Interest rates cut in co-op banks

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today announced a cut in the interest rates for loans in cooperative banks in the State. After considering the representation of the beneficiaries of loan from cooperative banks for non-agricultural reasons, the Chief Minister ordered a reduction in the rate of interest from 18 to 12 per cent.

Eight dead in bus fall

Eight people were killed and 23 injured when a State transport bus plunged into a river bed after hitting a retaining wall of a bridge near Pattukottai early this morning.

Gateway issue slows net traffic

Chennaiites, often used to smothering snarls and jams, were faced with another stifling bottleneck today. This was one was on the information highway - a gateway error slowed down the internet downloads to a trickle (not unlike the traffic movement on the IT corridor in Tiruvanmiyur at peak hours). NT Bureau has more details

Boy kidnapped

A 11-year-old boy was kidnapped by unidentified men last night at Saligramam and a sum of Rs 5 lakh was being demanded as ransom for his release.

Karat talks to MK on Mullaiperiyar

In what is being largely seen as an initiative of the national leadership of the CPI (M) to help its government in Kerala on the Mullaiperiyar tussle with Tamilnadu, the Marxist party today deputed its senior leader Prakash Karat to hold parley with the Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and help find an amicable solution to the dam issue.

Driver drives another to jail

A mini lorry driver was instrumental in apprehending a car driver, who was smuggling liquor bottles from neighbouring Puducherry to Chennai. The lorry was on its way to Chennai from Kovalam when a speeding car from behind brushed past it while overtaking near East Coast Road.

Gandhi, the moulana of Muslim appeasement-II

 Mahatma Gandhi was a double-talking, multiple-tongued Moulana -layer upon layer of orchestrated fraud, dissemblance and deceit,  says V Sundaram in the second part of his series on Gandhi, the moulana of Muslim appeasement.

They zip, zap, zoom in Chennai suburbs

After police vigil was stepped up in Chennai, burglars seem to have migrated to the suburbs to try their hand in two- wheeler thefts. Such thefts have gone up in Nandhivaram and Govindarajapuram near Guduvancherry where as many as 30 vehicles have so far been stolen in the past three months or so, G R Sindhu reports.

Carrying on with art for art's sake

Now, 'margazhi'- it's a festive and a music season. And that means gala time for artistes. Sabhas and cultural academies are hosting umpteen Carnatic musical concerts. R Gomathy Sankaravel writes.

A relief but not the end

It was a mixed year for Tamilnadu as far as education is concerned. The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to professional courses was in the news for various reasons right through. Karthikeyan Halan has more details.