The New Indian Express News

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha witnessed a protest during the Zero Hour on Thursday by the CPI(M) over allegations of spurious and substandard medicines in Kerala. The protest began when Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham launched a blistering attack on Keralas drugs control department, claiming that recent raids across the state had exposed the widespread availability of counterfeit and poor-quality medicines. As soon as Congress MP Hisham made her allegations, CPI(M) MP John Brittas and others sharply

NEW DELHI: Noting the continuous deadlock between the Kerala chief minister and the governor, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked a committee headed by Justice (retd) Sudhanshu Dhulia to recommend one name each for appointing vice chancellors in two technical universities. The top court was hearing the matter related to the appointments of VCs of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology. A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An overall voter turnout of 63.8% was recorded at 3 pm in the second phase of the local body polls in seven northern districts of the state. Electors are choosing representatives to three tier panchayats in rural areas as well as municipalities and corporations in urban areas. The districts in which polling is being held in the second phase are: Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. Voting is being held in 18,274 polling stations from 7 am

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second phase of polling in the crucial local body elections commenced in seven districts of Kerala on Thursday morning with the turnout crossing 8 per cent in the first two hours of voting. Voters began casting ballots from 7 am at the 18,274 polling stations in the districts of Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. Polling will conclude at 6 pm. People of all ages and professions, including political leaders, queued up at polling stati

KOLLAM: Three people died after the autorickshaw in which they were travelling collided with a bus at Anchal in the wee hours of Thursday, police said. The deceased were identified as Akshay (23), Jyothi Lakshmi (21) and Sruthy Lakshmi (16), all residents of Karavaloor. According to police, the autorickshaw driven by Akshay lost control and hit a bus carrying Lord Ayyappa devotees from Andhra Pradesh. The devotees were returning after their Sabarimala pilgrimage when the accident occurred around

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The trial court verdict in the actor assault case has sparked widespread debate across the state amid calls for solidarity with the survivor. On Wednesday, people from various walks of life gathered at Manaveeyam Veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram to express support to the survivors long fight for justice. A solidarity meeting, under the banner #Avalkoppam (With Her), held there in the evening had cultural figures, social activists and students in attendance. CPI state secretary Bi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A major fire broke out at a resort on the North Cliff in Varkala on Wednesday, partially destroying the structure and triggering panic among tourists and local residents. The blaze was reported around 1.56pm at Calaila Boutique Stay. No casualties were reported, and all guests staying at the resort managed to escape unhurt. Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot, but the fire tender could not be brought to the site due to the narrow access route. A fire personn

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: How far will you go for a vote-- a few kilometres, a ten-minute drive? Meet Arya Sasidharan, who travelled for over 32 hours, all the way from Australia to Thiruvananthapuram to cast her vote in the local body election. Arya, who made the trip with the sole aim of exercising her franchise on Tuesday early morning, will return to Australia next Monday to continue her Geology PhD studies at James Cook University in Queensland. Initially, I was a bit sad that I couldnt be here f

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the ABC programme coming to a grinding halt following the Supreme Courts recent directions, the state government has issued fresh instructions amid rising stray dog attack incidents, clarifying that the lack of animal shelters cannot be cited as a reason to stop sterilisation and vaccination drives. After the Supreme Court order of November 7, the local bodies across the state had suspended vaccination and sterilisation drives, as the direction was to move the dogs to sh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With over 206 films from 82 countries ready to be screened across 26 categories, the Capital city is all set to welcome cinema lovers from across the world from Friday for the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala. Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako will be presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 30th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Five of his films, including the Oscar-nominated Timbuktu and Golden Bear-nomina

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, it was the turn of Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan to challenge Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for a public debate on his criticism against the Oppositions baseless objection towards development projects in Kerala. The chief minister can fix the date and place for the public debate, he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. Setting the agenda for the local body election for LDF, CM had unleashed criticism against UDF on issues

KOLLAM: The Kollam Vigilance Court on Tuesday adjourned to December 17 the hearing on the Enforcement Directorates (ED) plea seeking certified copies of documents related to the Sabarimala temple gold theft case. The adjournment came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) sought more time to file its written objection. The SIT denied that the delay in filing its objection was deliberate, countering the EDs allegation that it was attempting to stall proceedings. Both the government and the SI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Discussions between Governor Rajendra Arlekar and the state government on the selection of permanent vice-chancellors to two state universities ended in a deadlock on Wednesday, paving the way for the Supreme Courts direct intervention in the appointment process. It was on the basis of the apex courts directive to both parties that discussions were initiated to pick VCs for the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and the Digital University Kerala (DUK). The possibi

ALAPPUZHA: Representatives of Erumeli Vavar mosque visited the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna temple on Sunday to offer annadanam (community feast) in connection with the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrim season of Sabarimala shrine. The event marked the 21st day of the offering and sharing of food organised by the Ambalappuzha Yogam Petta Sangam at the temples ootupura. Vavar mosque has been sponsoring one days annadanam at the temple for the last 15 years, fostering a strong message of communal harmony

PATHANAMTHITTA: Feeling the chill of the Western Ghats and the lush scent of Shola forests, pilgrims to Sabarimala embark on a spiritual trek like no other, crossing over grasslands. The Satram-Pulmedu traditional forest path offers pilgrims a fusion of devotion and wilderness, where nature and faith seem inseparable. With chants of Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa echoing through the slopes of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the devotees walk under the watch of the forest department, police, and health teams

MALAPPURAM: With the deadline to upload waqf property documents to the UMEED portal expiring last Saturday, uncertainty now hangs over the future of thousands of waqf property in Kerala -- particularly those mired in long-standing disputes. Waqf protection groups say most of the pending entries involve properties locked in legal or historical conflicts, some dating back decades and others to pre-Independence lease arrangements. Many mahals are unable to submit proof of ownership because original

PALAKKAD: For Chandran Chamy, knowing is believing. And, as an independent candidate in Palakkads Chittur Thathamangalam municipality, he redefined grassroots campaigning with his information activism. In the run-up to the second phase of local-body elections on December 11, as party cadres flooded neighbourhoods with glossy pamphlets, manifestos, and attacks on rivals, the 54-year-old went door-to-door with something far more unusual -- government orders secured through his own relentless use o

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Voter turnout has been slipping across successive local body elections in Kerala and the first phase of polling in the states southern districts has reinforced the trend. All seven districts posted a uniform 3% dip, offering a clear preview of the statewide trend. Notably, voter participation figure in these districts have dipped to levels lower than those recorded in 2020, a year marked by the Covid crisis. Pathanamthitta, known for its large NRI population and chronically l

KANNUR: In the popular imagination, Kannur, the home turf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM state secretary M V Govindan, former state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and senior party leaders E P Jayarajan, P K Sreemathi and K K Shailaja, is almost synonymous with the communist party. Here, everything boils down to politics and all discussions invariably progress along party lines. CPM holds sway in a majority of local bodies in the district; there are even councils where its candidates ar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From exhaust notes to melodic scores, a group of KSRTC employees are looking to tune themselves up for runaway success. The 18-strong musical ensemble -- named Ganavandi will debut on Thursday at the Uchakkada Sree Durga Sree Dharmashastha temple, on the outskirts of the capital city. The musicians were assembled as part of an enterprising move to break the monotony of work and generate additional revenue for the corporation, which continues to struggle with its finances. Th

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court is set to examine the alarming revelations in the anonymous letter that predicted the verdict in the 2017 actor abduction and assault case a week before it was pronounced. The administrative committee of the HC comprising the Chief Justice and four other senior-most judges will meet on Thursday. At the meeting, it is expected to consider the matter in view of the communication sent by the president of the Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA). The anonymous

KOCHI: Amid controversies surrounding the actor-abduction case verdict, the probe team that filed charges against the suspects expressed confidence that all the accused including actor Dileep who was acquitted in the case will be convicted in the higher courts when the appeals are considered. Though the trial court may not have considered some of the evidence submitted by the prosecution, we believe the higher courts will, said a top source with the SIT. As part of the investigation, we collec

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The coastal belt of Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation saw chaotic and uneven voting on Tuesday as thousands of residents turned out for the local body polls. Many voters struggled to find their assigned polling booths, while others discovered their names were missing from the voters list, forcing them to return home without casting their votes. Local activists estimated that 60 to 100 voters were absent from each polling booth in the coastal wards. Vishnu M, 31, who arrived

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Election fervour gripped the city on polling day, and Technopark, home to nearly 80,000 employees across more than 450 companies, was no exception. The usually bustling IT campus ran with minimal staff as many professionals left their desks to cast their votes. Most companies followed employee-friendly policies in line with Election Commission directives, offering leave, work-from-home options, or flexible hours. Client support teams were allowed to adjust schedules without w

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tribespeople of Thodumala ward in Thiruvananthapuram's Amboori grama panchayat are grateful to the government for the Kumbichal bridge. The newly-opened, but yet-to-be-inaugurated bridge has significantly cut down the travel time of the residents of the ward's 11 tribal settlements and also reduced their dependency on boats their lone mode of transport until now. However, as the capital's tribal belts cast their votes in the local body elections on Tuesday, one question ling

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major relief for Rahul Mamkootathil- MLA, the additional district and sessions court has granted him anticipatory bail in a second rape case registered against him on the complainant of a 23-year-old woman. Rahul's counsel had swiftly moved the pre-arrest bail after the High Court granted him protection from arrest in the first rape case till a verdict is given on his anticipatory bail plea, which is scheduled to be heard on December 15. The pre-arrest bail plea was move

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday categorically stated that he would not accept an award named after VD Savarkar, nor attend a related event, even as a senior party colleague wanted the Congress MP to not accept any honour named after the ideologue whom he claimed owed before the British. Tharoor said that he will not accept the Veer Savarkar Award and also won't attend the event where it will be presented in the absence of clarifications about its nature or the organisation prese

Pantones Colour of the Year is usually a global signal, a preview of what shades people may gravitate toward. But 2026s pick, a billowy, balanced white called Cloud Dancer, feels unusually intimate. It arrives at a moment suspended between overstimulation and exhaustion, a shade that feels like a welcoming, clean canvas amid complex times marked by grim, jarring notes. Yet, choosing white has triggered one of the most polarised reactions Pantone has seen in years. Recent selections carried mood

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For a city long shadowed by its reputation for lacklustre polling, Thiruvananthapuram seemed to slip deeper into that pattern on election day. In the citys upscale neighbourhoods, where voter apathy has become almost ritual, the silence was unmistakable. By noon, turnout still hovered stubbornly below 30%, a telling sign of the indifference that had marked the morning. At the Kowdiar LP School, nestled in one of the citys quietest upscale pockets, the polling station wore a u

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first phase of local body elections began on Monday amidst crises and uncertainties across the capital district. In a critical incident, election ink applied to voters forefingers at the Sasthamangalam ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation faded within minutes. Sources from Booth 2 of the Raja Kesavadas NSS Higher Secondary School polling station reported that the ink was diluted, causing it to disappear quickly. In the same ward, a female voter was not permitted to

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Election to local self-government institutions in the district was largely peaceful. An exception was a clash between CPM and BJP workers at Vanchiyoor. Police intervention helped in preventing untoward incidents at Vanchiyoor where BJP accused CPM of bringing bogus voters. In the morning, polling booths in rural areas were busier than those in urban areas. The districts polling percentage was 67.42 as per the data released by the State Election Commission around 7.50pm. 19.6

KOCHI: A swift pushback is emerging in the Mollywood against the urgency shown by major industry bodies to reinduct actor Dileep, who was acquitted in the 2017 actress abduction and assault case on Monday. Several from the industry, particularly women, have criticised the haste with which organisations signalled their willingness to reinstate the actor, terming it a betrayal of the survivor and a continuation of an unsafe culture within Malayalam cinema. Senior dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi was a

KOCHI: The trial court has acquitted actor Dileep in the actor abduction-assault case on the ground that the conspiracy charge against him could not be established. However, the fact that the conspiracy angle was not proved doesnt mean there was no conspiracy in the attack. The verdict, that convicted six persons and acquitted Dileep and three others, has left many questions unanswered. Hopefully, there will be more clarity when the court pronounces the sentence for those convicted and the detai

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cantonment police will record the statement of the woman, who had filed a complaint against noted film-maker and two-time MLA P T Kunju Muhammed accusing him of sexual harassment. The police had on Monday registered a case against the director, who was the chairman of the committee to select films for the Malayalam Cinema Today section of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), for sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman, which are non-bailable of

KANNUR: Chokli police have located Aruva T P, 29, the Muslim League candidate from Kanhirathin Keezhil, the 9th ward of Chokli panchayat, after her mother filed a complaint that she was missing. Aruva had gone missing from her house in Olavilam on December 6, just days before the local body elections. It later emerged that she had eloped with a resident of Chokli. She was produced before the magistrate. Following her mothers complaint, the police registered a missing case under Section 57 of the

KOZHIKODE: High above the clouds, somewhere between Tashkent and Delhi, a young Kerala doctor-in-training found himself in the kind of life-or-death moment most people only read about. The cabin lights were dim, passengers were settling into the long flight, and suddenly, a frantic announcement cut through the silence: If there is a doctor or medical staff on board, please inform the crew immediately. It was a 24-year-old medical intern from Tirur, Malappuram -- Dr Anees Mohamed -- who stood up.

KOCHI: Raising serious concerns about judicial confidentiality in the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case, a top advocates body on Tuesday confirmed it had received an anonymous letter detailing the crucial content of the verdict in the case, a week before it was pronounced. Dated December 2, the letter, sent by an Indian citizen, claimed that the upcoming verdict scheduled for December 8, 2025, in the high-profile case would exclude seventh accused Charly Thomas, eighth accused Gopalak

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Major constituents in the Opposition UDF want the Congress leadership to restrict UDF convener Adoor Prakash, whom they feel, has been getting the front into back-to-back crises. The latest in the series was his open support for actor Dileep in the actor assault case on the poll day morning. Hours after the first phase voting for local body election began in the state, opposition UDF received a body blow with Adoor Prakash voicing his support for actor Dileep in the actor ass

PATHANAMTHITTA: As many as 30 people, including Ayyappa devotees and others, were injured when two KSRTC buses collided near the Chakkupalam curve on the Pampa-Nilakkal route on Tuesday. Traffic along the busy pilgrim corridor remained disrupted for over an hour in the afternoon following the accident. Fire and rescue services personnel reached the spot immediately, removed the damaged buses, and shifted the injured to hospitals, including Kottayam Medical College. A 10-year-old girl, Mangalam,

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Davies Kollannur, who courageously altered the course of his life three times, has now sailed beyond the horizon for the final time. Davies who survived three life threatening ordeals- two kidney transplants and a battle with leukemia disease- stood as asymbol of resilience and hopefor thousands oftransplantpatients in Kerala. The man who lived with extraordinary courage, quietly slipped away on Monday night in Thrissur, following a sudden respiratory distress at 57. He left

KOZHIKODE: A year-old, trivial disagreement over school dress code has culminated in violence, as a gang of six Class 10 students lured and assaulted a Class 9 student recently inside Vattoli National Higher Secondary School, leaving him hospitalised with serious head injuries. The victim, 15-year-old K V Sharon, was rushed to Nadapuram Government Hospital after the attack, where doctors immediately treated multiple wounds, requiring stitches to his head. The assault, which occurred around 1 pm

KOZHIKODE: Muslim League state secretary K M Shaji has clarified the partys ideological differences with Jamaat-e-Islami, asserting that the two organisations can never walk together. Speaking to mediapersons in Kozhikode, Shaji stressed that the disagreement between the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami is global and ideological, not something limited to Keralas political landscape. Shaji dismissed political speculation about electoral cooperation with the Welfare Party, associated to Jamaat-e-

KOCHI: In a verdict that has stirred up feelings of disbelief, agony and pain among large sections of people who had rooted for the survivor, the Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court on Monday acquitted actor Dileep in the 2017 actor abduction and sexual assault case, after concluding that the prosecution failed to establish the conspiracy charge against him. Soon after the acquittal, the state government said it would appeal the verdict. Judge Honey M Varghese held that the evidence

KOCHI: keralas local body elections have traditionally centered on the basics roads, drains, streetlights and waste management. But this time, the three major fronts the CPM-led LDF, Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA have released manifestos that read less like routine civic checklists and more like ambitious blueprints for parallel futures. If polls were a contest for imagining the most expansive version of Keralas cities, this election would easily qualify as the masterclass in political ima

KOCHI: While Ernakulam district celebrated democracy on Tuesday, Malayalam actor Mammootty missed out as his name was not found in the electoral rolls. The actor, who now resides in Vyttila under the Ponnurunni division of the Kochi corporation, was unable to vote in the 2020 local body elections owing to similar reasons. He (Mammootty) cast his vote in the previous assembly and Lok Sabha elections, but not in the 2020 corporation polls. When we realised his name was missing from the electoral r

IDUKKI: As the hills of Chinnakkanal went to the polls on Tuesday, an unusual silence marked ward 10, Sinkukandam -- a silence shaped not by apathy but by absence. Once home to over 1,000 voters, the ward now has only 430 on the electoral rolls, the steep drop reflecting years of wild elephant raids that forced dozens of families to abandon the 301 Colony and its surrounding hamlets. In the previous local body elections, the 301 Colony alone contributed around 100 voters; this year, barely 25 re

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Conventional politicking and canvassing have largely given way to tech-driven exercises, mostly carried out by youths. However, one thing has largely remained unchanged. On the D-day, it is the senior party workers who turn out to be the most indispensable players. With their decades-long experience and grassroots connections, they scan through the voters list, mark each votes polled, and check if any of the names that they deem as sure votes are yet to be polled. If thats th

As fast fashion and easy-to-replace gadgets take over our lives, something unexpected is happening inside Kochis smallest shop fronts. Repairers say they are now seeing more young faces teenagers and people in their early twenties coming in with watches that have stories behind them. Instead of throwing an old piece away, they want it repaired and given a second life. Its a small but telling shift back to valuing things that last. Ambika P R, who runs Nice Watch and Services near Shastri Nagar

ALAPPUZHA: Veteran communist leader and former minister G Sudhakaran, who had been ill for the past few weeks and remained almost bedridden after suffering multiple fractures in his leg, still made it a point to vote in the local body elections. Sudhakaran arrived at the polling booth in Paravoor Government Higher Secondary School in a car, accompanied by his wife, Jubilee Navaprabha. He stepped out of the vehicle and slowly walked to the booth with the help of a walker. The vote is the power of

ALAPPUZHA: For the first time in the electoral history of the state, a poll is being held without the presence of veteran Communist leader and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan. His wife Vasumathi and son V A Arun Kumar cast their votes at the Buds School polling station in Punnapra South, Alappuzha. In the 2020 local body elections, Achuthanandan could not cast his vote as he was bedridden following a stroke and was under treatment at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Before heading to th