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LIVE! Britain’s Theresa May suffers crushing defeat over Brexit deal

07:51  Britain’s Theresa May suffers crushing defeat over Brexit deal:  

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal was defeated by a crushing margin in parliament, further complicating the country’s historic exit from the European Union and triggering a no-confidence motion against her government.  

May’s bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between London and Brussels, through a House of Commons was defeated by a margin of 202 to 432 – a majority of 230, the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history. 

Within minutes after the defeat, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced that his party would move a motion of no-confidence against May’s government, to be held on Wednesday.

Britain is set to exit the 28-member European Union, which it joined in 1973, on March 29. With just over two months to go until the scheduled departure, Britain is still undecide on what to do.

Hardline Brexiteers and Remainers opposed the agreement for different reasons. Many feared that Britain could lock itself into an unfavourable trading relationship with the European Union.

Over 100 lawmakers of May’s Conservative party – both Brexiteers and Remainers – overwhelmingly voted against the deal, leading to the worst parliamentary defeat for a government in recent British history.

The crushing defeat also marks the collapse of her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.

Following her defeat in the House of Commons, May said that the MPs have established what they are against but not what they are for.

“The house has spoken and the government will listen. It is clear that the house does not support this deal but tonight’s vote tells us nothing what it does support.

“Nothing about how, or even if, it intends to honour the decision the British people took in a referendum parliament decided to hold,” she said.

— PTI

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00:09  25% hike in college seats to enable quota for economically weak :  

The human resource developmen ministry announced on Tuesday that it will implement 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker section of the general category from the 2019 academic session and increase around 25 per cent seats in higher educational institutions and universities across the country.

 

Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the decision was taken at a meeting of officials from the ministry, University Grants Commission and the All India Council of Technical Education.

“The reservation will be implemented from the 2019-2020 academic session itself. Nearly 25 per cent seats will be added to ensure that the reservation does not disturb the existing quota for SC, ST and other categories. There are around 40,000 colleges and 900 universities across the country and supernumerary quota will be provided in these,” Javadekar told reporters.

The minister, however, did not specify the number of seats which will be added.

“The modalities are being worked out and within a week’s time we will have the exact number of seats that will be added. The operation manuals about how to implement the quota will be issued soon. The colleges and universities will also be asked to mention the quota in their prospectus as well and make infrastructural arrangements accordingly,” he added.

Javadekar also said that the private universities are also ready to implement the quota.

The Rajya Sabha on January 9 approved amending the Constitution to provide 10 per cent reservation to general category poor in jobs and education, with the government terming the landmark move as “slog over sixes”.

The quota will be over and above the existing 50 per cent reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. — PTI

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Source: Rediff