Page 385 - Social Issues
India signs pacts with Rakhine State for capacity building, economic development
Indian Embassy on Wednesday signed two agreements with Myanmar's Rakhine State Government to facilitate capacity building and economic development in the province. The pacts will help promote agricultural mechanisation and support computer literacy among the youth of Rakhine State to prepare them for employment opportunities in the software sector.The agreements were signed between U Kyaw Lwin, Minister for Agriculture,Livestock, Forestry and Minerals, Dr. Chan Thar, Minister for Department of Social Affairs (both from Rakhine State Government) on behalf of their respective ministries and Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to Myanmar on behalf of the Embassy of India, Yangon, in the presence of Chief Minister of Rakhine State, U Nyi Pu. Cabinet Ministers from Rakhine State Government, Principal and Teachers from Sittwe Computer University, Peasant Union members and prominant civil society members from Rakhine State were also present on the occasion.As per the Memorandum of ...
Courageous nuns protest is historic, says Jesme
Terming the ongoing nuns' protest against Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulackal as a "historical event", former nun Jesme lauded their courage for voicing their stand against the Bishop and the authority.Jesme quit her convent life of 33 years a decade ago when she found the acts inside the church unacceptable. After leaving the church, she also wrote an autobiography, titled 'Amen', where she narrated incidents of alleged sexual abuse by priests in Kerala.While talking to ANI, Jesme revealed the nuns are not allowed to speak against the convent, thus, this event should be the beginning of the voice to be heard from other nuns too."Anyone who voices out their opinion is barred from the convent. That is the reason that the protesting nuns are now not part of the congregation until they stop their protest against the Bishop. Now, they might be living in the convent, but they are not supported by the congregation. I really appreciate their bravery and valour," she told ANI.Jesme said that ...
TISS gay community slams personal attack by student on queer
Days after the Supreme Court legalised consensual gay sex, the LGBTQ community of Mumbai- based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has alleged that a student passed certain unpleasant remarks against one of its members. Such a behaviour does disservice to the cause of creating a safe space for students, the 'Queer Collective' group of gay members at the TISS said in a statement issued Tuesday. The group alleged that the comment was directed at the cultural secretary of the students' union during a gathering last Friday. "The personal attack by a research scholar included references to the person's family, caste and economic background," the statement said. "There was lack of acknowledgement of the student's identity as an openly queer person, besides using an aggressive manner of speech and violently occupying the space and disrupting scope for meaningful engagement," it said. The alleged remark was passed during a students' general body meeting organised for ...
How JGU law professors contributed to SC's 377 ruling (Lead, correcting para 3,8)
Four law professors of the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) have been cited by the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment last week decriminalising homosexuality in India.
Singapore DJ files court challenge against law banning gay sex
Buoyed by the recent landmark ruling on homosexuality in India, a Singaporean disc jockey has filed a court challenge against a law in the city state banning gay sex, saying it is inconsistent with parts of the Constitution, a media report said Wednesday. Johnson Ong Ming, 43, filed the case on Monday, and will contend that Section 377A is "accordingly void" as it is inconsistent with Singapore's Constitution. Ming's court challenge comes a few days after India's Supreme Court in a landmark ruling decriminalised consensual gay sex and termed it as an important step forward towards a liberal and tolerant society. Ming, who also owns a digital marketing agency, told Channel NewsAsia on Wednesday that he chose to mount the court challenge as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) groups are "not allowed to organise" and "don't see ourselves represented positively on mainstream media, if at all". "Without access to help and resources, navigating through life is a lonely and ...
Carts, not cars: Congress' unique protest against fuel price
The Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress party on Wednesday chose a unique way to protest against the rising fuel prices.Several of their legislators rode bullock carts to reach the Assembly building in Raipur to indicate how petrol and diesel prices have reached outside their budget.The decision to use carts instead of cars was reportedly taken after legislators held a meeting on Tuesday under the leadership of the Leader of Opposition, T.S. Singhdeo.Speaking to ANI, one of the protesters said that ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas have increased tremendously adding to common man's woes."The increased prices of fuel, gas and other products have burned a hole in the pockets of common man. People in Chhattisgarh are facing problems as they now have to shell out more money for buying these products," he said.The quirky protest by the Congress was staged just two days after opposition parties-led countrywide lockdown to protest .
Tehri Hydro gets new chief vigilance officer
Additional Chief Conservator of Forests Bhawani Prakash Gupta has been appointed on deputation as the chief vigilance officer of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation of India Limited. An Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, Gupta is currently posted at the forest department headquarters as ACCF taking care of legal matters. The appointment has been made for a period of three years from the date of assumption of office, the order issuedon September 10 by theAppointments Committee of the Cabinet, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said. Gupta is yet to be relieved of his duties as ACCF.
Madras HC stays government order on admission in minority institutions
The Madras High Court has stayed a state government order stipulating that all minority educational institutions should admit not less than 50 per cent of students from the minority community every year to retain the minority status. Justice SS Sundar granted the interim stay Tuesday while admitting a petition from the Institute of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, by its president Rev Sr Sriyapushpam, seeking to quash the government order issued on April 5, 2018, which also fixed the upper limit of 75 per cent in respect of aided institutions. The judge then posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. Referring to a Supreme Court directive, the petitioner said the top court has held that admissions in unaided minority educational institutions at school education level could not be regulated by the state government, while it could notify the percentage of the non-minority students to be admitted in the aided minority institutions. That will be in respect to the minimum ..
Newspaper reprints controversial cartoon of Serena Williams
A controversial cartoon of Serena Williams that has been widely condemned as a racist depiction of the tennis great has been partially reprinted on the front page of the Melbourne-based newspaper that initially published it. The Herald Sun newspaper printed an edited portion of the cartoon featuring 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams jumping on a broken racket during her dispute with a chair umpire in the US Open final among caricatures of other famous people Wednesday under the headline "Welcome to the PC World." The newspaper has defended its cartoonist Michael Knight's depiction of Williams and is asserting the condemnation, which has come from all parts of the world, is driven by political correctness. "If the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed," the paper printed on its front page. Williams has won the Australian Open singles title seven times at Melbourne Park, including .
Pakistan SC to hire two transgenders: CJ
For the first time, Pakistan's Supreme Court will hire two transgenders to give them their rights in the Muslim-majority country, the Chief Justice said. Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar on Tuesday said two transgenders would be provided jobs in the Supreme Court. The remarks came as he chaired a bench to hear a case regarding transgenders' rights. "In our society transgenders are subjected to ridicule. It is our top most priority to give them their rights," he was quoted as saying by Geo News. The chief justice said the court would issue notice to NGOs and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while it hears the case related to basic rights of transgenders. "Court wants to bring them into mainstream. It wants to resolve their issues," he said. National Database and Registration Authority Chairman Usman Mobin who appeared during the hearing, informed the court upon being asked whether identity cards to all transgender applicants have been issued, that his organisation is issuing .
Pakistan SC to hire two transgenders: CJ
Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has said two transgenders will be provided jobs in the Supreme Court.
Woman commits suicide, husband taken into custody
A 30-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her house in Kookda village here, police said Wednesday. The woman's husband was taken into custody on Tuesday evening after the body was recovered, Station House Officer, Harsharan Sharma said. He said it seems, the woman took the extreme step due to a family dispute. The body was handed over to family members after post mortem, the officer said.
Sally Field recalls sexual abuse by stepfather
Two-time Academy Award-winner Sally Field has revealed that as a child, she was sexually abused by her stepfather.In an interview with The New York Times (NYT), about her new memoir, 'In Pieces', the 71-year-old spoke in detail about her troubled past.Talking about the sexual abuse she faced at the hands of her stepfather, stuntman Jock "Jocko" Mahoney, Field recalled how he used to call her to his room until she was 14.In her book, Field writes, "I felt both a child, helpless, and not a child. Powerful. This was power. And I owned it. But I wanted to be a child - and yet."According to The Hollywood Reporter, she also writes, "It would have been so much easier if I'd only felt one thing, if Jocko had been nothing but cruel and frightening. But he wasn't. He could be magical, the Pied Piper with our family as his entranced followers."In her memoir and the NYT interview, the 'Mrs. Doubtfire' star opened up about how she had a secret abortion at 17 in Mexico. It also includes abuse ...
Over 70% Australians face sexual harassment: Study
Nearly 71 per cent of Australians have been victims of sexual harassment at some point in their lives, a report published on Wednesday by the Australian Human Rights Commission said.
How JGU law professors contributed to SC's 377 ruling
Four law professors of the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) have been cited by the Supreme Court in its landmark decision last week of decriminalising homosexuality in India.
Defiant Australian paper reprints 'racist' Serena cartoon
An Australian newspaper defiantly republished a controversial cartoon of tennis star Serena Williams on its front-page Wednesday, slapping aside "politically correct" accusations that the drawing was racist and sexist. Melbourne's Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight's caricature of Williams throwing a tantrum at the US Open, was originally printed on Monday, attracting widespread condemnation from across the world. Under the front-page headline "WELCOME TO PC WORLD", the newspaper wrote Wednesday that "if the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed". The cover included caricatures of other Australian and foreign political leaders drawn by Knight. The veteran cartoonist added Wednesday he had suspended his Twitter account to protect his family and friends. Prior to disabling his account, his tweet of the cartoon had attracted more than 22,000 comments, most of them critical. Knight ...
India remains on White House 'major' list on drug trade
India continues to remain on the White House list of countries that are "major" transit points for or producer of illicit drugs.
RSS-affiliate demands govt to issue guidelines on identifying conflicts of interest in policy making
The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagaran Manch Tueday said it has demanded that the Centre should issue guidelines on identifying and managing conflicts of interest in policy making, especially in the health sector. "Alarmed" that the situations of conflicts of interest in health and nutrition policies can have a negative impact on public health or the economy, it said the Centre "has not taken any serious action" in this direction. "The government and state governments should issue a notification for declaration of interests by all participants in all official meetings, related bodies, expert committees. The Centre should issue guidelines on identifying and managing conflicts of interest," Ashwani Mahajan,the co-convenor of the SJM, said in a statement. It has also asked the Centre to formulate and implement tools to identify and manage conflicts of interest in public policy, programmes with the use tools, including those suggested by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and ...
SIT official 'assaulted' accused held in Dabholkar case: Group
An SIT official, probing the killing of Communist leader Govind Pansare, allegedly "assaulted and threatened" two accused arrested for the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar when they were in the CBI's custody, a right-wing outfit claimed Tuesday. Sanjiv Punalekar, an advocate and secretary of the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP), made this allegation while addressing a press conference here. The HVP calls itself a "voluntary organisation of nationalist and devout Hindu advocates". The alleged incident took place on September 8, when the two accused in the Dabholkar case -- Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale -- were in the CBI's custody, he said. The SP-level official of the Maharashtra police SIT allegedly assaulted the duo. He threatened them and said if they don't confess their role in the Pansare murder case they would face "worse torture" when the SIT takes their custody, Punalekar said. Police believe the killing of Dabholkar at Pune in 2013 and of Pansare at ...
26-year-old man ends life in Maha over Maratha quota issue
A 26-year-old man allegedly committed suicide over the Maratha reservation issue here in Maharashtra, police said Tuesday. The man, Kishor Shivaji Harde, was found hanging from a tree in his farm in Galle Borgaon village under Khuldabad tehsil of this district in central Maharashtra, they said. A suicide note purportedly written by Harde was found in his pocket, the police added. In the note, Harde has said he was taking the extreme step because the Maratha community is not being provided reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, they said. This is not a suicide but the government has "murdered" him, the police said, quoting from the note. After the suicide came to light, villagers sat on a dharna at the tehsil office in Khuldabad. Harde was working with a finance company in Yeola tehsil of Nashik district, the police said, adding a case has been registered and further probe was on. A similar incident took place Monday in Ahmednagar district, where a ...
