The New Indian Express News

The Messi mess definitely did not take us by total surprise. For we, the citizens of this country, have witnessed far worse. We are a nation of hotheads. We can riot and wreak havoc at the drop of a hat and when we do, we become such a formidable force of destruction that no superhero plot can compare. Our busy streets can become World War model battlegrounds and hitherto harmless stones and sticks cluttering our roadsides can turn into lethal missiles. How else can one vent out pent up frustrat

Schitts Creek A riches-to-rags story of a family finding true wealth in love, where a town Christmas parade might just feature a Jazzagal singing the best classic carols. December has a special way of setting the holiday mood, whether youre feeling merry, nostalgic, or even a bit gloomy. Beyond the timeless classics be it music, motion pictures, or masterful curations of creativity here are CEs picks for a comfortable, cosy holiday. Songs to tune into: Jingle Bell Rock With its upbeat swing an

While Chennai is slowly warming up to the idea of girl-date bouquets and babys breath tied with handwritten notes, Tamil culture has long lived in an intimate and almost obsessive relationship with flowers. Here, flowers are not occasional gestures but daily companions, woven into hair, pinned behind ears, strung into garlands, and carried with love. Their colours announce mood, their fragrances linger long after they wither, and their aesthetics complete an ensemble in ways no ornament can. Yet

CHENNAI: A crucial meeting between senior state government officials and the Southern Railway on Monday has brought the long-pending proposal to merge the Chennais Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with the Chennai Metro closer to fruition, with the two sides now aiming to finalise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as early as next week. The proposed deal will operationalise the transfer of MRTS assets, operations, and maintenance from the Southern Railway to the state government and the Chenna

Obesity has now become a huge public health issue not only in the developed world but also in developing countries. In view of the health hazards associated with obesity and more importantly for cosmetic reasons, many people, particularly the youth, have started resorting to extreme weight-loss diets to achieve a rapid reduction in weight. These extreme diets are either very low in carbohydrates or very low in fats. Such extreme diets not only make the diet unbalanced but also pose safety issues

And yielded the sons of my stricken womb To the drum-beats of duty, the sabres of doom. Gathered like pearls in their alien graves Silent they sleep by the Persian waves, Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands, They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands, ... writes the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu, in one of her poems, The Gift of India (1917). More than a century later, Shruthi Rajasekar explains this poem to an audience of thousands, who didnt live in colonial India, but are lin

Margazhi, with its cool dawns and resonant evenings, is beginning to transform the city into a living concert hall. Ragas and timeless compositions are passing through the walls of sabhas, echoing through the corridors, and down the roads. For generations, music and crowds during this season have spilled out of The Music Academy Madras too a space where tradition and creativity meet. The academy is known for nurturing legendary maestros, encouraging young prodigies, and preserving the rich lega

Cookies, those beloved baked treats, have a history as rich as their flavour. Originating in 7th century Persia, early cookies were used as test cakes to check oven temperature before the baking of larger cakes. With the spread of Islam, cookies travelled to Europe via the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they had become popular in England, often referred to as biscuits. The term cookie itself derives from the Dutch word koekje, meaning little cake, brought to America by Dutch sett

To say 2025 has been a dream year for G Kamalini, would be an understatement. The keeper-batter from Tamil Nadu kickstarted the year by winning the U19 T20 World Cup for India women before becoming the youngest to debut in the Womens Premier League for Mumbai Indians. There, too, she went on to be a part of the champion team as MI won their second title. The crowning moment, however, came on December 9, when the 17-year-old, who is coached by her dad and Louis Mariano at the Super Kings Academy

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has sought reimbursement of nearly Rs 930 crore spent on land acquisition for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project from the state highways department. The CMDA has now escalated the matter to the Housing and Urban Development Department, arguing that releasing locked-up capital is critical for ongoing urban infrastructure works. Documents placed before CMDAs 285th authority meeting trace the dispute to the ORRs long and fragmented plann

CHENNAI: It was time he realised the weight on his back, literally. And the autorickshaw driver, drunk and driving the vehicle in violation of the one-way rule, had no go but to obey to the traffic police woman seated on the passenger seat. The driver, Manikandan (40), took a U-turn and dropped the police woman at the same spot where she tried to flag him down, on Sunday evening. The police said multiple violations, including drunk and wrong-way driving, and attempting to evade police action hav

CHENNAI: To ease vehicular congestion and improve road safety, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to begin construction of a new toll plaza at Thiruneermalai, paving the way for the closure of the existing Vanagaram toll plaza on the Chennai Bypass. The NHAI also plans to start building a six-lane vehicular underpass at Vanagaram by February next year. The proposed underpass, extending 670 metres, will allow vehicles to take a U-turn, enabling traffic from Vadapalani to acces

CHENNAI: A day after a woman SI of Ambattur police station died by suicide, the Avadi City police suspended a sub inspector attached to the Minjur police station on Monday. Sources said the suspended SI, Ranjith Kumar (31), and the deceased, Anthonymatha (31), were batchmates. The woman police officer ended her life at her house in Cholapuram while she was allegedly on a video call with Ranjith in the early hours of Sunday. Sources indicated that the two had a disagreement over a personal matter

Andal. Kutcheri. Bhajan. Kolam. Vaikunta Ekadesi. Thiruppavai. Sabha. These are the words that keep Margazhi moving, from pre-dawn hours to late evenings. But tucked between the sabha gate and the concert hall, another ritual unfolds with consistency the sabha canteen. Visit any sabha in the city, and the people may change, the set-up vary and menus differ, but the tradition remains constant. Be it before the first keerthanai (devotional song), during a break in the tani avartanam (solo percuss

Few Tamil months arrive with an unspoken agenda. Aadi signals feminine divinity, Purattasi leans into devotion and abstinence, and Margazhi unfolds with utmost precision. Dawn musical alarms, packed sabha schedules, tradition-clad audiences, and season tickets. Over the years, Margazhi has grown into a cultural machine, its rhythms familiar and its expectations firmly set. What happens when Margazhi loosens its grip on convention? As the season returns once again, a quieter counter-current is em

Where warm sand meets salty waves, where roots tangle like puzzles and the air hums with invisible life, the mangroves stand patient, ancient, and unshaken. For educator, nature enthusiast, and author Radhika Suri, these trees are not just ecosystems. They are magic, mystery and a whisper that refused to leave her. My father instilled in me a deep love for nature. He took me out every single day, and this turned me into a keen observer. I believe, this foundation ensures I am always in a state o

Express News Service Some histories survive not in stone inscriptions or textbooks, but in language spoken at home, recipes passed down from kitchens, and clothes woven over generations. For a community that migrated over a thousand years without losing its name, language or craft, documentation becomes an act of preservation. The book From Homeland to Heartland: The Story of the Sourashtras , unveiled on Sunday at THE Park is both record and remembrance of the past. Authored by Anitha Rajarajan

Nathan Kovil, a village near Kumbakonam, is home to a Vishnu temple wherein the presiding deity is worshipped as Jagannatha Perumal, also known as Vinnagar Perumal. This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams (places sacred to God Vishnu, eulogised by the Azhvars or important devotees of Vishnu), and one of the many temples for this deity found in the areas around Kumbakonam. The traditional name of this place is Nandipura Vinnagaram as it is said to be connected with King Nandivarman II Pallavam

Over the past few weeks, my favourite line from my favourite archaeologist, Indiana Jones It belongs in a museum has been stuck in my head. I have been clocking in my hours at a game called Two Point Museum, taking his words like a directive from management and grinding like my livelihood depended on it. I have to admit it kind of feels like my self-worth is often tied to doing well in a management simulator video game. They are good at making it feel like a real world job. There is a schedule,

CHENNAI: Three people have died in two separate accidents in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur on Friday and Saturday. At Uthiramerur in Kancheepuram, two men died after a van rammed into their two-wheeler on Saturday night. The accident occurred around 10pm at Sirungozhi when a van travelling from Uthiramerur towards Chengalpattu hit the motorcycle when it attempted to cross the highway. The victims were identified as Palanivel (52) and Anandan (40), residents of Sirungozhi village. The police said t

CHENNAI: A 30-year-old woman Sub-Inspector attached to the Ambattur police station died by suicide at her residence in Cholapuram on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as SI Anthony Mantha (30), a 2021-batch officer. She is survived by her two sons, aged 10 and 8. According to police sources, the deceased was reportedly on a video call with a colleague, SI Ranjith Kumar of Minjur station, when the incident occurred. Sources indicated that the two officers, who were batchmates, had a dis

CHENNAI: The second Chennai edition of the Bhumi Campus Awards 2025 was held on Saturday at the Asian College of Journalism, recognising colleges and individuals for their sustained commitment to social responsibility, innovation and community engagement. Lalithambiga S, associate VP (HR) at Maveric Systems Limited, and Divya Kumar, VP (HR) at Bahwan CyberTek, delivered the keynote addresses. This year, 92 colleges from across India applied for the awards. The jury selected winners across multip

CHENNAI: With atmospheric conditions paving way for dry weather conditions, there has been a dip in night time temperatures in parts of the state. On Sunday, Chennai recorded its first sub 20 degree celsius this year. Recorded temperatures (for 24 hours ending 8:30am on Sunday) showed that Ooty recorded 5.6 degree celsius, lowest among hill stations in South India. Thalavadi in Erode recorded 11.4 degree celsius, Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri recorded 13.5 degree celsius, parts of Dharmapuri reco

CHENNAI: Out of the 1.05 lakh pets registered on the civic bodys portal, only 57,626 have so far been issued licences as the final day of the Greater Chennai Corporations special microchipping and anti-rabies vaccination drive for pet dogs to obtain pet license ended on Sunday. The city corporation will begin imposing fines on violators from Monday, said GCC veterinary officer J Kamal Hussain. Pet owners who take their dogs into public spaces without a leash will be fined Rs 500, while those who

Imagine a young man, a formidable scholar already steeped in Sanskrit, philosophy, logic, and music, standing conflicted by the waters of the sacred Ganga. This young man was none other than Muthuswamy Dikshitar. He had journeyed to Kasi with his guru, Chidambaranatha Yogi a spiritual master who arrived at Dikshitars house to take him under his tutelage, fulfilling the prophecy: When the student is ready, the master arrives. Standing on the Hanuman ghat, Muthuswamys mind was a battleground. Sho

Art can be consumed anywhere because it is everywhere. It is not like a song that you have to take time and listen to, says artist, illustrator, and art educator Deepthi Jayan. A disciple of the world-renowned artist, late Achuthan Kudallur, Deepthi curated an art exhibition titled Cano Cristales. The artist Achuthan Kudallur was my master. He passed away on July 18, 2022. This show is a tribute to him, shares Deepthi. Inaugurated on December 14, follower and admirer of Achuthans abstract painti

In a city where art and artiste thrive, recognition is never just a personal milestone; it becomes a quiet reassurance to generations watching from the audience. It affirms that years of discipline, devotion and creative sacrifice do not go unnoticed, and that institutions continue to value legacy as much as innovation. This spirit of acknowledgement shaped the inaugural function of Krishna Gana Sabhas 69th Margazhi Mela, held on December 12 at its T Nagar premises. Chief guest N Kamakodi, MD an

A barrage of slurs floods the social media ugly, aunty, bimbo. Subha J Rao calls this a normal week on social media. After 28 years of working as a journalist, she has learned that she can never predict what will set people off. Recently, Subha noticed a surge of attacks on journalists who reviewed the Hindi film Dhurandhar . Journalist Anupama Chopras review was taken down. Another journalist Sucharita Tyagi faced relentless harassment for her views. And, for others, routine slurs escalated to

CHENNAI: A 22-year-old civil services aspirant from Vellore was sexually assaulted by a man who befriended her by promising help to find a rental house in the city. The Thirumangalam All Women police arrested the suspect, identified as Yogesh Kumar (23), on Friday. The police said the woman had come to Chennai to prepare for the UPSC examinations and was looking for an accommodation. Yogesh allegedly befriended her, and under the pretext of house-hunting, took her to a hotel room where he allege

CHENNAI: A special court for Pocso Act cases in Chengalpattu has sentenced a 56-year-old lift operator to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually assaulting two minor girls inside a lift in 2023. The convict, identified as Velayutham, a resident of Perumbakkam, was sentenced to seven years RI for each of the two cases registered against him. A press release from the Tambaram city police said the incidents occurred on October 31, 2023, and Velayutham, who was the lift operator, had se

CHENNAI: Amid an erratic northeast monsoon, Chennai has received a major boost to its drinking water supply, with the citys three main reservoirs reaching their full capacity on Saturday after 29 years. This is a significant milestone for the city, which has faced repeated water shortages in the past. According to data from the Water Resources Department (WRD), accessed by TNIE on Saturday morning, Poondi reservoir has hit its full capacity of 3,231 million cubic feet (mcft) of water, Red Hills

CHENNAI: Nearly 400 conservancy workers from Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar zones, who staged a protest at the Muthamizharignar Dr Kalaignar M Karunanidhi memorial on Friday demanding the Chief Ministers intervention for the reinstatement of their jobs directly under the Greater Chennai Corporation instead of the private contractor, were detained by the police officials. They were taken to four community and marriage halls in Alandur, Adambakkam, Madipakkam and Royapuram. Though the police offi

CHENNAI: A 65-year-old woman was crushed to death under the wheels of a water tanker that was reversing at Puzhal. The deceased has been identified as Muniyamma of Kattivedu. The accident happened on Friday morning when the woman was heading home after collecting water in a pot. Police have started a search for the driver. At Poonamallee, a 20-year-old college student, Arundhathi, was killed near Senneerkuppam on Avadi-Senneerkupam Road when a lorry hit the two-wheeler she was riding with her fr

CHENNAI: CMRL has launched a fresh tunnelling drive on its east-west Corridor-4, with tunnel boring machine (TBM) Peacock starting drilling westwards from Panagal Park towards Boat Club on Thursday. Corridor-4, running 26.1km from Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, includes an 8km underground section that has been split into two civil packages, each carrying roughly 4km of twin tunnels. Four TBMs with a 6.67-metre diametre have been assigned to deliver 16km of tunnelling in both directions. Peac

CHENNAI: Two students sustained injuries in a lab accident at Alagappa College of Technology, Anna University, in Guindy, around 4.30 pm on Thursday when a glass distillation column in the Effluent Treatment Laboratory suddenly shattered. According to sources, the injured students are P Nithish (23), a second-year MTech Environmental Studies student, and S Surya (20) a third-year BTech Chemical Engineering student. The fragments from the equipment hit the students on their face and neck. While N

CHENNAI: A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a lorry driver who took her in his vehicle under the pretext of dropping her at her destination on Wednesday night. Based on the girls complaint, the man was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday and sent in remand later. According to the Puzhal All Women Police, the incident occurred when the girl was waiting for bus at Puzhal to go to Moolakadai. While the girl was waiting at the spot, a lorry stopped at the bus stop, and the driver asked the

CHENNAI: The residents of Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements in Kannagi Nagar have raised safety concerns, saying despite recurring electrical hazards in the area, all six technical assistant posts at the Thoraipakkam and Ezhil Nagar EB substations (three in each substation) of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) continue to remain vacant. In August, a 30-year-old conservancy worker, the sole breadwinner of her family, died of electrocution after

Margazhi is never just another month in the Tamil calendar; its a feeling stitched between devotion and drama. There is something cinematic about Margazhi mornings, especially the mist that hugs the pavement, the hum of bhajans , and the city dressed in temple gold. The month feels like a festival woven from memory, yet it unfolds with new textures each year. Sabha schedules stack up, kutcheris spill into every corner of the city, and audiences arrive dressed for an unspoken runway silks swayin

Like every year, the first hints of Margazhi arrived early at MOP Vaishnav College this year too. It was not the regular chill of dawn, the scent of fresh flowers, or the kolam on the threshold, but the college auditorium held the seasons spirit in its walls. A created atmosphere with soft light pooled on the stage, the acoustics seized the murmurs, gathering the attention on the echoes of art, and the air felt weighted with the presence of exceptional artistes and their art. The audience, compr

CHENNAI: A late-night joyride turned tragic for a group of medical students when their luxury car rammed into a firewood-laden lorry, which the police said, was parked illegally on the Thiruporur bypass road on Thursday early morning. The collision left a female student dead and four other students critically injured. The deceased has been identified as Misbah Fathima (21), a third-year Allied Health Sciences student at Balaji Medical College, Chromepet, and a native of Vellore. The police said

CHENNAI: Two separate instances of violence involving students occurred in the city suburbs, leaving a college student and a Class 10 boy with injuries. The police have arrested three persons, including two juveniles, in connection with the attacks in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. A 15-year-old student was stabbed by his classmate outside a government high school near Manimangalam in Kancheepuram where they are studying. The police said the two students have a running feud over who had

CHENNAI: The citys housing supply touched 19,675 units in the first nine months of 2025, a 15% increase from last year, while sales rose to 15,720 units, underscoring a market driven by end-users rather than speculative buyers, a report released at the Real Estate and Infrastructure Summit here on Thursday said. The report Real estate and Infrastructure Driving Growth in Tamil Nadu by Anarock, one of Indias leading independent real estate consultancies, stated that South Chennai continues to dom

CHENNAI: The University of Western Australia (UWA) will establish a 50,000 sq ft campus at DLF Cybercity in Chennai as part of a Rs 500-crore investment by the Western Australian government to set up two campuses in India. The Chennai campus, slated to open in August 2026, will serve as the centrepiece of UWAs expansion and aims to anchor a long-term IndoAustralian talent corridor. UWA vice-chancellor Professor Amit Chakma said Chennais strong technology and research ecosystem made it the prefer

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has cleared 48.41 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste from Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards through biomining, reclaiming 100.29 acres of land so far, according to an official release. At Perungudi dump yard, spread across 250 acres, nearly 27.50 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste had been identified across 225 acres. Biomining works, taken up in 2022 at a cost of Rs 350.65 crore through six packages, have so far cleared 26.35 lakh MT, recla

CHENNAI: The Chetpet police have refuted allegations of assault after the relatives of a 54-year-old man, who died shortly after being sent home by a police inspector on Tuesday night, claimed they were responsible for the death. The police have released CCTV footage to substantiate their claim that they did not attack him. The deceased was identified as Munivel, a resident of Mangalapuram and an employee at a private clinic. Police said Munivel was found sleeping in an inebriated state at the d

CHENNAI: The Cyber Crime Wing of the Avadi Police Commissionerate on Tuesday arrested three individuals, including a private bank employee and a senior citizen, for allegedly facilitating an online trading scam in which a man lost Rs 28 lakh. The police identified the victim as Jagir Hussain (42), a resident of Paruthipattu in Avadi. According to the complaint, Hussain received an advertisement on WhatsApp regarding an online trading platform that promised double returns on investments. Believin

CHENNAI: The Velachery police are on the lookout for a woman who allegedly left behind over 1.25 kg of gold jewellery worth around Rs 1.5 crore inside a private bank in Velachery five days ago. According to bank officials, on December 5, a woman identifying herself as Sharmila Banu and wearing a burqa entered the branch and said she wanted to open a new account and inquired about the banks locker facility. She said that her husband had an account with the bank. As the officers concerned were una

CHENNAI: After months of protests by sanitary workers from Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar zones, against the privatisation of solid waste management operations and demanding reinstatement of their jobs, representatives of the Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam (UUI), which is spearheading the agitation, met municipal administration and water supply secretary D Karthikeyan on Wednesday and submitted a petition in support of their demands. The officials have purportedly assured them that the issue will be

CHENNAI: The NIA on Wednesday arrested another suspect in the 2019 murder of PMK functionary Ramalingam, in Chennai. Sources said the arrested person, Tameem Ansari (41), had given refuge to the prime accused. While four suspects were intercepted at the Pallikonda toll plaza in Vellore on Tuesday, the fifth accused, Ansari, was arrested from Mogappair East. The four arrested on Tuesday were identified as Mohammad Nabil Hasan (34) and Mohammed Burhanuddin (33) of Thanjavur, Mohammad Imran (33) of

CHENNAI: A private clinic in Gummidipoondi was sealed after the doctor failed to suggest termination of pregnancy of a 22-year-old pregnant woman even after the scan report in the fifth month of pregnancy showed anomalies in the foetus, on Tuesday. According to sources, Bhuvaneshwari, resident of Malliankuppam village in Ponneri taluk had been taking consultation at Sumathi Clinic in Gummidipoondi since her pregnancy was confirmed. The doctor in the clinic allegedly failed to notice anomaly in t