Facts about resurrection

Goa-born, London-based author and journalist Sonia Faleiro is out with her second book of reportage, The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing, which was released last month in India. Combining reportage with the narrative skills of a fiction writer, The Good Girls documents the 2014 gang rape and murder of two minors in Katra Sadatganj — an “eyeblink of a village” in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun district — where land is power, security and identity. And where a girl’s life is “everyone’s business”. In Katra Sadatganj and its neighbouring hamlets, honour killings are common — girls are killed for marrying outside their caste, religion, even for having engaged in premarital sex. The rape and murder of 16-year-old Padma Shakya and 14-year-old Lalli Shakya (not their real names) — cousins as alike as “two grains of rice” — shocked the country at a time when the Nirbhaya case was still fresh in public memory. In an email interview, Faleiro, who is also the co-founder of the global journalists’ … [Read more...] about ‘I believe only facts matter’: Sonia Faleiro

Can a trans woman, simply by being a transgender woman, be a threat to cisgender women [people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth — Editor's note]? In more and more countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain, a sector within the feminist movement seems to think so. Just like far-right religious conservatives , self-proclaimed "radical feminists" — also known as trans-exclusionary radical feminists, or TERFs — claim gender does not exist. For them, only "biological sex" does. In their opinion, allowing trans women into single-sex spaces would endanger cisgender women. Many of them also believe that legally recognizing gender self-determination, a legal gender change without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, would allow rapists to escape punishment. Enrique Anarte It is important to highlight that the public debate is finally taking women's concerns into account. Until very recently, patriarchal structures had … [Read more...] about Opinion: On trans rights, journalists must stand with the facts

If this highly politicized era teaches us anything, it is the extent to which many Americans will go to maintain their beliefs. Claims about “fake” news and rigged elections are manifestations of this. So is the argument that the viral pandemic is exaggerated, even a hoax. We have witnessed a radicalization of political parties, emboldening paramilitary groups, and fostering wild conspiracy theories. A mob breached our Capitol. Possibilities of criminal prosecution for the perpetrators, as well as censure and impeachment of public officials, are in the air. Many people expressed horror at the insurrection. Others acknowledged their chagrin, even some measure of shame . But millions of others made no such acknowledgments. Indeed, they only hardened their view that their side is right and the other is wrong. To use Blackjack lingo, they doubled down. In the neighborhood where I live, at least three families have taken to flying their American flag upside down. One might imagine … [Read more...] about Doubling Down: Why People Deny the Facts

Paulie's robot Sico has been axed from Sylvester Stallone's new cut of Rocky IV , and the creator of the machine believes it was a cost-cutting measure. In the works to honor the 35th anniversary of the release of the hit sequel, Stallone's Rocky IV Director's Cut has a lot of excitement surrounding the project. With so many fans asking about it, Stallone has been speaking about its progress on social media. When one fan questioned Sico's involvement, Stallone revealed that he cut the robot's scene, stating that poor Sico was "going to the junkyard forever." Word of Sico getting the boot made its way back to the robot's creator, International Robotics founder Robert Doornick , who also provided the voice of the robot. Speaking about the news in a new interview with Empire, Doornick explained what he believes to be the reasoning behind Stallone cutting the scene. Here's what he said in the publication's November issue. RELATED: Rocky IV Director's Cut Will Axe … [Read more...] about Rocky IV Robot Creator Fires Back After Stallone Cuts SICO from Director’s Cut

SINGAPORE: One of the masterminds in a series of car insurance claim scams that tricked insurers into paying out about S$125,500 for fabricated car accidents was jailed for two years and seven months on Monday (Sep 14). Tay Boon Hian, 46, pleaded guilty to three charges of engaging in a conspiracy to cheat, with eight other charges taken into consideration. His lawyer argued that a "discount" should be given as the offences were committed in 2008, and he was detained only last year after being initially released without charges. The court heard that Tay was then an owner of a car leasing firm and an operator of another. He supplied cars from BM Car Leasing for staged traffic accidents with which he and his co-masterminds made fraudulent insurance claims. The other men included his then-employee Kenneth Wong Chong Wee, who helped plan and assist in providing vehicles for the staging of the "accidents". Wong also recruited a "phantom driver", while another man Ng Chong Khai … [Read more...] about Mastermind in staged car accident conspiracy tricking insurers to pay S$125,500 gets jail

SINGAPORE: Intoxicated and upset at the waiter for asking him to lower the volume of the music coming from his portable speaker, a bar customer took aim and threw a shot glass at the waiter, bruising his jaw. For one count of voluntarily causing hurt, 42-year-old Chin See Wai was sentenced to a week's jail on Monday (Sep 14). Three more charges, including one count of striking another woman with a shot glass, were taking into consideration for sentencing. The court heard that Chin was drinking with his friends in the early hours of Feb 29 at Youngs Bar & Restaurant in Seletar. When Chin took out a portable speaker and started playing loud music, the 26-year-old waiter asked him to turn it down. Chin ignored his request and the two got into a dispute, which Chin's friends quickly broke up. Later, when the waiter was attending to customers at the table next to Chin's, Chin suddenly picked up a shot glass, stood up and threw it at the waiter, hitting his jaw. The … [Read more...] about Man gets jail for throwing shot glass at waiter in Seletar bar, bruising him

TUMBARUMBA, Australia: Tears come to Adrian Brayne’s eyes as he talks about what little he managed to save when flames engulfed his rural property.  His dog is safe and so is a small jar of soil, collected from his grandfather’s vineyards. “It’s a bit silly. But these are the things that matter,” he says. The winemaker in the Snowy Valley of New South Wales has lost a lot over the past few weeks. The region has been punished by a devastating bushfire season that has had local communities on edge, and under siege, for weeks. Tumbarumba, a historic timber town, found itself wedged between two large fire fronts that slowly but destructively merged together into a mega fire that on Monday (Jan 20) was still more than 332,100 hectares in size and uncontrolled. Brayne’s 10-hectare vineyards are just a small fraction of the vast swathes of bushland and forest - as well as more than local 100 homes - that have burned since the blaze ignited last month. But for the 35-year-old, … [Read more...] about ‘A long road back from here’: Small winemakers feel the pain of Australian bushfires

ADELAIDE: Back in the 1990s – a lifetime ago in internet terms – the Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells published several books charting the rise of information networks. He predicted that in the networked age, more value would accrue in controlling flows of information than in controlling the content itself. In other words, those who positioned themselves as network hubs – the routers and switchers of information – would become the gatekeepers of power in the digital age. With the rise of internet juggernauts Google, Facebook, Amazon and others, this insight seems obvious now. But over the past two decades, a fundamentally new business model emerged which even Castells had not foreseen – one in which attracting users onto digital platforms takes precedence over everything else, including what the user might say, do, or buy on that platform. THE RISE OF BIG TECH Gathering information became the dominant imperative for tech giants – aided willingly by users charmed … [Read more...] about Commentary: The incredible rise of Big Tech giants and how they became gatekeepers of power

A recent issue that has come to light after Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was nominated for contesting the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat is her physical torture in custody. It is a matter of fact that she, Colonel Shrikant Purohit and others arrested in the Malegaon blast case of 29.9.2008 had been physically and mentally tortured. Handlers, not leaders Anubhuti Now, even our beloved Prime Minister has claimed that he too has been subjected to such torture and he too is a victim. Hence, it is indeed a undeniable fact that human rights are violated for arm twisting those involved in a case. Enactment of Protection of Human Rights Act Why UNHRC didn't rely on NHRC written an article on the UNHRC report . The relevance of cross-referencing here is to bring to fore one of the perils of continuing with Article 370. But what is more paramount to the context is that this Act stipulated the constitution of a National Human Rights Commission. Let us examine the vices in the Act to … [Read more...] about Story of human rights in India: Officers protecting their buddies

A second former aide said she was sexually harassed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who responded with a statement Saturday saying he never made advances toward her and never intended to be inappropriate. Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor's administration until November, told The New York Times Mr. Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men. Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, recently accused Mr. Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments. Mr. Cuomo denied the allegations. Mr. Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday that Ms. Bennett was a “hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID” and that “she has every right to speak out.” He said he had intended to be a mentor for Ms. Bennett, who is 25. “I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever … [Read more...] about Second former aide accuses New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment