Page 16 - Social Issues
Tens of thousands join Mideast's biggest gay pride fest
Tens of thousands of revellers lined the streets of Israel's seaside city of Tel Aviv on Friday for the largest gay pride event in the Middle East. Men and women in colourful costumes, including several dressed as samba dancers, paraded through the streets on motorised floats or sashayed alongside. One float depicted a gym, with musclebound young men in shorts, and another held drummers and dancers. Loudspeakers blasted dance tunes and favourites from last month's Eurovision song contest, which was held in Tel Aviv. With the temperature Friday at a balmy 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) clothing was for the most part minimal. Rainbow flags fluttered in the Mediterranean breeze alongside those of Israel and the United States. Downtown streets were closed to traffic for the afternoon and a police statement said that "hundreds" of officers would secure the route of the parade. According to the Tel Aviv municipality, 250,000 people participated in the march, which weaved though .
Under fire at home and from Trump, Mexico races to roll out migration deal
Mexico is racing to implement its deal with the United States to curb migration, the country's foreign ministry said Friday before briefing skeptical lawmakers demanding details on the "secret agreement" President Donald Trump keeps flaunting. Mexico got a 45-day reprieve from Trump's tariffs under last Friday's deal, and is keen to show Washington it is doing everything it can to stem what Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called "one of the largest migrant flows in the world": Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence to seek asylum in the US. But Ebrard and leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also have to convince the Mexican people and Congress they did not get shafted in negotiations with the Trump administration. Ebrard faced a likely grilling as he appeared before the Mexican legislature, where lawmakers want him to explain what exactly is in the mysterious document that Trump waved around in front of reporters this week, saying "That's the agreement that everybody
DDA to launch special online housing scheme 2019 for SC/ST category
The Delhi Development Authority has decided to launch a special online housing scheme for people belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories for nearly 500 flats from its old inventory, officials said Friday. The decision was taken in an authority meeting of the urban body chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas here, officials said. "The authority decided to launch a special online housing scheme 2019 for SC/ST for approximately 500 flats from the old inventory," the DDA said in a statement. Application fee for the scheme will be received online only, it said. The ratio will be 2:1 for SC and ST category applicants and tentative cost will be as per standard costing, the DDA said. Flats will be in various categories -- SFS (Self-Financing Scheme)/HIG, MIG, LIG and Janta/EWS category. Payment of cost of flats will be on 'cash down' basis except under persons with disability category and draw of lots will be done through a draw of lots, the statement ...
NHRC takes suo motu cognizance over reports of children being used as pawn to get money for food
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that there are several villages in Rajasthan's Banswara district wherein over 500 families were found to have allegedly used their children as pawn to get money for food."It has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that there are several villages in Banswara district of the state of Rajasthan in which more than 500 families were found to have used their children as pawn in exchange of Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 from the Gadaria (shepherd) community to get food," NHRC said in a statement.The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary and the Rajasthan government calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks, the statement added.It observed that the news report, if true, raises a serious issue of violation of human rights of children who instead of getting education and upbringing, have been given to the custody of unknown people in lieu of money."The authorities are ...
Youth attempts suicide after hacking girl in Chennai
A youth on Friday attacked a young girl with a sickle before jumping in front of a moving train at the Chetpet railway station here, the police said.
NHRC notice to Raj govt over reports of children used as pawns by parents to get money
The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the Rajasthan government over reports that many families in Banswara district are allegedly using their children as a pawn to get money for food. The NHRC Friday observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the innocent young children, who instead of getting proper education and upbringing, have been given to the custody of unknown people in lieu of money. The NHRC in a statement said, "It has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that there are several villages in Banswara district of the state of Rajasthan in which more than 500 families were found to have used their children as pawn in exchange of Rs 1,500-2,000 from the Gadaria (shepherd) community to get food." The media report has also carried the photographs of children, aged 8 to 12 years, who had been pledged for money. "The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary, the government of ...
Rajnath forms committee to work on modalities of revising pension under OROP
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has constituted a committee to work out the modalities and methodology of the implementation of next revision of pension under One Rank One Pension (OROP), the Ministry said in a statement on Friday."Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the working of DESW including the welfare schemes being extended to the ex-servicemen, widows and dependents. A committee was also constituted today to work out the modalities and methodology of the implementation of the next revision of pension under OROP," the statement said.All three services will have their representation in the committee which will give its report within a month.According to the statement, the Defence Minister was briefed by various officials."In a free-flowing interaction, Minister expressed his general satisfaction but also gave certain directions to the department and sought a response in a time-bound manner," the statement said.OROP was implemented by the NDA government during its first term.
Premature migrant baby found at Texas Border Patrol facility
The teenage girl with pigtail braids was hunched over in a wheelchair and holding a bunched sweatshirt when an immigrant advocate met her at a crowded Border Patrol facility in Texas. She opened the sweatshirt and the advocate gasped. It was a tiny baby, born premature and held in detention instead of where the advocate believes the baby should have been at a hospital neonatal unit. "You look at this baby and there is no question that this baby should be in a tube with a heart monitor," said Hope Frye, a volunteer with an immigrant advocacy group who travels the country visiting immigration facilities with children to make sure the facilities comply with federal guidelines. Frye and other advocates said the case highlights the poor conditions immigrants are held in after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as the government deals with an unprecedented number of families and children arriving daily. The mother, a 17-year-old from Guatemala, had an emergency cesarean section in Mexico in ..
All 33 faculty members including Director of Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine resign
All the 33 faculty members including the Director of Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine resigned on Friday citing "inordinate delay" in handling of the situation arising out of agitation in protest against the "brutal attack" on a junior doctor of NRS Medical College on June 10."In view of the inordinate delay in appropriately handling the situation by the concerned authority, all the faculty members of this institute expressed their desire to tender resignation from their respective posts with immediate effect," Director of the tropical medicine institute P Pundu said in a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare in West Bengal.Earlier, 119 doctors in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Darjeeling, resigned over "violence" against doctors in the state.The protests erupted on June 10 after a junior doctor was assaulted in NRS College. Since then, the protests have spiraled throughout the country with doctors from several states taking to streets .
Man kills 3 minor daughters, self after wife's death
Three months after the death of his wife, a 35-year-old man allegedly lynched his three minor daughters and then committed suicide at a village in Odisha's Keonjhar district Friday, police said. Bodies of the girls - aged around 9 years, 7 years and 5 years - were found lying in a pool of blood at the house of Durga Sidhu in Ulibasa village. Sidhu, a tribal man, committed suicide by hanging himself from a wooden beam in the house, Inspector In-Charge of Anandpur police station, Gagan Bihari Biswal said. His mother found the bodies. She told the police that Sidhu's wife had died around three months ago and he was under stress since then. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, Biswal said.
Celebrities join docs in Kolkata rally demanding dialogue
Expressing solidarity with the protesting doctors of West Bengal, a number of film personalities, singers, painters, civil right activists and common people on Friday participated in a 2-kilometre march here alongside medicos of various hospitals.
View should not be imposed on Muslims without wide consultations: JD(U) on triple talaq bill
BJP ally Janata Dal (United) Friday opposed the triple talaq bill, which is likely to be tabled by the Narendra Modi government in the upcoming Parliament session, and said any view should not be imposed on Muslims without wide consultations. "Janata Dal(U) reiterates its previous stand on Uniform Civil Code. Ours is a nation based on a delicate balance in respect of laws and governing principles for different religions and ethnic groups. We must not impose any view without obtaining substantive consultations," its spokesperson K C Tyagi said in a statement. Though the statement did not address the triple talaq bill directly, JD(U) sources said the proposed legislation is at the centre of their stand on Uniform Civil Code as the BJP has often projected its strong push for criminalising instant divorce among Muslims as a step toward uniform civil laws among people of different faiths. The Bihar party, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had opposed the bill even during the first term ..
Delhi: Task force set up for women's safety in public transport
The Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), which advises the Delhi government on key policy issues, has constituted a task force to ensure safety and improve quality of commuting for women travellers in public transport in the national capital."The taskforce will conduct both off and on the ground reviewing and monitoring of all existing schemes for women's safety in Delhi, and propose new plans for strengthening women's safety in the capital" said Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson, DDC.This comes two days after Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal chaired the ninth meeting of the 'Task Force on Women Safety Issues' at Raj Niwas on Wednesday.The DDC task force, constituted with the approval of Transport Minister of Delhi Kailash Gahlot, has been entrusted with the task of evaluating and monitoring of various initiatives taken by the government in the direction of women safety, including installation of CCTV and panic buttons in buses, and strengthening the Delhi Government's ...
IMA calls for withdrawal of all non-emergency services on June 17
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday called for a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services including OPD on June 17 to protest against the assault on a Junior Resident Doctor in Kolkata and sought a central law for ensuring protection to doctors against violence in hospitals."Since no resolution is coming across after all the solidarity shown by the medical fraternity, IMA calls for the withdrawal of all non-emergency services including OPDs on Monday, June 17 across the nation in all healthcare institutions and all the medical colleges," Dr R V Ashokan, Secretary General of IMA told a press conference here.He said they have called the entire medical fraternity (even Private Hospitals) to join the protest on Monday."This is for resolution of the crisis in West Bengal, ensuring security in hospitals and for enacting a Central Law," he added.This comes after resident doctors in West Bengal went on strike to protest against the assault on a Junior Doctor of NRS college .
Karnataka doctor studying in Rohtak commits suicide, department head booked
A 30-year-old doctor hailing from Karnataka, who was pursuing his MD course from PGIMS, Rohtak in Haryana, allegedly committed suicide in the hostel of the hospital's campus, police said Friday. Onkar, who hailed from Dharwad in Karnataka, allegedly hung himself from the ceiling of his hostel on Thursday night, Rohtak Police Station SHO Inspector Kailash Chander said. Chander said Onkar was pursuing his MD (doctor of medicine) course in paediatrics and took the extreme step allegedly due to harassment he faced from the department head. "Although he did not leave any suicide note, Onkar's colleagues and family members alleged that his head of department used to harass him. Allegations have also been levelled that she did not grant him leave to attend his sister's wedding, which was due to be solemnised after a few days," the SHO said. "We have booked the accused doctor under Section 306 IPC which pertains to abetment to suicide. No arrest has been made so far and further investigations
Spending two hours a week in nature may boost health
Who does not like to spend time in nature? But the number of hours you spend in nature may be significant to how it benefits your well-being. A recent study has claimed that spending at least two hours a week in nature may boost health and well-being.The study published in the journal 'Scientific Reports' found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who don't visit nature at all during an average week. However, no such benefits were found for people who visited natural settings such as town parks, woodlands, country parks and beaches for less than 120 minutes a week.Dr Mat White, who led the study, said, "It's well known that getting outdoors in nature can be good for people's health and wellbeing but until now we've not been able to say how much is enough.""Majority of nature visits in this research took place within just two miles of home so even visiting local ...
Delhi doctors on token strike, demand security
In solidarity with the striking doctors of West Bengal, doctors of several hospitals of Delhi, including the AIIMS, went on a token strike affecting health services in the capital.
Social sector seeks fiscal sops in Budget
The social sector has sought several proactive steps from the Finance Minister including promoting social entrepreneurship amongst the young population, fiscal incentives for recycling of waste water and rainwater harvesting and increased budgetary allocation towards nutrition of infants, among its suggestions to the Finance Ministry to be considered for the upcoming Budget.
MoS Kishan Reddy receives threat calls
Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy has received threatening phone calls from unknown persons, the Hyderabad Police said on Friday
Police foil media protest on Bukhari's death anniversary
Police on Friday foiled a protest by local journalists in the Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar on the first death anniversary of noted Kashmiri editor Shujaat Bukhari.