1. iPhones as Gifts to MPs Spark Row
At a time when Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has been speaking of austerity measures in the government, his Cabinet colleague and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar kicked up a row on Tuesday by gifting iPhones to state MPs.
All MPs from Karnataka, including Rajya Sabha members, were handed out the gift ahead of a meeting of MPs convened by Kumaraswamy to discuss the Cauvery issue in Delhi.
Opposition BJP slammed the government for “wasting taxpayers’ money”. Its MPs refused to accept the gift. According to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the state government presented the gifts ahead of the meeting on Cauvery scheduled on 18 July.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
Farmers in Karnataka Use Modi, Shah Cut-Outs as Scarecrows
Merely two months after the chaotic Karnataka elections, farmers in Chikmagalur have started using cardboard cut-outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP Chief Amit Shah, left over from the BJP’s campaign in the district, as scarecrows.
According to the The Times of India report, farmers are using the cut-outs of the BJP leaders to scare away crows in Lakkavalli hobli of the Tarikere taluk.
The report states that the farmers started this practice following a generous downpour this season, which has helped complete the sowing of crops.
(Source: The Quint)
3. Two Held for Smuggling Gold Powder at Bengaluru Airport
Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport on Monday arrested a 33-year-old passenger from Mumbai who was trying to pass through customs clearance with 1,510 gm of gold powder concealed in his waist pouch.
Fakruddin Rukmuddin landed at the airport by an Indigo flight from Dubai and was walking out through a green channel, a green line at the customs clearance in airports, meant for passengers who have no goods to declare for duty to be paid.
Rukmuddin caught the attention of customs officials. After his profiling, officials intercepted him and took him for an inspection.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. B’luru 2013 ATM Attack Case: Charge Sheet Shows Accused’s Long History of Violence
Kondappagiri Madhukar Reddy, the man accused of brutally assaulting 47-year-old Jyoti Uday at an ATM in Bengaluru in November 2013, has revealed shocking details during the investigation. His confession states that he even managed to fool the police who were looking for him when they showed him his own picture after the assault.
“I was sleeping in my room in the Common Bed Lodge in Hindupur at night when policemen came and asked me questions about why I was staying there. I had shaved my hair and the police did not recognise me. I told them that I was waiting for a bus to board the next day. The policemen went away. I left Hindupur and went back home to Madanapalli the next day,” Reddy’s procured confession states.
(Source: The News Minute)
5. Bengaluru Poetry Festival on August 4-5
Atta Galatta will be back with the third edition of Bengaluru Poetry Festival, which is to be held on 4 and 5 August at the Leela Palace. And like last year, the festival, which aims to provide space for poetry across forms and languages, will include performances, talks on poetry, workshops, and interactive sessions.
Over 60 poets, lyricists, singers, and musicians, including Shabana Azmi and Mamang Dai, will be performing. The audience will get a chance to interact with poetry publishers and editors such as Ananda Lal, Bhuchung Sonam and Dibyajyoti Sarma, said Subodh Sankar, co-founder of Atta Galatta.
Among the sessions to look out for are a workshop by Michael Creighton on ‘what makes a poem go pop’, finding the delicate balance in short poetry by Anamika and a workshop on Haiku by Sourav Roy.
(Source: The Hindu)
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