Page 10 - Kerala

Five arrested after vehicle enters Kerala CM's convoy, released on bail

Five men have been taken into custody after their vehicle entered the convoy of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, police said here on Monday. The incident allegedly happened around 10 pm on Sunday near Elathur, as the Chief Minister was heading to the government guest house here. Police said that the vehicle entered the high-security convoy despite being warned three times to stay away. Officers stopped the vehicle at West Hill Chungam and detained all five men inside. During questioning, they told police they were electrical workers travelling from Kannur to Palakkad. "All five are from Kannur, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts. They have no criminal record," police said. The men were initially kept in preventive custody but later released on station bail.

UK’s $110-million fighter jet stuck in Kerala: What grounded the F-35B for two weeks?

A British Royal Navy F-35B stealth fighter jet has been stranded at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Airport for nearly two weeks. What caused the jet to stay grounded? What happens next? Here’s a detailed

How Kerala is charting path to become 1st extreme-poverty-free Indian state

State on track to becoming the first in India to achieve the goal through local-level surveys, community and tailored micro plans

UK F-35B awaits repairs after tech issue in Kerala: British High Commission

The aircraft is expected to return to active service after the necessary repairs and safety checks are completed

Assault on Constitution's soul: Opposition slams RSS' view on Preamble

Several opposition parties on Friday denounced RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, terming it a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution. The attack came a day after the RSS proposed reviewing the two words, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. While the Congress saw it as a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution and claimed the RSS-BJP had never accepted Ambedkar's Constitution, the CPI(M) said the demand exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting it. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the mask of the RSS has come off again as they want 'Manusmriti'. "The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice," he said in a post in Hindi on X. "The RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution; they want 'Manusmriti'. They aim to strip the marginalized and the poor of their rights

Malayalam film industry to protest CBFC move blocking Suresh Gopi film

Film personalities belonging to various movie organisations will stage a dharna before the office of the Central Board of Film Certfication (CBFC) on Monday to protest the Board's decision to decline certification to the film Janaki Vs State of Kerala' (JSK). The CBFC revising committee had verbally directed the makers of the Suresh Gopi-starrer film, JSK, to change the name of the titular character, as Janaki is another name of Goddess Sita. Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) general secretary B Unnikrishnan told reporters here on Friday that people belonging to the entire film industry will take part in the protest before the CBFC office in Thiruvananthapuram. Terming the CBFC's decision as arbitrary,' he wondered why the name change was being suggested after the film was cleared by the regional panel of the censor board. The film was given U/A certification and was sent to the CBFC office in Mumbai, from where the change was suggested. We fail to understand the criterio

3 labourers killed in building collapse in Kerala, labour dept orders probe

Three migrant labourers died when an around 40-year-old building, at Kodakara in this central Kerala district, where they were living, collapsed early Friday morning as they were getting ready for work, police said. According to the police officials and officers of the fire and rescue services who visited the spot, there were 17 migrant workers living in the building, and of them, 14 escaped without any injuries. The incident occurred around 6 am, and the entire rescue operation took around two and a half hours, according to the police. Subsequently, state Labour Minister V Sivankutty directed the Labour Commissioner to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident and submit a report, his office said in a statement. It also said that the department will take all necessary steps to repatriate the mortal remains of the workers to their native places. Meanwhile, state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a Facebook post, termed the incident as tragic and extended his condolences to

Tensions at Kerala Univ as SFI demands removal of Bharat Mata portrait

Tension prevailed at the Kerala University Senate campus here on Wednesday over the display of a portrait of Bharat Mata as part of a private function attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the students' wing of the ruling CPI(M), engaged in a war of words with the organisers of the event, Padmanabha Seva Samithi, and police, demanding to remove the portrait from the senate hall. However, the organisers, a pro-right wing outfit, said they would not remove the Bharat Mata portrait from the stage as part of the event as they booked the hall after meeting all necessary procedures. SFI leaders and university syndicate members, however, made it clear that they would not allow the programme to be held if the portrait was not removed from there, triggering tense moments on the campus. Notwithstanding the tense situation, the governor reached the campus and attended the event. Besides the SFI activists, the workers of the ...

Kerala's fishing economy reels from back-to-back maritime disasters

Back-to-back ship accidents in the Arabian Sea halt fishing, stir fears of contamination, and threaten the livelihoods of over a million people in Kerala

Kerala Raj Bhavan denies reports of seeking central security for Governor

The Kerala Raj Bhavan on Saturday termed as "absolutely baseless" the reports that it proposes to seek protection by the central forces for the Governor in view of the protests against him by some youth and student organisations. In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said there was no such move or plan on its part and that there was no threat -- direct or indirect -- to the Governor. It further said that Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has total faith in the commitment to duty and efficiency of the Kerala Police in the discharge of their responsibility. "They have been performing their duty extremely well and to the best of the Raj Bhavan's satisfaction. The Raj Bhavan, Kerala strongly rules out any threat, direct or indirect, to the Governor," the statement said. The Raj Bhavan said that the reports being carried out by a section of the media are "much ado about nothing and are only a figment of their imagination and speculation". "The media people are hereby requested to restrain

British stealth jet stays parked in Kerala days after emergency landing

A Royal Navy helicopter flew into Kerala earlier this week and unsuccessfully attempted to fix the aircraft that some experts said possibly developed a hydraulic system failure.

SC protects Kerala journo booked for defamation of politician on YT video

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to a Kerala-based journalist booked by the police for allegedly publishing a defamatory video against a prominent woman politician on his YouTube channel "Crime Online". A bench comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and Prasanna B Varale issued notice to the Kerala government and the station house officer of the police station concerned on the anticipatory bail plea of journalist Nandakumar TP. Taking note of the submissions, the bench said in the event of arrest, the journalist will be released on bail by the trial court upon on a bond and sureties as directed by the judge. It also directed the journalist to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. An FIR was lodged against the journalist under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for offences of outraging a woman's modesty, intimidation and intent to cause reputational harm, and dissemination of obscene content electronically. He was also booked under Section 67 of the ..

Oil extraction from MSC Elsa 3 to take more time due to monsoon season: DGS

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on Wednesday said that due to the prevailing peak monsoon conditions and associated operational risks, it will take more time to extract oil from the Liberian-flagged ship that sank off the Kerala coast last month. The DGS said that the present weather conditions provide only a "narrow and fragmented working window", which is unsuitable for "stable and safe" oil extraction efforts. "Further delay would provide a more reliable window to safely conduct hot tapping and oil recovery," it said. It further said that the vessel Nand Saarthi -- from where saturation diving operations for oil extraction were to be conducted -- remains at Kochi port due to prevailing adverse sea conditions. "Upon improvement in weather, it will sail to the wreck site. Oil recovery equipment onboard Nand Saarthi is to be transferred to Canara Megh for the next phase. All accessories and gases remain available and are being held for deployment once the new contractor .

Fire aboard Singapore-flagged ship partially contained: DGS

The blaze aboard the Singapore-flagged cargo ship, which caught fire last week off the Kerala coast, is partially contained, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) said on Wednesday. According to a DGS report about the situation as of June 17, there is a noticeable reduction in visible flames and smoke intensity across most zones of the vessel -- MV Wan Hai 503 -- that caught fire after an explosion in one of the containers aboard. The vessel was heading to Colombo from Mumbai. The other positive developments were the vessel's reduced speed, its offshore trajectory and current position at around 68.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, the report said. At the same time, the persistent smoke from certain sections of the ship, its history of internal flare-ups which require sustained firefighting pressure, the adverse weather conditions and the absence of a second towline were matters of concern, it said. "Weather at the site remains adverse, with westerly winds between 2934 knot

Kerala National Highway-66 collapse: Megha Engg faces 1-year NHAI ban

MEIL barred from bidding for NH projects for a year after slope protection failure on NH-66 in Kerala; NHAI orders review by experts and issues ₹9 crore penalty notice

Inundation and sea incursion in coastal regions of Kerala spark protests

Monsoon-battered Kerala continued to face severe challenges on Tuesday, with widespread inundation of low-lying areas and intense sea incursion plaguing coastal hamlets. Several families, living in low-lying regions, were shifted to relief camps in various districts as flood waters failed to recede from their homes. Widespread destruction was reported along the southern coastal belt due to high tidal waves and sea incursion. Kannamaly, a fisherfolk hamlet in Ernakulam district, witnessed protests by locals on Tuesday morning demanding a permanent solution to the long-standing issues of waterlogging and coastal erosion. They blocked a road with country boats, fishing nets and logs as a mark of protest. In Kannamaly, the elderly and children waded through hip-deep water. Several houses were also damaged following high tidal waves, the residents said. According to official figures, three relief camps were set up in Kottayam district and 12 in Thrissur where one house was destroyed .

Floods disrupt life in northern districts of Kerala, rail services hit

Incessant monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc in Kerala on Monday, disrupting normal life, including road and rail traffic. Northern districts bore the brunt of the rainfall, witnessing rising water levels in rivers and other water bodies. Several residents were forced to evacuate to relief camps in districts, including Kannur and Kasaragod as flood water entered their homes. In Kannur, people were seen wading through knee-deep water to reach safer places since Sunday evening. "Children and elderly people were already shifted to relatives' houses. We are now moving to a relief camp opened nearby," a resident said. He lamented that frequent waterlogging following rains has made their lives miserable, preventing children from attending school and adults from going to work. In the Kakkad area of Kannur, an arterial road was completely submerged, bringing traffic to a standstill. Commuters, unaware of the situation, struggled to push their two-wheelers through knee-deep water on

Debris from burning Singapore flagged cargo ship washes ashore in Kerala

A container and a lifeboat from the Singapore-flagged cargo ship MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Kerala coast a week ago, washed ashore in Alappuzha district on Monday, raising concerns that more debris may reach the coast in the coming days. Officials said the container, believed to be empty, and the lifeboat were found near the Kakkazhom area. Alappuzha District Collector Alex Varghese, who visited the site, said the State Disaster Management Authority and the shipping company had been informed. The items will be removed by a salvage team. Customs authorities have been alerted and will carry out the necessary formalities, officials added. The development has sparked fears that additional containers could drift ashore along the Alappuzha and Ernakulam coasts on June 17 and 18. Meanwhile, defence sources said that the cargo vessel is currently being towed by professional salvors appointed by the ship's owner. The MV Wan Hai 503 is now about 45 nautical miles off the coa

India reports one Covid-19 death in 24 hrs, active cases dip to 7,131

India recorded one Covid-19 death and reported a dip in active cases to 7,131, marking the first decline during the current outbreak; Kerala remains worst-affected

Hepatitis A outbreak in Kerala: What's causing it and how to stay safe

Over 3,000 hepatitis A cases and 16 deaths reported in Kerala; health officials link outbreak to contaminated water sources