Page 45 - Social Issues
'Unable to bear torture by seniors, my daughter committed suicide'
Abeda Tadvi, mother of Dr Payal Salman Tadvi, who committed suicide on May 22, claimed that three senior doctors at Nair Hospital tortured her daughter, and unable to bear this, she committed suicide."Whenever she used to speak to me on call, she would say 'these (3 senior doctors) people torture me as I belong to a tribal community, use casteist slurs.' We want justice for her," Abeda told ANI.The 23-year-old, a postgraduate student at Nair Hospital, committed suicide after allegedly facing harassment at the hands of three senior doctors."We have lodged a case under Atrocities Act, Anti-ragging Act and IT Act, and Section 306 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Further probe is currently underway," Deepak Kundal, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Agripada had said on Wednesday.When asked if the victim was harassed because she got admission through reservation quota, Kundal had said, "We are investigating the matter as per the complaints lodged by the complainant. The case has been lodged ...
If you care for minorities, ensure Muslims aren't lynched: Owaisi jabs Modi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at the Prime Minister for his "minorities made to live in an illusion of fear" statement and said if Modi really cares about minorities then he should ensure that Muslims are not lynched by cow vigilantes."As given in our Constitution, Right to Life is for human beings and not animals. I am sure that if Prime Minister realises it, then fear among minorities will go away," said Asaduddin Owaisi.The newly-elected MP from Hyderabad also cited an incident of Madhya Pradesh's Seoni wherein three youths were thrashed, allegedly over suspicion of possessing beef."If Prime Minister seriously believes that minorities live in fear then will he stop all mob-lynching gangs who in the name of cow killing, lynch Muslims, beat them, take out their videos and demean Muslims. What happened in Madhya Pradesh is an example," he said.Intensifying his attack, he questioned the Prime Minister over mob-lynching cases."If PM agrees minorities live in fear he should ...
Married woman, lover commit suicide in Rajasthan
In a suspected suicide pact, a married woman and her alleged lover were found hanging from a tree in Rajasthan's Pali district on Sunday, police said. "Primary investigation has revealed that they were in a love relationship and committed suicide in Bori mada village on Saturday night," they said. Some of the locals spotted the bodies on Sunday morning and informed the police, they added. "The bodies were handed over to the family members after postmortem. The matter is being probed," investigating officer Malla Ram said.
German Jews warned not to wear 'kippas'
The German government's anti-Semitism commissioner has urged Jews to avoid wearing "kippa", the traditional Jewish skullcaps in public, the media reported on Sunday.
Counter-protesters drown out white supremacist rally in Ohio
Less than a dozen people affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group were drowned out by hundreds of counter-protesters Saturday at a rally in the midwestern US state of Ohio, authorities and local media said. The event ended peacefully without injuries or arrests, the city government of Dayton, Ohio, said in a statement on Facebook. Nine people from a group called the Honorable Sacred Knights showed up for a rally they'd obtained a permit to hold in Dayton's Courthouse Square. They were met by 500 to 600 counter-protesters, city officials said. The counter-protesters chanted, sang and played various instruments to drown out the racist demonstrators, who had gathered behind a tall metal fence under tight police security, local media reports said. More than 350 law enforcement officers were on hand amid fears of violence. In 2017, a woman was killed at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. President Donald Trump sparked outrage in its aftermath after ...
Pope Francis equates abortion to 'hiring hitman,' says it's unacceptable
Pope Francis on Saturday said abortion was always unacceptable, regardless of whether a fetus is fatally ill or has pathological disorders.Speaking at a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, The New York Times quoted the Pope as saying that the abortion was not a religious issue, but a human one."Is it legitimate to take out a human life to solve a problem?" the Pope asked."Is it permissible to contract a hitman to solve a problem?" he further questioned.The Pope also stressed that the decision to abort based on medical information about an ill fetus amounted to "inhuman eugenics," and denied families the chance to welcome the weakest of children.He argued that using abortion as a mode of "prevention" could never be condoned and that such a position had "nothing to do" with faith."Human life is sacred and inviolable and the use of prenatal diagnosis for selective purposes should be discouraged with strength," the Pope was quoted as saying.The pope's remarks come in the wake of a
More than 200 migrants rescued off Malta
More than 200 people, including women and children, were rescued by the Maltese navy in the Mediterranean Sea, authorities said on Saturday.Al Jazeera quoted a spokesman for the Maltese navy as saying that two separate rescue operations took place on late Friday as the migrants were crossing the Mediterranean Sea on dinghies.At least one pregnant woman was among those rescued by the Maltese forces, according to the spokesman.The first group was rescued after it "sent out a distress call that their boat was taking in water," the spokesperson said.He added that after picking up the first group, the boat was diverted to a second dinghy "after receiving another distress call".The Malta forces said that with good weather conditions prevailing, departures of migrants from Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria had increased in the past two days, resulting in 12 boats arriving in Sicily, Sardinia, and Lampedusa.The European Union (EU) has been challenged by the migration crisis since 2015 due to the ...
Modi quietly oversaw lynchings of minorities: Owaisi
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for removing fear among minorities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that he "quietly oversaw" mob lynchings of minorities in his first term.
After quarrel with husband, woman batters sons to death
In a gruesome act, a woman brutally killed her two young sons after a fight with her husband in Telangana's Siddipet town on Saturday, police said.
Modi asks NDA MPs to work without discrimination, reach out to minorities
All set for a second term as prime minister, Narendra Modi said Saturday his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance has to win their trust and work without any discrimination. In his over 75-minute address after being elected the leader of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Modi said the massive mandate has multiplied responsibilities, and advised lawmakers on their public conduct, saying they should avoid speaking to the media for publicity and shun the "VIP culture". However, it was his suggestion to the MPs in his maiden speech to them that they work without any discrimination and win the trust of minorities that stood out as the alliance, especially the BJP, is often criticised for being indifferent to their concerns and not pursuing inclusive politics. "Our mantra should be 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' (with all, for everybody's development and having ...
Modi calls for removing fear among minorities
Set to begin his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a major outreach to the minorities and asked the newly-elected MPs of the BJP and its NDA allies to gain their trust by breaching the "illusion of fear" instilled in them by certain parties because of vote bank politics.
Naresh Goyal, wife offloaded from London flight
Former Jet Airways chief promoter Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita were offloaded from a London-bound flight and barred from leaving India this morning by immigration officials, sources said here on Saturday.
Hundreds of immigrants in US lose jobs after SSA move
Hundreds of immigrant labourers in the USA who can't prove their legal status are being forced to quit after their employers received 'no-match letters' from the Social Security Administration (SSA), according to media reports.
Thousands of Croatians rally against abortion
Thousands of anti-abortion marchers took to the streets on Saturday in three cities around Croatia, a largely Catholic country where activists say reproductive rights are increasingly under threat. In Zagreb, police briefly detained around a dozen women's rights protesters who tried to block the annual "March for Life", which drew some 5,000 people to the centre of the capital. The crowd was full of children with balloons while demonstrators marched with a banner that read: "Let's protect the most endangered minority in Croatia -- unborn children." Thousands of other anti-abortion activists also marched in the coastal towns of Split and Zadar. "A child should be protected from conception till birth," said 34-year-old Ivan Plese, a theologist walking with his wife and 10-month baby boy. Ivana Lozo, a 19-year-old at the rally, told AFP that "abortion should be completely banned." Abortion is legal until the 10th week of pregnancy in Croatia under a 1978 law from when the country was ...
Pope: Abortion is never OK, equates it to "hiring a hitman"
Pope Francis said Saturday that abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or likely to die, and urged doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. Speaking to a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said the opposition to abortion isn't a religious issue but a human one. "Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?" he asked. "Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?" Francis denounced decisions to abort based on prenatal testing, saying a human being is "never incompatible with life." Even those babies destined to die at birth or soon thereafter deserve to receive medical care in the womb, Francis said, adding that their parents need to be supported so they don't feel isolated and afraid. While one can argue about using medical resources this way, there is value to it for the parents, he said. "Taking care of these children helps parents to grieve and not only think of it as a loss, but as a ...
Woman strangulates minor children before committing suicide in Rajasthan
A woman allegedly killed her two minor children before committing suicide here on Saturday, police said. The husband of Papeeta Meena (25) had died some time ago and she was under depression, SHO of Sadar police station Ramniwas Meena said. She strangulated her 13-month-old son and two-year-old daughter before hanging herself at her home in Madanpuri village, the SHO said. The bodies were handed over to their family members after post-mortem, he said, adding an investigation is on.
MOSPI orders revamp, merges NSSO, CSO into NSO
The Statistics and Programme Implementation has decided to merge the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) into National Statistical Office (NSO) in a major restructuring move. The ministry in an order issued on May 23 regarding the restructuring of the ministry (MOSPI), stated, "In order to streamline and strengthen the present nodal function of MOSPI with respect to Indian official statistics system and bring in more synergy by integrating its administrative functions within the ministry." According to the order, Statistical Wing, comprising the NSO with constituents as the CSO and the NSSO, to be an integral part of the main ministry. It stated that the NSO would be headed by Secretary Statistics and Programme Implementation, with various divisions reporting to the Secretary through Director Generals (DGs). The CSO headed by a DG brings out macro economic data like economic (GDP) growth data, industrial production and inflation. The NSSO ...
Debt-ridden farmer commits suicide in Wayanad
A 53-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide here by consuming some poisonous substance, police said Saturday. The farmer was rushed to hospital Friday night by his relatives and died this morning, they said. Financial burden had forced the man to take the extreme step, relatives said. Police said he had a taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh from three banks and was reportedly facing recovery proceedings.
Pope: Abortion is never OK, equates it to 'hiring a hitman'
Pope Francis says abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or malformed. He is urging doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. During an audience Saturday with participants of a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said opposition to abortion isn't a religious issue but a human one: "Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem? Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?" Francis denounced decisions to abort based on prenatal testing, saying a human being is "never incompatible with life." Francis has spoken out strongly against abortion, though he has also expressed sympathy for women who have had them and made it easier for them to be forgiven.
CBDT task force gets 2 month extension to draft new direct tax code
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has given the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) task force an extension of two months to draft a new Direct Tax Code which will simplify complex income tax laws.CBDT member Akhilesh Ranjan had sought an extension as the current term of the body ends on May 31. At a meeting held with top officials of the Finance Ministry, Jaitley on Friday gave the CBDT task force an extension till July.The aim is to reform complex income tax laws into simpler tax codes with reduced rates, fewer exemptions and tax slabs. Once the draft report is ready, it will be put up for public suggestions to address the concerns of all stakeholders.Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department has extended the due date for depositing tax deducted at source (TDS) for April from May 7 to May 20 for residents in cyclone-hit Odisha, according to an official statement.Also, the due date of filing of quarterly statement of TDS for the last quarter of the financial year 2018-19 has been extended to
