1. State Capital Sees Dip in Overall Crime by 6%
The year 2018 was a year of mixed results for Hyderabad police with the overall crime rate dipping by six percent even as the graph of bodily offences and murders went up.
Similarly, while chain-snatching offences came down by 62 %, the city saw a drop in dowry deaths by 38 %. The number of cases pertaining to rape remained more or less the same, with 2018 witnessing 173 cases against 172 cases registered last year, kidnapping cases and outraging modesty went down by 12 % and 7 % respectively. Cyber crime remains an area of concern with an increase of over 23 % since last year. Till December 13, a total of 401 cyber crimes were registered against 325 last year. While, stalking SMS, e-Mail and calls cases have come down to 16 from 28 and 34 registered in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Three Teenage Siblings from Hyderabad Die in US
Three siblings from Hyderabad were among four people killed in a horrific fire during Christmas celebrations at their host’s house in the US state of Tennessee. The siblings, Sathwika Sharon Naik Kethavath, 17, Aaron Suhas Naik Kethavath, 15, and Joy Suchitra Naik Kethavath, 14, were the children of Pastor Srinivas Naik Kethavath, governor of Global Banjara Baptist Missionaries, Telangana.
They had gone to the US for their education last year and were studying at the French Camp Academy in Mississippi. Sharon was doing her Class 12, Suhas 9 and Suchitra was in Class 8. This was their second year in the US schools. Pastor Naik stays with his wife at DD Colony in Bagh Amberpet and rushed to the US on hearing the news. Sources and local media reports said the teenagers went to the house of a family friend at Collierville, Tennessee, to celebrate Christmas. The fire occurred at 11 pm on Sunday local time. Their host, Kari Coudriet, died in the fire.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
3. Banking Operations Come to a Stand Still
Banking operations came to a standstill in 21 public sector banks, 13 old generation private banks and six foreign banks in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on account of the all-India bank strike on Wednesday. Half a dozen new generation private banks, including HDFC, Axis, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra and Yes Bank, however, transacted business as usual.
The clearing houses were closed but cash was replenished at ATMs away from bank branches by outsourcing. Cash could not be loaded at ATMs attached to banks as it had to be done by employees, convenor of United Forum of Bank Unions V V S R Sarma said. He added that about 85,000 bank staff in 6,000 bank branches took part in the strike. They participated in a meeting at the local head office of SBI on Bank Street here after striking work. The strike was observed against the amalgamation of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Naveen Patnaik Meets KCR, But Supports NCR
The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state are both keen to play a greater role in national politics and are busy forging alliances or getting the support of other regional parties. But it seems in this, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has scored points over his rival Telangana state Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, as Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has chosen to support Naidu.
KCR went all the way to Bhubaneswar to get the support of Patnaik for his proposed Federal Front against both the BJP and Congress. But 24 hours later, Patnaik sent a letter to Naidu through his representative, Member of Parliament Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, saying that his party, the Biju Janata Dal, is in favour of a non-BJP government in 2019. Patnaik has been maintaining his distance from both the BJP and Congress. Ranjan Patnaik said, “Both the BJP and the Congress have faults, AP CM Naidu’s policy is to choose the party which has less faults, and the Biju Janata Dal has the same policy as Mr Naidu.”
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
5. Micronutrient Deficiency, a Lurking Urban Malady
You may be full after a meal, but are you eating right?
The question assumes significance after a recent study by National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has found that the diet of 62% of the urban population are micronutrient-inadequate. Micronutrient deficiencies or deficiencies of vitamins and minerals, often referred to as hidden hunger mainly due to diets inadequate in fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and millets, are not apparent but considered ubiquitous affecting more than two billion people globally. Of them, one third reside in India.
The NIN study assessed the dietary adequacies of micro-nutrients among the apparently healthy adults from urban and semi urban set-up of Hyderabad and concluded that high prevalence of micro nutrient deficiencies is possibly due to the inadequacy of multiple micronutrients.
(Source: The Hindu)
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