Page 75 - Social Issues
Twitter users in US more likely to be Democrats: Study
Twitter users are younger, more highly educated, more likely to identify as Democrats and have higher incomes than US adults overall, says a new study from Pew Research Centre amid allegations of anti-conservative bias against the social media platform.
BSF trooper attempts suicide in Srinagar
A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper on Friday tried to commit suicide in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar district, police said.
People will vote for countrywhere the mind is without fear: Chidambaram
Charging thatPrime Minister NarendraModi thinks he can rule India by keeping the people in a state of fear, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday said the people will vote for a country "where the mind is without fear". Hitting out at BJP chief Amit Shah for sayingCongress can't keep India safe, the former home minister askedwho kept the country safe in the three wars fought in 1947, 1965 and 1971. "What is the meaning of keeping India safe if different sections of people -- women, Dalits, SCs, STs, minorities, academics, writers, journalists etc -- are unsafe?" he asked. "Mr Modi thinks he can rule India by keeping the people in a state of fear. The people will vote for a country 'where the mind is without fear......,'" Chidambaram said alluding to thepoem written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
New 'House of the Refugee' gives hope to migrants in southern US
On a freshly painted wall at the "House of the Refugee" in El Paso in the US state of Texas, a local artist writes the word "esperanza" -- "hope" in Spanish -- in an effort to bring just that to the migrants staying here. The charitable organization Annunciation House opened the 409,027 square foot (38,000 square metre) warehouse in mid-April as an emergency measure to handle the influx of Central American families that cross the Mexican border daily, looking for asylum in the United States. President Donald Trump's administration is struggling to manage the number of arrivals, which passed 100,000 people in March alone, half of which are families. Trump continues to pressure Mexico to do more to stem the inflow of migrants and has pushed for the construction of a wall along the Mexico border, one of the key promises of his presidential campaign. Most migrants surrender to border security once they cross into the US. They are placed in detention centres and undergo background checks ..
Mozambique: Human Rights Watch urges probe as cyclone victims 'forced to trade sex for food'
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday urged Mozambique authorities to investigate and prosecute alleged sexual exploitation of Cyclone Idai victims by local officials in exchange for food and aid."The sexual exploitation of women struggling to feed their families after Cyclone Idai is revolting and cruel and should be stopped immediately," Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement."The authorities should promptly investigate reports of women being coerced into exchanging sex for food and appropriately punish anyone using their position of power to exploit and abuse women," Mavhinga added.Hunger and destruction caused by the cyclone have left hundreds of thousands of women vulnerable to abuse, the watchdog said in its report released on Thursday.Victims, residents, and aid workers told Human Rights Watch that local community leaders, some linked to the ruling Frelimo party, demanded money from people affected by the cyclone in exchange for ...
Pakistani Hindus aspire for 'better future' with PM Modi's citizenship promise
Jodhpur (Rajasthan) [India], Apr 26 (ANI): Hindus who migrated from Pakistan to India say they are delighted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of Citizenship Amendment Bill as possessing Indian citizenship means one step forward towards a better future.For now, that dream seems entirely blurred in reality as migrants still hope to receive basic amenities, rehabilitation packages, medical and educational facilities. They claim that they have been promised houses under the Indira Aawas Yojna by the government but nothing has happened so far.Hindus, who have migrated from Pakistan to India via pilgrim visa, are residing in pockets of Jodhpur. While speaking to ANI, these migrants expressed their happiness over Modi's promise, of granting them citizenship, during his rallies in Barmer and Jodhpur.Moolchand, who came from Sindh province, told ANI that due to forceful conversions to Islam and daily harassment in Pakistan, he decided to move to India."Women and girls cannot roam ..
Security stepped up for polio vaccination teams in Balochistan
Security has been stepped up for polio vaccination teams in the troubled province of Balochistan after a female child health worker was killed and another injured in the Chaman area on Thursday. Assistant Commissioner of Chaman, Syed Sami Agha told the media that the polio workers were targeted after unknown men on motorcycles opened fire on an immunisation team in Sultan Zai, a city near the shared border with Afghanistan. He confirmed that one female polio worker was killed, while another was injured. "We have stepped up security for the immunisation teams throughout the province," the health minister for the province said in Quetta. Soon after the targeted killing, the anti-polio campaign in the area was suspended, with levies forces conducting a search operation in the area. The health officials said that around 1,50,000 policemen are escorting around 2,60,000 health workers in the new anti-polio vaccine drive in which over 2.5 million children in the province are to be ...
Bengal lawyers to cease work till Monday
Lawyers in West Bengal on Thursday decided to go on "cease work" till April 29, protesting against police "atrocities" and demanding arrest of police personnel who "brutally tortured" advocates, staff and judicial officers of Howrah court on Wednesday.
IT raids in Srinagar, ex-minister denies being searched
Income Tax (IT) officials carried out raids at various places in the city on Thursday but former Jammu and Kashmir Minister Imran Raza Ansari denied that any of his properties were searched, sources said.
Intermediate results row: All-party delegation seeks Telangana Governor's intervention
An all-party delegation including Congress, TDP, TJS and CPI leaders, met the Governor of Telangana ESL Narasimhan on Thursday seeking his intervention into the issue of "errors" in intermediate results.According to reports, around 18 students have committed suicide across Telangana after the intermediate results were released.Speaking to ANI, TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy said, "All party delegation today met Governor Narasimhan about the utter failure of Telangana government in conducting intermediate exams leading to a large number of students committing suicide. The governor has responded very positively and he said he will do whatever possible to intervene in the matter."Protests continued for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday as students and parents demanded a re-evaluation of all intermediate answer sheets and suspension of Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education(TSBIE) Secretary A Ashok over 'faulty' results.The government has constituted a three-member team ..
WB Bar Council calls for ceasework to protest attack on
Protesting against the alleged attack on lawyers at the Howrah district court, the Bar Council of West Bengal Thursday requested bar associations of all courts in the state to observe ceasework from Friday to Monday. The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court has called for a report on the incident. Lawyers at the high court did not attend work on Thursday in protest against the incident at Howrah court. Alleging high handedness on the part of police in controlling a clash between lawyers and workers of Howrah municipality on Wednesday, Council chairman Ashok Deb has demanded action against those guilty. "We have requested all bar associations to observe a ceasework from April 26 to April 29," he said adding that the Bar Council will review the situation on Monday and decide on further action. Senior counsel Bikash Bhattacharya mentioned Wednesday's clash between the lawyers and municipal workers and police action before the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Justice T
Gangs taking control of Bangladesh Rohingya camps, report warns
Criminal gangs and militants are increasing their grip on Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, committing killings and abductions with "impunity", International Crisis Group said in a new report Thursday. About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military crackdown in August 2017, joining huge numbers already confined to the camps after earlier violence across the border. With no prospect in sight of the Rohingya returning to their homes in Myanmar, the international community must also now help Bangladesh to house the refugees for years ahead, ICG said. The conflict research group called for Bangladesh to toughen its police presence, saying that gangs and extremist groups were now operating openly in the camps. Threats from extremists had left Rohingya leaders fearful for their lives and that frequent murders were "rarely" investigated, it added. "Refugees express serious concerns about their personal security, and militants and gangs are intimidating, kidnapping ..
SC irked over Assam's response on illegal foreigners, threatens Chief Secy with contempt action
The Supreme Court was irked Thursday over unsatisfactory response of the Assam government on deportation and conditional release of illegal foreigners and cautioned the state's Chief Secretary, saying that it would issue a contempt notice against him. The top court, on April 9, had asked state's Chief Secretary Alok Kumar to apprise it of the measures which could be adopted for release of detenues, who are now lodged in detention centres for a long period, after a "full and complete discussion with concerned authorities" of the state and the Central Government. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, after perusing the affidavit, was critical of the fact that out of over one lakh persons who have been declared foreigners by tribunals in Assam, only four have been deported so far and above 900 are lodged in detention centres. "You (state government) have failed to catch illegal migrants in the state as more than one lakh foreigners are living .
NC takes up Pandit voters' problems with J&K CEO
A National Conference delegation on Thursday met Jammu and Kashmir's Chief electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar to inform him of the problems faced by migrant Kashmir Pandit voters.
Scared Muslim refugees flee Sri Lankan homes over attack fears
Hundreds of Muslim refugees in western Sri Lanka have taken refuge in mosques and a police station after facing intimidation following the deadly Easter bombings, activists said Thursday. At least 359 people died in Sunday's coordinated suicide blasts, including more than 100 Christians attending mass at St Sebastian's church in Negombo on the island's west coast. The attacks have been condemned by leaders of the country's Muslim minority, but the community has been left in fear of a backlash. Scores of Ahmadi Muslims who settled in Negombo after fleeing persecution in their home countries have been thrown out of their accommodation by landlords, according to officials. "Today these refugees have become refugees again in Sri Lanka. They have been displaced for a second time," Ruki Fernando of Inform, a Sri Lankan human rights group, told reporters. The refugees are from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Iran. Ahmadis have faced repeated attacks in these countries by hardline Islamist ..
Jharkhand performs low on jobs, health and policing: ADR
Better employment opportunities, better hospitals and primary healthcare centres, and better law and order are the top three priorities of Jharkhand voters and the state government fares low on all these counts, an ADR survey has shown.
T'gana govt likely to unveil Electric Vehicle policy after
The Telangana government is likely to announce its policy on Electric Vehicles (EV) after the model code of conduct ends, a senior government official Thursday. "The (Centre's) FAME-2 guidelines (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) offer incentives to all the players who are involved in different aspects of supply demand and infrastructure," Jayesh Ranjan principal secretary IT and Industries Telangana told reporters here. "The state government (Telangana) guidelines (EV policy) which will be issued after the code of conduct is over, will address some of the points which have not been fully and adequately covered in FA ME-2 or items which are actually state subject," he said. According to him, the overall ecosystem for electric vehicles appears to be very promising in the State and also the country. The Centre had in March notified the second phase of the FAME India scheme with a Rs 10,000-crore outlay to encourage adoption of electric and ..
Promises of justice just 'political gimmick', don't feel like voting this time: Nirbhaya's parents
As campaigning picks up steam in Delhi with leaders motivating people to exercise their franchise, Asha Devi and Badri Nath Singh, the parents of the woman who was gangraped and killed and came to be known as Nirbhaya, say they might not vote this time at all. The couple, the face of courage in the face of impossible odds, said they are tired of parties promising them justice and doing nothing about it. The sympathy expressed by the parties and their promises have been just a "political gimmick" as the culprits are still alive, said the parents of the paramedic student who was gangraped on the night of December 16, 2012, and died of her grievous injuries 11 days later in a Singapore hospital. The streets, the couple added, continue to be unsafe for the city's women and children. Successive governments have not done enough to implement measures for the safety of women and children who continue to be "victims of bestiality", they alleged. "CCTV cameras are yet to be installed... the ...
Dissident AAP MLA joins Congress in Punjab
Dissident AAP legislator Nazar Singh Manshahia on Thursday joined the Congress in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here. The Mansa assembly seat is part of the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency. The chief minister said the joining of the Mansa legislator would further strengthen the Congress. He said the like-minded people from other parties, who had the interest of the state-at-heart, were joining the Congress in Punjab in large numbers. It was a clear sign of complete "disillusionment" within the AAP,he further claimed. Manshahia, the 56-year-old legislator, was part of the group of rebel AAP MLAs who had aligned with Sukhpal Singh Khaira after he was removed unceremoniously from the post of the Leader of Opposition of Punjab Assembly last year. Manshahia, who had taken a premature retirement from the Punjab Pollution Control Board in 2015 after serving as senior environmental engineer in the department, said he wanted to serve the people of Punjab, which he felt .
I-T Dept searches premises of kin of ex-minister Imran Reza Ansari
The Income Tax Department Thursday carried out searches at two premises of a kin of Imran Reza Ansari, a former minister in the PDP-BJP coalition, for alleged tax evasion, officials said here. They said the income tax officials, assisted by the Jammu and Kashmir police and the CRPF, carried out the searches at a business complex in the upmarket Karan Nagar where locations of North Point Complex were searched by the tax personnel. Later, a team was sent to search another premises of the family at Alamgiri Bazar in the downtown Srinagar. The income tax officials maintained that Thursday's raids were carried out on a business family and were in no way connected to Ansari, a politician who switched over to People's Conference led by Sajad Lone. Ansari's sister is married to the family whose premises have been raided.