Page 304 - Social Issues
Germany ousts domestic spy chief at centre of govt row
Germany's interior minister on Monday forced out domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, whose controversial comments about racist far-right protesters threw Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government into crisis. Maassen, 55, was pushed into early retirement -- rather than into another government post as earlier planned -- after he exacerbated the controversy by blaming "radical left-wing forces" in Merkel's coalition government for his troubles. Maassen had also criticised Merkel's "naive" immigration policy in a Warsaw farewell speech last month to fellow heads of European domestic intelligence organisations, it emerged at the weekend. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who had long defended Maassen, told a press conference Monday that the spy chief's latest comments were "unacceptable" and had left him "personally disappointed". Seehofer, himself under pressure over the row and over poor regional election results in Bavaria state last month, said he had asked German President ..
Assam killings result of BJP's divisve politics: Cong
The West Bengal Congress on Monday said "divisive politics" of the BJP-RSS combine was responsible for the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Assam. The Congress party never supports the "narrow politics" of provincialism, communalism and racism, West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra said. "The BJP government has been shamelessly endorsing the indiscriminate division of religion, language and caste throughout the country. The same situation happened in Gujarat a few days ago," he said. "Both the Assam government and the central government should take steps to ensure safety and security of Bengalis living in Assam," Mitra said. The five people, including three of a family, were killed and two others injured at Kheronibari village under Dholla police station limits in Tinsukia on the night of November 1.
Diseases contracted after health policy purchase should be covered, suggests Irdai panel
Chronic diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, AIDs/HIV infection and Morbid obesity should be covered under medical cover if a person contracts such ailments after buying a health insurance policy, according to recommendations of a panel set up by Irdai. The working group has also suggested a list of 17 diseases, including chronic kidney disease, Hepatitis B, Alzheimer's, epilepsy and HIV & AIDS, which could be excluded from health insurance polices. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) had set up a working group for standardisation of exclusions in health insurance contracts in July this year. The panel has submitted its report containing host of recommendations to the regulator. "The Working Group recommends that all health conditions acquired after policy inception, other than those that are not covered under the policy contract (such as Infertility and Maternity) should be covered under the policy and cannot be permanently excluded. "Thus, ...
Sukhbir Badal, others court arrest to protest 'distortion' of Sikh history
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, courted arrest on Monday to protest against the alleged distortion of Sikh history in textbooks of the Punjab School Education Board.
Saudi rights record under fire at UN
Saudi Arabia insisted at the UN Monday that its investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be "fair", amid a barrage of criticism from countries over the brutal murder. The half-day public debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes just over a month after the royal insider-turned-critic was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkey confirmed last week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate on October 2 as part of a planned hit, and his body was then dismembered and destroyed. The so-called Universal Periodic Review -- which all 193 UN countries must undergo approximately every four years -- came as a Turkish official charged Monday that Saudi Arabia had sent experts to Turkey to cover up the journalist's murder before allowing Turkish police in to search the consulate. The murder has placed huge strains on Saudi Arabia's relationship with the United States and other western countries and has tarnished the image of .
Why women are less likely to receive CPR from bystanders
Bystanders are less likely to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on women -- even "virtual" women -- than on men who collapse with cardiac arrest, according to two latest studies.
BJP opens 'women grievance cell' in Jammu
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP set up here Monday a 'women grievance cell' to help distressed women approach various statutory authorities for resolution of their problems. The women cell has been presently opened only in the BJP's Jammu office, but the party will soon set up similar cells in each district of the state, said the BJP women wing state president Rajni Sethi. The cell would function on alternate days - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - from 12 noon to 3 pm, she said, adding a woman in distress can approach the cell even telephonically. The cell would also apprise the women of various central schemes started for their welfare under initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, adding the central programmes include marriage assistance scheme, widow pension, old age pension and pension for differently-abled women. Meanwhile, BJP MLC Ramesh Arora alleged that the medical department in the state has become a "den of corruption". "Corruption in medical system, use .
Maharashtra Congress activists detained for celebrating 'dark Diwali'
Congress activists were detained when they attempted to hoist black lanterns (kandeels) at Mantralaya, the state government headquarters, to celebrate a 'dark Diwali' on Monday.
Odisha forms ministerial panel as farmers march to state capital
The Odisha government on Monday formed an inter-ministerial committee to look into the demands of farmers, who marched to the state capital demanding "price, prestige and pension".
Protests mark opening of J&K Secretariat in Jammu
A series of protests marked the opening of the Civil Secretariat here, with agitators seeking the intervention of Governor Satya Pal Malik to resolve their grievances. The Civil Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, among other move offices, opened here after a 10-day break as part of the bi-annual 'Darbar Move'. Repeated attempts by different groups of protesters to march towards the secretariat from the Exhibition Ground were scuttled by policemen, who were deployed in strength in the city to maintain law and order, officials said. Two groups of teachers Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) and Rahbar-e-Taleem teachers staged sit-ins outside the Press Club demanding the release of their pending wages and the Seventh Pay Commission benefits. "We had called off the indefinite strike last month on the government's assurance that we will get salaries at par with other government teachers in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission. But the government failed to keep its promise, forcing us to come on the ..
Jailed Chinese activist's life in 'immediate' danger: rights groups
China's first "cyber-dissident" Huang Qi is in danger of dying under police custody if he does not receive medical treatment for a host of severe health conditions, human rights groups warned on Monday. Huang, 55, who was arrested in 2016 for "leaking state secrets", is currently being held in Mianyang Detention Centre in southwestern Sichuan province, according to his mother. Huang ran a website called "64 Tianwang", named after the bloody June 4, 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protesters. The website, which has reported on local corruption cases, police brutality, and other topics rarely seen in ordinary Chinese media, is blocked in mainland China. According to human rights organisations, Huang suffers from chronic kidney disease, hydrocephalus or accumulation of fluid in the brain, and heart disease. "Huang Qi's current condition is extremely urgent," his 85-year-old mother, Pu Wenqing, who travelled to Beijing in October to make a case for her son, told AFP. "I ..
Mumbai: NCB nabs 2 persons with charas, MDMA, LSD in Andheri
Two persons were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and contraband like charas, MDMA and LSD was recovered from them, an official said Monday. MDMA, or methylenedioxy-methamphetamine is a synthetic drug known on the streets as "ecstasy" while LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, goes by the term "acid". The duo were arrested from Mogra area of Andheri by an NCB team acting on a specific tip-off, the official informed. The 480 gram charas recovered from the duo had been procured from Himachal Pradesh and was meant for peddling in the metropolis, he said. A case had been registered and further probe was underway, the official said. The official informed that drug trafficking and consumption attract severe jail terms of up to 20 years, and in certain cases, even capital punishment.
Myanmar to receive over 2,200 returnees from Bangladesh
Myanmar will receive the first batch of 2,260 displaced people from Bangladesh starting from December 15, authorities said on Monday.
Life in the shadows: Pakistani Christians fear arrest in Thailand
His family of seven share two small, squalid rooms in a cockroach-infested Bangkok apartment. But like many Pakistani Christians living illegally in Thailand, Farooz's sharpest worry is not poverty but arrest. There is no safe return to the homeland they fled due to religious persecution, where Islamist invective surged higher last week after the release of Asia Bibi on blasphemy charges. Christians make up less than two percent of Pakistan's Muslim-majority population, but are the sporadic targets of hardline Islamists. Churches have been bombed while pernicious charges of blasphemy are easily pinned on the group, often to settle personal scores. Mass protests against last week's pardon of Asia Bibi - a Christian woman on death row since 2010 over allegations of insulting Islam - have put conditions for the minority in Pakistan back under the spotlight. It has also reminded those who fled, thousands of whom live in the shadows in Bangkok, what awaits if they return. "We cannot go ...
Jewellers accuse harassment by govt officials ahead of Diwali
Gems and jewellers' body GJC Monday condemned harassment of jewellers by government officials ahead of Diwali and demanded that the Centre should circulate standard norms to check goods in transit. The All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) is a national trade federation for the promotion and growth of trade in gems and jewellery across India. Several incidents across states have come to light wherein the police, income tax officials and GST officials have conducted "illegal raids" on jewellers, especially the small and medium sized players, it said. This has caused mental torture and harassment at a time when jewellers are grappling with low sales during the festive season. "There have been complaints that the officials are indulging in nepotism and bribes," the GJC alleged. "As the gem and jewellery industry is trying to get organised and become compliant, small and medium sized jewellers are being deliberately targeted and we are witnessing no ease of business," GJC ...
Government needs to act as consumer for faster 5G adoption: Report
When it comes to 5G adoption in India, the government needs to play a big role as a consumer to make it a success, a report said on Monday.
Biometric details of Rohingyas will be collected in 2 months: J-K Governor
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday said that the biometric details of Rohingya refugees will be collected within two months."Biometric details of Rohingyas will be collected within two months," Malik said while addressing the media during the bi-annual 'Darbar Move'.On October 1, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that all states have been asked to identify Rohingya refugees and collect their biometric data, a compiled report of which will be sent to Myanmar.The Home Minister, while describing the Rohingya as illegal immigrants, had asked other political parties to not politicise the Centre's efforts to identify them.Rajnath's directions came four months after he wrote a letter to the Jammu and Kashmir government, saying, "Such illegal migrations pose serious challenges and have security implications since some of the migrants have been found to have indulged in illegal activities and are vulnerable to radicalisation."Malik, while addressing the media, also ..
Australia extends 'backpacker visas' to ease farm worker shortage
Australia announced Monday that it was extending working holiday visas to allow young travellers to stay longer in the country to help meet a shortage of farm labourers. The change allows travellers on so-called "backpacker visas" to remain in Australia for up to three years if they spend at least six months doing agricultural work. Previously the one-year "Working Holiday Maker" visas allowed travellers to remain for a second year if they took up work in the remote Northern Territory. From July 2019, they can extend this to a third year as long as they spend six months working in agricultural regions suffering from particularly acute labour shortages. The new rules were announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a visit to farming communities in the eastern state of Queensland, a key battleground for his fragile coalition government which must face a national election by May. Australia's conservative government has since 2017 been reducing the scope of temporary working visas .
55 people booked for illegal sand mining in UP
As many as 55 people were booked for illegal sand mining here, police said Monday. Based on a tip-off that illegal sand mining was taking place at the Ganga canal, several raids were conducted, but the miners managed to escape, said Circle Officer Ram Mohan Sharma. A case was registered against 55 sand miners, he said. Meanwhile, authorities in Shamli district here conducted raids and seized 14 trucks loaded with sand on Sunday. The raids were conducted at Baseda village which comes under the jurisdiction of Kairana police station, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Amitpal Sharma.
Cameroon police arrest 19 opposition protesters
Police in Cameroon arrested 19 supporters of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who disputes the results of October presidential elections, at protests against President Paul Biya on Sunday, local authorities and witnesses told AFP. The arrests happened at two different places in the town of Bafoussam in the country's west where Kamto backers were picketing, they said. Kamto, who according to official results came second with 14 per cent of the vote behind incumbent Biya with seven percent, called Friday for an independent vote recount. He claimed victory in the October 7 polls, and has been declared an "outlaw" by the government. But Kamto, one of seven candidates seeking to unseat Biya who has ruled the West African country for 36 years, insists the process was marred by widespread fraud. Members of Kamto's Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) posted images on social media Sunday of their protest against what they called an electoral "hold-up". Sixteen MRC members who had ...
