Nirmala loses luggage, misses G-20 reception
Cairns: Union Minister of State for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, who lost her luggage while travelling from India, missed the evening reception organised in the honour of the G-20 ministers. “Sorry to miss the evening reception at the Palm Cove, Cairns. Staying put in the room. No word yet on my lost luggage,” Sitharaman said in a tweet. The minister, who travelled to Australia to represent India at the G-20 meeting of Finance Ministers and central bank governors, lost her luggage on an Air India flight. “Landed in Sydney to take a connecting flight to Cairns. My checked in luggage not traceable,” Sitharaman said in her earlier tweet. “On board my connecting flight to Cairns. All my formal wear in the lost suitcase! Not sure I can buy Saris in Cairns! Situation precarious!,” she said. “Air India – had a word of praise for the music collection on board. But now my luggage missing. Hopefully, you’ll get it in time for me,” she added. The G-20 meeting will held here on September 20-21. (PTI)
Maoists set fire to two mobile towers, bus in Bihar
Patna: Maoists set ablaze two mobile phone towers and a bus in Bihar’s Banka district in two separate incidents, police Friday said. District police official Arun Kumar Singh said that over a dozen armed Maoists set ablaze two mobile towers late Thursday night at Gora and Bhittiya villages under Phullidumar police station. “Maoists poured kerosene and also exploded country-made bomb to set ablaze two mobile towers of private companies,” Singh said. In the other incident, armed Maoists set fire to a bus at Bhalua village under Sambhuganj police station in the district. Singh along with security forces visited the incident sites and assured security to the fear-stricken villagers. “We will intensify combing operations against Maoists,” Singh said. According to police officials, Maoists called for a day-long strike in the district to protest the killing of two of their members last week. Police officials said the Maoist strike evoked mixed response in the district. They forced some rural markets to remain closed and threatened others not to ply vehicles. Banka district is considered a stronghold of Maoists. (IANS)
Nirbhaya centres in UP districts to help women
Lucknow: With a view to providing prompt help to victims of crime against women, Nirbhaya centres will be opened in all the districts of Uttar Pradesh. “Nirbhaya centres will be set up in women hospitals or women police stations with the view to providing immediate medical and other help to the victims of crime or violence against women,” an official release quoting Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said here Saturday. The Chief Secretary said arrangements should be made for lodging FIRs of the victims at these Nirbhaya centres. The centres have been named after ‘Nirbhaya (fearless one)’ — the young woman, who had been brutally gang-raped in a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012, triggering a nation-wide outrage. For running and overall monitoring of these centres at the state level, a committee headed by the Chief Secretary would be set up soon and nodal officers nominated in home, medical, health and law departments for completing necessary works for setting up these centres, the release said. The Chief Secretary, who chaired a meeting in this regard with officials concerned, also directed them to complete the formalities for setting up Asha Jyoti Kendras in pilot districts for providing all schemes meant for empowerment of women under one umbrella. (PTI)