State :
Tamilnadu :
Centre curtails IPS promotions in Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has slashed the number of promotions proposed for IPS officers and advised the State against “over utilisation” of the State Deputation Reserve.
- Replying to a proposal from the Home Secretary seeking the Centre’s concurrence to promote IPS officers in ranks ranging from DGP to SP (selection grade) against 37 vacancies, the MHA said the proposal was carefully examined and it was “observed that the State Deputation Reserve has been over utilised by the State government.”
AIADMK expels 46 office-bearers
- Top leaders of the ruling AIADMK, O.Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 continued their disciplinary action against partymen, expelling 40-odd office bearers from Krishnagiri district for bringing ‘disrepute’ to the organisation.
- Mr.Panneerselvam, AIADMK coordinator, and Mr. Palaniswami, co-coordinator, announced the expulsion of 46 persons from the AIADMK’s Krishnagiri unit for “acting in contravention to the party’s policies and ideals,” and for “bringing disrepute” to it.
Will soon complete one year in office
- One could say that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s ride to the top started with a momentous bus journey on February 8, 2017 – a day after outgoing Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam revolted against V.K. Sasikala.
- A meeting of the legislators was hurriedly convened at the party headquarters in Chennai and moments after Sasikala left, MLAs were coming out to board buses.The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who will soon complete one year in office, is known in party circles as a “doer”, and in official circles as a down-to-earth politician.
Farmers try to enter Karnataka
- Tension prevailed on the outskirts of Hosur town on Tuesday evening when the Krishnagiri district police prevented a group of farmers from the delta districts from moving towards Karnataka border to forcibly enter the State to open the Kabini Reservoir.
- The farmers led by P.R. Pandian, president of the Tamil Nadu Anaithu Vivasayigal Sangangalin Orunginaippu Kuzhu, were blocked by a strong police force led by D. Mahesh Kumar, Superintendent of Police, about two kms from Hosur town
CM seeks report on temple safety
- In the wake of the recent fire accidents in temples, including the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami held a review meeting on Tuesday and commissioned a detailed report on the necessary steps needed for preventing such incidents . Task to be completed in 2 weeks .
CBI arrests bank official
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a bank manager for demanding and accepting bribe .T. Ramanathan, branch manager of Bank of India, Arangaldurgam branch in Ambur taluk, was caught red-handed when he accepted a bribe of ₹8,000 from the complainant, Parthiban.
- The manager had demanded bribe for releasing a sanctioned agricultural mortgage loan amount of 4 lakh. The accused was arrested and he will be produced in the CBI court in Chennai, according to officials.
2000 words in Tamil repository translated from English, Latin
- Somniloquist, connoisseur and malleable are some of the English words that will soon find equivalents in Tamil. The state Tamil culture department has embarked on a project to translate such words, besides technical terms used in the field of science and management, from English and Latin to Tamil.
- The department has engaged a private portal, Sorkuvai, for the purpose and 2,000 translations have already been added to Tamil language. A database of Tamil words is also being prepared.
Kerala :
Kerala has pressed for ban on Popular Front of India: Kiren Rijiju
- Kerala has sought a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI), a Muslim organisation that is mainly operating out of the State, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has said.
- The session was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior officials in the security establishment. “Kerala has pressed for a ban on the PFI and we are examining the case,” said Mr. Rijiju.
Bus fares in the State set to go up from March 1
- Bus fares in the State will go up by 6 to 15 paise per km for eight classes of stage carriers, both of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private operators, from March 1. Minimum fare to be 8, no hike in minimum fare for students .
- The private bus operators have termed the fare hike as “inadequate” and are is meeting in Kochi on Thursday to chalk out the action plan. The fare was last hiked in the State on May 20, 2014.
Man-eater leopard trapped
- The leopard, which killed a four-year-old boy at Valparai, was trapped in a cage set up the Forest Department.
- The leopard was trapped around 4.30 a.m. in the cage placed near the spot where the child’s body was recovered.
LGBTIQ community in Kerala gets YouTube channel
- The LGBTIQ community in the State now has its own YouTube channel. The channel ‘RANG. Adding colours to life’ was launched by Queerythm, a city-based organisation working for the rights of sexual minorities, at a first-of-its kind Valentine’s Day event for the LGBTIQ community members.‘RANG. Adding colours to life’ launched on Valentine’s Day
Price fall puts pepper farmers in a crisis
- The falling prices of pepper has created a crisis in the farm sector with farmers finding it difficult to engage workers for harvesting.They want the government to announce a floor price of 500 .
Telangana :
SCCL solar power plant to come up in Ramagundam
- The proposed first solar power plant by the Singareni Collieries Company limited (SCCL) of 50 MW capacity is likely to come up in the Ramagundam-3 division of the Godavarikhani coal belt region in Peddapalli district soon.
City books berth in Neymar Jr’s Five national finals
- Football fans went into celebration mode with the Hyderabad Sporting Football Club making it to the national finals of Neymar Jr’s Five, the five-a-side tournament.
Medaram jatara hundi collection crosses 10 cr
- The total offerings of devotees at the Medaram Samakka Sarakka jatara stood at ₹ 10.17 crore after the completion of counting of hundis . Medaram Samakka Saralamma temple executive officer T. Ramesh Babu said a total of 479 hundis, of which 452 are iron ones, 24 are cloth hundis, while three are vadi biyyamhundis.
- A total of 824 grams of gold and 47.47 kilograms of silver ornaments have been offered by devotees.Foreign currency belonging to 32 countries has also been found in the hundis.
Karnataka :
Only 17 tmcft live storage in Cauvery reservoirs
- The combined live storage in all four major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka is just 17.154 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) as against their full live storage capacity of 106.321 tmcft. Nevertheless, the situation is far better when compared to last year.But the situation is far better when compared to last year .
School receives notice for ‘punishing’ students
- “The school’s response will be studied and necessary inspections will be conducted before we initiate action against the teacher and the school,” R. Ramachandran, CEO, zilla parishat, told .
INDIA
Centre to states: Strengthen cyber security
- IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday asked states to focus on strengthening the cyber security ecosystem to push adoption of digital services in the country, a senior official said.
Use technology for welfare of children: Supreme Court
- India’s status as a technological powerhouse in the world would remain on paper if the state does not take advantage of its resources to benefit the children or track the missing ones, the Supreme Court has said.
Order to install CCTV cameras in courts is only for security reasons, clarifies Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court clarified that its orders directing the government to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in courts and tribunals is meant solely for security purposes and not to record proceedings, which anyway were open to the public.
- “We have passed orders for installation of CCTV cameras so that concerns regarding safety and administration of justice could be addressed. A court proceeding is open to all those who are present in the court, but it may not be open to everyone who is not there in the court too,” a Bench of Justices A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit said.
Modi to speak at four rallies in Karnataka
- With the Assembly elections in Tripura, billed as a grand face-off between the left and the right in the country concluding on February 18, the BJP will turn its attention to Karnataka.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address at least four rallies in the next month or so: in Mysuru on February 19; in Davangere on February 27; in Bijapur on March 4; and in Raichur on March 13.
Access to Omani port to help India check China at Gwadar
- An agreement to give Indian Navy access to the Duqm port in Oman will have far-reaching consequences for India’s strategic reach westwards and in the Indian Ocean. Seen together with the agreement with the UAE for joint naval exercises in the Persian Gulf in March, India is making slow but sure progress in pitching its presence in the area.
Iran President to address people in Hyderabad mosque
- Hyderabad is set to witness a historic event, the first in 325 years, when the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, visits the grand Makkah Masjid here to address the weekly congregation. This is perhaps the first time that a head of state will address the Friday congregation (Jumu’ah) at the historic mosque, whose construction was completed in 1694 CE, 78 years after the foundation stone was laid by Qutub Shahi ruler Sultan Mohammad in 1616 CE.
‘Statue of Unity’ to be ready for inauguration on Oct 31: Govt
- The BJP government in Gujarat is aiming to inaugurate the 182-metre tall ‘Statue of Unity’, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31, the birth anniversary of India’s first home minister.
WORLD
508 Hindu refugees cleared for repatriation to Myanmar
- Myanmar has said that 508 Hindus are among around 1,000 refugees cleared for the first batch to be repatriated to their homes from Bangladesh.
Kuwait to give $2 billion in loans, investments to rebuild Iraq
- Kuwait’s ruling Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah said on Wednesday that his nation will give $1 billion in loans and $1 billion in direct investments to help rebuild Iraq.
- The stunning donation, as only a decade ago Saddam Hussein invaded the small, oil-rich nation, shows the deep interest Kuwait has in making sure Iraq becomes a peaceful, stable country after the war against the Islamic State group and the chaos that followed the 2003 United States-led invasion of Baghdad.
South African President Zuma resigns
- South African President Jacob Zuma resigned on Wednesday in a televised address to the nation, ending a turbulent tenure marred by corruption scandals that sapped the popularity of the ruling African National Congress and hurt one of Africa’s biggest economies.
World’s largest glasshouse to reopen in May
- A gleaming monument to the ambition and creativity of its age, the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse will once again welcome visitors to see some of the world’s rarest plants following a lengthy facelift.
- “Temperate House” in London’s Kew Gardens is large enough to house three jumbo jets, and was home to around 1,000 species of plants from around the world before it was shut in 2013 after falling into a state of disrepair.
UN chief set to appoint Britain’s Martin Griffiths as Yemen envoy
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres notified the Security Council on Tuesday of his intention to appoint former British diplomat Martin Griffiths as his new envoy charged with trying to broker peace in Yemen, diplomats said.
Japan puts missiles on island that could become front line in war with China
- If war is to break out, then Ishigaki would be the front line. This is the island where Japan feels the most under threat from China and the place it will be installing missiles and troops amid clashes at sea, accusations and recriminations.
SPORTS
Gold for Johnson and mile relay teams
- Kerala’s Jinson Johnson, the Asian Championship 800m bronze medallist in Bhubaneswar last year, and the men’s and women’s mile relay teams struck gold at the invitational athletics meet, a test event for this year’s Asian Games, in Jakarta. Jinson breezed through his race and was more than six seconds ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Raed Al Jadni at the finish.
Winter Games – White wins USA’s 100th Olympic gold
- Snowboarding great Shaun White brilliantly won his third Olympic gold in the halfpipe as strong winds caused chaos at the PyeongChang Winter Games . WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Sir Majestic wins Secunderabad Plate
- Mr. C. Gnanavel’s Sir Majestic (Trevor up) won the Secunderabad Plate, the main event of the races held (Feb. 14). Krishna trains the winner. Jockey C. Umesh had a profitable afternoon as he rode four winners.
Nepal win last-ball thriller against Canada, enter Cricket World Cup Qualifiers
- Chasing a modest 195, Nepal were staring down the barrel at one stage having lost nine wickets for 144 — but KC Karan and Sandeep Lamichhane batted sensibly to ensure Nepal secured a historic entry into the upcoming Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
Sania Mirza confident of winning Asian Games medal, despite injury
- Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has won at least one medal at every Asian Games meet since 2006 and hopes this year’s games in Indonesia will be no different.
Tamil Nadu stun Manipur, win maiden women’s National Football Championship
- Tamil Nadu beat Manipur 2-1 to lift their maiden title in the 23rd edition of the Senior Women’s National Football Championship .Tamil Nadu created history by becoming champions in their first-ever final with Indumathi scoring the opener in the 3rd minute while Indrani made it 2-0 in the 40th.Ratanbala scored the lone goal for Manipur in the 57th.