Latest news with #Greens-led
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Drink wine and dance on table': Australian Senator Fatima Payman calls out senior male colleague's remark
AP photo Australian senator Fatima Payman has formally complained that an "old male parliamentary colleague" asked her to drink alcohol and dance on the table during an official function. ABC News's Triple J Hack program first reported the news, quoting Payman as saying the colleague said, 'let's get some wine into you and see you dance on the table.' Payman, who is a Muslim and does not drink alcohol, viewed the comment as sexually suggestive and culturally offensive. She said that the incident took place at a work-related event where the male colleague "had had too many drinks." 'I don't drink and I don't need to be made … to feel left out because you do,' she said. She added that she drew a clear boundary at the time, telling the colleague, 'Hey, I'm drawing a line, mate.' "Being clear is being kind. You actually are helping somebody understand what your boundaries are by speaking up," she added. Payman further proceeded to file a formal complaint through the parliamentary workplace support service. She has since spoken positively about the way the PWSS handled her report. 'Being looked after and taken care of by the parliamentary workplace supports service was really, really good,' she said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo Elected in 2022 as a Labor senator for Western Australia, Payman left the party in 2024 after defying party lines to support a Greens-led motion recognising Palestinian statehood. In the 2022 Australian federal election, Payman was elected to the Australian Senate as a senator for Western Australia. She became the third youngest senator in Australian history. Payman is the first Muslim woman to wear a hijab in the Australian parliament.
Local Germany
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Local Germany
Berlin to return to 50km per hour speed limit on major roads
In an exclusive interview with the regional Berliner Morgenpost , CDU fraction leader Dirk Stettner said at least 24 main roads would see their speed limits lifted from 30km to 50km per hour. "That will be implemented this year," he said. The speed limit changes will affect multiple major thoroughfares in districts around the city, including Hauptstraße in Schöneberg, Elsenstraße in Treptow, Friedrichstraße and Postdamer Straße in Mitte, Hermannstraße in Neukölln, Tempelhofer Damm in Tempelhof and Joachimsthaler Straße in Charlottenburg. It will give drivers the chance to really step down on their accelerators in these streets for the first time since the 30km per hour speed limit was introduced seven years ago by the former Greens-led Transport Ministry. At the time, the SPD, Left Party and Green Party coalition had decided to lower the speed limit to improve air quality and road safety. READ ALSO: What drivers in Germany should know about government's plans According to Stettner, the 30km per hour speed limit will still be in place during evening hours. "We want to ensure that Berliners can sleep well and will therefore go to 30 km per hour at night and 50 km per hour during the day," he explained. Advertisement The 30km per hour limit will also be kept in place on side streets and on ten of the 34 main streets where the red-red-green coalition originally lowered the limit in 2018. This will apply to roads "where the health-threatening limit values for noise and nitrogen oxides are exceeded and where road safety requires it, such as in front of daycare centres, schools, senior citizens' or childcare facilities", Stettner said. The move is one of a number of changes in transport policy that have been introduced by the capital's first conservative-led government in decades. Since entering office, CDU Transport Senator Manja Schreiner has pushed through a number of car-friendly policies, halting the construction of cycle lanes that would result in fewer parking spaces for drivers and reopening Friedrichstraße to motor traffic. A cyclist rides down the car-free section of Friedrichstraße in 2022. The busy central street was reopened to cars in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Paul Zinken Environmental activists from BUND Berlin and Umwelthilfe and politicians from the Green Party have slammed the plans to once again raise the speed limit. Speaking to Morgenpost , BUND Berlin emphasised that the lower speed limit was not just about air quality, but also about fighting "noise and accidents in the growing city", which have continued to increase in recent years. READ ALSO: The German cities where drivers spend the most time stuck in traffic However, Stettner brushed off the criticism, arguing that the policy was in line with Germany's traffic laws. "According to road traffic regulations, 50 km per hour is the standard speed in city centres - period," he said. "The Greens' transport senator had her own reasons for introducing a lower limit," he added. "These reasons no longer apply."
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision
BERLIN - Germany's outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the future governing coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to curb irregular migration, reflecting a mounting public backlash after several violent attacks by migrants as well as increasing pressure on housing and other infrastructure. After the Western allies' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Germany felt a strong obligation to protect former local staff of German agencies and humanitarian organisations there, and established several programmes to resettle them along with particularly vulnerable Afghans. According to the Federal Foreign Office, a total of 36,000 people have entered Germany under such voluntary programmes, including a good 20,000 who were local staff and their families. Around 2,600 people approved for admission by Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) are currently waiting in Pakistan for a German visa and charter flights, 350 of whom are former local employees, the foreign office added. In addition to receiving admission approval, applicants must complete a visa process and security screening involving the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Police, and the Federal Criminal Police Office. The current Greens-led foreign ministry said that existing admission confirmations were legally binding and could only be revoked under specific conditions. This meant it could be difficult for the new government to cancel them regardless of who takes over the interior or foreign ministries. Germany's outgoing government arranged several resettlement flights in recent weeks, drawing criticism from conservative politicians who argued that the SPD-Greens coalition was rushing to admit new arrivals before it hands over. "For several weeks now, we've been seeing planes arrive in Germany on a daily basis. I believe that's wrong. It creates the impression that an outgoing federal government is trying to establish facts on the ground in its final days," Thorsten Frei, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, said. ProAsyl, a German NGO providing legal help to asylum seekers, warned that halting the final rescue flights would leave vulnerable Afghans at risk of torture or death if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. "The German government itself has determined their endangerment ... A return or deportation to Afghanistan could mean torture or even death for them," said Wiebke Judith, ProAsyl legal policy spokesperson. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision
By Riham Alkousaa BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the future governing coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to curb irregular migration, reflecting a mounting public backlash after several violent attacks by migrants as well as increasing pressure on housing and other infrastructure. After the Western allies' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Germany felt a strong obligation to protect former local staff of German agencies and humanitarian organisations there, and established several programmes to resettle them along with particularly vulnerable Afghans. According to the Federal Foreign Office, a total of 36,000 people have entered Germany under such voluntary programmes, including a good 20,000 who were local staff and their families. Around 2,600 people approved for admission by Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) are currently waiting in Pakistan for a German visa and charter flights, 350 of whom are former local employees, the foreign office added. In addition to receiving admission approval, applicants must complete a visa process and security screening involving the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Police, and the Federal Criminal Police Office. The current Greens-led foreign ministry said that existing admission confirmations were legally binding and could only be revoked under specific conditions. This meant it could be difficult for the new government to cancel them regardless of who takes over the interior or foreign ministries. Germany's outgoing government arranged several resettlement flights in recent weeks, drawing criticism from conservative politicians who argued that the SPD-Greens coalition was rushing to admit new arrivals before it hands over. "For several weeks now, we've been seeing planes arrive in Germany on a daily basis. I believe that's wrong. It creates the impression that an outgoing federal government is trying to establish facts on the ground in its final days," Thorsten Frei, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, said. ProAsyl, a German NGO providing legal help to asylum seekers, warned that halting the final rescue flights would leave vulnerable Afghans at risk of torture or death if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. "The German government itself has determined their endangerment ... A return or deportation to Afghanistan could mean torture or even death for them," said Wiebke Judith, ProAsyl legal policy spokesperson.
The Star
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the future governing coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to curb irregular migration, reflecting a mounting public backlash after several violent attacks by migrants as well as increasing pressure on housing and other infrastructure. After the Western allies' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Germany felt a strong obligation to protect former local staff of German agencies and humanitarian organisations there, and established several programmes to resettle them along with particularly vulnerable Afghans. According to the Federal Foreign Office, a total of 36,000 people have entered Germany under such voluntary programmes, including a good 20,000 who were local staff and their families. Around 2,600 people approved for admission by Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) are currently waiting in Pakistan for a German visa and charter flights, 350 of whom are former local employees, the foreign office added. In addition to receiving admission approval, applicants must complete a visa process and security screening involving the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Police, and the Federal Criminal Police Office. The current Greens-led foreign ministry said that existing admission confirmations were legally binding and could only be revoked under specific conditions. This meant it could be difficult for the new government to cancel them regardless of who takes over the interior or foreign ministries. Germany's outgoing government arranged several resettlement flights in recent weeks, drawing criticism from conservative politicians who argued that the SPD-Greens coalition was rushing to admit new arrivals before it hands over. "For several weeks now, we've been seeing planes arrive in Germany on a daily basis. I believe that's wrong. It creates the impression that an outgoing federal government is trying to establish facts on the ground in its final days," Thorsten Frei, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, said. ProAsyl, a German NGO providing legal help to asylum seekers, warned that halting the final rescue flights would leave vulnerable Afghans at risk of torture or death if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. "The German government itself has determined their endangerment ... A return or deportation to Afghanistan could mean torture or even death for them," said Wiebke Judith, ProAsyl legal policy spokesperson. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Markus Wacket and Miranda Murray; editing by Mark Heinrich)
