Page 91 - Social Issues
On US-Mexico border, militia vow to patrol until 'wall is up'
In the southeasternmost pocket of the US state of New Mexico, with El Paso, Texas, to the east and Mexico a stone's throw south, there is a small camp: a few tents and a weathered trailer. It is home to the half dozen or so members of the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP) -- a small but well-armed militia dipping their toes into the US border vigilante movement. In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico, primarily Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence at home. US President Donald Trump has described them as a threat to national security, demanding billions of dollars from Congress to build a wall on the southern border. The resignation of Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday, reportedly over the president's push to restart family separations at the border, has underscored his failure to get to grips with the issue. And until the wall is built, the UCP insist they will be there. "We're here to assist the border patrol because ..
Global executions at lowest level in a decade: Amnesty
Executions fell worldwide by nearly a third last year to their lowest levels in at least a decade, but several countries recorded a rise, Amnesty International said Wednesday. Use of the death penalty dropped in Iran -- by an eye-popping 50 per cent following a change to its anti-narcotics laws -- Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia, the rights group found in its annual review. But it rose in Belarus, Japan, Singapore, South Sudan and the United States, while Thailand resumed executions for the first time in a decade and Sri Lanka threatened to follow suit. "Despite regressive steps from some, the number of executions carried out by several of the worst perpetrators has fallen significantly," said Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International's Secretary General. He added the "dramatic" drop globally proved that "even the most unlikely countries are starting to change their ways and realise the death penalty is not the answer". "This is a hopeful indication that it's only a matter of time before this ...
Trump says no plans to reinstate family separation policy
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said that he was "not looking" to revive his administration's policy of separating migrant families at the US-Mexico border.Trump's comments came after several media reports suggested that the US President was planning to reinstate the policy.Although Trump denied such reports, he said that such a policy is effective to tackle illegal border crossings."We're not looking to do that. No!" The Hill quoted Trump saying during a press briefing at the Oval Office with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sitting next to him.While Trump contended that the policy would prevent people from illegally crossing the US, he asserted that he had no plans to reinstate the practice."Once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming. They're coming like it's a picnic because, 'let's go to Disneyland,' " he said in a lighter vein.Several media reports on Monday had said that former Department of Homeland Security Secretary ...
Trump rails against court defeat on asylum
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at a judge for blocking his policy of sending asylum seekers to Mexico to await court hearings in their cases.
Losses more than $1 bn in major US health fraud: investigators
One of the largest healthcare frauds in American history caused more than USD 1 billion in losses after hundreds of thousands of patients were lured into the scheme, US investigators said Tuesday, announcing charges against 24 people. The alleged scheme involved the provision of wrist, knee and other braces to elderly and/or disabled patients who did not need them, but who were covered by the Medicare public insurance system. They were lured by an international telemarketing network involving call centers in the Philippines and Latin America, the Department of Justice said. The defendants allegedly paid doctors to prescribe the braces without meeting patients. "Proceeds of the fraudulent scheme were allegedly laundered through international shell corporations and used to purchase exotic automobiles, yachts and luxury real estate in the United States and abroad," DOJ said in a statement. Medicare got the bills which allegedly reached more than USD 1.7 billion in claims. Those charged ..
Firefox rolls out new features to prevent browser fingerprinting, cryptomining
Mozilla's Firefox has introduced nifty new features that will prevent sites from 'fingerprint tracking.'The method allows sites to track you, even after you have cleared your cookies, through numerous tiny details about your system configuration.The browser will also explicitly block cryptocurrency mining scripts that attempt to hijack your computer's resources to mine digital currency, The Verge reports.The anti-tracking feature and blocking of mining scripts will be available in Firefox's Nightly builds in version 68 and its Beta builds in version 67.Although these will be disabled by default, Mozilla plans to make them opt-out for Nightly builds.To enable the features, head to Privacy tab, select Custom within Content Blocking, and tick boxes next to Cryptominers and Fingerprinters option.
Researchers study how societal attitude, political rhetoric affect immigrants' health
As part of a new study, drawn from a research project on immigrant health, researchers pointed out the ways partisan rhetoric and cultural divides become stressors that can lead to poor health.Health is more than the genes we inherit from our parents, the food we eat or the exercise we sweat through at the gym. So-called "social determinants" -- our support networks, our access to health care, housing and a stable income, even our surroundings -- affect our physical and mental health, too.For immigrants to the United States, the current political climate, and debates over issues such as a border wall, become part of the environment that influences health, argues Jane Lee, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington.The study points out the ways partisan rhetoric and cultural divides become stressors that can lead to poor health."People focus so much on policies, like the border wall or the DREAM Act. But it's not just whether these policies pass. It is the ...
Facebook uses AI to map global population density
Artificial intelligence may be threatening to some industries but Facebook is putting it to some positive use in its latest project of mapping the world.Facebook's ongoing project aims to map the world's population density using AI. The project that started in 2016 has today expanded to include newer regions, covering the majority of Africa. The company's goal is to eventually map the whole world's population, The Verge reports.Creating a population density map is an arduous task for humans who have to label each building in the satellite images, then cross-reference this with census data. However, these kind of tasks are what AIs are built for. Using automation, it is easier to recognise and label buildings in a given area and identify the population.Facebook says its new machine learning systems are enhanced and more accurate than those announced in 2016. The company plans to use the results of the ongoing project for humanitarian applications.In the coming months, Facebook will ...
Meghalaya poll officer issues Braille voter I-card
Chief Electoral Officer Fredrick Roy Kharkongor of Mehalaya, here on Tuesday, handed the first Braille elector photo identity card to Padmahree Bertha Dkhar, principal of Jyoti Sroat Inclusive School, the first school for the visually impaired people in the state.
Jailed UAE activist Mansoor on hunger strike: Amnesty
Award-winning rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, jailed in the UAE for "publishing false information", has launched a hunger strike in protest against prison conditions, Amnesty International said Tuesday. Mansoor, whom Amnesty says is a prisoner of conscience, has been on hunger strike for over three weeks to protest detention conditions and his unfair trial, the London-based group noted. Mansoor, 49, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year for what prosecutors said was the dissemination of misinformation in posts on Facebook and Twitter. Mansoor was accused of using social media to "publish false information and rumours, spread tendentious ideas that would sow sedition, sectarianism and hatred", according to a report published by the UAE's state news agency WAM. He was also accused of harming "national unity and social peace" and "the state's reputation", WAM said. During his trial, court proceedings were conducted in almost total secrecy. Mansoor, one of the most prominent human .
Maha: Collegian jumps off 32nd floor of Thane high-rise
An 18-year-old college student allegedly committed suicide Tuesday evening by jumping off the 32nd floor of a high-rise in Majiwada area of Thane district, police said. Pratamesh Parab, a First Year Junior College student and resident of Kalwa, jumped off the refuge floor, situated at the 32nd level, at around 5pm, an official said. "He was found lying in a pool of blood on the ground at the housing complex. As per preliminary probe, Parab informed his family that he was going to meet a friend in the complex. The identity of this friend is not yet known," the official said. "We have found his mobile phone in the building's residential area and its contents are being checked to get more information on why he might have committed suicide. The CCTV network of the area is also being checked," the official added. He said an accidental death case has been registered at Rabodi police station and further probe was underway, he said.
Gadkari says will work hard to stop farmer suicides, create jobs for youth as his campaign ends
Addressing his last rally before the end of campaigning for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Union minister and BJP candidate from Nagpur Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said he will work hard to stop farmer suicides and create more jobs for the youth. Polling for the Nagpur seat, along with six other seats in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, will be held on April 11. BJP chief Amit Shah also spoke at the rally. "I want to promise you two things, firstly I will be specially focusing on stopping farmer suicides in Vidarbha. I have made it my mission in life to work so much more in villages that in coming days no farmer commits suicide," Gadkari said. The Union water resources minister said his ministry had given Rs 40,000 crore for two irrigation projects in Maharashtra. "I, along with Chief Minister (Devendra) Fadnavis, will increase the irrigation potential of Maharashtra from 18 to 50 per cent. With water in fields, no farmer will commit suicide and agricultural produce will ...
Kanhaiya Kumar files nomination from Begusarai
Former JNU students' union president leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as the CPI candidate from Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar. Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar, civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad, young Gujarat MLA and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani, CPI national secretary Atul Anjan and fellow JNU student leader Shehla Rashid making her electoral debut in Jammu and Kashmir - were among those who arrived in this provincial town on the occasion. Kumar is pitted against Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh. Before leaving his house in his native village of Bihat, Kumar shared pictures on social media of himself seeking the blessings of his mother Meena Devi an Anganwadi worker besides Fatima Nafis a resident of Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh whose son Najeeb Ahmed studied at JNU and went missing more than two years ago after allegedly picking up a fight with activists of the pro-RSS ABVP. En route to the collectorate ..
Raids conducted not political in nature: Revenue Department tells EC
Revenue Department on Tuesday told the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the raids that are being conducted at different places including in Madhya Pradesh are not political in nature, said a source.As per the source, during a meeting with the ECI, senior Revenue Department officials briefed the poll panel about the process of searches, surveys, and raids. "They told the ECI that raids conducted are not political in nature," said the source.Moreover, the Revenue Department also claimed that the raids were not the violation of the Model Code of Conduct and disclosure of timing of raid operations, is possible only after the evidence is found, added the source.The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday had hinted at the transfer of "cash to the headquarter of a major political party" in the national capital while stating that Income Tax (I-T) Department has detected a well-organised racket of a collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore.Several unaccounted and ...
Guj BJP chief abuses Congress; poll authorities order inquiry
Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani has stirred a controversy by using abusive words to target the Congress, asking voters to identify those trying to disturb peace in the state. Taking cognisance of Vaghani's remarks, state Chief Electoral Officer S. Murali Krishna has ordered an inquiry into the matter. "I have asked the district election officer of Surat to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report," Krishna told reporters in Gandhinagar. During a poll campaign here on Sunday night for BJP's Surat Lok Sabha seat candidate Darshana Jardosh, Vaghani accused the Congress of trying to create chaos as, he claimed, it had no chance of winning in the city or elsewhere in the state. "I am telling the Congress, you cannot win in Surat and in the state also, so you are trying to spread hatred and create chaos. Allow the election to take place in a peaceful environment. Allow people to vote for whomsoever they want," he said. "But you want to create chaos and an ...
SC directs Assam govt to suggest measures for release of foreigners kept in detention
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Assam's Chief Secretary Alok Kumar to file an affidavit suggesting measures it intends to take for the release of those kept in detention centres in Assam.A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi comprising of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said that the foreigners cannot be detained for an "indefinite period" in the detention centres and directed the Assam government to inform the court about the methods authorities to consider releasing them."These 900 odd people, how long will be the imprisonment? What we are suggesting release them on sureties... Please tell us, out of these 900 how many are you releasing?" the Bench told Assam Chief Secretary who was present in the court pursuant to the court's earlier direction.CJI was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an activist Harsh Mander, seeking directions for humane treatment to immigrants lodged in the detention centres in the state.The plea also ...
No political motive in raids: Revenue tells EC
Senior Revenue Department officials, here on Tuesday, met the Election Commission and briefed the EC on the process of search, surveys and raids.
Blind man to face rape charges on minor daughter's complaint
A blind man, accused of sexually assaulting his daughter repeatedly since she was six years old, is to be tried for the offences of rape and molestation, the Delhi High Court has directed. It set aside a trial court order discharging the man in the case and sent back the matter to the lower court to frame appropriate charges against him. "The reasoning given by the trial court, that the allegations are general in nature without mentioning specific dates and are not substantiated as she had not called the police on 100 number or informed any of the close relatives, is clearly not sustainable," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said. The high court said perusal of the trial court's discharge order showed that the reasoning is "completely perverse" and "trial court does not seem to be alive to realities". According to the FIR, the accused was blind and living separately from his wife and the victim, who was their daughter, was residing with him. The girl, who was born in 1998, in her statement ...
Bangladesh police detain 80 in anti-drug drive
At least 80 people have been arrested in the Bangladeshi capital over the selling and consuming drugs, the police said.
Woman driven out of matrimonial house can file case where she has taken shelter: SC
Women can file matrimonial cases, including criminal matters pertaining to cruelty, from the place where they have taken shelter after leaving or being driven out of their matrimonial home, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. The apex court's verdict came on an appeal filed by Rupali Devi against the Allahabad High Court which dismissed her plea to file a dowry harassment case from her parents' house. The high court order held that cruelty punishable under Section 498A of the IPC is not a continuing offence, and thus cannot be investigated or punished in a jurisdiction outside the one in which the matrimonial house of the complainant is situated. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the impact on the mental health of the wife by "overt acts" by the husband or his relatives, mental stress and trauma of being driven away from the matrimonial home cannot be ignored while understanding the meaning of "cruelty" in Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. "We, therefore, hold that .