Page 302 - Social Issues
Man jumps to death at Hyderabad metro station
An unidentified man committed suicide by jumping from a Metro station in Hyderabad on Thursday, police said.
Telangana cop shoots self
A police constable in Telangana's Khammam district on Thursday committed suicide by shooting himself, police said.
Mpower Announces The Mpower Fest - a Music Concert to Create Awareness About Mental Health
/ -- Mpower, a pioneer in Indian mental healthcare, presents The Mpower Fest - a groundbreaking new initiative set to bring together some of the most prominent names in music for an unforgettable concert on the 11th of November. The Mpower Fest, which will take place at JioGarden BKC, aims to use the power of music to break down the stigma and normalise conversations around mental health in India. The concert features a stellar line-up including Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Amaal and Armaan Malik, and Shalmali. Mpower was launched in 2016 by Neerja Birla and her daughter Ananya Birla to proactively champion mental health causes by raising awareness and providing world-class care services. Last month, On World Mental Health Day, Mpower launched the #SunoDekhoKaho campaign, encouraging people to be more aware and speak up if they see someone in need of help. The Mpower Fest will see the performers as well as popular Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh take the #SunoDekhoKaho pledge along
Colorado moves left, electing 1st openly gay governor in US
Colorado Democrats have flipped control of the state Senate, giving the party a trifecta of Statehouse control with the historic victory of US Rep. Jared Polis as the nation's first openly gay governor and a sweep of top statewide offices. With key wins by five women in toughly contested state Senate races in Denver's suburbs, Tuesday's election will produce a renewed Democratic push to strengthen former President Barack Obama's healthcare law, adopt gun control legislation, increase funding for public education and stress environmental protections. "It's straightforward where I intend to start: Equal pay for equal work. Paid family leave. Closing the wage gap between men and women. It's about equality and an economy that works for everyone," said Rep. Jesse Danielson, who won one of the key Senate races in suburban Jefferson County. Results were still trickling in, but Democrats were poised to take a two-seat majority in the state Senate, erasing a one-vote GOP edge. In the state ...
White House suspends pass of CNN's Jim Acosta
The White House has said that it has suspended the press pass of CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta. The suspension comes after a heated confrontation on Wednesday between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern US border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, "That's enough!" and a White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has released a statement accusing Acosta of "placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern," calling it "absolutely unacceptable." President Trump's combative relationship with the media deteriorated further Wednesday with a news conference where he called some reporters rude and accused a PBS reporter of posing a racist question when she asked him about white ...
Canada apologises for turning away Jews fleeing Nazi Germany
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologised in parliament for Canada's refusal to admit Jewish asylum seekers fleeing Nazi Germany just months before the outbreak of World War II. On May 15, 1939 the ocean liner MS St. Louis departed Germany and crossed the Atlantic with 907 German Jews aboard, desperate for refuge from persecution. The passengers were barred from disembarking at Cuba, and then denied entry in the United States and Canada due to the discriminatory immigration policies of the time. Forced to return to Europe, many were sent to concentration camps, and 254 died in the Holocaust. Their emotional journey would later inspire the 1974 book "Voyage of the Damned" and a movie of the same title. "While decades have passed since we turned our backs on Jewish refugees, time has by no means absolved Canada of its guilt or lessened the weight of its shame," Trudeau said in a speech on Wednesday. "Today, I rise in this House to issue a long overdue apology to the Jewish refugees ..
Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi freed from jail: Lawyer
Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi who spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail, her lawyer said. "I have been told that she is on a plane but nobody knows where she will land," lawyer Saif-ul-Malook said in a message sent to AFP. Pakistan's highest court ordered Bibi's release last week after overturning her conviction, triggering protests by hardline Islamists in a case that underscored divisions between traditionalists and modernisers in the devoutly Muslim nation.
Trump blasts reporters at post-election news conference at White House
President Trump Wednesday lased out at reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and even terming one a "rude, terrible" person. Speaking at his White House press conference, President Trump accused a black reporter of asking a "racist question" after she asked him what he thought of some people's opinions that the Republican party supports white nationalists. "I don't believe it...That's such a racist question. Honestly, I know you have it written down, that's a racist question...I don't use racist remarks," Trump said. Trump had a a tense exchange with a CNN journalist who questioned him if the President thought he demonised immigrants when he called the migrant caravan an "invasion." When a White House staffer tried to end the journalist's questions, Trump called the reporter a "rude, terrible person", before describing an NBC News reporter "fake news" when he came to his fellow journalist's defense. The reporter asked Trump the migrants were ...
Libyan coastguard saves 315 migrants
Tripoli, Nov 7 (IANS/AKI) Libyan Coast Guard rescued 315 migrants in the Mediterranean on Wednesday who were trying to cross to Europe aboard three inflatable boats, according to a Libyan navy spokesman.
Trump calls reporter 'rude, terrible person'
President Donald Trump has sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another he's a "rude, terrible" person. He told yet another reporter he's "not a fan of yours, either." The president's mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the US on foot through Mexico as an "invasion." Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the man's actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all.
Sabarimala issue: 2 more NSS offices under attack
In a fresh attack, two more offices of the Nair Service Society, spearheading the stir over entry of menstrual age women into Sabarimala shrine, were vandalised in Alapuzha and Kollam districts, police said Wednesday. Stones were hurled at the Paravur office of the caste-based outfit and a black flag was hoisted at its office at Kudassanadu on Tuesday, police said. Offices of NSS, a body of the influential Nair community in the state, have come under attack at different places since last week. NSS office-bearers claimed the attacks were by certain "frustrated elements"desperate after seeing the 'mass' participation of people in the protest against the Supreme Court's verdict on entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. The NSS has filed a petition seeking a review of the the apex court lifting the ban on entry of women in the 10-50 age group into the famous temple.
Pak, Afghan discuss ways to enhance cooperation for Afghan refugees' repatriation
Pakistan and Afghanistan officials on Wednesday held second meeting of the Refugee Working Group during which they discussed ways for dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees. The two sides held talks under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) at the Ministry of State and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) in Islamabad. The Afghan delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister for Afghan Ministry of Refugee Affairs, Dr Alema, while Mohammad Aslam, Secretary, SAFRON led the Pakistan side. Foreign Office said in a statement that the meeting discussed matters related to Afghan refugees and other Afghan nationals illegally residing in Pakistan. "Both sides deliberated on the ways to enhance mutual cooperation for a dignified, gradual, time bound and complete return of the Afghan nationals to their country," it said. "It was also decided to observe the agreed timelines and procedures for repatriation of various categories of these persons to Afghanistan." During the .
World hunger due to market economy's lack of solidarity: Pope
Pope Francis on Wednesday decried the existence of poverty in the world and said it did not stem from a lack of resources but rather from an economic culture lacking in equity and human solidarity.
Why panel to look into 'racial discrimination' faced by northeastern people met only 3 times: SC asks Centre
The Supreme Court has termed it unfortunate that a three-member committee, set up for protection of the rights of people from northeastern states residing in different parts of the country, has met just three times since it was set up in March this year.A bench of Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Deepak Gupta said that the committee should have met at least once every month.The bench asked the Central Government to file an affidavit giving reason for the committee not meeting as frequently as it should have."The Committee has been constituted in terms of order dated December 14, 2016. However, the Committee was constituted only on March 16, 2018 after a gap of more than one year. We have been told by the counsel appearing for the Union of India that the Committee instead of meeting preferably every month had met only three times till date. This is unfortunate," the bench said.The apex court order came while hearing a plea initiated after a student from ...
Woman, along with two children, commits suicide by jumping into water body
A woman, along with her two children, allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a water body in the Piplu area of Rajasthan's Tonk district, police said Wednesday. Santosh Bairwa, 30, jumped into the anicut, a water body created for irrigation, along with her her 12-year-old daughter Nisha and 10-year-old son Devraj Bairwa, Tuesday night, they said. "The woman was having some dispute with her family and this could be a reason of the suicide," police said. The bodies were recovered on Wednesday and handed over to family members after post-mortem, they said.
JSW Group commences reconstruction of Adi Shankaracharya samadhi in Uttarakhand
JSW Group commenced the reconstruction of the samadhi of renowned Indian philosopher and theologian Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarpuri in Uttarakhand on Wednesday. "JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal performed the ground-breaking ceremony to commence reconstruction of Adi Shankaracharya samadhi," the company said in a statement. The auspicious ceremony marked the first step of JSW Group's commitment to reconstruct and restore the Shankaracharya Kutir which was ravaged by flash floods in 2013. JSW Group will also set up a museum to provide pilgrims a glimpse into the life Of the renowned Indian philosopher. The reconstruction of the samadhi and the museum is expected to be completed by 2020. JSW Group had last year signed a pact with Government of Uttarakhand for the reconstruction and restoration of Kedarnath.
S Korea apologises for rapes by 1980 martial law troops
South Korea's defence ministry on Wednesday broke decades of silence to apologise for martial law troops raping women including teenagers when they crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1980. Defence minister Jeong Kyeong-doo issued a public apology for the inflicting of "unspeakable, deep scars and pain" on "innocent women" who were raped and subjected to "sex torture" by soldiers cracking down on protests against a military coup by general Chun Doo-hwan. Demonstrators in the southern city of Gwangju and passers-by were beaten to death, tortured, bayonetted and disembowelled or riddled with bullets. Conservatives in the South continue to condemn the uprising as a Communist-inspired rebellion. According to official figures, more than 200 people were left dead or missing, while activists say the toll may have been three times as much. Chun's troops were believed to have also carried out widespread sexual assaults against women but the issue has long been swept under the carpet as ...
Sinead O'Connor doesn't want to associate with white people
Singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor, who has converted to Islam, has said in a "racist" Twitter rant that she has no interest in associating with white people anymore.
Migrants weigh whether to stay in Mexico, resume trek to US
Thousands of Central American migrants will take at least a couple of days to rest in a Mexico City stadium as they debate whether to accept offers to stay in Mexico or continue their trek to the US border. Humanitarian aid stepped up Tuesday for the roughly 4,500 Central American migrants gathered at the Jesus Martinez stadium after an arduous journey that has taken them through three countries in three weeks. Mexico City officials said they are bracing as many as 5,500 migrants at the sports complex as more trickle in. Members of the caravans of migrants, which President Donald Trump made a central issue in US midterm elections, declined to take an immediate decision Tuesday night on whether to definitively stay in Mexico or continue north, opting to remain in the capital at least a couple more days. "Nobody is in more of a hurry than me to get going (to the US border), but we have to go all together," said Sara Rodriguez of Colon, Honduras. Rodriguez, 34, fled her country with her .
Specially-abled women celebrate Diwali in Odisha shelter home
A shelter home in Odisha, accommodating around 300 specially-abled women, celebrated the occasion of Diwali with fervour to make its inmates feel belonged and not left out in the shelter home.The shelter home named 'Mission Ashra' had been rescuing such women who were homeless for the last 16 years and provided them with treatment. They either rescued them from the streets or with the help of police. The inmates in the shelter are provided with food, clothes.Every year, Diwali is celebrated in the shelter with music, dance and crackers, followed by a feast.Punam, an inmate who has been there for six years, told ANI, "Police got me here. I was suffering from mental illness. I am better now and want to go home. We celebrate all the festivals here. We burst crackers, light lamps, distribute sweets, wear new clothes every Diwali."Another inmate Meena also narrated her experience in the shelter. "We eat good food, dance and sing, wear new clothes, burst crackers. I miss home during this ...
