Page 421 - Social Issues
BJP MLA taken into preventive custody
BJP MLA T Raja Singh Lodh was today taken into preventive custody here, even as he began his indefinite fast for withdrawal of 'fake cases' registered against him and some 'gau rakshaks.' The MLA had yesterday announced that he would sit on an indefinite fast near Hyderabad Police Commissionerate from today, demanding withdrawal of cases and stopping "illegal" transportation of cows and calves ahead of Bakrid. He alleged that police had registered "fake" FIRs against him and some 'gau rakshaks.' Assistant Commissioner of Police (Goshamahal Division) M Narender Reddy said to avoid any law and order problem and as a precautionary measure, the MLA was taken into preventive custody while he was proceeding towards the Commissioner's Office. Cases were registered against Singh and his followers last week for allegedly assaulting police officials and obstructing them from doing their job over their demands on shifting bulls to a local gaushala. The MLA, who represents ...
AAPSU detects over 2000 ILP violators in Arunachal
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) today said it has detected over 2000 Inner Line Permit (ILP) violators across the state during a drive taken up after publication of the complete draft of the NRC in neighbouring Assam on July 30. The list of such violators was given to the police in various districts, following which they have been taken out of the Arunachal Pradesh's boundary into Assam, AAPSU general secretary Tabom Dai claimed. Admitting that they have received such lists from the apex body of students' associations in the state, police sources said, without elaborating, that they were on the job. "Altogether 2205 ILP violators were detected during the two-day Operation Clean Drive from August 17. The drive has been suspended temporarily and it will resume soon," the AAPSU general secretary said. Dai said these people were staying in the state without valid ILP which is mandatory for outsiders for entry into Arunachal Pradesh. When contacted, Capital ..
NCW asks Bihar DGP to probe mob assault of woman
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday directed the Bihar police chief to investigate an incident in which a woman was assaulted and stripped by a mob suspecting that she was involved in the murder of a youth.
Young couple commit suicide in Sirohi district
A boy and a girl, who eloped recently, committed suicide early today in Sirohi district of Rajasthan, police said. While Ashok Kumar (22) climbed a transmission tower and came in contact with a high tension electricity wire, Dariya Kumari (19) jumped into a well and ended her life, police said. Both of them were resident of Deldar village. Postmortem is being conducted and the matter will be probed, Sub-Inspector Sabba Ram said.
Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai gets a Google doodle on 107th birthday
Celebrated Urdu author Ismat Chughtai, known for her literary works exploring free speech, social liberation, and gender equality, was today paid homage by search engine giant Google with a colourful doodle on her 107th birthday. Padma Shri awardee Chughtai was critical of the common outlook towards women's place in the society. Chughtai's work faced criticism from conservatives and many of her writings were banned in South Asia because of their reformist and feminist content. She began writing at an early age, inspired by her elder brother Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai, a novelist known for his playful humorous works. The author courted extreme controversy for her story, "Lihaaf" in particular, which touches upon the themes of homosexuality. Narrated in the voice of a young girl, "Lihaf" was viewed as controversial given its portrayal of a relationship between an upper class woman and her servant. "This was also the case for another of her famous stories, "Gainda" (Marigold), which told ...
Bihar cancels selection of 50 NGOs for running shelter homes
Bihar has cancelled the selection of 50 NGOs for running shelter homes across the state and announced that the government will run them instead, an official said on Tuesday.
Child sexual abuse: Working towards a solution (Comment)
The media is abuzz these days with horrendous stories of child sexual abuse, the most recent incidents being of abuse in shelter homes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. While the trauma experienced by the girls will send a chill down the spines of most people, it is disheartening that hardly anyone seems to be concerned about the "why" of these incidents.
Births, marriages and deaths: Rohingya lives playing out as refugees
A newborn yet be named squirms in a mother's arms; a marriage party lights up a fetid lane; a dead man's face makes a soft impression on the blanket covering him -- with no route home Rohingya lives are playing out in the refugee camps of Bangladesh. Chased from Myanmar in waves reaching back to the late 1970s, a million of the stateless Rohingya are cornered in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. Most are unable to work legally, move freely or access full education -- existences pared back to the basics of survival. The camps of Cox's Bazar district buzz with children, typically curious and mischievous, but many also underfed, with few clothes, less schooling and nothing but homemade toys for entertainment. Expectations of marrying early, having a family and dying a refugee are realities, with faith and tradition providing rare constants for a minority without a state. "One day I want my daughter to see Myanmar," says 20-year-old Setara of a tiny eight-day-old child ...
My heart is broken: Rose McGowan on Asia Argento sexual assault claim
Rose McGowan has said she is heartbroken over a report that her fellow Harvey Weinstein victim Asia Argento paid off her own sexual assault accuser. McGowan and Argento have been among the most prominent women to come forward with allegations of rape against Weinstein. "I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere," McGowan wrote. A few hours later, she supported Argento in another tweet, "None of us know the truth of the situation and I'm sure more will be revealed. Be gentle." The New York Times on Sunday reported that Argento, months after publicly accusing Weinstein of sexually assaulting her, arranged to pay USD 380,000 to actor and musician Jimmy Bennett, who claimed she sexually assaulted him in 2013 when he was 17 and Argento was 37.
Colombia rescues 49 women from 'sexual slavery'
Almost 50 women trafficked through underground tunnels to work as nightclub "sex slaves" were rescued from the tourism hotspot Cartagena, Colombian prosecutors said. The victims -- 26 Colombians and 23 Venezuelans -- were allegedly forced into working as prostitutes in nightclub basements connected by a series of tunnels. They were tricked with false promises of work before being held captive in "precarious conditions," Attorney General Mario Gomez said in a press conference. The victims were relieved of their passports and identity cards by a network of pimps engaged in the "sexual exploitation of women." A series of raids linked to the Operation Vesta launched several weeks ago resulted in 18 arrests last month. Gomez said police were hot on the heels of the pimps' headquarters and said they would be tried for "trafficking people for sexual slavery." Gomez said the "geographical corridors close to the Caribbean coast," including Cartagena, provided the "majority of sexual tourism" ..
Colombia rescues 49 women from 'sexual slavery'
Almost 50 women trafficked through underground tunnels to work as nightclub "sex slaves" were rescued from the tourism hotspot Cartagena, Colombian prosecutors said. The victims -- 26 Colombians and 23 Venezuelans -- were allegedly forced into working as prostitutes in nightclub basements connected by a series of tunnels. They were tricked with false promises of work before being held captive in "precarious conditions," Attorney General Mario Gomez said in a press conference. The victims were relieved of their passports and identity cards by a network of pimps engaged in the "sexual exploitation of women." A series of raids linked to the Operation Vesta launched several weeks ago resulted in 18 arrests last month. Gomez said police were hot on the heels of the pimps' headquarters and said they would be tried for "trafficking people for sexual slavery." Gomez said the "geographical corridors close to the Caribbean coast," including Cartagena, provided the "majority of sexual tourism" ..
RBI staff to go on mass casual leaves over pension issues
The United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and employees has announced that its members will observe two days mass casual leave on September 4 and 5, in a bid to press for their long-pending demands over pension related issues.The United Forum claimed that they have been raising the matter for the last one decade but no desired action has been taken in this regard.Speaking to ANI, RBWU chief secretary G Jagdish said, "In the past, during demonstrations, we were assured that soon our problems will be solved but of no avail. We want our share of money back."The forum will also submit a memorandum to the respective regional directors of all Reserve Bank of India (RBI) centres on August 27 which includes the demands of updation of pension, re-opening of option for the pension for contributory provident fund retainers and allow CPF/additional provident fund for those recruited from 2012, among other demands.
Canada scraps family reunification lottery
Canada said it is scrapping a family reunification lottery and going back to a first-come, first-serve immigration policy as it looks to double the number of parents and grandparents admitted to the country. The change back to the old system follows a backlash from frustrated sponsors who described the lottery as "cruel," "heartless" and a "Vegas-like circus." Last year when the lottery was introduced, more than 95,000 filled out an online form to be entered in a draw, but just 10,000 potential sponsors were selected. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said Canada will admit up to 20,500 parents and grandparents under its reunification programme in 2019, and 21,000 in 2020. The decision to increase these numbers "is a result of continually high demand" for bringing parents and grandparents of Canadians into the country, he said in a statement. The government, Hussen added, is committed "to helping families live, work and thrive together, in Canada." In the United States, President ...
Venezuelans keep coming over Brazilian border despite attacks
Venezuelans desperate to leave their collapsing country continued to flow into Brazil despite fear of anti-migrant violence in the tense border town of Pacaraima. Two days after a riot in which locals targeted Venezuelan camps, driving some 1,200 migrants back over the border, the crossing, reinforced by extra troops, was again busy yesterday. One of the many money changers crossing each day from the Venezuelan city of Santa Elena de Uairen to change the country's almost worthless currency and the Brazilian real said Saturday's violence had shaken everyone. "We were scared and didn't know what could happen," he said, asking not to be identified. Despite that fear, the pressure to get out of Venezuela -- where under President Nicholas Maduro the once booming economy is in freefall and basic goods are hard to get -- is even greater. Brazil's security minister, Sergio Etchegoyen, insisted that Brazil will remain open to its fleeing neighbors, saying "closing the border is unthinkable, ...
Man seeks passive euthanasia for son in persistent vegetative state
After fighting the odds for a decade to treat his son, who is in persistent vegetative state since his birth in 2008, a man has approached the Madras High Court, seeking permission to resort to passive euthanasia for the nine-year-old. R Thirumeni's plea is the first-of-its-kind in the country after the Supreme Court in March this year held that the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to live with dignity till the end and it, therefore, includes the right to die with dignity. The petitioner's son T Paarvendhan also suffers from epileptic seizures, caused by a disturbance in the electrical activity of the brain, ranging between 10 and 20 times a day when controlled by medicines. The maximum number of seizures he has suffered in a day is 150, the petitioner's counsel N Kavitha Rameshwar said. Admitting the plea, a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice S Baskaran asked the state to suggest a panel of doctors, who ...
Union Minister Tomar's aide commits suicide
A Personal Assistant of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar committed suicide early Monday at his residence in south Delhi, police said.
Centre submits plan to check drug abuse, says taken concrete steps
The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has finalised the national plan to combat drug abuse amongst children and taken "substantial steps" in the nationwide survey to identify the prevalence of drug abuse across the country and generate a national data base.
JD-U leader wants reservation for poor upper castes
A leader of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United on Monday demanded reservation for the poor among the upper castes in the state.
Young civil servants from Valley seek to inspire migrant Kashmiri Pandit youths to aim high
They cracked this year what is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious career examinations in the country, battling all odds as migrants from the Kashmir valley and are now seeking to inspire others like themselves. Rahul Bhat and Akshay Labroo are presently undergoing the joint foundation course for would be civil servants at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration after having been selected for the IFS and IAS services with their 68th and 104th ranks respectively in the UPSC-conducted exam. Having done it, they now want youth from the migrant Kashmiri Pandit community to dream big and achieve those dreams. "Nothing is impossible. Don't be scared of the examination and failures. You can crack it. And soon, you may sit in my place to inspire other youngsters," said Labroo, exhorting a gathering of over 200 young men and women at the biggest camp of migrant Kashmiri Pandits at Jagti near here. Bhat and Labroo, both 24, were born a few years after their ...
Transgenders protest against killing of 2 community members in Pakistan
Members of the transgender community today staged demonstration against the alleged killings of their two colleagues in two days in northwest Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The protests came following an alleged attack and torture of a member of the community in Mansehra area yesterday. Apart from security for the community members, they also demanded appointment of an advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the transgender issues. They also sought immediate notification of KP transgender protection policy, creation of an endowment fund for the welfare of transgender community as promised by the previous PTI government among others, said an official of a rights group advocating for transgender's rights in Pakistan. President of TransAction Alliance, Farzana Riaz urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to come to Peshawar and listen to their miseries and order stern action against police personnel who violates fundamental rights, abuse their power and act beyond ...
