The New Indian Express Madurai - December 17, 2024

In this issue

December 17, 2024

SPEAKING HANDS FALL SILENT

When he was born on March 9, 1951, Zakir Hussain was considered an unlucky child. The arrival of the eldest son had coincided with the family's most distressing moment, as his 'Abba', Allarakha Qureishi, had fallen ill with a heart ailment.

2 mins

Will not allow Lankan territory to be used against India, says Dissanayake

SRI Lanka will not allow its territory to be used against India's national security interests, Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

1 min

Record gold imports widen trade deficit

IN what could put pressure on the economy, India's trade deficit -- the difference between imports and exports -- widened to a record $37.8 billion in November, showing a 4.8% drop in exports and a record increase in imports driven by massive gold demand.

1 min

'ONOP is BJP's bid to bring in prez-type govt'

REITERATING the DMK's stand that the BJP-led union government's 'One Nation One Poll' proposal is not suitable for the country, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday alleged that the centre seeks to push the bill with the ulterior motive of conducting a presidential form of election, against the spirit of the constitution.

1 min

Sitharaman, Kharge exchange barbs in RS

Cong head rebuts charges of constitutional changes for 'one family'

1 min

Return of land will take SL Tamils wounded by conflict closer to peace

15 yrs since war ended, dispossessed Tamils pin their hopes on new govt to regain property

3 mins

Tongue-split tattoo: Minor among 3 held

TWO men and a juvenile were arrested on Sunday night for running a tattoo shop without a license and allegedly putting people's lives in danger by performing tongue-split surgery on their customers.

1 min

Ilaiyaraaja temple clip sparks casteist rumour, maestro denies allegations

RENOWNED music composer Ilaiyaraaja broke his silence on the controversy over a viral video in which the maestro was allegedly denied entry to the Artha Mandapam of Srivilliputhur Aandal temple on Sunday.

1 min

Madurai ryots attempting to stage rail roko apprehended

FARMERS associated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha attempted to stage a rail roko in Madurai, demanding implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) Act on Monday.

1 min

Farmers cheer over increase in groundwater level in Dindigul

FARMERS cheer over the increase in metres below groundwater level (MBGL) after the increase in rain received in Dindigul district in the last five months.

1 min

Court demands report on causes of pollution in Vaigai from govt, TNPCB

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday directed the state government and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to file a report identifying the causes of pollution in the Vaigai and the proposed action plan to deal with the problem.

1 min

Ennum Ezhuthum, Pudumai Penn a hit: SPC

Planning panel's report to CM includes policies for sustainable land use, job, water & community dog management

2 mins

TN's domestic electricity rates lowest in India

THE state has the lowest average electricity rates for domestic consumers compared to other states, the state government said in an official statement.

1 min

Suspect's plea against charge sheet in girl suicide case binned

THE Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday dismissed the petition filed by the hostel warden accused of abetting the suicide of a 17-year-old girl student in Michealpatti of Thanjavur in 2022.

1 min

Reserve bank's announcement on loan ceiling deceptive: CPI

THE farmers' wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI) said the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) announcement that farmers can avail loans of up to ₹2 lakh without collateral is deceptive.

1 min

Basha, Coimbatore serial blast mastermind, dies

S A Basha (84), the founder of banned militant outfit Al-Umma, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast case, passed away due to age-related illnesses at PSG Hospitals in Coimbatore on Monday evening.

1 min

Hong Fu footwear unit to start Ranipet ops by January 2026

Chief Minister MK Stalin virtually laid the foundation stone for the ₹1,500 crore non-leather footwear manufacturing facility developed by Taiwan-based Hong Fu Industrial Group at SIPCOT Industrial Park in Panapakkam in Ranipet.

1 min

NGT tells Aavin to check feasibility of selling milk in reusable plastic bottles

THE southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed Aavin to explore the feasibility of selling milk in reusable plastic bottles.

1 min

Sadiq's link to textbook corpn: BJP prez asks min to explain

BJP state president K Annamalai on Monday demanded an explanation from state school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on the alleged link between drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq and a contractor of Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation.

1 min

Suspect's plea against charge sheet in girl suicide case binned

THE Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday dismissed the petition filed by the hostel warden accused of abetting the suicide of a 17-year-old girl student in Michealpatti of Thanjavur in 2022.

2 mins

7.6 kg tumour removed from woman

A tumour weighing 7.6 kg was removed from a female patient by medical experts from the Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research in Madurai.

1 min

Will finish Polavaram Project by 2026: Naidu

Andhra CM outlines broad milestones for mega irrigation project and says will set up key performance indicators

2 mins

Need to revive smaller Sabhas

Carnatic singer TM Krishna was presented with the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award at The Music Academy's 98th Annual Conference and Concerts inauguration in Chennai on Sunday.

1 min

Kerala's wastes dumped illegally in TN villages

A huge volume of Kerala's biomedical, food and plastic waste, particularly from Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and Credence Private Hospital, has been dumped at multiple locations, including on patta lands and a waterbody in Kodaganallur and Palavoor villages.

1 min

Man dies of suspected dengue, mass cleaning drive intensified

THE health department has started an inquiry after a 28-year-old man died in a private hospital on Sunday, allegedly due to dengue.

1 min

Poacher caught in Chilika used binoculars to track patrol staff

IN a major crackdown, wildlife officials arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly poaching over two dozen migratory and resident birds near Chilika lake.

1 min

UPHEAVAL IN LEVANT RAISES UNCERTAINTY AROUND THE WORLD

The governance of Syria can well fall into the hands of fundamentalist groups. Global powers must work towards dousing such a fire rather than reigniting it

4 mins

Priyanka asks govt to take steps for safety of minorities in Bangladesh

CONGRESS MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday claimed in the Lok Sabha that a photograph of Pakistan surrendering before the Indian Army in Dhaka, had been removed from the Army headquarters.

1 min

TMC makes U-turn on EVMs, differs with Cong on functioning

IN a departure from its earlier stand, Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday asserted that there is nothing \"substantial\" in the allegations of manipulation of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

1 min

Shah meets families hit by Maoist violence in Bastar, pledges support

UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed his condolences to the families of jawans killed in Maoist attacks and the civilians affected by violence in the strife-torn region of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

1 min

Students stir over paper leak, Bihar exam put off

THE Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) on Monday cancelled the 70th combined preliminary examination conducted by the commission at Bapu Bhawan examination centre in the state capital on December 13.

1 min

7 picked for questioning in killings of 2 migrant workers in Manipur

Larger conspiracy

1 min

Alarming groundwater contamination across Gujarat districts, Lok Sabha told

The Government of India, in a concerning update to the Rajya Sabha, has flagged an alarming situation regarding groundwater pollution in Gujarat.

1 min

SP smells BJP plot in Sambhal violence, ruckus in UP House

THE winter session of the UP legislature took off on a fiery note on Monday with the belligerent opposition raising Sambhal violence in which five people lost their lives during the survey of Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24.

1 min

Gehlot ex-aide pardoned in phone tap case

DELHI'S Patiala House Court has granted a conditional pardon to Lokesh Sharma, the former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of Rajasthan's ex-Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, in connection with the illegal phone tapping case.

1 min

Maha Yuti tables ₹35K cr supplementary budget

Maha discontent brews as several cabinet aspirants feel left out

1 min

5 held, booked under Pocso for gang-raping teen

TRIPURA police arrested five people for alleged gang-rape of a minor girl.

1 min

Gaza hostage deal closer than ever: def minister

DEFENCE Minister Israel Katz reportedly told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that Israel is \"closer than ever\" to closing a deal with Hamas to free the hostages held in Gaza, bolstering Arab media reports of heavy optimism on the chances for an agreement in the coming weeks, The Times of Israel reported.

1 min

Japan bank staff steals $6.6 mn from safe deposit boxes

JAPAN's biggest bank apologised on Monday for the alleged theft by an employee of more than 1 billion yen ($6.6 million) from customers' safe deposit boxes.

1 min

Was evacuated by Russian military, claims Assad

OUSTED Syrian leader Bashar Assad said he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack.

1 min

Sr UK clergyman faces calls to resign over handling of priest abuse claims

THE senior clergyman who is due to take temporary charge of the Church of England faced calls to resign on Monday over his handling of the case of a priest accused of sexual misconduct.

1 min

Trudeau's No 2 quits Cabinet after freebie disagreement

Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's most powerful and loyal minister, announced on Monday she was resigning from the Cabinet as Trudeau struggles with declining popularity.

1 min

LTIMindtree cyber defence centre in B'luru

LTIMindtree, the country's sixth largest IT services company, on Monday announced the launch of the 100-seater AI-driven Cyber Defense Resiliency Center (CDRC) in Bengaluru.

1 min

Vlogger shares dismal business class experience on Air India international flight

'Meal fell on business class seat as it was broken'

1 min

Pvt sector output index rises to 60.7 in Dec

PRIVATE sector output grew at the fastest pace in four months, helping the economy end 2024 on a positive note boosted by strong demand from services and manufacturing sectors leading to record jobs creation.

1 min

Vedanta's dividend to make promoters richer by ₹1.9k cr

METAL and mining giant Vedanta Ltd has declared an interim dividend of ₹8.5 per share.

1 min

Bitcoin profits even before VDA rules to be treated as capital gains

IN a first of its kind legal dispute over taxation of bitcoins, the Jodhpur Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has ruled that gains for sale of bitcoins even before the introduction of virtual digital asset (VDA) regime in 2020 should be treated as capital gains for the purpose of taxation.

1 min

TALE OF RAIN AND PAIN FOR INDIA'S TOP-ORDER

On a day that witnessed multiple delays due to weather, visitors lose four big wickets and now have an uphill task to save the match

3 mins

TALE OF RAIN AND PAIN FOR INDIA'S TOP-ORDER

On a day that witnessed multiple delays due to weather, visitors lose four big wickets and now have an uphill task to save the match

2 mins

We're basically two dead people playing chess, mistakes happen: Gukesh

THE king had arrived home and that led to a frenzy as everybody, who were eagerly awaiting his arrival, wanted a piece of him.

2 mins

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Express Publications (Madurai) Private Limited is the flagship company of The New Indian Express Group and is publishing Newspapers and Periodicals in the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa and Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Yanam and Lakshdweep. It brings out its publication of newspapers and periodicals from 33 Centres. It also has Marketing Offices in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. The Company's publications include English Dailies viz. The New Indian Express and The Morning Standard and Sunday editions The Sunday Express and The Sunday Standard . The Morning Standard and The Sunday Standard are published from New Delhi. The company also brings out Tamil daily Dinamani and Samakalika Malayalam Varika, a weekly magazine in Malayalam. The Company's publications are popular and command large readership.