Page 112 - Social Issues
Renuka Shahane takes a stand on prostitutes
Actress Renuka Shahane stood up for prostitutes when actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi bracketed prostitutes and criminals in a tweet.
Congress slams Modi, calls him anti-poor
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi "anti-poor", the Congress party on Tuesday said it is "shameful" that the BJP and its leaders are opposing an anti-poverty scheme announced by Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Woman who housed Snowden granted asylum in Canada
Canadian authorities have granted asylum to a woman and her daughter who housed Edward Snowden in Hong Kong after the former NSA contractor leaked classified documents on US surveillance programmes in 2013, the media reported on Tuesday.
Hyderabad man attempts to immolate self inside police station
A man attempted to commit suicide on Monday by setting himself on fire inside the Lungerhouse police station in Hyderabad.Ch Srinivas, Circle Inspector, Lungerhouse police station said: "A person named Adil came into the station on March 25 at 8:30 pm to lodge a complaint. After lodging the complaint he went outside, poured petrol on himself and set himself on fire".According to Srinivas, head police constable along with others immediately doused the fire.The victim, who received 20 per cent burn injuries, was later taken to Osmania General Hospital for treatment.The inspector also revealed that Adil attempted to kill himself over love failure.
UBM - Informa Walks the Distance for a Good Cause
/ -- Raises INR 2,018,500 for Samarthanam Trust UBM-Informa, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B event's organiser globally, witnessed its first Walkathon in India - Walk the World 2019 as a fund raising activity. The organisation's flagship annual charity event was held at the stretch of South Mumbai's - Queen's Necklace at Marine Drive on 20th March 2019, Mumbai. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/675607/UBMLogo.jpg ) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840513/Informa_Logo.jpg ) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840483/WTW_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840482/UBM_Informa_WTW.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/840485/Yogesh_Mudras_UBM_Trust_Disabled.jpg ) The walkathon was a successful experience that witnessed 83 % participation from team members in UBM-Informa covering an aggregate distance of 2200 Kms to support and raise funds for the education of the beneficiaries of NGO - Samarthanam Trust for the ...
Trump administration wants Obamacare struck down
US President Donald Trump's administration has said that the entire Affordable Care Act or Obamacare should be struck down, in a dramatic reversal.
Hate speech spreading like wildfire through social media: UN Chief
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the rise of racism and intolerance in liberal democracies and authoritarian states, and said hate speech is "spreading like wildfire" through social media. I am deeply alarmed by the current rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, fed increasingly by nationalist and populist ideologies, Guterres said. Hate speech is entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media and radio. We are seeing it spread in liberal democracies and authoritarian states alike, he said at an event at the UN General Assembly on Monday. The event was held to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Guterres recalled the New Zealand mosque terrorist attack in which 50 people were killed by a self-avowed white supremacist gunman as the latest tragedy rooted in such poison. The UN Chief had last Friday visited the Islamic Center in New York to show solidarity and express his outrage. Today ..
Canada takes refugee who sheltered Snowden
A Filipino woman who helped shelter former NSA contractor Edward Snowden when he fled to Hong Kong has been granted refugee status in Canada. Lawyer Robert Tibbo said that his client Vanessa Rodel and her daughter Keana would arrive in Canada on Monday. Tibbo represented Rodel as she sought asylum in Hong Kong in 2013 due to an alleged kidnap and rape by militants in her homeland. The attorney asked her to help Snowden hide out there after he leaked documents revealing extensive U.S. government surveillance. Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodel's asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia. Tibbo and a nonprofit group called For the Refugees wants Canada to accept five others who helped Snowden. Snowden's lawyer decided to go public with the identities of the refugees after learning that movie director Oliver Stone had found out about them and would incorporate their role into his film on Snowden, which
Nepal, Japan ink labor agreement
Nepal and Japan have signed a labour pact under which Nepali workers residing in Japan will receive the status of 'Specified Skilled Workers' (SSW).The signed pact will come into effect from April 1 and would not include those who went to Japan earlier.Ram Prasad Ghimire, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and Masamichi Saigo, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal signed the pact on Monday.As per the Memorandum of Cooperation, a separate unit will be established under the Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE) to facilitate the recruitment the process of Nepali workers with the status of residence of SSW including call for applicants, facilitating the Japanese side to conduct the language and skills tests and overseeing the deployment of successful applicants to Japan.The MoC also states that a joint committee with representatives from both sides has been established to ensure the proper implementation of the MoC and to take necessary corrective measures to ..
UN officials: 13 million in Congo need aid in major increase
Top UN officials say the number of people needing humanitarian aid in Congo has increased dramatically in the past year to 13 million, including 7.5 million children. Henrietta Fore, head of the UN children's agency UNICEF, told a news conference Monday that 4 million of those children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and over 1.4 million from severe acute malnutrition "which means that they are in imminent risk of death." UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who just visited Congo with Fore, said the UN is appealing for USD 1.65 billion in humanitarian aid this year more than double the USD 700 million plus that it raised last year. He cited economic stresses, the turbulent political situation surrounding December's elections, violence, displacement, and the Ebola outbreak for the worsening humanitarian situation.
Pakistan: Seven people arrested for abduction, forced conversion of Hindu girls
Police have detained at least seven people, including a Nikah Khwan (marriage officiator), allegedly involved in the abduction, forced conversion from Hinduism to Islam, and underage marriage of two minor Hindu girls.Members of civil society also gathered outside the Karachi Press Club on Sunday to protest against the alleged abduction and forced conversion of two Hindu girls to Islam.Dawn reported that the two minor Hindu sisters, namely Reena and Raveena, belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, were abducted from their home in Daharki taluka of Ghotki district in Sindh on the occasion of Holi last week (March 21).During the demonstration, the protestors reminded the Sindh government of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, passed in 2014, which states that the minimum age of marriage is 18 years and making a person younger than that age marry is a punishable offence.The protestors criticised the Sindh police for not taking appropriate action into the matter and demanded that the ...
13 boat migrants detained on Italy's Sardinia
Cagliari (Italy), March 25 (IANS/AKI) Police in Italy's southern Sardinia on Wednesday intercepted 13 boat migrants who claimed to have arrived from Algeria aboard a small wooden boat with an outboard motor.
Saudi sisters free after six months stranded in Hong Kong
Two Saudi sisters marooned in Hong Kong have arrived in a safe third country after securing humanitarian visas, their law firm said on Monday, ending a months-long ordeal as they sought sanctuary from an abusive family. The siblings -- the latest example of Saudi women escaping the ultra-conservative kingdom only to find themselves stranded in foreign cities -- said they were "thrilled" their story had a "happy ending" after making a public appeal for their safety. The young women, aged 20 and 18, said they made a break from an abusive family during a holiday in Sri Lanka last September with the intention of heading for Australia, but they only made it as far as Hong Kong. The pair -- who use the aliases Reem and Rawan -- said they were intercepted at the airport by Saudi consular officials and their air tickets cancelled. Fearful they might be abducted, they entered Hong Kong as visitors but later had their passports revoked, leaving them stranded in the semiautonomous Chinese ...
Jet row: PSBs kept public interest in mind, says FM
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the steps taken by the lenders to take control of the ailing Jet Airways by acquiring 51 per cent stake was guided by keeping legitimate self and public interests in mind.
Union Minister Rajen Gohain acquitted in rape case
The Gauhati High Court on Monday gave a clean chit to Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain in a rape case, after the victim decided to withdraw complaint.
Rahul Gandhi promises min income scheme; says 20pc families to get Rs 72K annually
In a big-bang poll promise, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Addressing a press conference here, Gandhi said 20 per cent or five crore families belonging to the poorest category with monthly income less than Rs 12,000 would come under the scheme. "This is a ground breaking idea. It is a historic day for India and the final assault on poverty is beginning. We will wipe out poverty from the country," he said, adding that the scheme was finalised after thorough consultations with renowned economists and experts. However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley described the poll promise as a "bluff announcement", saying no other political party has betrayed India for more than seven decades in the name of poverty. He said the Congress has given to the people many ...
Imam who urged Czech Muslims to take up arms is fired
The head of Prague's Muslim community who urged Czech Muslims to acquire arms after the Christchurch attack has been sacked, the Czech Muslim Communities Centre said Monday. "Our meeting on March 24...decided unequivocally to cancel Mr Leonid Kushnarenko's membership of the Czech Muslim Communities Centre with an immediate effect," the Centre said on Facebook. "The reason behind this decision is the statement and acts of Mr Kushnarenko, which seriously harm the interests of... the Muslim community in the Czech Republic." Kushnarenko had offered to help Prague Muslims obtain firearms in a video message posted to Facebook after an Australian white supremacist killed 50 people in two mosques during a rampage in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15. "In light of the recent tragic events I inform all our members, in particular men -- all who want... to get armed to protect their health and property, contact me and I'll help you." Kushnarenko said. The Denik N daily quoted the ...
Chief Ministerial faces swayed votes in 2018: Survey
Chief Ministerial face was the most important factor influencing votes for or against candidates of various political parties during the 2018 Assembly elections in five states, says a survey conducted by an election watchdog.
Bangladesh Home minister to visit India next week
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan is likely to visit India next week during which he is expected to discuss various issues, including anti-terror cooperation and movement of illegal immigrants, officials said. According to the plan, Khan will have bilateral talks with Home Minister Rajnath Singh on May 1, where issues concerning both the countries will be discussed threadbare. Anti-terror cooperation, movement of illegal immigrants, and smuggling of cattle, arms and ammunition and a few other issues are expected to be discussed during the talks which will also be attended by top internal security officials of India and Bangladesh, a Home Ministry official said. However, no pact or memorandum of understanding will be signed during the Bangladesh home minister's visit as the model code of conduct is in force due to the Lok Sabha election. Radicalisation of youths and Rohingya refugees issues may figure in the dialogue, another official said. During the delegation-level talks, ...
People unsatisfied with government performance: Survey
"Better employment opportunities" is the top priority of Indian voters and they are unsatisfied with the government's below average performance, reveals a survey conducted by election watchdog - the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).