Supreme Court issues directions to curb sexual harassment of women in public transport

NEW DELHI: Laying down stringent procedures to curb and punish harassment of women in public transport, the Supreme Court has ordered that in the event of a complaint of a woman, the bus driver must immediately drive the vehicle to the nearest police station. If the driver fails to do so, authorities must cancel his permit to ply.

This is part of a series of directions issued on Friday by the court that include installing CCTVs, setting up helplines and proactive steps by authorities to make public places safer, to curb the menace of women being harassed by offenders passing lewd comments and "singing, reciting or uttering" any obscene song or making sounds or gestures to insult their modesty.

Police Who Made Facebook Arrests Suspended

Shaheen Dhada, right, and Renu Srinivas, the women who were arrested for a Facebook post, speaking to the media in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on Nov. 20.

Two police officers in the state of Maharashtra who recently arrested two young women over a Facebook post were suspended from duty on Tuesday, while the state changed the way it would enforce a controversial law.

The moves were praised as a victory by free speech advocates, who have been sharply critical of the arrests and of India’s loosely defined Internet law.

Shweta Bhatt... Who is She?

Shweta Bhatt is 48 today. She spent a better part of her birthday rushing to file nomination papers since her party, the Congress, announced her candidacy for the Gujarat elections only at the last minute.

Even Mrs Bhatt will not give herself much of a chance as a giant-slayer. In her first election ever, the neophyte takes on the mighty Narendra Modi, who is widely expected to win Gujarat for a third time, in Maninagar, the constituency that has sent him to the state Assembly twice with huge margins.

Pakistani TV anchor escapes bid on Life

Leading Pakistani television anchor Hamid Mir escaped a bid on his life on Monday (26 Nov 2012) with the timely detection of a bomb planted in his car. he has now been provided a security detail by the government and Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced a Rs. 50 Million reward for anyone providing Information that could lead to the arrest of those involved.

Stop posting this Facebook message, it’s a hoax!

NEW DELHI: Are you on Facebook? If yes, then stop posting the message that cites Berner Convention to safeguard your content on the social networking website. It's a hoax! Facebook users are circulating and posting the lengthy message, believing that it is somehow going to provide copyright and privacy protection to whatever they post on their timelines.

The message reads, "In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times! (Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall.)"

BJP suspends Jethmalani

NEW DELHI: Reacting to Ram Jethmalani's constant diatribe against party chief Nitin Gadkari, the BJP on Sunday suspended the eminent lawyer from its membership, referring his case to the party's parliamentary board which is empowered to expel the Rajya Sabha MP. His suspension came hours after he openly said that the party did not have the courage to take action against him. The parliamentary board will meet at 4.30 pm on Monday. Announcing the decision, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Jethmalani was guilty of indiscipline and was helping Congress with his statements. After demanding Gadkari's resignation over the issue of financial irregularities involving his firm, Jethmalani had on Saturday attacked the party for opposing the appointment of IPS officer Ranjit Sinha as the new CBI director.

Interesting facts about Youtube

1. YouTube (Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim) All three founders of YouTube (Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim) worked on Paypal, when you started your project.

2. YouTube domain was registered at St Day. Valentine's (February 14, 2005).

3.70% of registered YouTube users from the U.S., 50% of YouTube users under 20 years of age.

10 Smart Tips to Impress the Boss

When you land a job finally, the important work isn't over. It's essential to do your best to impress your boss and teammates right from the start. First impressions count; your supervisor and colleagues will judge you based on how you act and what you do from the very first day. It is much easier to start off on the right foot than it is to change their perceptions later.

Holly Paul, PricewaterhouseCooper's U.S. recruiting leader, suggests the following tips to be sure you start off strong: after the break...

Sex workers in Mizoram

Aizawl: Maruti 800 taxis are ubiquitous in Aizawl city, the capital of Mizoram. And during peak hours, the roads are jammed with taxis. As dusk approaches, government offices close early, 4 pm in winter and 5 pm in summer. Shops down their shutters at the same time and the streets are quickly deserted. Following the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1996, the entire state is dry. Unlike other cities, there are no pubs, discotheques, malls, theatres or cinema halls that are hangouts for young people.

The only thing to do is to prepare to go to the evening Church service. It's a world away for Mimi and her friend, who are sex workers and a part of the city's dark underbelly.

Five Ways Indian Internet Users Are Fighting for Free Speech

People work on computers at an office in Bangalore, Karnataka, in this Feb. 29, 2012 file photo.

The two young women who were arrested for their Facebook activity last week have found an unlikely champion for their cause: another young woman, Shreya Singhal, who filed public interest litigation with the Supreme Court to challenge one of the controversial laws used to justify the arrests.

That litigation was heard by the Supreme Court on Friday, which then ordered the central and some state governments to respond within six weeks. Ms. Singhal, who is a recent astrophysics graduate and plans to apply to law school, questioned the constitutionality of Section 66A. The dreary sounding, but much-talked about law criminalizes information sent online that can be considered “offensive.”

Really? Breathing Exercises Can Relieve Asthma

Breathing exercises are among the most popular alternative therapies for asthmatics. But do they work?

According to a recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the answer depends on the technique. Some appear effective in reducing asthma severity, but there is little evidence to support others.

In the exhaustive, 219-page report, researchers examined 22 randomized studies of breathing techniques. Among the most common are hyperventilation-reduction techniques like the Buteyko method, which instructs asthmatics to breathe shallowly and slowly through the nose when short of breath. The report also looked at yoga breathing exercises and so-called inspiratory-muscle training, which involves exercises and devices that make inhaling more difficult in order to strengthen muscles.