A 45-year-old man was found murdered near Alwarkurichi in Tenkasi district on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Irudhayaraj of Karuthapillaiyur near Alwarkurichi. He had leased a pond in that area for fishing and regularly monitored it at night.

On Friday night, Irudhayaraj went to check the pond. However, on Saturday morning, he was found murdered with his head severed.

Alerted by local residents, Alwarkurichi Police rushed to the spot, recovered the body and the severed head and sent them to Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem. They have registered a case of murder.

Tenkasi Superintendent of Police V.R. Srinivasan formed a special team to arrest the culprits. Further investigation is on.

The Tiruppur rural police have stepped up campaign for installation of CCTV cameras at isolated farm houses.
| Photo Credit: SPL

The Tiruppur rural police are reaching out to people living in isolated farm houses located away from habitations through a campaign for installation of CCTV cameras to thwart robberies.

Teams of police personnel are distributing pamphlets on the dos and don’ts for safeguarding their lives and valuables, alongside impressing upon them about the imperative need for the preventive measures, in the wake of the triple murder that took place in Palladam limits late last month in which an aged couple and their son were murdered by intruders.

Though special teams were formed, the investigations could not progress since the identities of the intruders could not be determined in the absence of any video footage.

“We are asking the public to instal CCTV devices with at least two cameras one facing the house and the other the road, such that the intruders could be identified,” K.G. Shivakumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Avinashi, said, adding: “Even if the intruders wear masks, we will be able to know about their bodily composition, and the way they had reached the target homes,” he said.

“Alongside, we have also taken measures to place barricades and CCTV cameras at vantage locations in the rural parts that will help in identifying movement of criminals,” S. Suresh Kumar, DSP of Dharapuram sub-division said.

The pamphlets being distributed at the instance of Superintendent of Police Abishek Gupta call upon the people to take measures such as raising pet dogs, informing the nearest police station when they lock their houses, safe-keeping jewellery and money in bank lockers, being on the watch and inform the police about movement of strangers, ensuring lighting around the house during night hours, and calling up neighbours if they get suspicious about knocks at their doors during late hours.

The pamphlets also contain the phone numbers of the DSP, and inspector and sub-inspectors of the jurisdictional station.

“We do get calls from the residents who are curious to ascertain the readiness of the police for instant response during night hours,” Manimaran, sub-inspector of Sevur Police Station, said.

The police personnel mostly come across senior citizens living alone in the farm houses. By and large, the campaign is serving the intended purpose.

There are, however, instances of economically backward people expressing inability to spend on the CCTV cameras.

The police teams find the going tough to convince people about the imperative need for installation of the CCTV cameras for their own good in such situations.

नई द‍िल्‍ली. स्मार्टफोन बनाने वाली कंपनी वीवो (Vivo) की लेटेस्ट फ्लैगशिप सीरीज Vivo X200 और X200 Pro की ब‍िक्री आज से भारत में शुरू हो गई है. वीवो ने इस सीरीज को 12 दिसंबर को लॉन्च किया था और अगर आप इसे खरीदना चाहते हैं तो अमेजन, वीवो ई-स्टोर और इसके रिटेल स्टोर से खरीद सकते हैं.

फोन की शुरुआती कीमत 65,999 रुपये है. बता दें क‍ि वीवो के इस सीरीज में फ्लैगशिप मीडियाटेक चिपसेट का उपयोग किया गया है. आइए इस फोन पर म‍िल रहे ऑफर और स्‍पेस‍िफ‍िकेशन के बारे में जानते हैं .

Vivo X200 और X200 Pro की कीमत, ऑफर और उपलब्‍धता
Vivo X200 की कीमत 65,999 रुपये से शुरू है. इस कीमत में आपको 12GB RAM + 256GB स्‍टोरेज वेर‍िएंट म‍िलेगा. 16GB + 512GB वेर‍िएंट के ल‍िए आपको 71,999 रुपये देने होंगे. वहीं Vivo X200 Pro के 16GB RAM + 512GB स्‍टोरेज मॉडल की कीमत 94,999 रुपये है. आप इसे Amazon और कई और भी वेबसाइट्स से खरीर सकते हैं. आज ब‍िक्री के साथ ही कंपनी ने इन हैंडसेट्स पर कुछ बैंक ऑफर की घोषणा भी की है.

यह भी पढ़ें- WhatsApp पर कनेक्ट कर लेंगे ChatGPT तो खत्म हो जाएगी आपकी आधी टेंशन, ये है तरीका

1. आप अगर इस फोन को EMI पर खरीदना चाहते हैं तो नो कॉस्‍ट ईएमआई ऑप्‍शन का लाभ उठा सकते हैं. 24 महीने के 2750 प्रत‍ि माह की क‍िश्‍त पर आप फोन खरीद सकते हैं.
2. चुन‍िंदा बैंक कार्ड से खरीदारी करने पर 10 फीसदी त की छूट है.
3. 1 साल की एक्‍सटेंडेड वारेंटी और 60 फीसदी तक कैशबैक के अलावा अगर आप Jio यूजर हैं तो 6 महीने के ल‍िए 10 OTT ऐप्‍स का एक्‍सेस फ्री में म‍िलेगा.
4. 40 फीसदी तक वी-शील्‍ड प्रोटेक्‍शन पर छूट

Vivo X200 के स्‍पेस‍िफ‍िकेशन और फीचर
Vivo X200 में 6.67 इंच की 10-बिट OLED LTPS क्वाड-कर्व्ड स्क्रीन है जिसमें PWM डिमिंग, HDR10+ और 4,500 निट्स की पीक ब्राइटनेस जैसी खास‍ियत हैं. यह 5,800mAh की बैटरी पर चलता है. यह 90W वायर्ड चार्जिंग सपोर्ट के साथ आता है. फोन के साथ आपको चार्जर भी म‍िलेगा. फोन नेचुरल ग्रीन और टाइमलेस कॉसमॉस ब्लैक फिनिश कलर में उपलब्ध है. X200 में ट्रिपल रियर कैमरा सेटअप है, जिसमें 50-मेगापिक्सल का सोनी IMX921 प्राइमरी सेंसर, 50-मेगापिक्सल का सोनी IMX882 टेलीफोटो लेंस और 50-मेगापिक्सल का अल्ट्रा-वाइड-एंगल कैमरा है.

Tags: Business news, Mobile Phone, Technology

T. Archunan, Director (Projects), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, inspecting a place in Madurai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: S. KRISHNAMOORTHY

Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Director (Projects), T. Archunan, on Saturday inspected a few spots along the Tirumangalam-Othakadai Metro Rail Project, including Madurai Railway Junction. An underground Metro station would come up near the Railway Junction / Periyar Bus Stand.

Addressing mediapersons at Madurai Railway Junction, Mr. Archunan said that the Detailed Project Report was under process. The clarifications sought by the Centre had been submitted. After the sanction of the project, within six months tender would be called for. Once it commences, the project would be completed in three years.

He said that a technical inspection was being carried out along the spots where the project would be implemented. A portion of the metro tunnel crossing was below Rameswaram railway line at Madurai Railway Junction. The railway authorities have said that it should be 10 metres underground.

The alignment then goes through a ramp behind Madura college and then passes over an elevation near Andalpuram bridge. There was a railway track near the bridge. The railway authorities have said that there should be an elevation of at least 6.75 metres. All the conditions were being looked into, including a curve along the alignment stretch, he said.

Mr. Archunan said that the metro projects in Madurai and Coimbatore were being prioritised and feasibility tests were also taken up in Salem and Tiruchi. The metro project in Madurai was much needed and once completed, it would become the lifeline of the city and the preferred mode of transport. It would ease traffic congestion in the city, he said.

The project will also help in the development of the city. Tirumangalam and Othakadai in the district will turn into hubs and attract investments. The underground tunnel and the underground station that would come up near the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple would not affect the temple and buildings nearby, he said.

He said that all the aspects were being looked into to ensure smooth implementation of the project, particularly the underground section, where the authorities had to drill through the rocks. They have to conduct a study and use the right equipment. However, it would not affect the buildings, he added.

Pope Francis delivers a Christmas message to Vatican workers in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, on December 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pope Francis on Saturday (December 21, 2024) again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican’s various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli airstrikes on Friday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza.

Also read | U.N. General Assembly asks court to say what Israel needs to provide in Gaza

“Yesterday, children were bombed,” said the Pope. “This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart.”

The Pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel’s military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In book excerpts published last month, the pontiff said some international experts said that “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide”.

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli sharply criticised those comments in an unusual open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Friday. Chikli said the Pope’s remarks amounted to a “trivialisation” of the term genocide.

Francis also said on Saturday that the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem, known as a patriarch, had tried to enter the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit Catholics there, but was denied entry.

The patriarch’s office told Reuters it was not able to comment on the Pope’s remarks about the patriarch being denied entry.

The Israeli Military said on Saturday the patriarch’s entry had been approved and he would enter Gaza on Sunday, barring any major security issues. Aid from the patriarch’s office entered last week, the Military said.

Israel allows clerics to enter Gaza and “works in cooperation with the Christian community to make it easier for the Christian population that remains in the Gaza Strip – including coordinating its removal from the Gaza Strip to a third country,” a statement from the military said.

The war began when Hamas-led Palestinian militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign, which it says is aimed at eliminating Hamas, has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The campaign has displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Israel says that at least a third of the dead have been militants and says it tries to avoid harm to civilians but is battling militants who it accuses of embedding among the population in dense urban areas. Hamas rejects this.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao on Saturday warned that Union would block anyone arriving to the Port Hospital’s bidding process for services by private organisations.

CITU has been protesting against Visakhapatnam Port Authority’s (VPA) decision to privatise the Port Hospital. The protest reached its 82nd day on Saturday.

Mr. Narasinga Rao asserted that the privatisation was immoral as the development of the hospital was possible only through the efforts of government authorities and its workers.

“Since the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Cente, it has made the sale of public sector enterprises its first priority, but due to the protests, the PSUs are being protected from privatisation,” he said. “The hospital will also be protected from being privatised owing to the protests. CITU State Committee will provide full support to the protests,” he added.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will lose deposit in 200 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K. Annamalai in Coimbatore on Saturday.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin keeps increasing the number of seats that the DMK will win in the 2026 elections, but, the party will lose the deposit in 200 seats, he said. The people of Tamil Nadu have started working to remove Mr. Stalin as Chief Minister, he claimed.

On the funeral procession for Coimbatore bomb blast convict Basha, he said people have the right to pay respect to the dead. But, why was a public procession permitted. Considering the situation in Coimbatore, why did the police not file any case against the procession, he questioned.

On the search committees to select the Vice-Chancellors for universities in the State, he said there are Supreme Court guidelines and UGC guidelines. The Tamil Nadu government does not have powers to take decisions individually. It is Minister Govi Chezhiaan who is politicising the issue, he said.

Water from Mullaperiyar dam was released for irrigation of single crop areas under the 18th canal in Theni district, on Saturday.

According to Water resources Department sources, 98 cusecs of water was released for 30 days to irrigate 4,614.25 acres of land in Uthamapalayam (2,045.35 acres) and Bodinayakanur (2,568.90 acres) taluks. A total of 255 mcft of water was released to fill the tanks that would benefit 13 villages. Theni Collector R. V. Shajeevana and Theni MP Thanga Tamilselvan formally released the water.

Lara Trump. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, said on Saturday (December 21, 2024) she has removed her name from consideration to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.

Rubio was picked by Trump to serve as secretary of state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will pick a replacement for Rubio, who is expected to resign as senator when Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

There was speculation that Lara Trump, who served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee in the lead-up to the 2024 election, would succeed Rubio in the Senate.

However, in a post on X, Ms. Trump said she had decided to remove herself from consideration “after an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many.”

“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” she said.

Ms. Trump is married to Eric Trump, Donald Trump’s son.

She said she has a “big announcement” to share in January but did not provide details. Ms. Trump said she remains passionate about public service and looks forward to serving again in the future.

While noting there was already strong interest from possible candidates, DeSantis said last month that a selection will likely be made by early January.

Ram Kapoor Weight Loss: टीवी के मशहूर एक्टर राम कपूर (Ram Kapoor) इन दिनों चर्चा में हैं. वजह है उनका दमदार बॉडी ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन. जी हां, राम कपूर इन दिनों बेहद ही दुबले-पतले और फिट नजर आ रहे हैं. एक समय था जब राम बहुत ही हेवी और मोटे दिखते थे. अपना वजन घटा कर वे हर किसी को हैरान कर दिए हैं. राम कपूर ने अपना 42 किलो वजन घटाया है. 51 वर्षीय एक्टर काफी लंबे समय से टीवी पर दिखाई भी नहीं दे रहे थे. लगता है वे अपना वजन घटाने में लगे हुए थे और अब अपने बदले अंदाज में अचानक सामने आकर सबको चौंका दिया है. एक्टर का बॉडी ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन वाली इमेज और वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर खूब वायरल हो रहा है. चलिए जानते हैं आखिर राम कपूर ने अपना वजन कैसे घटाया है.

इंटरमिटेंट फास्टिंग के जरिए घटाया वजन
एक्टर राम कपूर ने पहले भी अपना लगभग 30 किलो वजन घटाकर हर किसी को चौंकाया था. एक बार फिर वे अपने लुक और इस गजब के बॉडी ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन से लोगों को हैरान कर रहे हैं. मीडिया रिपोर्ट्स के अनुसार, उन्होंने अपना वजन घटाने के लिए इंटरमिटेंटे फास्टिंग का सहारा लिया.