Page 50 - Kerala

UNESCO's tag for Kozhikode testament to rich literary heritage: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said UNESCO's recognition of Kozhikode as a 'City of Literature' is an honour for the state and a great pride for its people. UNESCO made the announcement on its official website on Tuesday. The CM congratulated the people of Kozhikode on the achievement. "It's an honour for #Kerala that the beautiful city of #Kozhikode has been designated as a #UNESCO City of Literature. Kozhikode is the first city in India to receive this prestigious title, and it is a moment of great pride for all of us. This recognition is a testament to the city's rich literary heritage and vibrant cultural scene. "Let's celebrate this incredible achievement and continue to promote the love for literature and creativity in our state. Congratulations to the people of Kozhikode," he said on a post on social media platform X. Kozhikode is where literary greats like the late S K Pottekkat and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer hailed from. The UNESCO recognition consolidat

Kerala govt moves SC against Governor Arif Khan over inaction on Bills

As per the petition, three bills have been pending before the Governor for more than two years

Death threat to Kerala CM Vijayan received over phone at state police HQ

A death threat against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was received at the state police headquarters here, police said on Thursday. The threat was made over a phone call to the control room of the police headquarters on Wednesday evening, it said. On being asked whether a minor boy made that call as stated in news reports, police said they were investigating all angles. A case has been registered in connection with the incident at Museum police station under sections 118(b) and 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act against the phone number used to make the threat, it said. Section 118(b) deals with knowingly spreading rumours or giving false alarms to mislead the police, fire brigade or any other essential service and section 120(o) deals with causing, through any means of communication, a nuisance of himself to any person by repeated or undesirable or anonymous call, letter, writing, message, e-mail or through a messenger.

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Happy Kerala Piravi 2023: History, importance, celebration and more

Kerala Day or Kerala Piravi, also called Kerala Formation Day, is a significant annual occasion to celebrate the unification of Malayalam-speaking areas to form 'Kerala'

Man who claimed responsibility for Kerala blasts 'brilliant': Police

Dominic Martin, who had voluntarily surrendered to police claiming responsibility for the blasts at a Christian prayer meet two days ago, was on Tuesday described as a "brilliant mind" by investigating officers. He left behind a lucrative job in the Gulf, which left many questioning his motives. Police had on Monday formally recorded the arrest of Martin who had surrendered a few hours after the blasts on Sunday morning. On Tuesday, the Special Investigation Team took Martin to his residence at Athani near Aluva here, where the explosive devices were suspected to have been assembled, in pursuit of crucial evidence. Over the course of several hours, Martin provided a detailed account of the construction process, using the materials he claimed to have used in last Sunday's explosion that claimed three lives and left over 50 injured. When Martin surrendered before the police on Sunday, he had produced bills for the purchased materials, further strengthening the case against him, ...

Kerala blast: Who are Jehovah's Witnesses?

On Sunday morning in Kerala's Ernakulam district, multiple explosions occurred at a Jehovah's Witnesses prayer meeting, killing 3 and injuring others.

Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, the community targeted in Kerala serial blasts

The Jehovah's Witnesses reject modern evolutionary theory and also oppose blood transfusions, saying that blood is sacred

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Kerala under CM Vijayan tolerant towards radical elements: Chandrasekhar

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday alleged that Kerala under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has shown tolerance towards radical elements and radicalisation. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Chandrasekhar was hitting back at the CM who a day ago slammed the BJP leader over his social media posts criticising Vijayan over the blasts at a religious gathering in Kalamassery near here. Terming the BJP leader's posts as part of his communal stand, Vijayan, without naming Chandrasekhar, sought to know based on what information the union minister made such remarks against him and how a person holding a responsible position could come out with such statements while the investigation was going on. Vijayan, during a brief press meet held at the Secretariat complex in Thiruvananthapuram, had alleged that the statements by the BJP leader were the reflection of an absolute communal outlook. Responding to the CM's remarks, Chandrasekhar clarified that he did

Kerala blasts: All-party meet resolves to resist efforts to create mistrust

An all-party meet, called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the multiple blasts at a religious gathering in the state that claimed three lives, commenced here on Monday. The all-party meeting began around 10 am in the Chief Minister's conference hall in the Secretariat complex. The blasts occurred at a convention centre in Kalamassery near Kochi that was hosting a prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses -- a Christian religious group that originated in the US in the 19th century -- on Sunday. Initially, one woman had died and 52 were injured, six of them critically, in the blasts. Subsequently, one of the six critically injured -- a 53-year-old woman -- succumbed to her injuries. By Monday morning, the death toll rose to three with the death of a 12-year-old girl who had suffered 95 per cent burns in the incident. State Police Chief DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb had on Sunday confirmed that the blast was caused due to an improvised explosive device (IED). A fe

Kalamassery blasts: Toll rises to 3 as 12-year-old girl succumbs to wounds

The death toll from the blasts at a Christian religious gathering near this port city has risen to three, according to an official statement. A 12-year-old girl, identified as Libina from Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Monday at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital. In the statement issued by the hospital's medical board, the girl was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning with severe burns covering 95 per cent of her body. Despite receiving ventilator support, her condition continued to deteriorate, leading to her death at 12.40 am, it said. This marks the third casualty from the blasts at the convention centre. Two women who were part of the gathering had lost their lives on Sunday. Over 50 individuals were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery where the followers from the minority Christian group, Jehovah's Witnesses, had gathered for the f

Who are these people who want to create chaos here: Anurag on Kerala blasts

"I condemn the bomb blast incident in Kerala...," Thakur told reporters in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur on late Sunday evening

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20-member team led by ADGP to probe Kalamassery blast case: Vijayan

"A special team led by ADGP Law and Order will be investigating this incident...20 members will be in the investigating team," Vijayan said at a press conference

NSG arrives in Kerala after twin blasts rock prayer meet in Kalamassery

"A total of six people are critically ill. Every possible treatment and support is being provided," Kerala Health Minister said

Kerala IED blasts: Another woman dies, death toll rises to 2 in Kochi

Two women died and 51 persons were injured, some seriously, in multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering in a convention centre near this port city on Sunday morning, sending shockwaves across Kerala. The blasts took place at an international convention centre in Kalamassery where hundreds of followers of the minority Christian group Jehovah's Witnesses had assembled on the concluding day of a three-day-long prayer meeting. A few hours after the incident, a man claiming to be a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, surrendered before police in Thrissur district of the state, saying that he carried out the multiple blasts. Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as provisions of the Explosives Act and the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Later in the day, state Health Minister Veena George said that of the 51 injured, 30 were admitted in various hospitals in the ...

Kerala Blast: Ministers visits Kalamasery's Medical College, meets injured

One person died and several others were injured after multiple explosions took place at a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ernakulam's Kalamassery at around 09.00 am

Those who foster violence must be dealt with iron hand: Mallikarjun Kharge

Multiple explosions took place at a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Kalamassery area of Kochi at around 9:00 am

Blasts in Kerala shake minority Christian group Jehovah's Witnesses

: Jehovah's Witnesses, whose prayer meeting in Kochi was marred by devastating bomb blasts on Sunday in which one person died and 52 others are seriously injured, is a Christian religious group that traces its origins to 19th century America. According to historians, Jehovah's Witnesses was considered an offshoot of the International Bible Students' Association, founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pittsburgh in the year 1872. Unlike mainstream Christian denominations, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Holy Trinity (God, the Father; God, the Son - Jesus; and God the Holy Spirit) but worship Jehovah as the "the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things". Followers of the group see Jesus Christ as the son of God, and not God himself. They learn from the teachings and examples set by Christ; hence they consider themselves Christians. The group follows certain strict social mores, which forbid them from receiving blood transfusions and prevent married couples from divorcing,