Category Archives: Abolition Of Work

The effectiveness of torture to obtain information is a myth that needs to be refuted

The writer is Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan

Today, on the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, I would like to reiterate the strong commitment of the European Union against the use of torture under any circumstances and remember the sufferance of the victims and survivors of torture throughout the world, no matter whether innocent or guilty of a crime.

Thirty years ago, on this day, the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into effect. Ratified by a large majority of the world countries (159 in total), the Convention prohibits the use of torture under any circumstances.

Stopping torture is one of the priorities of the European Unions foreign policy. The absolute ban on torture and ill-treatment enshrined in core United Nations human rights conventions is reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which states that No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

As an absolute right in the international human rights framework, the freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment cannot be limited for any reason. No circumstance justifies a qualification or limitation of absolute rights. No state of emergency is relevant to suspend or restrict them.

The European Union is concerned about the fact that in recent years, this absolute requirement of freedom of torture and the correspondent obligation of states to ensure this freedom has changed drastically around the world.

The war on terror that was declared after 9/11 and the attacks by radicalised individuals and groups contributed greatly to this change of mindset. Today, many people believe that freedom of torture is no longer a key guarantee for every citizen in a democratic state. More and more torture is said to be justified under certain circumstances such as national security or the fight against terrorism. Torture is increasingly considered by some state actors as legitimate interrogation technique for suspects of crimes while it should remain a despicable act considered as a crime under international law.

Torture is particularly destructive for the victims, but is also degrading for the ones who perpetrate it and harmful for the whole society. This is why it deserves to be eliminated globally.

In addition, the effectiveness of torture to obtain information is a myth that needs to be refuted. In this matter, it is even blatantly inefficient: not only is the information obtained widely unreliable, but is also extremely difficult, if not impossible, to verify. In many cases, the use of torture to obtain confessions is even more useless since it generally leads to false confessions.

Beyond the sole victims, torture also damages its perpetrators: if agents of a state carry on torture acts, it will damage the justice system as a whole, allowing it to work on the basis of unreliable forced confessions. Authorities carrying on torture will also see their moral authority damaged, giving legitimacy to its opponents.

The use of torture by the state institutions strengthens indeed the insurgencies. It gives voice to their claim of an unfair, immoral and inhumane justice system, consequently fuelling and giving credit to their propaganda. Torture has the capacity to turn the population against the state, depriving it of the popular support it needs to fight terrorism and insurgency, widening the recruiting grounds of militants. Torture is thus counterproductive. It is a failure of the authorities towards their own population: states should protect, not oppress, not torture.

Unfortunately still in a number of countries an improvement of the situation is mostly obstructed by a general climate of impunity. The lack of accountability of the state institutions pushes further away the possibility to punish them. Eradicating impunity after torture allegations will also require a strong and independent judiciary able to hold the other institutions accountable after a fair inquiry.

Putting an end to torture is not only the responsibility of the judiciary, it is the matter of everyone civil society, media and families of the victims as well as the rest of the population to make people aware of the existence of such deeds. It should also be remembered that the elimination of torture, when carried out, should never be taken for granted. A backsliding is always possible, annihilating decades of efforts.

The European Union has from its beginning pledged against the use of torture, and for the abolition of torture around the world. It has encouraged the adoption of legal guarantees, the reporting of torture acts, the judicial proceedings against perpetrators, but also the rehabilitation of victims. The recent review by the United Nations Committee Against Torture has shown that a lot of work remains to be done. The EU will continue to stand by those courageous individuals and institutions fighting to end torture around the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2017.

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Torture must end - The Express Tribune

Those who want Michael Eavis to be Prime Minister will have to wait, as one fast route for the Glastonbury festival founder to rise to the top of politics has been closed off for now.

Labour shadow chancellor, John McDonnell , said it wasnt possible to let unelected people into the shadow cabinet.

But responding to Somerset Lives light-hearted question, he did suggest there would be room for the ideas of the Eavis family.

And if either Emily or Michael became an MP, perhaps he wouldnt rule out a cabinet slot?

The Labour shadow chancellor, and key ally of Jeremy Corbyn , was speaking to Somerset Live after taking part in a discussion in the Left Field tent called is democracy broken?, which also featured co-leader of the Green party Jonathan Bartley and Faiza Shaheen.

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr McDonnell answered questions on:

You can watch the full interview above.

Highlights from the interview

I think Jeremy has engaged with young people, hes engaged with people of all ages actually. But particularly young people have just been inspired by him.

For a long period of time politicians never exuded any sort of hope for the future and what hes done is hes said to young people, if you get engaged you can change the world, you can create the future.

Theyve decided to turn up and vote and more importantly than that, theyre going to pursue their ideas.

Corbyns speeches had encouraged people at the festival to contribute their ideas and people interested in politics should join the Labour party to try to implement them, he added.

Lets look at the reality of whats happened under successive Tory Governments. Not building council housing, allowing housing in London in particular to be used for, not housing need, but for speculative gain.

And then what happens? You then crowd families into unsafe conditions in tower blocks. And you ignore the advice thats been given over the years about safety and sprinklers.

Im so angry about it, we should be angry about it. The anger means we will never allow this to happen again.

We can demonstrate that were picking up votes under the first past the post system and we can win a majority Labour government, Im convinced about that.

Were picking up increased voting all over the country because of the ideas and well always continue to do that.

Over the last ten years or so Ive been believed in proportional representation in some form maintaining the constituency link is the system that I want because I think its a fairer system.

But Im in a minority in the Labour party at the moment and in the overall political debate. I still think we can win that argument and that eventually we need a fairer system.

Theres other reforms which need to take place. I also talked about the abolition of the House of Lords.

How do we bring forward a really detailed rural policy? Thatll mean us coming down here, holding more and more community consultations, and more importantly to engage with people, listening to people. In some ways the election being called interrupted that work.

He added the detail of policies targeted at helping the people of Somerset would be developed in detail after hearing what local people think.

Similar sessions on economic policy in the West Country had always been packed out, he said.

The need for infrastructure investment in this area has been sadly neglected. If we can get fair infrastructure investment around the whole of the country, rather than just piling it into London and the home counties in the south east as it is at the moment, I think we can turn the rural economy around."

I saw Stormzy last night, it was just terrific and hes one of our supporters as well.

And I saw Alison Moyet as well. Shes always superb, her set was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Just the whole crowd rose up in support, it was fantastic.

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John McDonnell on his favourite Glastonbury 2017 acts, Jeremy Corbyn's visit and whether Michael Eavis could join ... - Somerset Live

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives recently passed a bill meant to repeal a landmark law enacted under President Barack Obama.

No, Im not referring to the Affordable Care Act but rather the Dodd-Frank Act. The law, passed in 2010, was designed to prevent another banking meltdown like the one that precipitated the Great Recession, the worst economic crisis in the United States since the 1930s.

But no matter how much President Trump wants to unravel his predecessors legacy, he and his allies must know that even outright repeals cannot negate the new realities unleashed by the laws. Because of the Affordable Care Act, health care has morphed from just another cog in the U.S. economy to a fundamental expectation that all citizens, regardless of age, income or geography, should receive some level of care.

Similarly, Dodd-Frank has created new facts: mainly, the belief that banks must not again become too big to fail and that taxpayers must not bail them out if they do. That mind-set will remain no matter what happens to the law.

Dodd-Frank is not going away, said Jackie Prester, a former federal bank examiner who now chairs the financial services transactions group at Baker Donelson law firm in Memphis. And while Congress will probably wind up just tweaking Dodd-Frank, the real issue is not the law itself but rather how the regulatory agencies implement it, she said.

One of the core principles of Dodd-Frank was that large banks like JPMorgan, Citibank and Wells Fargo in San Francisco must carry more capital on their balance sheets against liabilities like loans and mortgages. The Federal Reserve is implementing international standards that require banks to possess enough highly liquid assets (things they can quickly turn into cash) to cover obligations over a 30-day period sufficient time for the feds to take action to stabilize the industry.

The idea is to not only prevent a panic and a run on the banks but also to discourage banks from risky behavior. Requiring banks to put up more cash to cover risk means they will be less likely to do something risky.

Dodd-Frank is very, very big on strong capital requirements, said Clifford Rossi, a former chief risk officer at Citigroups consumer lending unit who now teaches finance at the University of Maryland. You can cure a lot of sins by pushing the industry to take smaller risks.

The House bill, however, provides an off-ramp for banks to get exemptions from these Dodd-Fank requirements providing they maintain high levels of capital.

That worries Rossi, who fears that banks will go crazy again.

Banks dont need a lot of encouragement to say, We can push the pedal to the metal, he said.

Its not clear whether this provision will survive the Senate. Because of Dodd-Frank, the industry is now well capitalized, which has significantly reduced the prospect of another banking crisis.

Increased capital requirements and stronger regulation and supervision has created a much safer financial sector, according to a report by the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.

The other enduring feature of Dodd-Frank is the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. To conservatives and Republicans, the agency is just another example of yet another unnecessary federal bureaucracy stifling the economy.

But the House bill does not call for the abolition of the agency just greater control over it.

For that reprieve, supporters of the agencys work can thank Wells Fargo.

In September, the agency fined the bank $100 million because employees opened savings, checking and credit card accounts in the names of customers, without their consent, to meet aggressive sales goals. Wells Fargo eventually admitted that a wayward sales culture had prompted employees to create up to 2 million fraudulent accounts.

That led to CEO John Stumpfs sudden retirement and instituted reforms throughout the company to prevent another such scandal.

Although several agencies, including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve, already regulate banks, it was the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that brought the scandal to the attention of Congress and the broader public. Which begs the question: Without Dodd-Frank, would Wells Fargo employees have gone on engaging in fraud unchecked?

Thats a fair question, said Prester, who previously worked at the Office of the Comptroller. Why didnt any of the other regulators see it before Dodd-Frank?

In other words, the agency did exactly what Dodd-Frank created it to do: focus on protecting consumers in a way other regulators couldnt or wouldnt.

So Dodd-Frank may get chipped away. But the laws legacy is intact: higher expectations of our banks, and higher expectations of their regulators. Those are written in our minds, not in the text of any bill.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee

Originally posted here:

Despite Republican opposition, Dodd-Frank not going anywhere - San Francisco Chronicle

Consultative meeting of Lebanese political powers held at the presidential palace in Baabda on June 22. (NNA)

Beirut A consultative meeting chaired by Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday at the presidential palace in Baabda gathered heads of the political parties participating in the current government and was capable to adopt the plan of action for the cabinets economic and reformist items.

Most importantly, in the statement prepared earlier by Aoun and later approved at the meeting, is the item which stressed that Lebanon requires us to agree on the National Charter document and maintain our pluralistic system for a full transition to the comprehensive civil state, in what it includes of parity (), up to the formation of a national commission for the abolition of sectarianism.

Participants in the meeting also stressed the need for administrative decentralization, and announced the rejection or resettlement and naturalization of any group, according to the statement.

However, head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea noted his reservation on the first item related to the establishment of a national commission for the abolition of sectarianism.

During his remarks at the meeting, Geagea said the timing for suggesting such a commission was not suitable. There is a need to protect Lebanons current unique and diverse structure and spare the country the woes of wars that surround us, sources from his party told the Markzia news agency.

The sources said a dispute emerged between Geagea and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Kanso when the latter suggested that Lebanon and Syrias government should work together on the issue of Syrian refugees and their return home. Geagea stressed there will be no cooperation between the two governments.

At the economic level, the consultative meeting said that Lebanon, which is economically sound, needs to implement a comprehensive economic plan, which will generate the State budget, secure economic growth, create jobs and promote balanced development. It also called for the revival of the Economic and Social Council as soon as possible.

Conferees also urged the government to implement the economic plan to invest in the offshore petroleum wealth and complete its legal frameworks, speed up the provision of fast communications at the lowest prices and adopt transparency as the first criterion of work in our institutions.

Asharq Al-Awsat is the worlds premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.

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Lebanon: 'Consultative Meeting' Approves Government's Plan Of Action - Asharq Al-awsat English

By LC Goyal

Credible institutions are essential to ensure good governance political executive and civil services are two such institutions. The current political leadership, particularly at the Centre, is widely recognised as strong and decisive and as being focussed on both policy and implementation. Making of New India is the new normal.

This essentially comprises specific steps to facilitate higher economic growth, providing the poor and middle class their due, and a society based on greater equity and social justice. In order to realise this vision of New India propounded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, civil services will need to reinvent themselves. Public servants must redefine their role and become proactive 'agents of change', disrupting the status quo.

Indeed, they would need to possess a deeper sense of commitment to public service or the common good, and function as servants of the public rather than as officers. They can no longer have any excuses on this score. Equally, officers who take bona fide decisions in public interest and for the larger common good should be encouraged and provided protection in the event of false allegations or unsustainable inquiries initiated against them.

In 2013, when i worked in the cabinet secretariat as special secretary, we had issued instructions that no action will be taken against officers merely on the basis of anonymous or pseudonymous complaints. Further, we had also, in association with DoPT, initiated certain amendments in the Prevention of Corruption Act that, inter alia, are aimed at ensuring there is a clear distinction between misconduct and criminal misconduct and that retired officers are also protected from unnecessary investigation or prosecution for bona fide decisions taken by them.

Such amendments are still a work in progress. There is an urgent need to go through with these amendments to protect upright and diligent officers for doing their work conscientiously.However, accountability of public servants needs to be enforced more vigorously. It is generally believed that government officials are able to get away without adverse consequences for not doing work or not taking decisions. In other words, non-performers run no risk of being held accountable. This is not to deny that there are a good number of officers who do their duty sincerely, quietly and professionally.

It is welcome that Modi government has been taking steps to ensure accountability at higher levels of administration. Similar action is warranted below the level of joint secretary too. A majority of decisions are taken largely based on the notes written by director and under-secretary level officers.

Integrated Finance Division (IFD), which is headed by a joint secretary or an additional secretary level officer as financial adviser, also needs to be more positive and flexible in taking forward the agenda of New India, while adhering to the principle of financial prudence.They need to keep the big picture in mind. Indeed, the whole IFD system merits n analytical review to enable quicker an analytical review to enable quicker decision making and release of funds. A paradigm shift is needed in the mindset of officials working in IFD, to be in sync with the requirements of an India aspiring to be a global power. In my view, senior officers of civil services should also own responsibility to change their hackneyed approach.

The issue of accountability is even more critical at the lower rungs of bureaucracy at the state and sub-state levels, for the common citizenry has to come in frequent contact with lower level government functionaries and very often has to face their rent seeking behaviour, in other words petty corruption. Greater use of IT and making mandatory online delivery of public goods and services within given timelines at the Centre and particularly in states, with fines to be imposed on negligent and erring officials, will go a long way in enforcing accountability.

Another imperative of good governance is to ensure minimum government and maximum governance, as enunciated by Modi when the present government came to office in 2014.This essentially means greater ease of doing business and requires that rules, regulations, systems and processes of government functioning be rationalised and simplified. These need to be easy to understand and should not result in any delay. This would also require increased use of technology in every manner of interaction with government and government functionaries.

A lot of work is now being done at the Centre and in many states but a lot more remains to be done. This would not happen on the scale needed unless senior members of civil services show greater passion and initiative in this regard.

Apart from continued simplification of processes and systems, there is an urgent need to achieve rightsizing of government at different levels. The lesser the number of ministries departments, the better it is for governance.Such rationalisation or merger of certain ministries departments aims to reduce multiple structures, achieve better synergy and affinity between related subjects and ensure the desired outcomes in terms of better policy formulation, coordination and implementation. This exercise will also entail abolition of certain secretary level posts.

Public servants need to reaffirm their deep commitment to converting the vision of New India into reality. They should feel impatient and inspired to work with the political leadership in changing the status quo and making India a strong and inclusive country in its march towards being a global power.

The writer is CMD of India Trade Promotion Organisation

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Civil services need to reinvent themselves and become proactive agents of change - Economic Times

Sitting in sagging vintage chairs at Anna Bannanas in St. John's, the two curators behind the Nat Turner Project explain why their collaboration is named after the 1831 slave rebellion leader.

"We wanted to make noise" says maximiliano, co-founder of NTP, which is dedicated to works by artists of color. "We wanted to disrupt."

So it's strange how empty and almost serene their new show at c3:initiative's gallery space initially seems. In the main gallery, there's a TV mounted on a wall playing a video installation; hanging from the ceiling in a far corner, there's a bag of blood-red apples sagging from a net made of hair. But the rest of the works in Jaleesa Johnston's Territories of (E/e)nlightenmentsix sparse collages on white and beige canvasalmost blend into the walls. Sharyll Burroughs' interactive Reintegration, is tucked behind a heavy black curtain in a small room off the main gallery space.

But the bareness is kind of a meditativeyou can give each work your full attention without running out of brain juice before you've reached the end of the exhibit. Plus, it's totally intentional. "How much space a work gets I feel like speaks to the value of that work and the gravity it's considered with," says NTP's other founder Melanie Stevens.

According to Stevens and maximiliano (both recent graduates of one of PNCA's MFA programs), artists of color in Portland don't usually that kind of space. "When you're an artist of color, there's this idea that identity art has to be packaged a certain way," says Stevens.

As Steven puts it, NTP formed out of a desire to "create this environment so that one artist of color does not have to represent an entire barrage of voices." That means giving the artists of color they work with as much freedom as possible, and not exclusively presenting their art as "identity art." So the odd location of their first show (which opened last August), was almost idealthe works were displayed in a PNCA bathroom. An upperclassman started the tradition, and when he graduated, NTP took over. "He tried to imitate a white box gallery," says maximiliano. "We wanted to be like 'Here's this unconventional space, what can you do with it?'"

In honor of Juneteenth (the celebration of the abolition of slavery), both of the artists in the first of NTP's two shows at c3 are black women. Burroughs' Reintigration has a simple premise: Participants can walk into to the dim room one at a time, where Burroughs sits at a table with a chess clock on it. Projected on the wall behind her is a photo of two figurines constructed according to Plantation-era South stereotypes, gilded in gold and enlarged to take up half the wall. She instructs the participant that they're going to say then-word back and forth for two minutes. The chess clock is for those who choose to tap out.

Johnston's series of collages are at first unassuming and almost surreal: They depict bodies that are headless, and sometimes just reduced to just legs and arms. But they begin to feel like they're giving off a kind of desperation. They're so close to being vibrant and intimate, but the bodies are fractured in a way that seems to intentionally deprive them of the humanity they'd otherwise achieve. On one of the canvases, two disembodied arms reach out to touch hands.

When the duo behind NTP talk about creating space for artists of color, they seamlessly transition from talking about physical space and conceptual freedom. "Discomfort is our mission," says maximiliano, "But I don't know if I would necessarily say that all our shows are about discomfort, because it's still the artist's agenda and what they want."

"Stripping away the pressure to be one voice representing all of the voices," adds Stevens, "is I think the biggest disruption that you can make in this environmentletting works by an artist of color stand on their own."

SEE IT: The June Show is at c3:initiative, 7526 N Chicago Ave., c3initiative.org. Through July 1.

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The Nat Turner Project Creates Literal Space For Artists of Color In "The June Show" - Willamette Week

By ALEXIS BIERMAN | news@waxahachietx.com

WAXAHACHIE As General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston to announce the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, African-Americans rejoiced.

They had broken the chains of slavery as free Americans.

One-hundred-and-fifty-two years later, Texas continues to observe the holiday as a way of paying homage to the hardships that African-Americans were faced with just over a century-and-a-half ago. And, while the entirety of Texas played a role in the billion-dollar industry, Ellis County helped pave the way.

The largest cotton-producing county in the early 1900s, Ellis County became prime real estate for those seeking to flee the new anti-slavery policy put into effect by the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. However, because Texas was not labeled a battleground state, slave owners began flocking to the area in hopes that their "property" wouldnt be affected by the executive order.

With these new challenges in mind, slaves in the Confederate South began exploring new ways to flee, explains Dr. Jamal Rasheed, author, producer and owner of the Ellis County African American Hall of Fame in Waxahachie.

In 1936, a gentleman named Victor Hugo Green produced The Negro Motorist Green Book, which we just call 'The Green Book,' Rasheed said. In it was listed all of the places in the south that were safe for African Americans to travel to and stay for safety. In that book, there were four houses that are located right here in Waxahachie.

Various other memorabilia can be found in the Ellis County African-American Hall of Fame, where African-Americans and some Caucasians are recognized for their role in both the slave-era and Civil Rights Movement. In the renovated space that formerly acted as a meeting ground for African-Americans attending prom, there lies hundreds of photographs, preserved artifacts and patterned quilts.

Though deemed a beautiful decoration at first glance, one would never know the momentous role the stitched fabric once played in the lives of slaves.

These quilts provided directions to slaves who were traveling along the Underground Railroad, Rasheed explained. They would tell them which way to go for a different passage. Each of the quilts told them where a railroad was using stitched designs and colors that told them which way to go.

With staggering facts and living proof of the lengths enslaved people took to find freedom, it is difficult to understand how an entire race was capable of such cruelty; even scarier, in our very own backyard. But despite the inhumane racial climate hundreds of years ago, the Chicago-native says people should be happy with how far the country has come.

All of you should be pleased with what you see, Rasheed said. You see a multi-cultured community. You see integrated and multicolored schools. Youre here in a place that years ago, you couldnt stand. I had a guy walk up to me and say, Rasheed, I used to shine shoes around that corner. Couldnt come over here. I had to fight my way across the tracks, but now you dont have to do that anymore. Now that word is out that you have all of these capabilities, you have the opportunity to do all of these things that you couldnt do before June 19th. You have the opportunity to make that beloved community that Martin Luther King talked about.

However, Rasheed wants the community to know that there is still plenty of work to be done.

What Juneteenth should represent isnt how far the African-American community has come, but how much of the future we still have to plan, he said. We still have to plan our future, and in doing that, it must be inclusive- not segregated. June 19th slowly opened up the doors for opportunity. Let us hope that it continues to open up those doors.

Anyone looking to visit the museum can go to 441 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Waxahachie.

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Celebrating Juneteenth: From quilts to homes, Ellis County once proved pivotal for African-Americans seeking freedom - Waxahachie Daily Light

A member of the House of Representatives , Hon Kehinde Agboola representing Ekiti North 1 (Oye -Ikole) Federal Constituency of Ekiti state at the Weekend kicked against the suspension of tenure policy for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in Federal Civil Service of the Federation, saying that the action if not reversed would be counterproductive.

This came just as the lawmaker is canvassing for the immediate reversal of the existing 60 years retirement limit policy for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in the federal civil service, except for those whose tenure would extend to the retirement age.

Speaking with News men in Abuja on the motion he presented on the floor of the House to that effect last Thursday at the Plenary, Hon Agboola argued that if their occupation of offices are not tenured, the workers in these categories may spend upwards of 10 years or more in office, their depriving workers down the line from succeeding them before their own retirement ages.

The motion titled, Need to reinstate the abolished civil service tenure policy, by Hon Kehinde Agboola, was unanimously adopted through the vice vote

The members while debating the motion were of the opinion that if the positions were not tenured, as it used to be the practice, promotions and upgrading would hardly be achieved.

President Muhammadu Buhari had a year ago ordered the suspension of the tenure policy in the federal civil service.

Introduced by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, under the administration of late President Umaru YarAdua, the plan had prescribed two terms of four years each for permanent secretaries of ministries, while directors were entitled to an eight-year tenure.

With the new directive, civil servants could now stay in service until they are 35 years in service or they turn 60.

Leading the debate on the motion, Agboola urged the House to direct the government to reinstate the abolished policy as it would further intrinsically result in politicizing the system and scaling up systemic corruption contrary to the dictates of a government that has anticorruption precept as one of its cardinal objectives.

The lawmaker argued that one of the ways the non-tenured workers corruptly enrich themselves while in office is deploring the biometrics tools to alter and falsify their work records.

Agboola also appealed to the House to mandate its Committee on Public Service Matters to ensure compliance and report back in four weeks.

According to him. Its sad that when a permanent secretary and directors are allowed to stay in office more than necessary, in the name of working to attain the 35 years work period or 60 years retirement age limit, they keep altering their records, especially their ages through the biometrics option

This does not create opportunity for workers down the line to move up. Let their offices be based on tenure as it used to be so that as they complete the required years, they can go and rest.

They can leave and begin to mentor others. Some of them can even join politics. We need them here, but if they remain they until it gets to the point they cannot do anything again, it will not be good for the system,

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Rep kicks against abolition of tenure policy for perm secs, directors ... - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)

Ex-union bossKathy Jacksonhas long struggled with rules like the finer points of the Corporations Act, which state it is illegal to use work credit cards to pay for personal holidays, clothes or mortgage repayments.

All her time spent unsuccessfully fighting those sorts of claims in a Federal Court civil suit apparently didn't impress on her howfinicketycourt types get about rules and such.

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Deborah Thomas steps down as CEO of Ardent Leisure, the parent company of Dreamworld, six months after a ride tragedy claimed four lives at the theme park. Nine News

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Prices are set to drop at Whole Foods Market in the US, as Amazon takes over and takes aim at Wal-Mart's groceries business, which accounts for more than half of its revenue.

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The stand out listings traded on the ASX captured at key moments through the day, as indicated by the time stamp in the video.

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There's still time to rip an extra two per cent off the tax man, and it might just be the best thing you could do with your money. Michael Pascoe comments.

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It is almost exactly 10 years since the financial world began a wobble that would swing into what we now know as the global financial crisis.

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With the Fed sounding confident on its inflation outlook and an increasingly hawkish stance, we are seeing green shoots that the USD is ready see better days. Could this pose a problem towards equities?

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Find out why the head of the Macquarie Group Nicholas Moore says the bank shouldn't be subjected to the Turnbull government's bank levy.

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Ken MacKenzie has been named the next chairman of BHP, taking over from Jac Nasser on September 1. Vision courtesy ABC News

Deborah Thomas steps down as CEO of Ardent Leisure, the parent company of Dreamworld, six months after a ride tragedy claimed four lives at the theme park. Nine News

On Monday morning, in the middle of a hearing into her alleged theft of half a million dollars of Health Services Union funds, Jackson was given a brisk refresher.

As prosecutors and defence counsel laboured over the slew of allegations against her there are 164 charges on the sheet now the one-time whistleblower got up and made for the courtroom door, but was quickly stopped in her tracks.

"I don't think you can just leave the court, Ms Jackson," said magistrateCharlie Rozencwajg. As a side note, the last time CBD spotted Jackson andRozencwajgin the same roomwas when another HSU bossCraig Thomsonwas fighting charges over allegations of credit card misuse. Jackson was along as a prosecution witness.

Anyhow back to Monday's court room where Jackson turned to the magistrate and mouthed that she needed to use the bathroom.

"Well,"Rozencwajgsaid, "get your counsel to ask."

Jackson was eventually allowed to leave.

Given the tenseness of the past week through a series of releases to the media, the extraordinary general meeting of Ardent shareholders on September 4, called by major shareholder Ariadne, should be a fiery affair.

But there are a few hurdles for Gary Weiss and Kevin Seymour's Ariadne to get over, one being that Ardent has already won support from 8 per cent shareholder Ausbil Investment Management, which said Ariadne was trying to take control of Ardent without paying a premium and without having demonstrated why it would do a better job.

"What they are proposing is a takeover by stealth," Ausbil chief executive Paul Xiradis said. "Why would shareholders support it and effectively hand over control without a premium?"

According to CBD's spies, the tough approach of the Sir Ron Brierley protege, Gary Weiss has put off a number of shareholders, as well as the board of Ardent, with one proposed strategy being to sell or redevelop Dreamworld and sell Main Event, the US company now producing more than 50 per cent of the group's profit.

Prominent Queensland property developer Seymour, who recently bought a $400,000 bright red Ferrari California for his 21-year old grandson, Ben, has already flagged his interest in the Dreamworld property.

But Kevin may have to give Gary a lift in the red car, which he said he may drive "occasionally", as Mrs Seymour has refused to drive in it, saying it's too pretentious.

Meanwhile, Gary will be keeping a close eye on what's happening at the Australian Rugby League Commission, which is about to lose John Grant as chairman.

With Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull struggling in the newspolls, one would think he would be looking to his old mates at the pointy end of the city for some support.

But it seems, even they could be leaving him off the lunch invite list, given how worked up chief execs are about the abolition of 457 work visas.

Of course, the visas are being replaced with temporary skills shortage visas, but this hasn't done much to win the hearts and minds of the business world generally the heartland of the Liberal Party.

At the Crawford Australian Leadership Forum in Canberra on Monday, a coterie of heavy-hitters didn't hold back on their disdain of the move, calling the plan, "hypocritical" and "retrograde".

Even Jamie Briggs, the former Turnbull government frontbencher, who quit after an "incident" in a Hong Kong bar, popped in to see what was happening, wearing his new PwC hat.

The most vocal at the forum were Coca-Cola head, Alison Watkins, whose group employs workers on 457 visas and miner Woodside's Peter Coleman, who needs a vast array of different staff.

But the PM always assures the voters that he never looks at opinion polls, so we guess it's more white noise circulating around the alleyways of Canberra.

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Kathy Jackson gets a refresher on court etiquette - The Sydney Morning Herald

Demonstrators, marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, protest along West Florrisant Street on August 10, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

On June 19 we commemorate the freedom of slaves after the abolition of slavery in Texas and the Confederate South. Here are the most inspirational sayings about Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth and commemorates the date when the Union General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island, Texas with 2,000 troops to establish a federal presence in Texas and officially free slaves in the once Republic.

Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.

Texas was the last to hear that the Civil War was over because it was very isolated geographically. In fact, the Army of the Trans-Mississippi did not surrender until June 2, 1865 despite the Civil War being declared over nearly a month earlier on May 9.

Here are the most inspirational quotes:

1. the 19th of June wasnt the exact day the Negro was freed. But thats the day they told them that they was free And my daddy told me that they whooped and hollered and bored holes in trees with augers and stopped it up with [gun] powder and light and that would be their blast for the celebration. Haye Turner, former slave

2. Every year we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one defines the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. Thats why we need this holiday. Texas Democratic Rep. Al Edwards

3. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Abraham Lincoln

4. I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves. Harriet Tubman

5. My people have a country of their own to go to if they choose Africa but, this America belongs to them just as much as it does to any of the white race in some ways even more so, because they gave the sweat of their brow and their blood in slavery so that many parts of America could become prosperous and recognized in the world. Josephine Baker, African-American entertainer and activist

6. The flag that was the symbol of slavery on the high seas for a long time was not the Confederate battle flag, it was sadly the Stars and Stripes. Alan Keyes

7. Now Ive been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave. Harriet Tubman

8. I would have the Constitution torn in shreds and scattered to the four winds of heaven. Let us destroy the Constitution and build on its ruins the temple of liberty. I have brothers in slavery. I have seen chains placed on their limbs and beheld them captive. William Wells Brown, prominent African-American abolitionist

9. Slavery is theft theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave might have borne. Kevin Bales, Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham

10. Where annual elections end where slavery begins. John Quincy Adams

June 19, 2017, is Juneteenth Independence Day and commemorates the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865 and throughout the Confederate South.

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Juneteenth 2017: Best Quotes About Emancipation From Slavery - Heavy.com