Discrimination against women, minorities rampant: UN high commissioner
By IANS,
New Delhi : UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay Thursday said that despite a number of rights based treaties being signed, discrimination - whether it's towards women or minorities - is still rampant in the world.
"Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours and produce half of the world's food, yet earn only 10 percent of the world's income and own less than one percent of the world's property," Pillay said in a statement, on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day.
Andhra minister’s son booked for harassing woman
Hyderabad: Hyderabad police on Saturday booked an Andhra Pradesh minister's son and his driver for misbehaving with a woman.
Ravela Sushil -- son of Andhra...
Bhopal – Three decades of Struggle: Gas survivors begin indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar
The struggle for justice and adequate compensation continues even after three decades after the country’s first major industrial disaster
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi/Bhopal: Five women survivors of the ill-famous 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal today began an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar here along with a thousand survivors and their children sitting in a dharna, demanding adequate compensation to the victims of the country’s worst industrial disaster.
SC opens Sabarimala Temple gates to women aged 10-50
New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday opened the gates of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala dedicated to Lord Ayyappa to...
Shabana gives ‘royal ditch’ to Muslim women; didn’t turn up at their national convention
By Kulsum Mustafa for TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Cine actor, former Member of Parliament, and one projected by the media as a strong supporter of women and human rights, Shabana Azmi gave a royal ditch to hundreds of Muslim women when she failed to honor her commitment to be the chief guest at the third national convention of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) held in Lucknow on 11th October.
The forgotten heroines of India from crypts of history
(March 8 is International Women's Day)
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Rajasthan tribal women learn candle making under project ‘Sakhi’
Udaipur : Hindustan Zinc's project "Sakhi" has been empowering dozens of rural and tribal women in Rajasthan's Zawar region, near here, by teaching...
क्या सचमुच एआईएमआईएम की वज़ह से गोपालगंज जीत गई बीजेपी !
विशेष संवाददाता। Twocircles.net
बिहार में हुए उपचुनाव के नतीजों में गोपालगंज के नतीजे बहुत अधिक चर्चा में है। यहां राजद चुनाव हार गई है, राजद...
Woman call centre worker stabbed to death in Lucknow
Lucknow : A call centre worker was stabbed to death in Lucknow Wednesday, police said.
Shabnam, 28, was walking to office for the morning shift...
औरतों का मासिक धर्म, सेहत और रमज़ान
अफ़शां खान
‘जानमाज़ मत छूना… क़ुरआन से दूर हटो… अपने कपड़े अलग धो लेना… तुम्हारा रोज़ा नहीं, लेकिन सबका है, इसलिए छुपकर खा लो…’
क्या...
A woman’s journey from hunger to the legislature
By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,
Hyderabad : From a small hut in a remote village in East Godavari district to the Andhra Pradesh legislature, Anguri Lakshmi Shiva Kumari has come a long way.
Rights panel to probe tribal woman’s harassment
By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has deputed a team to inquire into sexual harassment charges levelled by a tribal woman against a suspended senior police officer in Jharkhand.
The victim has also alleged threat to her life from the officer, a statement said.
The rights panel said that in her complaint, the tribal woman alleged sexual harassment by former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ranchi, P.S. Natarajan.
A criminal case was registered against the IGP and the trial of the case is pending in a court.
Training women to become future leaders
By Richa Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : Even as the fate of the Women's Reservation Bill hangs in the balance, an activist group has already started training and motivating women to join mainstream politics.
The Centre for Social Research (CSR), through a UN project called 'Enhancing the Role of Women in Strengthening Democracy', has selected 1,000 women from across India and is grooming them to contest elections.
Professional career gives respect and security to women
By Zohra Javed,
I recently read an article "stay-at-home-mom", which talked about how essential it is for a woman to be there for her children when they are growing up, and that women professionals often end up neglecting their home and family. Indeed there can be no two opinions on the importance of the mother's role in the life of her children. I am an ardent champion of what the writer calls a "stay-at-home mom". But I also realise that she and I are among those fortunate women who have a supportive family and the satisfaction of a comfortable life.
Charges framed against rapist, killer of journalist’s widow
New Delhi: A court framed rape and murder charges against 22-year-old domestic help, accused of raping and murdering the 81-year-old widow of a former...
AAP leader Alka Lamba attacked in Delhi, one held
New Delhi : A 19-year-old has been arrested for throwing a stone at AAP legislator Alka Lamba during her anti-drug drive here on Sunday,...
Noida girl wins art award
Gurgaon: A series of geometrics and line patterns, guided by the urban metroscape, fetched Noida-based-artist Chetnaa Verma a prestigious art award here Saturday.
Verma won...
Mother Teresa to be canonised on September 4: Pope
Vatican city: The Pope during consistory of cardinals on Tuesday announced September 4 as the date for Mother Teresa's canonisation, the media reported.
After months...
No afterthought on women’s reservation bill: Khurshid
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government will go ahead with the women's reservation bill with no plans to dilute any of its clauses even though it is open to discussions with any political party, said Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
"The cabinet has taken a well-informed decision. If we did not believe in the decision we have taken then why would we have taken such a step in the first place?" Khurshid queried, speaking to reporters on the margins of a microfinance conference here.
Impose president’s rule, make Odisha safe for women: BJP
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday demanded president's rule in Odisha to prevent rape cases and atrocities on women.
Court permits minor rape victim to undergo abortion
By IANS,
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat High Court Monday allowed a minor rape victim's pregnancy to be terminated in Surendranagar district.
Setting aside a sessions judge's order denying permission to the 13-year-old to abort, Justice Anant Dave said that abortion of a rape victim was not barred under law and was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Justice Dave also stated that carrying the pregnancy to term would result in considerable physical and mental trauma to the minor.
Finally, wedding bells to ring for Kerala’s woman minister
Thiruvananthapuram: Seven years after being engaged to her childhood friend Anil Kumar, P.K. Jayalekshmi, the lone woman minister in Kerrala's Congress-led United Democratic Front...
Margaret Thatcher named world’s most influential woman
By IANS,
London: Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been named as the most influential woman in the world, according to a new survey.
IWPC slams minister’s ‘presstitutes’ comment
New Delhi : The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) on Friday slammed union minister V.K. Singh for calling the media "presstitutes".
Without naming Singh, the...
Indian woman rescued in Germany reaches Delhi
New Delhi : Gurpreet, the Indian woman who was rescued from a refugee camp in Germany along with her eight-year-old daughter, reached New Delhi...
Dalit woman in MP sees ‘conspiracy’ to remove her as Sarpanch
Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) : A Dalit woman here has accused Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jayant Mallya of engaging in a "conspiracy" to have...
Dhaka can take lessons from Beijing, says Rasheda
By NNN-BSS,
Dhaka, Bangladesh : Adviser for Women and Children Affairs Rasheda K Chowdhury described Dhaka-Beijing friendship as an excellent one since time immemorial in terms of trade and commerce, culture and history and said, Bangladesh could take lessons from China.
Bangladesh should follow the strategies of China to move towards economic prosperity as Beijng had shown amazing economic achievement in agriculture, industry and human resources development, she said at a discussion at a city hotel on Saturday afternoon.
Congress women leaders lash out at Ramdev over Dalit remark
New Delhi: Three women leaders of the Congress Saturday hit out at yoga guru Baba Ramdev over his remarks on party vice president Rahul...
Shiela Dikshit urges women to gain social status
By IANS,
New Delhi: On the eve of International Women's Day, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday called upon women to come forward and gain economic and social status through empowerment.
Nand Ghar project launched by Vedanta, women and child ministry
New Delhi : Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi inaugurated the first "Nand Ghar" or modern anganwadi of the 4,000 her ministry plans...
Jammu and Kashmir to have law on violence against women
By IANS,
Jammu : The Jammu and Kashmir government will introduce a bill in the budget session of the state legislature for the protection of women against domestic violence.
The decision was taken at the state's winter capital here, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah late Monday night.
The decision was taken in the backdrop of several cases of mysterious deaths of women in Jammu and Kashmir, attributed to a demand for dowry or harassment of women by in-laws.
ABVP protests at St.Stephen’s College over sexual harassment
New Delhi: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday staged protests at St. Stephen's College in the north campus here over the alleged...
Two students arrested a month after video-recorded gang rape on crowded US beach
Phoenix (Arizona): No one intervened while a woman was being gang raped in daylight on a crowded public beach in Florida in March, or...
Indo-Canadian woman gets human rights plaint go-ahead
Ottawa : A provincial supreme court in Canada has okayed a human rights complaint by an Indo-Canadian varsity professor against a university alleging discrimination...
Want justice not revenge: Bilkis Bano
New Delhi, (IANS): Refusing to compare her case with the Nirbhaya gang-rape case where the apex court upheld death penalty for the convicts, Gujarat...
युवती की संदिग्ध मौत के बाद आगरा में बवाल, तनाव
विशेष संवाददाता।Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश के आगरा में एक युवती की संदिग्ध मृत्यु के बाद दो समुदायों के बीच हिंसक झड़प हो उठीं। दोनों समुदाय...
India women’s hockey captain Saba Anjum to be honoured
By IANS,
Raipur : Indian women?s hockey team captain Saba Anjum will get Chhattisgarh's top Gundadhur sports award, official sources said Wednesday.
Women activists urge president not to sign sexual crime ordinance
By IANS,
New Delhi: Some women's organisations Saturday urged the president not to sign the ordinance on criminal law amendments passed by the union cabinet to deal with sexual crimes.
Tripura CPI-M leader sent to police custody over wife’s murder
Agartala: A court in Tripura on Saturday sent senior CPI-M leader Jitendra Das, his two brothers and nephew to six-da'sy police custody in connection...
Sanitation crisis at alarming stage, say experts
New Delhi : Highlighting issues like menstrual hygiene management, women's dignity and poor defecation facilities, a national convention here Tuesday raised concern on the...
Army regrets killings as woman dies in Kashmir
By Sarwar Kashani
Srinagar : A woman injured in firing a day ago died in a hospital here on Tuesday as the Indian Army expressed...
19 years and counting: the tale of Naseema Begum’s wait for her missing husband
In the second of the five personal stories of half widows, Raqib Hameed Naik narrates the story of Naseema Dar.
Tengpora...
AAP government reconstitutes STF for women safety in Delhi
New Delhi (IANS) : The Aam Aadmi Party government has reconstituted a Special Task Force (STF) for women's safety in the national capital, a...
Triple Talaq un-Islamic, inhuman and unconstitutional: Armed Forces Tribunal bench
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Lucknow (UP): In a significant decision, the Lucknow Bench of Armed Forces Tribunal has ruled that the declaration of oral...
Flavia Agnes on Muslim personal law
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net
Flavia Agnes is a leading feminist scholar, women’s rights lawyer and social activist based in Mumbai. She has written and worked extensively on Muslim women’s issues, communalism and religion-based personal laws in India. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, she talks about her work.
Q: Could you tell us something about your own background?
Triumphant Shireen steps into Aliah University without veil
By Adnan Alavi,
Shireen Madiha has finally stepped into the university on her conditions. She had refused to bow down to the union's diktat that every woman teacher will have to wear a burqa on campus.
Now she has succeeded and the union is forced to accept its defeat. Shireen [her name wrongly appeared as Sirin Middya in some newspapers] had invited the ire of the students' union in Kolkata's Aliah University, where she taught Bangla literature, for not wearing the veil.
Casteism and communalism are twin banes of UP : Subhashini Ali
By Kulsum Mustafa, TwoCircles.net
Lucknow, October 28: 2009: Subhasani Ali, the firebrand CPI (M) leader is not known for mincing words. She talks direct and forcefully with a certain conviction that is both appealing and stimulating and display signs of a leader. True to her party ideals, the lady makes sure that her public addresses generate a mass appeal. She has over the years brought out the common man’s point of view strongly. She did the same at Hindustan Samagam-2009 -UP-Dasha aur Disha ‘(UP’s present situation and its future.) on October 27 in Lucknow.
SC to hear woman advocate’s plea over her rape
New Delhi : The Supreme Court will Tuesday hear a plea alleging police inaction on a complaint by a woman advocate from Chhattisgarh alleging...
Muslim women are excluded within community also: Asghar Ali Engineer
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Muslim women are excluded from the mainstream of the society but it is also a fact that they are excluded from the mainstream of the Muslim society as well, said scholar and writer Asghar Ali Engineer at a seminar on Muslim Women: Issues of Exclusion held today at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
Dalit woman set on fire for objecting to molestation
By IANS,
Lucknow : A group of men allegedly set a 25-year-old Dalit woman on fire after she objected to molestation by them in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj district, police said Monday.
The incident took place late Sunday evening in Kannauj, some 250 km from Lucknow, where Altaf and two of his aides set the Dalit woman on fire. With severe burn injuries, the woman was being treated in a hospital, where her condition was critical.
Manjula Pradeep: Working tirelessly to ensure equal rights for Dalits
By Amit Kumar
For Manjula Pradeep, growing up in Baroda and attending an English-medium school meant her childhood was like any other child, at least...
Do you know these women who won their right to Hijab?
These four Muslim women across the globe are resisting discrimination and reasserting their right to wear their Hijab.
Naila Khan | TwoCircles.net
NEW DELHI — The Karnataka...
Through scholarships, US-based IMRC helps thousands of poor students complete their studies
By Raqib Hameed Naik,
Hyderabad: Sameena Tasleem, a resident of Bandlaguda, Moinabad in Hyderabad, had always dreamt of becoming a doctor....
Woman Maoist arrested in Madhya Pradesh
By IANS,
Bhopal : A Naxalite woman, wanted in several cases and carrying a reward of Rs.30,000, has been arrested from Madhya Pradesh, police said Monday.
Kamla, an active member of Tanda Dalam, has been involved in various murders and gun battles with the police.
"A tip-off was received about Kamla's presence in Kodhapar forest area in Balaghat district on Saturday after which the police laid a trap and arrested her late Sunday," Balaghat Superintendent of Police Harinarayanchari Mishra said.
He said the arrest would help police bust the network of Maoists in the region.
Two Bengaluru school officials held for girl’s death
Bengaluru: The chairman and director of a school in which a teenage girl was shot dead were arrested on Thursday for failing to comply...
Rajouri braveheart Rukhsana honoured with medal, cash
By IANS,
Jammu: Rukhsana Kousar, the brave heart of Rajouri who killed top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant Abu Osama in her house in September last year, Saturday received an award for her act of exemplary bravery.
The Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak was presented to Rukhsana, on behalf of President Pratibha Patil, by Rajouri Deputy Commissioner J.P.Singh at an official function in Rajouri, 160 km north of Jammu.
Centre to launch three-day campaign for better women’s health
New Delhi : The union health ministry will launch a three-day nationwide campaign for ensuring better health for women, it was announced here Thursday.
The...
Women journalists’ date with President Mukherjee
By IANS,
New Delhi : The women were in their best silks, the venue was the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the occasion was International Women's Day.
Government’s gift for rural brides: pregnancy test strips!
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS,
New Delhi : Call it a thoughtful wedding gift. The government will give packets of pregnancy test strips to rural women on the occasion of their marriage - to reduce unwanted pregnancies and maternal mortality across India.
"It's a known fact that 53 percent of Indian women get married before reaching the legal age of 18 and have their first baby by 15 or 16 years of age. The problem is really huge in rural India," Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said.
This Kashmiri woman distributes sanitary napkins for free
Asma Hafiz, Twocircles.net
Irfana Zargar was settling in after a long day at work when she received a desperate call from a woman asking for...
Girls quiz Cameron on jobs for Indian women in UK
By IANS,
New Delhi : British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday faced a barrage of questions from students at a girls' college here on job opportunities in his country for women from India.
दौड़ने से पहले ही पंक्चर हो गई अल्पसंख्यक मंत्रालय की ‘साइकिल’ योजना
Afroz Alam Sahil, TwoCircles.net
अल्पसंख्यक तबक़े से ताल्लुक़ रखने वाली लड़कियों पढ़ाई-लिखाई में प्रोत्साहन देने के मक़सद से शुरू की गई केन्द्र सरकार की ‘साइकिल...
…और मैंने नोखा को ‘डेल्टा’ के लिए लड़ते हुए देखा
दलित छात्रा डेल्टा मेघवाल की उनके कॉलेज परिसर में हुई विवादित मौत पर देश भर में चर्चा और चिंता है. कॉलेज-प्रशासन जहां इसे आत्महत्या...
Looking beyond Women’s Day and Capitalism-inspired Feminism
By Ashley Tellis for Twocircles.net
Now that Women’s Day has gone, women will be forgotten once again for the rest of the year....
HIV-positive woman spreads hope in Uttar Pradesh
By Asit Srivastava, IANS,
Gorakhpur : After she tested positive for HIV three years ago, Bhanumati (name changed) was shattered. Living under the shadow of death, the 36-year-old feared she too would die of the infection like her husband. But today Bhanumati spearheads AIDS/HIV awareness programmes in villages of Uttar Pradesh.
Bhanumati, a resident of Tilauli village in Gorakhpur district, some 300 km from Lucknow, has constituted an all-women group that undertakes counselling of AIDS/HIV patients and also organises sensitisation programmes in India's most populous state.
अच्छी ख़बर : एएमयू को ‘नैक’ ने दिया ए ग्रेड
न्यूज डेस्क।Twocircles.net
देश के प्रतिष्ठित अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम विश्वविद्यालय को राष्ट्रीय मूल्यांकन एवं प्रत्यायन परिषद (नैक) की समीक्षा में 3.24 के संचयी ग्रेड प्वाइंट...
250 women pray at Haji Ali Dargah after 5 years
Mumbai : After five years and a series of legal battles and agitations, around 250 women entered the famous Haji Ali dargah here on...
Over 1,800 women beggars held in Mumbai in three years
By IANS,
New Delhi : A total of 1,818 women beggars were rounded up in Mumbai and only 319 and 19 in Delhi and Kolkata respectively in the past three years, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath Monday said.
"The number of women beggars hauled up in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata in the last three years is 319, 1,818 and 19 respectively," the minister told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
Happy to see girl students shine: Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated the students on their success in various examinations, and said he was “happy to see...
Woman held for abduction of six infants in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi: A 26-year-old woman, who was unable to conceive and was allegedly harassed by her in-laws for it, was arrested along with her male accomplice for kidnapping six male children belonging to poor families in the capital, police said Monday.
Ritu Kapoor, a college dropout, and her associate Mohammad Zia Ul, 30, were arrested Sunday. One of the boys who were abducted by them has been rescued, while the body of another was found a few days ago, police said.
Saudi women face jail, flogging for checking husband’s phone
Riyadh : Women in Saudi Arabia could be sent to jail and flogged if they check their husband’s telephone without his knowledge and consent....
महिला दिवस पर विशेष : सलीम भाई बनकर चाय की दुकान चलाती है ‘बानो’
सिमरा अंसारी। TwoCircles.net
राजधानी दिल्ली में देश की एक नामी यूनिवर्सिटी के पास ही एक चाय की दुकान है। इस दुकान के बाहर चाय का...
Woman commits suicide in Rashtrapati Bhavan premises
New Delhi: A woman committed suicide Friday within Rashtrapati Bhavan precincts by hanging herself from a ceiling fan, police said.
The official said that Sazia,...
Depressed widow kills kids, self on Karva Chauth
By IANS,
Amritsar: Feeling depressed on the day of Karva Chauth, a festival in which Hindu women fast for their husbands' long life, a young widow in this Punjab city killed her two minor sons and committed suicide, police said Thursday.
Baljit Kaur, 32, gave poison to her two sons, aged 10 and six, and consumed it herself at her home in Dashmesh Nagar Wednesday night.
Her husband, Rajinder, a sub-inspector with the Punjab police, died two months back.
Baljit Kaur and her sons were taken to a government hospital where doctors declared them dead.
Popular Front joins the grief of the nation in the death of Delhi rape...
By TCN News
New Delhi: Popular Front of India Chairman K.M. Shareef expressed deep condolences over the tragic death of the girl who was gang raped in Delhi a few days ago.
Four gang-rape convicts get 10-year jail in dacoity case
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday awarded 10-year jail terms to four people - earlier convicted for the brutal gang rape of December...
Amend Juvenile Justice Act: NCW chairperson
New Delhi : Pressing for a debate on the issue of juveniles who commit rape, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamta Sharma Wednesday...
‘Harassed for dowry’ woman jumps to death from Ghaziabad mall
By IANS,
Ghaziabad : A 23-year-old married woman jumped to death from the third floor of a mall on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border Wednesday afternoon, police said, suspecting it to be a "case of dowry-harassment" by her in-laws driving her to commit suicide.
Saraswati had gone to the East Delhi Mall (EDM) in Kaushambi Towers with her husband Dhirendra Kumar, a property dealer of Bhovapur locality in Ghaziabad.
Police custody till April 30 for rape accused actor Inder Kumar
Mumbai: A Mumbai magistrate Saturday granted police the custody of Bollywood actor Inder Kumar who has been accused of rape by a woman, a...
Police not to arrest Rathore ‘hastily’ despite criticism
By IANS,
Panchkula (Haryana): Haryana Police has been pulled up for delaying action in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case but police officials say they did not want to arrest former top cop S.P.S Rathore "hastily" despite a Panchkula court having dismissed his anticipatory bail pleas.
"Our investigation is still under process and we are looking into all aspects of the case before arresting anybody. We cannot do things hastily in this matter and we are busy collecting evidence pertaining to these FIRs," Superintendent of Police (Panchkula) Maneesh Chaudhary told IANS here Saturday.
Dalit auto rickshaw driver Chitralekha attacked allegedly by CPI (M) workers
By Shafeeq Hudawi
Kozhikode: While the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its associate organisations have been vociferously protesting against the crackdown in JNU and...
‘Denial of BC community certificate to converted Muslims deprival of fundamental rights’: Madras HC
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: In an unprecedented judgement, Madras High Court has held that a Hindu backward class (BC) woman shall be considered...
Will join politics after women’s bill passed: Kiran Bedi
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Kiran Bedi, a celebrated former police officer, Monday said she would join active politics after the women's quota becomes law but expressed apprehensions about the bill's passage.
"I still adhere to my previous statement that I will start taking part in active politics once the women's reservation bill is passed. But I believe there are very minimal chances that this bill will pass," said Bedi, who was India's first woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and has won the Magsaysay Award.
Patna Women’s College students protest sexual harassment
Patna : With the help of social media - Whatsapp and Facebook - hundreds of Patna Women's College students joined a protest and...
Assam waives entertainment tax on ‘Mary Kom’
Guwahati : The Assam government Wednesday announced exemption of entertainment tax on "Mary Kom", a new Bollywood movie on the World champion woman boxer...
Two arrested in Beed of Maharashtra for rape and murder of Muslim minor girl...
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Beed (Maharashtra): Four days after the rape and murder of a 14 year girl and her 57 years old mother, belonging...
Women rally in support of Rousseff in Brasilia
Rio de Janeiro : Hundreds of women rallied in front of the Planalto Palace, the government headquarters, in Brasilia in support of Brazilian President...
Woman leading prayers in women only mosque in China
By IINA,
Henan : In the central Chinese province of Henan, the scene of a woman leading prayers in a mosque for women only would not be a strange one, according to a report in ABC News Australia.
NCW seeks guidelines on online content offensive to women
New Delhi : The National Commission for Women (NCW) Thursday said the government should create guidelines for intermediaries to pull down any content offensive...
The world’s most powerful women: Three US secretaries of state and their accounts
By Vikas Datta,
If the US president is the world's most powerful leader, his secretary of state (or foreign minister) is a close second though maybe not as well-known. Of the 68 secretaries since 1790, few are recognised names - even in America - though six, right from the very first (Thomas Jefferson), went on to become presidents themselves. Only three have been women, but they happened to be in office at critical and challenging times, held their own in high-level diplomacy and have penned absorbing accounts of their experiences.
In Azamgarh fifty women sterilized in torch, mobile light in four hours flat
No lessons learnt from Chhattisgarh incident where women were sterilized in dismal conditions, kept on floor
By Mahmood Asim, TwoCircles.net,
Azamgarh: There were no hospital beds, there were inadequate facilities and to top of it, there was no electricity. Still, as many as 50 women were sterilized by the doctors at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the district.
क्या औरत का काम सिर्फ़ घर संभालना है?
चन्द्रजीत रघुवंशी
उत्तराखण्ड : बुनाई वाली मशीन पर जब वो तेज़ी से अपना हाथ चलाती है तो उसका आत्मविश्वास और काम के प्रति लगन देखते...
Austrian FM hails appointing two women in Kuwaiti cabinet
By KUNA,
Vienna : Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik expressed happiness regarding the appointment of two women ministers in the new Kuwaiti government, noting that such step would encourage local women toward success and achievement on various levels.
The Minister stressed importance, in a press release on her website, of women's vital role in Kuwait, particularly in the set-up of the Arab world, hoping that such step would be an example for the region.
Triple talaq law will affect social cohesion, says Owaisi
Hyderabad, (IANS): MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has opposed the bill seeking to criminalise instant triple talaq, saying this would have severe consequences on rule of...
Most gender atrocities against Dalit women: P. Sivakami
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : India's leading feminist Dalit novelist-cum-politician P. Sivakami feels that most gender atrocities in the country are committed against Dalit women.
The former senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer gave up her job to become a full-time writer in 2008.
Court dismisses woman’s maintenance plea
By IANS,
New Delhi : For Sheena, concealing her income from a city court in a divorce matter proved costly as the court rejected her maintenance plea stating that it cannot allow the law to be used as a tool to get enriched unjustly at the expense of the spouse.
Woman, daughter kicked, stripped in Uttar Pradesh village
By IANS,
Lucknow : The mother and 18-year-old sister of a young man were kicked, stripped and paraded naked in an Uttar Pradesh village by locals who were against his relationship with a girl. The two brothers of the girl have been arrested, police said Saturday.
The mother and sister of Phaujveer Singh, 24, a resident of Kalyanpur village in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district, some 350 km from Lucknow, were Friday paraded naked in the village by a group of locals, including the family members of the girl.
Are religious beliefs, customs above constitutional norms, asks SC
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked if religious beliefs and customs were above constitutional norms as it questioned how a women...
Three held for human trafficking, two girls rescued
New Delhi: Three people, including a woman, have been arrested for their involvement in human trafficking, while two girls from West Bengal were rescued,...
A Portrait of the Indian as a Young Dalit Girl: Part 2 – Sister,...
(Editor’s note: This was first published on Yahoo.com as a single piece. We are reproducing the long form report in parts for TwoCircles.net readers.)
You...
Under the pretext of Uniform Civil Code, there is an attempt to humiliate India’s...
By Misbahuddin Mirza for Twocircles.net
The present government’s attempt to specifically and selectively target the Indian Muslim Personal Law, while conveniently ignoring the serious negative...
Social work through “Sangini”
By Salman Sultan, TwoCircles.net special correspondent
Azamgarh: Dr. Madhuri Singh is the daughter-in-law of a doctor couple. Both her in-laws, Dr. Rajdeo Singh and Mrs. (Dr.) K.R. Singh were doctors practicing in Azamgarh. Her husband, Dr. Kishore Singh, is a Pathologist and runs Singh Diagnostic Centre in Azamgarh city. Mrs. Madhuri is blessed by two children: elder son, has done M.Tech from USA and is working in Pittsburgh, USA; daughter is pursuing M.Sc in Counselling Psychology from Christ Church College, Bangalore.
Indian tribal women’s ‘smart’ ride to economic self-reliance
By Anurag Dey
Sahebganj (Jharkhand), (IANS): Her thumbs flying fast over the touchscreen of her smartphone, Purnima Mahato, 35, of this tribal village in Jharkhand,...
Women MPs’ day in parliament
By IANS,
New Delhi: With the world observing International Women's Day, Indian lawmakers Tuesday made a strong pitch for reserving one-third seats in parliament and state legislatures for women.
शौहर को जेल भेजना इस मसले का हल नहीं है: सहबा
नासिरूद्दीन, TwoCircles.net के लिए
पिछले दिनों हमारे मुल्क में यह माहौल बनाने की कोशिश की गई कि सभी मुसलमान महिलाएं तीन तलाक़ क़ानून के...
Scheme for saving and educating girls in 100 districts
New Delhi : India will launch a mega scheme for saving and educating the girl child in 100 districts of the country that have...
CBI consulting legal experts in Rathore case
By IANS,
New Delhi : After facing criticism for mishandling the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday said it was seeking legal opinion to include charges of abetment to suicide against former Haryana director general of police S.P.S. Rathore.
Women Panchayat leaders fight for rights, set example
New Delhi, Amita Devi of Bihar is determined to secure compensation for those whose lands were acquired for the construction of a four-lane highway. During the women Panchayat leaders' meet in the capital Wednesday, she carried with her a letter on the issue and plans to give it to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Haryana’s women legislators – motorcylist nurse to industrialist mom
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Chandigarh : One was a nurse who ran her campaign riding a motorcycle. Another is known for her flamboyance in politics and social life. A third has been listed by Forbes magazine as one of India's richest women. They are among the nine women elected Thursday to the 90-member Haryana assembly.
In a state that has one of the worst sex ratios in the country with just around 800 females per 1,000 males, 67 women were in the poll fray among 1,222 contenders this time.
Campaign to make minority and SC/ST women legally aware
By Saiyed Danish, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Ashray Welfare and Charitable Society (AWCS) organized an event on legal awareness for women belonging to SC/ST and minority communities living near Pant Nagar and Nizamuddin in the community hall of Pant Nagar neighbourhood.
Irom Sharmila rejects Congress for AAP, continues fast
Imphal : Activist Irom Chanu Sharmila, who has been on a fast-unto-death since the last 10 years against alleged rights violations by security forces,...
Wearing of helmet optional for Sikh women: Delhi HC told
New Delhi : The Delhi government Wednesday informed the high court here that it has made wearing of helmet optional for Sikh women while...
National parties field just three women in Northeast
By IANS,
Agartala : The number of women candidates fighting the upcoming parliamentary polls in the northeast has increased from seven in 2004 to 18 this time, although just three of the women candidates have been fielded by national parties.
Girl tortured by father, stepmother rescued in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: The injuries and scars all over her body bear testimony to the cruel torture she was subjected to by her father and stepmother...
Congress, BJP have just six women candidates in Madhya Pradesh
By IANS,
Bhopal : Women may comprise 47 percent of Madhya Pradesh's electorate, but the two main parties together have fielded just six candidates for the 29 Lok Sabha seats - the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) four and the opposition Congress two.
The two parties have also been advocating 33 percent reservation for women in all bodies. But this does not seem to translate into a more equitable distribution of nominations.
The smaller parties are no different. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has not fielded even one woman. Ditto with the Samajwadi Party.
Kerala government floats new policy to empower women
By IANS,
Palakkad (Kerala) : The Kerala cabinet has approved the adoption of a new policy to ensure gender equality and prevent crime against women, Pinarayi Vijayan, state secretary of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said here Thursday.
Vijayan, who is on a tour of the state, told reporters that the main objective of floating the new policy was to ensure social justice for women.
"Our goals can be achieved because Kerala is far ahead of other parts of the country with regards to women's literacy and life expectancy," said Vijayan.
Women as a vote bank: Not a win-win for politicos
By Amulya Ganguli
Women are now being courted by some politicians who sense that their appeal to Dalits, backward castes and Muslims is dwindling in...
Woman to woman: Pratibha Patil to visit Britain Oct 27-29
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : President Pratibha Patil will visit Britain Oct 27-29 in a state visit showcasing the close ties between India and Britain, officials said.
"This is a visit that will reinforce the point that our relations are excellent," said Indian High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Mukherjee after the government and the royal family announced the visit.
Rape: crime or victory?
By Saquib Salim,
I am not really a soccer fan and I do not want to pretend during world cup, just because everyone else...
Microfinance scheme for transgenders, marginalised women
By IANS,
Chennai: In a bid to empower transgenders and marginalised women, a microfinance programme was launched by Tamil Nadu TAI Vizhudugal Federation (TAIVF) here Friday under which 16 groups were given a loan of Rs.50,000 each.
"AIDS and connected issues cannot be addressed in isolation. To ensure long-term impact and sustainability of any programme we realised that transgenders and marginalised women groups have to stand on their feet, become self-reliant and take charge of their lives," R. Lakshmibai, project director, Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative (TAI) said.
Hundreds celebrate Chhath in Bihar jails
By IANS,
Patna : Hundreds of prisoners, including women undertrials, have been performing Chhath puja inside the jail premises across Bihar, observing fasts and offering prayers to the sun god, officials said Tuesday.
Nearly 30 prisoners, including 22 women, in Patna's Beur jail participated in the festivities and prison authorities said they had given new clothes to the inmates.
The prisoners have also been provided the materials needed for the rituals associated with the festival - like fruits, rice, sugar and coconuts.
Women Power? Watch out for Jaya, Maya and Mamata in LS Poll 2014
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa Jayaram, ex Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati and the Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee are three key figures to watch out for the Lok Sabha election 2014.
Kurdish women fighters, an unprecedented example of equality in Middle East
Madrid : The Syrian city of Kobane, where resistance against jihadis of the Islamic State (IS) has become a symbol of Kurdish unity, is...
Iranian women pilgrims visit Baqi Cemetery for first time
By IRNA,
Tehran : Iranian woman pilgrims entered the Baqi Cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia, for the first time on Sunday night in the presence of Chairman of Experts Assembly Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The Baqi is well-known as graveyard of members of the infallible household of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), including four Imams and the beloved daughter of Prophet Mohammad, Hazrat Zahra (SA).
Women are banned from entering the cemetery.
Missionaries of Charity mourn Sister Nirmala’s death
Kolkata: The Missionaries of Charity on Tuesday saluted Sister Nirmala's life of service and dedication, recalling her role in taking the religious order forward
"We...
NCW unhappy with Colors on female foeticide serial
By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Commission for Women (NCW) Friday said it was unhappy with Colors channel's reply to its notice over portraying women in a poor light in the serial "Na Aana Is Des Laado".
"We have received the response to our notice from Colors TV and I went through it but am not satisfied with what they had to say. We will take further action in the matter," NCW chairperson Girja Vyas told IANS.
"Na Aana Is Des Laado" is aired on Colors on weekdays and deals with the issue of female foeticide.
NHRC notice to Rajasthan on branding women as witches
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued notice to the Rajasthan government on the plight of women branded as...
Emotional support for Jayalalithaa in Bangalore
Bangalore : About 500 men and women from Tamil Nadu crossed into Karnataka Sunday to extend emotional support to jailed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister...
Banning Burqa is undemocratic. Muslim women groups protest in Mumbai
By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Growing number of 50-plus women giving birth
By IANS,
London: A growing number of women are giving birth in their 50s, as more and more in vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinics relax rules on treating older patients.
PM’s wife to launch women’s health campaign
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur will launch a nation-wide programme on International Women's Day Tuesday for women's health empowerment, officials said.
Amandeep retains lead in women’s golf meet
Bengaluru : Rookie Amandeep Drall carded two-over 74 to retain the lead in the second round of the 12th leg of the Hero Women’s...
Ban weddings on reality TV: Women’s panel
By IANS,
New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) Saturday criticised weddings in reality television serials and said they should be banned.
"There should be strict restrictions on such marriages. All media houses must come forward for this," NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said Saturday. "It should be banned".
After actor Rakhi Sawant's engagement on a reality television show last year, late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan's son Rahul is set to get married on the "Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega" show on NDTV Imagine channel late Saturday.
UN chief highlights rural women’s role in global progress
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that rural women are the key agents for sustainable development as the international community moves towards...
Rajya Sabha disrupted over Selja’s claim of caste bias
New Delhi : The government and the opposition locked horns in the Rajya Sabah on Wednesday when the treasury benches contradicted Congress member Kumari...
More women voters join polls in Bangladesh
By Xinhua,
Dhaka : More women voters are casting their votes in Bangladesh's 9th parliamentary election which is being held on Monday.
Witnesses said there are many women voters queuing up in different polling centers in Dhaka, adding the phenomenon was rare in the past.
After casting her vote in a polling center in Dhaka, Farhana Mahmud told Xinhua the government has created very good environment for voting, like the deployment of a highest number of security forces, banning the movement of vehicles.
Court observation on Muslim women’s photos valid, says community
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Supreme Court's observation that Muslim women will have to lift their veils to be photographed for the electoral rolls is valid, members of the community say.
A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice Deepak Verma had made the observation while deliberating on a plea to prohibit display of photographs of burqa-clad Muslim women in the voters' list.
