Every year, the sleepy town of Tripunithura is jolted into a socio-cultural melange with the onset of Vrischikolsavam , the festival held in the Malayalam month of Vrischikam (NovemberDecember). Held at the Poornathrayeesa Temple, this years eight-day festival began on November 19. It will conclude with the aarattu on November 26. It is believed that when the Perumpadappu Swaroopam (the erstwhile kingdom of Cochin) shifted its capital from earlier centres such as Mahodayapuram and later Thrissu

KOCHI: An unidentified woman was found murdered and wrapped in a plastic sack in the compound of a house in Thevara here, police said on Saturday. The body, discovered on the tiled courtyard beside the house, was first spotted by the volunteers of Haritha Karma Sena, the cleaning squad. The house owner was also found near the body. They soon informed the local councillor who in turn alerted the police. As per the preliminary investigation, the man was in relationship with the woman and murdered

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 1.08 lakh candidates filed a total of 1.64 lakh nominations for the local body elections scheduled in December, the State Election Commission said on Friday, the last day to file the papers. At 57,227, women aspirants outnumber men. Malappuram had the highest number of candidates and nominations 13,595 and 19,959, respectively while Wayanad had the lowest at 3,180 candidates and 5,227 nominations. The lone transgender candidate from Thiruvananthapuram submitted t

SABARIMALA: With crowd pressure easing considerably on Friday, Sabarimala witnessed a smoother darshan experience for devotees even as the pilgrim turnout crossed five lakh since the MandalaMakaravilakku season began on November 16. By 7pm on November 21, the pilgrim count stood at 4,94,151. On Friday alone, up to 7pm, 72,037 pilgrims completed darshan. Reports from the base camp and hill trek not only point to improved crowd flow, but also indicate that the queue has stretched longer in some sp

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Facing attack from all corners, CPM state secretary M V Govindan has reiterated that the party would not protect anyone in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The culprits must be punished, he said. It is the declared position of the CPM that not even a speck of gold must be misappropriated. The party stands with the devotees. The chief minister had stated in the assembly that stern action would be taken. We did not take the issue on the basis of party politics. CPM has welcomed

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday quashed a Vigilance Court order directing an inquiry against ADGP M R Ajith Kumar in a disproportionate assets case. The court said the state governments sanction is needed to initiate proceedings against him in the case that had been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Meanwhile, the court also expunged all disparaging and adverse remarks against the chief minister, who had accepted the vigilance reports as part of official duty, in the orde

MALAPPURAM: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Friday carried out extensive searches at the residences of former Nilambur MLA P V Anvar and his driver Ziyad Ambayathingal in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged loan fraud at the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC), which reportedly caused a loss of Rs 22.30 crore. The raid, which began around 6.30am, went on for over 12 hours and concluded by 9.30pm. The ED team probing a case under the Prevention of Money Laun

KOZHIKODE: K T Jaleel, MLA, has alleged that the IUML has the shameful history of raising the slogan of Muslim unity whenever the party is in crisis. In an article published in the Deshabhimani daily on Friday, he said the party is using the same weapon in the ensuing elections too, this time with the help of Islamic extremists, cyber warriors and anti-communists. Jaleel said the slogan of Muslim unity was first raised after the merger of the IUML and the All-India Muslim League. League arrogate

KOCHI: Scientists at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) have found a new species of deep-sea squid in the Arabian Sea. The species, scientifically named Taningia silasii (Indian octopus squid), is the second confirmed species of the globally rare genus Taningia and has been formally described in the international journal Marine Biodiversity. The specimen was collected from nearly 390m depth off the Kollam coast. Measuring 45cm in length, the squid belongs to the family of Oc

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a stunning disclosure, the superintendent of Viyyur high-security prison admitted that 164 of the facilitys 165 CCTV cameras are defunct, leaving the prison without meaningful surveillance for over a year. Rajesh Kumar R S made the revelation before the Ernakulam NIA special court on Thursday. Installed on February 28, 2019, the cameras stopped working after the five-year warranty expired. The assistant engineer of PWDs electronics division in Thrissur reported that both t

KOCHI: When officials from a 100-year-old Japanese chocolate company arrived at Renny Jacobs farm in Kerala a few weeks ago, they werent there for courtesy. They spent two full days walking through his cocoa fermenting sheds, cracking open fresh cocoa pods, tasting pulp, studying the aromas rising from drying yards, and following Renny through mist-covered slopes in Idukki and Kottayam, where he has worked for more than three decades. By the time they boarded their flight back, they had placed a

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in Kerala has come to a grinding halt following the recent Supreme Court directive prohibiting the release of sterilised dogs back into the same locations. Local bodies across the state have stopped catching stray dogs for sterilisation, as the court has mandated that they be relocated to shelters instead. With the stray dog crisis worsening, the state government has decided to write a letter to the Centre urging to amend the ABC rules

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is not the MLA or minister you call when a water pipeline ruptures or a death occurs in the locality. Neighbourhood concerns tend to be the domain of ward members or councillors. But, these representatives may not always remain the guy next door. Local-body polls have given rise to several prominent political figures in Kerala. From panchayats and municipalities, to halls of assembly and Parliament, TNIE talks to some of the key figures whose political careers began at the

KOCHI: In the local body elections of 2020, Chellanam, a coastal village in Kochi, saw a unique collective gaining traction. Declaring an all-out war against all mainstream political parties, a WhatsApp collective that grew into a political party contested the elections and snatched power. Fast forward to 2025, Chellanam 20-20 is nowhere to be seen. The aspiring collective has lost ground and support, and matters have come to such pass that is it not contesting the elections this year. The attri

KOZHIKODE: O P Rasheed, the candidate who made headlines in the 2020 local-body elections by failing to secure even a single vote, is back in the fray. Far from being disheartened, Rasheed insists that his previous defeat was not a setback but a successful strategic move crafted by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to ensure the victory of Karat Faizal. Speaking with discernible confidence, Rasheed maintains that the zero-vote episode will not be repeated this time. In 2020, the LDF initially sele

MALAPPURAM: Nilambur municipality stands as a political anomaly in Malappuram -- the only local body where the IUML does not hold even a single seat. Once a fortress of the Congress, the municipality witnessed an unprecedented political reversal in 2020 when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) stormed to power, winning 23 of 33 seats, dismantling decades of uninterrupted UDF dominance. Since its formation in 2010, the municipality had been governed twice by the UDF. Even earlier, during its grama pa

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president and senior CPM leader A Padmakumar played a direct role in the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala by conspiring with the co-accused, the police remand report filed before the Kollam vigilance court says. Padmakumar, who was TDB president when the alleged offence took place, was arrested on Thursday after hours-long interrogation. The remand report, details of which were accessed by the TNIE , said Padmakumar ignored guidelines, w

KOCHI: Whats in a name, people may ask. For Maya V, the LDF candidate for ward number 26 in Kothattukulam, a good name means great fame. When the CPM picked her as candidate, everything was normal. But within a day, she became a star on social media as memes comparing her with Mayavi, the mischievous and playful goblin from a cartoon series published by a childrens magazine. People were creating memes based on the movie Mayavi with actor Mammootty in the lead role. Everything was normal till I w

THRISSUR: A shocking incident was caught on camera in Thrissur, Kerala, where a man was seen driving an SUV with its owner clinging to the bonnet in a dangerous manner. The incident took place on Friday and was widely shared on social media. The car, rented out by Aluva-based Solomon, had been taken by a Thrissur native named Backar on October 16. Backar had promised to return the vehicle but failed to do so, prompting Solomon to file a complaint with the Aluva police. On Friday, Solomon spotted

Kerala is once again sliding into the election season, with the local body polls set to be held on December 9 and 11. Across the state, walls are sprouting posters, flex boards, and party colours. Small campaign offices have appeared in lanes and junctions. Political parties have now placed their candidates on the field, and campaigning is in full swing. But this election has a new audience watching from the front row Gen Z. The 13-to-28 crowd, stepping into civic life with a mix of scepticism,

KOCHI: What began as a morning of excitement for Avani, a native of Thumpoly in Alappuzha, turned into an ordeal no bride imagines. She had left home early on Friday, eager to get her bridal makeup done before heading to the temple for her wedding. But an unexpected accident involving Avani and her brother-in-law abruptly diverted her journey to the hospital. Initially rushed to Kottayam Medical College Hospital, she was later referred to VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi for specialised care. Des

NEW DELHI : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting search operations on Friday at multiple premises linked to former legislator PV Anvar and four others in connection with the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) loan misappropriation case. The ED is probing a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Anvar (58), his driver Siyad, and three KFC officials -Abdul Manaf, T Mini and Muneer Ahamed. The accused were allegedly involved in laundering money by fraudulently ob

PATHANAMTHITTA: With spot booking now capped at 5,000 per day following a Kerala High Court directive, authorities at Sabarimala said that the barrage of pilgrims that overwhelmed the hill shrine earlier this week has finally been brought under control. The restrictions, which came into force on Wednesday night, will remain until November 24. Meanwhile, spot booking will now be available only at Nilakkal and Vandiperiyar, while the centres at Pampa, Erumely, and Chengannur have been suspended te

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Crisis has engulfed the ruling CPM with the arrest of its senior leader A Padmakumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Padmakumar, the eighth accused in the case, is currently a member of the partys Pathanamthitta district committee. The 68-year-old former MLA was the partys strong leader in the district when he was appointed president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). But he failed to rise to the expectations of the government and the party in implementing the 2018 Su

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five people, including the main culprit involved in the murder of an 18-year-old youth near Thycaud on Monday, surrendered before the court. Jagathy natives, Ajin aka Jobi, 27, Abhijith, 26, Kiran, 26, Valiyavila native Nandu, 27, and Panniyode native Akhil Lal, 27, surrendered before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Thursday and were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The five had fled to Tamil Nadu after fatally stabbing Allan, a native of Rajaji Nagar, w

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The centuries-old Murajapam-Lakshadeepam festival began at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple on Thursday. A maha ganapathy homam performed by temple thantri Tharananelloor Satheesan Nambooripad marked the commencement of the festival, celebrated once in every six years. Vedic scholars from different parts of the country chanted vedas in the temple. Special veda mandapas have been set up on the four nadas of the temple. The 56-day-long festival will see the chanting of Rig Veda,

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting the CPM in a precarious position ahead of the local body elections, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Thursday arrested senior party leader and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar. A former MLA from Konni and CPM Pathanamthitta district committee member, Padmakumar was arrested after the SIT questioned him for hours in an undisclosed location in the state capital. The police had earlier listed the

KOCHI: Air India on Thursday announced the introduction of its new global menu across its fleet. The menu draws inspiration from Indias diverse culinary tapestry, from the royal kitchens of Awadh to the coastal flavours of southern India, while incorporating global influences through Pan-Asian, European Bistro, and geo-specific star dishes. The new menu, which includes Kerala-style Malabari chicken, has been introduced on most international ex-India routes, including flights from Delhi to London

KOCHI: Amaya Prasad, a trans woman candidate of the Congress, approached the Kerala High Court on Thursday seeking a directive to the returning officer to accept and process her nomination under the women-reserved category for the Pothencode division in Thiruvananthapuram, and to permit her to contest the election as a woman in accordance with her legally recognised gender identity. In her petition, Amaya said she is a trans woman who has undergone complete medical, psychological and legal trans

ALAPPUZHA: The Mavelikkara municipality remains among the few local bodies where all the three major frontsLDF, UDF and NDAare locked in a close contest. The LDF and the NDA are sweating it out to get their hands on the reins of power, which they lost between the cup and the lip, while the UDF has its task cut out to retain control of a civic body that it won more by design, than mandate. In 2020, each of the three fronts secured nine wards, with an LDF rebel winning the remaining seat in the 28

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Outlining his partys assessment of the states political landscape, in a conversation with TNIE , Congress leader K Muraleedharan contrasts the UDFs 2020 and 2025 strategies, and responds to the LDF claims on governance and welfare measures. Excerpts: How has your partys election strategy evolved from the 2020 local-body polls? Since 2015, the UDF, which used to be the principal opposition in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, has been pushed to a distant third place. The absence

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Elections are a costly affair. Setting up booths, ensuring facilities, paying poll officers, everything costs money. This local body elections, the state government will be spending around Rs 200 crore, up from the nearly Rs 169 crore that it spent in the 2020 elections. For a state that has 2.83 crore eligible voters this time, it would come to about Rs 70 per vote. The money would cover a range of expensesfrom EVMs and stationery to officers training, logistics, polling sta

KOCHI: From reducing carbon emission, fighting cervical cancer, and reviving rivers to radio park for elders, palliative care, menstrual hygiene, and veterinary care on wheels...the projects implemented by local bodies in Kerala over the last five years have been innovative, diverse and people-centric. The state governments achievements in digital literacy and extreme poverty-eradication were made with the support of local bodies. Around 152 local bodies have joined the net-zero carbon campaign

KOCHI: Kochis 202526 cruise season is shaping up to be one of the weakest in recent years, with the port witnessing a distinctly lukewarm flow of foreign liners and little sign of recovery through the rest of the season. The World Odyssey may have opened the season under the Semester at Sea programme, but beyond that, the arrival list looks unusually thin. According to Cochin Port Authority data, only 14 foreign cruise ships have visited so far this financial year. Between October 2025 and May 2

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six years after the Sabarimala protest that unsettled the LDF during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the hill shrine has once again become the centre of a political storm on the eve of local body polls in the state. With the UDF and the BJP targeting the ruling Left over Sabarimala fiasco, the LDF is all set to launch a counter campaign. At the ground level, the CPM is feeling the heat of the gold theft conspiracy with both opposition fronts accusing the former of trying to shie

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first municipality in the district and the third in the state to have won the ISO certification for citizen services, Attingal is a key area to look upon, not only on the political front but also in development aspects. The municipality was formed even before the country attained Independence. The picture of the local body election is all set here, with the ruling LDF planning to root its campaign on its Attingal-model development claim, and the opposing UDF and BJP raisi

MALAPPURAM: At 3 ft 11 in, Abhijith P P is redefining conventional concepts of physique and body aesthetics. A two-time Mr Malappuram, former Mr Kerala, and recent Mr South India titleholder in the para bodybuilding category, Abhijith turned a lifetime of bullying into fuel for an extraordinary journey. Beyond the competitive stage, 21-year-old uses social media to inspire thousands, sharing his transformation and urging others to rise above their insecurities. Bodybuilding, he says, gave him a

KOCHI: There are many real-life heroes among us who dont court attention, but end up getting recognised nonetheless. During the Hamas offensive of October 7, 2023, Sabitha Baby displayed great presence of mind and bravery in safeguarding the elderly couple she was caring for in Kibbutz Nir Oz, a settlement in southern Israel, near the Gaza border. And, as it ended up, the 40-year-olds effort didnt go unnoticed. The Israeli government has approved Sabithas second-term B1 regular work visa, which

KOCHI: The ongoing indefinite strike by several private-bus operators across south India has seen airfares go through the roof, particularly on key sectors such as Kochi-Bengaluru and Kochi-Hyderabad. This, coupled with the early rush for Christmas booking has pushed flight ticket costs to new highs, with some fares more than double their normal range. Ticket prices on Kochi-Bengaluru route for Thursday ranged from Rs 8,730 to a staggering Rs 29,400, compared with the normal range of Rs 2,300-7,

Beauty is most beautiful when it is simple. Trust a neurosurgeon, someone who has studied the labyrinths within the brain, saying that. The contours are difficult to manoeuvre, yet their beauty lies in their precision. Surgical precision. Immersed in one of her favourite paintings with an injured hand. Dr Usha Shajehan, who was a neurosurgeon for over two decades, probably understood the simplicity of beauty best through her profession. Her paintings, to be exhibited at the Vylopilly Samskriti B

KOLLAM : The Kollam Vigilance Court on Thursday sent former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the theft and misappropriation of gold slabs from the Sabarimala temple. The custody ends at 4 p.m. today, after which he will be produced before the court. He will be interrogated at the Kollam Police Club. The prosecution argued that police custody was essential to examine Vasus role in the case and to verify whet

PATAHNAMTHITTA: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Thursday announced that spot booking for Sabarimala darshan has been capped at 5,000 people per day, officials said on Thursday. The spot booking was capped following the Kerala High Court's direction, a press release said. Spot booking will be available only at the Nilakkal and Vandiperiyar centres. The facility has been temporarily suspended at Pampa, Erumeli, and Chengannur and the restrictions will remain in place until November 24, official

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Long before police pieced together the lies he lived and died for, Harihara Varma built a life like a man who knew how to stay just outside the reach of questions. He sold gemstones whose origins he never fully explained, claimed ancestral links he never proved and told stories so confidently that even seasoned buyers found themselves leaning in. It was these tales that drew a group of young men into his orbit, ultimately paving way for his demise. What happened on December 2

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP on Wednesday held a mega meeting here with the 101 NDA candidates contesting in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections, assuring that the party would ensure comprehensive development in the state capital if voted to power. Addressing the public, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the party would present a detailed development plan for the city within 45 days of assuming office, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also be present for the ann

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior BJP leader P K Krishnadas said in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday that a BJP team will be visiting the Sabarimala in the coming days to assess the facilities at the hill shrine and submit a detailed report on the serious lapses to the Union government. He said the party would soon announce the members of the visiting team, adding that BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had already briefed the Prime Minister on the situation. Our team will visit Sabarimala in the

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Neyyatinkara municipality one of the oldest local bodies in the state is set for a tight fight as the LDF and UDF prepare to lock horns, while the BJP aims to increase its seats. Though the LDF has traditionally held a strong presence, the last term saw a shift in momentum with the UDF securing 17 seats in the 44-member council. LDF which is ruling the municipality has 18 members while BJP has 9 seats. Located near the upcoming Vizhinjam International Seaport, Neyyatinkara

KOCHI: Police have launched an investigation into a self-proclaimed nun of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) who called for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to be harmed, on social media on Wednesday. The suspect, Teena Jose, an advocate residing at Pookkaranmukk near Padma Junction, came under scrutiny following intelligence inputs and a complaint submitted to the director general of police. However, no case has been formally registered, a top source with Kochi city police said. The

PATHANAMTHITTA: For Girija Murali from Kollams Kallambalam, this years Sabarimala pilgrimage was to be a long-awaited spiritual moment. Carrying virtual queue passes, she began the climb with hope, accompanied by two children and six other women, as part of a 17-member group. But on Tuesday, the hill shrine was overwhelmed by an unexpected surge of pilgrims forcing Girija, two children and six other women to turn back from Pampa to Nilakkal. Exhausted and anxious thinking that they would not be

PATHANAMTHITTA/KOCHI : A drastic reduction in spot bookings and tighter restrictions on forest routes were among the measures taken by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Wednesday to manage the unprecedented rush of devotees that caught authorities unawares and led to complete system collapse in Sabarimala on Tuesday, the second day of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. The decision follows strong remarks by the Kerala High Court earlier in the day. Cautioning there was a real chan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two engineering students have developed a software to track the movement of more than half a lakh electronic voting machines (EVMs) to and from polling stations in the local body elections. Named EVM Track, the software was developed by Ashin C Anil and Jeswin Sunsi, third-year BTech students at SRM Institute, Chennai, under the supervision of State Election Commissions EVM consultant L Suryanarayanan. Ashin hails from Thiruvananthapuram, while Jeswin is a native of Thrissur.