Briefly South

Begining the next academic year,all students in Kerala schools will have to learn Malayalam,according to a new state government directive.

Malayalam must in Kerala schools

Thiruvananthapuram: Begining the next academic year,all students in Kerala schools will have to learn Malayalam,according to a new state government directive. The order is based on a recommendation of State Council of Education Research and Training. An official press release here said the Director of Public Instruction had been authorised to implement the orders from next academic year.

Cops: Cricket betting racket busted,2 held

BANGALORE: The police on Sunday claimed to have busted a cricket betting racket and taken two persons into custody. They raided a club here on Saturday and detained Bharat 45 and N C Nagar 60 for alleged IPL betting. Rs 1,69,050 in cash,mobile phones and colour television were seized from them,the police said.

Three killed as car falls into canal

MADURAI: Three persons,including two women,were killed and five injured when their car rammed into the railings of a bridge and fell into a canal at Katchirayanpatti,30 km from here,on Sunday. The police said the eight occupants of the car,from Chennai,were on their way to attend a wedding at Tirunelveli. The injured have been rushed to hospital.

Three held for trying to dupe kids,parents

BANGALORE: Three persons,who allegedly locked up 26 students and their parents in an apartment here and tried to sell fake entrance test question papers by demanding hefty sums,have been taken into custody,the police said on Sunday. Rajagopala Reddy,60,C T Basavaraju,37,and Santosh,25,were demanding Rs 11 lakh from each student after detaining them in a service apartment,they said. The police rescued the 26 students,including 12 girls,and their parents from their clutches Saturday night.

Former MLA booked for firing in air

HYDERABAD: The police on Sunday took into custody a former MLA after he allegedly fired in air to prevent his rivals from demolishing part of a building to which he claimed ownership,Banjara Hills Division Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravinder Reddy said. Former MLA B Rama Rao fired three rounds from his revolver in air after a group of people pelted stones at him as he tried to stop them from demolishing the house to which he claimed ownership,Reddy said.