US Sikhs launch smartphone app to report abuse
Washington: Sikh activists in the US has launched an updated smartphone application to make it easier for Sikh passengers to report any abuse against them at American airports. The free, downloadable app called FlyRights, lets travellers instantly send their concerns to the US Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Sikh Coalition said. “FlyRights users have confirmed that we cannot simply trust the TSA to self-report on whether it is engaging in discrimination,” said Amardeep Singh, director of Programs at the Sikh Coalition. “An independent auditor should review and publicly report on the TSA’s screening practises. Only then will we know whether the TSA is remaining true to its own anti-discrimination polices. Until that happens, we call on the public to hold the TSA accountable by downloading and using FlyRights,” he said yesterday. The updated “FlyRights 2.0” also allows passengers to send copies of their complaints to their members of Congress, and it features maps that show which airports have the most troubling records. The move was welcomed by US lawmakers. “Airport safety measures based on someone’s race, gender or faith are not safety measures at all – they alienate targeted communities and make victims out of travellers,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu. “The new FlyRights mobile app being introduced today will empower travellers to fight back against profiling with new tools,” she said. (PTI)
9 in 10 American teenagers hooked onto sending text messages
Washington: About 87 percent of American teenagers are reportedly hooked to their mobile phones sending text messages, a new study has revealed.The data from the Family Online Safety Institute indicated that text messaging is the most popular activity amongst teenagers with the staggering figure having done so in the past 30 days. According to Mashable, more than 80 percent of teens also participated in mobile gaming, emailing and social networking. (ANI)
Escaped wolf causes panic in leafy England
London: An escaped wolf sparked panic in the unlikely surroundings of southern England today after a pack of five animals escaped from a zoo. The timber wolves got through a damaged fence in their enclosure at Colchester Zoo to the east of London in the early hours of the morning. Two were shot dead shortly after they escaped, one returned of its own accord and one was shot with an anaesthetic dart and captured. But one animal remained at large in woodland for several hours. People living nearby were reportedly warned to keep small children at home while police used a helicopter to scour the forest. (AFP)
