Page 21 - Kerala

Malayalam actor Meghanathan passes away at 60 due to lung-related illness

Meghanathan, the 60-year-old Malayalam actor, passed away on November 21 from a lung condition. In Kozhikode, Kerala, the well-known actor was receiving medical care at a private hospital

Palakkad bypoll: Slight drop in turnout compared to 2021 Assembly polls

The Palakkad assembly constituency, which saw a high octane campaign that gave rise to scores of controversies, saw a voter turnout of 70.01 per cent till 6.49 pm on Wednesday after voting in the bypoll concluded in over 86 per cent of the polling booths. This was a decline from the 73.83 per cent turnout recorded in the assembly polls held in the state in 2021. When polling started at 7 am, it proceeded slowly with a low turnout of only 1.11 per cent at 8 am, according to figures released by the Election Commission (EC). By noon, five hours after voting commenced, the turnout reached 30.48 per cent. It took another three hours after that for the turnout to cross the 50 per cent mark. At 6.49 pm, the turnout reached 70.01 per cent after voting concluded in 159 of the 184 polling booths in the constituency, the EC said. It said that this was not the final figure as in the remaining booths, people were waiting in line to cast their votes. There were long queues outside many booths

LDF, UDF hold hartal in landslide-hit Wayanad over lack of Central aid

The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the ruling LDF and opposition UDF in Wayanad district in Kerala on Tuesday saw shops largely remaining closed and vehicles blocked in many areas. The CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF announced hartals separately to protest against the lack of Central assistance for the landslide victims in the mountain district even months after the disaster. Both the ruling and the opposition parties wanted the BJP-led union government to declare the landslide calamity as a national disaster and provide required assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of the survivors at the earliest. While the LDF alleged that the denying of Central assistance to Wayanad was due to political reasons and the union government had grudges towards the state, the UDF criticised the Left government in the state for the continuing plight of the landslide survivors. In many places, those supporting the hartal blocked vehicles, causing traffic snarls since morning. The ...

Kerala to host Vizhinjam Conclave 2024, aims to boost global supply chain

The conclave, the first of its kind in the state, promises to redefine the scope of industrial and economic development by leveraging the untapped potential of the Vizhinjam International Seaport

Sobha Q2: PAT jumps to 75% to Rs 26.1 cr, net revenue grew 24% annually

The company's total revenue grew to Rs 965.2 crore as against Rs 773.6 crore, up 24.77 per cent

Wayanad sees low turnout of 64.72% in Priyanka Gandhi's debut contest

Wayanad by-election records a voter turnout of 64.72%, the lowest since its inception in 2009, as Priyanka Gandhi faces CPI and BJP in her debut contest

Bypolls 2024: Priyanka in Wayanad; spotlight on Shivraj Chouhan's Budhni

Assembly bypolls to 31 constituencies is underway, mostly vacated following the resignations of MLAs who were elected to the Lok Sabha in the elections

Stage set for polling in Jharkhand, Wayanad & 33 bypolls across 11 states

Polling for the first phase of Jharkhand's assembly elections, the Wayanad parliamentary seat in Kerala, and bypolls in 33 assembly seats across 11 states is set to begin on Wednesday morning.

Kerala airport halts flights for 5 hours for 'Alpassi Arattu' procession

Flight services from the international airport here were suspended for five hours on Saturday afternoon to make way for the 'Alpassi Arattu' procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here, TIAL said. The flight services resumed around 9 pm after the procession returned back to the temple. Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, the present head of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, sporting the traditional green silk cap, an emerald necklace and carrying the ceremonial sword, led the religious procession from the temple to the Shankumugham beach across the tarmac of the airport. The procession began from the shrine at around 5.00 pm and besides the male members of the royal family, a large number of devotees and at least five caparisoned elephants were also part of the procession. After entering the airport premises, the "utsava Vigrahas" (idols) of Padmanabha Swamy, Narasima Moorthy and Krishna Swami, were kept at the "arattu mandapam" near the runway for some time and later taken to

Religious Whatsapp group: IAS officer's phone reset, says Kerala police

The Kerala police on Saturday said that the phone of the IAS officer, whose WhatsApp account was used to create a religious group, was completely reset and therefore, forensics could not ascertain whether it was hacked as claimed by him. Amidst reports quoting police suggesting that the IAS officer's phone was not hacked, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar said that it remains unclear whether the device was compromised, as it had been "reset". He also said that he had given a report regarding the matter to the State Police Chief, DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb. The DGP's office said that the report was confidential and would be forwarded to the state government. The police investigated the matter following a complaint by the IAS officer alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. In the controversial WhatsApp group, officers from various communities were added, and the group was labelled as a Hindu community group. U

CM Vijayan again raises lack of Central aid for Wayand landslide victims

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday again highlighted the issue of lack of Central assistance for the rehabilitation of those affected by the landslides that hit Wayanad in July, saying that nothing has come from the union government despite several reminders. Vijayan, addressing a public meeting here as part of the campaign for LDF candidate in the Chelakkara assembly constituency, said that months after the disaster -- which claimed over 200 lives and destroyed hundreds of homes -- no assistance had reached the state from the Central government. The CM said that several reminders, including a unanimous resolution passed by the assembly, were sent by the state government to the Centre. "While no assistance has come yet, they have not said no to our request. So, that is a good thing," he said. At the same time, he questioned why Kerala was being ignored when other states affected by natural disasters were provided financial assistance. "Why was Kerala left out?" he ..

Want to serve Wayanad, just like mother looks after children: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is making her electoral debut as the UDF candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, on Thursday said her sentiments about serving the people of the hill constituency are the same as those of a mother towards her children. Priyanka, on the last day of her second leg of bypoll campaign, said that if she was given a chance, she would fight for the people of Wayanad not only in the Parliament, but on every other platform. The Congress leader also referred to the love her brother -- Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi -- has for Wayanad and urged the people of the hill constituency to vote for her so that she can help them for the affection and support they have shown to her family. Priyanka also reiterated her accusations against the BJP-led Centre, saying that their politics has harmed farmers and small business owners in the country. Addressing corner meetings at Akampadam and Pothukallu in Eranad and Nilambur assembly constituencie

Worm-infested food kits for landslide survivors spark protest in Kerala

Survivors of the landslides in Chooralmala-Mundakai in Wayanad district alleged on Thursday that they were given worm-infested food kits by the Meppadi Gram Panchayat, leading to a violent protest by the DYFI on Thursday. The Meppadi Panchayat is governed by the Congress-led UDF. The protest began with activists displaying the allegedly contaminated food items and staging a sit-in. Tensions escalated around 11:30 am when DYFI workers attempted to force their way into the office of the panchayat president. However, they were blocked by police officers and panchayat members, leading to clashes. According to panchayat authorities, five people were injured, including the panchayat president, K. Babu, and four members, who have been admitted to a hospital. Earlier, there were complaints that the food kits distributed by the Meppadi Grama Panchayat to landslide victims contained worm-infested rice, rava, and atta. Subsequently, on Thursday, DYFI activists staged a sit-in protest, plac

Kerala: Police raids in Palakkad spark political war ahead of bypoll

Amidst heated campaigning for the upcoming Assembly by-election in the Palakkad constituency, a midnight police raid at a hotel here on suspicion of the arrival of black money triggered an intense political row on Wednesday. Around midnight, the police conducted searches, including in the hotel rooms where prominent women politicians from the Congress, such as Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman, were staying. The incident occurred as the Congress-UDF is working hard to retain its sitting constituency, while the ruling CPI (M)-led LDF and the BJP-NDA are making every effort to wrest the seat from the grand old party. The Congress leadership, vehemently protesting the police action, alleged that it was a "midnight police drama" jointly orchestrated by the BJP and the CPI (M) due to their fear of a potential poll debacle. However, the Marxist party and the BJP rejected the allegations and accused the Congress of "distributing" large amounts of black money to secure a victory in the ...

Uttering unpleasant words against woman not insult to modesty: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court has quashed a criminal case against film director Sreekumar Menon who was accused by a prominent Malayalam actress of abusing and defaming her, saying that mere utterances of unpleasant words against a woman would not result in insult to her modesty. The order by Justice S Manu came on the plea by Menon, who is the director of the 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film 'Odiyan' starring Mohanlal. The female actor had alleged that the director had engaged in defaming her during the shooting, promotion and release of the film 'Odiyan' in which she too had a role. She had also alleged that he behaved in an indecent manner with her and mentally harassed her at the shooting locations. She later claimed that Menon also used abusive words against her in front of people at Dubai airport. Based on her complaint, an FIR under sections 354D (stalking), 294(b) (use of obscene words in a public place) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty

Kerala CM writes to railway minister, cites 'safety violations' in jobs

Chief Minister Vijayan said that it was apparent that they had not got any training or imparted with awareness of safe working near railway tracks

Priyanka slams BJP for 'politicising' landslide disaster in Wayanad

Continuing her criticism of the BJP, Congress leader and UDF candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypolls, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Monday that the saffron party has politicised the landslide that struck this hill district in July, claiming numerous lives and displacing many residents. Kicking off her second day of campaigning, she addressed a corner meeting at Kenichira in the Sulthan Bathery Assembly constituency. "Even a disaster that caused immense pain to people was politicised by the BJP. And this is where we start today. We stand in a place where you must think about your country, your own needs, and the kind of politics you want in our nation," the Congress general secretary remarked. Taking a dig at the saffron party, Priyanka said the BJP's politics, "which is spreading across the country, is characterised by hatred, anger, divisiveness, and destruction." She stated that real issues facing the people are being overlooked, and their problems remain unresolved. She fur

Kerala govt to examine controversial WhatsApp group formed for IAS officers

The Kerala government will examine the incident involving the controversial formation of a WhatsApp group for Hindu IAS officers, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said on Monday. His statement followed a complaint lodged by an IAS officer with the police, alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. Responding to the controversy, Rajeeve said that the state government would investigate the formation of a group specifically for Hindu IAS officers. Describing the incident as "serious," he said that community-based divisions are highly concerning. "The government will look into this matter. There is a general code of conduct for IAS officers, which falls under the Public Administration department. We are currently examining the situation. Let's review and determine what needs to be done," he told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. The controversy arose after an IAS officer lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his personal Whats

'Compelled to reply in Malayalam': Kerala MP questions Hindi responses

Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas argues that responses to MPs from southern India should be provided in English as per established conventions

Is Wayanad a cakewalk for Priyanka, or will she face stiff competition?

When devastating landslides struck Wayanad in July, Rahul Gandhi had already vacated this Lok Sabha seat - a move his opponents called a 'betrayal'. Now, with tragedy and unresolved issues as the back