Page 308 - Social Issues
Over 1,300 tablets of banned 'madness drug' seized in Bengal, one arrested
The Kolkata unit of Narcotics Control Bureau on Thursday seized more than 1,300 Yaba tablets, also known as madness drug, from West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district and arrested an suspect, an NCB official said.
UK plans new fund for Indian soldiers who fought in World Wars
The UK government has unveiled plans to offer support to Indian soldiers who fought for Britain during the two World Wars but lost out on pensions and other benefits accrued to British armed forces personnel at the time. UK International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the government is keen to rectify the injustice faced by Indian and other Commonwealth war veterans, many of whose families are now living in harsh conditions in their countries of origin. "These veterans were cast off, not taken care of and not given pensions and looked after. There are about 8,500 of these individuals and their widows around the world who are living on one meal a day and have no access to healthcare," Mordaunt said, during her address at the Punjabi Society of the British Isles annual gala on Wednesday. "I will announce a new programme that will take care of these servicemen and veterans and their widows for the rest of their lives. And, I think that is a great example of the values and the .
industrial peace in Gujarat: Rupani
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday sought to allay fears of the business community in the wake of migration of workers from north India claiming that there was complete industrial peace and the state continued to be an ideal investment destination.
Bus syndicates demand fare hike during protest rally, 40 held
Around 40 people were arrested for disrupting public order during a bare-chested protest rally organised by the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates on Thursday to press for immediate hike in bus fares, police said. A total of 40 people were taken to Lalbazar Central lock-up and later released on bail, an officer of Hare Street police station said. He said around 200 persons took out the protest rally in which some of the participants took of their shirts while walking along Lenin Sarani, the officer said. The group were stopped at Dorina Crossing, where they were taken into custody, he said. The arrests were made as the rally caused public disorder and there was no prior permission to hold such a protest, the officer said. Secretary of the syndicate Tapan Bandyopadhyay alleged that police carried out lathicharge on the protesters at Dorina crossing and many suffered injuries. Bandyopadhyay also claimed that around 1,000 people, including bus owners from the city and ...
India welcomes repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar
India on Thursday welcomed the decision to start the process of repatriation of Rogingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar and asked Myanmar to maintain favourable living conditions for those returning.
HC asks Pilibhit DM to probe into payment of pension for anti-emergency activists to 'criminals'
The Allahabad High Court Thursday asked Pilibhit's district magistrate to probe into the veracity of a claim that many alleged criminals and convicts in the district were receiving pensions meant for political activists jailed during Emergency. A bench of Justice A P Sahi and Ajit Kumar directed the district magistrate to apprise it of the findings of his probe on a personal affidavit within six weeks. The bench issued the direction on a lawsuit filed by one Ashok Kumar and several others on behalf of 'Loktantra Rakshak Senani Sangathan'. The lawsuit alleged that the district adminstration was paying the Loktantra Senani pension worth Rs 20,000 per month to at least 23 alleged criminals lodged in district jail. The petitioners said the 'Loktantra Senani' pension was started by erstwhile Samajwadi Party government in 2006, but was discontinued during the subsequent Bahujan Samaj Party government. They said the pension was restarted by the Smajwadi Party government in 2016, while the ...
Germany, Netherlands back Niger border force to counter migration
Germany and the Netherlands have pledged to fund special forces in Niger to control its border and prevent illegal migration, the EU's security mission in the country said Thursday. Niger is a transit country for thousands of migrants heading to Libya and Algeria, key hubs for migrants trying to reach Europe. Under the new plan, the two European nations will disburse 10 million euros (USD 11.4 million) to finance the new force, according to EUCAP Sahel, which provides support for Niger security forces. The funds would be used for training and equipping hundreds of Niger police officers. "Roughly speaking it is to combat all our challenges: illegal migration, human trafficking, drugs, terrorism," said Souley Boubacar, head of the Niger police. In the first phase, two companies of 250 Niger police will be positioned at Maradi and Birnin Konni -- two regions on the troubled frontier with Nigeria that has become a key crossing point for migrants heading for Europe -- a security source ...
Migrant caravan must walk as Mexico ignores demand for buses
Thousands of Central American migrants resumed their slow trek through southern Mexico on Thursday, and activists aiding the group said they were shifting their route toward the Gulf coast, a path closer to the Texas border. The migrants set out before dawn after taking a day's break in the Oaxaca state city of Juchitan. The activists said they would try to reach the town of Matias Romero, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) ahead. They had tried to arrange bus transport from Juchitan, but failed, leaving them once again on foot, hitch-hiking and looking for rides where they can find them. The migrants have not said what route they intend to take northward or where on the US border they planned to reach, and Juchitan, still about 900 miles from US soil, was something of a crossroads. While Matias Romero would carry them toward the Gulf coast city of Veracruz and a route toward the Texas border, another large caravan early this year passed through Veracruz and then veered back toward Mexico
Man arrested in South Africa in Denmark fraud case
A Danish man has been arrested in South Africa on suspicion of having played a key role in a fraud case that caused a Danish government welfare agency to lose at least 111 million kroner (USD 17 million), Denmark's top prosecution authority said. Prosecutor Thomas Anderskov Riis with the Serious Economic and International Crime unit said the unidentified man was arrested Tuesday in Johannesburg as he was trying to leave the country. Anderskov Riis said "the focus remains on arresting the main suspect" Britta Nielsen, 64 adding Denmark would seek the extradition of the arrested man. His role was not known. Nielsen, a civil servant for 40 years with the National Board of Health and Welfare, is suspected of stealing money intended to help vulnerable people, including the homeless and disabled. Shortly before the fraud was made public last month, Nielsen vanished from Denmark and her whereabouts are unknown. She is sought by the Interpol. According to Danish media, her family owns ...
Centre lifts Haj ban on people with disabilities
The Centre on Thursday lifted the ban on persons with disabilities from performing in Haj.The central government informed its withdrawal on the prohibition to the Delhi High Court.Ministry of Minority Affairs' Haj Committee of India apprised the Delhi High Court of the amended eligibility criteria, which states that persons with disabilities can now perform Haj.The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Supreme Court advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal wherein he challenged the Haj Policy on the grounds of being discriminatory to disabled and mentally ill persons. He had alleged that the restrictions stand in violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.Earlier, in reply to the petition, the Ministry had backed the prohibition, commenting, "Muslim disabled may go there and beg.""It is nothing but an insult of Indians and divyangs," the petitioner had said.
PCI Security Standards Council gets new associate director
The PCI Security Standards Council, a global standards body for payment card industry, Thursday said Nitin Bhatnagar would be its associate director, India. Bhatnagar has been entrusted with the task of creating awareness and adoption of the PCI security standards for payment card security within the country, a press release said here. In addition, he would work closely with merchants, those dealing with acquisitions,financial institutions, security practitioners, law enforcement and other key stakeholders across the payment eco-system, the release said. International director of PCI Security Standards Council Jeremy King, in the release, said cybersecurity is critical to the growth of the economy of India which loses an estimated ISD 4 billion a year to internet crime.
Domestic violence widely accepted in most developing countries: Study
Domestic violence against women is widely accepted among many societies in developing countries, with 36 per cent of people believing it is justified in certain situations, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK analysed data from 1.17 million men and women in 49 low- and middle-income countries. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, will help shape national and international strategies to prevent domestic violence, they said. Surveys measured whether people thought a husband or partner was justified in beating his wife or partner if she goes out without telling him, argues with him, neglects the children, suspects her of being unfaithful, refuses to have sex, or burns the food. On average, 36 per cent of people thought it was justified in at least one of these situations, the researchers said. Attitudes towards domestic violence varied significantly across the 49 countries with only three per cent of people justifying it in the Dominican ...
Domestic violence common in developing nations: Study
Societal acceptance of domestic violence against women is prevalent in developing countries with 36 per cent of the global population justifying it in some cases, a new research said.
Hodgson promises Zaha full backing over online attacks
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has promised Wilfried Zaha the club's full backing after the forward received racist abuse and threats on social media following his side's Premier League draw with Arsenal. Zaha, who has found himself at the centre of an ongoing debate over simulation in recent months, was targeted after winning a late penalty to help secure a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday. Hodgson, who left the Ivory Coast international behind nursing a shoulder problem as the rest of the squad headed north for Wednesday's 1-0 League Cup fourth-round defeat at Middlesbrough, condemned those who had abused him. "As far as Wilf is concerned, the club will do everything they can to support him in this way," said the former England manager. "I don't think there are many people out there, except perhaps the odd Twitter troll who knows no better, who believe that racially abusing people or threatening people is the right way to go." Zaha took to social media to stand up for himself ...
Woman in US bound caravan in Mexico gives birth
A Guatemalan woman travelling with a US-bound caravan of Central Americans gave birth in Mexico, a human rights group said. It was the first birth recorded during the journey by these people fleeing poverty and gang violence, the National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday. The woman had a baby girl while the caravan was travelling through the southern state of Oaxaca. The mother and the child are fine, the commission said without specifying which day the baby was born. The caravan once had as many as 7,000 people but its coordinators now say it numbers fewer than 4,000. Most of them are from Honduras. These travellers have infuriated President Donald Trump and fuelled his anti-immigrant message ahead of next week's congressional election in the US. The caravan set out from Honduras on October 13. As of Thursday it was in a town in Oaxaca called Juchitan. It is still weeks and many hundreds of miles from the US border. A second, smaller group is on the move further to the south.
Didn't copy from anyone, allowed others to copy mine, says Kerala's nonagenarian
Karthiyani Amma, the 96-year-old woman from Kerala's Alappuzha district, who grabbed headlines for topping the 'Aksharalaksham' literacy programme, scoring a stellar 98 out of 100, was on Thursday felicitated by state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.The 'Aksharalaksham' is a literacy programme of Kerala State Literacy Mission in which reading, writing and basic mathematical skills are tested. A total of 43,330 candidates appeared for the examination while 42,933 of them passed it.Amma, who was in a joyous mood, was honoured with a certificate by Vijayan for passing the test and also created a unique record of becoming the oldest person ever to top Kerala's literacy examination.Revealing her secret to success, Amma, in a lighter note, said that she did not copy from anyone, rather she allowed others to copy from her."I did not copy from anyone, rather I let others copy from me. I told them what to write (in the exam). I have been studying for the last two months. There were many people
Differently-abled can now go for Haj: Centre to HC
The Centre on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it has amended its Haj policy and differently-abled people are no longer barred from performing the annual pilgrimage. The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice I S Mehta, which was also told that only people with serious illnesses, like cancer or tuberculosis, are barred from the pilgrimage. Central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul, appearing for the Ministry of Minority Affairs, told the court that the Haj Committee of India (HCOI) has "unanimously decided to allow persons with special needs to apply" for the pilgrimage under the general category. Digpaul said on selection, such a person with special needs can perform Haj if he or she can undertake the journey on their own or else they may be accompanied by an able-bodied person who will have to be a blood relation and will take responsibility of the differently-abled individual during the pilgrimage. The central government lawyer .
Gujarat ideal state for migrants, has industrial peace: CM
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed Thursday that the state has "zero-level unrest" and is considered an "ideal state" for migrants. His comments came weeks after thousands of Hindi-speaking migrants, many of them factory workers, fled the state following attacks targeting them. Speaking at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here, Rupani said there is "industrial peace" in the state. "Gujarat has business-friendly atmosphere and zero-level unrest. As a result, Gujarat is considered an ideal state for migration," he said, addressing business delegates of the National Executive Committee of FICCI. "Gujarat has industrial peace. Due to this favourable working atmosphere, industries are not facing any difficulties here. Industries are reaping benefit of the industrial peace prevailing in Gujarat," Rupani added. He listed various initiatives of his government to encourage investment, and said efforts are also being .
'Jal Satyagraha' against sand mining in Ken river
Over 300 farmers Thursday started "Jal Satyagrah" to protest against sand mining in Ken river near Kolawal Raipur in Girwan area here in the Bundelkhand region. "Over 300 farmers, including around 50 women, started 'Jal Satyagrah' by entering the waters of the Ken river to protest against sand mining in the area due to which their crops are getting damaged," said Naraini Sub Divisional Magistrate Awadhesh Kumar Srivastava. He said the company involved in the sand mining deviated from the allotted place and has also made a temporary bridge on the river to make passage for the sand-laden trucks. "We are trying to talk to the Vidyadham Samiti and Chingari members, who are spearheading the stir," the officer said. Organisers of the stir, Rajabhaiya Singh and Shahroz Fatima alleged the henchmen of sand mafia had Sunday opened fire on farmers when they objected to passing of trucks through their fields. "When informed, the police did nothing and threatened farmers to send them to jail. We ..
Opened social media account for citizens to lodge complaints on pollution in Delhi-NCR: CPCB to SC
The Central Pollution Control Board Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it has created social media account on Twitter and Facebook where citizens can lodge complaints about pollution in Delhi-NCR. A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur directed the CPCB to give adequate publicity and issue advertisements about setting up of the social media accounts so that the citizens are aware of it and can lodge their complaints. The top court also expressed displeasure that three and a half years have gone by since the National Green Tribunal had on April 7, 2015 passed an order banning plying of 15 year old petrol and 10 year old diesel vehicles in Delhi NCR but the directions have not been complied with yet. The bench also noted that the top court had in May 2015 dismissed the appeal against the NGT directions prohibiting plying of such vehicles. During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the Delhi government said that a total of 40 lakh old vehicles in Delhi had been de-registered by
