Page 30 - Social Issues
US detained 144,000 migrants in May, up 32% since April
US authorities detained or blocked more than 144,000 migrants at the border with Mexico in May, up 32 per cent since April as Central Americans flock to the United States seeking asylum, official figures showed Wednesday. Customs and Border Protection officials said most of the migrants were families from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and included some 57,718 children. "We are in a full-blown emergency. The system is broken," said CBP Acting Commissioner John Sanders.
Hum se jo takrayega, woh chur chur ho jayega: Mamata
Assuring the Muslim community that they have nothing to fear, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said with its help she would fight "every battle" to save the country.
Troubled Dutch teen was not euthanised: Clinic
A Dutch teenager traumatised by a childhood rape died at home after refusing food and drink but was not euthanised, a clinic said on Wednesday, dismissing "incorrect" media reports. Noa Pothoven, 17, who won fame by writing a book about her long battle with anorexia, severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, died on Sunday. Pothoven said in a final Instagram post that she had "lost the will to fight". The Levenseindekliniek, a clinic based in The Hague which specialises in euthanasia, released a statement to counter what it said was false media coverage of the story. "To put an end to incorrect reporting (in foreign media in particular) about her death, we refer to the statement made by friends of Noa this afternoon: Noa Pothoven did not die of euthanasia," said the statement. She had stopped eating and drinking "to stop her suffering", the clinic added. News of her death was reported by some Dutch media on Monday. Some said Noa had contacted the Levenseindekliniek to ask
Alabama proposes chemical castration for convicted pedophiles seeking parole
Alabama is planning to require convicted pedophiles to undergo chemical castration in order to be granted parole from prison, a controversial measure already in effect in several other US states. The southern state's legislature passed a bill stipulating that any inmate aged 21 or over who was convicted of a sexual crime against a minor aged under 13 years must take medication to reduce their testosterone before they can be granted early release. The treatment, which affects a person's libido, will continue until a judge rules it to be "no longer necessary." If the person stops taking their medication, they will be returned to jail. Aside from exceptional cases, the parolees will have to pay for the medication themselves, according to the bill, which has been sent to Republican governor Kay Ivey who has voiced her support for it. "They have marked this child for life and the punishment should fit the crime," the bill's sponsor, lawmaker Steve Hurst, told local WIAT radio. California ..
Sri Lanka proposes new law on fake news after Easter attacks
Sri Lanka's government will introduce five-year jail terms for those caught spreading fake news and hate speech on social media, the government said Wednesday, following a surge in online vitriol and disinformation after the Easter suicide attacks. The cabinet of ministers approved a proposal by the acting justice minister, which will also see offenders fined one million rupees (USD 5,715), the government said in a statement. It did not immediately release a definition of the two offences, but said the penal code will be amended to introduce the new penalties. The move follows repeated government allegations that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp have been used to spread online hate, in a country where ethnic divisions still linger after decades of war. Sri Lanka shut down internet access in March last year to prevent further violence when anti-Muslim mobs went on the rampage in the island nation's central region, killing three people and destroying hundreds of homes, ..
YouTube to ban 'hateful,' 'supremacist' videos
YouTube said Wednesday it would ban videos that promote or glorify racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook school shooting. The announcement by the Google-owned video-sharing platform was the latest of a series of industry moves to filter out hateful and violent content, which have spurred calls for tougher regulation. "Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status," YouTube said on its blog.
Depressed by failure in NEET, 17-year-old girl commits suicide
A 17-year-old girl from nearby Tirupur allegedly committed suicide Wednesday apparently dejected over her inability to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The tragedy is likely to set off a political blame game. Police said Rithushree failed to clear NEET and out of depression hanged herself in her house. The results were announced this morning. She was hopeful of clearing the test and joining the medical course as she scored 490 marks in the 12th Standard, according to police. In the runup to the Lok Sabha election, the ruling AIADMK in its manifesto promised to get exemption for the state students from NEET till such time they were able to cope up with the improved new syllabus. On the other hand, the DMK in its manifesto said the national entrance test would be scrapped if its alliance came to power. In 2017, a 17-year-old Dalit girl of Ariyalur district, S Anitha, who scored 1176 marks out of 1200 in her Class XII exam committed suicide as she ...
Delimitation: Kashmiris believe they are ring-fenced legally
With Kashmir Valley in a tizzy over the increasing buzz over the likelihood of setting up of a Delimitation Commission to arrest the regional disparity between Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh divisions, several postulates are being firmed up.
Navy sailor hangs himself at INS Shivaji
A 19-year-old sailor allegedly committed suicide at INS Shivaji, the Indian Navy's base near Lonavala in Pune district, Wednesday, police said. Akash Sainath Kannala was found to have hanged himself from ceiling fan by using a bedsheet at a recreation center on the base around 4.30 am, a police official said. No suicide note was found on the spot, and the Navy has ordered an inquiry, he said. Kannala, who was undergoing Direct Entry Engineering Mechanics course, hailed from Pardi village in Nirmal district of Telangana, the police official said. Lonavala police are conducting further probe, he added.
Dutch teen rape victim ends life with euthanasia
A 17-year-old Dutch girl, who suffered years of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anorexia after being sexually assaulted as a child, has ended her life.
Vardhan writes to CMs of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana, Bengal; urges them to join Ayushman Bharat
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to the chief ministers of Delhi, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal, urging them to join the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), as the ultimate beneficiary of this collaboration will be the poor and vulnerable people of the country. Vardhan had also spoken to Arvind Kejriwal, Naveen Patnaik and Mamata Banerjee, the respective chief ministers of Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal, and was trying to connect with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao,a statement from the health ministry said. Taking stock of the situation that the three states and one Union Territory (UT) were yet to join the AB-PMJAY, Vardhan, in his letter to the chief ministers, said, "It is important that the benefits of a visionary scheme like Ayushman Bharat should reach all the deprived and vulnerable people in the country. "I will make all efforts to convince the remaining states and the UT to ..
Amarinder writes to Modi, seeks farm loan waiver
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive off loans of distressed farmers at the national level. In a letter to Modi, the chief minister said that a one-time agriculture debt waiver for farmers was essential to reduce distress among the farming community and help in putting agriculture sector on a path of high growth trajectory. "The government of India should bite the bullet once and for all," Amarinder Singh wrote in the letter. It was widely acknowledged that most of these 'anndaatas' (growers) of the country were facing severe debt stress, as a result of which some of them had even taken the extreme step of ending their lives by committing suicides, the CM said further. He also emphasised on the need to rectify the situation, not with slow and small measures but with carefully thought-out steps to mitigate their distress and improve their living conditions. Amarinder Singh apprised the prime minister that the Punjab government ...
Jaipur Foots to benefit over 2,000 more disabled world-wide
India's famous Jaipur foot is set to help over 2,000 more disabled persons in three African countries and one southeast Asian country walk more steadily. Over 2,000 feet amputees and persons with other disabilities of lower limbs would be fitted with Jaipur Foots in four camps being held in Egypt, Tanzania and Senegal in Africa and Vietnam in South Esat Asia, said a statement by Jaipur Foot makers Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti, based in the Rajasthan capital. The camps are being organised in association with the Ministry of External Affoars, the statement added. The camps are being organised under the 'India for Humanity' initiative of the government of India, it said. The initiatve was launched to commemorate the 150thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Over 1.78 million people world-wide have been benefitted by Jaipur Foot, limbs, calipers and other aids and appliances, mostly in India, besides 26 other countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. All artificial limbs and
Work on economic census 2019 gathers momentum
Preparations for the seventh economic census are underway to gather valuable insights into the geographical spread, clusters of activities, ownership pattern and persons engaged in all establishments across the country, the government said on Wednesday.In a run-up to the field work to be undertaken by enumerators, several activities have been planned by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Training of trainers at the state level is an integral component of this massive exercise.A workshop for state-level training for the National Capital Territory of Delhi will be organised on Thursday in the national capital. The training programme for state-level trainers in Karnataka, Kerala and Goa will be held the next day.Beginning next week, it will be held for trainers in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands besides Lakshadweep, according to an official statement.In the national workshop held on May 14, the participants were trained on key concepts and ...
Journalist commits suicide in Bengaluru
A journalist allegedly committed suicide by hanging self at his residence, the police said on Wednesday.The deceased identified as Nayaz Khan was a senior journalist and was working in local news channel Prajaa TV.The body was recovered in the morning and was later sent to sent post mortem, the police said. The cause of the alleged suicide is not yet known.A case has been registered under relevant sections of the law and further investigation in the matter is underway.
Federal lawsuit filed against Arizona anti-immigrant groups
Members of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups known to protest and harass Christian Arizona churches that aid immigrant families on behalf of the federal government were sued Tuesday by a national organization that monitors extremist and hate groups. The lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center against several members of Patriot Movement AZ and AZ Patriots seeks unspecified punitive damages and asks a federal judge to order them to stop their practices. The lawsuit says the groups conspired to violate the churches' civil rights, defamed the pastors and trespassed on private property. The SPLC and pastors from various Phoenix-area churches say members of the group accused church leaders of human and sex trafficking, trespassed on private property and refused to leave until police arrived. It also claims they secretly recorded immigrant children who were playing outside. They contend the groups' actions made it more difficult to recruit volunteers and led to some churches to cut ...
Homophobic remarks do not violate YouTube policies
Google-owned video sharing app YouTube has decided that homophobic comments do not violate its policies.
TRP of 'Jai Shri Ram' dipping: Abhishek Banerjee
In a scathing attack at BJP, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has said that the TRP of 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan has gone down and TRP of 'Jai Maa Kali' slogan is rising due to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee."People told me that Dilip Ghosh (state BJP president) has asked to raise slogans of Jai Maa Kali along with Jai Shri Ram. I told them that Mamata Banerjee was there so that is why Ram's TRP has suddenly gone down and Ma Kali's TRP is going up," he said at a rally here on Tuesday.Targeting the BJP-led Centre over unemployment and farmers' suicides, Abhishek said, "When joblessness is rising and farmers are committing suicides every day, Prime Minister replies Jai Shri Ram. Our slogan is Jai Hind, Jai Bangla, Vande Mataram...."The political temperature in West Bengal continues to be high ever since BJP made deep inroads in the state after winning 18 seats and limiting TMC to 22 seats in the recently concluded elections.Mamata on Sunday had criticised the BJP and said that its ...
Sudanese protesters: Death toll in military crackdown at 60
Organizers of the pro-democracy protests in Sudan say the death toll across the country since the violent dispersal of their sit-in in Khartoum earlier this week has increased to 60. The previously reported death toll stood at 40. The Sudan Doctors' Committee says security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman. That came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum's Bahri neighborhood. The doctors' committee is the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading protests against army rule. On Monday, security forces broke up the protest camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum, posing a new challenge to the protest movement.
Delhi: Man dies in custody under suspicious circumstances
Sumit, a man who was taken in custody and lodged in Delhi Cantt Police Station died under suspicious circumstances on Tuesday afternoon, police said.According to police, his health deteriorated during interrogation and he died after being taken to hospital. Postmortem report will ascertain the cause of death.Further investigation is underway.