed. But how to determine and define the spirit and feelings of the Chinese nation? This is a huge problem.”

He believes that this legislation is to legalize ideological things and control and influence people's thoughts by formulating laws.

However, in today's Chinese society with rising nationalist sentiments, some people are in favor of such legislation. Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run media Global Times, who is known for his strong nationalist tendencies, posted on his Weibo that this provision of the draft "Public Security Law" is to safeguard the sentiments of the Chinese nation. This is a very clear statement. value orientation. He does not seem to object to the article itself, but he still believes that the regulations should be detailed. "I think it is necessary to make some specific content that is 'harmful to the spirit of the Chinese nation and hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation', such as directly specifying those words and deeds." relations with fascist, militaristic and national separatist forces, etc., that way many misunderstandings can be avoided."

Hu Xijin’s main concern seems to be that the current vague regulations will bring difficulties to law enforcement. “I’m worried that some people will objectively make some people’s words and deeds that are generally inappropriate or controversial to harm the spirit and feelings of the Chinese nation. The accuracy of law enforcement creates pressure.”

But Zhang Yi, who lives in Wuhan, is filled with righteous indignation. He believes that the root of the problem is that these regulations are unconstitutional. "The Constitution clearly stipulates that citizens have the freedom of speech, assembly and association, but here it stipulates that emotions can also be illegal (criminal). A law worse than the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble in the criminal law.”

Zhang Yi once accepted interviews with foreign media and revealed the truth about the epidemic during the COVID-19 epidemic. As a result, he was often harassed and suppressed by the local police. Zhang Yi’s views also have echoes in the legal community. Zhao Hong, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, recently published an article on Ifeng.com, warning against this provision of the Public Security Law.

Zhao Hong believes that this does not mean that offending national sentiments should not be punished, but the abstract concept of "hurting national spirit and hurting national sentiments" may in practice be replaced by the personal cognition of public officials. , has evolved into a tool for moral judgment and state punishment of others, thereby harming the rights and freedoms guaranteed by a country governed by the rule of law.

Expansion of the power of public security organs

The "Public Security Management Punishment Law" has been officially implemented since March 2006. In the previous half century, only the Regulations on Public Security Administration Penalties were administrative regulations at the legal level, rather than laws passed by the legislature. The "Public Security Management Punishment Law" has raised the legislative level of social security, and this draft is the first revision since the legislation.

The National People's Congress website explains the revised draft this time, stating that the necessity of the revision lies in the fact that with the development of society, new problems have emerged in the field of public security, the modernization level of the national governance system and governance capabilities needs to be continuously improved, and the law enforcement of public security organs needs to be further standardized. .

Judging from the content of the revised draft, many provisions reflect new changes in society, such as new issues in society such as high-altitude parabolic objects and drone flight, as well as personal information security. However, judging from the opinions of netizens on social media, it seems that people's topics are more focused on particularly sensitive issues, especially concerns about the expansion of the power of public security organs.

More and more netizens are paying attention to Article 100 of the revised draft. This is a new regulation, the content is: with the approval of the person in charge of the public security organ, the person who violates the public security management or the person who has been violated can be inspected, and the biometric information such as portraits and fingerprints, as well as blood and urine can be extracted or collected. and other biological samples.

This regulation involving personal privacy has aroused people's vigilance. Lawyer Wu Shaoping analyzed that there are many loopholes in this regulation, “For example, there are no details in the regulation on what kind of person can decide to collect biological samples. In the end, it may be a police station director, an instructor, or the person in charge of other departments. One can make such a decision.”

Because it involves citizens' personal privacy, collecting citizens' biological samples is a controversial topic in various countries. In this regard, China's laws currently do not have systematic regulations, but are scattered in the provisions of the Civil Code and other laws. In recent years, legal professionals or legal circles have continuously put forward suggestions to stipulate the procedures and powers for collecting citizens' biological samples.

According to the website of the Chinese official media "Legal Daily", the website of the Rule of Law reported that in 2021, a lawyer in the "Chinese Lawyer" magazine proposed that due to the special attributes of biometric information, higher requirements should be placed on the security management and technical capabilities of the collection subject. It is also recommended that the legislative body establish an appropriate access mechanism for the collection of biometric information.

Wu Shaoping said that judging from the current provisions of the revised draft of the "Public Security Law", the Chinese legislature has not given careful consideration in this regard. He said that from a practical point of view, public security organs have long begun to collect biometric information samples from citizens at will without clear legal authorization. "It is to make public what they have been doing in the form of legal provisions." .”

Lin Shengliang, a dissident in the Netherlands, told this station that he had personally experienced and resisted the compulsory collection of biological samples by the public security organs in Shenzhen, "When I was carried to the interrogation room, I found that all people, including You go to ask many dissidents who have been arrested by the police. When they are brought into the interrogation room, they will be asked to collect biometrics, including your height, blood and urine, etc., and they will ask you to stand in a machine .”

Lin Shengliang said that he was often summoned and questioned by the national security police because he participated in citizen protests all year round. In most cases, the public security police cooperated with the national security police to collect biological samples from him, but he often refused because there were no formal regulations in the law.

Lin Shengliang recalled one of these experiences, "When the second policeman came, he showed me the information on his mobile phone. The Ministry of Public Security stipulates that all personnel who enter the inquiry room of the police station and are interrogated must collect biometric information." When the police station entered and exited, it was observed that some ordinary public security cases, including couples fighting, would also be brought into the interrogation room, where biological samples might be collected. However, this station has not yet been able to verify from third-party channels whether the Ministry of Public Security has such regulations.

Lin Shengliang said that the provisions of Article 100 of the revised draft of the Public Security Law are worthy of everyone's vigilance. "It actually removes all legal obstacles. Whether it is a criminal case or a public security case, they can rely on this article at any time, as long as they think it is If necessary, you can compel the collection of your biological samples, this kind of evil must be paid attention to, this kind of evil is the most terrifying."

Lawyer Wu Shaoping analyzed that judging from Articles 34 and 100 of the revised draft of the Public Security Law, the power of the police has actually been further expanded, which in itself is also a very prominent phenomenon during Xi Jinping's term. He emphasized that it is now clear to everyone that China's current state has actually entered a police state.

Islamabad : Abaya ban in France is Islamophobia, violation of women's rights

In a statement released to Independent Urdu, the spokesperson of the Pakistani Foreign Office urged the French authorities to reconsider their decision to ban the abaya.

The Pakistan Foreign Office has said on Friday that the ban on Abaya in France is Islamophobic in nature and is a violation of the freedom, human rights, religion and freedom of expression of Muslim girls and women.

In a statement released to Independent Urdu, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the ban on the abaya in France is a worrying development because it is related to the rights of women and girls to claim their identity and affects their right to effective and meaningful participation in public affairs.'

The Pakistani foreign office spokesperson has urged the French authorities to reconsider their decision to ban the abaya.

In contrast to the headscarf, the abaya a long, open garment worn in accordance with Islamic beliefs.

Abaya ban in France

On August 28, 2023, the French authorities announced a ban on the wearing of the abaya in the country's schools, which was to be implemented in all schools in the country from September 4.

The Minister of Education of France said that this is a violation of France's strict secular laws.

Education Minister Gabriel Atul told France's TF1 TV, 'When you go into a classroom, you should not identify the religion of the students just by looking at them. I have decided that abayas cannot be worn in schools anymore.'

The move comes after months of debate over wearing abayas in French schools.

According to AFP, there was an increase in the wearing of the abaya in schools, which was causing political division. Right-wing parties are pushing for a ban, while left-wing parties have expressed concerns for the rights of Muslim women and girls.

Minister Atul said that 'secularism means liberating oneself through the school while the abaya is a religious gesture, which aims to check the republic's resistance to the secular sanctity that the school should constitute.'

He said he would give clear rules at the national level before schools reopen after the summer vacation.

Ban on religious symbols in France

France has strictly banned religious symbols in schools since the 19th century, including banning Christian symbols such as large crosses in an attempt to prevent any Catholic influence from public education. Also included are Jewish cotton and Islamic headscarves.

Debate over Islamic symbols has intensified since 2020 when a Chechen refugee beheaded teacher Samuel Petty near his school in a Paris suburb who had shown sketches of the Prophet of Islam to students.

The announcement is the first major policy decision for Mr. Atul, who was appointed France's education minister this summer at the age of 34 by President Emmanuel Macron.

The CFCM, a national organization representing several Muslim associations, has said that clothing alone is not a 'religious symbol'.