Hong Kong security legislation backed by China's parliament

China's parliament has backed security legislation for Hong Kong which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority in the territory.

The resolution - which now passes to China's senior leadership - has caused deep concern among those who say it could end Hong Kong's unique status.

It could also see China installing its own security agencies in the region for the first time.

The move has already sparked a new wave of anti-mainland protest.

Hong Kong police confronted pro-democracy protesters on Wednesday. AFP

Clashes broke out on Wednesday as Hong Kong's parliament debated a different proposed law, which would make it a crime to disrespect the Chinese national anthem. Hundreds of people were arrested in protests over that and the security law.

Security remains high on Thursday, as a tense debate in the Legislative Council continues.

At least two pro-democracy legislators were ejected from the council on Thursday. One lawmaker, Ted Hui, threw rotten plants on to the floor of the chamber, saying it symbolised the decay of Hong Kong's political system.

"I want the speaker to feel what is meant by rotten," he said.

The speaker deemed the package to be an "unknown dangerous object", and called police and fire crews.

What has the reaction been?

Full details about exactly what behaviour will be outlawed under the new security law are not yet clear. It is due to be enacted before September.

But hours before the vote was taken in Beijing, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said developments in Hong Kong meant it could no longer be considered to have "a high degree of autonomy" from mainland China.

Firefighters check the Legislative Council chamber after a lawmaker threw foul-smelling plants on to the floor. EPA

That meant that Hong Kong no longer merited being treated differently from the mainland under US law.

The declaration could have major implications for Hong Kong's trade hub status and drew an angry reaction from Chinese authorities in the territory.

In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, the office of China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong said it "firmly opposed and refuted" Mr Pompeo's statement and urged the US to "immediately stop meddling" in China's internal affairs.

It described US criticism of the new draft law as "utterly imperious, unreasonable and shameless".

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said the UK was "deeply concerned" about the new security law, which "risks undermining the principle of 'one nations, two systems'".

Japan said it was "seriously concerned" by Beijing's move. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Hong Kong was an "extremely important partner" and that democracy and stability there must be maintained.

What happens next?

The National People's Congress (NPC) - meeting in Beijing after a two-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic - backed the security bill resolution with 2,878 votes in favour, one against and six abstentions.

President Xi Jinping and other senior figures applauded when the security law was passed. AFP

"It will uphold and improve the 'one country, two systems' policy," NPC chairman Li Zhanshu told delegates during the closing ceremony.

"It is in line with the constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law and is in the interest of all Chinese people including Hong Kong people," he added.

The NPC only ever approves legislation put to it by the government so there was no chance the bill would not be supported.

The legislation - referred to as the Draft Decision - now passes to the Standing Committee of the Communist Party which will draw up the full details of the new law.

It is expected to criminalise:

• secession - breaking away from the country
• subversion - undermining the power or authority of the central government
• terrorism - using violence or intimidation against people
• activities by foreign forces that interfere in Hong Kong

The resolution also says that "when needed, relevant national security organs of the Central People's Government will set up agencies in Hong Kong to fulfil relevant duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law".

That means China could potentially have its own law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, alongside the city's own.

The authorities in Hong Kong insist the law is essential to tackle growing violence and "terrorism", and that the territory's residents have nothing to fear from it.

Critics fear it could lead to Hong Kongers being prosecuted - even retroactively - for criticising their or the mainland's leadership, joining protests or exercising their current rights under local laws.

Why did China do this?

Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997, but under a unique agreement - a mini-constitution called the Basic Law and a so-called "one country, two systems" principle.

They are supposed to protect certain freedoms for Hong Kong: freedom of assembly and speech, an independent judiciary and some democratic rights - freedoms that no other part of mainland China has.

Under the same agreement, Hong Kong had to enact its own national security law - this was set out in Article 23 of the Basic Law.

But its unpopularity meant it has never been done - the government tried in 2003 but had to back down after protests.

Then, last year, protests over an extradition law turned violent and evolved into a broader anti-China and pro-democracy movement.

China is keen to avoid a repeat of that unrest.

(Source: BBC)

Coronavirus: European Parliament shelters 100 homeless women

A European Parliament building in Brussels is housing 100 homeless women - many of them victims of domestic abuse - who have been severely affected by Belgium's coronavirus lockdown.

The Helmut Kohl building, an office block in the city centre, opened its doors to them on Wednesday.

Offices have been turned into bedrooms, each for one or two women. They also get meals and medical care there.

Samusocial, a charity, says the crisis has increased domestic abuse cases.

The cafeteria in the new shelter, which overlooks a park. RTBF

The parliament, based in the Belgian capital, teamed up with Samusocial to run the facility, which is much-needed because social distancing has forced many women's shelters to close.

"We've had many cases of women thrown on to the streets since the lockdown started, because of domestic violence, which is tending to increase," Samusocial director Sébastien Roy told public broadcaster RTBF.

The Brussels authorities are also providing emergency accommodation for homeless people in some hotels.

The European Parliament's buildings are mostly empty. Sessions are now attended only by a few MEPs in the chamber, with others joining by video link.

The monthly full session in Strasbourg, eastern France, has been suspended until July. For years the Brussels-Strasbourg shuttle has been criticised, including by MEPs themselves, as a waste of EU money.

Parliament President David Sassoli, who toured the Helmut Kohl facility, said "this emergency affects all of us" and "in Brussels there is a lot of pain now".

"I think this crisis should push all of us, the institutions included, to set a good example."

The building, opened last October, is named after the German chancellor who symbolised European unity after the collapse of communism.

The parliament's kitchens are also providing 1,000 meals a day for charities helping the homeless.

Women get more privacy in the converted offices than in many other hostels. RTBF

Mr Roy said the future of the homeless women post-lockdown remained an open question. He said the crisis was an opportunity for society to improve provision for its neediest members.

Adeline, one of the women being sheltered, told RTBF the accommodation was a relief because "people forgot about the homeless in this crisis".

"We had to move on all the time in this lockdown, my husband and I walked 15km (nine miles) daily, the police told us 'you must keep moving'. At the end of the day we were exhausted," she said.

She said the rooms, each housing two women at the most, were more comfortable than at other women's shelters, where as many as six had to share a room.

But she deplored the fact that her husband, like many other homeless men, would have to remain on the street.

(Source: BBC)

Assisted dying: Western Australia passes legislation

Western Australia has legalised voluntary assisted dying, becoming the second state in the country to do so.

There were cheers and emotional scenes in the public gallery as MPs passed the historic legislation in the state's lower house of parliament in Perth.

Some MPs also hugged each other on the floor of the legislative assembly.

Victoria legalised assisted dying in 2017. In August, a woman with terminal cancer became the first person to end their life under that law.

Supporters of the bill staged a rally in Perth in August

MPs in Perth took five hours to pass 55 amendments to the legislation which had been approved by the upper house - the legislative council - in a marathon session last week.

The controversial law has produced weeks of often impassioned debate.

Health Minister Roger Cook fought back tears as he welcomed the final passing of the bill, but said it was "not a time for jubilation".

"We are at the end of a very long process, a momentous process for the West Australian parliament and West Australian public," he told MPs.

"Everyone knows what this legislation is about. It's about reflection. And to reflect that we've chosen compassion and the right to choose."

State Premier Mark McGowan tweeted that it was "a remarkable moment for our state" and would go down in history as one of Western Australia's most important reforms.

To everyone who helped make this happen, thank you.

Thank you for your unwavering support, your contribution, your stories, your consultation and for entrusting us with this task.

We did it for you.

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) 10 December 2019

The new law - which some opponents had described as dangerous and reckless - includes more than 100 safeguards.

A person seeking to be eligible would have to be terminally ill and in severe pain, Australian broadcaster ABC reported. Their condition would need to be likely to result in death within six months, or a year for a neurodegenerative condition.

Two verbal requests and one written request are needed and those requests would need to be signed off by two doctors independent of one another.

The scheme is expected to come into effect in about 18 months to give health providers time to prepare.

In August, Kerry Robertson, 61, died in a nursing home in Bendigo, Victoria, after using the state's new law to end her life.

Kerry Robertson, with her daughters Jacqui (left) and Nicole, died in August

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and it later spread to her bones, lungs, brain and liver.

Mrs Robertson was given permission to use the legislation after a 26-day approval process.

Her family said she was able to have "the empowered death that she wanted".

The Australian state of Queensland is also considering voluntary assisted dying legislation.

(Source: BBC)

Who is saving whom? MPs talk big on reforming rape laws, but nearly 50% have criminal records

There are moments in every country’s history that make its people reconsider all that they and their collective strength as a nation stand for. The world map as we now know has come to so evolve due to the changing perceptions as well as the aspirations of the people. 

Not all wars are fought by the armed forces but the most crucial ones, that make and break nations, are a result of political will that finds its justification in the votes of the people.

It was so in 2012 in India’s national capital when the brutal rape of a 23-year-old  in a private bus shocked the very consciousness of the people and sent the country’s masses on the streets, demanding that justice be served to Nirbhaya. It wasn’t long ago and human memory would serve to remind us of the outrage that followed. 

But it’s just been seven years and another similar shocker has this time come from the city of Hyderabad where a veterinarian was gang-raped and killed -- literally burnt alive. Her charred body was found under a culvert in Shadnagar in Hyderabad on November 28, a day after she went missing.

A movement calling for justice and ending violence and sexual assault against women is gaining ground even as the episode rocked the Upper House of the Parliament. 

As MPs expressed anguish over the Hyderabad rape and murder case, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu suggested a rethink on the practice of allowing convicts in heinous crimes to go in for mercy appeals. 

"What happens even after punishment is given (to convicts). We all are witness...appeal, mercy (petition)...can anybody think of having mercy on such people," he said, observing this process has been followed for years.

Naidu said crime against women is a "societal disease" and there is some sort of lacunae in systems, both legal as well as the police. "This kind of violation of the dignity of women cannot go on unchallenged. It should be nipped in the bud," he said, and added that it was already too late.

Wait, what? The dignity of women? Let us first look at how we are breaking the morale of our women and boosting the spirits of offenders to go to any extent.

Kuldeep Sengar, rape accused legislator who was expelled by BJP after a lot of public outrage, was seen on Independence Day greeting advertisements alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the local edition of a Hindi daily. 

He featured on advertisements funded by the Panchayat chairman of Ugoo area in Unnao. Meant to wish residents on Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan on August 15, the ads also had photos of Sengar's wife.

He had also been named in the case pertaining to the death of the survivor's father. Another case was registered against the former BJP leader after the victim met with a deadly accident last month. The lawmaker had allegedly raped the girl, a minor at that time, at his residence in Unnao in 2017, where she had gone to seek a job.

That the state machinery failed to act appropriately against him even under tremendous public pressure and that powerful politicians extended support to him has been proven time and again.

Lest you forget, there is the curious case of Chinmayanand too. This alleged rape case involving former BJP minister got so murkier that the law student who had filed a rape complaint against him is currently in jail, for blackmailing him apparently. 

Despite all outrage, the local leaders of India’s ruling party showed no backbone as they continued to extend their political support to the man accused of crimes as heinous as those that have shocked us again today. This man was permitted to hold a press conference of sorts and sitting MPs from our very own parliament were regular visitors to him in jail. 

And then we look at the other side. A student, Anu Dubey was "hit, beaten up and threatened by three Delhi Police cops" for protesting against the Telangana doctor rape and murder case. 

Nearly half of the newly-elected Lok Sabha members have criminal charges against them, a 26 per cent increase as compared to 2014, according to the Association of Democratic Reforms.

Of the 539 winning candidates analysed by the ADR, as many as 233 MPs or 43 per cent have criminal charges.

The BJP has 116 MPs or 39 per cent of its winning candidates with criminal cases, followed by 29 MPs (57 per cent) from the Congress, 13 (81 per cent) from the JDU, 10 (43 per cent) from the DMK and nine (41 per cent) from the TMC.

Some may point out that this has always been the case in India. But no, it’s further from the truth.

In 2014, 185 Lok Sabha members (34 per cent) had criminal charges and 112 MPs had serious criminal cases against them. In 2009, 162 (nearly 30 per cent) out of the 543 Lok Sabha MPs had criminal charges and 14 per cent had serious criminal charges. So there is clearly an upward trend here. 

(Source: India Times)

After Article 370’s revocation, proud Ladakh MP delivers his speech in Parliament, says the only impact will be on two families

The BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal had put an end to infamous critics of Article 370’s revocation by declaring that the only impact will be on ‘two families’ who would lose source of income, means of support as a result.

Namgyal narrated how Ladakh has been fighting constantly for a Union Territory status for the last 71 years and also highlighted how the region never wanted to be a part of Kashmir.

Take a look at the copy of Namgyal’s landmark speech in the Lok Sabha:

He then alleged uncontrolled discrimination against Ladakh at the hands of the Kashmiri set up especially when it came to education and job opportunities.

“You misused Article 370 to drive out Kashmiri Pandits from the valleys, you tied to finish off the Buddhist population in the state, is this your secularism?”, questioned Namgyal.

“Ladakh wishes to become an unbreakable part of India”, Namgyal had mentioned indicating the region’s strong support for scrapping Article 370 and then went on to thank all the supporters of the bill.

This speech drew a staggering response from Lok Sabha members including the Home Minister Amit Shah.

(Source: The Youth)

India elects a record 78 women to 17th Lok Sabha: Here's who they are

However, this just makes up 14.36% of Parliament.

The 17th Lok Sabha will see the highest ever number of women in Parliament, 78 women have been elected from across the country. There is certainly more room for improvement, with the current proportion of women being just 14.36% in Parliament. This at a time when 48% of India’s population is female, according to the last Census. The single largest party at the Centre, the BJP, has also sent the most women to Parliament. Out of the 303 seats the party secured, 41 are women.

Across the country, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal sent the maximum number of women to the Lok Sabha, with 11 women being elected from each state. Uttar Pradesh has eight women MPs from the BJP, and one each from the Congress, BSP and Apna Dal (Soneylal). Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress gave 40% representation to women in the candidate list and therefore nine women from AITC have been elected to the Parliament. Two BJP women candidates were also elected from the state.

The South fared poorly when it came to electing women, with Kerala electing just one woman. Remya Haridas, who was elected from Alathur, unseated the MP in power and went on to become the second-ever Dalit woman MP from Kerala. She was one of 54 women candidates fielded by the Congress across the country. Kerala elected only one MP in 2014 and has continued the trend.

Tamil Nadu elected three women — Kanimozhi and Thamizhachi Thangapandian from the DMK and Jothimani from the Congress. Kanimozhi, who was a Rajya Sabha MP, won from Thoothukudi, and Thamizhachi was elected from Chennai South. The DMK only fielded 2 women candidates out of a total of 20, and both candidates won. Jothimani, on the other hand, won against five-time AIADMK MP M Thambidurai and won. Tamil Nadu had 64 women candidates in total. Overall, Tamil Nadu sent four women MPs to Parliament in 2014 and is down to three now.

BJP candidate Shobha Karandlaje and independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh won with large margins and increased the tally of women from Karnataka in the Lok Sabha by one — from one MP to two. Women’s representation is cutting a sorry figure in Karnataka this Lok Sabha election, with a total of only 27 women contesting from 28 seats in the state. This was up from 20 women who were fielded in 2014, out of whom only Shobha Karandlaje won.

The YSR Congress Party, which swept both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls and won 22 out of 25 seats in the state has four women MPs. The party fielded four candidates, and all four of them have made it to the Parliament. Three of these women contested for the first time, and the fourth, Vanga Geetha, has been a Rajya Sabha MP. By fielding four women, 16% of the candidates fielded by the YSRCP had been women. There were five women MPs from pre-bifurcation Andhra in 2009, and three in 2014. 

For the second time, Telangana has just one woman MP — the previous tenure was held by Kavitha Kalvakuntla, and this time, it’s been held by her namesake Kavitha Maloth, also from the TRS. India’s youngest state has been called out for not having adequate representation of women and this continued in this Lok Sabha poll too. Out of a total of 443 candidates, just 21 were women, and just six women were fielded from the Congress, BJP and TRS.

Here's the full list:

Andhra Pradesh

1. Chinta Anuradha — Amalapuram — YSRCP
2. KV Satyavathi — Anakapalli — YSRCP
3. Goddeti Madhavi — Araku Bapatla — YSRCP
4. Vanga Geethaviswanath — Kakinada — YSRCP

Assam

1. Queen Oja — Gauhati — BJP

Bihar

1. Rama Devi — Sheohar — BJP
2. Kavita Singh — Siwan — JD(U)
3. Veena Devi — Vaishali — LJP

Chandigarh

1. Kirron Kher — Chandigarh—BJP

Chattisgarh

1. Jyotsna Charandas Mahant — Korba — Congress
2. Renuka Singh Saruta — Sarguja — BJP
3. Gomati Sai — Raigarh —BJP

Delhi

1. Meenakshi Lekhi — New Delhi —BJP

Gujarat

1. Darshana Jardosh — Surat — BJP
2. Dr. Bharati Dhirubhai Shyal — Bhavnagar — BJP
3. Rathva Gitaben Vajesingbhai — Chhota Udaipur — BJP
4. Shardaben Patel — Mahesana — BJP
5. Poonamben Hemantbhai — Jamnagar — BJP
6. Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt — Vadodara — BJP

Haryana

1. Sunita Duggal — Sirsa — BJP

Jharkhand

1. Annpurna Devi — Kodarma — BJP
2. Gita Kora — Singhbhum — Congress

Karnataka

1. Shobha Karandlaje — Udupi Chikmaglur — BJP
2. Sumalatha Ambareesh — Mandya — Independent

Kerala

1. Remya Haridas— Alathur — Congress

Madhya Pradesh

1. Himadri Singh — Shahdol — BJP
2. Pragya Singh Thakur — Bhopal — BJP
3. Riti Pathak — Sidhi — BJP
4. Sandhya Rai — Bhind — BJP

Maharashtra

1. Poonam Mahajan — Mumbai North Central — BJP
2. Bharati Pawar — Dindori — BJP
3. Raksha Khadse —Raver — BJP
4. Navneet Rana — Amravati — Independent
5. Supriya Sule — Baramati — NCP
6. Bhawana Gawali — Yavatmal-Washim — Shiv Sena
7. Pritam Gopinathrao Munde — Beed — BJP
8. Heena Vijaykumar —  Nandurbar — BJP

Meghalaya

1. Agatha Sangma Tura — Meghalaya — NPP

Odisha

1. Pramila Bisoyi — Aska — BJD
2. Chandrani Murmu —Keonjhar — BJD
3. Manjulata Mandal —Bhadrak — BJD
4. Sarmistha Sethi — Jajpur — BJD
5. Rajashree Mallick — Jagatsinghpur — BJD
6. Sangeeta Kumari — Bolangir — BJP
7. Aparajita Sarangi — Bhubaneswar — BJP

1. Punjab
2. Harsimrat Kaur Badal —Bathinda — Akali Dal
3. Preneet Kaur — Patiala — Congress

Rajasthan

1. Diya Kumari — Rajsamand — BJP
2. Ranjeeta Koli — Bharatpur — BJP
3. Jaskaur Meena — Dausa —BJP

Tamil Nadu

1. Jothimani S — Karur— Congress
2. Kanimozhi — Thoothukudi — DMK
3. Thamizhachi Thangapandian — Chennai South —DMK

Telangana

1. Kavitha Malothu —Mahabubabad —TRS

Tripura

1. Pratima Bhoumik — Tripura West — BJP

Uttar Pradesh

1. Anupriya Singh Patel —Mirzapur — Apna Dal (Soneylal)
2. Rita Bahuguna Joshi —Allahabad — BJP
3. Smriti Irani —Amethi — BJP
4. Dr. Sanghmitra Maurya — Badaun — BJP
5. Hema Malini — Mathura — BJP
6. Keshari Devi Patel — Phulpur — BJP
7. Niranjan Jyoti — Fatehpur — BJP
8. Rekha Verma — Dhaurahra — BJP
9. Maneka Gandhi — Sultanpur — BJP
10. Sangeeta Azad — Lalganj — BSP
11. Sonia Gandhi — Rae Bareli —Congress

Uttarakhand

1. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah — Tehri Garhwal — BJP

West Bengal

1. Aparupa Poddar — Arambagh — All India Trinamool Congress
2. Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar —Barasat — All India Trinamool Congress
3. Nusrat Jahan Ruhi — Barsirhat — All India Trinamool Congress
4. Satabdi Roy — Birbhum — All India Trinamool Congress
5. Mimi Chakraborty — Jadavpur — All India Trinamool Congress
6. Mala Roy — Kolkata Dakshin — All India Trinamool Congress
7. Mahua Moitra — Krishnanagar — All India Trinamool Congress
8. Sajda Ahmed — Uluberia — All India Trinamool Congress
9. Pratima Mondal — Joynagar — All India Trinamool Congress
10. Debasree Chaudhuri —Raiganj — BJP
11. Locket Chatterjee — Hooghly — BJP

(Source: TNM)