Page 50 - Social Issues
49 financiers arrested in Telangana
In a crackdown on usury, as many as 49 financiers were arrested for allegedly lending money at exorbitant rates of interest and Rs 65.52 lakh cash seized from them in nearby Ramagundam Monday, police said. Based on information that a large number of private financiers were indulging in usury, the Task Force Police personnel carried out raids and arrested 49 lenders, Ramagundam Police Commissioner V Satyanarayana told reporters. The financiers were collecting daily interest from the poor and middle class people and in many cases had taken property documents as security. In case of default, they threatened their customers through anti-social elements, he said. Documents, including blank cheques, ATM Cards, stamp papers, registered sale deeds and title deeds, pledged by the loanees, were recovered during the raid, he said adding 70 other lenders were absconding.
2 bodies found near Ambala railway station
The bodies of two middle-aged men were found near the Ambala Cantonment railway station in Haryana on Monday, police said. Some locals noticed the bodies with injury marks lying in a pool of blood on the railway tracks of the Ambala-Saharanpur section. The unidentified men appear to be around 40 years of age and the cause of death could not be established yet, the police said. A railway ticket from Amritsar to Ambala was found from one of the deceased, the police said, adding that it could not be established yet whether they had fallen off from some train or committed suicide. The railway police have kept the bodies in a mortuary for identification, the police added.
Several injured in West Bengal post-poll violence
Several persons were injured in post-poll clashes between political parties in two districts of West Bengal, police said on Monday.
Facebook releases maps to help fight disease outbreak
In a bid to fight disease outbreaks, Facebook has built new maps that can help its health partners better understand where people live, how they are moving and whether they have connectivity.
NRC: Rajnath, Sonowal review Assam situation
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reviewed the security scenario in Assam besides preparation to deal with any possible law and order situation which may arise after the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) on July 31. Attended by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and top officials of the Union home ministry and the state government, the meeting presided by Singh took stock of the prevailing situation in Assam which last week had witnessed a blast, suspected to be carried out by the banned insurgent group ULFA, a home ministry official said. "A detailed review on the present security scenario of Assam has taken place. We have also discussed about the possible situation which may arise after the publication of the final NRC," Sonowal told reporters after the hour-long meeting. The Chief Minister said the state government is extending all assistance for the NRC updating process and is committed to provide security to all citizens. "No genuine Indian should be
Thousands protest strict Alabama abortion law
Thousands took to the streets in the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday to rally against the nation's most restrictive bans on abortions in decades. Around 500 women's reproductive rights defenders gathered in state capital Montgomery, while in the cities of Birmingham, Anniston, Huntsville and Mobile around 3,000 more joined in denouncing the "Alabama Human Life Protection Act," local media reported. The act, known as HB314, virtually outlaws terminations of pregnancy. Protesters in Montgomery held up signs reading "her body, her choice" and "we are not ovary-acting." A woman wearing beige underwear that made her look naked had a drawing of her reproductive system attached to her abdomen and a banner reading: "More than an incubator." Several other women were dressed as characters forced to bear children in the dystopian novel and television series "The Handmaid's Tale." One of them, who gave her name only as Amanda, accused Alabama's legislators of "trying to imprison women and .
Vegetative Frenchman set to lose life support amid final challenge
Doctors were due from Monday to start switching off the life support of a quadriplegic Frenchman who has been in a vegetative state for the last decade, in a case that has divided France and even his own family. But the parents of Vincent Lambert have launched last ditch challenges to the court decision to halt the nutrition and hydration he receives in the Sebastopol Hospital in the northern French city of Reims. The patient's doctor, Vincent Sanchez, is due to start switching off the support systems from Monday, according to Lambert's parents. They want care for Lambert to continue but other relatives concur with doctors that the humane path given Lambert's condition is to end life support. Lambert was left quadriplegic with severe brain damage after a 2008 car accident and his case has become a symbol of the controversy over right-to-die laws in France. Their lawyers said Sunday that the parents would be making multiple final court bids to have the treatment continued, as well as ..
2 arrested for livestreaming voting on Facebook Live
You must have read about people livestreaming suicides, shootings and other crimes on Facebook Live but police here have arrested two local leaders for uploading videos of casting their votes on the platform.
Starbucks opens 'silent cafe' in China's Guangzhou
Leading coffee chain Starbucks has opened a "silent cafe" in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, where about half of the staff are hearing impaired, as part of an initiative to support the employment of disabled people.
Hundreds protest strict Alabama abortion law
Around 400 people took to the streets in the capital city of the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday to rally against the nation's most restrictive bans on abortions in decades. Women's reproductive rights defenders gathered in Montgomery, as well as in Birmingham, Anniston and Huntsville where hundreds more were estimated to have joined in denouncing the "Alabama Human Life Protection Act," or HB314, which virtually outlaws terminations of pregnancy. Protesters in Montgomery held up signs reading "her body, her choice" and "we are not ovary-acting." There we no counter-demonstrators. A woman wearing beige underwear that made her look naked had a drawing of her reproductive system attached to her abdomen and a banner reading: "More than an incubator." Several other women were dressed as characters forced to bear children in the dystopian novel and television series "The Handmaid's Tale." One of them, who gave her name only as Amanda, accused Alabama's legislators of "trying to ...
Maha: 16 tigers sighted in Melghat during 'machaan census'
A waterhole "machaan (tree platform) census" carried out Saturday by the Maharashtra Forest department in the Melghat Tiger Reserve has revealed the presence of at least 16 tigers, 29 leopards and 209 sloth bears, a senior official said. Machaan census involves groups of people sitting atop tree platforms to observe and record wildlife numbers. "A total of 406 machaans were set up for 359 participants. We sighted 16 tigers and heard tiger calls at five different places. The number of leopards seen was 29 while 209 sloth bears and 125 wild dogs were also slighted," MS Reddy, Field Director of Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district said Sunday. "The last time such a census was done on April 30 last year, we saw 16 tigers, 12 leopards and 163 sloth bears and 47 wild dogs," he added. Reddy told PTI that 558 Indian gaurs, 531 wild boars, 612 Sambhar deer, 267 spotted deer, 267 barking deer, 39 four horned antelope, 31 porcupines, 75 civet cats, 30 hyenas, 210 blue bills,
AP man makes video before committing suicide
One person on Sunday allegedly committed suicide in a church in Machilipatnam town here.The matter has come to light after his friends claimed to have found a mobile phone in which the deceased reportedly recorded a video of himself explaining why he was taking the extreme step.The victim, identified as Bhanu Prakash, in a "selfie video" blamed his father and another person called Akhil for the reason behind his suicide."I have taken a loan from Akhil and his father. They increased the interest rate from 5 per cent to 10 per cent and started threatening me. They have even taken my motorcycle and my mother's ATM card and insulted me further," Prakash is seen saying in the video.The deceased's friends claimed that the mobile phone was found after his final rituals were completed.An investigation is on in the case.
Thousands expected to protest Alabama abortion
Thousands of demonstrators prepared to take to the streets around the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday to rally against one of the nation's most restrictive bans on abortions in decades. Women's reproductive rights defenders will gather in the capital, Montgomery, and in Birmingham, Anniston and Huntsville, to denounce the "Alabama Human Life Protection Act," or HB314, which virtually outlaws terminations. "People should have the right to make the decisions that are best for their bodies without state interference," organisers said on Facebook. Alabama passed a law last week that prohibits all abortions -- even in cases of incest and rape -- unless there is a risk of death for the mother. "We're going to return to the back alleys. We're going to return to where women will do abortions to themselves," 81-year-old Maralyn Mosley told the Montgomery Advertiser. She had an abortion at 13, after her uncle raped her. "We will return to the coat hangers and perforated uteruses. We will
Bitcoin trader ends life, blames cop & his brother for step
A bitcoin trader allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling at his residence in Ranip locality here, police said on Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday night, they said. The victim, Bharat Patel, left a note behind in which he accused a senior police officer and his brother of threatening him for the losses they had suffered in the cryptocurrency investment, police said. A police official said, in the suicide note, Patel accused Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Chirag Savani and his elder brother Haresh Savani of putting pressure on him and threatening him to compensate for the losses they suffered in bitcoin trading. In the note, Patel mentioned that he worked as a bitcoin trader and invested bitcoins on behalf of the Savani brothers, in which they incurred losses, the official said. "The suicide note will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination, and Ranip police inspector will conduct an investigation based on the ...
US abortion row: Trump says he's pro-life
US President Donald Trump has outlined a less restrictive view of abortion than what was recently passed by Alabamas Republican state government and said he is "pro-life".
Parents try to remove doctor in French right-to-die case
The parents of a Frenchman kept alive in a vegetative state for a decade will on Monday try to have the doctor caring for their son removed before he halts life-sustaining treatment the same day, their lawyers said. The last-ditch move by the parents of Vincent Lambert -- left quadriplegic with severe brain damage after a 2008 car accident -- aims to have the doctor immediately struck off France's medical register, the lawyers said in a statement Sunday. The parents would also seek to have the doctor, Vincent Sanchez, criminally prosecuted and lodge new appeals to continue care for Lambert, they added. The flurry of legal action spoke to the desperation of the parents just ahead of the planned halt Monday of the nutrition and hydration Lambert receives in the Sebastopol Hospital in the northern French city of Reims. They have already pleaded with President Emmanuel Macron to step in and override the court order. But the case has torn their family apart, pitting them legally and ...
Turnout of transgender voters in Delhi not very high this time, hope things will improve: CEO Singh
Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said the turnout of transgender voters in the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city might not be very high this time but hoped that things will improve in the future. Delhi has 693 transgender voters and 23.09 per cent of them exercised their franchise on May 12. This is the first time that they voted under the category since the Supreme Court had declared them as "third gender" in 2014. "We did some special campaigns for the voters who for some reason get marginalised for instance transgenders, homeless and persons with disability. For transgenders, we did a special project with the help of NGOs. The district election officer of Chandni Chowk did a special programme for their inclusion," Singh told PTI. The turnout of transgenders was not very high but awareness has gone in and in the future the turnout will increase rapidly, and also because of this project we made a beginning, he added. "We will engage with them more and also let them feel ...
Trump says 'Pro-Life' but favours exceptions for rape, incest
President Donald Trump has declared himself "strongly Pro-Life", days after two US states passed tough new restrictions on abortions, but said exceptions should be made for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The US president spelled out his position on abortion -- set to feature prominently at next year's election -- in his first comments on the hot-button issue since Alabama's governor signed a near-total ban on the termination of pregnancy. "As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions -- Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother -- the same position taken by Ronald Reagan," Trump tweeted late Saturday. Trump, who is seeking to expand on his conservative support ahead of his re-election bid, added: "The Radical Left, with late term abortion (and worse), is imploding on this issue. We must stick together and Win for Life in 2020." Alabama's governor on Wednesday signed a near-total prohibition on ...
French coast guard stops nine migrants heading to UK in small boat
France's coast guard on Sunday stopped a small boat with nine migrants -- including a boy suffering mild hypothermia -- from crossing the English Channel to reach Britain, it said in a statement. The nine, all of them male and most of them adults, said they were Iranians, the regional marine prefecture said in the statement. They were intercepted by a patrol vessel around 5.5 kilometres (3.5 miles) offshore, only a short way across the Channel, which is around 30 kilometres wide at its closest points. They were taken to the nearby city of Calais where they were handed over to border authorities. Migrants seeking to enter Britain have been frustrated in attempts to cross on vehicles through the Channel Tunnel or on ferries. Some have turned to trying to cross the Channel in small boats, risking low temperatures, strong currents and heavy shipping traffic.
Trump outlines his 'strong pro-life' views on abortion
Against the backdrop of the US state of Alabama signing the most restrictive abortion law in the recent American history, President Donald Trump on Sunday outlined his "strongly pro-life" views on the subject.In a series of tweets, the US President backed the law, while at the same time appearing to challenge its key provisions."As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions - Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother - the same position taken by Ronald Reagan," Trump wrote on Twitter."We have come very far in the last two years with 105 wonderful new Federal Judges (many more to come), two great new Supreme Court Justices, the Mexico City Policy, and a whole new & positive attitude about the Right to Life. The Radical Left, with late-term abortion (and worse), is imploding on this issue. We must stick together and Win for Life in 2020," Trump went on to say.The bill, passed by the Alabama Senate on Thursday,