Thursday, February 13

Day: February 15, 2017

Child car seat law change: here’s what you need to know
ENGLISH, Life Style

Child car seat law change: here’s what you need to know

    Ahead of new child booster seat laws being introduced on March 1, data has revealed the extent of the public's bafflement. Freedom of Information data requested by motoring experts Confused.com reveals there were 4,646 incidents of UK drivers not adhering to child seatbelt laws in 2015. A total of 19,358 of these offences were recorded between 2013 and 2015. Worryingly, new research reveals two thirds (66%) of parents do not understand the current car booster seat regulations. Furthermore, over half (56%) are unaware of new booster seat regulations coming into force this year, and of those who are aware 87% do not understand the changes. As the current UK law stands, all children travelling in a vehicle must use the correct car seat for their height, age and weight until t...
People are mad that Sweden’s first feminist government wore headscarves in Iran
ENGLISH, Europe

People are mad that Sweden’s first feminist government wore headscarves in Iran

    Sweden's Trade Minister Ann Linde has been forced to defend herself, and her government colleagues, after they wore headscarves during an official visit to Iran. The Director of United Nations Watch in Geneva has called it the walk of shame: The BBC reports that among those attacking the self-described first feminist government in the world is Jan Björklund, the leader of the opposition Liberal party. He said the headscarf represents patriarchal oppression, and goes against feminist foreign policy. Björklund suggested that the Swedish government should have requested that the female visitors not be required to wear a headscarf. He said if their request was refused, they shouldn’t have signed any trade agreements. Linde responded that Iran requires women to wear the headsca...
Sri Lanka war widows face sexual exploitation
Asia, ENGLISH

Sri Lanka war widows face sexual exploitation

    Tamil women who survived Sri Lanka’s civil war now face widespread sexual exploitation by officials in their own community as well as from the army, the head of an ethnic reconciliation body said Wednesday. Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga, the chairwoman of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, said women who were widowed during the 37-year conflict were among the victims of abuse by officials who frequently demand sexual favours just to carry out routine paperwork. There is a lot of sexual abuse still going on by officials, even Tamil officials and even at lower levels, the grama sevakas (village officials),’ she told Sri Lanka’s Foreign Correspondents Association. Even to sign a document, they abuse the women and of course some people in the (armed) fo...
New York Times calls journalist’s comment about First Lady completely inappropriate
America, ENGLISH

New York Times calls journalist’s comment about First Lady completely inappropriate

    The New York Times has responded to a claim that one of its journalists said the First Lady is a hooker, calling the comment completely inappropriate. Actress Emily Ratajkowski tweeted on Monday that a journalist from the newspaper had made the comment to her the night before, and called it out for “slut shaming” Melania Trump. Ms Ratajkowski tweeted: Sat next to a journalist from the NYT last night who told me Melania is a hooker. Whatever your politics it’s crucial to call this out for what it is: slut shaming. I don’t care about her nudes or sexual history and no one should, she said, adding: Gender specific attacks are disgusting sexist bulls***. New York Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said the reporter had referred to an unfounded rumour regarding the First Lady, and...
14-party demands $1bn compensation from WB
Bangladesh, ENGLISH

14-party demands $1bn compensation from WB

    The ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance on Wednesday demanded the World Bank pay US$ one billion in compensation for delaying the start of the construction of the Padma Bridge bringing graft allegation. Mohammad Nasim, spokesperson of the 14-party alliance, made the demand at a meeting at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s political office at Dhanmondi in Dhaka, reports BSS. Nasim, also an Awami League presidium member, said the country has been affected badly financially due to false allegation involving the Padma Bridge funding made by the World Bank and demanded the Bank pay US$ one billon in compensation for the loss incurred due to several years’ delay in starting the project. Besides, Nasim demanded the Speaker call Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and othe...
Russia secretly deployed nuclear cruise missiles that violate a treaty with the US
ENGLISH, Europe

Russia secretly deployed nuclear cruise missiles that violate a treaty with the US

    Russia just issued a serious challenge to the US with a deployment of treaty-violating nuclear-capable cruise missiles that could pose a serious threat to Western Europe, The New York Times reports. The missiles violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or the INF, because they have a range of between 620 and 3,420 miles and fire from ground-based launchers, enabling Russia to hit European capitals from their homeland. Jeffrey Lewis, founding publisher of Arms Control Wonk, told Business Insider in an interview that the missiles in question were likely 9m729s, a ground-based adaptation of Russia's Kalibr missiles that famously debuted by striking targets in Syria 1000 miles away from the Caspian sea. "We knew it was coming for a long time," said Lewis of the tr...