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Girl’s death in India highlights 'stray dogs menace'

The death of a 12-year-old girl after being bitten by a stray dog has sparked outrage in the Indian state of Kerala, the BBC reported.
Abhirami, who was bitten in August, died on Monday (Sep 5) in hospital. This is the 21st rabies death in Kerala this year.
She had received three doses of the anti-rabies vaccine and was set to take the fourth soon, reports said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says rabies is endemic in India, which accounts for 36% of the world's rabies deaths.
"True burden of rabies in India is not fully known; although as per available information, it causes 18,000-20,000 deaths every year in the country," the WHO says.
Animal rights activists, however, have questioned this, pointing out a "huge difference" between the WHO's tally and Indian health ministry numbers.

The question of stray dogs is a sensitive one in India, and often leads to arguments between animal lovers and local residents over the issue of feeding and sterilising them.
A federal minister told parliament in August that there were 15.3 million stray dogs in India in 2019, according to the Livestock Census. The total number, the minister said, had reduced 10% from 17.1 million recorded in 2012.
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Kerala, which has 290,000 stray dogs, has seen a number of campaigns aimed at getting them off the streets.
In 2016, a campaign to kill stray dogs, promoted by some people in Kerala after a rise in dog bites, had angered activists. A year before that, dog lovers had trended #BoycottKerala on social media against a proposal to cull strays - the plan was never implemented.
On Friday (Sep 9), India's Supreme Court will hear a petition seeking action by federal and state governments against stray dogs.
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The court decided to move up the date of hearing after lawyer VK Biju on Monday highlighted the issue of dog bites in Kerala and mentioned Abhirami's condition (this was before she died).
The plea also calls for cancelling the ABC [Animal Birth Control] rules which were introduced in 2001 - under this, stray dogs are collected, sterilised, vaccinated and returned to the same area from where they were picked up.
Animal rights activists argue that this is the most humane and effective way of keeping the stray dog population in check and reducing dog bites.
Critics, however, allege that the programme isn't being implemented properly and say the solution is to cull dogs.
Source: BBC
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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