Page 70 - Social Issues
CBDT designates officials for sharing data with GSTN
The Income Tax (I-T) department will soon start sharing specific assessee related data with the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) to strengthen the system for prevention of tax evasion.
Vigilance dept conducts raids on Ker Beverages Corpn outlets
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted State-wide raids on 62 outlets of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation and found numerous malpractices in liquor sale, officials said Tuesday. Simultaneous raids were conducted Monday at the outlets of the Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) and Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers' Federation Ltd (Consumerfed) after the VACB got complaints that Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) were sold for rates higher than prescribed. Vigilance Director Anil Kant, in a release, said the raid teams found that certain outlets were selling liquor for higher price without showing the real price in the bill or by tearing away the part which shows the real rice. "Out of the many irregularities, we found that thousands of rupees were drawn for purchasing newspaper to wrap the liquor bottles from the counter but none of the bottles were wrapped," the release said. The team also found that there were no proper rate card displayed in the outlets ..
Cambridge University to dig into its colonial past
The University of Cambridge on Tuesday announced a new investigation into its colonial past to explore how the 800-year-old educational institution dealt with slavery and may have benefited from it. The two-year in-depth inquiry will see researchers trawl through university archives with a view to unearthing the ways in which slavery and forced labour during the colonial era impacted upon donations, gifts and bequests to the institution. "There is growing public and academic interest in the links between the older British universities and the slave trade, and it is only right that Cambridge should look into its own exposure to the profits of coerced labour during the colonial period," University Vice Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said. He said that we cannot change the past, but nor should we seek to hide from it. "I hope this process will help the university understand and acknowledge its role during that dark phase of human history," he said. The review follows a round-table ...
Protests continue over Intermediate results "fiasco"
Opposition Congress, BJP and students' outfits Tuesday stepped up protests over the alleged goof-up in Intermediate exam results, with state BJP president K Laxman continuing his indefinite fast and Congress vowing keep up its fight till justice is done to affected students. Laxman, who was shifted to a state-run hospital hours after he lauched an indefinite fast on Monday, continued his fast, BJP sources said. BJP has called for a bandh on May 2. The party's demands include sacking Education Minister G Jagadeesh Reddy, suspension of the secretary of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), judicial inquiry into the entire episode and compensation to families of students who allegedly committed suicide. The Congress Tuesday said it would keep up its fight till "justice is done to the students." AICC incharge of Congress affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia in a statement alleged that the government had not responded to the protests and only tried to put them down. BJP MP ...
Man held for making 'abusive' comments against KCR, family
A 27-year-old-man was Tuesday arrested here for allegedly making abusive comments on a social networking site against Telangana Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and his daughter K Kavitha, the party's MP from Nizamabad. C Naresh, a private employee, was arrested based on a complaint by G Srininvas Yadav, State president of TRS party students wing TRS Vidyarthi (TRSV), a police release said. According to the complaint, obscene and objectionable content against Rao and his family were posted on a few profiles on social media. "During the course of investigation, it was found that few Facebook profiles were circulating morphed pictures of the Chief Minister with abusive comments about Kavitha. And it was found that these comments were posted by Naresh from his Facebook page," the release said. A case has been registered under various IPC sections, including 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Information Technology ...
Active older women prefer wearable sensors over smart home sensors: Study
Older women who are more active prefer wearable sensors for themselves and smart home sensors for their older parents, according to a study.The study published in Informatics for Health and Social Care included ten women with an average age of 65 years."Our findings that younger, more active older adult women prefer wearable sensors for themselves and smart home sensors for their parents is important to tailoring technology research for independent ageing," said Blaine Reeder, the lead author of the study.Reeder conducts informatics research to connect the contexts of personal health and public health with a focus on three areas: ageing in place, organisational information systems, and research tools.The study aimed to characterise perceptions of wearable and smart home technologies for older women. Consumer-grade wearable activity monitors include fitness trackers as well as smart watches with accelerator sensors; smart home technologies include sensors installed in the residential ..
Delhi HC refuses to entertain plea seeking implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme in Delhi
The Delhi High Court Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the AAP government for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme in the national capital. A bench comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup J Bhambhani junked the plea, saying it was not inclined to interfere in policy matters. The high court was hearing a plea by economist Abhijit Mishra seeking directions to the Delhi government to implement Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat scheme. In his plea, the petitioner had said that AAP government had neither issued any notification nor made any effort to implement the scheme. "The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has neither issued any notification nor has made any efforts to Implementation of Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission in Delhi. Also, the Government of NCT of Delhi has not formulated any health insurance and welfare schemes equivalent to the Ayushman Bharat- National Health ...
Mayawati accuses Congress, BJP of not fulfiling poll promises
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday hit out at both the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Congress for not fulfilling their poll promises made in the past.Speaking at an election rally here, Mayawati said, "Both Congress and BJP have failed to fulfil promises made to the people."The BSP chief said, "After independence, Congress had power in Centre and states for a long time. However, it has not been able to help poor, unemployed, farmers, Muslims and other minorities.""If Congress asks for votes then ask them what they have done despite remaining in power for so long and what is the guarantee they will work for the people."Dr B.R Ambedkar gave people a chance to develop all aspects of their lives through the Constitution but both Congress and BJP failed to make it work for people," she added.Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mayawati said: "The Prime Minister has not even completed one-fourth of the ground-work promised during his term to farmers, Muslims, ...
Include one column for transgenders in name change form: Bombay HC
The Bombay High Court Tuesday observed that the Maharashtra government should take steps to include a column for transgenders in the online application form for change of name in the official gazette. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and M S Sanklecha was hearing a petition filed by a 29-year-old transgender seeking directions to the Maharashtra government to allow her name change application. The petitioner approached the high court after the Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery rejected her application to change the name three times. The high court said the government has to take steps to include a separate column for transgenders. The bench directed that the petition be converted into a public interest litigation (PIL) considering the wide issues raised in it, and posted the matter for further hearing on June 14. The petitioner stated though she was born a woman but started identifying herself a transgender from the year 2014. Thereafter, the petitioner adopted a ..
Trump introduces sweeping immigration changes
US President Donald Trump on Monday night (local time) introduced sweeping immigration changes and issued a memo for the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary.The memo outlines measures which tackle the situation along the United States' southern border with Mexico.These include adjudicating asylum applications within 180 days of filing, requiring a fee for asylum applications and work permit applications, and stopping migrants -- who have either entered or attempted to enter the United States illegally -- from receiving work authorization before any relief or protection is granted, according to CNN.Trump has often expressed his disdain towards migrants entering the United States "illegally" through its southern border."The Coyotes and Drug Cartels are in total control of the Mexico side of the Southern Border. They have labs nearby where they make drugs to sell into the US. Mexico, one of the most dangerous country's in the world must eradicate this problem now. Also, stop
HC rejects plea for PMJAY's implementation in Delhi
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the state government for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the national capital.
China defends Xinjiang crackdown after UN chief raises issue
China Tuesday rejected "any interference" in its internal affairs after UN chief Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighurs in the restive Xinjiang region during a visit to Beijing. Guterres had been under pressure from rights groups to publicly confront Beijing over the mass detention of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking minorities in Xinjiang during his trip. The was no public denunciation, but UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres raised the issue during talks with Chinese leaders when he attended a summit Friday and Saturday on Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The UN chief delivered a three-point message that stressed human rights must be upheld in the fight against extremism, while recognising China's sovereignty and condemning terrorism. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China was willing to discuss human rights issues with all parties on the basis of equality and mutual respect. "At the same time, we firmly ...
Chennai Metro Rail restores normal services
Chennai Metro Rail Ltd on Tuesday said its two employees made the automatic signal system to malfunction on Monday evening.
US museum condemns use of its art by German far-right party
An American art museum is demanding that a German far-right party stop using one of its paintings, portraying a 19th-century slave auction, in a campaign poster for the European elections. "We are strongly opposed to the use of this work to advance any political agenda," Olivier Meslay, the director of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, told The Associated Press. "We did not supply the painting to the AfD," he said, using the acronym for the party Alternative for Germany. The 1866 oil-on-canvas painting "Slave Market," by Jean-Leon Gerome, shows a black, apparently Muslim slave trader displaying a naked young woman with much lighter skin to a group of men for examination. The AfD's Berlin branch said they put up 30 posters of the painting across the German capital with the slogan: "So that Europe won't become Eurabia." The party, known for its anti-Muslim stance, said it won't take down any of the posters. Meslay said the museum had written to the party "insisting
Bharti AXA General to sell two-wheeler policies via WhatsApp
Bharti AXA General Insurance Tuesday said it will sell policies through social media messaging platform WhatsApp and has tied up with web aggregator Wishfin Insurance for speedy delivery of two-wheeler cover. Bharti AXA General Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and global insurance firm AXA, will sell the policies on the website of Wishfin's insurance arm Wishpolicy. "Wishfin has launched 'Buy Two-Wheeler Insurance on WhatsApp' through web aggregator Wishfin Insurance, which is available on (Wishpolicy's) site, provided by Bharti AXA General Insurance," the company said in a release Tuesday. This is an instant and additional customer service option for the policyholders, apart from the company's multiple channels, including its vast network of branches, robust customer care and contact centre, dynamic portal and intelligent chatbot, it said. The insurer claimed that it is the first company in the domestic non-life insurance industry to provide the option of buying .
Pak Senate passes bill to fix 18 years as age of puberty for girls
Pakistani Senate has passed a bill to fix 18 years as the age of puberty for girls to end the practice of child marriages in the Muslim-majority country, triggering objections from some members who said the move was against Islam. The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 was presented by Senator Sherry Rehman of Pakistan Peoples Party, which will help to end the practice of child marriage in the country. The bill was passed on Monday after heated opposition by some lawmakers who termed it against Islam to fix the age of puberty, the Express Tribune reported. Senator Ghafoor Haidri raised an objection, saying fixing the age of 18 years for Nikah is inconsonant with the Shariah and the bill may be sent to the Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) for further discussion. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Qadri said a similar bill was sent to the IIC in 2010 which was returned by the council with the observation that according to Fuqaha, the age of puberty varies and cannot be ...
BJP continues to protest over Telangana exam goof-up
Demanding state Education Minister Jagdish Reddy's resignation over the Intermediate examination results goof-up, BJP workers on Tuesday tried to lay siege to the official residence of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao here.
Teen suicide rates spiked after '13 Reasons Why' release: Study
The release of the critically acclaimed Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" was associated with a significant increase in suicide rates among teenagers in the US, a study claims. "13 Reasons Why" is a web-based series that tells the story of a young girl who kills herself and leaves behind a series of 13 tapes detailing the reasons why she chose to end her life. Although this show has received critical acclaim, it has also raised questions regarding how the show's portrayal of suicide affects young people who watch it, according to researchers from the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The series premiered on Netflix on March 31, 2017. The research, published in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, shows that in the month of April in 2017 -- the month following the shows release -- there was a 28.9 per cent increase in suicide rates among US youth aged 10-17. The findings highlight the necessity of using best practices when portraying suicide in ..
US suicide rates spike after Netflix's '13 Reasons Why'
Since the March 2017 premier of the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" about a teenage girls suicide, US health experts said that it glamorised the topic for some young people and led to an increase in suicide rates in the country.
Indian mission warns UAE jobseekers over visa status
The Indian mission in Dubai has warned people jobseekers to check their visa status with the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK), folllowing the deportation of 17 Indians who came into the UAE with fake employment visas in 2017.