1. Chennai Corporation: Handover Banned Plastic Items at Ward Offices
With the plastic ban in the State all set to kick in from new year, residents of the city have been asked to surrender all banned plastic items at their respective Corporation Ward Offices on Monday, 31 December. This includes plastic cups, sheets, straws and bags, according to a release from the civic body.
This decision to collect all banned plastic items comes after Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan met with officers from all corporation departments on Saturday regarding implementation of the plastic ban in the city. The corporation will continue with its plastic ban awareness programs and has requested its citizens to switch to eco friendly alternatives such as cloth bags, paper cups and straws.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
2. Second Woman Claims HIV Infection from Blood Transfusion in Tamil Nadu
Two days after a woman was allegedly infected by HIV due to a faulty medical procedure at a Tamil Nadu hospital, a similar case has now come to light in Chennai. A 27-year-old woman has accused doctors at the prominent Kilpauk Medical College Hospital of criminal negligence, alleging that she contracted the virus during a blood transfusion procedure in April.
Hospital authorities have denied the claim, and maintained that she may have contracted HIV through other means and that both the donors had tested negative for the virus before and after the procedure. However, they couldn't say if the woman was admitted with the infection because she wasn't made to undergo the requisite test.
(Source: NDTV)
3. Chennai Woman Kills Son, Dumps Body in Septic Tank
In a shocking incident, a six-year-old boy was strangled, burnt and dumped in a septic tank by his mother in Chennai. The 27-year-old woman allegedly committed the crime after she came to her mother’s house following an argument with her husband. The incident happened on Thursday, 27 December, in Karayanchavadi near Poonamallee.
According to a news report, on Thursday, when Meenakshi reached her parents’ house after a fight, her family refused to take her in, because of which she was forced to spend the night in the motor room behind her house with her son. In the morning, her family found Meenakshi missing and also noticed a foul, burnt smell emanating from the septic tank. They alerted the police, who opened the tank and discovered Srikanth’s body, his face completely charred.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Jaya Death Probe: Apollo Hospitals and Commission Lock Horns
The inquiry into the death of late CM Jayalalithaa saw yet another twist after Apollo Hospitals shot off a combative missive, in response to a petition served by the Standing Counsel for the Commission accusing the hospital of failing to provide the best recommended treatment to the late CM. The health secretary of TN government, Dr J Radhakrishnan, also finds himself in the crossfire, as the panel as accused him of acting like a spokesperson for Apollo Hospitals.
The nine-point statement by Apollo Hospitals refuted the claims made by the counsel’s petition and also emphasised their demand for a medical board to assist the Arumughaswamy Commission in recording medical facts.
(Source: The News Minute)
5. Pa Ranjith Vaanam Festival Lures Thousands
This show of Pa Ranjith will not run 100 days, yet could capture a million hearts. The huge gathering at the three-day 'Vaanam' festival of song, dance, drama and art, bears testimony to the big impact that this very unique initiative by the jubilee filmmaker is most likely to have.
Explaining the reason behind naming the festival as 'Vaanam', Ranjith said everyone is equal under Vaanam, the sky. “And when we go back after this three-day festival, we must preserve that strong feeling of equality, that element of pride, so as to carry forward the discussion on this important philosophy of universal equality”, he told the large audience of men and women of all ages and socio-cultural backgrounds.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
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