Page 107 - Social Issues
Rape victim threatens to kill herself after accused gets bail
A rape victim threatened to commit suicide at the Bombay High Court Friday after the accused in the case got bail. The woman started shouting "I want justice" and threatened to jump off the second floor after the high court granted bail to the accused, said a police official. The police personnel on duty outside the courtroom succeeded in calming her down. She was given a counselling and allowed to go, the officer said.
IT raids continue in KTKA, not even Rs 10 unaccounted money
Income Tax officials continued their searches in parts of KarnatakaFriday, even as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed that not even Rs ten unaccounted money was found in the raids. In a pre-dawn swoop Thursday, I-T sleuths had carried out coordinated raids at many locations across Bengaluru, Ramanagara, Kanakapura, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shivamogga. "It has not concluded yet," an I-T official said withoutdivulging any detail. Taking to the streets, Kumaraswamy had on Thursday staged a protest in front of the I-T department here in the first such protest by the State chief minister in recent memory. The crackdown came within a day after Kumaraswamy claimed Wednesday night that the I-T raids had been planned from 5 am on Thursday. The ruling Congress-JDS alliance alleged that the I-T raids were carried out on JD(S) leaders overseeing the elections of Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil, in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan. Kumaraswamy said, "I was watching the ...
A former MP who rolls beedis in MP's Sagar district
Away from rancorous political debates and rhetorics lives a former member of parliament in a common house in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district. He uses a bicycle to commute and often rolls 'beedi' to keep himself busy at a ripe age of 82.
Shah vows to deport infiltrators; citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist refugees in West Bengal
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said that his party would deport each and every infiltrator from West Bengal and would give citizenship to Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh refugees living in the state if voted to power again at the Centre.Shah, who was addressing an election rally here, said: "We are coming to power again at the Centre. We will identify and deport every single person who has been living in the state illegally.""I have come here to assure every Hindu, Sikh, and Buddha refugee in the state that providing citizenship to each of you is our commitment," he said.Taking on the opposition, Shah said: "National security is not important for the opposition, but infiltrators are important."He also accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led TMC government of appeasing Muslims, saying that her government sanctioned Rs 4,000 crore for 'madarsas' but the total budget of higher education in West Bengal was less than that.Shah said the Mamata government gave a monthly allowance to Imams ...
AAP fields transgender candidate from Prayagraj
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday fielded a transgender candidate from the Prayagraj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Shah vows to deport infiltrators; citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddha refugees in West Bengal
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said that his party would deport each and every infiltrator from West Bengal and would give citizenship to Hindu, Buddha, and Sikh refugees living in the state if voted to power again at the Centre.Shah, who was addressing an election rally here, said: "We are coming to power again at the Centre. We will identify and deport every single person who has been living in the state illegally.""I have come here to assure every Hindu, Sikh, and Buddha refugee in the state that providing citizenship to each of you is our commitment," he said.Taking on the opposition, Shah said: "National security is not important for the opposition, but infiltrators are important."He also accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led TMC government of appeasing Muslims, saying that her government sanctioned Rs 4,000 crore for 'madarsas' but the total budget of higher education in West Bengal was less than that.Shah said the Mamata government gave a monthly allowance to Imams ...
23 dead as cholera epidemic hits Yemen's Taiz
Twenty three people died in March following a cholera outbreak in Yemen's province of Taiz, officials said on Friday.
Delhi BJP asks EC to take action against Chinese apps on Facebook for spreading misinformation
The Delhi BJP Friday alleged that the "Chinese social media applications on Facebook" are spreading misinformation about the party and asked the Election Commission to take action against their interference in the poll process. In a letter to the Election Commission, the party said advertisements on the apps are being created and shared "with an intention to create a disinformation campaign against our party". The party also demanded legal action against the apps. Citing a media report about Facebook taking down some political ads by an app, the party said the app owned by a Chinese firm "has been a known hub for fake news content". The letter stated that such platforms, which do not have a significant presence in the country are known to be "hubs for problematic content including child pornography, fake news and other such content". "Through our own members, we have found that this app has also sent notifications and uploaded posts from their official hands to users with highly ...
Coimbatore diocese for rooting out cyber crime against women
: CSI Coimbatore Diocese Friday called for elimination of cyber violence against women and girls. In the backdrop of the recent sexual harassment incidents in nearby Pollachi, the diocese organised an awareness and confidence-building event on cyber security and human rights here, in which about 400 people attended. Addressing the event, Bishop Timothy Ravinder drew the attention to existing deficiencies in combating cyber crime against women and urged the women to come out openly when faced with sexual harassment or abuse. He told women to be self-confident and use the emergency hotlines as well as service providers and institutions when in distress. The event was to urge civil society to adopt zero-tolerance approach to prevent cyber violence against women and girls, Ravinder said. In her address, Inspector of Police Ruby of Gandhipuram special wing advised the women to download the app 'kavalan.sos' for any type of emergency, while going alone, particularly during ...
Health check-up for govt employees seeking exemption from
With a large number of government employees seeking exemption from election duty on medical ground, the Kendrapara district administration has ordered health check-up of those employees, an official said Friday. "We have ordered health check-up of people who are deputed on poll duty but have sought exemption from it on medical ground. As large number of applications reached us seeking exemption, the administration has been compelled to conduct health check up," said Kendrapara Collector, Dasarathi Satpathy. He said the objective of the health check-up is to gauge the genuineness of government employees seeking exemption from election duty on medical ground. On March 30, those seeking exemption from poll duty have been directed to appear before a medical board comprising doctors of district headquarters hospital, the collector said. If the medical board certifies the employee unfit to do poll duty, then the applicant would be exempted from election duty, Satpathy said.
Maldivian High Court orders release of ex-President
The Maldivian High Court has ordered the release of former President Abdulla Yameen from detention citing lack of evidence to hold him on allegations of witness tampering, the media reported on Friday.
AAP fields its first transgender candidate from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh Friday said his party has fielded its first transgender candidate from the Prayagraj seat in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Member of 'Kinnar Akhada' Mahamandaleshwar Bhawani Nath Valmiki will contest on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket from Prayagraj, Singh said. The senior AAP leader hoped that Valmiki wins and becomes the first transgender to become the Member of Parliament. "BJP has insulted the transgender community by bringing a derogatory bill (Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Bill, 2016) against them. "The AAP has utmost respect for the community and this move of ours proves it," he said. Valmiki, 46, is a social activist and has been a jury member of the Delhi international film festival. The other candidates fielded by the party in Uttar Pradesh include Ajeet Sonkar from Aliganj, Anju Saini from Sambhal and Aushutosh Bhrachari from Kanpur Dehat.
Chhattisgarh Cong MLA praises PM Aawas Yojana scheme
Chhattisgarh Congress legislature Kunwar Singh Nishad on Friday praised the Centre's ambitious Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, saying the scheme is very good for the poor.Nishad is a member of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly from Gunderdehi in Balod district of the state and is known for his simplicity."I am putting best of my efforts to successfully make people get the benefit of the scheme. If any scheme can help the poor realize their dreams of building a house, it should be implemented widely," Nishad told ANI.Nishad, reportedly used to live in a thatched house before becoming an MLA. A home for his father Dukhua Nishad is under-construction under the PMAY scheme in Arjunda village of Balod district.Dukhua Nishad said, "This is a very good scheme. I have heard that the government is giving Rs 2.2 lakh to build houses."In August last year, the Central government had stated that 1.07 crore rural houses were constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (rural) which aims at housing to
Modi government will bring NRC to Bengal: Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Friday said if the BJP was voted back to power at the Centre, the Modi government will implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal and smoke out all infiltrators from the state.
Over 600,000 older Japanese live in social isolation: survey
More than 600,000 Japanese people over 40 are living in complete isolation from society, staying at home for more than six months without social interaction, the government estimated on Friday. The phenomenon is so widespread in Japan it even has its own name -- hikikomori -- defined as someone who does not go to school or work for six months and does not interact with anyone outside their family during that time. A government survey published on Friday estimated there were 613,000 hikikomori aged between 40 and 64, nearly three-quarters of whom were male. "The number was bigger than we had imagined. Hikikomori isn't an issue only for younger people," a Cabinet Office official in charge of the survey told AFP. Until recently, it was thought to be an issue mainly affecting teenagers and people in their 20s but ageing Japan is seeing a growing number of middle aged hikikomori cloistering themselves away for longer periods of time. Around half of those included in the survey had been ...
US Congress asked to change laws against migrants
US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has asked Congress to change the laws to allow for faster deportation of migrant children from Central America, as well as the ability to detain families while they await their day in court.
US also 'probing' Google, Twitter for housing ad bias
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that has charged Facebook for housing discrimination via its advertising policies, is also probing Google and Twitter's housing ad policies.
'Us', a massive letdown from the 'Get Out' director
Film: Us; Starring: Lupito Nyong'o, Winston Duke; Director: Jonathan Peele; Rating: **(2 stars)
Mexico braces for new caravan of Central American migrants
Mexico is bracing for the possible arrival of the "mother of all caravans," even as doubts arise over whether the group of Central American migrants will be all that big. Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero has said a caravan of migrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala could be forming. "We have information that a new caravan is forming in Honduras, that they're calling 'the mother of all caravans,' and they are thinking it could have more than 20,000 people," Sanchez Cordero said Wednesday. But a WhatsApp group calling for people to gather Saturday in El Salvador to set off for Guatemala only has about 206 members. Activist Irineo Mujica, who has accompanied several caravans in Mexico, said reports about "the mother of all caravans" were false, claiming "this is information that (U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen) Nielsen is using to create fear." His group, Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said in a statement there was no evidence the new caravan would be that large, ...
Trump extends humanitarian program for Liberian immigrants
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a one-year extension of a humanitarian program that allows Liberians to live and work in the US, days before it was set to end. The White House issued a memo from Trump about the program for immigrants who came from the African nation to escape environmental disasters, the Ebola virus and war. The protected status for thousands of Liberians had been set to expire Sunday, which would have put them at risk for deportation. The Republican president decided last year to end the program, dating to 2007. He said then that it wasn't needed because conditions in Liberia have improved. Trump now says that, "upon further reflection and review," he has decided it's in the foreign policy interest of the United States to extend a "wind-down period" for the program for an additional year. Their re-integration "into Liberian civil and political life will be a complex task, and an unsuccessful transition could strain United States-Liberian relations and ...