An Indian man in Saudi Arabia has been fired from his job for allegedly posting "derogatory comments" on women, amid the Sabarimala temple row, a media report said. Deepak Pavithram, a Keralite working with Lulu Hypermarket in Riyadh, was fired for allegedly making misogynistic and insensitive remarks about women on social media. "We have a strict and zero tolerance policy with regard to our staff misusing social media to spread malicious or derogatory comments which might hurt religious sentiments," V Nandakumar, Chief Communications Officer at Lulu Group, said. "All GCC nations are home to a large cosmopolitan population from almost all countries in the world and we respect their sentiments, culture and religious beliefs," Nandakumar said. This is the second termination in recent times by the Indian-owned retail giant on similar grounds. In August, they had terminated the services of a Keralite expat in Oman after he posted distasteful comments about flood victims in Kerala.
British woman held in Malaysia accused of killing husband
Malaysian police have detained a British woman in the Langkawi resort island for allegedly stabbing her husband to death. Langkawi police chief said investigators found a 12 inch-long kitchen knife with blood stains in the couple's home where John William Jones, 62, was found dead. He said police were called to the scene after Samantha Jones, 51, asked her neighbour to call an ambulance but her husband was pronounced dead by medical officers. He said a stab wound was found on Jones' chest and police have classified the case as murder. "She confessed that she stabbed her husband in the chest during a heated argument but this is still under investigation," police chief said. She was remanded in police custody. He said that John William Jones was a former firefighter who moved with his wife to the tropical island 11 years ago under 'Malaysia My Second Home' program, which gives foreigners long-staying visas.
Pak firm asks woman to shun hijab or resign
A woman worker of a software firm in Pakistan was told to either stop wearing hijab at workplace or resign, in perhaps the first incident of its kind in the country. The incident caused an uproar on social media, leading to the resignation of CEO Jawwad Kadir of the Creative Choas company. She was told that she could keep her job only if she took off her hijab by her line manager who said that wearing hijab would spoil the company’s image as an “all-embracing” workplace. Kadir initially tried to downplay the incident by issuing an apology. The firm in a Facebook post said Kadir had been asked to step down “for workplace discrimination.”
Australia ruling party loses majority in parliament
Australia’s ruling party has lost its parliamentary majority at a crucial election. Kerryn Phelps has won Wentworth by-election to fill the void left by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The ruling government has lost its one-seat majority in Canberra. The Liberal Party candidate Dave Sharma suffered a projected swing of more than 20 per cent against him. Turnbull quit Parliament after being removed from the party leadership in August. It has cost the current prime minister, Scott Morrison a single-seat majority in Parliament. The government is now in minority in the parliament. The next parliamentary elections in the country are due in May next year. Before this loss, Wentworth had always been a stronghold for the Liberal Party. The Labour Party said that the swing against the Government was significant
70 children still missing after Indonesia quake, tsunami
At least 70 children were still reported missing after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island last month, authorities said. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the total number of missing people currently stands at 680, but authorities believe nearly 5,000 people could still be buried under the rubble in the most-affected regions where search efforts have already ended. The head of the ministry's child rehabilitation programme, Nahar, said that the number of missing children were calculated from reports lodged by families. The Commission for Child Protection has already warned of vulnerability of minors in the post-disaster situation, including trafficking and sexual abuse.
17 killed in shootout at Russia college
At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured at a college in the Black Sea region of Crimea when a student went through the building shooting at fellow pupils before killing himself, Russian law enforcement officials said. Eighteen-year-old Vladislav Roslyakov turned up at the college in the city of Kerch carrying a firearm and then began shooting, investigators said. His body was later found in the college with what they said were self-inflicted gunshot wounds. There were no immediate clues as to his motive in mounting such an attack, which recalled similar shooting sprees carried out by students in US schools. Many of the victims were teenage students who suffered shrapnel and bullet wounds. Pupils and staff described scenes of mayhem as panicked pupils tried to flee the building. They said the attack had started with an explosion, followed by more blasts, and a hail of gunfire.
After US, Oz to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem?
Australia has raised the prospect of following the US by relocating its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a policy shift that critics described as a desperate grab for domestic political gain to win a crucial by-election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the idea was suggested to him by a former ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma. At stake is the government’s single-seat majority in the House of Representatives and Morrison’s ability to retain power without doing deals with independent lawmakers. Any political gain could come at the cost of strained ties with Muslim-majority countries including neighbouring Indonesia, whose foreign minister expressed strong concern. In May, the Trump administration turned its back on decades of US policy by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv.
Indonesian women police officer to undergo virginity test
Despite pressure to end the practice, Indonesian women are still subject to virginity testing for being recruited as police officers. Amongst all the physical standards listed, one of the conditions for the Indonesian women is to be "pretty." The worst part is that the tests are not being recorded or are present in the books as an official requirement but are still conducted throughout the country. The tests are being disguised as a part of a "morality or physical examination." According Human Rights Watch, Indonesian police claims that the society "will not accept a female police officer who has an active sex life or used to be a sex worker." The 'test' is widely considered controversial for various reasons. Apart from being unethical and invasive, it is also mentally harassing for women to be subject to such a test. In some cases that suspect rape or child sexual abuse, a detailed examination of the hymen may be performed, however, the broken hymen alone cannot stand as proof.
US deputies lure rogue pig back home with Doritos
Deputies in California have used Doritos to lure a pig “the size of a mini horse” back home. The pig was running around a neighborhood when the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office received the call. One of the deputies had Doritos in her lunch bag. Video shows the deputy leaving a trail of the chips, which the pig followed. The pig was returned to its pen, and deputies secured the gate.
