Page 392 - Social Issues
Prosecutors drop most charges against Salvini in migrant case
Rome, Sep 8 (IANS/AKI) Sicilian prosecutors have dropped all charges but one -- kidnapping -- against Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini in the case of 177 rescued migrants left stranded on a coastguard ship last month after Salvini refused to allow them ashore.
Iranian Consulate reportedly set on fire by protestors in Iraq
The Iranian Consulate in Iraq has been set on fire by agitated protestors on Friday after they protested against unemployment and the poor state of communal services escalated.The violent protest resulted in the death of several protestors, as told by Iraq's Human Rights Commission, reports Sputniknews.Sputnik quoted Kurdistan 24, which reported that the United States consulate was, also attacked by the protestors.According to reports, protestors had attacked several government buildings, along with the offices a state-funded TV channel on September 6.Protestors also set ablaze headquarters of local authorities and political parties. Umm Qasr, Iran's biggest port has also been blocked, as reported by Sputnik news.
Re-establish Delhi Tree Authority, say experts
A day ahead of a plantation drive, think tank Centre for Policy Research on Friday wrote to the Delhi Chief Minister asking him to re-establish the Delhi Tree Authority by appointing urban and legal planners, environmental organisations and individuals as members.
SC refers to global judgments that set precedent to decriminalise gay sex
Countries across the globe which paved the way for equality and justice for the LGBT community were cited by the Supreme Court while striking down part of Section 377 of IPC this week, and quoted liberally from the judgements delivered by their courts on the issue. A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malohtra on Thursday unanimously struck down part of the section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which criminalised gay sex, saying that it violated the constitutional right to equality and dignity. CJI Misra and Justice Khanwilkar, who wrote the main 166-page judgement, mentioned the constitutional courts of United States, Canada, South Africa, Republic of Philippines and European court of Human Rights which have passed similar verdicts. Referring to one of the judgements of the Supreme Court of the United States on the issue, they said that the court wrote, "LGBT were entitled to respect .
Unwanted by Australia, refugees on Nauru have few options
Surrounded by the shelves and furniture her older brother made, 13-year-old Parnian sits in the small, neat living room where she spends much of her time, recalling the day two years ago she watched family friend Omid set himself alight. "It was just down there," she says, motioning toward a patch of dusty earth in front of a couple of shipping containers on this hot, rocky part of the island that locals call Topside. "And then the man was on fire. And he was just screaming." Omid, 23, was airlifted from the Nibok refugee settlement, where Parnian lives, to a hospital in Australia, where he died two days later. He had timed his protest against Australia using Nauru as a holding station for more than 600 refugees to coincide with a visit by UN refugee agency officials. Australia designed its policy of keeping boat refugees and asylum seekers far from its shores to deter more of them from trying to make the voyage, but many critics say it violates human rights. Parnian has been stuck on
Indian-origin bogus lawyer' jailed for fraud in UK
An Indian-origin woman described as a "bogus immigration lawyer" has been jailed for five years' imprisonment after being found guilty of six counts of fraud by false representation. Harvinder Kaur Thethi, from the West Midlands region of England, had been convicted by Southwark Crown Court in London in July for falsely claiming to be a barrister, solicitor and a UK Home Office official with the ability to progress immigration applications. Despite being unqualified in any of these fields, she went on to obtain GBP 68,000 from vulnerable people in payment for immigration related services, which were promised but not delivered, the court was told. At a hearing on Thursday, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith sentenced the 46-year-old to five years behind bars for each of the six counts, to run concurrently. "You decided to embark on a fantasy life, when you claimed to be a successful lawyer earning a large income. You were nothing of the sort," the judge said during the sentencing hearing ...
No information on sexual individuality disturbs me: Karan Johar
Filmmaker Karan Johar says he finds it disturbing that there's a lack of information and awareness about sexual individuality.
Morocco says over 50,000 migrant crossings to Europe foiled
Moroccan authorities have so far this year foiled 54,000 bids by illegal migrants to cross to Europe, the official MAP news agency reported Friday. It said that authorities had dismantled 74 "criminal networks" linked to people smuggling and seized 1,900 boats over the same period. The North African country -- a key route for sub-Saharan Africans trying to reach Europe via Spain -- has launched an operation targeting people smugglers. In July, hundreds of migrants forced their way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by violently storming a heavily fortified border fence with Morocco. Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other tiny territory in North Africa, make up the European Union's only land borders with Africa. Spain has become the main entry point for migrants arriving in Europe, after Italy and Greece. More than 35,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea and land so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. MAP did not give the nationalities of the ...
UNHCR, UNDP ready to start evaluations in Rohingya villages
The UN refugee agency UNHCR and the UN development agency UNDP are prepared to begin assessment of Rohingya villages in Myanmar, an official said on Friday.
Plaint against Karnad for holding 'Me Too Urban Naxal' placard
A lawyer Friday lodged a complaint against noted playwright and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad for holding a placard 'Me Too Urban Naxal' during an event organised to mark the first death anniversary of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh on September 5 in the city. In his complaint, advocateAmruthesh N P said Karnad sported a placard around his neck declaring himself as an urban Naxal. "Urban Naxals are those who spread insurgency against the nation," he said in his complaint and demanded that Karnad be arrested immediately. By holding such a placard, "Karnad has tried to promote/abet and propagate the violent and criminal activities of Naxalism," the advocate said. Talking to PTI, Amruthesh said how can somebody carry a banner of a banned organisation and support it. Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) police said they have transferred the complaint to the Halasuru gate police station under whose jurisdiction the incident took place. Karnad along with many other activists .
Left parties announce nationwide stir on Sept 10
Protesting against rising prices of petroleum products and demanding the promised remunerative prices of crops and loan waiver for the farmers across the country , the Left parties on Friday called for a nationwide strike on September 10, the day the Congress has announced 'Bharat bandh'.
SC verdict is 'call for action' to Commonwealth nations bound to colonial laws: CHRI
The SC judgment allowing consensual gay sex is a "landmark verdict" and a "call to action" for all countries in the Commonwealth which use the "regressive" colonial law, NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said Friday. In a statement, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) hailed the judgment, noting that it had immense transnational relevance across Commonwealth states, where not less than 36 of 53 members continue to criminalise same-sex acts. "CHRI believes that it is imperative for the Commonwealth to set a new trend for law based on the Section 377 verdict, and calls on the UK as the current chair of the Commonwealth and Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary general, to take a lead on this matter," said Sanjoy Hazarika, CHRI's International Director, in a statement. He noted that at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May's opening address had emphasised that discriminatory laws criminalising same-sex ...
Delhi Cong to organise 'Halla Bol' rally against 'illegal' sealing of household industries
The Delhi Congress will organise a 'Halla Bol' rally at Tri Nagar on September 9 against the "illegal" sealing of household industries in the city. Under our 'Nyay Yudh' campaign, we had organised our first protest at Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi Thursday and got an "overwhelming" response, said campaign coordinator and former Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma. He alleged that a labour contractor committed suicide in Tri Nagar as he was upset over the "illegal" sealing of household industries. "Things have worsened following the suicide of Ram Mehto, a native of Bihar, who was upset over the illegal sealing," Sharma said. Police, however, said Mehto committed suicide due to non-payment of dues as mentioned in his suicide note.
PM monitoring situation, Kerala will get all possible help: Nadda
All possible steps for extending relief to the flood-affected Kerala are being taken under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation, Union Minister J.P. Nadda said on Friday.
Belgium rocked by high-profile cases of racism
Belgium's media and political class on Friday called for change after two high-profile cases of racism rocked the kingdom, raising troubling questions about white attitudes a few weeks before local elections. The incidents involve Cecile Djunga, a weather presenter with state broadcaster RTBF, who published a video online this week after more than a year of racist abuse; and a report by VRT television about a Flemish far-right group whose leader has warned members to "be ready for combat." Both made headline news across online media and in the national press on Friday. The daily Le Soir's front page was black, with white text denouncing white attitudes to people of different ethnic backgrounds and foreigners. Its chief editorialist wrote: "We can't kick this into the long grass anymore. Cecile Djunga's cry for help and the VRT report make it clear: great danger lies ahead and it's urgent to respond." Djunga, who is also a comedian, explained that she decided to go public after a woman
Health minister Nadda visits Kerala to review relief work
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda, on Friday visited Kerala to review the relief and rescue measures. He was accompanied by Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health) and other senior officers from the ministry.Nadda interacted with patients at Chalakkudy Taluk Hospital and visited the relief camps at VR Puram and Mullassery. To meet with the situation, 50 doctors have been kept on standby to be deputed in the affected areas at short notice. 12 public health teams -- each comprising of a Public Health specialist, Microbiologist and an entomologist - have been kept ready and 48 essential emergency drugs have been kept for immediate dispatch.According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on the request of the State Government, the first tranche of 48 essential emergency drugs, weighing about 73 MT, was airlifted by the Indian Air Force. This included one crore chlorine tablets which was augmented by another 1.25 crores of chlorine tablets (total 2.25 crores). Besides, .
Bandh against SC/ST Act amendment a BJP conspiracy: Mayawati
BSP chief Mayawati Friday dubbed the 'Bharat Bandh' called by some upper caste-OBC groups against the SC/ST Act as an "electoral conspiracy" of the BJP to divide people on caste lines ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In a statement issued here, she said the Bharatiya Janata Party is supporting such agitations to divert people's attention from "burning" issues such as fuel price hike. She claimed that the law to prevent atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was never misused when the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power in Uttar Pradesh. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also claimed that people from upper castes were given equal opportunities in jobs and employment when her party was in power in the state. "The BJP and the RSS are indulging in divisive politics as part of which agitations are being organised, especially in the BJP-ruled states, to oppose the amendments to the SC ST Act . It is nothing but an electoral conspiracy sponsored by the RSS and the BJP,"
Kerala Congress, Left call for shutdown against rising oil prices
The ruling Left and the Congress-led opposition have called for a state-wide shutdown on September 10 to protest against the rising oil prices, "which the BJP-led Union government has failed to curb".
No large-scale influx of Rohingyas into India: BSF DG
Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma on Friday asserted that there has not been any large-scale influx of Rohingyas into India.Sharma, while speaking at the ongoing 47th DG level talks between the BSF and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in Delhi, said that there were attempts by small groups to enter into the Indian territory but security forces stopped them."There has not been any large-scale influx of Rohingyas in India. Rohingyas who are already in the country, are also under pressure at some places. So they are going to West Bengal, that is slightly friendly with them and has created camps for Rohingyas coming from within the country, not from Bangladesh," he said.The DG BSF stated that smuggling of fake Indian currency has also come down considerably after demonetisation. "The quality of the (fake) currency is not good so they can easily be detected. We find that Bangladesh territory is mostly being used as a transit. This year the seizure was Rs 11 ...
WHO DG 'impressed' with Ayushman Bharat scheme; says it's a 'great commitment'
The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman Bharat initiative which aims to provide insurance cover of Rs five lakh per annum to 50 crore people, calling it a "great commitment". The ambitious healthcare scheme, touted as the world's largest, aims to benefit more than 10 crore poor families in the country. "Very impressed with India's initiative on Ayushman Bharat or universal Health Coverage! Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi. Great commitment! Thank you Minister of Health, @JPNadda, for meeting me today!," Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus tweeted Thursday night. Thanking the WHO DG, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said it was Prime Minister Modi's vision to make healthcare "accessible and affordable" to all. "Thank you for your kind words @DrTedros & a very fruitful meeting. Our PM envisions to make healthcare accessible and affordable for all. Under #PMJAY, an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh will be ...
