THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Building on the success of the Ernakulam Model, which demonstrated that door-to-door campaigning reduces antibiotic misuse, the health department plans to expand the initiative statewide. While launching the campaign at Vattiyoorkavu UPHC in Thiruvananthapuram, Health Minister Veena George said that the departments intervention led to a 20-30% reduction in antibiotic use over the past year. Awareness is crucial for antibiotic literacy, the minister said, noting that health wo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Organised to herald an imperial revival, the British Empire Exhibition, which ran over two six-month-long seasons in 1924 and 1925, was designed to showcase produce and manufactured goods, arts and crafts as well as historical artefacts from the jewels of the empire. Century-old textile items from the event, which was held at Wembley Park in London, went on display from Tuesday at the Napier Museum in Thiruvananthapuram. Organised by the British government, the British Empire

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Have you been to Vilinam, Chirayinkal, Malayinkal, or Kattakkal in the capital district? These are among the more than 3,000 place names in Thiruvananthapuram documented erroneously as part of the Survey of Indias toponymy mandate. These entries are now being corrected, thanks to the efforts of the Kerala Bhasha Institute, which has been tasked with proofreading and rectifying errors in SoIs mapping of Thiruvananthapuram and other districts. Most names required corrections, h

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a quiet day at Delhis airport in March 1995, the kind where every sound a crying toddler, the silence of a bored official, the tap of the rain seems amplified. Amid the chaos, the narrator of The Scent of Fallen Stars finds himself caught in the peculiar energy of the city, an India both bewildering and intoxicating. This unsettling start to the journey foreshadows the complex web of identity and secrets that Aishwarya Jha, debut novelist and winner of this years Ram

PALAKKAD: Palakkad recorded a nearly 5 percentage points decline in voter turnout in Wednesdays bypoll compared with the 2021 assembly election, despite the high-octane campaign and no-holds-barred efforts by the three major fronts to ensure that all their supporters votes are cast. Although the poll percentage fell to 70.51% from 75.37% in 2021, CPM, Congress and BJP expressed confidence of winning the seat. Polling that started on a brisk note in the morning, fell sharply by noon. Several boot

PALAKKAD: Despite minor technical glitches in electronic voting machines in some booths and altercations between voters standing in the queue, the voting process in Palakkad bypoll remained by and large peaceful. However, booth number 48 at Vennakkara Government High School, witnessed an altercation between the workers on three fronts. BJP and LDF workers clashed with UDF workers over allegations that UDF candidate Rahul Mamkoottathil entered the polling booth to solicit votes. They accused him

KOLLAM: Indias first 24-hour online court has officially started operations in Kollam district, aimed at reducing the backlog of cases and expediting legal solutions. Judicial First Class Magistrate Surya Sukumaran, who is in charge of the court, presided over the inaugural sitting. The court operates on a hybrid mode, offering the option for in-person attendance if preferred. The court will primarily handle cases related to check dishonour under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 18

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Contrary to the general perception that bypolls tend to increase political vigour among both the cadre and the voters, political Kerala has of late been witnessing a reverse trend. Over the past five years, bypolls in the state have been seeing a dip in voter turnout. On a day the Palakkad assembly constituency went to the polling booth, the state witnessed a lukewarm response from voters in yet another by-election. A general reluctance on the part of voters coupled with a sl

KOCHI: A wall is not just brick and mortar. It represents a regions culture and the technology employed in its construction. In a matter of pride for residents, a wall of Government Fisheries LP School at Kadalundi will adorn Wall House, a dream project executed by Vikram Divecha, a visiting assistant professor in Arts and Art History at the New York University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Though the school was established in 1921, the wall selected for the Wall House project is only 26 year old. The buil

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If one happens to spot a rugged 4x4 camper somewhere in the remote areas of the country, it must probably be Sangeeth, Kavya and their pet dog Drogo planting the seeds of tomorrows forests. When most people prioritise luxury and leisure, this couple from Palakkad has chosen to overland across India in their modified 4x4 SUV with a mission to plant one lakh trees in five years. Their journey Mission Mother Tree is a project towards sustainability, adventure and making a diffe

KOLLAM: Jayan is a Malayali movie icon who continues to live on in the hearts of millions, even 41 years after his untimely demise. Yet, few are aware of the legendary actors stint as a navyman a chapter of his life that remains largely unexplored. Speaking to TNIE, former chief petty officer G K Pillai, Jayans fellow seaman for nearly four years, offered a rare glimpse into this lesser-known side of the famed thespian. M Krishnan Nair or M K Nair to his naval colleagues, Jayan joined the Navy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More people from Muslim households in Kerala opt to migrate abroad. Among migrant families those having at least one member abroad Muslims comprise the majority (44.7%) followed by Hindus (38.2%) and Christians (17%), says a new research on Keralas migration and standard of living. Among non-migrant families, Hindu households form the majority (63%) followed by Christian (21.2%) and Muslim (15.6%) households. Among Muslim households themselves, around 43% have at least one

KOCHI: At a time when people residing in the controversial land in Munambam want the authorities to settle issues related to their property. The Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Samithi has taken a clear stand that the state government should reclaim the waqf land and utilise it for the original purpose for which it was handed over to Farook College authorities. Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, the Samithi made it clear that the cardinal mistake in the entire issue was made by Farook Colle

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After being kept away for four decades, horticulture is set to make a comeback in the states mainstream agriculture curricula with the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) deciding to re-induct it as a four-year BSc programme. Horticulture was last taught in KAU in 1979- 1983. The course was discontinued after an alleged ego clash between two departments. The university has decided to bring it back, thanks to the constant pressure of the alumni of the last horticulture degree

KOLLAM: 20-year-old Aishwariya Anil, a resident of Alappad in Karunagappally, has been reported missing since last Monday. The Karunagappally police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter. The missing persons mother filed a complaint after Ashwariya failed to return home and did not respond to repeated calls on her mobile phone. According to police sources, as per CCTV footage of the locality, Ashwariya reportedly took a lift from a local woman on the day she was mi

INDORE: Nuclear scientist and Director of Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology Unmesh D Malshe said in an interview with TNIE, that the expansion of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant will not serve as an alternative to a potential new plant in Kerala. He also said that setting up a nuclear power plant could help address Kerala's power deficit and meet energy demands in neighbouring states. Excerpts from the interview: Recently, there have been discussions between NPCI and KSEB regarding

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Renowned artist Nikhil Chopra and his team HH Art Spaces will be the curators of the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2025, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced here on Wednesday. The event will be from 12 December 2025 to 31 March 2026.The mega show will feature 60 artists and artistic practices from India and across the world. The curator was selected by a committee comprising internationally acclaimed artists. They were Shanay Jhaveri, Dayanita Singh, Raje

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: M Mohankumar (62) aka Mundela Mohanan, president of the Mundela Rajiv Gandhi residence welfare cooperative society, was found dead on Wednesday. He was found hanging behind one of his resorts at Thekkupara in Amburi,nearKattakada. Vellarada police have initiated an investigation. Preliminary investigation suggests that it is a case of suicide. There had been ongoing protests for a long time against the cooperative society, managed by Congress, for failing to return money to i

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a setback to Antony Raju, former Minister and MLA of Kerala's ruling LDF, the Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated criminal proceedings against him in a decades-old evidence tampering case. Raju, who was a junior lawyer at the time, is accused of tampering with material evidence in a drug seizure case from 1990. He has been directed to appear before the trial court on 20 December. The Kerala High Court had earlier quashed the criminal case but allowed fresh proceedings to

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Football fans in Kerala are set for an unforgettable experience as the Argentina national football team, featuring the legendary Lionel Messi, will visit the state next year. Sports Minister V Abdurahiman confirmed the exciting development during a press briefing on Wednesday, announcing that the team will participate in an international exhibition match organised by the state government. The event, titled Olopo Magic, is being spearheaded by the All Kerala Gold and Silver Me

PATHANAMTHITTA: At a time when his peers are spending their days at home or with grandchildren, 71-year-old Parameshwaran Pillai has embarked on an inspiring journey by enrolling in a computer course. Whats more, he is learning to adapt to the vibe of his classmates, who are all barely in their twenties. Pillai, a resident of Mannarassala near Haripad in Alappuzha district, joined the Computer Operating and Programming Assistant (COPA) course at the Government ITI, Chenneerkkara, on 30th October

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The draft notification for ward delimitation released on Monday triggered a controversy after it was found that the coastal population in Thiruvananthapuram will have lesser representation in the city corporation. Three coastal wards, Shankhumukham, Beemapally East and Mulloor, disappear after delimitation, while six new wards are created in Kazhakoottam constituency. The wards have been merged with existing ones. Irked by the development, which they allege is a deliberate mo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major breakthrough in the area of multilingual automatic speech recognition (ASR) -- which help transcribe speech in more than one language -- three researchers from the state have detected a flaw in the evaluation suite of the AI model used by different multinational companies in transcribing texts from Indic scripts. Usually, AI companies claim that these models are precise as they are automated. However, research carried out by a team led by Elizabeth Sherly, head of

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A cybersecurity student outsmarted a group of scammers who attempted to scam his father by posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday. The scammers had contacted the father of Ashwaghosh Saindhav, 21, the student, claiming that a SIM card issued in his name was being used for cybercrimes. Claiming urgency, they instructed Ashwaghosh to appear at the Mumbai Cyber Cell office within two hours for recording his statement. When he told th

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has given sanction for the economic triangle linking Vizhinjam, Kollam and Punalur. The initiative is aimed at creating an industrial corridor that would stimulate the states economic growth, said Finance Minister KN Balagopal. The board has made an initial allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the project. The first phase would begin soon and negotiated purchase would be adopted for land pooling. The minister was briefing th

KOZHIKODE: Akhila Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Samithi has alleged that UDF leaders including Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, P K Kunhalikutty and V D Satheesan have political interests in intervening in the controversial issue of the land at Munambam. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, samithi general secretary Abdul Khader Karanthur said the UDF leaders are eyeing the elections to the local bodies and the assembly. Kunhalikutty convened a meeting of Muslim organisations in Kozhi

KOCHI: The Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) has told the Kerala High Court that certain actions of the Thiruvambady Devaswom during the Thrissur pooram had given rise to suspicions that they were aimed at aiding certain political parties to influence the Lok Sabha elections. Giving credence to the CPIs claim of a concerted effort to disrupt the pooram, the CDB, in a report submitted to the HC, said a series of incidents that occurred during a one-year period ahead of the prestigious event supported t

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Tuesday courted a controversy after he claimed only three local body wards were washed away in the Wayanad landslides, not an entire region. It is not right to say a region was washed away in the landslides. Only three wards in two panchayats were destroyed. Money can be sanctioned only according to the law, Muraleedharan had told reporters in response to questions over the delay in central aid to rehabilitate the victims of the July 30 ca

KASARAGOD: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Tuesday trained his guns on the CPM, alleging that the party has resorted to spreading communal propaganda in a desperate attempt to sway the bypoll in the Palakkad assembly constituency. Pointing fingers at the CPMs electoral campaigns attacking Sandeep Varrier, a former BJP supporter who recently joined the Congress camp, Satheesan said he feels a deep sense of shame and disappointment to compete against the Communist party. The CPM is spreading

PALAKKAD: As silent campaign was progressing in Palakkad on Tuesday, political tension reached its peak following a controversial advertisement published by the CPM in two newspapers belonging to prominent Sunni factions. The advertisement featured the social media posts and newspaper cuttings about Sandeep Varier, a former BJP leader who recently joined Congress, particularly focusing on his stance on minority-related issues. The advertisement drew sharp response from Congress which accused the

ALAPPUZHA: Jayachandran, whose confession led to the recovery of the body of a missing woman on Tuesday, had watched Malayalam megahit Drishyam directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal and Meena five times to get ideas for destroying evidence and misleading the police. The police recovered the body of Vijayalakshmi, 49, a native of Kulasekharapuram in Karunagappally who had been missing since November 6, from a vacant land near a newly-constructed house at Karoor near Ambalappuzha, afte

PALAKKAD: The high-octane Kottikalasham, the finale of the open poll campaigning for the Palakkad constituency by-election, concluded on Monday evening. The Palakkad bypoll, however, showed us what would be the style of politics in the future in the state. Never has Kerala witnessed so much political migration within a constituency during a bypoll. The frontal parties eye only victory now, which was not the case some two decades ago. Parties held strong ideologies and political bases even during

PALAKKAD: After a month-and-half of high-octane campaigning and political controversies, the Palakkad assembly constituency will go to polls on Wednesday. As per the final voters list, 1,94,706 people are eligible to cast their votes in the by-election. They include 1,00,290 women, 94,416 men, and four third gender voters. Of the total, 2,306 voters are aged above 85, and 780 are persons with disabilities. The constituency also has 2,445 first-time voters and 229 absentee voters. There are 10 ca

KOCHI: Fruit bats causing damage to crops is nothing new. But a farmer suing the forest department seeking a huge compensation for the loss he incurred owing to the flying mammals is not something common. C D Adarsh Kumar, whose main source of income were two Rudraksha trees in his orchard, was a successful farmer until recently. He said he earned a handsome Rs 1 crore per year from his four-acre land until a few years back. He used to sell quality Rudraksha beads from the two trees. However, a

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOLLAM : In an evident political move ahead of the crucial assembly by-election in Palakkad, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that the IUML has warmed up to the SDPI and Jamaat-e-Isami after Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal assumed the office of the partys state president. Firing a fresh salvo at the Muslim League president, Pinarayi said there has been many Thangals from the Panakkad family, but he has criticised only Sadiq Ali. The CM said he criticised Sadiq Ali fo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If left unattended, a tonne of untreated plastic waste can cause immense harm to the environment. Realising this, students of a government school in Thiruvananthapuram reduced the eco-hazard by converting nearly 1,300 kg of plastic waste into eco-bricks for use in construction. An eco-brick is a plastic bottle densely packed with clean, dry, non-recyclable plastic to create a reusable building block. Its use in construction is gaining traction the world over as it is economic

PERUMBAVOOR: Its a hot Sunday afternoon at the Gandhi market in Perumbavoor, a town which is home to a large migrant population, mostly from West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha. Hundreds of migrant workers, who work in and around this small town near Kochi, have thronged the market to spend their weekly holiday -- purchasing cheap dresses, recharging their mobile phones, shopping groceries for the new week, or just catch up with their friends and relatives. But, perhaps the biggest business in

KOCHI: An IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Male made an emergency landing at the Kochi airport on Tuesday afternoon due to a technical issue, but all the 140 persons on board were safe. The pilot of 'flight 6E 1127' requested an emergency landing permission around 2 pm citing the technical glitch and was soon diverted to Kochi. A full emergency was declared at the airport at 2.05 pm, and the A321 aircraft landed safely at 2.21 pm. The emergency was promptly withdrawn at 14:28 hours following the

ALAPPUZHA: The body of a 40-year-old woman, a native of Karunagappally in Alappuzha, who was missing since November 6, was found near a house at Karoor near Ambalapuzha on Tuesday. Police have taken Jayachandran, 50, of Karoor into custody after their probe found that he murdered Vijayalakshmi. Jayachandran has confessed that he killed Vijayalakshmi and buried the body near his house, police said. The probe began when the family members of Vijayalakshmi filed a missing complaint with the Karunag

KANNUR: CPM state secretary M V Govindan has expressed confidence in the LDF securing a historic win in the Palakkad by-election. Speaking at a press meet, he also predicted strong performances by the LDF in Chelakkara and Wayanad. He emphasised that the election results would be an assessment of the state governments performance and significantly influence upcoming local body and assembly polls. Govindan alleged that communal forces are actively working against the LDF. The chief ministers crit

KOCHI: As part of a national-level exercise coordinated by the Indian Navy to validate Indias maritime defence and security capabilities, the Southern Naval Command will organise a coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil along the coasts of Kerala and Lakshadweep on November 20 and 21. The Joint Operations Centre of the Navy will coordinate the operation in association with 16 agencies in Kerala including the Coast Guard, Coastal Police and the fisheries department. This exercise is aimed at valida

KOCHI: Now, Sabarimala pilgrims returning after offering prayers at hill shrine need not worry about missing the KSRTC buses they have booked online owing to late arrival. In a novel initiative, the KSRTC has decided to extend the validity of online tickets from Pampa to various destinations to 24 hours after the departure of the specific service. This means pilgrims can catch another bus of the same category to the same destination if they miss the one they had booked. The Sabarimala hill shrin

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The global shortage of anti-clotting drugs, or anticoagulants, did not affect the medication of over 2,000 haemophilia patients, thanks to a timely shift in treatment protocols by the health department. The shortage was triggered when drug companies stopped making older medicines and focused on new ones, leaving states with limited options. However, Kerala was not affected as in July, the health department switched to Emicizumab, a monoclonal antibody treatment that is more e

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Members of the Congress-affiliated Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) staged a protest in front of the KSRTC headquarters on Monday against the delay in salary disbursal, and prevented senior officers, including the KSRTC chairman & managing director, from entering the office. The police stepped in after members of the TDF and the Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (CITU) clashed during the protest. The police removed the protesters from the venue. Meanwhile

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An electric vehicle (EV) research and industrial park, the first-of-its-kind initiative in Kerala will come up at Vilappilsala in the state capital. It will focus on research, development, and manufacturing of components such as batteries, motors, controllers and charging systems. The park will be located on a sprawling 23-acre site owned by Trivandrum Engineering Science and Technology Research Park (TrEST) and it is expected to go on stream by December 2025. TrEST has issue

ALAPPUZHA: The push for sustainable urban development has become essential for securing the future of our planet, with cities like Amsterdam and Oslo setting the benchmark through scientifically planned infrastructure. In a similar stride towards innovation, Abhinav Soorya and Alvina Vijilish, students of Higher Secondary School at Perambra in Kozhikode, have created a remarkable sustainable green city model. Showcased at the Social Science Fair held at St Josephs High School, Alappuzha, their m

ALAPPUZHA: The states scientific landscape has been seeing a steady improvement in the involvement of girls and women over the decades now. This years State School Science Fair, which concluded here on Monday, proved it right once again. The four-day event saw girls dominating in numbers and performances. Of the total 4,248 students who participated in the Sasthramela-2024, 2,648 or more than 62% were girls and only 1,689 were boys. According to the organisers, the number of girls attending the

ALAPPUZHA: Socially impactful projects on Wayanad landslides and other disasters in the state were showcased in the social science category at the ongoing State School Science Fair here. The highlight was how the students utilised technology and resources to make models for disaster management, landslide prevention, and sustainability. Niramaya A and Sreyas A M, two students from Durga HSS in Kasaragod came up with a device for early detection of landslides and an alert system. The device featur

KOCHI: In a significant move to ease the simmering tension over the Munambam land dispute, Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and P K Kunhalikutty, two most senior leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), called on Latin Catholic bishops at the Varapuzha archdiocese headquarters in Ernakulam on Monday. Representatives of the Munambam-Kadapuram Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti also participated in the discussions. After the meeting, they jointly stated that the onus is on the state governme

KOCHI/TIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid heightened apprehension that organised gangs from neighbouring states, that specialise in heists, are lying low in the state, awaiting a chance to strike, police data reveals that such incidents involving non-Keralites have been witnessing a steady rise. As many as 1,378 theft cases involving non-Keralites were registered in the last 45 months and there has been an increase in such incidents each year, official data shows. According to data prepared by the home depa