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Tag: south asia

  • India chess player quits Iran match over headband rule

    Soumya Swaminathan Symbol copyright Soumya Swaminathan

    Indian chess champion Soumya Swaminathan has pulled out of an Asian tournament in Iran over the country’s compulsory headscarf rule.

    The 29-12 months-vintage Lady Grandmaster said the rule used to be a contravention of her non-public rights.

    “Underneath the present cases, the one method for me to protect my rights is not to move to Iran,” she wrote in a Fb publish, which went viral.

    The Asian Chess Championship will take place in Iran subsequent month.

    Ms Swaminathan, who’s ranked No FIVE in India, instructed native media that the tournament used to be at the beginning supposed to be held in Bangladesh. “But once the new dates and new venue came up, I excused myself,” she stated.

    Image Copyright @Saptarshi77 @Saptarshi77 Symbol Copyright @ExSecular @ExSecular Image Copyright @sagarikaghose @sagarikaghose Symbol Copyright @abhijitmajumder @abhijitmajumder

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    Twitter post by @abhijitmajumder: If you are a great professional and a strong woman/man, you don ’t need to play victim or do drama. You do your job, and calmly make a statement.Indian chess champ Soumya Swaminathan says no to headscarf, pulls out of Iran event.Take a bow, Soumya. Image Copyright @abhijitmajumder @abhijitmajumder

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    This isn’t the primary time an Indian athlete has withdrawn from a tournament over the similar factor. Heena Sidhu, a best shooter, pulled out from the Asian Airgun meet in Iran in 2016 for the similar explanation why.

    American chess player Nazi Paikidze also drew international attention while she refused to wait the Women’s Global Championship in Iran in 2016. In an Instagram post, she wrote that it used to be “unacceptable” to host the tournament in a place “the place girls don’t have basic basic rights”.

    An global chess tournament hosted in Saudi Arabia closing yr additionally triggered controversy whilst a double global champion mentioned that she might boycott the event. Ukrainian chess player Anna Muzychuk mentioned that she did not wish to put on an abaya, the full-length, unfastened-fitting gowns women are required to put on in public in Saudi Arabia.

    The International Chess Federation (FIDE) stated Ms Muzychuk had been misinformed about the state of affairs and that a dress code had been agreed, which means there was little need to put on an abaya.

  • Sri Lanka hardline monk Gnanasara jailed for intimidation

    Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero walks towards a prison bus in Homagama, Sri Lanka, 14 June 2018 Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero leads a Buddhist nationalist staff accused of violence

    A court in Sri Lanka has sentenced a hardline Buddhist monk to 6 months in prison for threatening the spouse of a lacking cartoonist.

    Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero was found accountable of criminally intimidating Sanya Eknaligoda at a court docket in 2016.

    Sri Lanka infrequently convicts Buddhist monks.

    This is the primary time Gnanasara has been jailed, even if he has previously been accused of hate crimes and anti-Muslim violence.

    The monk, who leads the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) or “Buddhist Power Drive”, had interrupted a court docket listening to through which military intelligence officials have been accused of abducting Sanya Eknaligoda’s husband.

    Image copyright bbc Symbol caption Sanjaya Eknaligoda and her son have spent years highlighting Prageeth Eknaligoda’s plight

    Gnanasara was once found in charge on two counts and sentenced to 2 six-month terms, to be served concurrently. He used to be additionally ordered to pay 50,000 rupees ($310; £230) in reimbursement to Sandya Eknaligoda.

    Correspondents say the court docket ruling is vital in the majority Sinhalese united states of america, where it is almost unheard-of for a Buddhist monk to take delivery of a custodial sentence.

    Last year the monk was pursued through the police in reference to assaults towards Muslims. He later passed himself in and was granted bail.

    He has shut hyperlinks with Wirathu, an extremist monk in Myanmar (also called Burma).