Page 62 - Social Issues
Denver first US city to decriminalize 'magic mushrooms'
Denver on Wednesday became the first US city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, as voters approved a ballot initiative by a razor thin margin. The new ordinance loosens restrictions on the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as "magic mushrooms," by people over the age of 21. The new law, however, does not make it legal to buy, sell or possess the drug. It instructs police officers to treat psilocybin users as their lowest priority. Although the measure earlier appeared headed for defeat, by late afternoon on Wednesday the numbers showed a reversal of fortune with Initiative 301 set to pass with nearly 50.6 percent of the vote. "It's been one hell of a 21-and-a-half hours," Kevin Matthews who led the decriminalization campaign, told The Denver Post after the vote results were announced. "If these results hold, this is an example of the absurd comedy of the great metaphor. Against all odds, we prevailed. This is what happens when a small team of ...
Mexico worries as US keeps making asylum seekers wait there
People in overextended Mexican border cities are voicing concern over the continuation of a U.S. policy that makes Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States wait south of the border. A U.S. federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can make migrants wait in Mexico for their immigration hearings while the policy is challenged in court. On Wednesday night, Mexico's immigration agency said 4,217 Central American asylum seekers had already been returned through three border cities. The U.S. government has said it wants to expand the program along the entire border. Mexico's government did not comment following the court decision, but those closer to the issue did. "The United States should resolve their problem there and not transfer it to us," said Mayor Armando Cabada of Ciudad Juarez, which lies across the border from El Paso, Texas. Juarez has received 1,344 returned asylum seekers more than any other city since the program started in San .
Bisexual UK navy veteran stripped of medals to sue
A veteran who was dismissed from Britain's Royal Navy because of his sexual orientation, has planned to sue the UK's Defence Ministry for the return of his medals, which were cut from his chest when he was expelled in 1993.
Jharia coal field: Locals struggle with menace of underground fire, await rehabilitation
Jharia (Jharkhand) [India], May 9 (ANI): Almost a century old underground fire burning in the Jharia coal field is adversely affecting locals as they still await rehabilitation.Not only the underground fire but even the subsidence in the region poses a threat to the lives of the people living around the coal field.Villagers of Laltenganj, a badly affected area which always remains engulfed in smoke due to the underground fire allege that the government has conducted so many surveys but did nothing substantial to resolve the issue.To rehabilitate the affected locals, a master plan was initiated long back in 2004 under which the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA) was constituted in 2006, however, villagers allege that it is functioning at a 'slow pace'."They conduct just surveys and do nothing much. A number of surveys have been done. Even JRDA cards have been issued, but no rehabilitation took place. The situation has become very worse now," said Vikas, an affected .
Nalgonda: Court sends triple murder accused to six days police custody
A sessions court here on Wednesday sent Srinivas Reddy, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering three minor girls, to six days police custody.Rachakonda police had filed for police custody after apprehending the accused.The three girls were sexually exploited and then brutally murdered in Bommalaramaram village in Bhongir.Police took the accused in custody from Warangal central jail and brought him to Saroornagar for further investigation.
Dellhi Excise keeping tab on illegal liquor distribution
The Delhi Excise Department has deployed its teams across the city to keep a tab on illegal movement of liquor that can be used to influence voters in the run-up to polling for seven Lok Sabha seats on Sunday.
NSS report on services sector to be examined by committee: MoSPI
The statistics ministry Wednesday said an official committee will examine the NSS technical report on services sector enterprises, which has raised questions over the GDP data. The technical report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has generated controversy following its observation that as much as 36 per cent units forming part of MCA-21 database, used in computing GDP, could not be either identifiable or traceable in the field. The issue of coverage, quality and timeliness of the MCA database vis-a-vis the Annual Survey of Industries had been discussed in detail in the various meetings of the Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics and adopted only thereafter, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) said in a statement. The recent exercise of the National Sample Survey to bring out a technical report on the services sector was commissioned by the ministry to understand the data gaps and take remedial steps, while undertaking the new base .
Modi, BJP are the biggest threats to nation: Mamata
Urging the people to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday described him and the Bharatiya Janata Party as the "biggest threat" to the country.
Over 20 Chinese arrested for girls' trafficking in Pak
Over 20 Chinese have been arrested from various Pakistani cities during an ongoing crackdown for their alleged involvement in arranging illegal marriages of young Pakistani girls to Chinese nationals and forcing them into prostitution, officials said Wednesday. The crackdown was launched this week after media reports said that several Pakistani girls were subjected to sexual exploitation by Chinese husbands after going to China. The officials said that over 20 Chinese have been arrested from various Pakistani cities for their involvement in arranging fake marriages of Pakistani women and removing their organs and forcing them into prostitution. The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Cell arrested 14 Chinese from twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and recovered three Pakistani girls, said the officials in the Ministry of Interior. "For the first time illegal weapons were also recovered from the arrested Chinese," officials said, adding the rescued women ...
Head of embattled UNAIDS to leave post immediately
The UN AIDS agency says its executive director is leaving the post immediately, following allegations he mishandled sexual assault claims at the agency. UNAIDS said Michel Sidibe will become health minister in his native Mali "with immediate effect." He will be replaced by his Swedish deputy, Gunilla Carlsson, on a temporary basis. Sidibe had already been set to leave the post in June, six months before the scheduled end to his tenure. He announced the early exit after an internal investigation made public late last year faulted "defective leadership" at UNAIDS. He has led the agency since 2009. Wednesday's announcement follows allegations by whistleblower Marina Brostrom that Sidibe mishandled her claims of sexual assault by Luis Loures, a former top UNAIDS official. Loures has denied the allegations.
When I say 'chowkidar chor hai', I say it with proof: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that the 'chowkhidar chor hai' jibe for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was based on proof."You (Narendra Modi) only said that you want to be a chowkidar. You also said that you have a 56-inch chest and will fight corruption. When I say chowkidar chor hai, I say it with proof," he said addressing a public meeting here.Taking a dig at Modi's monthly radio show 'Mann Ki Baat', Gandhi said, "Our work is not to tell you (people) our Mann Ki Baat but to listen to your Mann Ki Baat and work on that."Talking about Congress' ambitious project NYAY scheme, "Our NYAY scheme will improve the situation of 25 crore people. Factories will start, there will be jobs. The economy will be jump-started by this scheme. With this NYAY scheme, the loss suffered due to GST will get over."Gandhi also made it clear that the scheme will not harm the middle class or small businessmen.
AAP's West Delhi candidate releases manifesto for constituency
Regularisation of unauthorised colonies, construction of super specialty hospitals and multi-level parking were some of the promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party in its manifesto for West Delhi. Releasing the manifesto, AAP's West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar said his prime focus after becoming MP will be to raise voice in the parliament for Delhi's full statehood. He said the manifesto gives his vision for the West Delhi which includes construction of super-speciality hospital on lines of AIIMs, building of flyovers particularly on Parkha Road, Lal Sai mandir, Najafgarh drain among others. The manifesto also promised multi-level parking in Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar, Jail Road, Janak Puri and Uttam Nagar to reduce congestion. He also promised to provide international class sports facility centre, and old age pension, widow pension and Divyang pension by establishing single window help centre in West Delhi. Delhi goes to polls on May 12 and the results would be announced on ...
Teen girls more vulnerable to bullying, finds study
A new study has observed that girls are more often bullied than boys and are more likely to consider, plan, or attempt suicide."Bullying is significantly associated with depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts. We wanted to look at this link between bullying victimisation, depressive symptoms, and suicidality by gender," wrote one of the researchers, Nancy Pontes, in the study published in the Journal of Nursing Research.In general, girls are more often bullied than boys, and girls are also more likely to consider, plan or attempt suicide compared with boys, regardless of being bullied or not, although boys are more likely to die by suicide.Researchers found the effects of bullying are significantly higher in females than males on every measure of psychological distress or suicidal thoughts and actions.Bullying among boys is often physical. While many schools are cracking down on physical bullying which people can see, those actions probably are .
NIA questions Muhammed Faizal over suspected ISIS links
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has questions Muhammed Faizal, an NRI from Doha, for suspected ISIS links.The person was called back from Doha for questioning. He is suspected to have connections with Riyaz Aboobacker who was arrested by NIA on April 29.Faizal reached Nedumbassery airport from where he was taken for questioning.Aboobacker was held in connection with the Kasargod ISIS terror module case. He is in the custody of NIA till May 10.According to the investigating agency, Aboobacker was allegedly planning suicide attacks at international tourist destinations in Kerala. He was arrested from Palakkad.
Renowned economist Baidyanath Mishra dies
Renowned economist Baidyanath Mishra died of old-age related problems at his residence here, family sources said Wednesday. He was 99. Mishra breathed his last at his residence in Saheed Nagar area in the city late on Tuesday night. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have condoled the demise of the veteran economist. "Deeply saddened by the demise of eminent educationist and economist, Baidyanath Mishra. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace," Patnaik tweeted. "His contribution to the social development in Odisha is incomparable. I express my condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace," Pradhan said in his twitter post. Mishra had started his career as a lecturer in Ravenshaw University in Cuttack in 1949. He later worked at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT). He was vice-chancellor of OUAT from 1981 to 1985. Mishra was also the chairman of State Planning Board from .
If 'Modi govt' formed, India will be free from 'immigrant problems': Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his party for being defenders of the illegal immigrants in the country and promised that if 'Modi government' is formed, then the whole expanse of India will be free from 'immigrant problems'."The illegal immigrants are destroying the country like termites, but Rahul baba and company says they should not be thrown out. If you help form the Modi government once again, I assure you the country will be free of illegal trespassers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Kolkata to Kutch," Shah said at an election rally here.He also said India's defence was a priority for the BJP. "Elections come and go; winning and losing is part of the deal. The protection of 'Maa Bharti' is our biggest concern and we leave nothing to chance when it comes to that."He also spoke about the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row where anti-India slogans were raised and said: "There is just one place for people who raise anti-India
Teenage girls more often bullied than boys
Young girls are more often bullied than boys and are more likely to consider, plan or attempt suicide, new research has found.
Suspected Rohingya refugees shifted to state-run shelter homes
The twelve suspected Rohingya refugees, who were rescued three days ago here allegedly from a human trafficking gang, have been shifted to state-run shelter homes, a senior police officer said. A group of eight women and four minor boys were apprehended from the house of a local woman in Aizawl on Sunday for residing in India without valid travel documents. The woman, who had been hosting the group, told police that she provided them shelter as a favour to her cousin in Tahan, Myanmar. She also said that it was the fifth time that people took refuge at her home, before being transported to Myanmar. "While the boys were sent to a home for orphans, the women have been moved to another protected shelter home, both maintained by the state social welfare department. "It seems that all 12 of them were brought to Mizoram from Bangladesh refugee camps," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said. The DIG also said that the group was probably ..
Chief Minister Yogi asks workers to post pics with AIIMS in background to win LS polls
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday urged his party workers to post their own pictures with AIIMS in the background on social media to sweep the Lok Sabha polls in the region.Chief Minister Yogi, who had called a meeting of party workers to discuss strategies to win the Lok Sabha polls, said: "You all must get in front of AIIMS. Click a selfie and post it on social media. Voters will know how Gorakhpur has been developed. They will realise that they do not need to travel to Mumbai, Lucknow, and Delhi for tertiary care treatment."He also asked them to make efforts to win their respective booths and advised them to go for door to door campaigning. "If you manage to win your respective booths, then be sure that the party will surely win the election. Make sure that you all give your best in this election," he said.Chief Minister Adityanath also directed his party workers to arrange vehicles for the poor and disabled voters on the day of polling for a better turnout of ...
Canadian drug smuggler to appeal China death sentence Thursday
A Canadian man handed the death penalty for drug smuggling in China will appeal his sentence Thursday, in a case that has deepened the diplomatic rift between Beijing and Canada. The appeal comes against the backdrop of Beijing's anger over the December arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, who faces a US extradition hearing in Canada on Wednesday. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death on drug trafficking charges in January. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the decision as "arbitrarily" chosen. Schellenberg's appeal will take place Thursday morning at the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in northeastern Liaoning province, a source familiar with the case told AFP. The Dalian court declined to comment. The provincial level Liaoning High People's Court did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. "Canada remains extremely concerned that China has chosen to apply the death penalty, a cruel and inhumane ...