Do lie detectors actually know the truth?
Under the new deal, France has agreed to accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats, in exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the "one in, one out" pilot scheme on migrant returns last month.
More than 25,000 people have come to Britain on small boats so far in 2025, and Starmer has pledged to "smash the gangs" of smugglers to try to reduce the number of arrivals.
Starmer, whose popularity has fallen since winning an election landslide last year, is facing pressure to stop small boats from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which leads national opinion polls.
In recent weeks in England, there have been a number of protests around hotels housing the asylum seekers who have arrived on small boats, attended by both anti-immigration and pro-immigration groups.
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Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM: India will script its success story at Kartavya Bhavan
The dream of a developed India will take shape in Kartavya Bhavan (Central Secretariat Building 3), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday after inaugurating the first of the 10 upcoming state-of-the-art Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings, which will house offices of key ministries, including home, external affairs, petroleum and natural gas, and the office of the principal scientific advisor to the PM. PM: India will script its success story at Kartavya Bhavan 'From these very buildings, the dream of a developed India will take shape, and this goal will be achieved only through our collective efforts. Together, let us make India the world's third-largest economy and script the success story of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat,' he said at an event at Kartavya Path. The CCS-3 is the first building made ready as part of the marquee Central Vista revamp conceived in 2019. Pointing out that the colonial-era administrative buildings, which were earlier housing key ministry offices, had subpar working conditions, offering insufficient space, inadequate lighting, and poor ventilation, the PM said: 'Even after gaining Independence, the country's administrative machinery continued to operate for decades out of buildings constructed during the British era...' Besides, he added, the central government will save ₹1,500 crore rent annually after construction of the CCS. 'Many ministries of the Indian government were being run from 50 different locations in Delhi. Many of these ministries are run from rented buildings, which translates to a huge sum of money on rent. While the number is quite big, approximately the number comes to ₹1,500 crore annually... It is estimated that around 8,000-10,000 officials travel between ministries, which means many hundreds vehicles are used, which costs money, create traffic snarls, and leads to time wastage.' In the past 11 years, India has built a governance model that is transparent, responsive and citizen-centric, he said. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister, accompanied by Union housing and urban affairs (HUA) minister Manohar Lal and HUA secretary Katikithala Srinivas, took a tour of the newly constructed building. 'Kartavya Bhavan, on the path of duty, is a symbol of our unwavering commitment and continuous efforts toward serving every individual. It will not only help in swiftly delivering our policies and schemes to the people but will also provide a new momentum to the country's development. I am deeply proud to dedicate this building, an example of state-of-the-art infrastructure, to the nation,' PM posted on X in Hindi. This makeover is the centrepiece of PM Modi's bid to leave a new architectural legacy, a contrast to the previous mix of colonial-era architecture from the seat of power. The ones already delivered are the new Parliament building, which hosted its first session in September 2023; the redeveloped Raj Path as Kartavya Path, which opened in September 2022, and the Vice-President's enclave, which was ready in April 2024. The new Parliament building and the Vice President's enclave were delayed by more than a year as the entire Central Vista overhaul was originally scheduled to be completed by 2024. Now CCS-3, along with CCS-1 and 2, is set for completion in September, with 88% of the project already completed, a government reply in Parliament on July 24 said. CCS-10 (28% of construction completed) is scheduled to be ready by April 2026, while CCS-6 and CCS-7 (1% of the work completed) are expected to finish construction by October 2026, it added. Speaking on Tuesday, Union ministry of housing and urban affairs officials said that now all the remaining CCS buildings and the PM's office and residence will be made ready within 2027-end. .
Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi govt won't humour gallows claim, Oppn refuses to yield
In a high-voltage session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, chief minister Rekha Gupta launched a stinging attack on the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over what she alleged was a 'fabricated and disgraceful' attempt to distort history by allegedly falsely labelling a part of the Assembly complex as a 'Phansi Ghar' (execution chamber). Delhi Legislative assembly speaker Vijender Gupta led a guided media tour of the space on Wednesday, showing old blueprints from the National Archives that mark the room as a lift shaft. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) Gupta ordered an inquiry and a first information report to look into the matter and said that ₹1.04 crore of public funds were allegedly spent on constructing and promoting the site, and the money must be recovered. She demanded that the structure at the centre of the debate be removed before the All India Speakers' Conference, which is set to take place at the Assembly complex on August 24–25. Addressing the House, she accused former CM Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating an elaborate political spectacle to gain public sympathy. 'There is no history, no document, no evidence that proves any part of this building ever served as a gallows. Kejriwal wore the mask of patriotism and sacrifice while misleading people with a staged drama,' Gupta said. The alleged 'Fansi Ghar' was unveiled by the AAP government in 2022. But Gupta cited historical records that show the Assembly building, constructed in 1912, served as the venue for the Imperial Legislative Council from 1913 to 1926. She said the area in question was merely a service shaft used to deliver tiffins of food to British officers and never intended or used for executions. She said the real site of Delhi Jail, where executions did take place during the British Raj, was located at the present-day Maulana Azad Medical College. 'To falsely inscribe such a claim within a constitutional institution is not just misleading, it is an insult to martyrs who actually gave their lives for the country,' she added. Gupta insisted that the structure and the signage be removed before hosting national dignitaries at the upcoming conference. 'We cannot afford to present a falsified history to the nation's lawmakers,' she said. Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta also denounced the installation, and said, 'There was never any 'Fansi Ghar' here. What we see is a colonial-era lift shaft used to deliver food. That's all.' He led a guided media tour of the space, showing old blueprints from the National Archives that mark the room as a lift shaft. He said the Assembly building, designed by British architect E Montague Thomas and built under contractor Faqir Chand, was completed in just eight months in 1912. 'The Assembly has a rich history, even Mahatma Gandhi attended three sessions here. Crores were spent promoting a false narrative that undermines this institution's legacy,' he said, holding up a April 7, 1931 edition of Hindustan Times that reported on Gandhi's visit. 'Crores of rupees were spent on this false narrative. This is not just a waste of public money. It undermines the sanctity of this institution,' he said. Meanwhile, the AAP hit back, accusing the BJP government of using the Assembly as a platform for theatrics while neglecting urgent public issues. Leader of Opposition Atishi said, 'For three days, the BJP has hijacked Assembly proceedings to obsess over a staircase. Meanwhile, rising crime, illegal demolitions, inflated school fees, and vehicle deregistration are all being ignored.' She said the BJP government was deliberately avoiding accountability and turning the Assembly into a stage for political theatre. 'If the BJP is serious about history, they should form a committee of historians and archaeologists. Not a single person here is qualified to speak on this topic. The Assembly is meant to address real issues affecting the people, not indulge in distractions,' she added. Atishi said AAP MLAs were being silenced and evicted when they tried to raise public concerns. 'Why won't this government talk about jhuggi demolitions, school fee hikes, or the registration cancellation of old vehicles? Every time we raise these matters, we are thrown out of the House,' she said. She also cited writings by Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, who documented in the context of the 1857 revolt that the British had executed Indians not only in jails but also in other hidden sites like offices and school buildings. 'Despite this, the BJP seems more interested in defending colonial narratives than confronting real governance challenges,' she said. The origins of the 'Fansi Ghar' claim go back to 2021 when then Speaker Ram Niwas Goel announced the discovery of an underground tunnel connecting the Assembly with the Red Fort. In 2022, the AAP government inaugurated the alleged execution chamber, claiming it was used during British rule. Professional historians who attended Wednesday's session from the visitors' gallery also rejected the claim. Professor in the department of history with the Delhi UniversityManisha Chaudhary, said, 'The layout map from the National Archives demarcates this area as a lift. Also, structurally, for hanging a person, you have to take them to the top and make them stand on a platform before that does not seem to be there. Also, it is very unlikely that executions would be allowed in full view at a public space where elected representatives are holding discussions,' said Chaudhary. She explained that typically a 'Fansi Ghar' or execution space is located close to a jail so that the prisoners do not need to be taken far, considering the safety. 'All such places also maintain elaborate manuals and records of the hanging, details of the prisoner and the executioner, hanging orders, a doctor who confirms death and details of the officers present,' Chaudhary said.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Common Central Secretariat not just new buildings, direction of country will be set from here: PM Modi
Underlining the administrative reforms undertaken by his government over the past 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the new central secretariat building he inaugurated was not merely a building, but would be the site of deliberations for making India a developed country. 'These are not only some new buildings and ordinary infrastructure. In Amrit Kaal, the policies of Viksit Bharat will be made here, important decisions for Viksit Bharat will be taken. In the coming decades, the direction for the country will be set from here,' he said. Over the past 11 years, he said around 1,500 obsolete laws and 40,000 compliances had been done away with. He said with the use of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile, delivery of government schemes had become transparent and free of leakages. He said 10 crore fraudulent names had been removed from the list of beneficiaries of various schemes, saving Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Earlier in the day, the PM inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan 3, the first of the 10 Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings proposed by the government as a part of its Central Vista redevelopment plan. The building, located on Janpath, will house offices of the Ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, Petroleum and Natural Gas and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In the evening, he addressed a gathering on Kartavya Path, with ministers including Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, MPs, bureaucrats and government employees in attendance. At Kartavya Path, he said it was time to change the way the government thinks of files. To the employees who will be shifting into the new building, he said if a file that affects one lakh people is delayed on their desk, it means that one lakh human days are wasted. He said important ministries of the Union government, including Home Affairs, were working out of buildings constructed by the British colonial government. 'Workers here did not have adequate space, light or ventilation,' he said. He said those working at the new complex would a good working environment. He said Union government ministries operate out of 50 different locations across Delhi, with some working from rented spaces that cost the government `1,500 crore a year in rent. The PM also said 8,000 to 10,000 employees have to go from one building to another every day, leading to higher expenditure and traffic congestion. 'The grand Kartavya Bhavan and other major infrastructure projects are not only a testament to India's pace but also a reflection of its global vision,' he said.
