Page 416 - Social Issues
'Centre must grant freedom fighter status, who fought during emergency'
An organisation on Saturday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi grant freedom fighter status to those who protested the Emergency rule.
Pope 'ashamed' by Church's sexual abuse failures
Pope Francis on Saturday said he is ashamed of the Catholic Church's failure to adequately address the "repellent crimes" of sex abuse by clergy and that the "failure of ecclesiastical authorities" to address abuse has "rightly given rise to outrage".
Perpetrators of anti-Sikh riots should be punished: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that he stands with the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots and those guilty of violence should be punished as per law.
Criminalisation aspect is an issue in Triple Talaq Bill: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the party has an issue with the "criminalisation" aspect in the Triple Talaq Bill.Responding to a question by ANI on Congress stonewalling the Triple Talaq Bill in courts and in Parliament, the Congress President said, "We have an issue with the criminalisation (part of the Bill) but we have not stonewalled anything. Our issue is with the criminalisation aspect."The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accusing the Congress of stalling the passage of the landmark Bill which was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 29, 2017. The Bill is yet to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP's aim was to get the Bill passed in the Budget Session which commenced on January 29 and adjourned sine die on April 6. The Congress-led Opposition, however, has demanded that the Bill should be sent to the Select Committee for further scrutiny.On August 9, the Cabinet proposed three amendments in the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill,
Anticipatory bail pleas of ex-minister Manju Verma, her husband rejected in Arms Act case
Two separate courts here today rejected the anticipatory bail petitions of Bihar's former social welfare minister Manju Verma and her husband Chandrashekhar Verma in connection with the recovery of cartridges from her in-laws' residence during a recent CBI raid as part of the probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal. Former minister Manju Verma's prayer was turned down by the court of district judge Diwan Abdul Aziz Khan, while that of her husband was dismissed by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) (V) Raj Kishore Rai. Advocates appearing for the couple submitted before the courts that they live in Patna and they rarely visit the house at Arjun Tola in Begusarai. They said the house is a joint family property and they don't know how cartridges were found from there. The prosecution opposed the pleas, saying that the couple used to frequently visit the village and they are lying and hence their pleas for anticipatory bail be rejected. The CBI had on August 17 ...
Russian opposition says Navalny detained outside his home
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained outside his home in Moscow today for reasons that were not immediately clear, his spokeswoman said on Twitter. "Navalny was detained two hours ago outside his home. He is now in the Danilovsky police station. They did not say why he is being detained. They took his phone away," Kira Yarmysh tweeted. In an interview to radio station Ekho Moskvy, Yarmysh said it is "probably linked" to Navalny's plans to hold protests against the Russian government's unpopular pension reform on September 9. In a blog post published today, Navalny said the protests will take place in Moscow and "in almost a hundred other cities." The opposition politician has criticised the planned pension age hike -- a first in nearly 90 years -- that has led to a rare outburst of public anger. More than 2.8 million Russians have signed a petition against the reform backed by President Vladimir Putin's ruling party. Navalny, who was barred from taking part in ...
17-year-old commits suicide in Bhusawal
A 17-year-old youth allegedly ended his life by drinking poison at his house in Bhusawal town in Jalgaon district, police today said. The incident took place yesterday afternoon, police said. The youth was taken to a private hospital where he died last evening, they added. The reason for the suicide was yet to be ascertained, said inspector Chandrakant Sarode.
Rohingya refugees demand justice on Myanmar crackdown anniversary
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees held protests here on Saturday, demanding justice on the first anniversary of Myanmar's crackdown that forced them to flee to camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.
2 killed in Jalalabad explosion
At least two persons were killed and four injured in a suicide blast near the office of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission in eastern Afghanistan's Jalalabad city on Saturday.Demonstrators were apparently outside the election office when the blast occurred at around 11:30 am (local time), TOLOnews reported.Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, said that one of the injured was in a critical condition.Jalalabad has been suffering a spate of suicide explosions in recent months that have claimed hundreds of lives. On July 31, at least 15 people were killed when two gunmen stormed into a government office in Jalalabad's PD3 area.On July 28, two persons lost their lives and five wounded after terrorists stormed inside a midwife training centre, belonging to Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.
Pope lands in Ireland amid priest abuse scandal
Pope Francis arrived in Ireland on Saturday on the first papal visit to the majority Roman Catholic nation in almost 40 years amid one of the worst sexual abuse scandals the Church has yet faced.
Irish PM asks pope to ensure justice for abuse victims worldwide
Irish premier Leo Varadkar urged the pope to ensure justice for abuse victims worldwide in a blistering criticism of the Church's legacy in Ireland where Francis began a two-day visit today. "Wounds are still open and there is much to be done to bring about justice and truth and healing for victims and survivors. Holy Father, I ask that you use your office and influence to ensure that this is done here in Ireland and across the world," Varadkar said standing next to the pontiff. "We must now ensure that from words flow actions," he said. Vardkar referred to multiple abuse scandals in Ireland, calling them "stains" on the Catholic Church, the state and society as a whole that had left "a legacy of pain and suffering". "This is a shared history of sorrow and shame," he said. Varadkar, who is openly gay, also referred to Ireland's reform of laws on divorce, same-sex marriage and abortion. Ireland understands "that marriages do not always work, that women should make their own decisions, .
Ex-CDC director Thomas Frieden denies groping allegation
A former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was accused of grabbing a woman's behind and was arrested yesterday on a sex abuse charge but said the woman's allegation "does not reflect" who he is or the values he has. Dr Thomas Frieden was awaiting a court appearance yesterday in connection with what happened on October 20, 2017, at his Brooklyn home, police said. The woman reported it in July, and he was taken into custody after an investigation. The accuser, a 55-year-old woman who knew Frieden, told police that he grabbed her buttocks. Frieden, who also is a former New York City health commissioner, is charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and harassment. Frieden leads a health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives, which is housed by nonprofit global health organization Vital Strategies. "The allegation does not reflect Dr Frieden's public or private behaviour or his values over a lifetime of service to improve health around the world," said a ...
Over 7,3074 LPG connections provided in Himachal
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Saturday that over 7,3074 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections have been provided to beneficiaries in Himachal Pradesh under Ujjwala Yojna and that all eligible families would be given such connections by 2019.
Rohingya refugee crisis first year marked with renewed aid appeals
The UN has renewed its appeal for aid for Rohingyas on the first anniversary on Saturday of the crackdown that led to more than 700,000 members of the minority community fleeing Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Pope Francis arrives in Ireland
Pope Francis touched down in Dublin today for an historic two-day visit to Ireland, where the Catholic Church is battling to regain trust following multiple scandals. His Alitalia "Shepherd One" flight landed under cloudless skies at 10:26am (0926 GMT), where deputy head of government Simon Coveney and his children were waiting to meet him with a bouquet of white and yellow roses with Irish foliage. Hundreds of thousands of wellwishers and over a 1,000 journalists are expected to follow Francis during his tour of Dublin and County Mayo in the far west of the country. Francis will tour Dublin today on his Popemobile before visiting a hostel for homeless families and giving a speech at Croke Park stadium. The highlight of the visit will be an outdoor mass in the city's Phoenix Park tomorrow, expected to draw 500,000 people -- a tenth of the country's entire population. It is the first papal visit to Ireland since Pope John Paul II spoke to a crowd of 1.5 million people there in ...
Pope heads to Ireland amid new global outrage over sex abuse
Pope Francis arrives today in Ireland, ground zero of the Catholic Church's sex abuse crisis, with the institution under fire across the globe for its systemic failures to protect children from priestly rapists or punish bishops who hid the crimes. Francis is expected to meet with victims during his 36-hour visit to Dublin and will have "many opportunities" to speak out about abuse, the Vatican says. But neither Francis' words nor a new meeting with victims is likely to calm the outrage among rank-and-file Catholics in Ireland and abroad following new revelations of sexual misconduct and cover-up in the US, an ongoing crisis in Chile and prosecutions of top clerics in Australia and France. Ireland has had one of the worst records of abuse in the world, crimes that were revealed to its 4.8 million deeply Catholic people over the past decade by a series of government-mandated inquiries. They revealed thousands of children raped and molested by priests and physically abused in church-run
One-third of calls received by Childline since 2015 are muted
About one-third of the calls received by Childline Foundation since 2015 were muted where background sound was audible but the caller was quiet, which the national emergency helpline for children in distress believes might be silent call for help. A total of 3.4 crore calls have been received by the Childline Foundation since 2015, according to official data which showed that over one crore of those calls were silent. The muted calls could be a silent call for help where the child is not able to gather courage to talk or having second thoughts over reporting the incident, an official working with Childline said. According to the official data, there are a total of 450 childline contact centres across the country which received 6.6 lakh complaints. In 2017-18 alone, over 80,000 complaints of abuse were received through Childline and over 31,000 calls were related to missing children information. Official data showed that Childline received about 1.4 crore calls in 2017-18 (till June ...
Rohingya protest for 'justice' on crackdown anniversary
Thousands of Rohingya refugees staged protests for "justice" today on the first anniversary of a Myanmar military crackdown that forced them to flee to camps in Bangladesh. About 700,000 of the Muslim minority poured across the border after attacks by the Myanmar military and Buddhist groups that the United Nations has likened to ethnic cleansing. Thousands held peaceful marches and attended rallies chanting "We want justice from the UN." At the Kutupalong camp, a giant banner proclaimed: "Never Again: Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day. 25 August, 2018." Some wore bandanas emblazoned with the slogan "Save Rohingya" while others waved flags. More marches and gatherings were planned across what has become the world's biggest refugee camp, activists told AFP. Rohingya militants staged attacks on Myanmar police posts on August 25 last year, sparking a bloody crackdown in Rakhine state. Nearly 7,000 Rohingya were killed in the first month alone, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres ...
Pope Francis to arrive in Ireland
Pope Francis will arrive on Saturday in Ireland on the first papal visit to the majority Roman Catholic nation in almost 40 years. He will be greeted by fervent crowds and angry protests.
Rohingya emergency one year on: UN says thousands of lives saved, but challenges remain
Significant progress has been made in protecting hundreds of thousands Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh since they fled violence in Myanmar, but lives "will once again be at risk" if funding is not urgently secured, UN officials have said on the eve of the first anniversary of a military crackdown that forced them to flee their country. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya, most of them Muslims, have been displaced from Rakhine since the military began a crackdown on militants last August. Most have crossed the border into Bangladesh, joining the 200,000 refugees already there. Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response for the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) Peter Salama told journalists in Geneva that deadly disease outbreaks had been held at bay in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar despite "all the conditions being in place for a massive epidemic". Outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio, cholera and rubella have been contained, he said, noting that "thousands of lives" had been ...
