Page 28 - Social Issues
Mueller report witness to remain jailed in child porn case
A businessman who served as a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation will remain in jail at least for now on charges he transported images of child pornography. Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, 60, made an initial appearance Thursday in federal court in Alexandria. Prosecutors want him detained pending trial. Nader's lawyers say he's in poor health and should be released. Nader's lawyers filed a motion seeking his conditional release, but it is filed under seal so its details are not public. After a bench conference of several minutes at Thursday's hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis ordered that Nader remain jailed, but expedited a detention hearing for Friday afternoon, where the issue can be discussed further. Davis also scheduled a preliminary hearing for Monday. Nader was arrested earlier this week after flying to New York from the United Arab Emirates. At an earlier hearing in New York, Nader's lawyer, Christopher Clark, said his client ...
Agency watchdog slams conditions at ICE detention facilities
The Homeland Security Department's internal watchdog says rotting food, moldy and dilapidated bathrooms and agency practices at immigration detention facilities may violate detainees' rights. The Office of Inspector General made unannounced visits to four facilities in California, Louisiana, Colorado and New Jersey between May and November of last year, according to a report published Thursday. The facilities together house about 5,000 detainees. In an Adelanto, California detention facility, inspectors found nooses in detainee cells, the segregation of certain detainees in an overly restrictive way and inadequate medical care, the report said. It comes as the Trump administration is managing a worsening problem at the US-Mexico border, with a dramatic increase in the number of Central American migrants. While most are families who cannot be easily returned to their home countries, the number of single adults is also on the rise. Immigration officials are detaining an increasing ...
People should rise in protest against Cong govt: Pragya Thakur
Lashing out at the ruling Congress government in the state, Bhopal MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur on Thursday said people should rise in protest against it.Answering a question about the electricity outage during Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Wednesday, the newly elected BJP MP said, "This is the Congress government, they can do anything. They are making people crave for water and electricity. I think we should protest against them together.""Everything was good under Shivraj ji's (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) government. These are basic necessities of life and should be fulfilled. We will confront the Congress government on these issues soon," she said.Thakur made these comments at an event to mark the birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap here."Hindus and the people of this country are proud of Maharana Pratap and his sacrifices. I saw the energy of Rajputs on my way here and realised that we should all take inspiration from the sacrifices of Maharana Pratap and pledge to protect our country," she .
Mexico freezes accounts of 'migrant traffickers' amid US tariff row
Mexico said Thursday it has frozen the bank accounts of a group of suspected human traffickers allegedly responsible for organizing US-bound migrant caravans, amid negotiations to try to avoid Washington's threatened tariffs over migration. The Mexican finance ministry said its Financial Intelligence Unit had blacklisted 26 people "for their probable role in trafficking migrants and illicit support for migrant caravans." The statement came as officials from both countries met in Washington seeking a deal to avoid five-percent tariffs in return for Mexico stemming the flow of US-bound migrants.
50 years on, New York police apologize for Stonewall riots
The head of the New York police department on Thursday apologized for a crackdown on the city's LGBTQ community during the notorious Stonewall riots, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the clashes that gave rise to the Gay Pride movement. "I do know what happened should not have happened," said police chief James O'Neil. "The actions taken by the NYPD were wrong, plain and simple. The actions were discriminatory and oppressive and for that I apologize." The June 1969 riots, sparked by constant police raids on the Stonewall Tavern, a well-known gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, proved to be a turning point in the LGBTQ community's struggle for civil rights and gave rise to the Gay Pride movement. The police chief made the comments to long applause during a briefing on safety measures for the city's Pride Month, the annual celebration for the city's diverse LGBTQ community. A number of people have called in recent days for the police department to apologize for its actions, ...
Tension high as US-Mexico tariff talks go down to wire
The US warned Mexico Thursday it needed to make more concessions on slowing migration to avoid President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, as the Mexican leader announced he would visit the border to "defend our dignity." Speaking as the two neighbours opened a tense day of talks -- which Trump has vowed will be the last -- White House communications chief Mercedes Schlapp said Mexico's proposals so far to slow the surge of Central Americans crossing the border were "simply not enough." "Looks like we're moving toward the path of tariffs," she said on Fox News. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador meanwhile announced he would travel to the border city of Tijuana Saturday for what he described as a "unity rally to defend Mexico's dignity and promote our friendship with the people of the United States." That is two days before Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexican goods would take effect -- starting at five percent and rising incrementally to 25 percent by October if Mexico ...
Maintenance doesn't depend on wife's earning: Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court has ruled that granting maintenance under the Domestic Violence Act was not dependent upon the expression "unable to maintain herself". Further, the expression "unable to maintain herself" does not mean capable of earning.
If Ayushman Bharat so good, why people from UP, Haryana coming to Delhi for treatment: Jain
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain Thursday took a fresh dig at the Centre over its health insurance programme Ayushman Bharat, saying if the scheme is so good why people from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are "forced" to seek treatment in government hospitals here. His comments came days after Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote to the chief ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal, urging them to join the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme. "If Ayushman Bharat is so good then why patients from BJP-ruled states of Haryana and UP are not treated through this scheme. Why they are forced to come to Delhi Govt Hospitals for treatment," Jain tweeted. Vardhan had said that the ultimate beneficiary of this collaboration would be the poor and vulnerable people of the country. "This scheme (Ayushman Bharat) entails so many conditions, and is discriminatory... Why only a few should avail it, it should be universal. And, this scheme is merely rhetoric ('jumla')... ...
Man, married woman commit suicide
A man and a married woman allegedly committed suicide in Palghar district of Maharashtra Thursday, police said. Nitin Y Balaji and Mamta Dapsi, both 24 years old, allegedly hanged themselves from a tree in Dahanu town, a police officer said. Dapsi, resident of Palghar town, was married, he said. Balaji, who lived in Asvan in Dahanu tehsil, had left home Wednesday night without telling anything to his family, he said. Reason for the suicide was not yet clear, he said, adding that further probe was on.
Maha govt seeks more medical seats in view of increased quota
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requested Union Health MinisterHarsh Vardhan Thursday to increase medical seats in the state so that open category students do no suffer due to increased reservations. Fadnavis met the Union minister in New Delhi, an official statement said here. He sought 813 additional seats for post graduate courses and 1,740 additional seats for degree courses in government medical colleges in Maharashtra in view of two new quotas, Social and Economically Backward Class (SEBC) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS), the statement said. Harsh Vardhan assured Fadnavis that the proposal will be considered positively, it added. The state government has introduced 16 per cent quota for the Maratha community in SEBC category. The ten per cent EWS quota was introduced first by the Centre.
Drug menace: Policy to reward informers soon, says STF chief
A policy to give cash prizes to the informers helping police in fighting the drug menace will be launched by the Punjab government soon, a senior police official said Thursday. Gurpreet Kaur Deo, the chief of the special task force (STF) constituted to tackle the drug menace, said a policy draft in this regard had been prepared by them. Interacting with villagers here, she said cash prizes would be given to those giving accurate information about drug smugglers or peddlers to police. Deo said officials working wholeheartedly against the menace would be rewarded. "The proposal is ready and will be put before Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for the final approval," Deo, who is an ADGP-rank officer, said. The STF chief hailed the women belonging to Narang Singh Wala village for constituting a drug monitoring committee. She collected feedback from the villagers and assured to take their suggestions to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. She stressed that the drug menace could not be wiped out .
NEET suicides: Student bodies call for protests in TN
With the back-to-back suicides of students who failed to crack the NEET coming to the fore in Tamil Nadu, students organisations Thursday called for protests across the state demanding that the State government seek exemption from the medical test. Students' Federation of India, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the central and state governments have ignored a facet that it is unfair to expect students from the state-board to crack the exam that is based on central syllabus. "Chief Minister K Palaniswami has to intervene immediately to seek exemption for TN from NEET. The government has to seek President's nod for two resolutions passed in the state assembly," the SFI said in a statement. An 18-year-old girl, M Monisha, committed suicide by hanging herself in her house near here Thursday after failing to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, a day after two girls - S Ritusree and N Vaishiya - ended their lives in Tamil Nadu for the .
Heath min reviews progress of implementation of Ayushman Bharat
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan Thursday reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and suggested formation of a task force to discuss probable challenges and find solutions in a time-bound manner. He also stressed on the need for seamless integration of two pillars of Ayushman Bharat -- Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) --- to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Swastha Bharat, Samriddh Bharat' is fulfilled, an official statement said. The Union Health minister emphasised that a stronger focus should be given on providing information to all eligible beneficiaries about their eligibility and how to seek the benefits of the healthcare scheme. "The Prime Minister has envisioned the scheme for the health and wellness of the poorest and most vulnerable of the country's people and there will be zero tolerance for frauds and corruption in any form," he was quoted as saying in the statement. He said ..
'Swachh Survekshan League 2020' launched
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Thursday launched the 'Swachh Survekshan League 2020' (SS 2020), saying parameters pertaining to wastewater treatment, reuse and fecal sludge management have been given special focus in the survey. He said there will be a quarterly cleanliness assessment of cities and towns in India. This will be integrated with Swachh Survekshan 2020, the 5th edition of the annual cleanliness survey of urban India to be conducted from JanuaryFebruary 2020 by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban (SBM-U). On the need for a quarterly evaluation mechanism, the minister said every year, the Swachh Survekshan is redesigned innovatively, to ensure that the process becomes more and more robust, with focus on sustaining the changed behaviours.
Jerusalem Gay Pride draws thousands under high security
Thousands took part in Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade Thursday, waving rainbow flags and calling for tolerance in the Holy City with security tight following a 2015 knife attack by a Jewish extremist that killed a teenager. As crowds gathered for the march, police said they had arrested a man in the area who was acting suspiciously and a search turned up a knife. A total of 17 people were arrested on suspicion of wanting to disrupt the event, police said without providing details. Police deployed some 2,500 undercover and uniformed officers for the parade that started at a park in the Holy City and continued through nearby streets. Crowds were festive, with live music and dancing before the march set off. "Despite the difficulties, it's important to participate, especially in Jerusalem," said Israel Lumbroso, a 28-year-old resident of the city who said he came out of the closet around a year and a half ago. This year marks the 18th Gay Pride march in Jerusalem, but due to the city's ...
Mexican leader to visit US border Saturday amid trade row
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday he will soon travel to the border city of Tijuana to "defend the dignity" of his nation in the face of US tariff threats, as talks were set to resume in Washington. Lopez Obrador will make the trip Saturday, two days before US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose five per cent tariffs on all Mexican imports, unless Mexico acts to stem the surge of Central American migrants to the US border. Negotiators have been meeting in Washington to avert a crisis, but Trump warned late Wednesday "not nearly enough" progress was being made. Lopez Obrador told reporters at his daily morning news conference that "all options" are under review in the event Trump goes ahead with the tariffs. "But our posture is to preserve, above all, the friendship with the people of the United States," he said. The leftist leader called his trip to Tijuana "an act of unity to defend the dignity of Mexico" and to build bridges with America. "I am .
Man, girl found hanging from tree in Rajasthan's Sikar
The bodies of a man and a girl were Thursday found hanging from a tree in Rajasthan's Sikar district, police said. Ashok Godara (19) and Abhilasha Swami (17) were missing from their homes from Wednesday, Lakshmangarh police station incharge Ram Manohar said. He said it appears they committed suicide over a "failed" love affair. The bodies have been kept in a mortuary and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
High time Centre exempted TN from NEET, says CPI
Citing the suicide of two girls for not qualifying in the medical entrance examination, CPI MP-elect from Tirupur K Subbarayan Thursday demanded the BJP-led government at the Centre to immediately exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET. The CPI leader paid his last respects to 17-year-old Rithushree who had committed suicide by hanging in her house in Tirupur as she did not pass the exam. Later, he expressed sorrow over the suicide of the other girl N Vaishiya of Pattukottai after not qualifying in the entrance test. It's time the Centre exempted Tamil Nadu from NEET and all the 37 MPs from the state would raise the issue in the Lok Sabha, he said in a statement. Also, he requested the state government to pay solatium to the family of the deceased girls and also provide a government job to a member of the bereaved families.
Evidence-based policy making need of the hour: Experts
Evidence-based policy making is the need of the hour to adequately safeguard the interests of the common people, according to experts at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy. India's present socio-economic and political transformation process requires strengthening of the capacity for undertaking evidence-based policy making at multiple levels of governance, they said. The build-up of this process is currently underway and is creating opportunities in diverse fields, a statement by O P Jindal Global University (JGU) said. The statement said public policy is taught as a practice at JSGP to enable its practitioners find creative channels for public deliberation and evidence-based means for making decisions in the public interest. "The ability to do this is the need of the hour because increasingly elected representatives are unable to fully reflect and adequately safeguard the interests of ordinary people," it said.
Raids in Germany over online hate speech
The police in Germany launched raids across the country on Thursday as part of a crackdown on incitement crimes being spread on the Internet.