Before it backtracked, Twitter had said Thursday that the change was meant to protect victims of harassment who wanted to filter out abusive messages but feared that the act of blocking a user would prompt retaliation.
Stepping up measures for women's safety in the backdrop of growing demand for such action, Karnataka Government today set up a dedicated helpline. Women in distress and those facing threat of attack including molestation could call on phone number 1091.
The woman's father alleged that she has gone missing at the behest of the 72-year-old BJP leader, who heads Mumukshu ashram.
The 'love jihad" controversy, an issue the Bharatiya Janata Party sought to exploit during the assembly by-elections in western Uttar Pradesh last month, took a new turn with a 22-year-old local woman going back on her statement that she was gang-raped and forcibly converted to Islam.
'The vehicles have evolved, the mindset hasn't. And it won't, not until boys are reformed to understand, imbibe and espouse the importance of consent,' says Veenu Sandhu.
Sanji Ram and Vishal Jangotra, who were chargesheeted by the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police in the case, claimed that the police had miserably failed to conduct a "fair and effective" probe and alleged that "tainted" officers were part of special investigation team which probed the matter.
Facing arrest, controversial self-styled godman Nithyananda on Tuesday moved the Karnataka high court seeking quashing of a first information report filed in connection with last week's violent incidents in his ashram near in Bengaluru.
'This is obvious to everyone except those in denial; it is a national shame.' 'To that extent, blaming any particular government is an insufficient response,' argues Mihir S Sharma.
'#metoo has put front and centre an issue that society has suppressed for far too long,' says Kanika Datta.
Denying his wife Hasin Jahan's allegation of treason, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami on Friday said that he would prefer death before betraying his country.
The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Monday the plea of Mukesh, who has also sought quashing of all orders passed by courts and the rejection of his mercy petition by the President since the day his curative petition was dismissed by the apex court.
This is the fourth death warrant issued for the execution of the convicts in the matter.
The JNU student leader said, "There is an atmosphere of fear in the country and anybody who speaks against the government is threatened."
Asked about the security breach at their residence, he said it was a "very big lapse", but he would like to emphasise more on the safety of women in the country.
Reacting sharply to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's sweeping allegations about 'rape' and 'mass murder' of farmers in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday termed it as a 'bunch of lies.'
The European Arrest Warrant on rape charges against Assange was lifted in May last year but Scotland Yard had confirmed a British arrest warrant dating from 2012 remains in place, which they were obliged to execute should the campaigner step out of the embassy.
Hyderabad-based painter of Hindu deities for temple walls Papa Lal hit headlines recently after he was harassed and assaulted for raising a Muslim girl orphaned by the 2007 blasts in the city. He has now threatened to commit suicide if his "daughter" Sonia Fatima is forcibly taken away from him.
Munroe Bergdorf had called out racism in a strongly-worded Facebook post after the White Supremacists' rally in Charlottesvilla in the US.
The lawyer of Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower website Wikileaks, has said that the journalist faces the threat of the death penalty or detention at Guantanamo Bay if he is extradited to Sweden on accusations of rape and sexual assault. "Indeed, if Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty," his lawyer said.
Sharma, one of the four convicts on death row in the 2012 case, has also sought commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment claiming that he has "developed mental illness" inside the prison due to the alleged "torture and ill-treatment".
Nirbhaya's parents and the Delhi government had moved the court on Tuesday seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts.
'If prices of everyday consumption don't come down, employment doesn't pick up, 2020 will not be a happy year for anyone but the super rich,' notes Sherna Gandhy.
In an unprecedented action, the Supreme Court on Friday issued notice of contempt to its former judge Markandey Katju for using "intemperate" language and "scandalising" judiciary as he appeared before a bench and had heated exchanges with it.
'Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti acted single-mindedly right from day one of the three month-long crisis.' 'She pursued her chosen administrative course, unmindful of the menacing jingoistic drum beating in the coalition backyard.' 'At one point, I asked her if she was willing to pay the price for taking her line of action to its logical conclusion.' '"Yes," was her spontaneous response,' reveals Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir.
The state government is worried that the agitation may pose a serious threat to it, reports Sanjay Jog.
'The 2019 election and the run-up to it will certainly see bots being deployed in large numbers on all sides.'
A woman who faced life threats and sexual abuses online for her tweets ahead of gymnast Dipa Karmakar's performance in Rio Olympics sought the help of Union Minister Sushma Swaraj following which a case was lodged by Rajasthan Police.
The Centre informed the court that it has accepted the Bihar government's recommendation for a CBI probe in the matter.
'We used to have beautifully crafted, witty and touching duets which taught the genders how to speak and romance each other.' 'Where else would we get the genius of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle from?'
Sexual assault of two foreign teenagers and allegations of a cover-up sparked law and order concerns in Goa where terror threat has hit tourist inflow during the peak season this year. However, the state with a history of political uncertainty saw the Congress-led government surviving in office despite two attempts at rebellion within the coalition.
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami's wife Hasin Jahan, who has accused her husband of torture and having extra-marital affairs, slammed social networking site Facebook for blocking her account.
"Undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system to undermine public confidence in the efficacy of law and society could not long endure such serious threats," a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Sathasivam observed in its recent judgment.
Sandeep Pandey salutes women who have contributed to social transformation in India after 1980.
Modi accused the Congress of criticising EVMs and the functioning of the Election Commission after they were reduced to 44 seats from 400 in Lok Sabha. "They did not question the EVMs after the recent Karnataka elections," he added.
India needs to shed its policy of lethargy and inhibitions to engage the Taliban with an intent to maintain its influence in Afghanistan. This would not just put a spanner in Pakistani designs, but also incentivise the Taliban not to be the puppets of GHQ, Rawalpindi, asserts Colonel Nikhil Apte (retd), who served on the Af-Pak desk at the Military Operations Directorate.
West Bengal is poised to become the rape capital of India, but its chief minister refuses to face reality, says Debosmita Sarkar.
A group of retired civil servants also called upon the PM to reach out to the families of the victims in Unnao and Kathua and "seek their forgiveness on behalf of all of us".
'A firm national resolve can only deter and defeat the nefarious designs of the adversary,' notes Rup Narayan Das.
Rehman made last ditch efforts to convince Hussain and leaders of the other four component parties of the MMA to delay the decision to resign, but in vain, Daily Times reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it had not been a correct decision to align with Congress in the 2011 assembly elections and accused the Congress of holding out the threat of the Central Bureau of Investigation "whenever there is a protest against the UPA government".
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