Page 283 - Social Issues
6 African nationals rescued over child abduction rumour
Six African nationals, who were accused of abducting a child, were rescued by the Delhi Police from southwest Delhi's Dwarka area on Thursday night.The police said that four Tanzanian and two Nigerian nationals were rescued from Kakrola area in Dwarka. The police had apparently been receiving multiple calls against the African nationals including an allegation of child kidnap.The latest call received by the cops claimed that the African nationals were allegedly being attacked by the locals. The cops rushed to the spot and rescued them.The Delhi Police denied the incident being a racist attack. In a statement, the Delhi Police said: "There was no racial attack. We received a call that people were gathering. We reached there, dispersed the crowd and rescued two Tanzanian women. The crowd had gathered following abduction rumours. Later, we received a call of abduction, which turned out to be a hoax. We rescued the (remaining) Nigerian and Tanzanian nationals.
235 farmers ended lives in Sept this year in Maha: State Govt
The Maharashtra government has said that 235 farmers committed suicide in the state for various reasons in September this year. Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Chandrakant Patil stated this in the Legislative Assembly in a written reply on Thursday. In six districts of Vidarbha region, 15,629 farmers ended their lives for various reasons between January 2001 and October 2018 . Of them, 7,008 farmers were eligible for financial compensation and their families have been given a financial assistance of Rs one lakh each. As many as 215 cases are pending for investigation, the minister said. In Nashik district, between January and September 2018, there were 73 cases of farmers suicide, of which 17 were eligible for financial compensation. They have been provided assistance of Rs one lakh each, he said. In Kolhapur, between 2004 and 2018, a total 113 farmers ended their lives. In Marathwada, 674 farmers killed themselves between January and September 2018. Of them, 445 were ..
Goa citizens seeking Parrikar's resignation vow to widen
A movement of citizens seeking resignation of the ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has decided to protest against Governor Mridula Sinha over her "inaction" and widen the agitation, its leader said Friday. Several hundred people had marched to Parrikar's residence near here on November 21, demanding that he resign. Opposition Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP had backed the protest. "For the last nine months Parrikar has been ailing ...administration has come to a standstill. The governor, who has a constitutional responsibility to intervene in such a situation, is silently watching the whole show. Ministers are doing whatever they want," said activist Aires Rodrigues, the leader of the movement. "From tomorrow, it will not be just Parrikar but our target will be the inaction by governor Mridula Sinha...in a situation like this she can not continue as mere spectator but should act and take some action so that governance returns to Goa," he added. There will be a ...
VP stresses on equipping youth with required skills
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Friday said the demographic advantage that India has would yield complete dividends only if the youth are equipped withthe required skills and attitude. "We are a young India with nearly 65 per cent of our population being less than 35 years of age... Youth represents the energy that will drive India of the future," Naidu said. Delivering the valedictory address at the "World Youth Meet" here, he said their knowledge and imagination, competence andconfidence, their risk-taking ability and multi-taskingability, their agility and adaptability would change the course of India's development. "The demographic advantage that we today will yield complete dividends only if youth are equipped with the required skills and attitude, with the knowledge and wisdom," the Vice President said. "I earnestly hope that our educational system... will provide a good foundation for the youth," he added. Naidu, during his speech paid tributes to SriSatya Sai ...
Man jumps off fourth floor of Janakpuri District Centre
A man, in his 30s, allegedly committed suicide on Friday after jumping from the fourth floor of Janakpuri District Centre, police said. According to the police, they received a call at around 10.15 am about the incident. The deceased is yet to be identified. He was aged around 35, police said. Prime facie, it seems a case of suicide, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Monika Bhardwaj said. He landed in front of a tea shop whose owner called the police and informed about the incident, police said. The man's skull was broken in the incident. Further investigation is on, the officer said.
Driver who struck China children chose 'random' target
A driver who rammed his car into a group of schoolchildren, killing five and injuring 19 others, chose his target "at random" following arguments with his wife, Chinese state media said Friday. The 29-year-old unemployed local resident of Liaoning province was contemplating suicide "due to quarrels" with his spouse before he drove his car into the children on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing police. The man "chose his victims at random" when he was driving in Huludao city, in China's northeast, Xinhua reported. The driver made a sudden turn into the opposite side of the road to hit the children, who were crossing the street shortly after noon, the report said. State media said the collision took place near an elementary school. Police in Jianchang County have placed the attacker under criminal detention for endangering public security. Unverified videos circulating on social media show a car veering onto the wrong side of the road and ploughing through the line ..
Migrants defy Trump at Mexico border as US forces flex muscle
Hundreds of Central American migrants staged a boisterous demonstration on the US Mexico border Thursday, screaming for President Donald Trump to let them in as US soldiers and riot police put on a menacing show of force. The increased tension over the presence of a thousands-strong migrant caravan came as Trump marked Thanksgiving Day by threatening to close the border if he thinks Mexico has lost control of it. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the busy San Ysidro crossing came to a halt for 40 minutes as dozens of US police wearing helmets and holding rifles formed a line facing the Mexican side of the frontier. Separately, riot police rehearsed deployment movements. US Customs and Border Protection called all of this a "large-scale readiness exercise." American soldiers in khaki-coloured uniforms set off rockets that exploded with a pungent-smelling white smoke. Helicopters hovered overhead. Trump has already deployed nearly 6,000 troops along the border and on Thursday he ...
S Korean court says government must pay salt farm slaves
The South Korean government must pay 80 million Won (USD 70,700) to three men who were enslaved on salt farms in remote islands off the country's southwest coast for several years, a court ruled Friday. The Seoul High Court said the government was responsible for their ordeals because local officials and police failed to properly monitor their living and working conditions. The court said the government should pay 30 million won (USD 26,500) each to two of the men and 20 million won (USD 17,700) to the third plaintiff. More than 60 slaves, most of them with intellectual disabilities, were rescued from the islands following an investigation led by mainland police in 2014. The Associated Press documented some of their stories in a yearlong investigation. Dozens of farm owners and job brokers were indicted, but no police or officials were punished despite allegations some knew about the slavery. Eight former slaves sued the government last year, seeking a combined 240 million won (USD ...
J&K govt approves bill for welfare of persons with disabilities
The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved the enactment of a bill aimed to enhance the rights and entitlement of persons with disabilities, an official said Friday. The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met here under the chairmanship of Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik approved the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2018, he said. The Jammu and Kashmir Persons with Disabilities (equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1998 was modelled on the pattern of persons with disabilities (equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995 (Central Act), spokesman said. Parliament enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 repealing the1995 act. The bill will address various matters related to the disabled with enhanced effectiveness, he said, adding that it will give leverage to various centrally sponsored schemes and programmes so as to secure and protect the interest of ..
Taiwan gay rights activists nervous ahead of referendum clash
Activists in Taiwan, which has earned a reputation as a regional trailblazer on gay rights, fear that an upcoming referendum could turn back the clocks on marriage equality. Liberal and conservative groups will do battle in an island-wide vote Saturday that taps in to one of the island's most incendiary social issues. Taiwan's top court in May 2017 legalised same-sex marriage -- the first place in Asia to do so -- and called for it to be implemented within two years. But the government has made little progress towards bringing in the mandatory change as it comes under pressure from conservative campaigners. "Pro-family" activists have put forward three referendums calling for marriage to be legally defined as between a man and a woman, for a separate law to be enacted for same-sex unions, and for education on LGBT issues not to be compulsory in schools. Although the government has made clear the referendum results will not impact the court's original decision, LGBT campaigners fear a .
Twitter bans far-right activist for violating rules
Twitter has permanently banned far-right activist Laura Loomer for her tweet criticising Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democratic Representative-elect, and her Muslim faith.
Trump 'politicises' Thanksgiving call with troops
US President Donald Trump struck a political tone during a Thanksgiving call with American service members stationed around the world as he steered the conversation toward controversial political topics, the media reported.
Mexico halts first attempt by migrant caravan
Mexican authorities stopped a first attempt by members of the Central American migrant caravan to seek asylum in the US, whilst Washington continued to strengthen border security in the face of their mass arrival.
Trump renews threat to close US-Mexico border
US President Donald Trump has threatened to close the whole US-Mexico border, including halting trade with Mexico, if the arrival of migrants from central America leads to disorder.
Trump threatens to close US-Mexico border
United States President Donald Trump threatened to shut the US border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time.Fox News stated that while talking to reporters in Florida, Trump asserted that if his administration concludes that its southern ally has lost "control" on its side, the borders will be closed.This comes after thousands of migrants and refugees from Central America have reached the border town of Tijuana seeking asylum in the US.He further revealed that he has given a nod to thousands of active-duty troops he sent to the border before the November 6 midterm elections to use lethal force against the migrants if needed.Earlier this week, a United States federal judge nullified the President Donald Trump-led administration's decision of refusing asylum to immigrants who enter the US mainland from Central America.The Trump administration had on November 9 sanctioned a proclamation, saying that none of the immigrants entering the US from the southern border will be eligible .
Trump threatens to shut down US-Mexico border
US President Donald Trump has renewed a threat to shut down the entire US border with Mexico as part of his administration's efforts to deter the entry of Central American migrants.
Hundreds of migrants push on to US-Mexico border bridge
Tension mounted as hundreds of Central American migrants massed at a Mexican border town headed for a bridge crossing to the United States as President Donald Trump renewed his threats to repel them. With US helicopters hovering overhead, a group made up mostly of men headed just after midday from the shelter they have been staying at since last week to the El Chaparral bridge around a kilometer (half a mile) away in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego, California. Trump on Thursday threatened to close the border altogether, having previously deployed nearly 6,000 troops to erect concrete barriers and razor-wire fences to deter what he has called an "invasion." "If we find that it gets to a level where we are going to lose control or where people are going to start getting hurt, we will close entry into the country for a period of time until we can get it under control," Trump told reporters, before firing a warning to Mexico. "The whole border. I mean the whole border," he
HC for restricting free rice to BPL families alone
The Madras High Court Thursday observed that free PDS rice given to ration card-holders should be restricted only to the families below the poverty line who really deserve such assistance. It also said while it was obligatory on the part of the government to provide bare necessities like rice and other groceries to the needy and poor people, successive governments had extended such benefits to all people for political benefits. Consequently, people began to expect everything for free from the government. As a result, they have become lazy, and migrant workers were being brought for even menial works, a bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose lamented. It made the observations on a petition challenging detention under the Goondas Act of a person accused of smuggling and selling PDS rice, while taking note of the government's submission that free rice was given to all holders of ration cards, irrespective of their economic status. In the year 2017-18, Rs 2,110 .
After Maharashtra quota move, Hardik knocks at OBC Commission door
Firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Thursday made a strong pitch for reservations for his Patel community before the State OBC Commission, seeing an opportunity to force the Gujarat Government after neighbouring Maharashtra extended quota benefits to the Marathas.
Economic disparity increased under Modi government: Sidhu
Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu alleged Thursday that disparity between the rich and the poor skyrocketed under the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. "Income of industrialists registered a massive increase of 75 per cent, while the income of 99 per cent of the middle class and common people has declined by one per cent in 2017," he claimed. "The economic disparity between the rich and the poor is on rise. Is this a government of capitalists who are one per cent or the common people who are 99 per cent (of population)," the cricketer-turned-politician said. The NDA government's move to deregularise diesel in 2014 hit farmers as the prices of the fuel rose, he said.
