The New Indian Express Chennai - March 18, 2025

In this issue

March 18, 2025

Gabbard urged to ban Pannun's SFJ

Defense minister rajnath Singh on monday conveyed to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, India’s concerns over activities of the Khalistani separatist group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on American soil and urged her to declare it as a designated terrorist entity, sources said.

1 min

Gang Murders 2 History-Sheeters in Kotturpuram

TWO history-sheeters were hacked to death by an eight-member gang near Kotturpuram on Sunday night.

1 min

Army Col, son assaulted by Punjab cops, 12 suspended

A serving army Colonel and his son were allegedly assaulted by Punjab Police personnel in Patiala in the wee hours of March 14 over a parking dispute.

1 min

'Rein in anti-India elements in NZ'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday raised the issue of pro-Khalistan elements freely carrying out anti-India activities in New Zealand during his bilateral meeting with the Pacific island nation’s Pm Christopher Luxon.

1 min

AIADMK's motion to oust Speaker Appavu defeated by 91 votes

THE resolution moved by the AIADMK seeking to remove Assembly Speaker M Appavu from his post was defeated by a margin of 91 votes on Monday.

1 min

Cash-for-jobs scam: SC stays HC order for CBI probe into ex-AIADMK minister

IN a major relief to former AIADMK minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madras High Court order directing a CBI probe into the corruption allegations against him in connection with a cash-for-job scam case.

1 min

Manipur tense as Kuki-Zo leader mugged, prohibitory orders out

PROHIBITORY orders under Section 163 of BNSS were clamped in Manipur's Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district following a senior Kuki-Zo leader's assault.

1 min

Trial court acquittal of 2 in bribery case set aside, ₹1.5L compensation ordered

THE Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while setting aside a trial court's acquittal order of two persons, including a nationalised bank manager, in a bribery case, observed that the authorities find ways to indulge in corruption while discharging their duty, either by acting contrary to the guidelines or deviating from the guidelines.

1 min

Book traces fiscal history of Tamils since Sangam era

Thamizhar Nithi Nirvagam also throws light on TN's budgets presented after Independence

2 mins

Delay in release of 'Pink Book' raises eyebrows, affects Rlys project plans

THE Indian Railways is yet to release the 'Pink Book' for the Southern Railway even after the passing of over 45 days since Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union budget.

1 min

HC quashes GO, tells DME to add prof's name to promotion panel

CRITICISING the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare department and the Director of Medical Education (DME) for refusing to count the administrative experience of a medical college professor Dr Priya Pasupathy, the Madras HC struck down an order of the department and directed inclusion of her name in the panel for promotion to the post of Dean of government medical colleges as per the civil medical list seniority within four weeks.

1 min

ISRO chairman launches thermal research centre at IIT-M

V Narayanan, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a new fluid and thermal research centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on Monday, aimed at making India's self-reliant in advanced space technologies and attracting global talent and research funding.

1 min

Advocate held for sexually assaulting Class 8 student

A 28-year-old advocate was arrested on Monday for allegedly kidnapping two girl students and sexually assaulting one of them.

1 min

DMK B-team tag: BJP, TVK spar

THE BJP and TVK on Monday traded charges, accusing each other of being the \"B-team\" of DMK by being in a covert alliance with the ruling party.

1 min

AIADMK stopped laptop scheme, not us: CM

CM MK Stain on Monday said it was the previous AIADMK government which had stopped free laptop scheme launched by them in 2011.

1 min

BJP has special rage against CM: Regupathy

Law Minister S Regupathy alleged that the Enforcement Directorate was targeting the state as Chief Minister MK Stalin was uniting the leaders of various states against the alleged delimitation and the BJP has a 'special rage' against Stalin.

1 min

AIADMK stopped laptop scheme, not us: CM

From 2016-21, debt grew at 128% to ₹4.8L cr; after 2021, it has grown at 93%, says Thennarasu

2 mins

Police thwart BJP stir, arrest leaders

BJP state president K Annamalai on Monday said his party would intensify protests against the government for the alleged Tasmac scam and for not allowing them to stage protest.

1 min

We will seek more seats in 2026: VCK

\"WE prioritise ideology, which is why we contest for fewer seats.

1 min

TTPS fire adds to discom's summer worries

WITH summer months around the corner, the disruption of 630 MW of power at the Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station (TTPS) following the fire on Sunday has come as a cause of concern for state-owned power distribution corporation.

1 min

Student falls to death from moving train

A 20-year-old youth died after he fell down from a moving train at Irumbuliyur near Tambaram on Monday morning.

1 min

City to have 3 early intervention centres to help disabled kids

To be set up at 1.83 crore, facilities will provide therapeutic aid to infants with med needs

1 min

Udhaya inaugurates renovated GCC Park near MOP Vaishnav College

DEPUTY Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the renovated Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Park near MOP Vaishnav College for Women in Nungambakkam on Monday.

1 min

City to have 3 early intervention centres to help disabled kids

To be set up at ₹1.83 crore, facilities will provide therapeutic aid to infants with med needs

1 min

Baby girl hurt in e-bike fire dies, dad still critical

THE nine-month-old girl, who sustained burn injuries in the fire that spread from an e-scooter, died at the hospital on Sunday night.

1 min

Woman MLA climbs House chair to voice ire

A heated debate over the NEP led to an uproar in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, culminating in the opposition walking out and the lone woman MLA, Chandira Priyanga (AINRC), staging a protest by standing on her chair \"for not allowing her to speak in the House\".

1 min

Civic body chairperson's son booked for smuggling

POLICE have registered a case against the son of Madukkarai municipality chairperson of the DMK for allegedly trying to smuggle quarry stones to Kerala.

1 min

'Forged' docu: Chargesheet against Canadian quashed

THE Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court quashed a chargesheet, filed by the Tiruchy airport police against a Canadian citizen for producing forged documents while attempting to depart from the airport in 2007, as the police has failed to produce any prima facie material to prove that the document is forged.

1 min

'Always been impartial in discharging duties as the speaker'

POINTING out that AIADMK leaders used to demand longer sessions during the meetings of the business advisory committee, Palaniswami said, \"And yet the Speaker is conducting shorter sessions as intended by the ruling party. As per the DMK's electoral promise, in the past four years, the House should have been convened for 400 days. But it has met for only 116 days.\"

2 mins

Parties Agree to Resist Delimitation Based on Population in T'gana

OPPOSITION to population-based delimitation emerged as the dominant stance at an all-party meeting convened in the Assembly Committee Hall on Monday.

1 min

4 Held for Moral Policing in Belagavi, 2 Still at Large

FOUR people were arrested early Monday for moral policing at Savgaon on the outskirts of Belagavi city on Sunday.

1 min

Siddu's remarks against RSS create ruckus in K'taka House

Assembly resumes proceedings only after Speaker expunges CM's remarks

1 min

THE GROWING CRISIS OF RAGGING IN KERALA

RAGGING in Kerala's educational institutions has become an organised crime, which at times is facilitated by drug abuse. Despite the strict laws to counter such brutalities, many educational institutions choose not to report such incidents.

3 mins

What Cleaves Us Apart Can Bring Us Together

Language divides only when we want it to. When we speak someone else's language, we create an instant rapport. But politicians find it more useful to use it as leverage

4 mins

RG Kar victim's parents asked to approach HC

THE Supreme Court on Monday disposed of the plea filed by the parents of the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rapecum- murder case and granted them the liberty to approach the Calcutta High Court.

1 min

Oppn walks out of RS as discussion on voter card, delimitation turned down

THE Rajya Sabha on Monday witnessed a walkout by members of Opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC, after their demand for a discussion on the Election Commission's alleged lapses in issuing multiple duplicate voter ID cards and delimitation was disallowed.

1 min

'Railways on ventilator,' Oppn slams Vaishnaw

THE Opposition on Monday came down heavily on the railways ministry in the Lok Sabha, saying making Instagram reels will not help the railway which is on a 'ventilator' due to poor management of the government.

1 min

Centre says yet to get response from US on USAID funding in India

THE Centre on Monday said that the US administration is yet to officially furnish details on the USAID funded projects in India over the past decade.

1 min

'Railways on ventilator', Oppn slams Vaishnaw

'Railways on ventilator', Oppn slams Vaishnaw

2 mins

Refugee Issue Should Figure in Immigration Law

Former Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai cautions the authorities over the draft law empowering immigration officers with arrest power, saying recent Supreme Court rulings needed to be kept in mind while framing rules to ensure that officers should also be made responsible for abiding by provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Surksha Sanhita.

3 mins

China hails PM's 'dialogue over discord' statements

CHINA on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments on India-China relations in conversation with American podcaster Lex Fridman, emphasising that dialogue, not discord, should steer bilateral ties.

1 min

Manipur cases to be tried in Guwahati: SC

THE Supreme Court on Monday said the trial of the Manipur ethnic violence cases, probed by the CBI, would be conducted in Assam capital Guwahati, where they were transferred to earlier.

1 min

'One poll' is unconstitutional, former law panel chief AP Shah tells JPC

DEPOSING before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the 'One nation One election' Bill, former Delhi High Court chief justice A P Shah on Monday submitted a 12-page note asserting that the proposed legislation is unconstitutional, violative of democratic principles and federal structure, according to sources.

1 min

Chorus for action against cop for kicking woman

Outrage in J&K as stir against deaths of 2 youth escalates

1 min

Conrad begins coal mining after decade-long ban

AFTER a decade-long ban on rat-hole coal mining imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma on Sunday virtually inaugurated the state's first scientific coal mine in the Byndihati area of East Jaintia Hills district.

1 min

Maha Plans to Amend Norms of Ladli Bahin

To reduce its financial burden, the Maharashtra government has decided to tighten the norms for availing benefits under the Ladli Bahin scheme.

1 min

₹482 cr drug haul in 2 yrs: Gujarat ATS busts racket, nabs 6 foreigners

The Gujarat government revealed in the Assembly on Monday that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has seized a staggering ₹482 crore worth of narcotics from the state's waters in the past two years.

1 min

Oppn Sees Red as Mamata Visits Furfura Sharif, Says No Link to Votebank Politics

Amid opposition claims that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is focusing on Muslim votes for next year's Assembly elections, she visited Furfura Sharif on Monday to attend an Iftar, claiming it was a regular visit and that no politics was involved.

1 min

Pradhan steps in to meet Bihar girl's doc dream

KHUSHBOO Kumari, a Class 11 student at a college in Bihar, is on cloud nine after getting a call from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who not only assured her to get admission in science stream but also support to fulfill her dream to become a doctor.

2 mins

Cost of divinity: Trust spends ₹2,150 cr on Ram temple construction in 5 years

THE Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has so far incurred a total expenditure of ₹2,150 crore on the construction of Ayodhya's Ram Mandir — which is set to be complete by the end of April — and other verticals and projects.

1 min

Violence erupts in Nagpur amid rumours of holy book burning

VIOLENCE erupted in central Nagpur on Monday after members of Hindu outfits, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal held a protest seeking the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb in Sambhaji Nagar.

1 min

Israel says two Hezbollah militants hit in S Lebanon

THE Israeli military said it carried out an air strike in southern Lebanon on Monday targeting two Hezbollah militants, with Lebanese health authorities reporting one person killed and three wounded.

1 min

Trump-Putin to talk today, discuss ways to end war

US says a lot of work's done over weekend; Kremlin tight-lipped

2 mins

Houthis fire 18 missiles, drone on US aircraft carrier in retaliation for strikes

YEMEN's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked an American aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours as they prepared for huge rallies on Monday after US strikes left dozens dead.

1 min

TAFE Appoints Lakshmi Venu as Vice Chairman

LEADING tractor manufacturer TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd) has appointed Lakshmi Venu as Vice Chairman of the company.

1 min

Dozen Nifty50 stocks trade below 20x price/earning

A dozen stocks, mostly banking and energy stocks, in the Nifty50 index are trading below a P/E of 20, providing an opportunity to investors despite broader concerns related to expensive valuations in the Indian market.

1 min

Net direct tax collections rise 13% to ₹21.26 lakh cr in FY25

NET direct tax collections in 2024-25 (till 16 March 2025) have jumped 13% to ₹21.26 lakh crore compared to ₹18.80 lakh crore in the same period previous year, largely driven by strong growth in personal income tax collections.

1 min

SBI defers ₹15k-cr bond sale amid higher yields

THE nation's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has deferred its ₹15,000-crore domestic bond issuance—a mix of tier 1 bonds and long-term infra bonds—plan due to high bond yields, despite the rate cut by the central bank.

1 min

Religare board commissions governance review of firm

DIVERSIFIED financial firm Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL) on Monday said its board is seeking a governance review of the company and its two units.

1 min

Bombay HC discharges case against Adanis

THE Bombay High Court has dismissed a SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office) case against Adani group Chairman Gautam Adani and his younger brother and managing director of Adani Enterprises, Rajesh Adani, in a ₹388 crore alleged market regulation violation case.

1 min

Goods trade deficit narrows to 42-month low of $14 bn in Feb

A 61% drop in gold and 30% drop in petroleum imports led to an overall 16.34% fall in goods imports in February, which resulted in India's merchandise trade deficit shrinking to $14 billion, the lowest in 42 months.

1 min

No talks yet on reciprocal tariff with US: Govt officials

THE Indian government is currently focusing only on the terms of Bilateral Trade Agreements (BTA) with the US, and no talks have been held on 'averting' reciprocal tariff, a government source told TNIE.

1 min

Bajaj to buy Allianz's 26% stake in insurance biz

The Bajaj group and the German insurance major Allianz group have decided to walk away from their two insurance joint ventures in the life and non-life areas as the latter agreed to sell their 26% each holdings in the partnership for a total consideration of a little over ₹23,400 crore or 2.6 billion euros.

1 min

BFI election: It's president Ajay Singh versus Bhandari-Kalita combine

THE Boxing Federation of India (BFI) election is heading towards a dramatic finish. After much speculation over former sports minister Anurag Thakur's potential candidature, the final list of nominated candidates for elections was published on Monday. Expectedly, his name did not figure as it was deleted over violation of rules specified in a letter issued by the BFI president, Ajay Singh, on March 7.

2 mins

BFI election: It's president Ajay Singh versus Bhandari-Kalita combine

THE Boxing Federation of India (BFI) election is heading towards a dramatic finish.

2 mins

Barca claim priceless come-from-behind win

BARCELONA battled back from two goals down to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 and land an important blow in the Spanish title race on Sunday.

1 min

Kohli backs Patidar as RCB skipper

INDIAN superstar Virat Kohli has backed newly-appointed Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar to lead the side for a long time.

1 min

Boxing set to be part of LA 2028

BOXING is set to be among the sports at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a new governing body was selected, IOC chief Thomas Bach said on Monday.

1 min

'My Peak Is Yet To Come'

A week after the Champions Trophy triumph, spinner Varun talks about his India comeback, what this victory means and his way forward. Gomesh S took notes during a candid chat...

4 mins

CSK vs MI online ticket sale to open on March 19

TICKETS for the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, to be played on March 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, will be available on Chennaisuperkings.com and District.in online portals from 10.15 AM on Wednesday (March 19).

1 min

Headache, fever, trouble looking at light? It may be meningitis

ON March 8, Saturday, five children, in the age group of six and seven years, i presented with symptoms XPLAINER from Kochi like fever and headache. Upon examination, it was found they had been suffering from viral meningitis.

1 min

THE FAT ON YOUR BELLY COULD WEIGH YOU DOWN

FOR years, 38-year-old Ananya struggled with stubborn belly fat despite maintaining a normal weight. A busy marketing professional, she often skipped meals, relied on ready-to-cook (processed) meals, and slept irregular hours due to work stress.

3 mins

For a Future of Possibilities

Walking through the corridors of Vidya Sagar, every mural, every artwork, every classroom, and every joyful voice stood as a testament to the school's mission — to create an inclusive space where every child can dream, learn, and thrive.

2 mins

PUJA, PARTY, AND PREJUDICE

Every March we observe Women's Day, yet the burden of the labels attached to a woman's lifestyle weigh them down.

5 mins

Sea Hawks soar high with crucial victory

SEA Hawks beat India Pistons to secure a massive win by an innings and 161 runs, taking their tally up to 37 points in the TNCA senior division league at Tagore Medical College ground on Monday.

2 mins

BASICS OF Basics of Biophilic design

UMANS share an inherent relationship with nature, and bringing that to spaces is more than just a design trend. Biophilia translates to \"the passionate love of life and all that is alive\" in ancient Greek.

2 mins

Life.Uninterrupted

IN a city like Delhi, where clean air is a luxury and outdoor yoga feels like a dare, the Life Yoga Centre emerges as a sanctuary for the soul.

3 mins

KP JAGAN TO HEADLINE AND DIRECT ROJA MALLI KANAKAMBARAM

KP Jagan, best known for directing Pudhiya Geethai, Kodambakkam, and Raman Thediya Seethai, is set to headline and direct an upcoming film titled Roja Malli Kanakambaram.

1 min

Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR's War 2 to release in August

HE release date of Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR's War 2 has been officially The much-awaited sequel to the 2019 film announced.

1 min

IT'S A WRAP FOR COOLIE

ON Monday, the makers of Rajinikanth's Coolie, directed by Lokesh anKanagaraj, nounced the wrap of the film.

1 min

I don't worry about making my films accessible

Filmmaker Achal Mishra talks about his documentary on Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla, the long struggle of editing the film, his thoughts on adapting the writer's stories, and more

3 mins

Here is the first look at Celine Song's Materialists

WEEKS after announcing its release date, the romantic comedy Materialists' distributor A24 released a poster, offering the first official look at the film, on Monday.

1 min

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