A lawsuit was filed against network gear maker Cisco Systems Inc, accusing the company of “discrimination, harassment, and retaliation” against an Indian-American employee and allowing him to be harassed by two managers on the basis of his caste. The lawsuit was filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing in a federal court in San Jose. According to its statement, “the Complainant was expected to accept a caste hierarchy within the workplace where he held the lowest status within a team of higher-caste colleagues, receiving less pay, fewer opportunities, and other inferior terms and conditions of employment because of his religion, ancestry, national origin/ethnicity, and race/color”. Though US employment law does not specifically bar caste-based discrimination, the state, in its suit, asserts that “the Hindu faith’s lingering caste system is based on protected classes such as religion”. The lawsuit has therefore been filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin”. The lawsuit does not name the victim, but says he has been a principal engineer at Cisco’s San Jose headquarters since October 2015 and is a Dalit.
Biden picks Indian-origin for key role
Indian-American Medha Raj has been named by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as his digital chief of staff, a key role in his election campaigns which are going virtual due to the pandemic. In this capacity, Raj will work across all facets of the digital department to streamline and coordinate how to maximise the impact of its digital outputs, the Biden campaign said. “Excited to share that I’ve joined Joe Biden’s campaign as the digital chief of staff. 130 days to the election and we’re not going to waste a minute!” she said on LinkedIn.
4 school teachers fired for harassing students in Pak
Four faculty members of an elite school in Lahore were sacked by the management for allegedly sexually harassing female students. Students had spoken up about the inappropriate behaviour on an Instagram page. Students revealed that one of the accused, who used to teach debate and politics, got involved with girls during trips. Another accused, a chemistry teacher, used to stare at girls’ chests and try to touch them inappropriately. One of the victims said about another accused that he used to bite his lip whenever he talked to her. Another girl said her teacher forced her to take a picture with him saying that he would look at it in bed. According to students, they had lodged complaints but the school did not take action. The administration, however, said that after receiving evidence, all four involved were fired.
48 Pak docs quit over safety issues
Pakistan suffered a setback in the fight against Covid-19 as 48 doctors working in the teaching hospitals of Punjab province resigned, citing non-provision of safety gear to protect them from the virus that has killed more than 4,700 people in the country. According to a notification of the Punjab health department, 48 doctors resigned from the posts at the government teaching hospitals. Their resignations have been accepted, it said.
Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills 162
At least 162 people were killed on in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years that critics blame on the government’s failure to take action against unsafe conditions. The Myanmar fire service department announced about 12 hours after the morning disaster that 162 bodies were recovered from the landslide in Hpakant. “The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud,” the fire service said. It said 54 injured people were taken to hospitals. An unknown number of people are feared missing.
Rocket fired towards US embassy in Iraq
The Iraqi military said that a rocket aimed at Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, home of the US embassy, struck a residential house and injured a child. Iraqi officials said the embassy’s recently installed C-Ram air defence system may have attempted to intercept the rocket as the system was operational late on Saturday. A recent spate of rocket attacks have struck close to the US embassy and targeted American troops in Iraqi bases. The rocket was launched from the Ali Al-Saleh area of Baghdad.
People refusing Covid test threatened with fines
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has warned that people refusing Covid-19 tests in Victoria, where the second wave of infections has led to the return of strict restrictions, could face significant fines. Daniel Andrews, the state premier, said that more than a thousand people refused to be tested. The restrictions, which will see people ordered to stay home except for work, school, care duties or essential shopping, will affect more than 300,000 residents. Morrison expressed his support for the Victorian government’s measures as 73 new cases were reported, the 15th consecutive day of double-digit growth in coronavirus cases in the state. “Where outbreaks do occur you need to move on them as the Victorian government is and they have our full support with that," he said. “We're doing this in an Australian way. We're looking to do it through incentive, through the use of carrot, not stick… But occasionally the stick will have to be put about, whether it's fines or other sanctions that are in place to ensure that we keep everybody safe.”
Vietnam, Philippines protest China’s military drills
Vietnam and the Philippines criticised China’s holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region. Philippine defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana said China’s exercises in the waters near the Paracel Islands were “highly provocative”, while Vietnam’s foreign ministry called them a violation of sovereignty that could be “detrimental” to Beijing’s ties with Asean. China scheduled five days of drills near the Paracels according to a June 27 announcement. Vietnam has overlapping claims with China over the Paracels.
EU reopens its borders to 15 countries
The European Union has reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries after it was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But travellers from the United States, India, Russia and Brazil are not welcome. The regional bloc had barricaded its borders in March, in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The countries excluded from the list are the worst-affected from the pandemic. Europe will allow visitors from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. China has also been included in the list but on the condition of reciprocity, which means that the EU would only open if Chinese authorities also allowed in visitors from the bloc. The list would be updated every 14 days, with new countries being added or dropped off depending on whether they are keeping the pandemic under control. The EU list does not apply to travel into Britain, which left the bloc in January and is in its post-Brexit transition that ends on December 31.
Afghan army accused of killing 23 civilians mistakenly
The UN mission in Afghanistan said that the Afghan military had mistakenly fired mortars at a busy market in southern Helmand province that inflicted heavy civilian casualties. According to a statement from the office of the Helmand provincial governor, Gen. Mohammad Yasin, a car bombing and mortar shells struck the market in Sangin district last week, killing 23 people, including children. Both the Taliban and the Afghan military blamed each other for the attack. A series of tweets from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said that “multiple credible sources" have asserted that the Afghan army fired the “mortars in response to Taliban fire, missing (the) intended target." The tweet made no mention of any car bomb but it indicated that there was a battle between the Taliban and Afghan forces at the time of the attack. The UN did not elaborate on how its mission reached those findings.
Mum who donated breast milk inundated with requests
A mum who donated 65 litres of breast milk to help other mothers, has opened up about the unusual requests she’s received from men wanting her to nurse them. After welcoming her first child, baby Lynnlee, in February 2019, Michele Oller, 34, soon found herself with a freezer full of surplus breast milk. Wanting to put it to good use, the pharmacist from Oklahoma, in the US, found a website dedicated to selling breast milk. After sharing a post advertising the milk she had available, the new mum thought she would connect with fellow mothers, but she also received a whole host of requests from men. “One site I used was full of strange men,” she explains. “I highly doubt they wanted the milk for their babies.” “A few of them asked me for photos, which was creepy enough in itself, and said a lot about their motives. I also got a couple of requests from men asking if I would physically nurse them.”
Armed man held near Trudeau home
Canadian police said they arrested an armed man who entered the grounds where PM Justin Trudeau and the governor general live. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police tweeted that Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette were not present at the time of the incident in Ottawa. Police said the man was arrested without any incident and is now being interviewed. Police have not released his identity and said charges are pending.
Koalas may go extinct in Oz state by 2050
Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect them and their habitat, a parliamentary inquiry determined after a year-long inquiry. Land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry had been the biggest factor in the fragmentation and loss of habitat for the animals in NSW. A prolonged bushfire season that ended early this year was also devastating for the animals, destroying about a quarter of their habitat across the state, and in some parts up to 81%.
NZ mosque shooter sentencing begins on Aug 24
The sentencing hearing for an Australian man accused of killing 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand's worst mass shooting has been set to begin on Aug. 24, the court said. Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty earlier this year to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act. Justice Cameron Mander said the hearing is estimated to last three days, but it will take as long as is necessary. Tarrant has been in police custody since March 15, 2019, when he was arrested and accused of using semi-automatic weapons to target Muslims attending Friday prayers at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch. The attack was streamed live on Facebook and cited as providing inspiration for several other attacks targeting religious groups around the world. Tarrant had planned to fight the charges but changed his plea to guilty in March this year.
Woman who returned from India tests Covid positive
A 44-year-old resident of Singapore, who returned from India, has tested positive for the Covid-19, the health ministry said as the country reported 215 new coronavirus cases, including 205 foreign workers living in dormitories. The woman, whose nationality has not been disclosed, returned from India on June 24 and was placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) at a dedicated facility upon arrival. She developed symptoms and tested positive last week, the Ministry of Health said. With the 215 new cases, the country's Covid tally has reached 44,122. Out of the new cases, 205 are foreign workers living in dormitories, it said. The other 10 were community cases, comprising six Singaporeans (citizens) or permanent residents (foreigners) and four foreigners on work passes living outside the dorms, it said.
Deal to settle sexual misconduct lawsuits
An agreement has been reached to settle for $19 million two sexual misconduct lawsuits on behalf of multiple women against imprisoned former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, attorneys said. But lawyers representing six of the women who have made accusations against Weinstein called the proposed deal a “complete sellout” that did not require the 68-year-old former film producer to accept responsibility or pay out of his own pocket. The settlement, which still must be approved by a federal judge and a bankruptcy court, would resolve a lawsuit filed against Weinstein, his production company and his brother in 2018 by the New York attorney general’s office. It would also bring an end to a separate class-action lawsuit brought in 2017 on behalf of nine women who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault, New York attorney general Letitia James said.
