Caste discrimination: What is it and why did California's legislature vote to ban it?

California's state legislature has voted to ban caste discrimination in the state, with politicians saying the law would protect people of South Asian descent.

The bill will now head to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. Should he sign it, California will be the first state in the US to ban caste discrimination.

State and federal laws already ban discrimination based on gender, race and religion. The recently passed California law would ban discrimination based on immigration status, ancestry, medical conditions and sexual orientation.

What is India's caste system and why did Seattle ban it?

Review: In 'Coming Out As Dalit', Yashica Dutt tackles 'lower-caste hatred' in India

Seattle banned caste discrimination in February, becoming the first US city to do so.

What is caste discrimination?

Caste systems divide people into hierarchical groups, with a person placed into a particular group upon their birth.

Ideas connected to pollution and purity are prevalent in language used to describe high- and low-caste communities, according to a report from Human Rights Watch, and they are used to segregate low-caste communities from the rest of society and block their progress in some occupations.

The caste system in India, probably the most well known, dates back 3,000 years and was banned a year after the country gained its independence in 1947. But discrimination still continues.

Dalits, members of the lowest caste, continue to face abuse in India and struggle to achieve upwards mobility.

Caste discrimination is most associated with India and Hinduism, but such divisions can be seen around the world. Human Rights Watch reported that at least 250 million people face caste discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.

Why did California politicians vote to ban caste discrimination?

Indians, mostly Hindus, are one of the biggest immigrant groups in the US and over the years the country has become the new theatre for the ancient discriminatory practice, particularly in the employment sector.

In 2020, a California state agency sued tech company Cisco over allegations that a Hindu manager had discriminated against a lower-caste employee. The case was the first of many later complaints, with Dalits complaining that they faced discrimination at work, including caste-based slurs, sexual harassment and firings.

The bill was sponsored by Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state's legislature.

Ms Wahab said the bill would protect people of South Asian descent from being discriminated against in housing and education as well as jobs in the technology sector.

Opponents argue that the bill would harm Hindus and Indian Americans who are associated with the caste system.

The Hindu American Foundation called on Mr Newsom to veto the bill.

California voters can veto laws passed by the legislature if enough people sign a petition. Should it receive enough signatures, a referendum vote will be held asking voters whether to keep the law or veto it.

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Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier

Results

UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs

Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets

Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets

Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets

Semi-finals

UAE v Qatar

Bahrain v Kuwait

Company%20Profile

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

INDIA%20SQUAD

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances