MUMBAI: Banking activities remained paralysed throughout the country on the first day of two-day strike of the public sector banks today, following the failure of the day-long negotiations between the bank unions here yesterday. The strike hit the trading at the interbank foreign exchange market, where hardly any transaction was reported throughout the day in the absence major banks., dealers said. The money market also witnessed dull activity in absence of market participants.

Coast Guard chief

CHENNAI: Vice-marshal R N Ganesh, Director General of Coast Guard, New Delhi, appeared before the Madras High Court in connection with a contempt of court case today following a contempt of court application from Commandant M Rajendran, Regional Technical Officer, Headquarters, Chennai, seeking to punish the officer for disobeying court's earlier orders.

Begum mausoleum

Faizabad: Security has been tightened around the historic Bahu Begum mausoleum in the city followingthe damage caused to it last night by unidentified miscreants who had broken into the mausoleum and attempted to dig up the grave of Bahu Begum.