Free colour television scheme comes again in news Thursday, August 30, 2007 | Nayan
BJP state Secretary L. Ganesan has urged the state to clarify on the number of free colour television sets it has proposed to distribute, claiming that the number of TVs distributed so far had had already crossed the number of families living “below poverty line” in the state.He told reporters at a press conference at Chennai that chief minister M. Karunanidhi, had during April 2006 announced that as many as 53 lakh families lived below the poverty line in the state and at the rate of Rs.2000 per TV, the free TV scheme could be executed for Rs.160 crores. But a sum of Rs.685 crore was sanctioned and later increased to a Rs.1, 435 Crores, which was nearly 40 times more than projected during the launch of the scheme.
AIADMK raises Hyderabad blasts issue in Rajya Sabha Thursday, August 30, 2007 | Nayan
The AIAIDMK has urged the Tamil Nadu government to come out with a white paper on various terror attacks that had taken place during the past three years of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule. Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Hyderabad blasts after suspension of question hour, Dr. V. Maitreyan, of the AIADMK, said the home minister has admitted that the government had prior information about a possible terrorist strike in Hyderabad. But the state could not act in time because the information was in bits and pieces and was not specific as to when, where, and how it would happen.
Chennai gets a blind-friendly cyber café Tuesday, August 28, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug 28 (ANI): Nethrodaya, a non-government organisation (NGO), today launched a cyber cafe for visually impaired people of Chennai. The cyber café at Moggapair area of the city is the first of its kind in the country to enable visually impaired people to access Internet using a special software called JAWS. The software was provided by Bill Gates Foundation and Freedom Scientific to make Internet more accessible for visually impaired. G. Govinda Krishnan, head of 'Nethrodaya, said that for the past couple of decades, the visually impaired had been finding it tough to operate or to use computer. Visually impaired students had to take some external assistance to pursue their studies, but the cyber café has come as a great help to them. "I am from a village where the computer facilities are not available. Here (at cyber cafe) we get all the information that we need. Most importantly, in this centre, the blind people can also access Internet, which is useful for collecting information and study materials,” said Mari Selvi, a visually impaired student from Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli District. The state government has provided land to construct the building to house the cyber café. (ANI)
Tirupur T-shirts to drape Euro Cup Soccer players Tuesday, August 28, 2007 | MP
Tirupur (Tamil Nadu), Aug 28 (ANI): Santosh Garments, an apparel manufacturer in the textile town of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, has bagged orders for a million T-shirts for the 2008 Euro Soccer World Cup.The manufacturer is busy executing the orders for the event to take place in Switzerland and Austria.Nearly 500,000 T-shirts have already been made, and the company is expecting the rest to be completed by the year end.Santosh Garments Managing Director C. Udaya Shankar said they have been making soccer T-shirts for the past four years. "We make polyester and cotton T-shirts. Nearly, half a million pieces are now in my hand for the order, and I expect another order of half a million T-shirts. I am proud of football matches (and I hope) to continue to receive orders for my company," said Shankar. The logo of the Euro Cup is emblazoned on the front of the T-shirts, with a list of stadia where the finals are to played printed on the back. T-shirts are available in black, white, navy blue, green and red.Santosh Garments Technical director Vinoth Kumar said their brand has made a name for itself in the international market, specialising in polyester and cotton T-shirts."So far, no one in Tirupur has done 100 per cent polyester. We have tried it and succeeded. It became a big advantage for us and the company has been noted in the world and particularly in the Europe market," said Kumar.The product of Santosh Garments has been approved by the Adidas, a German sportswear giant.Tirupur is a major hub for knitwear industries in India. Exports from Tirupur have registered a figure of over one billion dollars in 2004 from eight million in 1985. (ANI)
Super Director to direct Rajni for his next film Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
Superstar Rajnikanth and super-director Maniratnam are planning a movie together.With Shankars Sivaji becoming a mega hit, Rajini fans and the whole of India is just waiting for the announcement about his next film. Rajinis earlier hit with Maniratnam was Thalapathi, that brought a new dimension to Rajni's image.It is said that Rajni and Maniratnam have met twice to discuss the prospective project.
Arjun new movie Oruthan Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
Producer P.L. Thenappans is producing Oruthan. The film is directed by A. Venkatesh. Arjun plays the lead inSri Rajalakshmi films Oruthan. The Arjun-Venkatesh comibination have already worked in Vathiyar, that did commendable business. Shooting for Oruthan is likely to commence by September.
CID cuaght kerosene dealers Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
The civil supplies CID police has arrested the proprietor of Sendura Pandian agency, the firm that was involved in selling PDS kerosene to several major industries in the city after converting it into industrial kerosene, which cases were filed by the civil supplies CID against three different agencies in the city, the Senthura Pandian agency, Rishab chemicals and Ramana agencies, for allegedly procuring PDS blue kerosene from government authorized outlets and converting them into white industrial kerosene and selling them off to Ashok Leyland and other large industries at higher rates.
ISRO scientific secretary dies Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
Scientific secretary of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr Rajiv Lochan died in a car accident near the temple city of Tirupathi. He was 57. Dr Lochan and his driver Prakash died on the spot when their car rammed into a truck while they were on their way to Sriharikotta for a review meeting of the GSLV-F02R launch scheduled for September 1. However, Mr S. Krishnamurthy, director of publications and public relations, ISRO, who was also in the car, was seriously injured and has been admitted to the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences at Tirupati in a critical condition.
AnnaUniversity affiliated colleges to launch arts and science Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
Bharathiar University and Anna University, Coimbatore, are at loggerheads over the latter offering arts and science courses in its affiliated colleges. Dr. G. Thiruvasagam, vice-chancellor of the Bharathiar University said that the Anna University, Coimbatore had permitted its affiliated colleges to launch arts and science courses, despite higher education secretary K. Ganesan's directive that engineering colleges should not offer these courses. This has not only affected our functioning, but also put a question mark over the survival of our affiliated colleges. Besides, Anna University is giving affiliation to stand-alone institutions. Bharathiar University will not take this lying down,” the vice-chancellor said, claiming that students could prefer an engineering college to arts and science colleges if AU began to offer these courses.
Congress holding discussions with all allies: Pranab Sunday, August 26, 2007 | Nayan
Union minister for external affairs Pranab Mukherjee said the Congress was holding discussions with all its allies including those who support the government on the stand-off on the Indo-US nuclear deal. I cannot discuss any progress on the nuclear deal since the Parliament is in session. The whole issue will be debated in Parliament, he told reporters after inaugurating the branch secretariat of the ministry of external affairs here. When asked about the options before the government as the Left parties had categorically said the nuclear deal was not acceptable, Mr Mukherjee said, Wait and watch. On whether the debate on the issue in Parliament had been postponed, he said the business advisory committee would decide on the date.
Periodic safety drill conducted at Kalpakkam nuclear power plant Saturday, August 25, 2007 | MP
Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), Aug 25 (ANI): Authorities in Kalpakkam conducted a security and safety drill around the nuclear power facility.The plant is situated on the eastern coast, about 80 kilometers from Chennai. The drill was jointly conducted by the Kancheepuram District Administration and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to check the disaster preparedness of the workers and residents living in the vicinity of the nuclear facility, which currently produces 155MW electricity."This offsite emergency is basically conducted to make the people aware of their roles and responsibilities in case of a very highly unlikely event of an incident in a nuclear power plant. We bring them to the station and make them aware of the complete operations of the plant and also teach them how exactly they have to conduct themselves during a real emergency. It is conducted as a statutory thing every two years," said, S. Krishnamoorthy, Director of the Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station.National Disaster Management Authority officials were also present during the biannual exercise.Tamil Nadu Government officials, including those from the departments of medical, paramedical, fire service, police, state transport, animal husbandry, fisheries, forest and civil supplies, were familiarized about the precautionary measures and various emergency situations.The last exercise took place in July 2005.The high-security facility houses two power reactors, a prototype test reactor and Kamini, a mini reactor for research, an enrichment and reprocessing plant and storage facilities.This campus will soon also house four indigenously designed Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR), being built by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini - Indian Nuclear Power Corporation Limited), the public sector arm of the DAE.India has 12 nuclear plants that produce 2,770 MW nuclear energy and have a good safety track record.Nuclear power constitutes approximately 2.5 percent of India's installed generation capacity of about 100,000 megawatts. (ANI)
State government constituted committee for Tata titanium dioxide plant Friday, August 24, 2007 | Nayan
Minister for higher education Dr K. Ponmudi, who headed the six-member committee constituted by the state government to visit Sattankulam on the Tata titanium dioxide plant, said that the committees report would be submitted to chief minister M. Karunanidhi in the next two days. Speaking to reporters at the state secretariat, Dr Ponmudi said that he had already briefed the chief minister. The committee was formed to elicit the views of people at Sattankulam about the proposed titanium dioxide factory.
CMDA to undertake comprehensive traffic study for Chennai Friday, August 24, 2007 | Nayan
Minister for information and chairman, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Mr. Parithi Ellamvazhuthi, saidthat CMDA would undertake a comprehensive transportation study for Chennai. Speaking to reporters at CMDA office, Mr Ellamvazhuthi said that the study would be taken up at a cost of Rs 2 crore and would be completed in 18 months. The study encompasses an extensive set of traffic studies and surveys. These would include roadside origin and destination surveys, traffic volume counts on all critical road links and intersections, a massive household interview survey to capture the passenger travel characteristics of the metropolis, he said.
Convention demands fiver percent reservations for Muslims and Christians Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | Nayan
A newly formed forum of minorities, Dalit, Muslim and Christian Federation, met in Chennai and alleged that the government was not allowing construction of churches, mosques and Buddha Vihars in many parts of the state. The convention also demanded an exclusive five per cent reservation for Muslims and Christians of Tamil Nadu in politics. Speaking to reporters here, federation president and former chairman of the state minority commission Bishop M. Prakash said the reservation was being delayed without any reason and emphasised that discrimination against dalits was going unchecked in several parts of state. In many panchayats, dalits, who were elected presidents were restricted from holding office. In a few villages, the discrimination existed in teashops and other public places, he said.
Sivaganga students protest against A.R.Rehman Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | Nayan
The students of a college in Sivaganga staged a demonstration on Tuesday in protest against the new album of music director A.R. Rehman that was telecast on many television channels on August 15 to mark the 60th year of Independence. Rehman released his new album based on the national anthem to mark the 60th anniversary of independence. His earlier release Vande Mataram was an instant hit among all groups of people across all age groups, but the students of the Sivaganga Mannar Duraisingam College have not taken a liking to his version of the national anthem.
Mobile Voluntary Councelling and Testing units for HIV patients Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | Nayan
The Puducherry Aids Control Society (PACS) has proposed the launch of mobile Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) units for HIV testing among the rural people. “Mobile VCT facility is presently being extended in association with a few NGOs on request by private organizations and industries. Now, PACS proposes to launch mobile facility in a full-fledged manner to coincide with and commemorate the two-month nationwide campaign against the HIV launched by the Centre,” said PACS project director Dr Gilbert Fernandez. PACS proposes to ply two vans, one in Puducherry and another in Karaikal in Tamil Nadu. The van, manned by a lab technician and a counsellor, will be fully equipped with the necessary gadgets for testing.
Direct mainline shipping service for China Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | Nayan
The Chennai Port Trust launched the new direct mainline shipping service to connect Chennai with Korea, China, Singapore and Malaysia. According to Port trust officials the new service will cut the travel time of the container vessels, as it would do away with a halt at the Singapore port. The Asia - Chennai service operated by Tokyo Senpaku Kaisha line, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Bengal Tiger line will have four vessels of 1200 TEUs capacity each and they would run a weekly service. The first vessel on this service Tiger Pearl arrived at the city port on Tuesday around 11 am. The service will connect Chennai port with Port Klang, Singapore, Chiwan, Shanghai, Busan and Ulsan. This will greatly benefit the importers and exporters operating out of Chennai port and its hinterland as they will be guaranteed fast connectivity.
Coimbatore artist makes matchstick monuments Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | MP
Palladam (Coimbatore), Aug. 21 (ANI): Venkatesh of Coimbatore is an expert in creating art works using matchsticks. He has created various replicas of famous monuments and historical structures.Venkatesh’s creations include the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa and even a replica of the Titanic ship. His favourite work of art is the replica of the Tanjore Temple that he created using 51,306 matchsticks, without their caps. The replica of the temple measures over eight feet in length and four feet in width and it took Venkatesh 520 hours (over 21 days) to make. The structure stands over two feet in height. Twenty Seven-year-old Venkatesh is a resident of Palladam near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He has been practicing this art since childhood. And, today, he takes pride showcasing it to others. Initially, he used waste paper and cardboard to create the objects Recently, he held an exhibition of his works, which earned a good response and appreciation of art lovers here. "We have come to see the replica of Tanjore Temple. It is beautiful and amazing. I have seen it for the first time and it's really beautiful," said Kavita, a visitor. Venkatesh finds it difficult to conserve his delicate work as the changing weather conditions pose a big problem. He says: "I have worked on the Tanjore Temple. But it is not easy to preserve the creative works. So, I am going to dedicate it to an old-age home or an orphanage." In future, Venkatesh wants to create replicas of the Meenakshi Ammal Temple of Madurai, the historic Red Fort and the St. Mary's Church of Velankanni. (ANI)
Rane Groups to restructure of its shareholding Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | Nayan
The Chennai based Rane group on Monday unveiled its plans to complete restructuring of its shareholding by March 2008 to facilitate value creation for shareholders. This will unleash tremendous opportunities for growth and leadership by providing possibilities for enhancement of technological prowess and avenues for greater collaboration, said Mr L. Ganesh, chairman of the Rs 1400 cr turnover Rane group.Addressing presspersons, he said the first phase of consolidation process commenced in April 2004 as there was a need to restructure shareholding in the group companies to remove cross holdings so as to unlock shareholder values. The Rane Holdings Ltd became the holding company for the group following the de-merger of the then composite RML (Rane (Madras) Limited). Following this, the promoters moved all their holdings in other companies except in RML to RHL.
Radar problem: VIPs waits several hours at Chennai airport Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | Nayan
Air traffic at the Chennai airport went for a toss on Monday after the secondary surveillance radar at the Air Traffic Control malfunctioned in the morning. Many flights, including the private aircraft, in which former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran was to fly to Coimbatore, were given the all-clear signal after several hours of waiting. According to airport sources, the secondary radar stopped functioning at 8.20 am on Monday. Although technicians of the Airport Authority of India tried to set the problem right they could not do so. Until the automatic secondary radar becomes functional, officials at the ATC are stepping in to do the monitoring of aircraft manually. This is the second time that radars at the Chennai airport have malfunctioned over the last three months. When contacted Mr. K. Ramalingam, southern regional executive director, AAI confirmed that the secondary radar was faulty and added that efforts were on to set it right.
CM to participate in Taml Nadu Cable TV owners Associations conference Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | Nayan
Chief mnister M Karunanidhi on Monday assured the cable TV operators that the cable TV corporation of the state government would not pose any threat to their business. He also agreed to participate the state conference jointly organised by Tamil Nadu Cable TV Owners Association and Tamilaga Cable TV Operators Welfare Association on September 12. By way of dispelling the “disinformation” that the cable TV corporation would take over theentire network in the state, the chief minister said the government would ensure that the general public and cable TV operators were not affected by the government’s plans.
Nuclear deal: Karuna is in constant touch with PM Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | Nayan
Chief minister M Karunanidhi on Monday denied AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa’s allegation that he was indifferent to the Indo-US nuclear deal and said he was in constant touch with national leaders like Ms Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister V P Singh besides the Left parties on the nuclear deal. In a statement here Mr Karunanidhi described Ms Jayalalithaa as a “frog in the well” saying that she could not be aware of his telephonic talks with the national leaders on the issue. “Even when she was issuing the statement CPM politburo member K Varadharajan and state secretary N Varadharajan met me and apprised me of the party’s stand on the issue. I do not know the art of publicity and of issuing a statement on every thing like her,” he said.
Cell phone users may book rail tickets soon Tuesday, August 21, 2007 | Nayan
Cell phone users may soon be able book rail tickets by sending an SMS with the help of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation ltd (IRCTC). Under the new initiative the passengers will be able to check their ticket status and journey details by registering their mobile numbers with IRCTC.According to highly placed railway sources the IRCTC is in the process of implementing SMS booking, mobile reservation through speech recognition and Passenger Number Record (PNR) alert across the country. The service is being slowly introduced through different mobile operators. So far IDEA Cellular and Reliance Infocomm have registered with the IRCTC to offer this service. Other operators like BSNL, Hutch, MTNL-Mumbai ,TATA Indicom are finalising the integration with the corporation, sources said. “First time users can use the registration facility offered by the mobile operator or visit www.irctc.co.in and use the normal registration form. All our standard services like assured time deliveries, 24-hour helplines, replies to email queries are now available on mobile services too,” they said. Passengers will be required to register their mobile numbers on the IRCTC website using their mobile operator. While booking the ticket through an SMS, the user would need to use the same mobile number registered with the IRCTC. The first two digits will be the country code, followed by the 10 digit mobile number, sources said. Customers will be allowed to select their own preferred payment option. Several banks and payment gateways are participating in the IRCTC mobile booking venture. This list is currently limited to only ICICI Bank and could grow to include other participating banks later, sources said. The private bank will charge Rs10 for this service for each booking, they said.
Tamil hero Vishal in telugu straight movie Saturday, August 18, 2007 | Nayan
Tamil actor Vishal's is busy not in tamil cinema. He is busy with telugu cinemas. Presently he is working for straight telugu movies. His straight Telugu film titled Salute was launched on August 15th in Hyderabad. Vishal is already known to Telugu audience through his successful dubbed films Pandem Kodi and Bharani, which stood the stamina at the box office. Several times, Vishal expressed his desire to work for straight Telugu film. This newly-launched film is made by GK Film Corporation.
Chennai zoo acquires 76 rare birds Saturday, August 18, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug 18 (ANI): The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, located in Vandalur, 30 kilometers from Chennai has acquired 76 rare birds, including parakeets and hybrid pea fowls.The birds were brought from the Gemini birds farm in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram District to the Arignar Anna, also known as the Vandalur Zoo, recently to enrich their ongoing breeding programmes.The birds include ring-necked, plum-headed and red-breasted parakeets, besides Alexanderian and Malabar species.With the arrival of 13 hybrid colourful pea fowls, including three chicks, the zoo now boasts of as many as 39 pea fowls.The zoo put up the newly acquired parakeets for display on Friday, but the pea fowls would be released for public viewing only after quarantine period."We found various species of parakeets, which after the veterinary doctors have screened and observed for a day. We have put it for public education awareness and ultimate goal of nature and wildlife conservation," said Nihar Ranjan, Deputy Director of the zoo.The breeding programme, funded by the Central Zoo Authority, includes zoos in Thiruvananthapuram and Mysore.Zoos have undertaken several captive breeding programmes, but not all have been found useful. A cross-breeding programme for lions was abandoned last year after 21 lions died in a zoo in Chandigarh.Later, the Supreme Court capped the breeding programme so as to avoid overcrowding of zoos. (ANI)
Dasavatharam shooting completed Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | Nayan
Hero Kamal Haasan is now fully immersed in the post-production works of Dasavatharam.The shooting for Dasavatharam is almost completed and the dubbing works have commenced.Kamal Haasan is keen to ensure that he try novel methods in post-production especially in dubbing and getting the computer graphics works right.Dasavatharam features Kamal Haasan in ten roles and directed by K S Ravikumar. The movie was shot for almost a year and the cast and crew have expressed confidence that the movie would bring laurels to Tamil cinema.
Sivaji, Sillunu Oru Kadhal and Varalaru helped me: A.R.Rahman Wednesday, August 15, 2007 | Nayan
A R Rahman is nursing ambitions to start a music school.The school will impart practical knowledge in music besides special training in arts.Rahman says, Special preference would be given to those from poor and downtrodden sections of the society.On the success of his songs in Sivaji, Rahman says, I took extreme care to ensure that the songs came good. In recent times, movies like Sillunu Oru Kadhal, Varalaru and Sivaji have helped me continue to enjoy the support of the music fans.
Chennai students design 60 feet high Independence Day card Tuesday, August 14, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug.13 (ANI): A group of students of the Chennai-based Design and Media Studies Institute have designed a greeting card that almost equals the height of a six-storey building! The 60-foot-long greeting card has been designed to mark the 60th year of India's independence from British colonial rule. Eight students of the Design and Media Studies, Wigan and Leigh College (WLC) took just 45 minutes to design the card with the objective of entering the Limca Book of World Records. The group used a vinyl sheet, 60 feet in length by three feet in breadth, to design the card using the marble art technique. Following the technique, colours were spread on a pool of water and blow-dried. The sheet was then dipped in the pool so that the colour sticks to its surface. Ponnu George, one of the eight students, said: "We have done an art called 'marble art'. My job was to handle the paint. We only did that. I am very happy to be a part of this program." The greeting card reads "60 years of Freedom", and carries the colours of the tricolour, namely saffron, white and green. Immanuel Robinson, Head of Design And Media Studies, Wigan And Leigh College (WLC), said: "We basically felt that today's youngsters enjoy their freedom but they don't enjoy the spirit of freedom. So, we endeavoured to instil such a nationalist feeling by making it a record-making event." India will commemorate its 61st Independence Day on Wednesday (August 15). (ANI)
Chennai hosts National Road Racing Championship Tuesday, August 14, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug 13 (ANI): About 50 racers took part in the 10th National Road Racing Championship, held at the International Madras Motor Race Track at Irungattukottai, on the outskirts of Chennai.The racers took part in two events on Sunday, spread in different categories across the day.Taking swipe at a group of teen bike racers landing themselves in prison for their antics on road in a recent incident in New Delhi, the organisers said the race track was the right place for such stuff."If you come to the track, it matures to drive at the highest possible speeds attainable even in the corners. How to break at the right places? How to carry speed through the corners? So everything in motor racing can be learnt in this form of the sport," said Sanjay Sharma, General Manager of motor sports.Team Ram's Racing and its driver Ashwin Sundar's made a clean sweep, winning both Formula Swift and Formula Hyundai events with great comfort.Motor racing in India has come a long way since its origins on disused World War Two airstrips in the 1950s.Motor sports came into the limelight after ace Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan made it into the Formula One circuit driving with the Jordan team.Formula One now enjoys a huge following in the country, particularly in the cities, and the arrival of an Indian driver among the elite, sports lovers say, has whipped up the interest into a fever.It was not until 1989 that India got a full-fledged racing track near Madras, a 3.75-km course certified to stage F3 races. (ANI)
DMK-led govt in Tamil Nadu functioning extremely well: Sonia Monday, August 13, 2007 | MP
Madurai, Aug 12 (ANI): United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today expressed happiness over the functioning of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in Tamil Nadu.After inaugurating a train service on the newly laid broad gauge track between Rameswaram and Manamadurai, Sonia lauded the State coalition and said it is "strong and functioning extremely well"."Tamil Nadu has also created a distinct identity for itself and emerged stronger," she added.Sonia also flagged off the Rameswaram-Chennai 'Sethu Express' here today. The broad gauge line should be a boon for lakhs of visitors to Rameswaram, she said, adding, "The Southern Railway project will provide 2,000 km of BG line." In 2007-08, 350 km of lines would be taken up for gauge conversion in the State.The Pamban Railway Bridge was converted into broad gauge standard using indigenous technology provided by the Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. The 2.06-km long bridge connects the mainland at Mandapam with Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
Thousands run to mark 60th anniversary of Independence Monday, August 13, 2007 | MP
Tirupur (TN), Aug 12 (ANI): Over 70,000 people participated in a marathon here today to mark the 60th anniversary of India's Independence Day.Men, women and children, aged between seven to 70 years, holding national flags and banners, participated in the four-kilometer long run."I had participated in the 50th anniversary celebration as well. I thank all freedom leaders and ask the future generation to contribute to the nation's progress," said Manickavasagam, a participant.A short drama by children on freedom fighters preceded the run.Freedom fighters were also felicitated with gold coins and shawls on the occasion.Inspector General of Police, Tamil Nadu, Rajendran flagged off the run."After centuries of struggle we got our independence. Even now there are several complexities among the country's people. Communal differences are still prevalent. I call on the nation's youth to take up the responsibility to build the nation," said G. Muthusamy, who had participated in the freedom struggle.The organisers of the event said, the participation of thousands of people was a testimony of the national feeling among the youth."There is a belief that there is no national feeling or patriotism among the youth. How patriotic the youth in our country are, is visible here. We wanted to bring them together and show the integrity and patriotism the youth has," said Adimoolam, Organiser of the Diamond Jubilee 60 Years of Independence Day Run. (ANI)
Sonia to inaugurate new rail line in Tamil Nadu Monday, August 13, 2007 | MP
Rameswaram (TN), Aug 12 (ANI): Congress party president Sonia Gandhi will inaugurate the train service on the newly laid broad gauge track between Rameswaram and Manamadurai here later today. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson will also inaugurate the renovated 93-year-old Pamban Railway Bridge, which is India’s longest sea bridge. Sonia is also scheduled to flag off the Rameswaram-Chennai 'Sethu Express' at Madurai. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and many other leaders will attend the function. Media reports quoted officials as saying that about 800 tickets had been booked for the inaugural run of the Rameswaram-Chennai Express. The second phase of gauge conversion between Manamadurai and Rameswaram, covering 111 kilometres, has been completed at a cost of Rs 230 crore. The Pamban Railway Bridge was converted into broad gauge standard using indigenous technology provided by the Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. The 2.06-km long bridge connects the mainland at Mandapam with Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
Polladhavan is a romantic entertainer: Danush Sunday, August 12, 2007 | Nayan
Danush role in Polladhavan is not an anti hero role he said with media. No, I play a boy next-door with dreams and aspirations to come up in life. The problems that I encounter in realising my mission is what the story is all about. Vetrimaran, who had worked as an associate to cinematographer - director Balu Mahendra is directing the film. Divya plays my heroine. It is a romantic entertainer and we are planning for a release this September.
Nayanatara stayed outside India for 200 days Sunday, August 12, 2007 | Nayan
Artists in Tamil cinema have performed many record breaks and this Mallu girl Nayanatara creates an record by participating in shooting outside India. She is the only girl who have stayed outside India for film shooting purpose for Tamil industry.In this year alone till this date, she have stayed outside India for 200 days!!! Her journey started in 2006 November and she is yet to come back and settle down in India.
Shruthi Kamal Hassan to enter in films next year Sunday, August 12, 2007 | Nayan
Shruthi Kamal Hassan will be working for the silver screen as actor by next year beginningHere below is Shruthis personal details:Studies - New YorkMusic - CaliforniaWho is she? - According to her she is a Tamilach-chiAs a daughter to her parents - She wants to be obedient and wants to bring peace of mind to her dadRole Model - Jennifer Lopez
Chennai, Aug 8 (ANI): A 45-day-old girl has become the youngest person in the country to get a Permanent Account Number (PAN) from the tax authorities.Akshithaa received a Permanent Tax Account Number (PAN) after her father made an application to the city's Income Tax department.Her father, S. Balamurugan feels it was the right thing to do after he made certain investments on Akshithaa's behalf.He feels the initiative would ensure a safe and secure future for his child."I applied for a PAN card in the name of Akshithaa, feeling that she is a girl child and her future should be secure. Within fifteen days, I got the card. I think she is the first child in India to acquire a PAN card," said Balamurugan.Balamurugan also wishes to invest in share market on her behalf.Born in June, Akshithaa already has a savings account and a fixed deposit in her name.Permanent Account Number is mandatory in India for monetary and bank transactions beyond a certain limit. It is also a prerequisite for purchase of certain movable and immovable properties. (ANI)
HIV activists hail Madras HC quashing Novartis patent challenge Wednesday, August 8, 2007 | MP
New Delhi, Aug 7 (ANI): HIV activists on Tuesday hailed Madras High Court’s verdict quashing Swiss pharma major Novartis' challenge to a patent law. The court rejected the challenge, saying it had no jurisdiction on whether Indian patent laws complied with intellectual property rules set by the WTO, as Novartis had questioned. French charity Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) said the decision would discourage the practice of pharmaceutical corporations suing developing countries putting public health over patent considerations. "The court has very clearly dismissed the case and not deferred the matter. It said that domestic courts are not where you raise issues about TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) compliance and actually that puts an end to the harassment countries like India would face in domestic courts from companies like Novartis,” said Leela Menghaney, MSF India Project Manager. Novartis had filed a similar case against the South African Government in 2001, which tried to roll out HIV anti-retro viral drugs in its own country by granting licenses. Novartis has the right to challenge the Chennai court order in India's apex court. A company statement on Monday, however, said it "likely will not appeal to the Supreme Court." The Chennai HC noted in its judgement that the sole forum for determining TRIPS compliance was the WTO's Disputes Resolution Panel. A legal expert said Novartis could petition home country Switzerland to take up the matter against India at the WTO, but the Indian law could stand scrutiny nevertheless. "The only parties that are allowed in the Disputes Resolution Panel are individual countries, so it would not be… it could not possibly be Novartis versus us. But if Novartis were to succeed in petitioning a country to take India to the WTO Disputes Resolution Panel, we are fairly confident that section 3 (d) would, nevertheless, survive TRIPS scrutiny. This was argued extensively in the case," said Chan Park, who has been providing legal aid to fora of HIV-patients locked in cases with Novartis. Park added the WTO dispute panel had earlier favoured Canada in a similar case when it introduced provision for reverse-research on patented drugs to develop generic versions, and the US alleged it violated TRIPS obligations. The Swiss company has said the Indian patent system stifles innovation. Critics of Novartis say changes to the law would affect the supply of affordable anti-AIDS drugs from India, one of the biggest makers of generic drugs. Novartis had moved the Madras High Court against a law that blocks the patenting of minor improvements in known molecules. The Swiss pharmaceutical firm argued tightening of intellectual property laws would increase investment for developing more drugs. (ANI)
Chennai medical exhibition calls for doctors with designer looks Wednesday, August 8, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug.7 (ANI): It was a medical exhibition with a difference. Fashion designing students showcased how by changing the way medical professionals carry themselves in regular uniforms, they can add fresh vigour to their profession. The three-day international exhibition "MEDICALL-2007" at Chennai's Rajah Muthiah Hall put on display diagnostic kits and other medical aids, and was a major hit here. Fashion designing students of the premier National Institute of Fashion Designing (NIFT) from Tirpur and Chennai presented models attired in various colour schemes for medical uniforms. A wide range of dresses for staff nurses, ward boys and girls, especially those working in children's wards, casualty and emergency wings, technicians and doctors, was also showcased. It was a unique experience for the 12 girls and six boys who participated in the cat walk. "It was the first time that I did a medical fashion show, so it was quite different," said Sowmya, a fashion designer and model. "I have participated in many fashion shows, but this is very different and I liked it," said Tanu, a student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology. The colours were different from the conventional norms followed by the hospital staff that is usually pure white or light blue. Over 200 companies, including Chinese companies took part in the event. The objective of the exhibition was to spread awareness in the health industry on the need for upgrading knowledge and medical equipment. Representatives of hospitals, nursing homes, pathological and diagnostic laboratories from across the country attended the exhibition-cum-medical fashion show. Related services like health insurance also made their presence felt at the venue. According to S Manivannan , Chief Executive Officer of MEDICALL, this type of fashion show is different and unique since the objective was related to the patient's early recovery and convalescence. "When a patient enters into the hospital he is already sick. The light arrangement, paint on the wall or colour has to be pleasing. Similarly, the dress of the staff, technician or a doctor should be very pleasing for the benefit o the patient," said S. Manivannan. "We are doing a project with the National Institute of Fashion Technology… for designing of hospital garments for the hospital. National Institute of Fashion Technology students conducted the show. It was not a glamorous fashion show. It was a functional fashion show and done in a pleasant way," he added. (ANI)
Festival: 75 yearsof Tamil Cinema in Singapore begins Monday, August 6, 2007 | Nayan
75 years of Tamil Cinema in Singapore was inaugurated by Super Hero Sarath Kumar, President, South Indian Artistes Association in the presence of Actor Vijays father and veteran director, Mr. S.A. Chandrasekar, President, Directors Union (TANTIS), producer, Mr. K.S. Srinivasan, Secretary, Producers Council, Ms. Sripriya, Actress and committee member South Indian Artistes Association, Mrs. Radikaa Sarath Kumar, Chairperson, Radaan Mediaworks. Mr. S.A. Chandrasekar, on behalf of the Directors Union also promised to support the event and also said that his son Vijay promised to attend the show in Singapore in October. Mr. Srinivasan, on behalf of the Producers Councils President, Mr. Rama Narayanan said that all producers will cooperate in the event.
Madhavan, Bhavana's Aarya will hit theatres on 10th Monday, August 6, 2007 | Nayan
Actor Madhavan Actress Bhavana's Aarya will hit theatres on 10th August. Director of the movie is Balasekaran. Aarya is a thorough entertainer with the strong message of countering violence without actually reacting violently to it. Music is by Mani Sharma; Pa. Vijay has written the lyrics; stunts are by Thalapathi Dinesh and choreography by Raju Sundaram, Cool Jeyant and Robert. The movie was shot in Vizag, Hyderabad and Chennai. Cast:The cast also includes Prakashraj, Vadivelu, director Rajkapoor, Alex, Tejashree, Varshini, Kavitha, Sudha and Thalaivaasal Vijay.
Filmfare Awards 2006: Best film Veyil Sunday, August 5, 2007 | Nayan
Filmfare Awards (South) 2006 fete1 Best Film Veyil 2 Best actor Ajith 3 Best actress Bhavana 4 Best director Vasanthabalan 5 Best music director AR Rehman 6 Best male playback singer Gana Ulganathan 7 Best famele playback singer Shriya Ghoshal 8 Best actor in supporting role Pasupathi 9 Best actress in supporting role Saranya 10 Best lyricist Na Muthukumar
Sivaji still going strong Sunday, August 5, 2007 | Nayan
Sivaji,the Boss has just successfully completed 50 days at the box office and is still going strong. The global count of 800 theatres is mind boggling for any movie. Superstar Rajnikanth who is now in Belgium working on his daughters animated movie Sultan was unavailable for comment but sources close to the superstar tell us that he is looking forward to the next milestone of 100 days for the film.Produced in the 60th anniversary year of the famous AVM Productions, the movie has collected huge revenue wherever it was screened and the cash registers are still ringing.
Overcome snake-phobia for personality development! Thursday, August 2, 2007 | MP
Chennai, Aug.1 (ANI): Believe it or not, a private company in Chennai has an unusual personality development programme which teaches participants or students to overcome their fear of snakes. "Only Success Limited", the company recently held a neuro-linguistic programme that incorporated phobia-cure for self-development. Besides teaching the participants about overcoming snake-phobias, the company also uses cockroaches, lizard and other reptiles to help people overcome their fears. The annual programme was meant for chief executive officers, senior officials apart from employees of multi national companies. Attended by around 60 individuals, comprising CEOs and senior officials here, the week-long programme (July 21 to 28) was a thorough experience for everyone. uring the programme, participants were asked to hold live snakes with their bare hands. Trainers were at hand to help unbind innate potential for personality development. Suganthi, a participant, said: "I always have had a fear of snakes. I used to avoid anything to do with snakes for years. I used to have dreams about snakes. This programme has helped me in overcoming that." Besides, the participants were taught about various techniques about how to keep one self motivated, develop leadership qualities and other things. Praveen Sharma, the trainer and chief operation officer of Only Success Limited, said:"Once they overcome their fear of snakes, they can achieve anything in life. The curing of phobias is something important for personal development and success." Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) are most common of conditioned phobias in humans. Established around five years ago, the Chennai-based company "Only Success Limited" has branch offices in United Arab Emitraes and the United States. It also conducts similar personality development programmes there. Ophidiophobia or Ophiophobia refers to the fear of snakes. Fear of snakes is sometimes called by a more general term, herpetophobia, fear of reptiles. It is one of the most common phobias, especially under the broader Zoophobia (animal phobias). Care must also be taken to differentiate people who do not like snakes or fear them for their venom or the inherent danger involved. A typical ophidiophobic would not only fear them when in live contact but also dreads to think about them or even see them on TV or in pictures. (ANI)
Al-Umma founder held guilty in 1998 Coimbatore blast case Thursday, August 2, 2007 | MP
Coimbatore, Aug. 1 (ANI): A Session Court here today held Syed Ahmed Basha, the founder of the Al-Umma, guilty of conspiring and transporting bombs in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts case. However, the court acquitted Abdul Nasser Madani, the leader of the Kerala-based People's Democratic Party. The court has begun the pronouncement of verdict, nine years after 12 blasts, rocked the city on February 14, 1998, killing 58 people and injuring over 200. The blasts were targeted at a venue where senior BJP leader L K Advani was to address a party meeting. The court will begin pronounce the quantum of sentence from August 6. Investigations have blamed the Al-Umma and the Jehad Committee for carrying out these attacks. In April 2000, a Special Court was formed to try the cases, and in the same year (October), charges were framed. The trial started in March 2002, and has till date examined 1,300 witnesses out of a total of 2,345. Arguments began in June 2006 and ended on April 10, 2007. The Special Investigation Team of Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department, which probed the cases, has argued that “Operation Allahu-Akbar”, was part of a conspiracy to eliminate Advani. (ANI)
