Page 46 - Social Issues
BSF jawan kills self in Tripura
An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Border Security Force (BSF) committed suicide by shooting himself with a rifle here on Friday.The deceased, Ashwini Kumar of 86 battalion, committed suicide inside a bus.Originally from Jammu and Kashmir, the 50-year-old had come to Pancharatan in remote Dhalai district for some election work.Following the incident, the BSF personnel carried Ashwini to a hospital nearby, where the doctor declared him as brought dead."Postmortem will be conducted at the hospital today," doctor Nirja Debbarma at the Gandcahera Sub-Divisional Hospital said.
Judge tells attacker to study Sikhs as part of sentence
A judge on Friday ordered an Oregon man to learn about the Sikh religion and submit a report to the court as part of his sentence for an attack on a Sikh shopkeeper in Salem, a civil rights group said. Andrew Ramsey pleaded guilty to misdemeanour counts of intimidation and assault in the January 14 incident targeting Harwinder Singh Dodd, the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the US, said in a release. The Intimidation count is considered a hate crime, it said. Witnesses said Ramsey pulled on Dodd's beard after he refused to sell him cigarettes without an ID, punched him and pulled him to the ground. Bystanders restrained Ramsey until police arrived. Dodd, who came to the US from India and owns the convenience store, noted in a written statement to the court that hate crimes are on the rise in America. The FBI says hate crimes increased by 40 per cent in Oregon from 2016 to 2017. "He didn't see me as a person," Dodd said of Ramsey. "He attacked me because ..
23 inmates killed in Venezuelan jail riot: Rights group
A showdown between armed inmates and guards in an overcrowded cellblock of a Venezuelan jail Friday left at least 23 prisoners dead, a prisoner rights groups said. The clash started when inmates, many armed, refused to let authorities enter, fearing they would be robbed, said Humberto Prado of the Venezuelan Prison Observatory. At least 18 guards were injured in the clash, he said, adding there were reports of at least one explosion. Prado called on authorities who run Venezuela's prisons to stop the violent deaths, saying more than 130 inmates have died since 2017 in three separate riots across the country. "We have this situation because those responsible are converting these cells into dungeons," Prado said in a video posted on Twitter. "Prisoners in Venezuela will continue to die unless something is done." The prison is in the central state of Portuguesa, some 350 kilometers from the capital of Caracas. It's designed to hold 250, but bulges with 540 inmates, he said. Venezuelan ...
Task force on direct tax laws to submit report by July 31
The task force set up to draft a new direct tax law to replace the existing Income Tax Act has been given 2-month extension till July 31 to submit its report. The task force was scheduled to submit the report by May 31. "Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Friday extended the last date for submission of report by direct tax panel till July 31," an official said. With this extension, the direct tax panel may submit its report after the presentation of full Budget for 2019-20. Last time in 2014 post the general elections, the budget was presented on July 10. Going by precedence, the full year 2019-20 budget is likely to be presented in July. The Finance Ministry in November last year appointed Akhilesh Ranjan, Member (Legislation), CBDT, as convenor of the task force after the retirement of Arbind Modi. Other members of the task force include Girish Ahuja (chartered accountant), Rajiv Memani (Chairman and Regional Managing Partner of EY), Mukesh Patel (Practicing Tax Advocate), Mansi Kedia ...
Missouri governor signs bill banning abortions at 8 weeks
Missouri Gov Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation. Under the law that comes into force Aug. 28, doctors who violate the eight-week cutoff could face five to 15 years in prison. A legal challenge is expected, although it's unclear when that might occur. The measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to "a major bodily function of the pregnant woman." But women who find themselves pregnant after being raped or subjected to incest will not be allowed to abort after eight weeks. Women who terminate their pregnancies cannot be prosecuted under the law. When pressed last week on the rape and incest issue, Parson, a Republican, told reporters that "all life has value." President Donald Trump has said he supports exceptions in cases of ...
'Results' needed from Myanmar over Rohingya return: UNHCR head
Myanmar must "show results" to convince Rohingya refugees to return, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday at the end of his first visit to Myanmar since the crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in 2017. A brutal military campaign in western Rakhine state forced some 740,000 Rohingya over the border into Bangladesh. Around one million Rohingya now languish in sprawling refugee camps from various waves of persecution. A UN fact-finding mission called for Myanmar's top generals to be prosecuted for "genocide" and the International Criminal Court (ICC) has started preliminary investigations. During his visit Grandi spoke with both Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist communities in Maungdaw and Buthidaung in northern Rakhine, the epicentre of the violence. He also held discussions with officials in capital Naypyidaw, including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, describing all talks as "constructive". "My message is: 'please accelerate', because it has been very .
HHS rolls back protections for transgender people
A new Trump administration rule would roll back sex discrimination protection for transgender people in health services. In the proposed rule issued Friday, the Health and Human Services Department says laws banning sex discrimination in health care don't apply to people's "gender identity." LGBT groups have long warned such a move could lead to denial of needed medical care. That rule reverses the policy of the Obama administration, which had found that sex discrimination laws do protect transgender people. It faces a 60-day comment period and court challenges are expected. The Obama-era rule dates to a time when LGBT people gained political and social recognition. But a federal judge in Texas said the rule went too far by concluding that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of sex discrimination, which is forbidden by civil rights laws. Under the Obama rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the ...
Oslo pledges 100 mln euros to combat sexual violence
Norway said Friday it would contribute more than 100 million euros (USD 115 million) over three years to combat sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, a worldwide scourge affecting millions. "Sexual and gender-based violence destroys people, it destroys local communities and it is extremely difficult to mend the damage," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said. "That's why we have to do more to prevent it," she said at the opening of an international conference in Oslo to raise awareness and funds. The wealthy Scandinavian country pledged one billion kroner (UD 115 million) between 2019 and 2021, including 350 million kroner this year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also pledged USD 10 million. The conference was co-hosted by Norway, Iraq, Somalia, the UAE, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and attended by Congolese doctor and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege. Several participants insisted on the importance of prevention .
Sweden to host anti-Semitism conference
Sweden will host an international conference against anti-Semitism in memory of the Holocaust in October 2020, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced Friday. The gathering heads of state and government will be held in Malmo, southern Sweden, on October 27 and 28 -- 20 years after the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust and 75 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. "You find anti-Semitism in Sweden, in Europe and all over the world. Anti-Semitism isn't only a Jewish problem, it is a poison for all of society," Stefan Lofven told AFP in an interview. He had previously expressed his willingness to host a major conference on anti-Semitism. But the official announcement, at the end of the campaign for the European elections, also served as a reminder that they are "all the more important as the election is a referendum on populist forces". "It's a choice of values, for equal rights, it's about standing up for your beliefs," he .
Brunei's Sultan returns his Oxford honorary law degree following backlash over LGBT law
Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah has returned an honorary law degree awarded by Britain's prestigious Oxford University after it raised concerns over the country's implementation of a new law that proposes death penalty for gay sex and adultery, according to media reports. The oil-rich Southeast Asian nation had in April introduced a new strict anti-LGBT law that made sex between men and adultry punishable by stoning to death. Following a global outcry, boycotts and celebrity protests, the Sultan earlier this month backtracked and announced that the death penalty would not be imposed in the implementation of the penal code changes. In April, more than 118,500 people have signed a petition calling on the university to rescind the honorary law degree awarded in 1993 to the sultan, the BBC reported. The university, in a statement said, it opened a review "in the light of concerns about the new penal code". "The varsity was informed that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah would be returning his ...
Lebanon deports 16 Syrians: rights groups
Lebanon has "summarily deported" at least 16 Syrians, some of them registered refugees, by forcing them to sign "voluntary repatriation forms," human rights groups said on Friday. Lebanon hosts nearly one million Syrian refugees -- a significant burden for a country of four million people -- and there has been mounting pressure for them to go home even though the UN says many areas remain unsafe to return to. The 16 were all removed to Syria on April 26 after they arrived at Beirut airport, Human Rights Watch and four other groups said in a joint report. Most of them were sent back to Lebanon after they were barred from entering Cyprus via Turkey, quashing their plans to seek asylum, it said. At least five were registered with the United Nations refugee agency, it added. "Lebanese authorities shouldn't deport anyone to Syria without first allowing them a fair opportunity to argue their case for protection," said HRW's acting Middle East director, Lama Fakih. The report said around 30 .
HC rejects Maha cop's pre-arrest bail plea in suicide case
The Bombay High Court rejected the pre-arrest bail plea of a constable, attached to Ulhasnagar police in neighbouring Thane district, accused of abetting the suicide of a 19-year-old youth. A vacation bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal was Thursday hearing an application filed by police constable Pawan Kedar seeking anticipatory bail in the case lodged against him by the Ulhasnagar police on May 3 under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of IPC. According to the police, the victim, who used to run a juice and sandwich stall in Ulhasnagar, committed suicide on May 5 after being allegedly harassed by the accused. Kedar allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 from the victim each month and free food, failing which he threatened to book the victim under false cases. When the victim refused to pay the money, the accused on May 2 took the victim to the police station and allegedly said he was going to be booked in a case. The victim after returning home committed suicide. His brother then lodged a case ...
Record 78 women MPs in new Lok Sabha
The highest-ever number of women have been elected in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Out of 542 MPs who will take oath as members of the lower house in the next few days, 78 are women with Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal leading at 11 each. A total of 724 women candidates contested from across the country with Congress fielding the maximum women at 54 followed closely by BJP at 53. With over 14 per cent female MPs, the 17th Lok Sabha will have the highest number of women candidates since 1952. In 16th Lok Sabha, 64 women had won, while 52 women were elected to the 15th Lok Sabha. A Bill for 33 per cent representation for women in legislatures in pending in Parliament. As many as 27 out of 41 sitting women MPs, including Sonia Gandhi, Hema Malini and Kirron Kher, retained their seats in Lok Sabha polls, but the likes of Smriti Irani and Pragya Thakur stole the show with their victories over their more renowned rivals. Irani emerged as a giant-slayer -- this time scripting a historic win by ...
Libya confirms it rescued 290 migrants in Mediterranean
Libya's navy confirmed on Friday that it rescued three boats carrying a total of 290 Europe-bound migrants off the country's Mediterranean coast, following reports by a German aid group about the disaster. Libyan coast guards first reported finding a sinking rubber boat whose bottom had collapsed on Thursday, leaving most migrants in the water and hanging onto what was left of the boat and plastic barrels. A statement posted Friday on the navy press center's official Facebook page says that boat carried 87 migrants, including six women and a child. Earlier, the coast guard came to the rescue of two other rubber boats carrying a total of 203 migrants, according to a separate statement. The three boats carried mostly Arab and African nationals as well as 14 Bangladeshis, who were handed over to Libyan police after receiving humanitarian and medical aid. A few hours earlier, German aid group Sea-Watch said its aircraft had witnessed three rescue operations by Libyan coast guards on ...
Brunei Sultan returns Oxford degree after LGBT backlash
The Sultan of Brunei has returned an honorary degree awarded by Oxford University after it raised concerns about the Asian nation's strict new anti-LGBT laws.
Taiwan holds first same-sex marriages in Asia
Around 20 same-sex couples on Friday registered their marriage officially at the Household Registration Office in Taipei, a week after Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex unions.
Controversy over South Korean ban on corporal punishment at home
A law allowing South Korean parents to physically discipline their children is to be scrapped, authorities said, prompting controversy in a country where hierarchical family values still predominate. Reporting of child abuse - including neglect and emotional abuse as well as physical or sexual assaults - rose more than 10-fold between 2001 and 2017 to 22,386 cases, with 77 per cent of the perpetrators known to be the victims' parents. "More in our society agree that child abuse is a serious social problem," Seoul's Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters. "But many are still lenient about corporal punishment. The ministry is to change this perception." Parental rights to physically discipline their children will be removed from the country's civil code, he said, where they have been stated since 1960. Physical punishment was also allowed in schools until 2010. A recent government survey showed that 76.8 per cent of adult South Koreans feel corporal punishment is necessary, and .
Modi progenitor of Hindutva Plus (IANS Exclusive)
BY SANDEEP BAMZAI
Sambit Patra loses to BJD's Pinaki Mishra in Puri
In what is one of the biggest upsets for the BJP, party spokesperson Sambit Patra has lost Puri parliamentary constituency to the BJD's Pinaki Mishra.Patra was defeated by Mishra by a margin of 11,700 votes.It is worth noting that even during the 2009 and 2014 elections, Mishra had won Puri seat without much of a fight.The Lok Sabha polls that commenced on April 11 and wrapped up on May 19, saw approximately 900 million voters exercising their franchise and deciding the fate of over 8,000 candidates across 542 seats in the country. Out of those candidates, 724 were women and four were transgender.
Pregnant woman won't be deported immediately to Mexico
US immigration officials have told a pregnant Mexican woman who had taken sanctuary inside a Chicago church that she can stay in the United States until after the baby is born. Adilene Marquina had been told by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that she could be deported this week. But the Chicago Tribune says she was told on Thursday she will not have to leave immediately and should report to ICE on Oct. 23. Marquina is staying in the Faith, Life and Hope Mission. ICE has a policy against making arrests in places of worship. She fled to the U.S. in 2015 seeking political asylum. She waited four years for an immigration judge to deny her claim. She has two American sons ages 16 and 3 and a 14-year-old son.
