Page 84 - Social Issues

Bahrain jails 138 for planning Iran-linked 'terror' group

Bahrain on Tuesday jailed 138 people and revoked their citizenship for plotting to form a "terror" group with links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the public prosecutor said. They received prison terms of three years to life for having tried to build a Bahrain Hezbollah, similar to the Shiite militia active in Lebanon, said Ahmad al-Hammadi. Some members had received military training in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, he said in a statement. Another man was also jailed but his citizenship was not revoked, while 30 others were acquitted, said the statement posted on the prosecution Instagram account. A judicial source said all the defendants are members of the Shiite community in the Sunni-ruled Gulf state. The source also said that 111 were already in custody while 58 were sentenced in absentia. The mass sentencing was "the largest single incident" since the Bahraini government began revoking nationalities of opponents in 2012, said the opposition Bahrain Institute for Rights and ...

Sidhu urges Muslims to vote en bloc and defeat Modi

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has stoked 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 Katihar, where he was canvassing in support of veteran Congress leader and former union minister Tariq Anwar, drew an angry response from BJP which condemned the "reprehensible act", urged the Election Commission to take "suo motu cognizance" and take suitable action. "Do not consider yourself as being in a minority. You constitute the majority here. You are about 64 per cent. Do not fall into the trap laid down by people like Owaisi (president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen). They have been propped up by the BJP," Sidhu had said on Monday at a rally held at Barasol, in Balrampur assembly segment falling under Katihar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar. "Recognize your strength and .

At least 174 killed in fight for Libya's Tripoli: WHO

At least 174 people have been killed and 758 wounded in the battle for control over the Libyan capital Tripoli, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Fighting broke out on April 4 when military strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take Tripoli, the seat of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). At least 14 civilians are among those killed and 36 have been wounded, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told journalists citing local health facilities. "WHO has deployed additional surgical staff to support hospitals receiving trauma cases," the United Nations agency wrote on Twitter. Both pro-government forces and Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) accuse each other of targeting civilians, with each launching daily air raids in addition to clashes on the ground. Fighting in the southern outskirts of the capital has displaced more than 18,000 people, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs reported Monday. Urgent medical supplies were

PM Modi gave defence contract to a man who has never built a single aircraft: Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks of nationalism, but gave the world's biggest defence contract to a man who has never built a single aircraft, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said here on Tuesday.Addressing an election rally here, Gandhi said: "Prime Minister Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani in Rafale deal. This amount is equivalent to the total budget allotted to National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for one year. But, in this case, only one man received the entire amount. This is unfair."Stepping up the campaign for his party in the state, he reiterated his promise of giving Rs 72,000 per annum to five crore families in the country under the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme. "In a bid to empower women, our party will deposit the entire amount into the bank accounts of the women of the household," he added.The Congress chief also asserted that if voted to power, he will launch a "surgical strike" on poverty. "I will do NYAY (justice) to the poor people not by ...

TalentSprint announces Women Engineers Program supported by Google

TalentSprint announced its Women Engineers Program (WE), supported by Google, to nurture 600 women software engineers from India over the coming three years.As a part of this initiative, young and talented college students from varied socio-economic backgrounds will be identified via a detailed selection process and groomed through a rigorous multi-step training program, supported by 100 per cent scholarships and annual stipends of Rs 1 lakh each.TalentSprint WE, supported by Google, is aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in technology by grooming promising talent among women engineering students to advance and contribute to the field. Prioritising inclusion, the program is designed to support talented women engineers from underprivileged and disadvantaged backgrounds.Despite the fact that women famously played a pioneering role in the early decades of programming and technology, the participation of women engineers in the technology sector globally still only stands at 26 per ...

AP: Woman accuses lover of physical exploitation, holds sit-in protest outside his house

In a bizarre case which surfaced on Tuesday, a woman here is holding a sit-in protest in front of her alleged lover's house in Keelesapuram village.Bhagyalakshmi has accused Joseph of exploiting her physically and financially after promising to marry her.The woman, hailing from Ibrahimpatnam town, has said that she will commit suicide if her lover fails to fulfill his promises.She also claimed that she had approached the police for help, but to no avail.

TN's lone transgender candidate fights a tireless battle, keeps focus on safety of women

The razzmatazz, so much a part of elections anywhere in India, is missing from her campaign, but Tamil Nadu's lone transgender candidate M Radha is undeterred as she walks tirelessly from one corner of the South Chennai parliamentary constituency to another to canvass for votes. Accompanied by just a band of 25 odd supporters, Radha traverses long distances from dawn to dusk in the heat, confident she can put up a tough fight in a seat dominated by the biggies -- arch rivals DMK and AIADMK and actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam. A cook by profession, 50-year-old Radha is fighting the election as an Independent and is keen on raising women's issues in the Lok Sabha if elected. Two members of the transgender community filed their nominations for the polls in Tamil Nadu on April 18. The other person, who filed from Madurai, withdrew her nomination subsequently. For Radha, this is also a personal battle. "At least one transgender should be elected to the Parliament/assembly. We ...

Pakistan's minority Shias end protest against terror attacks targeting them

Hundreds of Pakistan's Shia Hazara Muslims ended their protest against frequent terror attacks targeting the minority community in the restive Balochistan province after the government assured to take more measures to protect them. The Shia Muslims began their sit-in in Quetta on Friday after the suicide bombing by the ISIS at an open-air market killed 21 people in Balochistan last week. Those killed included 10 members of the Hazara Shia community, two children and security personnel. The protesters were demanding an effective security plan to ensure the protection of the Hazara Shia community. The Hazara community members ended their sit-in late on Monday night after receiving assurances from Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani and State Minister for Interior Sheharyar Afridi, the Dawn reported. Hazaras make up a significant minority group in Pakistan and most of them live in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. Nearly half-a-million Hazaras have settled in ...

Raids on businessmen in Karnataka for tax evasion

Teams of Income Tax (I-T) sleuths raided certain businessmen in Bengaluru, Hassan and Mandya in Karnataka on credible information of tax evasion on undisclosed income and assets, an official said on Tuesday.

15 Million Adolescent (18-20 Year Old) First-Time Voters Will be Significant in the General Elections 2019

/ -- New campaign 'Ab Meri Baari' to set the stage for adolescents to voice their opinions and play an active role in the upcoming elections Dasra, a strategic philanthropy foundation, today announced the launch of the 'Ab Meri Baari' campaign, which will be run under the 10 to 19 Dasra Adolescents Collaborative. The 'Ab Meri Baari' campaign aims to make adolescents a visible, contributory franchise in the narrative of the country, by acknowledging their ability to influence electoral outcomes, as well as raising awareness of their responsibility towards participating in a democratic activity that shapes the country's future. Dasra, along with its partner organizations - Centre of Catalyzing Change (C3), Child in Need Institute (CINI), and Quest Alliance among others will run campaigning efforts across Jharkhand and Rajasthan leading up to the general elections 2019. In the first phase of the campaign, until the end of the 2019 general elections, the focus is on Jharkhand, Bihar, ...

Goa BJP government's performance below average: ADR

The BJP government in Goa performed "poorly and underwhelmingly" on almost all governance parameters important for voters, including employment, sanitation, healthcare and food prices, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

ToI, Sakal, Doon, Sanskriti, orphanages caught in IL&FS maelstrom (IANS EXCLUSIVE-V)

The mass outbreak of the baleful IL&FS bonds virus is engulfing more and more entities with the passing of each day. With NCLAT scheduled to hear the case again on Tuesday and some element of a consensus evolving on whether repayments of Provident and Pension Funds should be prioritised, working class people from 1,400 firms amounting to Rs 9,700 crore of their lifelong hard work are waiting with bated breath for any sort of direction from the tribunal.

Possibility of change in govt every 5 years, social organisations shouldn't depend on it: Bhagwat

There are possibilities of a government changing every five years and social organisations should not depend on it for help, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Monday. Addressing an event to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahamahopadhyay V V Mirashi, Bhagwat said social and research organisations should work towards a strong and permanent source to carry out work for the welfare of the society. "Those who want to speak to government should approach it. But, I don't feel that social organisations should be dependent ("aashrit") on government. Because, governments keeps changing, earlier the royal ("rajwati") government used to change in 30 to 50 years. Now, there are possibilities of a government changing in five years. Hence, there is no faith, until it is there, utilise it," he said. Bhagwat highlighted the importance of research and knowledge for the welfare of the people. "Presently, gaining knowledge can be for various purposes. Gaining knowledge could be for self interest or for ..

Palghar cops issue notices to writers, social activists

In run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the police in neighbouring Palghar district in Maharashtra have issued prevention notices to writers, poet and social activists. These notices were served under section 149 of the CrPC to prevent any criminal offence in the backdrop of ensuing elections, said a Palghar police spokesperson. The notices were issued to activists and writers, which include Simon Martin, Marcus Dabre, Janata Dal leader Dominic Gonsalves and Dominica Dabre, he said. No further details were provided.

Centre extends cesaefire with 3 insurgent groups in Nagaland

The central government on Monday extended the ceasefire with two insurgent groups in Nagaland for a year while a pact was signed with another group for suspension of operations.The ceasefire has been continued with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Neopao Konyak/Kitovi) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Reformation)."A ceasefire is in operation between Government of India and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Neopao Konyak/Kitovi) (NSCN/NK) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland/Reformation (NSCN/R). It was decided to extend the Suspension of Operation with NSCN/NK and NSCN/R for a further period of one year with effect from 28th April 2019 till 27th April 2020," a statement released by the Central government said.While in a fresh agreement, the government entered into a ceasefire with National Socialist Council of Nagaland/K-Khango."National Socialist Council of Nagaland/K-Khango has also re-entered into a fresh ceasefire agreement with the Government of ..

Proposed UK law seeks to ban under-18 from hitting 'Like' on social media platforms

UK does not want its teens hitting the "Like" or "Heart" buttons on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to prevent advertisers from collecting data on youngsters.The regulatory body, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), has proposed new rules for social media platforms in a bid to keep users under the age of 18 safer online by making their personal information, likes or dislikes, more private, Fast Company reports.The ICO has asked Facebook and Instagram to disable the "Like" buttons on posts for anyone younger than 18. The regulatory body has also asked the social networking giant to disable location tracking by default for the young users and prompt it more obviously when it is enabled.ICO's list of proposals also includes setting privacy settings to the highest level by default to minimise the intrusion of harmful content or people. It also seeks to include notifications to the under-18 users if parental controls or activity tracking is active on their ...

Oppn trying to stop me, Manoj Tiwari from attending event on minorities: Ilmi

Delhi BJP vice-president Shazia Ilmi Monday alleged the opposition parties were trying to stop her and Manoj Tiwari from attending a programme to be held at India Islamic Centre on April 17. She said a complaint was sent to the Election Commission to stop her and Delhi BJP chief Tiwari from attending the event sponsored by a public sector bank and the National Stock Exchange on financial literacy among minorities. Ilmi asserted that she would attend the programme along with Tiwari despite the "conspiracy" of the opposition parties.

Supreme Court dismisses petition seeking civil rights for homosexuals

The plea had said that the definition of marriage for LGBTQ had not been addressed in the apex court's judgement of September 6, 2018

Two debt-ridden farmers end life in Nashik district

Two farmers allegedly committed suicide due to indebtedness in Nashik district in Maharashtra over the last two days, police said Monday. Santosh Shelke, 42, killed himself by jumping into the well near his farm in Mharal Budruk village in Sinnar taluka Sunday, a local police official said. He said Shelke had a loan outstanding of Rs 75000 against a local society. Police have registered a case of accidental death, the official added. In another incident, a 60-year-old farmer, identified as Bajirao Bhamre, consumed poison on Saturday, the official said, adding that he died later in hospital. Bhamre was a resident of Nardane village. The official said Bhamre had a loan outstanding of Rs 1.5 lakh. Meanwhile, a Revenue department official said a total of 22 farmers committed suicide in Nashik district in the last three months due to various reasons.

AP Exclusive: UN whistleblower targeted in misconduct probe

A year after claims of sexual assault and harassment rocked the UN agency that fights HIV, UNAIDS looked like it might be on the mend, the top deputy facing the allegations had departed. The leader who presided over the troubled institution announced plans to bow out early and managers vowed to correct the agency's "toxic" atmosphere in a scathing probe. But the upheaval is not over. Confidential documents obtained by The Associated Press show UNAIDS is grappling with previously unreported allegations of financial and sexual misconduct involving Martina Brostrom, who went public last March with claims that one of the organization's top officials assaulted her in 2015. As part of a preliminary internal inquiry, investigators for the World Health Organisation, which oversees UNAIDS, wrote that they had found "evidence" that Brostrom and her former supervisor may have taken part in "fraudulent practices and misuse of travel funds," the documents show. The inquiry was put on hold in late .