Toddler beheaded by father
Bulandshahr: A toddler was allegedly beheaded by her father in Badarkha village under Jahangirabad police station area here, police said on Thursday . The incident took place last evening when Tohsin (32) beheaded his eighteen-month-old daughter Zoya, who was crying for milk, they said. As the accused was on his way to dump the toddler’s headless body in a village pond, he was caught by villagers and handed over to the police, Station House Officer (SHO) Harish Bhadoriya said. Following a complaint by the girl’s uncle Mehruddin, an FIR has been lodged, police said, adding that the accused has been arrested. (PTI)
RJs mimicking MPs a serious issue, says I&B Minister
New Delhi: The growing trend of Radio Jockeys (RJs) mimicking Parliamentarians and their “double-meaning” talks is a serious issue, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told Rajya Sabha on Thursday. To a question posed by actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan (SP), he said these were not in “good sense”. The Minister pointed out that there was an electronic media monitoring centre. To a query on the issue of forced retirement of some RJs upon attaining age of 35 years by All India Radio, Kolkata, Javadekar said the order was stayed as soon as the matter came to his notice. Raising the issue, Derek O’Brien (TMC) said he could not understand what “great biological changes” happen after RJs attain the age of 35 years. Agreeing with him, Javadekar recalled Ameen Sayani whose voice enthralled listeners of All India Radio for decades and said, “It’s nothing to do with age.” The Minister also said the government was contemplating allowing private FM channels to broadcast “AIR news clips”. Javadekar said the government aims to raise the number of community radio channels to 700 from 243 now. The Minister said the government was envisaging extension of private FM radio services to about 227 new cities in addition to 86 cities at present. (PTI)
57 people killed in rain related accidents in Rajasthan
Jaipur: A total of 57 people were killed in rain related incidents in current spell of Monsoon since June in Rajasthan, relief department officials said. Of these casualties, 38 people died due to either drowning or wash away in stream of rainy water, 13 others died in house collapse incidents, and six trapped to death in lightening, a senior official of the state Disaster Management and Relief Department said. District wise, eleven persons killed in Bhilwara, nine persons in Ajmer, seven each in Tonk and Baran, six in Jaipur, four each in Chittorgarh and Sawaimadhopur, three each in Bundi, Dausa, and Kota, the official said. For the last two days the south west monsoon weakened over the state giving relief to people specially in Hadauti region including Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, Bundi and Udaipur division covering tribal belt of Banswara and Dungarpur, a MeT official said. (PTI)
Tribal girl commits suicide for not getting stipend
Parlakhemndi (Odisha): A tribal girl allegedly committed suicide due to delay in getting stipend for nurses’ training under a government scheme at R Udayagiri in Gajapati district, police said on Thursday. Sunita Raita, aged around 21 years and belonging to a BPL family, hanged herself when no one was present at her home Wednesday. The incident sparked a controversy as her father Sudam Raita, a daily labourer, and mother alleged that the girl, a student of BSc nursing course in a private college at Bhubaneswar, took the step as she failed to get the stipend. Sudam said his daughter had joined the course relying on the scheme providing Rs 54,000 to tribal students towards course fee and hostel dues annually for technical education. He further alleged that despite repeated appeals to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA),Sunita was unable to get the stipend and the authorities told her that her name would be deleted if she didn’t pay.(PTI)
Mamata Banerjee to visit Singapore from August 17
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will pay a six-day visit to Singapore from August 17 at the country’s invitation for improving business and cultural relations. This would be her first foreign visit after assuming office in 2011. She would be accompanied by a ‘very high level’ official and business delegation and would use the opportunity to attract foreign investment to the state. Briefing reporters on her visit, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said the Singapore Foreign Minister K Shanmugam has invited Banerjee to improve relations and she has accepted it. He said the Chief Minister wants to build sustained relations and would meet the Singapore prime minister and foreign minister. The official delegation will comprise among others the finance minister, state chief secretary and secretaries of some other departments and an MP, he said but did not name the MP. A business delegation will accompany the Chief Minister which will include captains of industry having stakes in the state. They will go at their own expense, he said. (PTI)