Page 20 - Social Issues
Policemen attacked; workers of BJP, TMC clash in Birbhum
A police team was attacked allegedly by BJP workers on Wednesday when it was trying to lift a road blockade at a village in Birbhum district, a police officer said. The BJP workers put up the road blockade near a bus stand in Bandar village under Nanoor police station to protest against the arrest of two saffron party supporters following a skirmish in the area on Tuesday night. Eyewitnesses said when the police lathicharged to disperse the agitators, they too attacked the police team and four police personnel, including Officer-in-charge of Nanoor police station Manoj Singh, were injured. District Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh, however, said, "No policemen suffered injuries in the attack. So far five persons have been arrested." After the blockade was lifted, a clash broke out between the workers of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. The two parties traded barbs over the clash. BJP district general secretary Kalosona Mondal said, "Our workers were peacefully ...
Nepali journalists firm on demanding scrapping of controversial media bill
Nepali journalists will intensify their agitation against a controversial bill targeting the media and demand its immediate withdrawal, a media organisation has announced. According to the fresh protest programme unveiled on Tuesday by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), the media professionals will take part in whistle and lantern marches, organise a cartoon exhibition and collect signatures from prominent personalities from all walks of life against the Media Council Bill. The bill which aims at imposing a hefty fine of up to Rs 1 million on media outlets found guilty of damaging anyone's reputation has raised an alarm among journalists who say the government seeks to punish the press in the name of regulation. "It is clear that the Media Council Bill is aimed at controlling the media instead of regulating it. FNJ has decided to continue its stringent protest until the bill is withdrawn from Parliament," FNJ General Secretary Ramesh Bista said. He said that signatures of ...
Probe launched into 65 Rohingyas found on Thai island
Thai authorities have launched an investigation into how 65 Rohingya Muslims got stranded on an island in the Andaman Sea in the south of the country, officials said on Wednesday.
Vardhan for innovative ways to achieve target of zero diarrhoea deaths among children by 2022
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Wednesday stressed on re-strategising and devising innovative interventions to achieve the target of zero diarrhoea deaths among children by 2022. Reviewing the status of reproductive, maternal, newborn, children, adolescent and nutrition (RMNCAH+N) interventions in the country, Vardhan said, "No child should ever die from diarrhoea. The government will make immediate and sustained efforts to prevent this by 2022." The minister suggested a convergence approach wherein all the resources merge for accelerated outcome supported by an aggressive awareness campaign to fulfil the prime minister's vision of a "New India" where children and pregnant women do not die of preventable diseases. "We have to work together for bringing all our energies in sync to realise this dream. Women are strong pillars of society and sustained development of the country can be achieved only if we take holistic care of our women and children," he said. "Through our policies ...
Govt to provide 100% funding to develop schools, hospitals on waqf properties: Naqvi
All waqf properties across India will be geo-tagged and digitised and the government will provide 100 per cent funding to develop educational institutions and hospitals on such properties for the welfare of society, Union minster Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Wednesday. Naqvi, while chairing the 80th meeting of the Central Waqf Council here, said there are around 5.77 lakh registered waqf properties across the country and their geo-tagging and digitalisation will ensure transparency and safety of records. The Centre has decided to start a programme on a war footing to utilise waqf properties across the country for educational empowerment and employment-oriented skill development of the needy, especially economically backward girls in those areas which were deprived of these facilities since Independence, the minority affairs minister said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has decided to provide 100 per cent funding to develop schools, colleges, ITIs, polytechnics, hospitals, ...
65 Rohingyas found stranded in southern Thailand
Around 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees were found stranded in southern Thailand, Thai officials said on Wednesday.An official told Dawn that the refugees, including 28 men, 31 women and five children, were stranded on Rawi Island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand's southern Satun province after their boat suffered engine trouble.Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, the chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, was also quoted as saying that the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore. A preliminary check showed that the boat was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens, he added.He also stated that the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.Meanwhile, Navy officer Commander Thanapong Sudrak told Dawn that Thai authorities are investigating whether the incident involved any case of human trafficking.Rohingyas, who belong to the Rakhine state in Myanmar, have been facing extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists. It has further ...
Journalist killed in Mexico: reports
A journalist was murdered Tuesday in southeast Mexico, her former employer and other news outlets reported. Norma Sarabia was a correspondent for the newspaper Tabasco HOY for 15 years and most recently worked for other media outlets in Tabasco state, the newspaper said in its report of her death. Sarabia is the sixth journalist slain this year in Mexico. Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters: more than 100 have been murdered here since 2000, amid a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking and political corruption. The vast majority of those killings remain unpunished. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country as the third most dangerous in the world for the press, after war-torn Afghanistan and Syria. In May, crime reporter Francisco Romero was murdered in a resort town on Mexico's Caribbean coast after receiving threats. Romero, who was enrolled in the Mexican government's protection program for journalists and human rights activists, was ...
ISIS module case: NIA raids underway in Coimbatore
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids at seven locations in Coimbatore in connection with the ISIS module case.Searches are being held in Anbu Nagar, Podanur, and Kuniyamuthur areas of the city, to name a few.Raids, which began at 7 AM today, are currently underway.A fresh case of ISIS module was registered by NIA in Coimbatore, and raids are being conducted in that connection, NIA sources told ANI.The in-charge of the ISIS module, the sources said, was believed to be in touch with Easter Sunday bombings mastermind Zahran Hashim on Facebook.
Inmates turn RJs, run FM Radio stations in Telangana prisons
From enabling prisoners to explore their creativity and providing them entertainment, the Telengana Prisons Department has started in house FM Radio facility at jails across the state, where inmates don the role of radio jockeys. As part of a scheme to reform and rehabilitate prisoners, the Prisons Department started the project wherein select inmates were being trained to run FM Radio stations 'Antarvani' (inner voice). The inmates could also participate in programmes, which helps them be in good humour and overcome depression. Inmates operate the FM Radio Stations, make announcements on the jail's time table, play patriotic, devotional and folk songs and music for fellow prisoners. "Our main aim is their reformation and rehabilitation. Once they get back to the mainstream, they should be good gentlemen. So we started several initiatives and this (Radio Stations at jails) is another one," Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) V K Singh told ...
India's general election most inclusive poll: UN conference told
India's recently-concluded general election was the most historic and "inclusive" poll as it ensured that every person exercise their right to vote, including those with disabilities, an annual UN conference was told. Addressing the conference here on Tuesday, Secretary in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Shakuntala Doley Gamlin said India underlined its commitment to providing an enabling environment for differently-abled citizens. "India remains firmly committed to providing a universal enabling environment for persons with disabilities to fulfil their rights equally with others and realise their full potential and in creating a fully inclusive country where all enjoy equal rights," she said. "India just recently concluded the most historic, inclusive general election wherein a wide a range of facilities were provided to make the polling stations more inclusive and accessible to ensure that all can exercise their ..
Trump inadvertently reveals more of US-Mexico migrant deal
US President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that Mexico agreed to take stronger legal action to halt Central American migrants if its initial efforts to stem the flow don't show results in 45 days. In bright sunshine outside the White House, Trump waved what he said was the text of an agreement Mexican and US officials signed Friday to avert the application of tariffs on their exports to the United States. Photographs of the document revealed that Mexico appeared to pledge to enact or enforce certain domestic laws if Washington is not satisfied with the results of its first promised efforts -- deploying 6,000 National Guardsmen to reinforce its southern border and expanding its policy of taking back asylum-seekers as the United States processes their claims. If, after 45 days, the US government "determines at its discretion" that the results aren't enough, the document says, "the Government of Mexico will take all necessary steps under domestic law to bring the agreement into force." ..
Modi's major minority outreach: Slew of plans to be rolled out soon
The Modi government is working on a major outreach to the minorities in the country through a slew of programmes, including building of educational infrastructure, encouragement to girls education and expanding the scholarship scheme.
Hong Kong: 5,000 personnel deployed as anti-extradition bill protests intensify
Swathes of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday, continuing demonstrations against a controversial extradition bill which would allow criminal suspects in the city to be sent to mainland China for trial.This comes as lawmakers are slated to hear a second reading of the bill along with holding a debate on it.5,000 police personnel in anti-riot gear have sealed all entrances of the Hong Kong's Legislative Council building, around which the protests are being held.The demonstrators have blocked roads around the complex and have erected barriers to hamper the arrival of additional policemen, according to CNN.Marking the biggest march in Hong Kong in the past 15 years, around a million people took to Hong Kong's streets on Sunday to protest against the bill which has been defended by the region's pro-Beijing leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam."This is a very important piece of legislation that will help to uphold justice and also ensure that Hong Kong will fulfil her ...
At least 30 Venezuelan migrants missing after boat sinks: lawmaker
At least 30 Venezuelan migrants are missing after the speedboat they were travelling in sank on its way to Curacao, an opposition lawmaker said. The vessel left from a village in the northwest on Friday with 30 to 35 people on board, deputy Luis Stefanelli told AFP on Tuesday, quoting family members. "No one has been in touch with their families, which makes us fear the worst," said Stefanelli. Authorities have not commented on the report. The body of a man wearing a life jacket was found near Bullenbaai bay in Curacao, according to a coast guard statement published by media on the Caribbean island. However, it was not clear if he had been aboard the speedboat that left clandestinely from the Venezuelan village of Aguide in Falcon state. It's the third such boat carrying Venezuelan migrants to capsize in the last month, with a total of 80 people now missing. The previous two boats were heading for Trinidad and Tobago. Another opposition lawmaker, Robert Alcala said on May 19 that 29 ..
Mali premier visits massacre site as survivors recount ordeal
The prime minister of Mali visited the site of one of the country's worst massacres on Tuesday, pledging to step up security and reconciliation efforts after an attack that left scores dead and stoked fears for the fragile Sahel country. The hours-long assault targeted a village in a largely ethnic Dogon enclave in central Mali. It bore the hallmarks of the violence, much of it driven by ethnic tensions, which has claimed hundreds of lives in the last 18 months. Ninety-five people were killed, according to an early toll that remained unconfirmed on Tuesday. Premier Boubou Cisse, who visited the village with other senior ministers, paid tribute to the "innocent victims of the discord and the hate", according to a government statement. "All the victims of the horror and the barbarism remind us of the responsibility incumbent upon us as leaders to reinforce and accelerate security, economic and political efforts for peace and reconciliation," he said. The attack on the village of Sobane
Wife faces domestic violence, triple talaq; husband arrested
The Agra police Tuesday arrested a man for allegedly subjecting his wife to domestic violence and divorcing her by resorting to "triple talaq", a practice declared illegal by the Supreme Court. The police arrested Agra's Rakabganj resident Chukru Rehman on the intervention of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was approached by the woman., official sources said here. A resident of Dhobi Mohalla, Sadar Bazar in Agra, Tarannum had written to the chief minister requesting him to take action against her husband. She told the chief minister that he had recently divorced her for no reason by uttering "talaq" thrice, said officials. On the woman's complaint, the chief minister directed the administration to look into the matter. The Agra police then lodged an FIR against Rehman and arrested him Tuesday after which he was remanded to judicial custody, the officials said. The couple has three children. In her letter, Tarannum had also said her husband had married another woman ..
Charity watchdog condemns Oxfam for Haiti behaviour
England's charity watchdog condemned Oxfam GB on Tuesday for having a "culture of poor behavior," in connection with the sexual misconduct scandal involving its workers in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. The Charity Commission for England and Wales issued an official warning following an 18-month investigation that concluded Oxfam's culture and response to keeping people safe was inadequate and failed to take risks to alleged victims seriously enough. The commission said that while management had good intentions, they weren't matched by resources and an organizational culture that prioritized keeping people safe. "No charity is so large, nor is its mission so important that it can afford to put its own reputation ahead of the dignity and wellbeing of those it exists to protect," commission chair Tina Stowell said. The Times of London first reported misconduct allegations against seven former Oxfam GB staff in Haiti, including the use of prostitutes some of whom may have been ...
7 killed after boat capsizes off Greek island of Lesvos
At least seven people were killed after a boat carrying dozens of refugees capsized in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greek island of Lesvos on Tuesday.The remaining 57 people on the boat were rescued in a joint search operation carried out by Hellenic Coast Guard, European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), as well Greek Air Force, reports Xinhua.The refugees had set off from the Turkish shore in a plastic dinghy at about 2 am (local time). The overladen boat capsized shortly before reaching the island of Lesvos, even though the weather at that time was calm.Of the seven people who drowned, three were children of African origin, local officials said.Since 2015, hundreds of refugees from Turkey and Syria have lost their lives after undertaking treacherous sea journeys on overcrowded boats in a bid to escape the turmoil of their own countries.Greece has become one of the main gateways for refugees entering Europe in recent years. According to a 2018 report by United Nations High
Germany plans to ban gay, lesbian 'conversion therapy'
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday he plans to write a law this year to ban so-called conversion therapies that aim to make gays and lesbians heterosexual. "My position is clear: homosexuality is not an illness, which is why it does not need to be treated," said Spahn, who is gay and married to a man. "I would very much like to have a bill this year that could then be presented to parliament," he told a Berlin press conference. Medical experts consider psychological or spiritual interventions to change someone's sexual orientation pseudo-scientific, ineffective and often harmful. The most controversial techniques involve administering electric shocks as subjects view images of homosexual acts, or injections of the male hormone testosterone. In Germany, there are an estimated 1,000 attempts a year to "re-educate" homosexuals -- from family members, "coaches" and therapists, and sometimes involving prayers and even exorcisms, said Joerg Litwinschuh-Barthel of the ...
NDA government to table bill to bring changes in 'Labour Laws' during upcoming session of parliament
Government will table an "important bill" to bring reforms in Labour Laws during the upcoming session of Parliament, sources said here on Tuesday.A meeting in this regard took place recently in the Home Ministry when the issue of reforms of labour laws was discussed.A total of 44 old Labour Laws will be kept in four categories while some other old laws will be abolished, they said.The government is likely to table the Bill in Parliament during the second week of budget session. A cabinet approval for it will be taken soon.It will also be the first bill to be introduced in Parliament during the second term of Modi government.The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be convened from June 17 to July 26 during which the Union Budget will be presented by the new government on July 5.