Free screening of Tamil film in 100 theatres

In a novel concept to encourage quality films, a theatre chain company today screened the  latest Tamil film Onbathu Rupaai Nottu (Nine Rupee Note) in 100 theatres across Tamil Nadu, free of cost.

With acclaimed director Thangar Bachchan having wielded the megaphone, the film, released on December 1, has  already won rave reviews and is running to packed houses.

Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd Managing Director P S  Saminathan told PTI that the movie was screened free of cost to enable people to appreciate the film, “which realistically portrays the lives of the rural masses and the intricacies of human relationships.”

MP's purse picked

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Veerendra Kumar's purse, containing Rs 27,000 and some papers, was picked by an unidentified person here on Sunday, police told UNI. Mr Kumar was targeted while standing outside his office to welcome a procession of teachers. In his complaint, the parliamentarian mentioned that he withdrew the cash on Saturday from his bank account in Delhi.

Baig is Kashmir Dy CM

Muzzaffar Hussain Baig of the ruling coalition partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been appointed deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and will be sworn in on Monday, official sources said to IANS.

Baig had held the post earlier when the Congress took over from the PDP in November 2005. However, he was stripped of the position in August 2006 following differences with PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter and party president Mehbooba Mufti.

Church’s pastoral letter blasts Communists

On a collision course with the Left Front government in Kerala, the Syro Malabar Catholic Church today mounted a veiled attack on the Communist parties, urging its members to ensure that materialists and atheists were kept away from responsible positions in church-run institutions, reports PTI.

A pastoral letter read out to the Sunday congregations in churches under Thrissur Archdiocese cautioned the faithful against getting lured by these parties, thinking that their activities were confined to the political domain alone.