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.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Political parties in Kerala are increasingly turning to women-centric grassroots networks such as Kudumbashree, ASHA workers, and the Haritha Karma Sena to identify promising candidates for the upcoming local body elections. With their deep connection to households and communities, many women find the transition from social service to electoral politics remarkably seamless. Like other states, Kerala also mandates 50% reservation for women in local self-governance under the Pa

KANNUR: In the busy run-up to the local-body election, the UDF candidate for ward 9 of Valapattanam grama panchayat has been drawing attention for reasons far removed from political slogans or campaign promises. A popular figure in his locality of Kalarivathukkal, Giridharan V V stands out instantly in any crowd with his large, carefully groomed moustache, that has become his signature. Locals say that he looks like a character straight out of a film, and his distinguishing style has made him e

KOZHIKODE: Sunni scholars are cautioning believers against certain Sufi orders that they claim stand against the basic tenets of Islam and are spreading un-Islamic ideas in the name of Sufism. The immediate provocation was a press conference conducted by an organisation called the Sufi Islamic Board - Kerala on November 7 in Mannarkkad, Palakkad. In an article published in the Suprabhaatham daily, Islamic scholar Shuhaibul Haithami said the assertions made at the press conference were weird and

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to constitute a Sabarimala Infrastructure & Crowd Management Expert Committee, comprising specialists in transport engineering, urban and regional planning, civil engineering, disaster and crowd management, environmental science, public health, IT systems and data analytics. The experts shall analyse data, undertake field studies, and devise a comprehensive management plan in coordination with the TDB, police, fores

KOCHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is currently conducting the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala . The first such exercise since 2002 is intended to review, update and streamline voter records ahead of the 2026 assembly election. What exactly is SIR? SIR is a detailed, one-time verification drive of electoral rolls, far more comprehensive than annual summary revisions. It involves booth-level officers (BLOs) visiting households, distributing forms and colle

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The partner of the United Kingdom-based woman, accused of indoctrinating her teenage son to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, is the brother of a convict in the Kanakamala IS module case, police said. This has evoked NIAs interest and the national agency is now closely monitoring developments, they said. Sideeq, brother of the womans partner Ansar, had served three years in prison and was released early this year, police said. It was Sideeq, who got the boy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Are school students in Kerala steadily losing interest in Malayalam as a medium of instruction? As per the data from the Pareeksha Bhawan, the number of students who wrote SSLC exams in Malayalam has seen a significant fall from 55.93% in the 2018-19 academic year to 36.56% in 2024-25. Of the 4,27,017 students who appeared this March, only 1,56,161 wrote the exam in Malayalam medium, which is 87,000 less than the 2,43,409 students who appeared in 2019. Education experts attri

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 30 kilometres away from the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city lies a panchayat which made the state proud recently. Earning the 53rd rank in the list of best grama panchayats of the country in the Mission Antyodaya rankings and becoming the state topper, the Parassala grama panchayat had made significant strides in some key areas, including education and healthcare. While the ruling LDF plans to bank on its achievement for the upcoming local body polls, the UDF is trying

MALAPPURAM: As local-body election fever grips the state, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is busy ironing out issues within the party and the United Democratic Front, of which it is a key constituent, and strengthening its grassroots presence. In a conversation with TNIE, the partys state general secretary P M A Salam talks about the UDFs preparedness, the impact of the special intensive revision (SIR) process, and how the election results will reflect public sentiment. Excerpts: Is UDF an

IDUKKI: A four-year-old playschool student died in a tragic accident on the premises of Girijyothi CMI Public School, Vazhathope, on Wednesday morning. The victim, Hazel Ben, a resident of Thadiambad, was allegedly run over by a school bus around 9 a.m. Hazel had arrived in a different vehicle and was walking towards her classroom with a friend when a bus reversing inside the courtyard allegedly hit both children and ran over Hazel. Staff members immediately rushed the two to the Idukki Medical

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by filmmaker V M Vinu, fielded as Mayoral candidate of Congress in Kozhikode Corporation, seeking a directive to the district collector to consider his appeal against the removal of his name from the voters' list. While dismissing the petition, Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said, Simply because the petitioner is a celebrity, there can be no preference to him. He's only an ordinary citizen of this country. When the petition came up

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U Kelkar on Wednesday said that stringent legal action will be taken against those who obstructed the work of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Malappuram and Idukki districts. BLOs are constitutionally nominated officers working for the Election Commission. We have asked the district collectors to initiate strict criminal action against whoever obstructs this work, as per Section 121 of the BNS, the CEO said at a press conference here. He ad

THRISSUR: Even though there are numerous campaigns across the country sharing survival stories of people diagnosed with cancer, in Kerala it still remains a taboo to talk about the disease. Whether within extended families or among close friends, there is an aversion to speak openly about cancer diagnosis and treatment. For Satyan Warrier, an IT professional residing in Athani, this became clear when he had to face the situation himself. This experience inspired him to write the book CanSwar , d

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dense fog at Bandaranaike International Airport (Colombo) on Wednesday morning led to the diversion of two international flightsa SriLankan Airlines service from Dammam and a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbulto the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The Turkish Airlines flight, carrying 258 passengers and 10 crew, landed in Thiruvananthapuram at 6.42 am and departed for Colombo at 8.38 am. Similarly, SriLankan Airlines flight UL-254, with 180 passengers and eight c

For many men, this moment in time feels both liberating and unsettling. They are learning to shed rigid gender roles within relationships even as society continues to judge them by an outdated set of metrics: the pay cheque, job title, and the ability to provide. While some groups view the man as provider and the woman as homemaker, many men across age groups say they no longer see themselves in that framework. In a culture shaped by patriarchy but nudged increasingly towards equality, the contr

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly 19 DPharm and BPharm students of Kerala Academy of Pharmacy, Kandala, have decided to go on hunger strike against the managements reluctance in releasing their SSLC and Plus 2 certificates despite repeated requests. The students had decided to drop out of the college due to alleged lack of facilities and poor attitude of the authorities. Multiple students said they took the decision nearly four months ago, but have been stuck as the college has refused to release their

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the local body election campaign moves to the second phase, the UDF will release its manifesto for Thiruvananthapuram corporation this week. Congress campaign chief K Muraleedharan said the document focuses on voter priorities, fixing drinking-water shortages, repairing roads and improving waste management, and not just on high-tech promises. We are taking our pledges door to door. First we produced a chargesheet on the LDFs corporation rule, now we will present our manife

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two youths have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old youth who was stabbed to death on Monday while trying to stop an argument over a football match. The Cantonment Police arrested Sandeep, 27, of Jagathy and Akhilesh, 20, of Kunnukuzhi. A minor student is also in police custody. The 16-year-old boy from Jagathy is being questioned. Sandeep and Akhilesh, who are the sixth and seventh accused in the case, are currently under arrest. Sandeep, who has bee

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Murajapam-Lakshadeepam festival, held once in every six years, will begin at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on Thursday (November 20). The inclusion of Atharva Veda in the murajapam, the ritualistic chanting of vedas, will be a novelty this year. The 56-day-long festival involves the recital of vedas culminating with the Lakshadeepam, lighting of one lakh lamps, on the Makar-Sankranti which falls on January 14. In the past editions, only Rigveda, Samaveda and Yajurveda w

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition seeking a directive that the votes of persons with mental disabilities be recorded digitally on a separate electronic voting machine while they cast their votes in the 2025 general election. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan said that the persons with mental illness or persons with intellectual disabilities are also citizens of this country, and they are our brothers and sisters. We should hold them close to our hearts and not insult them by treating

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police have booked a UK-based woman and her husband under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly trying to indoctrinate her 16-year-old son to join ISIS. The Venjaramoodu police registered the case against the boys mother and stepfather based on his statements. The matter came to the polices attention after the woman lodged a complaint against the teen accusing him of molesting his younger sister. It was filed in apparent retaliation to the boy leavi