The New Indian Express Chennai - February 15, 2025

In this issue

February 15, 2025

Farmers meet Central team, agree to talk on Feb 22

A meeting between a Central team led by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and farmers' representatives to discuss their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops, was held here cordially on Friday followed by a consensus on the next round of talks slated for February 22.

1 min

Don't allow protests on Thiruparankundram issue: HC

THE Madras High Court on Friday directed the Tamil Nadu government not to permit any protest that would disrupt public peace and communal harmony.

1 min

2nd US planeload of deportees lands in Amritsar today

A US aircraft carrying 119 illegal immigrants is likely to land at the Amritsar airport on Saturday, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump dispensation as part of its crackdown against illegal immigration.

1 min

India rejects Don's offer on China row

INDIA on Friday rejected Donald Trump's offer to mediate in the ongoing tensions between India and China, after the US president expressed his willingness to help stop what he called the \"vicious skirmishes\" along the India-China border.

1 min

Def, trade deals to ease tariff sting

10-year defence framework, $500-billion mega trade deal in the works; India to get F-35 fighter jets

2 mins

Cheated by Fake CBSE School, 19 Class 10 Kids Denied Hall Tickets

NINETEEN Class 10 students of a private CBSE school in Thanjavur district, who had spent an entire year preparing for the board exam, had the shock of their lives on Friday when they did not get hall tickets for the board exam scheduled to start on Saturday.

1 min

Work starts for 27-floor tower at Central Square

CHENNAI is set to get a new skyline icon as Chief Minister MK Stalin laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Central Tower project at Chennai Central's Central Square.

1 min

KCBT Metro Link With Elevated Road To Cost ₹5,000 Crore More

In a significant move to enhance connectivity, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has submitted a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the state government for extending the metro rail from Chennai airport to Kilambakkam bus terminus.

1 min

Wife says JCP's relationship with cop consensual

SUSPENDED IPS officer Magesh Kumar's wife, Anuradha, denied the sexual harassment allegations against him, asserting that he was in a consensual relationship with the complainant, a female constable.

1 min

Three teachers held for delay in reporting Pocso case

PERSONNEL from the All Women Police Station (AWPS) at Attur in Salem district arrested on Friday three teachers, including the headmaster, of the government school where a Class 7 girl belonging to a Scheduled Caste was sexually assaulted by three Class 11 boys on January 22.

1 min

Woman constables taken off duty from camp offices of senior police officials

STATE police authorities have directed that woman constables be reassigned from administrative tasks in senior officers' and camp offices to police stations, special units, and field duties where their presence is essential.

1 min

TN Plans Telemetry Study to Track Turtle Movement to Reduce Deaths

Subsidies cancelled to 208 trawl boat owners; edu programmes to be launched for fishermen

1 min

Teacher Assaults 15-Year-Old, Held Under Pocso Act

A teacher (42) of a government higher secondary school in Krishnagiri has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old, class 10 boy.

1 min

Parents Seek Probe Into Girl's Death at Hostel

PARENTS of a six-year-old autistic girl, who was studying at a special school in Palayamkottai, have petitioned the city police on Friday alleging that their daughter died under mysterious circumstances at the hostel.

1 min

Crowd blocks road after sexual assault of girl; teacher held

A large group of people staged a road blockade near Thavalakuppam on the Puducherry-Cuddalore road on Friday evening, demanding strict action against a private school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a six-and-a-half-year-old girl studying in Class 2.

1 min

Steps on to give honorarium to more women: Deputy CM

ADDRESSING a mass wedding ceremony, organised by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin revealed that steps are being taken by the state government to increase the number of beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme.

1 min

Three Hacked to Death in Gang Rivalry in Puducherry

THREE people, including the son of a murdered notorious rowdy, were hacked to death in Puducherry.

1 min

'Courts can't support perpetuation of caste'

COMMENTING that the scourge of caste system creates division in society, leads to discrimination and violence, besides affecting growth, the Madras High Court has deplored the sections of society that are \"yet to shed this unwanted baggage\" even 75 years after the Constitution came into force.

1 min

NO MATCH TO THE GLOW THAT LIT UP MANY LIVES

Shanmuga Nadar and P Ayya Nadar are no Prometheuses, but the fire they ignited a century ago has turned out to be a game-changer, bringing in phenomenal economic growth to the once-backward Sivakasi and nearby areas, reeling under agricultural crisis.

2 mins

Thiagarajan Flays Nagenthran for Silence on CM's PM Barb

BJP state secretary Karate Thiagarajan has criticised the party's legislature party leader Nainar Nagenthran at a public meeting in Chennai for failing to register his protest when Chief Minister M K Stalin criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Tirunelveli a few days ago.

1 min

Thaali seizure by Customs at airport: HC bench stays single judge's order

THE Madras High Court has stayed the operation of a single judge's order that declared a provision of Baggage Rules ultra vires to a provision of Customs Act regarding jewellery worn on the person and the judge's direction to take action against the Air Customs officers who seized gold ornaments including the nuptial thread (thaali) of a Sri Lankan national on arrival at the Chennai Airport.

1 min

DPCs' paddy buying limit hiked to 70 bags per acre

THE state government has raised the paddy procurement limit at Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) from 60 to 70 bags per acre.

1 min

Master Plan for Kovai, Madurai in March: CM

'Govt is also formulating 10 regional development plans across TN'

1 min

Unopened luxury watches in Jaya's kitty shock court staff

Those in the special court were left dumbstruck after finding three luxury watches, which were not even opened from their boxes, while carrying out valuation and documentation of valuables seized from former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

1 min

10K TN powerloom units go on strike for salary hike

AROUND 10,000 powerloom unit owners from Tiruppur started an indefinite strike on Friday and hoisted black flags in their units demanding a wage hike.

1 min

Plea against Isha: SC pulls up TNPCB for two-year delay

When the state comes belatedly, we become suspicious, says two-judge bench of top court

1 min

Celebrating a Sage-Unifier with Kashi-Tamil Sangamam

S Bharat celebrates its civilizational showcase with divinity, hosting a monumental gathering of over 50 crore devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh, Varanasi celebrates through Kashi-Tamil Sangamam (KTS), an enduring strain of national unity.

3 mins

Shifting Sands: Assimilation to Self Adoration

The BJP appears to be making the same mistake as the Congress: the centralisation of power. History will tell us which of the two will learn its lessons faster or if there will be another twist

4 mins

Hearing of case on illegal B'desh migrants in Mar

A day after the Supreme Court reserved the verdict in connection with the detention of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the country, the top court on Friday re-notified the matter to hear the case again on March 4, to facilitate the Union of India (UOI) to file an additional affidavit from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) inputs and the steps with regard to it.

1 min

India-US trade to touch $500 bn by '30

Bilateral Trade Agreement to be signed soon; Arms transfer regulations will be reviewed to boost defence trade

2 mins

Modi, Trump approves co-production of Stryker, Javelin & additional P-8Is

IN their bilateral meeting at Washington DC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump announced to \"pursue the procurement and co-production of Javelin ATGM and Stryker ICV in India to meet the country's defence requirements.\"

1 min

Pleas in SC to bring political parties under RTI

The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will hear in April pleas seeking to bring political parties under the purview of the Right to Information Act to ensure accountability.

1 min

After back-to-back poll debacle, Cong names new gen secys, state in-charges

Organisational reshuffle

1 min

Time to revisit: Dhankhar questions role of CJI in executive appointments

VICE President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday questioned the involvement of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) with any executive appointment.

1 min

Modi, Rahul will meet next week to choose next CEC

AS Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar is set to demit office on February 18, a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet early next week to finalize his successor.

1 min

BSF finds Lahore, Narowal most active in launching drug drones

PAKISTAN'S Lahore and Narowal are two areas from where drones are being launched for entering into the Indian side of the International Borders to drop drugs, arms and ammunition, said BSF officials, while claiming that the force's forensic labs have found that 184 drones - the highest number - originated from different areas of the two cities.

1 min

'Karpoori Rath' will criss-cross state during poll

EYING the extremely backward classes votes, the main opposition in Bihar, the RJD, 'Karpoori Vichar Rath' from the state capital on Friday.

1 min

Ahmed Patel's son quits Cong with 'great pain'

FAIZAL Patel, the son of late Ahmed Patel, a prominent leader from Bharuch and a senior figure in the Congress, created a stir on February 13 by publicly announcing his decision to sever ties with the party.

1 min

Lalu Home Truth: Rabri's Brothers Not on Same Page Over Corruptions

RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder brother-in-law, Anirudha Prasad, also known as Sadhu Yadav, publicly criticised his younger brother, Subhash Yadav, for accusing Lalu of mediating deals involving corruption and kidnapping cases during his time in power in Bihar from 1990 to 2005.

1 min

Mantri likens farmers with beggars, flayed

MAHARASHTRA CM Devendra Fadnavis announced on Friday that the new criminal laws will be implemented in the state within the next six months.

1 min

Road work picks pace ahead of Char Dham yatra

WIDENING of the strategically significant Gangotri National Highway is set to begin ahead of this year's Char Dham Yatra.

1 min

App for elephant route to check man-animal conflict in J'khand soon

THE Jharkhand Forest Department is all set to launch the 'Elephant Route Predictor' app, which is designed to track potential elephant routes in a manner similar to weather forecasts.

1 min

Akhilesh MP booked for 'hell and heavens' remarks on Kumbh

A criminal case was registered against Afzal Ansari, the Samajwadi Party MP from Ghazipur, late Thursday over his alleged controversial comments regarding the ongoing Mahakumbh.

1 min

BJP likely to redraw ally course

THE BJP seems to be working towards replicating its Delhi strategy in Bihar for the upcoming state elections, given the current political dynamics.

1 min

US Ready To Put Pressure On Russia: Vance

Trump prepared to use US 'military leverage' to force Putin to end war in Ukraine, says V-P

1 min

EU Vows to Respond Firmly to Trump Tariffs

The European Union vowed on Friday to respond \"firmly and immediately\" to trade barriers after US President Donald Trump unveiled tariffs that could hit both allies and competitors.

1 min

Russia strikes Chernobyl plant: Zelenskyy

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian drone had struck a cover built to contain radiation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, adding that radiation levels were normal.

1 min

Islamabad HC divided over new acting chief justice

PAKISTAN President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday administered the oath of office to Sarfraz Dogar as acting Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court, a move that has drawn the ire of judges and opposition parties.

1 min

Israel Gets Names of Three Hostages to Be Freed Today

ISRAEL said on Friday it had received the names of three hostages to be freed by militants this weekend, after a crisis in the ceasefire threatened to plunge Gaza back into war.

1 min

US tariff: India Inc reactions

THE day US President Donald Trump signed the reciprocal tariff plan, he also entered into an agreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the US a bigger supplier of oil and gas as well defence products.

1 min

RIL Buys TN-Based Shampoo Brand Velvette

RELIANCE Consumer Products (RCPL) has acquired Tamil Nadu-based shampoo brand Velvette.

1 min

A Lowdown on Simpler, Shorter, Crisper Income Tax Bill, 2025

The New Income Tax Bill 2025, which will replace the 1961 Act, is an attempt at simplifying the tax rules.

2 mins

Investors Lose ₹45L Cr So Far in 2025

Decline is driven by weak quarterly earnings, high valuations, consistent FII outflows

2 mins

India Cuts Import Duty on Bourbon Whiskey to 50%

INDIA has reduced import duty on bourbon whiskey to 50%, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) dated February 13, 2025.

1 min

Sebi dismisses Gaekwad's open offer for Religare

Capital market regulator - the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Friday dismissed an application from US-based investor Digvijay 'Danny' Gaekwad (Danny Gaekwad Developments & Investments) who is seeking permission to make a competing open offer for Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL).

1 min

Reserve Bank takes control of New India Co-op Bank

THE Reserve Bank has sacked the board of the city-based New India Co-operative Bank and has appointed Shreekant, former chief general manager of SBI, as the administrator.

1 min

BSNL reports profit of ₹262 crore in third quarter, first in 17 years

STATE-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Friday reported a net profit of ₹262 crore in the third quarter ending December 2024.

1 min

Sports advisory panel may ruffle NSFs, active athletes in list not correct

Committees and subcommittees seem to be the new flavour in the sports ministry.

2 mins

Blame game begins between WFI & SAI

WAR of words seems to have intensified between the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) over the issue of wrestlers' participation in the upcoming Ranking Series in Albania.

1 min

ICC Boosts Prize Money for CT

PRIZE money for the eight-nation Champions Trophy starting in Pakistan next week has been increased by 53 percent, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Friday.

1 min

Focus on Pro League with eye on future

Women's hockey team will be seeking improved show while youngsters from men's side will be looking to step up

2 mins

Better tie-break score helps Vignesh win title

B Vignesh of Chennai won the Star Chess Foundation 1st International Rating tournament held at JJ College of Engineering and Technology.

1 min

We're ready to host 2036 Oly: Shah at closing ceremony

A LIVELY yet simple closing ceremony brought the curtains down on the 38th National Games here on Friday with home minister Amit Shah as its chief guest asserting that the country is well on track to host a successful Olympics in 2036.

1 min

Shooter Saurabh back in national reckoning

IN what is considered to be one of the most competitive sports in the country, shooter Saurabh Chaudhary had gradually lost his way to be in the shadows for some time.

2 mins

Perry, Richa fifties power RCB to highest run chase in WPL history

RICHA Ghosh and Ellyse Perry smashed forceful fifties as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off the highest run chase in the history of Women's Premier League to register a thrilling six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants here on Friday.

1 min

Nilgiri Tahr

A Sheep in Goat's Clothing

4 mins

A Crucial Step for Change

Maatram 2025, an event organized by The Banyan and HCL Foundation, brought together voices from the homeless community to discuss challenges and solutions. Key topics included women's safety, shelter access, and the need for more support services.

2 mins

Understanding Lipstick Psychology

Have you ever picked up a lipstick and thought, ‘This is so me’? It turns out that there’s a reason for that. The shades we wear aren’t just about color—they say something about who we are, how we feel, and even how we want to be seen by the world.

2 mins

Beyond the roses

Broken Heart Syndrome, the little-known condition that can, quite literally, break your heart

1 min

Water & wellness

How much water should a healthy person ideally drink?

1 min

Master exams with a calm mind

As the board exams approach, students often find themselves grappling with mounting stress.

2 mins

Krishna to play a cop in KK 25

After his role in the recent drama series Parachute on Disney+ Hotstar, actor Krishna Kulasekaran is set to don the police uniform again in a crime investigation thriller next.

1 min

A MOVING TALE OF BOUNDLESS LOVE

For years, Tamil filmmakers have relied on the bike ride as a visual representation of two people falling in love—so much so that it has become a cliché.

3 mins

Tonal inconsistencies drown this male-female friendship tale

Several aspects of the Suseenthiran directorial 2K Love Story don't do justice to the title.

2 mins

Marvel in a minor key

The biggest pleasures of Captain America: Brave New World lie in its witty and emotional touches, some of which serve as clever callbacks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

2 mins

Atharvaa's next titled Idhayam Murali

Dawn Pictures announced Idhayam Murali as the title of its next film, a romance drama, starring Atharvaa in the lead.

1 min

Read all stories from The New Indian Express Chennai

The New Indian Express Chennai Newspaper Description:

The New Indian Express Chennai is an English-language daily newspaper published in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the most popular English newspapers in Tamil Nadu, covering a wide range of topics, including:

* Local news: The New Indian Express Chennai covers all aspects of local news in Chennai, from politics and crime to business and entertainment.
* State news: The newspaper also covers news from across Tamil Nadu, including government policies, development projects, and social issues.
* National news: The New Indian Express Chennai also covers national news and events, including politics, business, and economy.
* International news: The newspaper also covers international news and events, with a focus on South Asia and the Indian diaspora.
* Culture and entertainment: The New Indian Express Chennai also features articles on culture, entertainment, and lifestyle.

The New Indian Express Chennai is known for its in-depth reporting, investigative journalism, and editorial independence. It is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest news and developments in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and India.