Page 393 - Social Issues
India's decision to decriminalise gay sex sparks debate in Singapore
The Supreme Court's decision to decriminalise gay sex in India has sparked a debate in Singapore with the Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam saying the society has to decide which direction it wants to go on an issue related to social values. The Supreme Court on Thursday decriminalised part of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex, saying it was irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary. The apex court unanimously held that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community possess the same constitutional rights as other citizens of the country. When asked about the ruling by the Indian Supreme Court, Shanmugam said: "(In Singapore) if you look at this issue, it is a deeply split society.The majority are opposed to any change to section 377A, they are opposed to removing it," Shanmugam, an Indian-origin senior minister was quoted as saying by The Straits Times newspaper. However, he said that a "growing ...
17 dead in mishaps on Mumbai rail division of WR, CR: Cops
Seventeen persons were killed Thursday in separate mishaps on the suburban network of Western and Central Railways, the railway police said. The Kalyan and Vasai railway police station area saw the maximum of three deaths each, officials informed. "Of the three deaths that occurred in the jurisdiction of Kalyan railway police station, two were track deaths that took place at Asangaon and between Shahad and Kasara. The deceased were 35 and 45 years of age respectively," said senior inspector Dinkar Pingle of Kalyan railway police station. In the third incident, the body of a 64-year-old man, identified as Madhusudhan Nene, was found near the ladies coach of a train at Kalyan, he informed. In Vasai, the three deaths included that of a couple who allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, said senior inspector V M Chowgule. "The couple, in their mid-twenties and as yet unidentified, jumped in front of a speeding train at Nallasopara. In the third incident, .
Pope rails against 'killer' money-centred economy
Pope Francis has hit out against our money-centred culture that promotes poverty and excludes humanity, in an interview with Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper published on Friday. "Whoever is excluded isn't only exploited but completely rejected," the pontiff said. "We can't ignore the fact that an economy structured like this kills because it makes money central and only obeys money," he said in what was described as his first-ever interview with a financial daily. "When people are no longer central, when making money becomes the one and only objective, then we're outside all ethics and that's how we get structures of poverty, slavery and waste," he said. Talking about unemployment in Europe, the pope decried "an economic system that is no longer able to create jobs, because it has put an idol in the middle, money." The Argentine pope has repeatedly criticised what he calls the "culture of waste" which, in the name of money, excludes the poorest, the weakest and the marginalised, ...
Great day for India: UN on homosexuality decriminalisation
Michelle Bachelet, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Friday applauded the Indian Supreme Court's decision to decriminalise homosexuality by repealing a 2013 verdict which had criminalised gay sex.
Tourists claim sexual assault by guru at Thai retreat
Fourteen female tourists have claimed that they were sexually assaulted by a guru at a yoga retreat in Thailand's picturesque Koh Phangan island, a media report said on Friday.
US, UK step up cooperation against female genital mutilation
Authorities in the US and Britain said Friday they are stepping up cooperation to tackle female genital mutilation, staging joint operations at airports in London, New York and elsewhere to raise awareness of an issue that affects millions of girls and women worldwide. Police and border security agencies on both sides of the Atlantic signed a new agreement to share intelligence about when and where victims may be taken for the procedure, known as FGM, and help identify perpetrators. In the past week, officials also targeted travel hubs including Heathrow, JKF airport and Eurostar stations, approaching people travelling from countries where the practice is common and encouraging them to report any concerns. The mutilation of girls' external genitals for non-medical reasons, sometimes known as female circumcision, is practiced in some two dozen African countries and parts of the Middle East and Asia. It also affects many immigrant and refugee communities in Europe and the US, where some
Belgium presenter's tearful plea on racist attacks goes viral
A black woman who presents the weather forecast on a Belgium public broadcaster posted an emotional video which quickly went viral calling out the torrent of racist abuse she has received since appearing on television. In the five-minute video, which was posted to Facebook Thursday and received more than half-a-million views in a matter of minutes, Cecile Djunga said she had decided to respond to the attacks because people "don't think that racism exists in Belgium". "But it's not true," said Djunga, who reads the weather on the French-language public service broadcaster RTBF. "Being told to 'go back to your country' is not funny." "I am Belgian. I am already in my country," she added, close to tears. Djunga said while she received abuse because of the colour of her skin, many other people were subject to vicious attacks online. "There are people who are fat, who are Muslim, who are Arab, who are ginger, who wear glasses... anyone can be persecuted on social media, this has to stop. ..
Colleagues, friends ostracised me for fighting for LGBT rights: Celina Jaitly
Actress Celina Jaitly, who has always spoken up for the rights of the LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender), says she was ostracised by her colleagues, friends and family for fighting for their rights but this did not deter her and she kept going.
Decriminalising homosexuality will tarnish Indian culture: Wasim Rizvi
Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chief Wasim Rizvi has claimed that Supreme Court's verdict decriminalising homosexuality will tarnish the Indian culture, and suggested the Apex Court to review its decision on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)."If we see this from a religious point of view, such things are not allowed in any religion. Western culture should not be given recognition in India because this will tarnish our culture, tradition, and society. I think that the Supreme Court should review its decision. This judgement is absolutely wrong. I think those who are celebrating this judgement are shameless," Rizvi told ANI.Furthermore, the UP Shia Waqf Board Chief said decriminalising homosexuality would lead to an increase in crime rate.However, constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap said that the judgement pronounced by the top court is the "law of the land"."This matter was going on for a long time. There were strong views on both sides. The Supreme Court has now ...
US lawmakers urge new Pak govt to treat minorities with equality
Several US lawmakers have urged the new government of Pakistan to treat its ethnic and religious minorities with equality and dignity. Addressing 'The Minorities Day on the Hill' organised by South Asia Minorities Alliance Foundation (SAMAF) and Voice of Karachi (VOK) on Wednesday, the lawmakers urged the Imran Khan government to stop human rights violation of minorities in Karachi as well as other parts of the country, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. In his speech as the host of the event, US Congressman Thomas Garrett Jr appealed to all countries in the world to treat their minorities with respect and dignity they deserve and grant them equal rights. He said that Mohajirs (Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from India during the partition in 1947) had left their homes hoping for a better life but they were not welcomed in their new homeland. I clearly understand the plight of Mohajirs who are the product of post-independence ethnic cleansing. They were forced to
Trump moves to extend detention period for migrant children
US President Donald Trump has proposed to indefinitely extend the detention period for undocumented migrant children by abandoning a judicial agreement establishing a limit of 20 days after being apprehended.
International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against Rohingyas
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has the jurisdiction to investigate the crimes that have been committed against the Muslim minority Rohingya community in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the court ruled on Thursday."The Court has jurisdiction over the crime against humanity of deportation allegedly committed against members of the Rohingya people. The reason is that an element of this crime -- the crossing of a border -- took place on the territory of a State party [Bangladesh]," the court said in a statement, reported Anadolu.The Hague-based court further noted that it may, "exercise its jurisdiction with regard to any other crime set out in article 5 of the [ICC Rome] Statute, such as the crimes against humanity of persecution and/or other inhumane acts."It also urged the prosecutor to take the ruling into account while conducting preliminary examination over the alleged crimes committed against the Rohingya.In continuation with Myanmar's operations against the Rohingyas, two Reuters
Michael Lohan, Kate Major to end their marriage
Actor Michael Lohan's wife of four years Kate Major has filed for divorce.
Suit seeks payout for immigrant families separated at border
President Donald Trump's administration should be held accountable for emotional trauma inflicted on children who were separated from their parents at the US border, lawyers say in a lawsuit that could result in compensation for more than 2,000 immigrant families. The federal class-action lawsuit filed late Wednesday seeks unspecified monetary damages and the creation of a fund to pay for mental health treatment for children who were taken away from their parents after the Republican administration adopted a policy requiring anyone who crossed the border illegally to be prosecuted. Now that many immigrant families have been reunited, lawyers say the focus should turn to helping children with the lingering psychological effects of their separation and detention. The attorneys say they believe this is the first case in the country to request damages for all children from central and South America who were separated. "These children suffer from nightmares. They chew their fingernails ...
Trump administration moves to detain migrant families longer
The Trump administration on Thursday moved to abandon a longstanding court settlement that limits how long immigrant children can be kept locked up, proposing new regulations that would allow the government to detain families until their immigration cases are decided. Homeland Security officials said that ending the so-called Flores agreement of 1997 will speed up the handling of asylum requests while also deterring people from illegally crossing the Mexican border. The move angered immigrant rights advocates and is all but certain to trigger a court battle. "It is sickening to see the United States government looking for ways to jail more children for longer," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. "And it's yet another example of the Trump administration's hostility toward immigrants resulting in a policy incompatible with the most basic human values." The Flores agreement requires the government to keep children in the least restrictive setting ...
Bharat Bandh: Bihar MP Pappu Yadav allegedly attacked
Madhepura Member of Parliament and Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav on Thursday claimed that he was attacked in Muzaffarpur in the wake of 'Bharat Bandh', which was announced by several minority rights organisations, against amendments in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.After the attack, Yadav got emotional in front of media and said, "I have never asked for anyone's caste. Never did caste politics. But the attackers first asked for my caste and then attacked."However, Muzaffarpur SSP Harpreet Kaur has denied any attack on Yadav."Videos and photographs does not show any attack. He wanted to go to the National Highway however protesters asked him to go back. He was standing amongst the protestors. His bodyguard had little scuffle with the protesters, as per the information given by the SHO," Kaur said."If this video could be made, then video of any attack should also have been there in today's world of smart phones with everybody. But ...
35-yr-old contractor commits suicide over non-payment of dues
A 35-year-old labour contractor allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in northwest Delhi's Tri Nagar area Thursday morning, police said. In a suicide note, Ram Mehto claimed that he was taking the extreme step over non-payment of dues, they added. However, local traders alleged that he had killed himself due to the ongoing sealing drive. Mehto's body was found hanging at the shoe-making unit, the police added.
HOMOSEXUALITY ADVISORY
Subscribers, please note there has been an important correction in stories slugged 'LDALL HOMOSEXUALITY' and 'HOMOSEXUALITY-COUNTRIES' under file numbers DEL 59 and DEL 37 respectively. The total number of countries where homosexuality is legal is 125 and not 25, as reported earlier. Similarly, India has become the 126th such country and not 26th. Corrected substitutes (DEL 98, DEL 99) have been issued and please guard against publication of earlier copies.
India joins 125 nations where homosexuality is legal as SC decriminalises gay sex
With the Supreme Court decriminalising gay sex, India joins 125 other countries where homosexuality is legal. However, 72 countries and territories worldwide still continue to criminalise same-sex relationships, including 45 in which such relationships between women are outlawed. In what is being hailed as a historic move, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously decriminalised part of the 158-year-old colonial law under Section 377 of the IPC which criminalises consensual unnatural sex, saying it violated the rights to equality. The constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra termed the part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises consensual unnatural sex as irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary. According to a recent report of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), there are eight countries in which homosexuality can result in a death penalty, and dozens more in ..
Americans hail SC verdict legalising gay sex
Americans across the board Thursday welcomed the overturning of a colonial-era law in India that criminalised gay sex, saying it was a victory for the LGBTQ rights and equality around the world. The Supreme Court Thursday decriminalised part of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex, saying it was irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Misra unanimously held that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community possess the same constitutional rights as other citizens of the country. The influential LGBT Caucus in the US House of Representative said it was a piece of "good news". "Good News! India's Supreme Court struck down an archaic colonial-era law criminalising consensual same-sex relationships. Today's historic ruling by the Supreme Court ends more than 150 years of discrimination against LGBT people in India," House LGBTQ Caucus said. "History in India ...
