New Delhi, Nov 3 ,2020: The government has ordered to block 12 websites linked to pro-Khalistani outfits, a source aware of the development said on Tuesday.
Some of the blocked websites were being directly operated by outlawed organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
These websites were carrying pro-Khalistani content.
“12 websites have been ordered to be blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and IT under section 69 A of the IT Act. They were supporting pro-Khalistani activities. The order was issued on Monday,” the source – who did not wish to be identified – told PTI.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is the nodal authority for monitoring the cyberspace in India.
The banned websites include SFJ4Farmers, pbteam, seva413, pb4u, sadapind, among others with “org” extension.
“Your requested URL has been blocked as per the directions received from Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. Please contact administrator for more information,” some of the banned websites said.
Last year, the Home Ministry had banned SFJ for its anti-national activities.
SFJ had pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda.
The government had blocked 40 websites in July belonging to SFJ for supporting secessionist activities.
Kolkata, Nov 2,2020: Voicing concern over reports of attack on minority Hindu community in some parts of Bangladesh, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday urged the Centre to take up the issue immediately with the neighbouring country.
He referred to recent media reports that temples were attacked and Hindu families in Bangladesh became victims of arson and loot by fundamentalist forces.
At least 15 Hindu temples in Bangladesh have been vandalised over allegations of disrespect shown to Islam on Facebook, triggering panic among the minority community in some areas, a report from Dhaka said on October 31.
Temples at Nasirnagar in Brahmanbarhia district in Bangladesh were vandalised on Sunday and over 100 houses in the area belonging to Hindus were looted, the media report said.
After the violence, which reportedly lasted for hours, two temples in adjacent Madhabpur in Habigunj also came under attack, the report said quoting police and eyewitnesses.
“It is reported that Hindu families in Bangladesh have been targeted by fundamentalist forces resulting in the arsoning and other violence as a reprisal of the stand taken by our government. Indian government should take up the issue with Bangladesh government as immediately as possible so as to prevent further escalation,” he said in a statement.
Six persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack and paramilitary Border Guards Bangladesh deployed at Nasirnagar and Madhabpur Upazila headquarters along with the Rapid Action Battalion, police and Armed Police Battalion to maintain law and order, the report said.
Locals said the Nasirnagar incident started with a Facebook post by one person from Harinberh village under Haripur Union Parishad.
Police detained the accused on Friday immediately after the allegation of blasphemy against him. The man has been sent to jail following a court order.
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 1: Kerala State has been ranked as the best-governed state by the Bangalore-based Public Affairs Centre.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a message, said, “Kerala tops the Public Affairs Index-2020 of Public Affairs Centre.”
“The State has been ranked as the best-governed state based on a composite index with a focus on sustainable development goals. The people of the State deserve the credit for this achievement,” he added.
Chandigarh, Oct 31: Punjab Government initiated a drive to eradicate tobacco use to save children & youth as well as tobacco free work place on the occasion of Punjab State No Tobacco Day.
Giving details, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that Punjab is the first State in the country to celebrate a state specific “Punjab State No Tobacco Day” on 1st November. The theme of campaign is “Tobacco Free Workplaces”. Punjab is also a pioneer state to focus on youth by timely ban on E cigarettes, hookah bars and by declaring hostels of Colleges/Universities as Tobacco Free. State will continue making efforts to curb this menace of Tobacco as this will go a long way in deterring young children & youth from initiation & also motivate current users to quit.
Explaining objective of this campaign, he said that to make all the offices Tobacco free and to protect non-users from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke at workplaces.
He divulged that health department, Punjab has taken up tobacco control as a flagship program. All the 22 districts in the state have been declared as Tobacco Smoke Free. Total 739 villages have been declared themselves Tobacco Free. However, during year 2019-20, around 21,581 Challans have been issued against the violators under Cigarette and other Tobacco products Act, 2003 (COTPA, 2003). Tobacco Cessation centers have been established in all the districts. Free counseling services and cessation medicines like Tab Bupropion, Nicotine gums and patches are being provided in these centers. Total 20,239 Tobacco users have received services at these centers in year 2019-20.
Describing tobacco use is a major threat to public health globally, he said that smokeless tobacco users first of all are prone to deadly diseases and early death, and secondly users have a tendency to spit in public places, and therefore it increases health risks especially by spreading infectious and contagious diseases.
He urged all the citizens of the Punjab not to use or spit tobacco in public places as it is prohibited under section 268, 269 & 278 of Indian Penal code, 1860. A strict action will be taken against the violators under this drive.
He said that a special week long campaign will be launched w.e.f 1st November to 7th November 2020 for declaring all the Government offices as Tobacco Free and for the strict implementation of Anti –Tobacco laws. He said that at district level, all the govt. health facilities will be declared as Tobacco Free.
Paris, Oct 30,2020: French officials confirmed on Friday that the man who stabbed two women and a man to death in a church in France’s Nice had arrived from Tunisia by a migrant boat to Italy’s Lampedusa island last month, BBC reported.
Authorities said that the suspect, identified as Brahim Aouissaoui, 21, had been issued an Italian Red Cross document, after he arrived in Italy. He was shot by police and is in a critical condition.
Officials said one of the victims of Thursday’s attack at the Notre-Dame basilica in the city of Nice was “virtually beheaded”, which President Emmanuel Macron called an “Islamist terrorist attack”.
Mr Macron said the they will be increasing the number of soldiers to protect public places – such as churches and schools – from 3,000 to 7,000, even as the country’s security alert has been raised to the highest level.
Thursday’s stabbings comes days after another attack earlier this month near a school north-west of Paris, where Samuel Paty, a teacher, was beheaded days after showing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to some of his pupils.
That murder heightened tensions in France and beyond, as Mr Macron defended the right to publish the cartoons and as his government attempted to crack down on radical Islam angered Turkey and other Muslim-majority countries.
The suspect in the Nice attack was heard repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before being shot by police.
A Koran, two telephones and a 30cm (12-inch) knife were found on the attacker, said French chief anti-terrorist prosecutor Jean-François Ricard.
Wellington, Oct 30,2020: New Zealanders voted to legalise euthanasia in the preliminary results of a referendum held in mid-October alongside the general election, after years of emotional debate, the results of which were declared on Friday.
The results showed that 65.2% of voters supported the End of Life Choice Act 2019 which now comes into force as a new law from next year, the BBC reported.
This basically means that terminally ill people, with less than six months to live, will be given the opportunity to choose assisted dying if approved by two doctors.
The referendum is binding and the law will come into effect in November 2021.
However, the results do not include an estimated 480,000 special votes, including postal and overseas ballots, so the full outcome will not be confirmed until next Friday. But with such strong support, the final outcome is not expected to change.
Once the law comes into force New Zealand join a small group of countries, including the Netherlands and Canada, that allow euthanasia legally.
In a separate non-binding referendum held at the same time, New Zealanders narrowly rejected a proposal to legalise recreational cannabis.
The preliminary results on the cannabis vote was 53.1% no and 46.1% yes – though this result may be subject to change when the special votes are counted.