Page 300 - Social Issues
Van carrying migrants crashes; boy killed, 27 others injured
Greek police say that a 4-year-old Iraqi boy has been killed and 27 others injured when a van carrying migrants struck a truck while fleeing police in northern Greece. Police said Saturday that the two traffickers, including the 24-year-old Iraqi driver, were among the injured. The van, with Bulgarian license plates, failed to stop at a police checkpoint. The driver exited the highway at high speed and collided with a truck late Friday about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Thessaloniki. The Greek truck driver wasn't injured. The migrants are from Iraq, Somalia and Bangladesh. Five of the injured were minors, two of them seriously. Smuggling gangs charge high fees to squeeze migrants into small vehicles at the border with Turkey and carry them to Thessaloniki, and accidents are frequent.
Facebook to make arbitration for harassment claims optional
Following Google's footsteps, Facebook is also planning to do away with its policy of requiring employees to settle sexual harassment claims made against colleagues in private arbitration alone, The Wall Street Journal reported.
MP polls: Injustice to Yadav, says Chouhan on Budhni battle
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Friday claimed the Congress had meted out "injustice" to Arun Yadav by fielding him from Budhni. Yadav, a former Congress state unit president, will take on Chouhan from the seat which is considered the latter's home turf. The state goes to polls on November 28 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 11. Talking to reporters in Bhopal, Chouhan said, "I welcome Arun Yadav ji in my area. But the Congress did injustice with Arun ji for the second time in three months. He was first removed from the post of PCC president. Now, he is fielded from Budhni. I request workers (BJP's) to give him due respect in Budhni." Chouhan, chief minister since 2005, is a multiple-time MLA from Budhni. Yadav, meanwhile, filed his nomination papers Friday after offering prayers at Salkanpur Temple. Yadav asked Chouhan to explain the suicides of 30,000 farmers in the state and claimed that Sehore, the latter's home district, had ...
Migrant workers engaged in anti-social acts: VHP
A day after five people were arrested for allegedly slaughtering a cow in South Tripura district, the Viswa Hindu Parishad on Friday claimed that several migrant workers from Assam and Bangladesh are working in Sabroom and indulge in various anti-social activities. The Hindutva organization on Friday met Sabroom Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Biplab Das and submitted a memorandum saying these workers were employed in brick fields in the area. VHPs South Tripura district president Biplab Sen claimed in the memorandum that the migrant workers are involved in Love Jihad, cow slaughter, theft and other anti-social activities. "We want the administration to take stock of the situation and publish a list of photo identity cards for all workers who are engaged on contract basis at these brick fields so that no incident of communal flare up happens, Sen wrote in the memorandum. A group of VHP and Bajrang Dal supporters took out a rally in Sabroom sub-divisional town before the
Treasury staff among 2 held for Rs 1.4 cr fraud in AP: Police
Two persons, including a junior accountant of a government sub-treasury, were arrested here Friday for alleged misappropriation of more than Rs 1.4 crore government funds by fraudulent transfer into the accounts of a few pensioners, police said. A hunt had been launched for three more people allegedly involved in the fraud, they said. Police said they have recovered Rs 76.15 lakh, including Rs 64.54 lakh in cash, from the duo. The arrested have been identified as junior accountant Y Venkata Narasinga Rao of Seethammadhara sub-treasury office here and his friend Garikina Santhosh Kumar, both natives of the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police M Ravindranath Babu said Narasinga Rao had stolen user IDs and passwords of his colleagues at the sub-treasury office and fraudulently credited a total of Rs.50.66 lakh into the bank account of his mother Varalakshmi, a pensioner, in two transactions in May and August this year citing them as pension arrears. He had also transferred ..
Delhi govt to launch 14-day campaign to eradicate leprosy
The Delhi government will launch a 14-day Leprosy Cases Detection Campaign (LCDC) starting from Saturday in the national capital, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said Friday. The campaign will be conducted in eight districts of the city -- Shahdara, north, northwest, west, southwest, south, central and new Delhi. Talking to reporters here, Jain said the campaign will see field teams, comprising Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and volunteers, conducting house to house visits for screening and detecting hidden leprosy cases under the supervision of experts. At present, there are around 2,000 patients suffering from leprosy in the national capital, the health minister said, adding that the campaign will be conducted from November 10 till November 23. The LCDC as a flagship activity of National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) is unique in its approach as various committees are formed at each level, the government said in a statement. It stated that the teams are being
AB-PMJAY to be launched in J&K on December 1: B V R Subrahmanyam
The Centre's national flagship programme Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will be launched in Jammu and Kashmir on December 1, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said. The chief secretary reviewed the preparedness for formal roll-out of AB-PMJAY with all chairpersons of the District Implementation Units (DIUs), through video conferencing here Thursday evening, an official spokesman said. Subrahmanyam directed all deputy commissioners to take up awareness campaigns in their respective districts. He said arrangements should be made for distribution of golden cards and Prime Minister's personal letter along with other relevant material on the scheme to every individual family. Subrahmanyam asked for a comprehensive mechanism for timely delivery of these documents to the beneficiaries through the designated and registered common service centres, health centres, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers or other available media and completing the whole exercise of ...
Congress holds protest outside RBI on demonetisation anniversary
Several senior Congress leaders on Friday staged a protest outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the second anniversary of demonetisation that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016.
Transwomen in Bengal observe Bhai Dooj with street kids, sex workers
Celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, a group of transwomen from West Bengal observed 'Bhai Dooj' with street children here on Friday.
Domestic help at IAF chief's residence commits suicide
A 30-year-old domestic help at the Chief of Air Staff Birender Singh Dhanoa's residence in Lutyens' Delhi has allegedly committed suicide, police said Friday. "The deceased was identified as Manoj Kumar. He hung himself in the servants quarter at the Air Chief Marshal's residence. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon," police said. No suicide note was found, they added.
Maha teen hangs self over guilt of stealing: Cops
A teenager allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra's Sangli district over guilt of stealing and fear of disrepute, police said Friday quoting his suicide note. Ganesh alias Shubham Vhankhade (16) was charged with stealing Rs 3,500 and a 64 GB memory card from the bakery where he was working, an official informed. Vhankhande Wednesday night hanged himself at his residence in Patne Plot area of Sangli, over 350 kilometres from here, police said. A suicide note found at the spot mentioned that Vhankhande was overcome with guilt for stealing and also feared that the incident would bring disrepute, the official said. The bakery's owner had filed a complaint against Vhankhande and a friend in connection with the theft and the deceased had been questioned by police following which he was allowed to go home, the official added. Sangli City police station has registered a case in connection with Vhankhande's suicide and further probe was underway, he said.
Congress holds nationwide protest against demonetisation, observes black day
Congress party workers on Friday held a nationwide protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government's demonetisation drive, which had its second anniversary on Thursday.Party workers took to the streets in Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Patna, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Bengaluru and in the national capital, protesting against the note ban.The workers of Himachal Pradesh division observed black day in Shimla. Wearing black bands on their heads, the party workers carried placards and raised anti-demonetisation slogans.Himachal Pradesh Congress spokesperson Naresh Chauhan said that people have now realised that Prime Minister Narender Modi has deceived them and that no black money has been recovered as promised before 2014 general elections.Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who protested along with the Congress workers in the national capital, told ANI, "People are unhappy with the BJP government. Demonetisation created a huge loss. We are protesting ...
Indian found hanging in UAE
A 25-year-old Indian working in the UAE was found hanging in his accommodation in Sharjah, according to a media report. The body of the worker was found hanging by his roommate on Wednesday, the Gulf News reported on Thursday. The police did not name the Indian national. Police and the forensic teams went to the scene after receiving information about the incident. He is believed to have committed suicide, the report quoted an official as saying. They removed the victim's body and transferred it to hospital and then to the forensic laboratory for an autopsy. Officials took the fingerprints and other details from the scene to investigate the matter but so far do not suspect anyone was involved in the incident, the official was quoted as saying in the report.
Congress holds nationwide protest against Demonetisation, observes 'black day'
The Congress party workers on Friday held a nationwide protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government's demonetisation drive, which had its second anniversary on Thursday.The Congress workers took to streets in Mumbai, Chennai and Chandigarh, Patna, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Bengaluru and New Delhi and protested against the note ban.The workers of Himachal Pradesh division of the Congress, in Shimla observed black day. Wearing black bands on their heads, the party workers carried placards and raised anti-demonetisation slogans.Himachal Pradesh Congress spokesperson Naresh Chauhan said that now people have realised that Prime Minister Narender Modi has deceived them and that no black money has been recovered as they propagated before 2014 general election.Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who protested along with the Congress workers in the national capital, told ANI, "People are unhappy with the BJP government. Demonetisation created a huge loss. We
Govt stresses on improving IT skills of specially abled persons
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar Friday emphasised the need to make Information and Computer Technology accessible to persons with disabilities so that they could participate in all activities of the society like others. He said efforts must be made by all stakeholders to improve the IT skills of specially abled persons. "India is deeply committed to the empowerment and inclusion of persons with disability. All-out steps are being taken to make their life easy and productive by the use of Information Technology," Gurjar said after inaugurating the Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities-2018. The three day event is being organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in association with Rehabilitation International Korea and LG Electronics, fromNovember 9 to 11. The objective of the event is to leverage IT skills among youths with disabilities and spread ...
Awards to recognise use of radio to fight violence against children
A call from a ninth standard girl disturbed by the circulation of a video of herself with her boyfriend made city-based RJ Makin run a radio campaign against violence against children. The two-week long campaign conducted earlier this year aimed at bringing together individuals and organizations, uniting their voices, actions and resources to make societies safer for children everywhere. "After the girl's call, I began to receive a flurry of calls and messages from teenagers, who rang in with similar stories and wanted to know how to deal with it," the RJ helming a popular late-night radio show on love and relationships, said. Makin's campaign that emphasized on the need for survivors and potential victims of child abuse to speak up and reach out for help, is one of the many entries for this year's Radio4Child awards. An initiative of UNICEF, the award, now in its third edition recognises innovative and thought-provoking programming on child and maternal health from public, private .
Central American caravan to resume trip after rest
The US-bound migrant caravan that has so thoroughly irked President Donald Trump has decided to resume its trek north after resting in Mexico City for nearly a week and failing to secure buses for the journey. In a sports arena turned into a makeshift shelter, a vote was held Thursday mainly among male travellers and the verdict was to keep going and leave at dawn on Friday. The group of some 5,500 people, most of them Hondurans, began arriving in the Mexican capital on Sunday. They have been travelling since October 13, mainly on foot, and covered more than 940 miles (1,500 km), but are still weeks away from the US border. Most of them are fleeing grinding poverty and violence from powerful street gangs. The migrants have asked Mexican authorities to provide them with transport. On Thursday, some 200 of them demonstrated outside the local office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to press for 150 buses. On some stretches of the trip, some of the migrants have been riding on ...
Indian worker found hanging in UAE accommodation
A 25-year-old Indian worker was found hanging in his accommodation here, a Sharjah Police official said.
Anti-Semitic acts up 69 per cent in France this year: PM
Anti-Semitic acts in France rose by 69 per cent in the first nine months of 2018, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Friday, the 80th anniversary of the infamous "Kristallnacht" of Nazi attacks against Jews. "Every aggression perpetrated against one of our citizens because they are Jewish echoes like the breaking of new crystal," Philippe wrote on Facebook, referring to the start of the Nazi drive to wipe out Jews on November 9, 1938, also known as the Night of Broken Glass. "Why recall, in 2018, such a painful memory? Because we are very far from being finished with anti-Semitism," he said, calling the number of acts "relentless". After a record year in 2015, anti-Semitic acts fell by 58 per cent in 2016 and went down a further seven percent last year, however there was an increase in violent acts targeting Jews. In his Facebook post, Philippe quoted Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel as saying that "the real danger, my son, is indifference", pledging that the ...
3 arrested for murdering man on eve of daughter's wedding
Three persons were arrested for murdering a 59-year-old man here, a day before the marriage of his daughter, police said Friday. Dilip Langar was stabbed to death by Shamsher Lal alias Raaku (24), Ashish Saini alias Sethi (25) and Jodh Singh alias Gillu at K K Resorts in Udhaywala area of Jammu city on Wednesday night, they said. We have arrested the three and a murder case has been slapped against them at Police Post Pounichak, a police officer said. On the fateful night, Langar, a Kashmiri migrant living in Jammu's Nagrota, had objected to the accused persons creating a ruckus in the parking lot of K K Resorts, where his relatives were staying for the marriage of his daughter, the police said. In a fit of rage, the three stabbed him and fled the spot. Langar was taken to GMC hospital where doctors declared him dead, they said. His body was kept in the hospital as his daughter's marriage was solemnized Thursday evening at home, relatives said, adding that the cremation will take ...
