The New Indian Express News

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a move to facilitate smoother communication between parents, teachers and department authorities, the state government has decided to revamp the structure of parent teacher associations (PTAs) in the government and aided schools of the state. The move comes following the departments observation of improper practices within PTAs of certain schools. A workshop regarding this will be held in the first week of January, according to department sources. Speaking about the new in

KOCHI: For decades, silver in Keralas temples lived in the shadows always the bridesmaid to glittering gold, rarely the bride. Offered by devotees as lamps, vessels and ornaments, and tucked away in backspaces and strongrooms, the white metal was long treated as ceremonial surplus rather than serious wealth. That changed dramatically in 2025 as the global silver prices crossed the $77-an-ounce mark this week, gaining over 167% so far this year. A stunning surge in silver prices has pushed the o

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The SIT probing the Sabarimala gold theft cases has arrested a former Travancore Devaswom Board member alleging that he had played a role in the incidents. N Vijayakumar, who was a member of the TDB during 2019, was arrested after he failed to respond to the summons issued earlier. K P Sankardas, who is the second board member of that time, and Vijayakumar had approached the Kollam Vigilance court seeking anticipatory bail. The pleas are still pending before the court. The SI

KOZHIKODE: Congress leader N Subramanian was questioned by police here on Monday in connection with the sharing of a photograph on social media depicting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with Unnikrishnan Potty, an accused in the Sabarimala gold case. Police had earlier courted controversy after Subramanian, a member of the Congress state unit's Political Affairs Committee, was taken into custody on Saturday. Following protests, he was released after being issued a notice to appear for questionin

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A dispute over an office space between a ruling CPI (M) MLA and a newly elected BJP councillor took a fresh turn on Monday with the Congress party wading into the stand-off, suggesting that the legislator should move to the MLA hostel for the remainder of the Assembly term. In a Facebook post, former Congress MLA and now a councillor, K S Sabarinathan, said the issue of MLAs office functioning in the Corporation office at the Sasthamangalam ward should be examined by the civi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Organisational weakness and overconfidence were among the key reasons behind the LDFs setback in the recently concluded local body elections, CPM leaders observed at the two-day state committee meeting that began on Sunday. They said this prevented the benefits of the LDF governments good governance from effectively reaching the public. The party leadership was criticised for its failure to take timely disciplinary action against Pathanamthitta district committee member and f

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when certificate courses are in vogue on a variety of subjects, imagine earning one in traditional toddy tapping! In what could give a new push to toddy production in the state, the Kerala Agricultural University is joining hands with the Kerala Toddy Industry Development Board (KTIDB) to provide a month-long Toddy Technician Course. With admissions expected to start as early as February next year, the course will combine both theoretical and practical knowledge wit

KALPETTA: The CPM has questioned the Congresss announcement on the construction of houses for victims of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide, accusing the party of making hollow promises ahead of the elections. Wayanad CPM district secretary K Rafeeq strongly criticised the Congress leader T Siddique, pointing out that the Congress had publicly claimed that house construction would begin on December 28. Just days before the elections, Kalpetta MLA and Congress leader T Siddique had stated that t

KASARAGOD: Condemning the bulldozing of houses at Yelahanka near Bengaluru, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal on Sunday urged the Karnataka government to implement development projects only after ensuring the rehabilitation of the evicted people. Samastha is not against development projects but it cannot condone the act of rendering the poor people homeless, Thangal told reporters in Kasaragod, adding that the destruction of around 200 houses wo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stating that the inspections centred on six Super League Kerala (SLK) franchises were part of a routine scrutiny, the state GST department has said that a report on the checks conducted on December 23 will be submitted to the headquarters in the coming days.Documents were examined as part of the routine inspection and no further information regarding this can be shared at this point. The report would be submitted to the headquarters, an official with the department said. Mean

IDUKKI: Despite the holiday season, prolonged traffic congestion caused by ongoing development works on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway has begun to affect tourist movement in and around Munnar, with the impact most evident at Eravikulam National Park. Tourists heading to the hill station continue to face long hours of gridlock, especially along the Neriamangalam-Munnar stretch and within town limits. The congestion, which worsens during weekends and peak hours, has discouraged many from

KOCHI: Setting aside a previous order of the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT), the Kerala High Court recently held that a passenger who lost his legs while attempting to board a moving train was entitled to compensation. Justice S Manu delivered the ruling on a petition filed by Siddharth K Bhattathiri, 26, a journalist, challenging the RCTs decision denying him compensation on the ground that the injury he sustained in the 2022 incident was self-inflicted. The RCTs counsel had opined that since th

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: R Sreelekhas demand to vacate the Sasthamangalam office used by Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth was a challenge to the democratic system, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said on Sunday. Alleging political vendetta behind the move, he said Sreelekha had neither the right nor the authority to raise any claim over a corporation building. He claimed the attempt to disrupt the functioning of an office that served thousands of people in Vattiyoorkavu over the past seven year

KOZHIKODE: The political landscape of Vadakara is in a state of upheaval following a high-stakes presidential election at the block panchayat that saw the LDF lose due to a single erroneous vote. What began as a procedural exercise soon spiralled into a saga of midnight attacks, disciplinary purges and shifting alliances. The fallout turned physical in the early hours of Sunday when the residence of RJD member Rajani Thekkethayyil was targeted. Assailants pelted stones at the house, shattering t

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Organ donation pledges in Kerala rose in 2025, crossing the 10,000-mark with around 6,000 new commitments in the year. The whopping 161% surge also improved the states national ranking from 13 to 10. However, Kerala remains far behind states such as Maharashtra and Rajasthan, which registered nearly one lakh pledges each, underscoring a gap between its reputation as a health pioneer and actual performance. Experts caution that the improvement is built on a low baseline; for a

MALAPPURAM: For the past several days, Keralas CPM leadership has trained its political fire on demolition sites in Bengaluru, unleashing a sustained attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government over what it describes as an anti-Muslim action. Yet, within Keralas political corridors, the sudden intensity of the partys intervention is being read less as minority outreach and more as political damage control aimed at reclaiming a slipping Muslim vote base. The backdrop is unmistakable. The Indi

KOZHIKODE: Four days after she was brutally attacked by her drug-addict husband, a 32-year-old woman died of her injuries in Kozhikode on Sunday. M K Muneera, a supermarket employee and mother of two, died at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after battling for her life. Her husband, Abdul Jabbar, 38, is currently in judicial remand, accused of orchestrating the attack that has left their eight-year-old and six-year-old children motherless. The horror unfolded on Wednesday morning around 9.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A phone call by newly-elected Sasthamangalam councillor R Sreelekha on Saturday evening to Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth, requesting him to vacate the MLA office functioning in the Sasthamangalam office building of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation kicked off a political storm on Sunday. The issue spilled into the public domain in the morning when former Thiruvananthapuram mayor Prasanth reached the corporation building to clarify his stand, drawing a large number of media

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Renowned art director and designer K Shekhar, 72, best known for his path-breaking work in My Dear Kuttichathan, passed away on Saturday morning at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram. Shekhar was the art director of My Dear Kuttichathan, Indias first 3D film. He is especially remembered for designing the famous rotating bedroom set seen in the song Aalipazham Perukkan, where children appear to walk on walls and the ceiling. The scene was created using a real mechanical rotat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF retained control of the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat on Saturday with V Priyadarshini assuming office as its ninth president. She was sworn in by District Collector Anu Kumari at a function held at the district panchayat hall. Priyadarshini, an LDF member elected from the Kallambalam division, secured 15 votes in the presidential election. UDF candidate Agnes Rani, representing the Venganoor division, polled 13 votes. LDF member B P Murali, elected from the N

CPM stalwart V S Achuthanandan passed away on July 21 at the age of 101, leaving an indelible imprint on not just the Communist movements political markings, but on every milestone woven into the states socio-cultural fabric. Poverty eradication sustained? On November 1, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared Kerala free of extreme poverty making it the first state in the country to achieve the status. Though the nature of the announcement, with Mammootty in attendance, made it seem as much a

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The streets along Kanakakunnu Palace were flooded with people and crammed with vehicles not a new sight to a Trivandrum resident in the festive days. Big-sized reindeer leading the way for Santa Claus sleigh at the mega entrance to the palace, trees lit up in colourful lights, and thematic light designs the Vasantholsavam light and flower show has become the best weekend getaway for all Trivians, with people of all age groups coming up to see how lights tell tales! The 8-ye

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Aryancode police have arrested six persons for allegedly creating a fake Instagram profile using a young womans photographs to cheat and extort money from a man, and for brutally assaulting him when he came to meet them. The arrested are Nidhin, 24, his brother Nidheesh, 25, Sreejith alias Sreekuttan, 24, Akhil alias Sachu, 26, and two Plus-II students. According to the police, the gang targeted Mahesh Mohanan, 40, a native of Kunnathoor in Kollam, by creating a fake Inst

KOCHI: Moved by the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 this year, a kathakali artist has composed a 45-minute dance drama that conveys the shock, grief, and outrage over the incident. Kalamandalam Vijayakumar, a kathakali artist settled in the UK for the past four decades, has choreographed a solo performance incorporating four evergreen Malayalam film songs composed by legendary music director G Devarajan to deliver the anguish over the attack. The first performance will be stage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A confident Congress is moving to finalise the first list of its assembly election candidates by February 2026. The candidate announcement is expected to coincide with the conclusion of a UDF state tour led by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on February 28, according to party sources. The tour, slated to begin from Kasaragod on February 1, is intended to gauge public opinion ahead of the preparation of UDFs election manifesto. Like the Congress, other partners have also be

MALAPPURAM: The Nilambur tribal community has called off its 221-day-long land struggle in front of the Malappuram collectorate, launched against the violation of a written assurance given by the district collector on land allocation. The Tribal Land Struggle Committee has now decided to pursue a legal battle, with a case already filed before the High Court. One of the key assurances given during the settlement of the first Nilambur land struggle was the allocation of 50 cents of land each to 60

KOCHI: Despite several record- and ground-breaking films, 2025 was a challenging year for the Malayalam movie industry. Big releases such as Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra , L2: Empuraan , and Thudarum set box office records, pointing to the industrys ability to produce sweeping films. However, the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) maintains that only 15 of the 184 Malayalam films released this year were profitable. It has also been a year in which the industry encountered several challenges f

IVARMADOM: Dying into a dance, An agony of trance, An agony of flame that cannot singe a sleeve W B Yeats, Byzantium It was an unlikely setting for a theyyam performance. But the grim backdrop provided by the still-burning embers of funeral pyres set the stage for the ritual dance of Chudala Bhadrakali, the ferocious deity associated with death, and Pottan Theyyam, a manifestation of Shiva. The theyyam ritual is performed in the early hours of December 26 on the grounds of the crematorium where

P'THITTA: Unperturbed by the controversies surrounding the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple, devotees continued to throng the hill shrine in large numbers and made generous offerings during the mandala pilgrimage season. As the temple closed its sanctum sanctorum on Saturday night, marking the end of the mandala season, the total revenue stood at a record Rs 332.77 crore, according to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). During the previous season, the total revenue after 41 days

KALPETTA: Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi came in for sharp criticism on social media after she released a New Year calendar featuring photographs of her visits to the district, with critics arguing that the gesture was insensitive as the Congress failed to build the houses the party had promised to families affected by the Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslide even 16 months after the disaster. One comment under a critical post by a CPM cyber page Red Beats read: Our dear MP Priyanka Gandhi set an example

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a move to account for the list of untraceable voters that has surfaced as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the state government will set up help desks across village offices to ensure the inclusion of all eligible persons. In a government order issued by the general administration department on Friday, district collectors have been instructed to deploy two officers each to these help desks to ensure that eligible voters are not left out of t

THRISSUR: In a dramatic turn of events, eight Congress councillors who resigned from the party joined hands with the BJP to elect independent candidate Tessy Jose Kallarakkal as the president of Mattathur grama panchayat on Saturday. Of the 24 wards in Mattathur, the UDF won eight, the LDF 10 and the NDA four, while two independents were also elected. The LDF fielded one of the independents, Ouseph, as its presidential candidate, while the UDF backed the other independent, Tessy. Tessy won the e

BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday lashed out at Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for interfering in evictions in an encroached land in Bengaluru. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, the DyCM said it is unfortunate that senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan has commented on this without knowing the facts of the matter. The land which was cleared of encroachment was a solid waste pit. There are many health-related issues in the area due to this. We also have humanity,

KOZHIKODE: The probe into the Sabarimala gold heist has turned into a major political confrontation in Kerala, with the police taking a Congress leader, N Subrahmanian, into custody over a controversial social media post linked to the case. N Subrahmanian, a member of the KPCC Political Affairs Committee, was taken into custody by the Kozhikode Chevayur police for allegedly sharing a photograph depicting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alongside the prime accused in the gold theft case, Unnikris

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the mayoral election, 97 valid votes were polled out of the 101-member council. V V Rajesh won the election with 51 votes, including the support of Independent councillor M Radhakrishnan. Two votes were declared invalid. LDF candidate R P Sivaji secured 29 votes, while Congress-led UDF nominee K S Sabarinadhan managed to get 17 votes. Two UDF votes those of K R Cletus, councillor from Nanthancode, and S Lathika, councillor from Venganoor were declared invalid due to erro

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF has decided to initiate legal action in connection with the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation mayoral election. CPM leader S P Deepak alleged that 20 BJP councillors took their oath of office in violation of rules and that their votes should not be counted in the mayoral election. According to the petition of S P Deepak, 20 BJP councillors took the oath in violation of rules. Chempazhanthy Udayan of Mannanthala ward and Sugathan R both of them swore in the name of Sree N

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Newly elected mayor V V Rajesh and Deputy Mayor Asha Nath on Friday evening visited BJP councillor R Sreelekha at her residence, amid reports that she was unhappy over being denied the mayoral post. Sreelekha had left the council hall soon after Rajesh took oath and before he delivered his first address, even as Opposition councillors were still present. She did not participate in the celebrations, triggering speculation within political circles. Following the visit, Rajesh s

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The special investigation team probing the Sabarimala gold theft cases has extended the probe to additional areas in Tamil Nadu as part of its effort to verify information provided by a businessman that a racket involved in trafficking idols could have played a role in the gold heist. The SIT knocked on the doors of a Dindigul-based man, identified as M S Mani, under the suspicion he was the same person the businessman had mentioned in his testimonial. The businessman, a clos

THRISSUR: Congress councillor from Laloor division Laly James on Friday levelled major allegations against DCC president Joseph Tajet and parliamentary committee chairman Rajan Pallan, accusing them of denying her the Thrissur mayor post as she could not pay the party fund. Joseph refuted the allegations. The Congress on Thursday announced Dr Niji Justin from Kizhakkumpattukara division as its Thrissur mayor candidate. Laly said she was overlooked despite winning with a higher majority than the

PATHANAMTHITTA: The number of devotees who have visited the Sabarimala temple during the ongoing pilgrimage season has crossed the 30-lakh mark. As per official figures till December 25, a total of 30,01,532 pilgrims have had darshan at the hill shrine. In the previous season, the pilgrim count had crossed the 30-lakh mark by December 23 itself, with 30,78,044 devotees. By December 25, 2024, the total number of pilgrims stood at 32,49,756, while in 2023, around 28.42 lakh devotees had visited th

IDUKKI: Two Ayyappa pilgrims who proceeded to the Sabarimala temple via the Sathram forest route collapsed and died at different locations on Friday. Both the deceased were natives of Tamil Nadu. The first incident occurred at Sathram, where Balaji, 43, a native of Karur district, collapsed while walking along the forest route after obtaining online darshan pass. According to fellow pilgrims, he developed extreme fatigue after walking around 500 metres, sat down to rest and suddenly collapsed. F

KALPETTA: A 65-year-old tribal woman was killed in a wild elephant attack in Thirunelli, Wayanad. The body of Chandini, a member of the Paniya community from Cherumathur Unnati in Appapara, was found inside the forest under the Thirunelli forest station limits on Friday. Chandini was a resident of the Aloor tribal settlement at Paralikunnu near Kambalakkad. Forest officials said she had been staying with her daughter Priya at Cherumathur settlement in Appapara. However, she went missing on Thurs

AMMA For the first time in its three decades of existence, women assumed charge of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), with Shwetha Menon and Cuckoo Parameswaran elected president and general secretary respectively. The leadership change followed the resignation of the 17-member executive committee, which included Mohanlal, in September last year after the release of the Hema Committee report. Brain-eating amoeba The brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) claimed 45 lives in the stat

KOCHI: V K Minimols elevation as the 23rd Mayor of the Kochi Corporation is less a routine leadership choice and more a sharp political story of factional muscle, backroom persuasion and tactical compromise inside the Congress. What looked like a straight contest with KPCC general secretary and AICC member Deepthi Mary Varghese widely seen as the frontrunner turned into a decisive show of strength by Opposition leader V D Satheesan on his home turf. The party turned to an internal opinion surv

MALAPPURAM: With the assembly elections approaching, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has mounted an aggressive pitch for a larger share of seats within the UDF, setting its sights on around 30 constituencies five more than the 25 the party contested in 2021. The Muslim Leagues renewed ambition is no longer confined to its traditional Malabar strongholds; it is now pressing for a strategic expansion into southern Kerala, signalling a decisive shift in its electoral calculus. At the core of

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shattering the long-held perception of being a Muslim-Malabar-only party, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has recorded a remarkable breakthrough across the seven southern districts, winning over 30 key positions in local bodies. The party now holds the chairperson post in four municipalities, vice-chairperson post in six municipalities, and nine president posts and over 15 vice-president posts in panchayats. Overall, 220 IUML representatives have been elected to various

KOCHI: Keralas banking sector has raced past a historic landmark. For the first time, non-resident (NR) deposits in banks in the state crossed the Rs 3-trillion mark a symbolic threshold that underscores the states deep economic umbilical link with its global diaspora. As on September 30, 2025, NR deposits stood at Rs 3,03,464.57 crore, up from Rs 2,86,987.21 crore three months earlier an increase of Rs 16,476.79 crore, or 5.75%, in a single quarter. The rebound is particularly striking becaus

KOTTAYAM: Two years ago, when Binu Pulikkakandam was humiliated by his party CPM and the LDF by denying him the promised Pala municipal chairpersons post, his daughter Diya Binu Pulikkakandam was doing her bachelors course in economics at the Madras Christian College. While she may not have fully grasped the political intricacies behind the move, bowing down to the pressure tactics of the Jose K Mani-led Kerala Congress (M), her fathers exclusion wounded her. On Friday, Diya, having taken a brea

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Kerala celebrated Christmas, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) recorded liquor sales worth Rs 332.62 crore through its BEVCO outlets during the first four days of the festive season, officials said on Friday. The KSBC on Friday released data on liquor sales during the ChristmasNew Year season, which began on December 22. According to the data, liquor worth Rs 332.62 crore was sold through KSBC liquor shops and warehouses during the four-day period. Sales during

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior BJP leader VV Rajesh has made history, becoming the saffron party's first mayor of Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation. The 49-year-old put an end to the four-decade-long reign of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the capital city corporation. Rajesh secured 51 votes in the election. Two votes were declared invalid. Hundreds of party workers had gathered at the corporation hall and its premises towitness the swearing-in ceremony. GS Ashanath is the BJP candidate for t