QChennai: Cyclone Maha Moves Away, Drunk Father Kills 2-Month Baby

Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.

1. Dry Days Ahead for Chennai as Cyclone Maha Moves Away

With severe cyclonic storm 'Maha' moving far-off, Tamil Nadu would witness significant reduction in rainfall. For past four days, the pull effect of the developing weather system was giving bountiful of rains to the state, including Chennai and its suburbs.The MET department on Thursday said Maha moving at a speed of 18 kmph crossed Lakshadweep Islands and lay centred about 80 km northeast of Cherbaniani Reef (Lakshadweep) and 400 km ­north-west of Kozhikode (Kerala). It is very likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over east-central Arabian sea.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

2. Denied Sex by Wife, Drunk Chennai Man Beats Two-Month-Old Daughter to Death

A 27-year-old man allegedly beat his two-and-a-half-month-old daughter to death during a fight with his wife at their house in KK Nagar in the wee hours of Thursday. Police said the accused M Ellappan, a conservancy worker lived with his wife Durga, 25 at Dr Ambedkar Colony in KK Nagar. “On Wednesday night, Ellappan, had come home drunk and picked up a fight with his wife,” said a police officer.

At around 4 am, he began physically abusing his wife who was holding their daughter Rajamatha. "He was in an inebriated condition and allegedly hit the child with force that she fell from Durga's hand and sustained severe head injuries," said the officer.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

3. Yet Again, Thick Blanket of White Foam Formed Along Chennai Coast

What used to be a rare phenomenon, has become a regular feature on Chennai beaches. Heavy frothing was witnessed on Wednesday near Foreshore Estate coastline and experts attribute it to sudden influx of untreated sewage and chemical effluents from upstream into the sea through Adyar River.

A thick blanket of white foam is seen for about 2 km along Srinivasapuram and Pattinapakkam coasts. Heavy downpour in Adyar basin has increased the river flow. This, coupled with depression in Bay of Bengal and change in seasonal water current, has created a turbulence off-shore lead to frothing.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

4. IT Employee Union Opposes Cognizant's Layoff Announcement, Calls It 'Unjustified'

After Cognizant announced on Thursday that it would be laying off around 7,000 employees globally, Chennai-based Union of IT and ITES employees (UNITE) has opposed the move by the company, calling it a ‘motive for profit- maximisation ignoring the life of its employees and their families’.

UNITE alleges that IT companies are not making any loss, and hence the move to retrench such a large number of employees is purely to maximise profits. On Thursday, Cognizant said that as part of its cost reduction plan, it will be removing 10,000-12,000 mid-to-senior level associates globally from their current roles. Of this 5,000 will be re-skilled and redeployed and nearly 7,000 stand to lose their jobs over the coming quarters.

(Source: The News Minute)

5. NIA Carries out Searches in Tamil Nadu to Probe 'Terror Module'

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday carried out searches in Coimbatore and Nagapattinam districts in Tamil Nadu in connection with a probe into an alleged terror module. In Coimbatore, NIA sleuths carried out searches at the houses of two people, police said. A team of officials from the agency conducted searches at a house at Nagore in Nagapattinam district, police said adding they were conducting inquiries with one person.

A team of 10 officials led by a DSP-level officer from Kochi carried out the searches at a house at Miandad Street in Nagore, police added. They are interrogating a man to ascertain any possible terror links, police said.

(Source: Deccan Chronicle)