State :
Tamilnadu :
Deliberations will help in effective resolution of commercial disputes’
- Though the concerns of small-scale, handicrafts and individual entrepreneurs were important, reduction in the pecuniary jurisdiction of commercial courts in the current set-up would clog up the system, said Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee in her valedictory address at the National Conference on Commercial Disputes 2018, held at Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy Regional Centre here, on March 25.
A piece of the Kochi Biennale comes to city
- Artwork of a collective of students from government arts colleges in Chennai and Kumbakonam, which was showcased at the Students’ Biennale in Kochi, is on display in the city as a part of an exhibition titled ‘Archiving Labour.’
HC rejects plea on ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’
- The Madras High Court dismissed a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to the State government to issue an executive order stating that only the unedited version of Tamil Thai Vazhthu, penned by Manonmaniam P. Sundarampillai, should be sung as the State song before commencing government functions.
Kerala :
Highways in Bharatmala project
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has included 1,078 km of National Highways and State Highways for upgrade under its Bharatmala project.
After four years, ginger price soars
- After an interval of four years, ginger price has been spiralling owing to scanty arrival of the commodity and a great demand for the produce.
Govt plans moratorium on farm loans
- The government is considering a moratorium on repayment of farm loans to help farmers tide over the crisis caused by sliding crop prices, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar informed the Assembly
Unified department to galvanise Plan process
- The Local Government Commission’s recommendations to bolster the administrative backup for local bodies by constituting a unified Local Self-Government Department is expected to give a major fillip to decentralised planning and development
Karnataka :
Demand to rename Jokatte railway station
- Railway officials, about 20 to 25 people approached the Jokatte station master on March -25 morning demanding that the station be named Pejawar or at least Jokatte-Pejawar. The station master reportedly told the group to approach higher officials of the Railways with a proper representation.
Rohini Sindhuri moves High Court challenging CAT order
- Hassan Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri Dasari moved the High Court of Karnataka challenging the order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which had asked her to give representation to the Chief Secretary against transferring from the post.
Andhra Pradesh :
NGO strives to improve the lot of urban workers
Preparation of MUDA plan begins
- Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Vice-Chairman P. Wilson Babu said that the Netherlands-based Royal Haskoning DHV consulting private limited began the exercise of preparing master plan and zonal development plans for the MUDA’s 426.16 square kilometres area.
India :
Government issues notice to Cambridge Analytica
“The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India has issued a notice, in the first instance, to Cambridge Analytica, wherein the serious breach of propriety and misuse of data intended to profile and influence voting behaviour has been highlighted,” an official statement said.
Book launched in memory of legendary GP
- Rich tributes were paid to Gopalaswamy Parthasarathi, or GP, who served several Indian prime ministers as a key adviser, during an event to launch a book celebrating his life.
- GP: 1912-1995, published by Academic Foundation, is a collection of essays edited by GP’s son Ashok Parthasarathi, who served as a science and technology adviser to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Government calls for public responses to draft Defence policy
- With the aim of creating up to 30 lakh jobs and a total turnover ₹1.7 lakh crore in defence goods, the Union government has called for public responses to its draft Defence Production Policy, 2018.
World :
Facebook runs apology ads in dailies
- Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg took out full-page ads in nine major British and U.S. newspapers on March 25 to apologise for a huge data privacy scandal.
New phase of Ghouta evacuation begins
- Syrians boarded buses to leave a ravaged pocket of Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, in a new wave of evacuations to clear another part of the former rebel bastion. Five weeks since the regime launched an all-out assault on Ghouta, it holds more than 90% of the region.
First direct Australia-Europe passenger service takes off
- The “Kangaroo Route” from Australia to Britain became a shorter hop on March 24 when the first direct passenger service left Perth for London, with the 17-hour flight set to break aviation records.
88 year old woman conferred doctorate in Japan
An 88-year-old woman was conferred a doctorate on March 24 at a university in Kyoto city, making her the oldest person in Japan to get such a degree.
Magnitude 6.8 quake hits near Papua New Guinea: USGS
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on Saturday around 180 km southwest of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. It said the quake was measured at a depth of 60 km
India among 20 nations that pledged $100 million to agency for Palestine refugees
- India is among 20 nations that have pledged a total of about $100 million to the United Nations (UN) relief agency charged with the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
Business :
New telco rules may whet M&A appetite
- Prospects for consolidation in telecom sector received a major boost with the recent Cabinet approval for capping of spectrum per operator at 35% of total spectrum compared with the 25% earlier.
Govt. ‘dumps’ solar cells dumping probe
- The Directorate-General of Anti-Dumping & Allied Duties in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has decided to terminate the ongoing anti-dumping investigation into the import of solar cells from China, Taiwan and Malaysia.
Dropbox shares surge 35% in biggest tech debut since Snap
- Dropbox Inc.’s shares closed at $28.42, up more than 35% in their first day of trading, as investors rushed to buy into the biggest technology initial public offering in more than a year even as the wider sector languished.
Reliance Jio, Saavn to create $1 billion digital music platform
- Reliance Industries today signed an agreement for merging the digital music service Saavn with JioMusic to create a digital media platform with global reach having total value of over $1 billion.
Sports :
World Cup qualifier: Afghanistan thrash Windies to win final
- Mohammad Shahzad struck a lusty 84 runs to propel Afghanistan to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies to win the World Cup qualifying tournament at the Harare Sports Club on March 25.
Wyatt powers England women to victory over India
- A whirlwind century by opener Daniellie Wyatt helped England pull off a record chase and crush India by seven wickets in their second T20 triangular series match, in Mumbai, on March 25.
We have a chance to win TT team gold at CWG: Amalraj
- Anthony Amalraj jumped into table tennis fraternity’s collective consciousness when he leaped onto the TT board after beating Achanta Sharath Kamal at the Senior National final in 2012, something that didn’t amuse the mandarins running the game in the country.
Advani retains Asian Billiards title
- Pankaj Advani on Saturday defended his Asian Billiards Championships title in style by demolishing his practice partner B Bhaskar 6-1 in the summit clash in Yangon, Myanmar.
Golden girl Manu lead India’s charge at Jr. Shooting World Cup
- Pistol sensation Manu Bhaker continued her terrific run of form, again claiming the individual as well as the team gold medal, while Gaurav Rana bagged a silver, as Indian shooters set the stage ablaze in the ISSF Junior World Cup, in Sydney, on March 24.