-The Indian Express 207 HRS and Counting Met warns of dense smog starting Nov 12, says not seen since 1989 After 207 hours of smog cover, the city saw clear sky when the afternoon sun returned on Thursday. But the worst of the fog spell, which leads to smog formation, is yet to come, the weatherman claims. The maximum total fog hours in November was in 2008, when there were three spells of...

-Outlook With cyclone 'Nilam' intensifying into a severe storm, Madras Atomic Power Station at coastal Kalpakkam today said the situation was being "closely watched" and asserted the plant is designed to withstand a wind velocity of 160 kmph. Presently, both the reactors at MAPS were operating "safely", its Director K Ramamurthy said in a statement as 'Nilam' cyclone was expected to cross Tamil Nadu-Andhra Coast close to Chennai this evening. The Met office...

-Outlook  A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which would further intensify into a cyclonic storm, today brought heavy rains in many parts of Tamil Nadu, especially in coastal areas, prompting the government to declare a holiday for schools. Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Villupuram received heavy rains in the morning, inconveniencing office-goers. The cyclonic storm would cross between Nagapattinam and Nellore tomorrow, Met Department said. "The deep depression over southwest Bay of...

-The Telegraph Union food minister K.V. Thomas today claimed the Bengal government had distributed only a small fraction of foodgrain specially allotted last year for 10 backward districts, drawing a sharp rebuttal from the state, as another confrontation with the Centre unfolded over figures. Thomas’s comment came days after Union home minister P. Chidambaram had voiced concern over Bengal’s “culture of violence” and cited casualty figures that were contested by the Mamata...

-The Times of India One of India's most unusual experiments with citizen participation in governance is set to come to an end on Friday, when central information commissioner (CIC)Shailesh Gandhi retires. Gandhi, a noted Right To Information (RTI) activist from Mumbai, was appointed to the central information commission in 2008. Under the RTI Act, there is a state information commission in every state for its laws, and a central information commission for...