THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K P Devika, a Class 4 student from Kozhikode, was one of winners of the state governments environment day award. However, while the recipients were being honoured at the World Environment Day programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, her mind was elsewhere. She was in fear that her house would be taken over by the bank over a pending loan. Devika was selected for the Paristhithi Mithram Special Jury Award for the little terrace garden she set atop her house by following th

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A woman teacher of an aided school in Thiruvananthapuram has been booked for fabricating a sexual abuse story involving a girl student to settle personal scores with another teacher. C R Chandralekha, a Hindi teacher at Raja Ravi Varma Higher Secondary School in Kilimanoor, was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for falsely claiming that the girl, a Plus I student, was raped and impregnated by a male teacher of the school. As per the Kili

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Coming out against the Raj Bhavan over the Bharat Mata row, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam on Friday said all branches of the party will hoist the national flag and plant saplings on Saturday to underscore the message that Bharat Mata is truly represented by the Tricolour. He said the saplings will be nurtured by the party branches as symbols of national unity. The events that unfolded in the past 48 hours in the Raj Bhavan, culminating in the sanctification of an image ass

THRISSUR: The mortal remains of C P Chacko, father of actor Shine Tom Chacko, who died in a road accident in Tamil Nadu, will be kept in hospital until his daughters arrive from New Zealand. The local people who know the family recollect Chacko as a friendly neighbour and an active individual. Chacko had been living with his family at Mundur for the past two decades. According to Ouseph, the ward member, Chacko was actively involved in the affairs of church and also was a constant presence in pr

KOCHI: Four years after diverting a mega investment plan from Kerala to Telangana, Kitex Garments is set to receive an invitation from another state. The Andhra Pradesh government has deputed a minister to visit Kitex managing director Sabu Jacob, in an attempt to woo him to invest in the state. Andhra Pradesh Textiles Minister S Savitha will arrive in Kochi on Saturday to visit the headquarters of Kitex Garments the second largest producer of childrens garments in the world in Kizhakkambalam.

ALAPPUZHA: The health department has imposed strict surveillance in government hospitals across Alappuzha district following a fresh surge in Covid cases. Over 200 people have tested positive in the latest outbreak, prompting the imposition of restrictions and enhanced safety protocols. At Alappuzha Medical College Hospital and various taluk hospitals, strict visitor control measures have been implemented. Wearing face masks has been made mandatory for all visitors, and in most hospitals, the nu

MALAPPURAM: The Welfare Party has decided to support the UDF in the Nilambur by-election, with a final announcement in this regard expected on Monday. Welfare Party state president Razak Paleri told TNIE that discussions are under way with the UDF on certain issues. We have put forward some demands. Some are yet to be decided. All these issues will be decided in the meeting to be held on Monday, Razak said. Making it an associate party of the UDF is among the demands the Welfare Party, backed by

MALAPPURAM: P V Anvar has gone for crowdfunding to raise money for his campaign in the Nilambur by-election. Anvar, who had earlier said that he did not have enough money to contest the bypoll, requested people to support him by crowdfunding. He made the request through a video posted on Facebook. Addressing the people of Nilambur through the video, Anvar said that he lost everything by fighting against Pinarayi Vijayan. Anvar said that he has lost not only power but also what he had earned thro

MALAPPURAM: Taking time off his busy election campaign schedule, UDFs Nilambur candidate Aryadan Shoukath speaks to the TNIE . Excerpts... Your candidature was announced under controversial circumstances, with V S Joy staking claim, and amid challenges raised by P V Anvar. Your thoughts... Thats just a confusion created by the media. Theres no confusion among us. I visit every campaign centre with the same V S Joy you mentioned. The rest are just stories. After the announcement of the bypoll and

KOCHI: As St Teresas College marks 100 years, the institution is turning the spotlight on a glorious chapter from its past the years it dominated womens basketball in Kerala. The physical education department of the Kochi-based college is leading a nostalgic celebration, bringing back the players, coaches, and the spirit that once made it a powerhouse on and off the court. At the heart of this tribute is coach Maya Joseph Vithayathil a former Kerala athlete and the woman behind the rise of St

KANNUR: At a time when traditional funeral ceremonies are increasingly being commercialised, Chokli in Kannur has witnessed the birth of a compassionate social initiative a volunteer group that aims to ensure dignified last rites for the deceased, especially the poor and needy. An initiative of the CPM Menapram local committee, the 45-member volunteer group, named Funeral Force, was officially launched on Friday by CPM district secretary K K Ragesh. The group comprises volunteers from various r

KOZHIKODE: In a room filled with tea cups, quiet tears, and bursts of unexpected laughter, a group of women, strangers just hours ago, are bound by something deeper than words. They are not here for therapy or legal advice, but for the opportunity to breathe freely, speak without shame, and to remind themselves and one anotherthat life after divorce can still be beautiful. Launched under the banner of Break Free Stories, this unique initiative is the brainchild of 30-year-old Rafiya Afi a divo

KOCHI: Raising fresh hopes of Lionel Messi playing in Kerala, Sports Minister V Abdurahiman on Friday posted on Facebook that the Argentina footballer and his team will visit the state. Messi is coming, the minister posted. Though no dates or venues have been officially confirmed, the announcement comes amid speculation that Argentina may not play in Kerala. Messi is definitely coming, that is for sure. The remaining details will be out shortly, Abdurahiman told TNIE. Last November, he announced

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are 1,34,939 bedridden individuals in the state who have registered for continued care, according to data available on the universal palliative care service portal of the state government. Of these, 59.5% are women. A total of 5,968 individuals in the age group of under 18-40 are in need of palliative care, unable to move from their bed without the help of a second person. The tally is likely to increase as the data is limited to institutions run by the government and l

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government's decision to change Bakrid holiday triggered a political row in the state on Friday with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) accusing it of attempting to implement communal agenda and fascism in the state. Originally Friday (June 6) was marked as holiday for Bakrid. However, following the reports that the festival would be celebrated on Saturday across the state, on Thursday, the Kerala government announced that Saturday, June 7, will be a public holi

KOCHI: Keralas special representative in New Delhi and former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, Prof K V Thomas, has strongly countered the allegations made by Congress leader and current PAC chairman K C Venugopal regarding irregularities in the awarding of sub-contracts for the NH66 development. Thomas said such accusations risk undermining the credibility of a major national infrastructure project. Prof Thomas, a veteran parliamentarian who once headed the PAC, said that if someone we

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader and former KPCC president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. He was 95. He died at Ananthapuri Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for age-related health issues. His body will be taken to his residence at Mukkola, Nettayam, for the public to pay their respects. Born on 11 March 1930 in Sooranad, Kollam, Pillai was elected twice to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the Adoor constituency in 1977 and 1982.

PALAKKAD: Each file represents a life. For the past nine years, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has repeated this powerful message several times to government officials urging them to treat every file with humanity and compassion. But in the dense forests of Parambikulam in Palakkad district, the same message seems to have been lost in the bureaucracy. In the Uravanpadi tribal hamlet alone, 30 fully constructed houses completed back in 2023 remain unused and locked, simply because authorities ar

DHARMAPURI: Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko sustained serious injuries in a road accident near Paraiyur in Palacode on the Salem-Bengaluru National Highway on Friday morning. Tragically, his father, CP Chacko, was killed on the spot. According to police sources, the 41-year-old actor from Thrissur was en route to Bengaluru with his family for a medical checkup for his father when their car collided with a lorry near Paraiyur. The vehicle, reportedly driven by Shine's manager Anise, crashed into

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The home department has exonerated a DySP, who failed to identify seven CPM workers accused of murdering Congress leader Nettayam Ramabhadran, during the trial. The murder was committed in 2010 in Eroor police station limits. DySP B Vinod, then the Punalur CI, had probed the case as the Anchal CI was on leave. The murder was the result of a fallout of the tiff between CPM and Congress workers. Vinod arrested the seven CPM workers. However, the case was later handed over to th

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the states policy is sustainable and environment friendly development. He was speaking after presenting the Paristhithi Mithram awards here on Thursday. Pinarayi also inaugurated a campaign to promote healthy lifestyle by reducing the use of plastics. The chief minister said the government is laying focus on environment conservation and waste management. Importance is given to renewable energy production and use of electric vehicl

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The early onset of southwest monsoon has left the district fire department grappling with an unprecedented surge in emergency calls. Between May 23 and 31 alone, the fire and rescue teams responded to 1,671 distress calls - the highest recorded in recent years - mostly due to tree-related incidents triggered by heavy rains and wind speeds reaching 60 to 70 kmph. The heavy rains accompanied by strong winds that lashed the capital on the night of May 23 left a trail of destruct

KOCHI: Better late than never! Technology has not been kind to the elderly, but then there are those among this demographic who have overcome feelings of dread and insufficiency to make it work for them. Take the case of 75-year-old Kurian Jacob, a late bloomer who views the achievements in his sunset years as worth the wait. An ace swimmer, he bagged nine medals including two individual goldat the World Masters Games held in Taipei, Taiwan last month. Born in Thidanadu, Kanjirapally, Kurian nev

KOCHI: Enchanting and enterprising! In capturing the imagination of tourists, the water lily fields of Malarikkal, in Kottayam, turned into a source of additional income for the local fisher community. This received a boost when traditional ethnic-wear designers came up with a business proposition: To source natural dye from the flowers. We were approached by fashion designers who work with natural fibre and dye for collecting the water lilies, says Sali A, a local fisherman. According to him, t

KOCHI: In a major push for sustainable transportation, the Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) has embarked on an ambitious project to set up a solar farm at Purakkad, in Alappuzha, besides implementing rooftop solar-panel systems at its terminals and buildings. This is in line with the ambitious plan of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), its parent, to go carbon neutral by 2030. Weve identified 90 acres of land in Purakkad. We expect the revenue department to hand over the land soon. The plan is to set

KOCHI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Thursday informed the Kerala High Court that the massive landslides at Chooralmala in Wayanad might have contributed to the collapse of the NH 66 Reinforced Earth (RE) wall at Kooriyad in Malappuram. The NH stretch passes through a reclaimed paddy field at Kooriyad, and Panampuzha, a tributary of Chaliyar, passes through the area. The construction of the RE wall on the right-hand side was initiated in February 2024, and on the left hand s

KOZHIKODE/THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Facing criticism from various quarters, the state government on Thursday night declared a holiday for all educational institutions on Friday. Earlier in the day, the government had cancelled the previously declared holiday on Friday (6 June) for Bakrid and instead designated Saturday (7 June) as the official holiday. Friday was initially announced as a regular working day. This abrupt change sparked widespread criticism and protests from Muslim organisations, educatio

KOLLAM: In the 1964 Tamil film Pachhai Vilakku, legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan halts a speeding train with nothing but a shirt a cinematic moment etched forever in popular memory. Nearly four decades later, in 2001, a similar real-life drama unfolded near Perumon bridge, in Kollam, where in 1988 a tragic train accident had shocked the entire country. That day, Vimal Bose affectionately called Cake spotted a fault on the tracks just as Malabar Express was about to pass. Without hesitation, he gra

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A thaw in the strained relations between the state government and the governor was visible after Rajendra Arlekar replaced Arif Mohammed Khan at the Raj Bhavan. Recently, Arlekar even discarded protocol and visited Cliff House to wish the chief minister on his birthday. Only a couple of days back, the governor appointed the state governments nominee as vice-chancellor in-charge of the Malayalam University, though it was not binding on him to do so. But, the honeymoon is, it s

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The divine commander-in-chief of the army of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, arguably the richest deity in the country, will get a new avatar on Sunday. A new idol of Visvaksenan will replace the over 280-year-old idol which showed signs of degeneration, believed to be caused by a water leak in the sanctums roof. The new idol has also been sculpted using kadusharkara yogam, a concrete-like mixture prepared from nearly 48 materials, ranging from small conch shells to herbs and sand. It

MALAPPURAM: In fielding its state secretariat member M Swaraj for the Nilambur by-election, the CPM hopes to take on the Congress and the UDF politically. In an interview to TNIE, the 46-year-old candidate says P V Anvar will not be a factor in the bypoll, which he sees as a precursor to the 2026 assembly election. Excerpts: What are the political underpinnings of this election? The Nilambur by-election is a precursor to the 2026 assembly election. Common people want the LDF to win a third term

MALAPPURAM: Taking potshots at the state government over alleged non-cooperation in implementing centrally-sponsored projects, Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Thursday said that federalism is sometimes a devil. Suresh Gopi, who was speaking after inaugurating the NDA constituency convention held in Nilambur for the fronts candidate advocate Mohan George, made the remarks in connection with the proposed Forensic Research Institute in Thrissur. He claimed the state government was not taking any step

KOCHI: Highlighting the power of community participation, Ernakulam Assistant Collector Parvathy Gopakumar on Thursday launched ExSeed Green, a World Environment Day initiative by The New Indian Express in collaboration with South Indian Bank (SIB), aimed at encouraging readers across Kerala to take up farming. Speaking at the event, she said the initiative, though simple in its approach by distributing a packet of seeds with the newspaper, carries the potential for meaningful impact when embrac

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cargo manifest of the sunken vessel MSC Elsa 3, accessed by TNIE, reveals full information on the 643 containers aboard the ship at the time of its sinking . Among them, 13 containers carried hazardous materials-eight stored below deck and five above. The manifest also lists a wide range of cargo including plastic pellets, wood, spinning machines, polymers, cotton, fish oil, tea, quicklime, cashew nuts, and Brazil nuts. Additionally, 73 containers were reported to be empt

KOCHI: The police on Thursday served notices on Malayalam actor and producer Soubin Shahir and co-producers Shawn Antony and Babu Shahir, summoning them for questioning in a cheating and forgery case related to blockbuster film Manjummel Boys. The trio has been asked to appear within the next two weeks. The polices move follows the Kerala High Courts recent dismissal of petition filed by the trio for quashing the FIR. Produced under the Parava Films banner, the film was embroiled in controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A state government-organised programme at the Raj Bhavan here to mark World Environment Day on Thursday courted controversy after Agriculture Minister P Prasad boycotted the event after being informed that a picture of 'Bharat Mata' was kept at the venue. After the Raj Bhavan turned down the government's request to remove the picture, the official programme was shifted to the Durbar Hall at the government secretariat. The Minister later told the media that the venue was shift

Slaves of the Empire , directed by Kochi native Rajesh James, clinched the Best Documentary Award at the 27th UK Asian Film Festival held in May. The 50-minute film unfolds against the backdrop of colonial-era Fort Kochi and delves deep into the ordinary existence of laundry workers of Dhobi Khana. The ancestors of this Vannar community, who hail from Tamil Nadu and whose primary occupation is washing clothes, were enslaved by the Dutch during the 1700s and brought to Fort Kochi to tend to their

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has released a detailed inventory of the cargo aboard the sunken ship MSC Elsa 3 , which went down 14.6 nautical miles off the Alappuzha coast on May 25. The ship was carrying a total of 643 containers. According to the report, 13 of these containers contained calcium carbide, with five stored on the deck and eight inside the vessel. Four containers were marked as carrying cashew nuts, labelled as cash. Another 46 containers held a mix of coconuts, Brazil

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch Oru Thai Nadaam, a statewide campaign to plant 1 crore saplings, on Thursday, marking World Environment Day. Organised by the Haritha Kerala Mission, the campaign aims to expand the Missions Pachathuruth project to more regions. The chief minister will kick off the initiative by planting a sapling at the Cliff House compound at 3.30 pm. Special emphasis will be given to rare and endangered tree species. In other districts, the campa

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM leadership has come out against senior Congress leader K C Venugopal for his remarks on social welfare pensions. Venugopals statement terming the welfare pensions an election bribe is a challenge towards the common people, said the CPM secretariat in a statement. The CPM urged the Congress leader to withdraw his statement and apologise to the people. In the last nine years, the LDF government has kept aside `72,000 crore for welfare pension distribution alone. In spit

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government will soon take appropriate action on the basis of the report of the Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Thiruvananthapuram, on the incident in which Pocso case accused vlogger Mukesh M Nair participated as a guest in the reopening ceremony of a government school on June 2, General Education Minister V Sivankutty has said. The inquiry report of the DDE had concluded that the responsibility for the incident lies entirely on the headmaster of the school. It was no

KOCHI: The police submitted a chargesheet against businessman Boby Chemmanur in a case registered against him for making obscene remarks against Malayalam actor Honey Rose. The probe team submitted the chargesheet before the Ernakulam Magistrate Court. The chargesheet clearly states that Boby repeatedly used sexually suggestive remarks and innuendos with the intent to insult and demean the actress, said a police officer with the Kochi city police. In addition to charges of sexual harassment, the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the world prepares to celebrate World Environment Day on Thursday under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution, Kerala faces a significant environmental crisis. A shipwreck off the states coast has released tons of plastic nurdlestiny pellets used in manufacturingpolluting the shorelines of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. These nurdles pose a serious threat to marine life, public health, and the states ambitious Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign, which aims to achieve a garbag

KOCHI: As human-wildlife conflict escalates in Keralawith 27 people killed in five monthsthe forest department is undertaking a quiet but crucial shift: restoring degraded plantations into natural forests to address the root cause of these confrontations. So far, 1,700 hectares of forest plantations have been converted into natural forests, and efforts are on in another 5,000 hectares. A top forest official said, We have grown acacia and eucalyptus in 72,000 hectares and these species will be co

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While India aims to achieve the target of net zero emission by 2070, Kerala is planning to achieve the objective by 2050 itself thanks to its ongoing campaign named Net Zero Carbon Keralam Janangalioode, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. In an article on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, Pinarayi said efforts to achieve the goal of Carbon Neutral Kerala or net zero emission were being carried out with peoples participation. He said a total of 10 institu

MALAPPURAM: After a brief lull, in the wake of M Swarajs dramatic entry into the Nilambur by-election fray and the overwhelming reception he received in the constituency, the Congress has hit the campaign trail with renewed vigour. The grand old party first tried to brand the CPM as anti-Muslim. But with P V Anwar also positioning himself along similar lines, Congress leaders have upped the ante, attacking the CPM for denigrating Malappuram district by branding it a hub of anti-social activities

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union government has approved road development projects worth Rs 6,700 crore submitted by Kerala, following a meeting between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Wednesday. The clearance covers 14 projects proposed by the state. Gadkari also assured that the 380-m-long stretch in the Malappuram-Kooriyad section that got damaged during NH 66 construction will be rebuilt as a viaduct at the contractors

PATHANAMTHITTA: Imagine returning home after a long day out to find there has been a break-in. However, instead of money, jewellery, or appliances, the thieves have decamped with your rice and other food items! This grocery heist has been unsettling villages of Seethathode panchayat in Pathanamthitta, bordering the forests of Sabarimala and the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The mysterious thefts of cooked food and edible items have been a regular affair in Angamoozhi, Valooppara, Kochu Koikkal and Guru

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the southwest monsoon arriving earlier than usual and bringing unusually heavy rain, the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) has issued urgent recommendations to tackle potential flooding and landslides in Kerala. The state witnessed one of its earliest monsoon onsets in recent years. According to CWRDM, this years patternmarked by intense rainfall in short bursts followed by dry spellshighlights the growing need for improved disaster preparedne

KOCHI: Air India has entered into interline partnerships with four major airlines from emerging markets, significantly enhancing connectivity to Europe, particularly the Baltic region and parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The partnerships will provide Air India guests seamless travel options to 16 more destinations across six countries in these regions. Conversely, Air India will provide convenient access to more than 30 Indian cities, including Kochi, to the customers of its four partne