Page 298 - Social Issues
Lebanese women demand rights to pass nationality to children
Dozens of protesters took to the streets of Beirut on Monday, calling for the rights of Lebanese women who marry foreigners to pass their nationality onto their children.
HP may have a new stringent law against drug peddlers, smugglers: CM
Himachal Pradesh may enact a new law providing for stringent punishment to drug peddlers and smugglers to save its young generation from becoming addict, said state Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur Monday. The chief minister made the statement while addressing a symposium 'Dhyey Yukt, Nasha Mukt Himachal' (A dedicated, drug-free Himachal) organised by Sunil Upadhyaya Educational Trust in Gaiety Theater here today. Thakur said the state government was concerned over a large number of youths becoming drug addicts and has been making consistent efforts to curb the evil. Many laws are already in force to punish drug peddlers but there is a dire need to implement these laws effectively, he added. "If required, the law would be made more stringent so that the enemies of the younger generation can be put behind bars," the chief minister said. A major campaign will soon be launched against the drug abuse in the state, he said and appealed to the people to take part in this campaign and discharge
Congress slams Jaleel, demands his resignation
: The Opposition Congress in Kerala Monday lashed out at local administration minister K T Jaleel, demanding his ouster in the nepotism row,even as his relative, who was appointed as general manager in a Minorities corporation, stepped down following mounting protests. The Muslim Youth League had on November 2 alleged that Adeeb K T, a cousin of Jaleel, was appointed general manager in the Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation, flouting rules. "The Minister's relative stepping down from the post is not going to end the issue. He has to resign from the post. Otherwise the United Democratic Front (UDF) will take up the protests," leader of the opposition in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala said in a statement here. He alleged that there was blatant violation of procedures and the law in the appointment. "The resignation proves it. Serious allegations are coming out against the minister every day. Still the CPI(M) leadership is protecting him," he ...
Trader allegedly commits suicide in Rajasthan
A 55-year-old mining trader committed suicide here Monday by jumping in front of an oncoming train, police said. The deceased was identified as Om Prakash Mewada, a resident of Guru Nanak colony in Bundi city, Circle officer (CO) Bundi Sadar Police Station Anil Joshi said. Mewada had attempted to end his life earlier as well but was saved by his family members, he said. The reason behind the extreme step is yet to be ascertained as no suicide note was found, however, the possibility of a domestic conflict or financial burden cannot be ruled out, he added. The body was handed over to the family members after postmortem examination and the matter is being probed, he said.
Bihar police says ex-minister Manju Verma untraceable; SC expresses shock
The Supreme Court Monday said it was "quite shocked" that the Bihar police was unable to trace and arrest former state minister Manju Verma, who had stepped down from the cabinet in the wake of the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal, in a case related to alleged recovery of illegal ammunition from her. A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta summoned the Bihar director general of police (DGP) to explain why the state police had failed to trace the whereabouts of Verma and arrest her in connection with the case. Verma had resigned as the social welfare minister in the Bihar government following the Muzaffarpur case, where several women inmates of a shelter home were allegedly raped and sexually abused, after it came to light that her husband Chandrashekhar Verma had spoken to Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the case, several times between January and June. At the outset, the bench asked, "Has the lady (Verma) been arrested?" The counsel appearing for the Bihar government .
Andhra CM distributes tool kits to 1 lakh people
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday distributed tool kits to one lakh people belonging to the minority and backward sections of society as part of his Aadarana scheme.The Chief Minister also announced that people falling under Below Poverty Line and backward and minority categories will be eligible to apply for interest-free and subsidized-interest loans. A total of 1, 00, 016 people will benifit from this.A mega grounding mela was organized here, where farmers, tailors, goldsmiths, potters, fishermen, etc were given toolkits specific to their profession at 90 per cent subsidy, with the government incurring a total of Rs 115 crores for the same.Apart from the mela, several government corporations distributed toolkits to people across the state. The beneficiaries of the scheme included people belonging to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward Classes, Muslim Minority, Christian Minority, Kapu and other sections of society.The state government claims to
'2,382 Indians languishing in US jails for illegally crossing border'
Nearly 2,400 Indians are languishing in various American jails for illegally crossing the US border to seek asylum in the country, according to the latest figures. These detainees, a significant number of whom are from Punjab, are seeking asylum, claiming that they "experienced violence or persecution" in India. As many as 2,382 Indians are lodged in 86 jails in the US, according to the information obtained by North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) through Freedom of Information Act. According to figures as of October 10, a total of 377 Indian nationals are detained at California's Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center, 269 at Imperial Regional Adult Detention Facility, 245 at the Federal Correctional Institution Victorville, and 115 at Washington State's Tacoma ICE Processing Center. "Most of the detainees at the federal facilities are asking for asylum claiming that they 'experienced violence or persecution' in their home country," NAPA president ...
India's retail inflation eases to 3.31 percent in October
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's retail inflation rate eased to 3.31 percent in October from a year earlier, government data showed on Monday, helped by fall in food prices.
"Criminal defamation cases against 'MeToo' victims unfair"
Former Tata Group Executive Anjuli Pandit Monday said the criminal defamation cases being used as 'bullying tactics' by law firms and individuals wishing to silence 'MeToo' victims are absolutely "unfair and an abuse of law." "The criminal defamation cases which are being used as a bullying tactic by law firms and individuals, who wish to silence a victim (MeToo survivor) are absolutely unfair and are an abuse of this legislation," she told PTI in an email interaction from London. Pandit was replying to a query if defamation suits filed by the accused against the victims had disappointed her. The statement comes in the wake of former union minister and noted journalist M J Akbar filing a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani on October 15. The victim had accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago. Akbar, in a Delhi court on October 31, had termed the sexual misconduct allegations against him as false, "scurrilous" and concocted. "The victim
Twitter launches campaign to boost youth engagement for 2019 polls
Twitter India on Monday launched a new initiative titled #PowerOf18, aimed at encouraging the youth to contribute in public debates and participate in civic engagement for the 2019 general elections.
Deb justifies reason for dropping May Day from holidays list
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has justified the reason behind dropping May Day from the list of holidays in the state and said the decision was taken because government employees didnt need one on International Labour Rights Day. Deb said that May Day is meant for workers and labourers and none else. He claimed his government has done justice by granting holiday on May Day only for workers in industrial sector. Why do government employees need holiday on May Day ? ... I have noticed that it is a holiday on that day in very few states. "What are the provisions for a holiday? They (previous Left govt) used to grant holiday to the entire state on this day here," Deb told a conference of the Tripura Gazetted Officers Sangh here on Sunday. The Tripura government in a notification on November 3 had said that government employees would be allowed to avail any four holidays chosen by them out of a list of restricted holidays during 2019. The list of restricted holidays
Casualties feared as huge explosion rocks Kabul
Casualties are feared after a huge explosion rocked Kabul on Monday close to where scores of Afghans had been protesting against Taliban attacks on the minority Hazara ethnic group. The blast struck in front of a high school in the downtown area of the Afghan capital, the interior ministry said. A photo shared on the popular WhatsApp messaging app showed several bodies laying on the ground. "It was a huge blast near Istiqlal high school, very close to where the demonstrators were gathering," witness Qais Nawabi told AFP. A police officer at the scene said he could see 10 to 15 casualties on the ground, as well as body parts. "It is hard to see whether it was a suicide attack or a bomb (that had been planted)," he told AFP on the condition of anonymity. Hundreds of protesters, including university students, had taken to the streets of Kabul to demand the deployment of reinforcements to Hazara-dominated districts in Ghazni province which have been attacked by the Taliban.
SC declines to entertain PIL to make rape gender-neutral offence
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deals with rape on the ground that the provision is not gender-neutral. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said the issue raised in the petition is a subject matter of the legislature's domain. "The issue falls in the realm of the Parliament. We don't want to say anything on it right now", the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the legislature. While Section 375 of the IPC deals with rape committed on a woman by a man, Section 376 lists out the punishment for the offence. The top court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Criminal Justice Society of India, through advocate Ashima Mandla, contending that Section 375 violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution as it does not account for rape of men and Transgender persons. The plea sought that the definition of .
Huge explosion rocks Kabul
Casualties are feared after a huge explosion rocked Kabul on Monday close to where scores of Afghans had been protesting against Taliban attacks on the minority Hazara ethnic group. AFP reporters heard the blast, which the interior ministry said happened in front of a high school in the downtown area of the Afghan capital.
Conditions not safe for Rohingya's return to Myanmar: UNHCR
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that the condition was not safe for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar from Bangladesh, even as the two countries were preparing for the return process on Monday, set to start later this week.
Rohingya repatriation to start on Nov 15, transit camps set up
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will return to Myanmar, a year after they fled the Rakhine state following a military crackdown.Newly-constructed transit camps have been set up for the refugees who are scheduled to repatriate on November 15, according to media reports.Myanmar has received a list of Rohingya families who are supposed to return to the country, however, many Rohingyas of Ukhiya and Teknaf camps of Cox's Bazar are not yet ready to return due to safety concerns.The concerned authority asserted that the repartition process would start soon if everything goes well, reported Dhaka Tribune. As many as 22,000 names were put on the list and after scrutiny, Naypyidaw has agreed to the return of 5,000 Rohingyas in the first phase."Transit camps have been prepared on the banks of Naf River near Keruntali Nayapara in Teknaf and on the land of Ghumdhum Border for Rohingya repatriation. Two transit camps have been completed since last two months. We hope to start the process of ...
25 Dalits convert to Buddhism in Shamli alleging discrimination
Twenty-five Dalits converted to Buddhism in a ceremony in Shamli district, alleging discrimination against the community. Dalit leader Devidas Jayant, who also converted, said they had taken the step due to discrimination and atrocities against the community. Bodh bhikshu Bhante Pergyashil was performed the conversion ceremony, he said. Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar Tiwari said the event had not taken place under any coercion and added that everyone had the freedom to follow any religion they desire.
Migrant caravan moves on to central Mexico city of Irapuato
Local Mexican officials again helped thousands of Central American migrants find rides Sunday on the latest leg of their journey toward the U.S. border. At a toll plaza to the west of the central Mexico city of Queretaro, where the group spent Saturday night, police prevented migrants from waylaying trucks on their own, but officers did help them find vehicles for rides. The government of Queretaro said via Twitter that 6,531 migrants had moved through the state between Friday and Saturday. It said that 5,771 of those departed Sunday morning after staying in three shelters it had prepared, the largest of which was a soccer stadium in the state capital. Those numbers appeared even higher than counts made by officials when the group was in Mexico City for several days, raising the possibility that other migrants had caught up to the main caravan. Starting out before dawn, the migrants went on to Irapuato, an agricultural city about 62 miles (100 kilometers) to the west in neighboring ...
3 large Hindi-speaking states have high fertility rates: UNFPA
There is a stark contrast between the fertility rates of the three largest Hindi-speaking states and six non-Hindi-speaking states even as India was nearing the population replacement level of fertility, a UN report shows.
KCR went back on promise of 12 per cent quota for Muslims:
Accusing caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) of 'going back' on his promise of providing 12 per cent reservation for Muslims in jobs and education, Telangana Congress Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy Sunday said "the time has come to teach him a lesson." Addressing a meeting here, Reddy claimed that Rao was never serious about providing 12 per cent quota to Muslims and therefore dragged the issue for four-and-a-half years on one pretext or the other. "The BJP government (at the Centre) had rejected the Bill, which was meant to enhance the Muslim quota from 4 per cent to 12 per cent in February this year and refused to send it to the President for his assent. TRS Government neither held any protest against the BJP government nor approached the Supreme Court against the rejection," he alleged. The Telangana legislature had on April 16 last year passed a bill, raising the reservation for backward Muslims and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs and educational ...
