The New Indian Express Villupuram - December 18, 2024

In this issue

December 18, 2024

'One poll' bill introduced in LS

Draws fierce protest from Oppn; govt ready to sent it to a joint parliamentary committee

2 mins

Congress treated Constitution as pvt fiefdom: Shah

UNION home minister and the BJP's principal strategist Amit Shah on Tuesday tore into the Congress, terming it an anti-reservation party that recklessly amended the Constitution of India to pander to its appeasement politics during its long stint in government.

1 min

NTA to manage higher edu entrance tests alone

IN a significant shift from its role, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will now focus solely on conducting entrance exams for admissions to higher education institutions.

1 min

Do not make Aadhaar must for NREGS payment, says House panel

The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has recommended that the Rural Development Ministry's Aadhaar Based Payment Bridge System for making payments under MGNREGS should not be made compulsory.

1 min

Unrest in Samsung again, workers plan 'canteen boycott'

UNREST is brewing among the Samsung India workers in Sriperumbudur again over alleged harassment of 35 workers, who were the face of the month-long protest in September, by supervisors and management of the company.

2 mins

Special reservation under fine arts & culture for UG courses in IIT-Madras

IN a first, the IIT-Madras has introduced a 'Fine Arts and Culture Excellence' (FACE) admission quota for undergraduate programmes for the academic year 2025-26.

1 min

'Savukku' arrested after court issues NBW for failing to appear before it

THE Principal Special Court for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act Cases in Madurai issued a non-bailable warrant against YouTuber 'Savukku' Shankar for failing to appear before the court in a ganja case on Tuesday.

1 min

CM ANNOUNCES 'HOME OF CHESS' TO NURTURE MORE GRANDMASTERS

CHIEF Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday announced the establishment of a chess academy, Home of Chess, under the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).

1 min

V'puram collector inspects flood-affected areas

DISTRICT Collector C Palani, inspected several flood-affected areas across the district on Tuesday, and directed officials to initiate immediate restoration work to minimise damage to public infrastructure and farmlands.

1 min

MLA urges TN govt to desilt and restore Veeranam Lake

MLA M Sinthanai Selvan has urged the Tamil Nadu government to desilt and restore Veeranam Lake immediately and construct flood prevention walls along both sides of the Velliyankal Odai canal from Lalpet to Thirunaraiyur.

2 mins

Body of 16-yr-old lost to flood found after 3-day search

THE body of a 16-year-old boy, who was washed away by floodwater in the Sankaraparani River near Puducherry, was recovered on Tuesday after a three-day search.

1 min

3.5K houses being built in Cuddalore under TN housing scheme at ₹3.5L each: Collector

CUDDALORE Collector Sibi Adhithya Senthilkumar on Tuesday announced that 3,500 houses are being constructed under the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam scheme in the district.

1 min

Was eco study done before beach sand mining nod?

The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned government authorities whether an environment impact assessment was carried out before allowing private firms to mine beach sand in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.

1 min

Tribal hamlets in Kalvarayan Hills to get micro vans for taking kids to school

WORKING towards addressing the challenges faced by children from tribal areas in accessing formal education, the Tribal Welfare Department is planning to launch a pilot initiative to provide micro vans to four schools in Kalvarayan Hills of Kallakurichi district.

1 min

Cops yet to crack T'pur triple murder case, ask people to install CCTV cams

NEARLY three weeks have passed since three members of a family were beaten to death in a farm house near Avinashi-palayam, yet district police are unable to make a breakthrough in the investigation despite forming 14 special teams.

1 min

Land use policy draft points to shift towards horticulture farming in TN

State plan panel submits draft Sustainable Land Use Policy, bats for holistic spatial land use

2 mins

Was eco study done before beach sand mining nod?

The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned government authorities whether an environment impact assessment was carried out before allowing private firms to mine beach sand in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.

1 min

Basha laid to rest amid huge police deployment in Kovai

OVER 2,000 police personnel and 200 RAF personnel were deployed from Ukkadam to Flower Market area on Tuesday ahead of the funeral procession of SA Basha, the mastermind of the 1998 serial bomb blasts.

1 min

18 fishers repatriated by Lanka reach Karaikal

ON the day when Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on his maiden Indian visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the island nation repatriated 18 Indian fishermen, arrested for allegedly crossing the IMBL this month.

1 min

NGOs urge TN to hold rural local body elections

Citizen groups including Thannatchi, Arappor Iyakkam, Voice of People, Institute of Grassroots and Governance (IGG) and Thozhan have urged the TNSEC and the state to expedite and conduct rural local body elections in 28 districts.

1 min

Waste dumping: Cops file plaint after 37 days

NEARLY 37 days after complaints were filed against miscreants who dumped biomedical, food, plastic and other waste from Kerala in Kodaganallur and Palavoor villages, the Suthamalli police registered two cases on Thursday night.

1 min

Can't seize PDS rice-carrying cargo ship over legal issues'

Weeks after inspection by dy CM, Kakinada collector issues clarification

1 min

First for K'taka, trans woman becomes guest faculty in Ballari varsity

FOR the first time in Karnataka, Sri Krishnadevaraya University of Ballari has appointed a transgender person as a guest lecturer.

1 min

ONE ELECTION CAN BE FIRST OF MANY REFORMS

We should use the move for simultaneous elections to call for other political reforms, such as greater transparency in parties' internal affairs and mandatory reports on manifesto pledges

2 mins

GROWING ENTERPRISES IN A TIME-TESTED INDIAN WAY

OME accomplished chief financial officers of established companies like Tata Consultancy, Tata Chemicals and KPMG set up a think tank as a body that would engage with relevant audiences—India Inc, regulators, administrators—to create and nurture better-governed enterprises.

3 mins

OTTs glorifying drug use under govt lens

THE OTT (over-the-top) platforms are on the radar of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for streaming content that reportedly 'glamorises' and 'glorifies' the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

1 min

HC judge appears before SC collegium over remarks on UCC at VHP function

ALLAHABAD High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who stirred controversy with his statement at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event, appeared before the Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday to present his side of the issue.

1 min

ED conducts raids at 21 locations in case on betting app owned by Pak nationals

Owners and handlers

1 min

Nadda accuses Cong of attempting to introduce religion-based quota

QUOTING BR Ambedkar, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha JP Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of attempting to introduce religion-based reservations.

1 min

Erratic rains, warm winter hit sugar production

Crunching numbers

2 mins

Govt lacks 2/3rd majority to push bill, says Tharoor

AS the government tabled two Bills on 'One Nation One Election' on Tuesday, the Congress party has raised questions about whether the NDA government has the requisite numbers to pass them in Lok Sabha.

1 min

PM promises tap water to all homes

Modi lays foundation stone for much-awaited Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project in Jaipur

2 mins

Omar to meet Shah in Delhi today to discuss statehood restoration

NEARLY two months after the passage of a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet on restoration of statehood, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital for the second time on Wednesday.

1 min

Over 8L ration cards cancelled, Cong says tribals worst affected

BETWEEN 2013 and 2024, a total of 815,734 ration cards were cancelled in Gujarat, the Centre on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha.

1 min

Setback to PK as 2 ex-MPs quit Jan Suraj Party

IN a major setback for political strategist-turned activist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), two former MPs Devendra Prasad Yadav and Monizir Hasan resigned from the core committee of the party on Tuesday.

1 min

A Punjab sad story written in Georgian ski resort

11 Indian nationals die of carbon monoxide poisoning

2 mins

UP presents its 2nd supplementary budget worth ₹17.8K cr in Assembly

THE Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday presented its second supplementary budget of ₹17,865.72 crore, which includes new proposals worth ₹790.49 crore for 2024-25.

1 min

Bhujbal ups ante, fires 'toy' salvo at Ajit Pawar for no cabinet position

SENIOR NCP leader and former deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday upped the ante against his party leader Ajit Pawar for denying him a place in the Maha Yuti cabinet.

1 min

Russian Gen heading N-arms vertical assassinated

Ukraine claims responsibility, accuses Igor Kirillov of using banned chemical weapons in ongoing war; Moscow treating it as terror attack

1 min

Rescue efforts on as 7.3 quake flattens buildings in Vanuatu

A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness saying of bodies lying in the city.

1 min

Beijing executes man after graft conviction

CHINA on Tuesday executed Li Jianping, a former official in the north Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who was convicted in the largest-ever corruption case in the country totaling to over $421 million.

1 min

Was target of suicide attack during 2021 Iraq visit: Pope

POPE Francis turned 88 on Tuesday and marked the occasion with revelations that he almost didn't make it.

1 min

Israel to control Gaza after war: def minister

ISRAEL's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that his country's forces would be free to act in Gaza Strip even after its war with Hamas ends.

1 min

ITC Hotel demerger from January 1, 2025

FMCG giant ITC Ltd has fixed January 1, 2025 as the effective date for the demerger of its hotel business after receiving an order from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

1 min

Slower Q2 GDP growth temporary blip, will see healthy growth in coming qtrs: FM

FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has termed the second quarter GDP growth slowdown a temporary blip and expressed her confidence that the economy will see healthy growth in the coming quarters.

1 min

Adani group firm Ambuja merges Penna Cements, Sanghi Ind with itself

AMBUJA Cements, the cement and building material company of Adani Group, announced the merger of Sanghi Industries (SIL) and Penna Cement Industries with itself.

1 min

Domestic market declines on trade deficit, weakening rupee

DOMESTIC equity market declined sharply on Tuesday with the benchmarks - BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50 - cracking nearly 1.5% each.

1 min

Bid in satellite spectrum not feasible: Scindia

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over the government's decision to administratively allocate satellite spectrum in the country, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday defended the move, saying that satellite spectrum is neither suitable nor practical for auction.

1 min

ED hands over ₹22,000 cr worth properties attached under PMLA to owners

THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) has handed over properties worth ₹22,280 crore attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to victims or their legitimate claimants, finance ministry has informed parliament.

1 min

Gold import up on tariff cut, UAE pact

331% rise in import of yellow metal to $15 bn in Nov resulted in trade deficit, pressure on rupee

2 mins

Sebi may tighten SME listing norms, bring in transparency

THE Securities and Exchange Board's (Sebi) board meeting slated for Wednesday is likely to come up with a slew of measures to clean the SME IPOs space that has, of late, received regulatory attention.

1 min

Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club

CHELSEA forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.

1 min

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

SOMEWHERE in the middle of the first innings, Virat Kohli rushed out of the Gabba dressing room, called up Abhimanyu Easwaran, told him something in earnestness and sent him off the ground.

3 mins

Rana wouldn't have got into our playing XI: Gujarat coach Klinger

GUJARAT GIANTS, after finishing last in the back-to-back Women's Premier League points table, went into the mini-auction looking to make a few important changes.

2 mins

Two World Champions, 31 GMs, Tamil Nadu is the best: Anand

OPEN rooftop car. Scores of people. Cavalcade of cars. It was another maddening but memorable day in the newly-crowned world champ, D Gukesh's, life.

2 mins

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

Poor form and captaincy issues could be two unrelated things as Rohit falls for another low score on day four in Brisbane on Tuesday

7 mins

OLDEST KNOWN ANIMAL WITH 'SABER TEETH'

CHICAGO: The first true mammals evolved roughly 200 million years ago, during the early days of the dinosaurs.

1 min

OLDEST KNOWN ANIMAL WITH ‘SABER TEETH’

CHICAGO: The first true mammals evolved roughly 200 million years ago, during the early days of the dinosaurs. But mammals are the last surviving members of an older group, called the therapsids.

1 min

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