Page 189 - Social Issues

Pope winds up World Youth Day events in Panama with giant mass

Pope Francis winds up a global gathering of young Catholics on Sunday with a giant open-air mass for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims before leaving Panama. The pope, who on Saturday admitted the Church had been "wounded" by a deepening clergy sex abuse crisis, will celebrate the second open-air mass of his visit at a park on the outskirts of Panama City. After mass, scheduled for early in the morning to avoid high temperatures, the 82-year-old pope will meet young people living with AIDS and HIV at the Good Samaritan home in the city. Francis will thank hundreds of World Youth Day volunteers at a stadium in the afternoon before a farewell ceremony and a flight back to Rome. The pope acknowledged Saturday that the Church was "wounded by sin" in a homily addressed to priests and seminarians reeling from sexual abuse scandals and coverups. Celebrating mass at the landmark Cathedral of Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama City, Francis warned of the "weariness of hope that comes from seeing

Myanmar holds first LGBT boat pride parade

Hundreds of people cheered on Sunday as rainbow-coloured boats carrying LGBT revellers sailed in the waters of Myanmar's Yangon city in a sign of growing acceptance for the community in a socially conservative country where gay sex remains illegal.

BJP minister draws flak for sexist remark on Priyanka Gandhi

Bihar Minister Vinod Narayan Jha has been panned by women's rights groups for his misogynistic and sexist remarks on newly inducted Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, whom he called "just a beautiful face."Condemning the minister's statement, noted activist Ranjana Kumari said a political leader had no business in describing how a woman looks."He should be reprimanded by his party for making such misogynistic and sexist comments about Priyanka. He could talk about her competence but how she looks is none of his business" Kumari said."It is very shameful that politicians of different shades and colours are looking at women in politics only as providing ornamental value to the party. That's why it is so difficult for women to join politics, she said.About the Women's Reservation Bill she said, "Bihar is that state which never talks about 33 per cent reservation for women and if a minister from that state makes such statement then it is nothing but shameful." Voicing ...

Social entrepreneur pitches for co-op model to take jobs to villages

Terming women in rural India as the biggest losers of urban migration-driven economic growth, social entrepreneur Neelam Chhiber has pitched for an Amul-like model to create several cooperatives in the country and make them more viable by using technology. Chhiber, who was here to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting that ended Friday, said India's GDP is not reflecting social inclusion. India can grow and rich will become richer, but poor will remain poor, she said. For a country the size of India, it is second after Nigeria in terms of people having less than USD 5 a day. At the same time, India has such a huge middle class, so the focus is always on that, she added. "But until we look at people who have less, we will face a lot of social consequences. And the key issue here is women and we need to empower them," she told PTI in an interview here. India has got a falling rate of labour force participation of women and it is the same as Pakistan right now, which ...

Banksy mural stolen from Paris theatre

A mural painted by the British anonymous street artist Banksy on a fire door at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, has been stolen, the media reported.

Fifty mass graves discovered in western DR Congo: UN rights group

More than 50 mass graves have been identified in western DR Congo after a spate of killings in the region, a UN rights group said on Saturday. "There are more than 50 mass graves, as well as common and individual graves that we have identified" in Yumbi in western Mai-Ndombe province, said Abdoul Aziz Thioye, director of the UN Human Rights Joint Office (UNJHRO) in DRC. It conducted a joint fact-finding mission with local authorities.

Mizoram Governor addresses Republic Day function in almost empty ground

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday addressed Republic Day functions at the Assam Rifles ground, where no civilian and lower rank officials were present in view of the boycott called by an apex NGO body to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

Myanmar's first LGBT pride boat parade sets sail

Rainbow flags flew high and gay anthems blasted out over Yangon's river as a flotilla of boats took to the water of Myanmar's biggest city on Saturday for the country's first-ever Pride boat parade in a sign of growing acceptance for LGBT rights. Some 600 revellers partied under a blazing sun as the discreet community slowly emerges into the limelight in a country where gay sex remains illegal. Compared to just five years ago when the festival got off the ground, "Myanmar LGBT people, especially young people, are now more courageous and more 'out'," said Hla Myat Tun, co-director of &Proud, which organises the celebration and other events across the country. Last year marked a milestone after authorities granted permission to hold the event for the first time in a public park with some 12,000 people coming along. Flushed with their success, organisers re-branded this year's event as a true 'Pride', even if a full march through the streets remains an elusive goal in a country still

Amid boycott call, Nagaland celebrates Republic Day

The Republic Day was celebrated in Nagaland on Saturday amid a statewide boycott called by the influential Naga Students' Federation in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

BJP ally JD-U expresses opposition to Citizenship Bill

BJP's ally Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Saturday expressed its opposition to the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, and said a party delegation will visit Assam on January 28 and 29.

Dozens of girls subjected to breast-ironing in UK: Report

An African practice of "ironing" a girl's chest with a hot stone to delay breast formation is spreading in the UK to "protect" young girls from unwanted male attention, sexual harassment and rape, the media reported on Saturday.

TN's striking employees, teachers should not make impossible demands: TN Minister

Government teachers and employees should not protest with demands that cannot be fulfilled by the government, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D.Jayakumar said on Saturday.

US 'conversion therapy' advocate comes out as gay

A prominent American "conversion therapy" advocate has come out as gay after spending decades entrenched in homophobia, the media reported.

Amid R-day boycott call, Mizoram Governor addresses empty ground

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday addressed an almost-empty ground on the occasion of 70th Republic Day, following a statewide protest called against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.The event was attended by ministers, legislators and top officials, as the local public boycotted the function.In the video, protestors were seen carrying placard near the venue.The boycott was called by the NGO Coordination Committee, an organisation of civil society groups and student bodies, against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. As per reports, six armed contingents participated in the Republic Day parade and up to 30 contingents traditionally took part in the annual celebration.The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8.It will facilitate citizenship of six identified minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India before 31 December 2014.The proposed .

Those boycotting R-Day should contest elections: Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday came down heavily on organisations that boycotted Republic Day celebrations in the state to protest against the citizenship bill, saying they should instead contest elections to get people's mandate. Bandhs and blockades hit daily wage earners the most, Biren said, adding, he has appealed to the organisations multiple times not to resort to such kind of protests. "We are duly elected legislators who have formed a government based on the mandate of the people.... Leaders of those (protesting) bodies should contest elections and get people's mandate in order to participate in the decision-making meetings," Biren said at the Manipur Rifles Parade Ground. At least five organisations, including the United Committee Manipur (UCM), All Manipur United Clubs Organisation (AMUCO) and Committee of Civil Societies Kangleipak (CCSK) jointly boycotted the 70th Republic Day celebrations to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. "Let ...

Assam Police bars people from entering R-Day events with black

Apprehending that the Citizenship Bill protests could spill over to Republic Day celebrations, the Assam Police Saturday took rigorous steps to ensure that no one carried black cloth to official functions. Massive protests have erupted in the state against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, and black flags are being shown to the ministers and senior BJP leaders wherever they have been going during the last few weeks. At the central function of the 70th Republic Day held at the Veterinary College Playground here, multi-layered security was put in place in view of presence of VVIPs like the governor and the chief minister. Metal detectors were installed at all the entry points and each visitor was frisked. Besides the normal prohibited items, this time the list of banned items had an addition -- black cloth. The personnel from Assam Police also enquired if anyone was carrying black handkerchief. "We have been asked to check if anyone carries any black cloth. They are not ...

UN envoy: No prospect Rohingya refugees can go home soon

A UN human rights envoy said that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees won't be able to return to Myanmar soon because of threats to their safety in the Buddhist-majority nation. Myanmar has been criticised by global rights groups and many nations for state-sponsored violence against ethnic minorities. Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, on Friday also criticised India and Saudi Arabia for mistreatment of the Rohingya in those countries. Lee spent 10 days in Thailand and Bangladesh, speaking to refugees living in Bangladesh, authorities, UN agencies and international experts. More than 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled into Bangladesh since late August 2017. "It is clear that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh cannot return to Myanmar in the near future," she said. She said violence against the Rohingya by the Myanmar army in Rakhine state that prompted them to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh "bear the hallmarks of genocide". Myanmar has ...

R-Day celebrations on low key in Mizoram

The 70th Republic Day celebrations in Mizoram on Saturday were low key as a NGO organised demonstrations across the state in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Mizoram borders will be protected: Governor

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday said stringent measures will be in place to protect the state's borders to execute the Mizoram Village Level Citizen Registration.

Sikkim guv thanks forces for providing security to nation

Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad on Friday today thanked the security forces and members of their families for providing sustained security to the nation. "Let us all bow to those brave warriors who have sacrificed their lives for the protection of the country," he said after hoisting the national flag at Palzor Stadium on the occasion of the 70th Republic Day. Prasad said due to prevalence of peace, harmony and stability, the roots of democracy have been strengthened in the border state. Given the international boundaries of Sikkim, peace and stability in the state is commendable, he said adding that roots of democracy have been strengthened due to prevalence of peace, harmony and stability in the border state. Sikkim has three international borders - Tibet in the North, Bhutan in the East and Nepal in the West. The governor said the Pawan Kumar Chamling government has given top priority to the development of the grass root level - rural livelihood, road connectivity, ...