Page 6 - Social Issues
Telangana: Man climbs electric pole after police calls him for investigation
In a peculiar but life-threatening act, a man from Telangana climbed an electric pole after the police brought him to Hyderabad's Bachupally area to investigate him pertaining to a case of a missing woman, said Jagdeesh, Circle Inspector, Bachupally on Sunday.The man threatened to commit suicide while hanging from the extra high tension pole. The police managed to deal with the issue and brought him down.The man was later handed over to the Andhra Pradesh police.
Telangana: Public health department accountant caught red-handed taking Rs 20,000 bribe
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths on Saturday caught a Senior Accountant of Public Health and Family Welfare, V Sanjeev Kumar, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 in his office canteen.Based on a complaint lodged by Dr Baddam Surender Reddy, a retired deputy civil surgeon from Trimulgherry, an ACB team laid a trap at the accused's office in Koti.The officer demanded Rs 20,000 in return for an official favour to process the complainant's pension file.The bribe amount was recovered from the accused's possession. His hands tested positive in a chemical test.Kumar was later produced at the ACB court.
Uddhav Thackeray threatens insurance companies over non-payment of crop claims
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday threatened the insurance companies over the non-payment of farmers' crop claims under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme."The scam which took place in the insurance scheme is coming out slowly. The people who have taken the money of the poor farmers are not appearing here. Now when it is time to pay the farmers' claims. Their offices are in Mumbai. If the need arises, we will make their shops shut," Thackeray said here.He was speaking at an event organised to launch "Pick Bima Madad" to assist farmers to get their insurance claims.Thackeray also inaugurated a "Pick Bima Madad' centre at Lasur village here under the scheme. The centre will help farmers get their insurance claims.Talking to reporters, the Shiv Sena leader said: "We have got many forms filled for the insurance claims. We will take these forms to the Chief Minister. If the need arises, we will take farmers along with us to the CM.
Naqvi slams Congress for opposing Triple Talaq Bill
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday slammed the Congress party for opposing Triple Talaq Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the Bill has nothing to do with religion but wrong practices."Congress leaders obstructed the path to make laws for women's empowerment and security. Triple Talaq has got nothing to do with religion but it pertains to wrong traditions and wrong practices," he told ANI.Citing references of child marriage and Sati system, he said that ending the menace of Triple Talaq is the need of the hour.He said: "To end wrong traditions and wrong practices, this country first ended child marriage, Sati system, and other such practices. So why should this be not done? The Bill will be passed in both the Houses."The controversial Triple Talaq Bill was introduced on Friday in the Lok Sabha amid a huge uproar from the Opposition parties, which are against criminalising the offence.The Opposition raised strong objections at the introduction of the Bill itself. After a brief ..
Man's plan to jump off Navi Mumbai police building foiled
A man Saturday tried to commit suicide from the terrace of the three-storeyed Navi Mumbai police headquarter building but his attempt was foiled by a quick response team (ORT), an official said. Yogesh Tandane is a resident of Beed district and is apparently mentally unstable, the official added. "He left home after a dispute some days ago. He climbed atop the police headquarters in Kalamboli crying out that there was no one for him and that he was good for nothing. When he refused to come down despite appeals, a QRT posse managed to get hold of him and bring him down to safety," he said. A QRT commando suffered injuries in the rescue effort, he said, adding that Tandane has not been charged and is most likely to be send to a rehabilitation centre.
Mob attacks by extremist Hindu groups against minorities continued in India throughout 2018: US
Mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims continued throughout the year (2018) amid rumors that victims had traded or killed cows for beef, says a State Department's report.The report titled - India 2018 International Religious Freedom Report -- said the government sometimes failed to act on mob attacks on religious minorities, marginalised communities, and critics of the government."Some senior officials of the Hindu-majority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made inflammatory speeches against minority communities," reads the report.The report contends that at least 24 States in the country apply partial to full restrictions on bovine slaughter."The ban mostly affects Muslims and members of other Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In the majority of the 24 States where bovine slaughter is banned, punishments include imprisonment for six months to two years and a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 rupees."The reports claimed that there is ...
Fake IGP arrested in Bathinda
Amrinder Singh, who impersonated as an Inspector General of Police (IGP), was arrested by the local police here on Saturday.Police said that he used to cheat the innocent people in the name of social works.Singh, who used to identify himself as an IGP, Progressive Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), and cheat the people by promising to make them members of the organisation.Police said that Singh was arrested after a complaint was lodged by Bhola Singh, and his father Sukhdev Singh.Reads the FIR: "A guy named Shiv Kumar took Rs 6 lakh from us. He said he will make us a member of the Human Rights Organisation. He told he is an IG and asked us to be a part of this organisation.""When he started demanding money from us for various reasons, we started having doubts about him. After checking we got to know that he has given us fake identity cards," the FIR quotes complainants, as saying.Police said Amrinder Singh is in their custody. Further investigation is underway.
Woman jumps before train with daughter, both dead
A woman allegedly committed suicide over a domestic issue by jumping before a moving train along with her four-year-old daughter in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Saturday, police said. Mohni Devi (25) jumped before the train along with her daughter Hina near Jasdesar Dham temple here, they said. The woman also left a suicide note in which she alleged that she was being exploited by her husband and in-laws. Police said no FIR has been lodged so far in connection with the incident.
Advani arrives in Shimla on week-long visit
Former Deputy Prime Minister and veteran BJP leader Lal Krishan Advani along with his daughter and other family members Saturday arrived in Shimla on a seven-day private visit to Himachal Pradesh. On his arrival at Annadale helipad, Advani was received by Irrigation and Public Health Minister Mahender Singh, Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar, Transport and Forest Minister Govind Thakur, state BJP President Satpal Satti, an official spokesperson said.
Germany's Merkel urges crackdown on far-right extremists
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the German government is "very, very serious" about fighting far-right extremism that presents "a big challenge for all of us" after a man with anti-migrant views allegedly killed a regional official from Merkel's party. Far-right extremists "need to be fought from the beginning without any taboo," Merkel said Saturday at a gathering of Lutheran Protestants in the western city of Dortmund. The Germany leader called the slaying of Kassel administrator Walter Luebcke, 65, who was found shot in the head at his home on June 2, "not only a gruesome act, but a big challenge for all of us to check on all levels (of society) for far-right tendencies." A week ago, police arrested a 45-year-old German man, Stephan Ernst, as the alleged killer. Ernst was known to police as a far-right extremist with convictions for violent crimes dating from the late 1980s to 2009, German media reported. They include a 1993 pipe bomb attack on a refugee shelter. German Interior ...
App-cab aggregator regrets shabby treatment to disability
Two days after disability rights activist Arman Ali shared his experience of being "treated horribly" by two drivers of an app cab aggregator, the company on Saturday expressed regret over the incident and said action will be taken against the wrongdoers. Uber India does not condone discrimination of any kind, a spokesperson of the service provider told PTI. Ali, Executive Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People, claimed in a Facebook post that due to the ill-treatment of the drivers in Chennai, he had missed a flight and a meeting and had to shell out Rs 14,000 to book a fresh air ticket on Tuesday. In Thursday's Facebook post that he had tagged the Prime Minister's Office and Narendra Modi, the Assam-based wheelchair-bound man said, "I was treated horribly and #discriminated against by @uber @uber_india in #chennai yesterday evening." An Uber India spokesperson Saturday said, "We do not condone discrimination of any kind and ...
Halwa ceremony at Finance Ministry marks printing of Budget-2019 documents
The traditional 'Halwa ceremony' was held at the Finance Ministry in the North Block here on Saturday, which marks the beginning of printing of Budget documents.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the ceremony in the presence of Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, SC Garg, Finance Secretary, AB Pandey, Revenue Secretary, Rajiv Kumar Secretary, Department of Financial Services, and Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), and other officials.Sitharaman, India's first full-fledged woman Finance Minister will present the annual Budget for the financial year 2019-20 on July 5. She will table the Economic Survey report in parliament on July 4.To maintain the secrecy of the Budget, there is a lock-in of the officials involved in making the Budget.The Finance Minister also took a round of the Press and acquainted herself with the printing process.According to an official statement, PC Mody, Chairman, ..
Sajan Parayil suicide: Kerala HC registers suo motu case
The Kerala High Court on Friday registered a suo motu case in connection with Nigeria-returned entrepreneur Sajan Parayil's suicide.The 49-year-old businessman allegedly committed suicide after Anthoor municipality delayed giving him ownership certificate for an auditorium constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore by him.Reportedly, the judicature has asked the state government to submit a detailed report to them by July 15.More details in this regard are awaited.
Owaisi should be happy that 'certain protections' being made for Muslim women: Mehmood Pracha
Owaisi should be happy that government is making certain protections for Muslim women through Triple Talaq bill, said Mehmood Pracha, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) here on Friday.Pracha said the arguments given by the opposition shows that they have not studied the bill properly."Owaisi is saying that there is one-year punishment for men in other communities but Muslim men will get three years. I do not think there for men there is one-year punishment for divorce in any community. That punishment is under Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and that itself is for violation of a protection order," he said.However, he also criticised the bill. If anything, according to Mehmood Pracha, Owaisi as a Muslim leader should be very happy that certain protections are being made for Muslim women and he should rather criticize the government on the ground that the bill is not strong enough."Firstly, the bill does not take care of women in situations where
Bihar BJP leaders observe moment of silence over AES deaths
Senior Bihar BJP leaders on Saturday observed a moment of silence at the party headquarters in Patna to mourn the deaths of children due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur.BJP National General Secretary Ramlal, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwani Kumar Chaubey, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, Cabinet Minister Nand Kishor Yadav, state BJP President Nityanand Rai and were among the leaders present at the headquarters.So far, as many as 128 children have died due to the vector-borne disease in the state, including 108 children at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital and 20 children at Kejriwal hospital in Muzaffarpur district.The meeting was conducted at the arrival of BJP leader Ramlal in Patna.
Malaysia calls for "justice" and citizenship for Rohingya Muslims
Malaysia on Saturday said the perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's Rohingya minority must "be brought to justice", in sharp comments delivered at a normally tame regional summit. Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, instead officially labelling them "Bengalis", short-hand for illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. A military crackdown in 2017 drove more than 740,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, carrying accounts of rape, mass killings and the razing of villages. UN investigators have called for Myanmar's top generals to be tried for genocide. But Myanmar's army and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi have defended the action as necessary to flush out Rohingya militants from Rakhine state. In talks Saturday with Southeast Asian counterparts, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Bin Abdullah called for the "perpetrators of the Rohingya issue to be brought to justice", his ministry said in Tweet. He also said repatriation of the minority from the fetid, ...
Nicki Minaj spits fire out for Miley Cyrus on her radio show
Nicki Minaj made her comeback to the radio after three months and it seems that the rapper is back with some harsh words for singer Miley Cyrus."Perdue chickens can never talk s--t about queens. She disrespected me in a magazine article for no reason," E! News quoted Minaj as saying on her radio show.However, Minaj made no mention of Cyrus' name but gave clear clues referring to the 26-year old singer."Now you coming out with pink wigs, all you bitches wanna be Nicki," the rapper commented on her look in the latest Netflix series 'Black Mirror' where she wears a pink-purple wig.Back in 2015, Cyrus made some comments on the 'Anaconda' rapper about the latter's miscommunication with Taylor Swift over MTV VMAs nominations on Twitter."You made it about you. Not to sound like a bitch, but that's like, 'Eh, I didn't get my VMA.' If you want to make it about race, there's a way you could do that. But don't make it just about yourself. Say: 'This is the reason why I think it's important to be
Government is with you, Maha Cabinet Minister Deshmukh and Bonde to farmers
Two Maharashtra cabinet ministers on Saturday assured government support to distressed crop growers and appealed to them to not commit suicide."The government will fulfil its promise of farmer loan waiver. So far 50 lakh farmers have benefited from the loan waiver scheme. I assure the farmers that the government is with them. I appeal to them not to commit suicide," Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Subhash Deshmukh told ANI.Delayed monsoon has lead to a severe agrarian crisis in the state. The state government had announced a loan waiver for the farmers but only about half the sanctioned money has been distributed."It is true that there is an agrarian crisis in the state. The government is doing its best. Till today, Rs 19,000 Crore have been transferred into the accounts of farmers. Those remaining will also get the benefit of loan waiver in the coming weeks," said State Agriculture Minister Anil Bonde."As compared to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra's loan waiver scheme is much
US urges Pak to release those held for blasphemy, asks China to curb religious freedom abuses
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday urged Pakistan to release over 40 people from the religious minority community who have been serving jail term or facing execution on blasphemy charges in the country.Releasing the annual report on the International Religious Freedom of the State Department for the year 2018, on Friday, Pompeo stressed that Pakistan should do more to stop the abuse of blasphemy laws, especially after the release of Asia Bibi, who escaped a death sentence in a case that drew international scrutiny."In Pakistan, the Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi, a Catholic, of blasphemy, sparing her the death penalty after she spent nearly a decade in prison. However, more than 40 others remain jailed for life, or face execution on that very same charge," the report said.It added, "We continue to call for their release, and encourage the government to appoint an envoy to address the various religious freedom concerns."Bibi, a Catholic, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 ..
Mexico says National Guard deployment is complete
Mexico has completed its deployment of 6,000 National Guard agents to help control the flow of migrants headed toward the US and filled 650 immigration agency posts to regulate border crossings, the government said Friday. The announcement by foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard comes as Mexico puts into effect a deal on irregular immigration reached with Washington to head off stiff tariffs that President Donald Trump threatened to slap on all imports from Mexico. A Mexican official who was not authorised to speak about the deployment and requested anonymity said the National Guard agents have not been visible in large contingents because they are spread along the southern border that stretches more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) and as well as up Mexico's southern isthmus. They were also deployed to remote areas to target human smugglers, the official said. The Associated Press witnessed an operation near the town of Comitn last weekend, when members of the new militarised policing ...
