Page 83 - Social Issues
2018 tiger census report delayed; officials blame new methods, inclusion of more states
The much awaited 2018 tiger census report is likely to be delayed and will be released only after the formation of a new government at the Centre, an official said citing "huge data" which is to be analysed. The four-yearly report, which gives out the number of big cats living in the country, was to be released this month, but officials say it is not expected before June due to addition of states in the survey, intense methods and delay by states in submitting the data. However, an official had said in February the report would be released in March as the tiger count was almost completed and only data analysis was pending. According to Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Environment, the process of estimating tigers commenced late and it has been an elaborate exercise with minute details being taken care of so the report is likely to come out in May end. "We are analysing the huge data. It will take time. It's definitely not .
Malaysia probes talk on Muslim women giving up headscarves
Islamic officials in Malaysia have launched an investigation into a public event that discussed women who stop wearing the hijab, according to a group of female activists who spoke at the forum. The probe into Saturday's "Malay Women and De-hijabbing" talk is the latest sign of growing Muslim conservatism in the multi-ethnic nation, which critics say is chipping away at a traditionally tolerant brand of Islam. The forum took place at a book shop outside Kuala Lumpur to mark the launch of a book called "Unveiling Choice", about author Maryam Lee's decision to stop wearing the headscarf. At the three-hour event, Lee and two other Muslim women shared their experiences about giving up the hijab. The number of women from the country's ethnic Malay Muslim majority wearing the headscarf has been increasing, in line with growing conservatism, but it is also common to see Muslim women without their heads covered. Following a social media backlash, the religious affairs minister called for an ..
Sudan's Bashir transferred to prison: family source
Ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has been transferred to a Khartoum prison following his toppling by the army last week, a source from his family told AFP on Wednesday. "Last night, Bashir was transferred to Kober prison in Khartoum," the source said without revealing his name for security reasons. Bashir was ousted by the army last Thursday after four months of protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule. The country's new military rulers had said he was being held "in a secure place".
Saudi runaway sisters plead for help on social media
Two Saudi sisters appealed for help Wednesday from the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country, in the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom using social media to seek asylum. Using a newly created Twitter account called "GeorgiaSisters", they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. Like other Saudi women who have fled and turned to social media, they posted copies of their passports to establish their identities. The sisters claim they are in danger and will be killed if they are forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia. They said their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them. Wafa said they fled "oppression from our family" without elaborating. Saudis can enter Georgia visa-free, making the country a transit point for numerous other Saudi women who have fled in recent years. Saudi women who run away are almost always fleeing abusive male relatives and claim there are few good choices for them to ..
Twitter set to launch 'hide replies' feature in June
As part of the efforts to make its platform appear less toxic, Twitter is planning to give people an option to hide replies to their tweets, thereby giving users more control over the nature of conversation they would like to have on the platform.
'Share of population over age of 60 in India projected to increase to 20% in 2050'
The share of older persons, those aged 60 years or above, in India's population is projected to increase to nearly 20 per cent in 2050 and the country said equipping people in earlier age cohorts will help them remain in good health and involved in the community throughout the ageing process. The percentage of the senior citizens in India's population has been growing at an increasing rate in recent years and the trend is likely to continue, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said Monday during an open-ended Working Group on Ageing here. "We live in a world where people live longer than ever before. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more people older than 60 years than those below 15 years," Tripathi said. "The share of population over the age of 60 is projected to increase from 8 per cent to nearly 20 per cent in 2050. Fulfilling needs for services and social protection for senior citizens, protection of their rights and enabling them to
Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi, says he "divided" country
Hitting out at the Prime Minister,Congress President Rahul Gandhi Wednesday alleged that Narendra Modihas "divided" the country and made it fight within itself. Speaking to reporters here after the Parliamentary coordination committee meeting, Gandhiheld Modi responsible for the rising unemployment among the youth, farmers' suicides and allegedly giving Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 croreas part of the Rafale deal. "Narendra Modi divided the country and made the country fight within itself. The most anti-national thing to be done in this country today is creating a situation by which 27,000 youngsters are losing their job every 24 hours. Anti-national behaviour is crippling our agricultural system and forcing thousands of farmers to commit suicide is anti-national behaviour," Gandhi said. "Taking Rs 30,000 crore and giving it to Anil Ambani is anti-national behaviour. Narendra Modi should answer why he allowed all these things to happen," he said. The Congress chief also pointed
BJP, Congress eyeing to set caste equation right in Barmer after BSP candidate's nomination rejected
Both the BJP and the Congress are trying to get the caste equation right in Rajasthan's Barmer parliamentary constituency after the nomination of former IPS officer and BSP candidate Pankaj Choudhary was rejected due to lack of documents. Political commentators say the seat will now see a virtually direct contest and the BSP votes would shift to either the BJP or the Congress as the two parties are trying to woo them. Both the parties recently organised SC/ST conventions, one after the other ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due on the seat on April 29. The BJP's SC/ST convention was held on Saturday whereas the Congress organised a similar convention a day later. The Dalit community is considered as a traditional vote bank of the Congress here and the party wants to keep it intact for winning the seat. Analysts say the Dalit voters are likely to play a decisive role in the Barmer seat along with Rajput and Jat communities The Congress has fielded former BJP stalwart and Rajput leader ...
McAfee appoints Sanjay Manohar as India MD
Cyber security company McAfee on Wednesday announced the appointment of Sanjay Manohar as its Managing Director for India operations.
Cong files complaint with CEO as row erupts over letter
The separate religious tag for Lingayats has reared its head with the BJP in Karnataka Tuesday sharing a letter on social media, triggering a strong reaction from the Congress which has lodged a complaint with the CEO against the BJP state president and other leaders. The Congress took the step after BJP shared a letter on its Twitter handle allegedly written by then minister M B Patil to Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi in July 2017. This comes on a day when curtains were drawn on campaigning for 14 Lok Sabha seats, which will go to polls during the first phase in Karnataka, on April 18. The letter, which Patil called fake, gave a roadmap to win the 2018 assembly elections by dividing Hindu society by giving separate religious minority tag for the Lingayat sect. The letter was purportedly written on the letterhead of BLDE Association whose president was shown as Patil. A newspaper too published a report based on the letter compelling the Congress to issue a clarification that letterhead
Project Samarthan significantly brought down suicide cases among Tihar inmates: Official
The number of suicide cases among inmates in Tihar jail has reduced significantly due to counselling provided by professional mental health experts as part of 'Project Samarthan' launched last year, officials claimed Tuesday. As many as 7,000 inmates were provided counselling as part of the project which was launched by the prison administration in April last year with an aim to reduce suicide cases. "One year of Project Samarthan has shown encouraging results. There is a significant reduction in number of violent incidents reported amongst inmates. Cases of misconduct involving jail punishments have decreased and suicide in prisons have reduced significantly. "One suicide was reported as against seven in the previous corresponding period," Director General (Prisons) Ajay Kashyap told a gathering on the first anniversary of the initiative. A book on mental health was also released on the occasion. The officer said maintaining a safe and dignified custody of inmates in the face of ...
Cong files complaint with CEO as row erupts over 'letter'
The separate religious tag for Lingayats has reared its head with the BJP in Karnataka Tuesday sharing a 'letter' on social media,triggering a strong reaction from the Congress which has lodged a complaint with the CEO against the BJP state president and other leaders. The Congress took the step after BJP shared a letter on its Twitter handle allegedly written by then home minister M B Patil to Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi in July 2017. This comes on a day when curtains were drawn on campaigning for 14 Lok Sabha seats, which will go to polls during the first phase in Karnataka, on April 18. The letter, which Patil called fake, gave a roadmap to win the 2018 assembly elections by dividing Hindu society by giving separate religious minority tag for the Lingayat sect. The letter was purportedly written on the letterhead of BLDE Association whose president was shown as Patil. A newspaper too published a report based on the letter compelling the Congress to issue a ...
FIR against Sidhu over communal remarks
District authorities in Katihar have lodged an FIR against Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for his remarks in which he allegedly warned the Muslim community that efforts were on to divide their votes in Bihar, state chief electoral officer said Tuesday. "An FIR has been lodged against Sidhu under a section Indian Penal Code and section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act," Bihar CEO H R Srinivasa told PTI. Section 123 (3) bars promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person. Addressing an election rally in Katihar, cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu has stoked a controversy by urging Muslim voters of a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar with sizeable population of the minority community to vote en bloc and defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The comments by former test cricketer at a rally in ...
Haryana: EC planning to set set up 'Sakhi Matdan Kendra' in each assembly segment
For the first time in the state, the Election Commission is planning to set up 'Sakhi Matdan Kendra' to disseminate the message of women empowerment in each assembly segment, said Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Rajeev Ranjan on Tuesday.The Kendras will exclusively be run by women and no male personnel would be present on these Kendras, he added."This initiative would go a long way in spreading a message in the society that women can not only participate in the elections but also get it conducted in an efficient manner," Ranjan said.The Chief Electoral Officer further said that with an aim to increase women vote percentage in the election, extensive steps like providing transport facility for Divyang (differently-abled) women voters along with separate toilet for women is being arranged at each polling centre. A ramp is also being constructed to maintain law and order situation so that women can come in large numbers to exercise their franchise without any fear."Arrangement of .
Facebook scrapping messenger payments in UK
Facebook is ending its peer-to-peer payments ability through its messenger in the UK. The company has started notifying its users in the region that it is ending support for the money transfers.James Whatley posted a screenshot of the intimation note by Facebook, which states that the P2P money transfer service will be discontinued starting June 15, 2019.Although P2P transfers will be disabled, Facebook will continue to support other transactions such as donations to charitable organisations.
Tribal girls sexually abused at residential school in Maha
Two tribal girls, studying at a residential school for tribal children in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district, were allegedly sexually abused by two school officials, the police said Tuesday. Both the officials have been arrested alongwith two women staff members, the police said in a release here. The school, run by a private organisation, is located in Rajura tehsil. The girls, around 10 years old, were admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here recently for repeatedly falling unconscious, the release said. The gynaecologist at the GMCH noticed signs of sexual abuse and alerted the authorities, following which a police complaint was filed. During the probe, police arrested school superintendent Chaban Pachare and assistant superintendent Narendra Virutkar who had allegedly sexually abused the two girls. The duo were booked under IPC section 376 (rape) as well the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and SC-ST (Prevention of ...
BJP slams Sidhu for urging Muslims to vote out Modi
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Navjot Singh Sidhu, cricketer-turned-politician and Congress leader, for allegedly urging Muslim voters to vote out the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, and said it would approach to the Election Commission against it.
Kin of Srinagar Central Jail inmates hold protest for prisoners' rights
Relatives of Srinagar Central Jail inmates staged a protest here demanding the prisoners are not shifted out of Kashmir and that their rights are upheld. The protestors alleged that they were not being allowed to meet their jailed relatives following a clash between inmates and prison staff last week. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed serious concern over the alleged violation of prisoner's rights in Central Jail and "use of brute force" against protesting inmates. "It looks like the Government of India wants to turn Srinagar Central Jail into another Guantanamo," she told reporters in Budgam.
Rs 135.41 cr cash recovered in raids across Tamil Nadu
The Income Tax (IT) department and Election Commission (EC) have recovered Rs 135.41 crore from raids conducted across Tamil Nadu till Tuesday according to Tamil Nadu's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo.The raids were carried out after allegations of illegal cash being pumped to lure voters in the poll-bound state.According to Sahoo, 1022 kilograms gold and 645 kilograms of silver have been recovered in the raids which took place all over the state and are still ongoing in many areas, bringing the total value of precious metals recovered to Rs 294.38 crore.Small items including sarees, clothes, cookers and other gift material worth Rs 8.15 crore have also been recovered, he added.Liquor worth Rs 37.42 lakhs and drugs and narcotics worth Rs 37.68 lakh were also seized by the authorities.No seizures were made from the hostel of AIADMK MLA RB Udhayakumar, however, EC has issued a notice to the occupants of the room on the day of the raids to appear before the EC.A total of ..
Review plea filed in SC for civil rights of homosexuals
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking review of an order by which a plea for various civil rights, such as same-sex marriage, adoption and surrogacy for the LGBTQ community was dismissed. The apex court, on October 29, 2018, had dismissed a plea filed by Tushar Nayyar which had sought reliefs such as grant of civil rights to the members of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer) community besides seeking decriminalising the consensual gay sex. "We are not inclined to entertain this petition after the decision of this Court in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India decided on September 6, 2018," the apex court had said. Seeking the review of the order, the plea said that the petition, which was dismissed, was not limited to the issue of decriminalising the consensual gay sex only. The plea had raised the issue of "non-recognition of same-sex marriages" under the Special Marriages Act, 1954) and denial of adoption and surrogacy rights to the members of .