Latest news with #Commission
India.com
an hour ago
- Politics
- India.com
Months before Bihar election, EC makes big announcement, plans to remove....
Election Commission ahead of Bihar elections takes big decision, plans to remove... The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the voter list is going on in Bihar before the assembly elections. Under the process so far, the names of more than 35 lakh voters are set to be removed from the list. These include those who have either been found dead, have permanently moved to other places or whose name is in more than one place. The Election Commission said on Monday that 83.66 percent counting forms have been received so far during the special intensive revision of the voter list in Bihar. According to the commission, the data so far has revealed that 1.59 percent (12,55,620) voters have been found dead, while 2.2 percent (17,37,336) voters have permanently shifted to other places. Apart from this, 0.73 percent (5,76,479) voters have been found registered at more than one place. According to the commission, on the basis of these figures, a total of 35,69,435 names will be removed from the voter list. This number is not final and it is possible to increase in the coming days, as the process of filling the forms is still going on. How many forms received so far? The commission said, out of a total of 7,89,69,844 voters in the state, forms of 6,60,67,208 voters have been received so far. Now only 11.82 percent voters are left, who have to complete the process of filling the form. There are still 11 days left till the last date for submission of counting forms. Now only 11.82 percent voters have yet to submit the counting form. Many of them have sought time to submit the form along with the documents in the coming days. According to the commission, 5.74 crore forms have been uploaded on the recently launched ECI-Net platform by the Election Commission till 6 pm on Monday. What Election Commission said about eligible voters? The Commission assured that extensive efforts are being made to ensure that 'no eligible voter is left out'. Soon, one lakh BLOs (Booth Level Officers) will begin the third round of door-to-door visits. They are also being assisted by 1.5 lakh BLAs (Booth Level Agents), who can authenticate and submit 50 enumeration forms per day. Keeping in mind the voters of urban areas, special camps are being set up in 5,683 wards of 261 urban local bodies (ULBs) of Bihar so that no urban voter is left out of the electoral rolls.
Jordan News
an hour ago
- Business
- Jordan News
Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission: Landmark Achievements Reflect the Economic Modernization Vision
Engineer Ziyad Al-Saaida, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), affirmed that the Commission continued in 2024 to fulfill its regulatory and oversight role over one of the Kingdom's most vital and strategic sectors. This has been guided by the Royal Directives and aligned with the priorities of the Economic Modernization Vision, all while fostering an investment-friendly regulatory environment that balances consumer protection and competitiveness. اضافة اعلان Al-Saaida highlighted that, in line with its commitment to enhancing energy supply security and diversifying local sources, the Commission facilitated the licensing of several strategic projects throughout the year. Most notably, it licensed the first natural gas compression station for locally produced gas from the Risha Field — a strategic step that boosts reliance on local production and supports the competitiveness of the industrial sector as part of a national drive toward efficient, safe, and sustainable energy sources. In the electric transport sector, Al-Saaida stated that the Commission licensed approximately 200 electric vehicle charging stations across the Kingdom. Additionally, over 80% of traditional electricity meters were replaced with smart meters in all sectors — a transformative step in the digitalization of the sector. This move improved consumption efficiency, enhanced billing mechanisms, and reduced electricity losses, aligning with the shift toward a smart, sustainable power grid. Regarding the natural resources sector, Al-Saaida noted that the Commission issued more than 4,900 import and export licenses for mineral raw materials in the past year. It also conducted over 2,900 field inspection tours aimed at protecting national resources from illegal exploitation of quarries and mines and enforcing strict quality control systems over extraction and trade operations. In the field of radiation and nuclear safety, the Commission achieved a regional milestone by linking its fixed radiation monitoring stations to the International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This made Jordan one of the first Arab countries to establish this connection, enhancing national preparedness for radiological emergencies and elevating international coordination standards in this critical area. In conclusion, Al-Saaida emphasized that the accomplishments of 2024 marked a qualitative leap in service delivery to licensees, investors, and citizens. These achievements also reinforced standards of transparency and governance, culminating in the Commission receiving the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency in the Infrastructure and Energy category — a prestigious national honor that reflects the efficiency of EMRC's workforce and the excellence of its institutional framework. He reaffirmed the Commission's ongoing commitment to institutional effectiveness, balanced regulation, and investment promotion — all in pursuit of a safe, sustainable, and highly efficient energy and minerals sector that serves the public interest.
Euractiv
2 hours ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Parliament threatens to block EU budget talks over €800bn ‘re-nationalisation' plan
The Parliament's two lead negotiators warned on Tuesday they would not even begin budget negotiations unless the Commission abandons its plan to centre EU spending on national reform plans that sideline MEPs. At stake is how the bulk of the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will be spent, just a day before the Commission is set to unveil the EU budget's radical overhaul. Under the proposed plan, two-thirds of the bloc's €1.2 trillion budget, currently earmarked for regions (Cohesion) and farmers (CAP), would be channelled through national reform plans, negotiated between the Commission and EU countries. Funds would be disbursed only after approval by the Commission and Council, removing the Parliament's ability to weigh in on matters beyond the plans' general guidelines. For MEPs, the idea is a non-starter. 'We reject any attempt to re-nationalise the EU budget,' said Siegfried Mureșan, co-lead on Parliament's position and budget point man of Ursula von der Leyen's centre-right EPP party, during a press conference. 'We will not accept, in any way, the path that the Commission wishes to take,' and it is 'crystal clear' from Parliament's mandate that they cannot accept the plans 'under any circumstances,' said Carla Tavares, Parliament co-lead on behalf of the centre-left S&D group. MEPs have long complained of being sidelined, as was the case in recent defence packages and the bloc's €650 billion COVID loan, which the reform-for-cash plan is modelled after. 'We have seen since 2019 that this European Commission was not sufficiently preoccupied with democratic accountability, transparency,' and involving the parliament, said Mureșan. The Commission argued that tailoring spending per country would greatly reduce administrative burdens and strengthen EU priorities. Still, the budget plan is unlikely to move forward without Parliament's approval. 'We can already say that we will not start the process if there is no clear, distinct CAP and cohesion policy,' Mureșan said. (mm)
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
European diplomats discuss deal with Israel to increase Gaza aid
'As long as it hasn't really improved, then we haven't all done enough,' she said, before calling for a ceasefire. European nations like Ireland and Spain have increasingly called for the EU's ties with Israel to be reassessed in the wake of the war in Gaza. A report by the Commission found " indications " that Israel's actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU — but the block is divided over what to do in response. Advertisement That public pressure over Israel's conduct that sparked a review of the EU's Association Agreement with Israel might've led Israel to reach an agreement, said an EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the deal. 'The humanitarian deal announced last week shows that the association agreement review and use of EU leverage has worked,' the diplomat said. Advertisement The war began after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, most of whom have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. Kallas said the ministers will also discuss Iran's nuclear program, concerns over developments in Georgia and Moldova, and new sanctions on Russia. The EU is readying its 18th package of sanctions on Russia, with holdouts within the bloc arguing over the keystone policy of capping oil prices to cut into Moscow's energy revenues. She welcomed the news from Washington that U.S. President Donald Trump will allow the EU to pay for American weapons to be sent to Ukraine — a stunning reversal of policy after he previously antagonized European allies while sending overtures to Moscow. The plan is designed to allow the U.S. to funnel more firepower to Ukraine to combat invading Russian forces during their summer military offensive while easing Washington's financial burden. Increased weapons shipments, combined with possible new penalties Trump has promised if a halt to the fighting isn't reached in 50 days, could push Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks that Trump has championed for months — so far with little to show for it.
7NEWS
3 hours ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
Musk's xAI faces European scrutiny over Grok's ‘horrific' antisemitic posts
The European Union on Monday called in representatives from Elon Musk's xAI after the company's social network X, and chatbot Grok, generated and spread anti-Semitic hate speech, including praise for Adolf Hitler, last week. A spokesperson for the European Commission told CNBC via e-mail that a technical meeting will take place on Tuesday. xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sandro Gozi, a member of Italy's parliament and member of the Renew Europe group, last week urged the Commission to hold a formal inquiry. 'The case raises serious concerns about compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA) as well as the governance of generative AI in the Union's digital space,' Gozi wrote. X was already under a Commission probe for possible violations of the DSA. Grok also generated and spread offensive posts about political leaders in Poland and Turkey, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Over the weekend, xAI posted a statement apologising for the hateful content. 'First off, we deeply apologise for the horrific behaviour that many experienced. ... After careful investigation, we discovered the root cause was an update to a code path upstream of the @grok bot,' the company said in the statement. Musk and his xAI team launched a new version of Grok Wednesday night amid the backlash. Musk called it 'the smartest AI in the world.' xAI works with other businesses run and largely owned by Musk, including Tesla, the publicly traded automaker, and SpaceX, the US aerospace and defence contractor. Despite Grok's recent outburst of hate speech, the US Department of Defence awarded xAI a $US200 million ($305 million) contract to develop AI. Anthropic, Google and OpenAI also received AI contracts.
