The New Indian Express Kollam - December 18, 2024

In this issue

December 18, 2024

Drive responsibly or face the music, MVD tells pvt bus operators

APPARENTLY identifying reckless driving by private bus drivers as a major cause of the alarming rise in the number of road accidents in the state, the motor vehicle department (MVD) has come out with a slew of deterrent measures like geotagging the carriers using GPS and suspending the permit of vehicles that cause serious accidents.

2 mins

Do not make Aadhaar must for NREGS payment

THE Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has recommended that the Rural Development Ministry's Aadhaar Based Payment Bridge System for making payments under MGNREGS should not be made compulsory.

1 min

'One poll' bill introduced in LS

Draws fierce protest from Oppn; govt ready to send it to a joint parliamentary committee

2 mins

'One poll' bill introduced in LS

Draws fierce protest from Oppn; govt ready to send it to a joint parliamentary committee

2 mins

2 held for dragging tribal man along road

POLICE have arrested two youngsters in connection with the incident in which a tribal man, Mathan, was dragged alongside a car for around 400m near Mananthavady in Wayanad.

1 min

NTA to manage higher edu entrance tests alone

In a significant shift from its role, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will now focus solely on conducting entrance exams for admissions to higher education institutions.

1 min

Congress treated Constitution as pvt fiefdom: Shah

UNION home minister and the BJP's principal strategist Amit Shah on Tuesday tore into the Congress, terming it an anti-reservation party that recklessly amended the Constitution of India to pander to its appeasement politics during its long stint in government.

1 min

SC seeks data on population of Orthodox, Jacobite groups

HEARING the dispute between the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Jacobite Church, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that status quo be maintained regarding the management and administration of the churches till the next date of hearing, which is on January 29 and 30, 2025.

1 min

Ganja flow to Ernakulam rises as harvest season begins in Odisha

Over 140kg of ganja recovered in several cases registered in district since November 1

2 mins

IFFK pans an inclusive shot with live sign language interpretation

FOR the first time, the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has introduced live sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairment, ensuring a disability-friendly environment for all participants.

1 min

548 working professionals join IIMK's Executive MBA

REFLECTING ON the growing demand for high-quality executive education, the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) has welcomed the 17th batch of its globally acclaimed Executive Post Graduate Programme (EPGP).

1 min

Soon, over dozen women to steer Kochi Metro's e-feeder autos

NOT many women had turned up to steer Kochi Metro's feeder autos christened 'Commuto' when the electric vehicles were introduced last year, but the scenario is set for a major change.

2 mins

Dissolve Univ College SFI unit: District CPM

THE CPM Thiruvananthapuram district secretariat has called for the dissolution of the University College unit of the SFI.

1 min

Staff shortage driving patients away from Paravur taluk hospital

Key positions of medical officers and anaesthetists for emergency dept remain vacant

1 min

Record pilgrim footfall at Sabarimala temple

THE rush for darshan at Sabarimala temple during the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season continued on Tuesday.

1 min

Guv faces SFI protests at Kerala Varsity

THE Kerala University's senate house campus here witnessed tense moments on Tuesday after SFI activists staged protests against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who came to inaugurate a Sanskrit seminar in his capacity as the varsity's Chancellor.

1 min

Int'l conference on tsunami concludes

AN international conference on Tsunami Risk Reduction and Resilience (ICTR³), organised by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, concluded at the university's Amritapuri campus.

1 min

Duck farmers in distress over inaction of govt and bird flu outbreaks

DUCK farmers in Alappuzha are reeling under severe distress caused by frequent bird flu outbreaks, culling and government inaction.

1 min

For Eldhose, it was last journey back home for Christmas

LEELAMMA, sister of Eldhose, was inconsolable as the neighbours handed over a carry bag recovered from the spot where his body was found.

2 mins

UDF leadership decides to formulate plans to resolve people's issues

CONTRARY to current tactics of highlighting the ruling front's failures on different issues, the UDF will adopt a different line now: Convincing the voters how it proposes to resolve their issues if voted to power.

2 mins

Corp penalises collector for illegal hoardings

THE placement of illegal hoardings as part of Karuthalum Kaithangum, a taluk-level complaint redressal adalat organised by the government in Thiruvananthapuram recently, has landed the district collector in trouble.

1 min

Guard of honour at religious rituals to stay

Practice to continue for time being, says Vasavan. Home dept had decided to do away with it at September meet

2 mins

Mullaperiyar dam water level will be raised to 152ft, says TN minister

Roshy questions it, says he didn't understand on what grounds minister made the statement

1 min

Ferry fares in state may go up, govt to take call

TAKING the state water transport department (SWTD) boats would cost you more if the government approves a study by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) recommending to hike the minimum fare of passenger boats from the current ₹6 to ₹10.

1 min

Sabari rail project better proposal than Chengannur-Pampa route, says Pinarayi

THE state government will seek the Union government's sanction for the Sabari rail project implementation in two phases. The project would be a better alternative to the Chengannur-Pampa rail route proposal currently being considered by the Union government,

1 min

Bitten by rats 15 times, vaccination overdose paralyses TS student

A CLASS X student, Samudra Laxmi Bhavani Keerthi, from BC Residential School in Danavaigudem, Khammam, is now paralysed due to what doctors suspect is an overdose of anti-rabies vaccine.

1 min

Mumbai man arrested for skating around Swaraj Round

THE Town East police on Tuesday arrested a Mumbai native for skating around the Swaraj Round dangerously.

1 min

Cardinal Koovakad arrives in Kerala

CARDINAL George Jacob Koovakad landed in Kerala on Tuesday on his maiden visit to the state after being ordained cardinal.

1 min

GROWING ENTERPRISES IN A TIME-TESTED INDIAN WAY

OME accomplished chief financial officers of established companies like Tata Consultancy, Tata Chemicals and KPMG set up a think tank as a body that would engage with relevant audiences—India Inc, regulators, administrators—to create and nurture better-governed enterprises.

3 mins

ONE ELECTION CAN BE FIRST OF MANY REFORMS

We should use the move for simultaneous elections to call for other political reforms, such as greater transparency in parties' internal affairs and mandatory reports on manifesto pledges

2 mins

Govt lacks 2/3rd majority to push bill, says Tharoor

As the government tabled two Bills on 'One Nation One Election' on Tuesday, the Congress party has raised questions about whether the NDA government has the requisite numbers to pass them in Lok Sabha.

1 min

HC judge appears before SC collegium over remarks on UCC at VHP function

ALLAHABAD High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who stirred controversy with his statement at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event, appeared before the Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday to present his side of the issue.

1 min

ED conducts raids at 21 locations in case on betting app owned by Pak nationals

Owners and handlers

1 min

Erratic rains, warm winter hit sugar production

Crunching numbers

1 min

OTTs glorifying drug use under govt lens

THE OTT (over-the-top) platforms are on the radar of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for streaming content that reportedly glamorises and glorifies the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

1 min

Govt lacks 2/3rd majority to push bill, says Tharoor

AS the government tabled two Bills on 'One Nation One Election' on Tuesday, the Congress party has raised questions about whether the NDA government has the requisite numbers to pass them in Lok Sabha.

1 min

Nadda accuses Cong of attempting to introduce religion-based quota

QUOTING BR Ambedkar, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of attempting to introduce religion-based reservations.

1 min

Bhujbal ups ante, fires 'toy' salvo at Ajit Pawar for no cabinet position

SENIOR NCP leader and former deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday upped the ante against his party leader Ajit Pawar for denying him a place in the Maha Yuti cabinet.

1 min

UP presents its 2nd supplementary budget worth ₹17.8K cr in Assembly

THE Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday presented its second supplementary budget of ₹17,865.72 crore, which includes new proposals worth ₹790.49 crore for 2024-25.

1 min

Setback to PK as 2 ex-MPs quit Jan Suraj Party

IN a major setback for political strategist-turned activist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), two former MPs Devendra Prasad Yadav and Monizir Hasan resigned from the core committee of the party on Tuesday.

1 min

Over 8L ration cards cancelled, Cong says tribals worst affected

BETWEEN 2013 and 2024, a total of 815,734 ration cards were cancelled in Gujarat, the Centre on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha.

1 min

PM promises tap water to all homes

Modi lays foundation stone for much-awaited Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project in Jaipur

2 mins

A Punjab sad story written in Georgian ski resort

11 Indian nationals die of carbon monoxide poisoning

2 mins

Omar to meet Shah in Delhi today to discuss statehood restoration

NEARLY two months after the passage of a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet on restoration of statehood, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital for the second time on Wednesday.

1 min

Russian Parliament approves bill that can lift Taliban terror tag

RUSSIA's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that could pave the way for Moscow to lift its designation of the Taliban as a banned \"terrorist\" organisation.

1 min

Rescue efforts on as 7.3 quake flattens buildings in Vanuatu

A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness saying of bodies lying in the city.

1 min

Russian Gen heading N-arms vertical assassinated

Ukraine claims responsibility, accuses Igor Kirillov of using banned chemical weapons in ongoing war; Moscow treating it as terror attack

1 min

Trump says believer in polio vax after warning from Rep senate leader

IN a freewheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams, declared the country was \"not going to lose\" the polio vaccine and weighed in on the flurry of drone sightings over New Jersey.

1 min

Israel to control Gaza even after war: Def min

ISRAEL's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that his country's forces would be free to act in Gaza Strip even after its war with Hamas ends.

1 min

Chinese leader convicted in mega graft case executed

CHINA on Tuesday executed Li Jianping, a former official in the north Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who was convicted in the largest-ever corruption case in the country totaling to over $421 million.

1 min

Was target of suicide attack during 2021 Iraq visit: Pope

Pope Francis turned 88 on Tuesday and marked the occasion with revelations that he almost didn't make it.

1 min

Bid in satellite spectrum not feasible: Scindia

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over the government's decision to administratively allocate satellite spectrum in the country, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday defended the move, saying that satellite spectrum is neither suitable nor practical for auction.

1 min

Gold import up on tariff cut, UAE pact

331% rise in import of yellow metal to $15 bn in Nov resulted in trade deficit, pressure on rupee

2 mins

ITC Hotel demerger from January 1, 2025

FMCG giant ITC Ltd has fixed January 1, 2025 as the effective date for the demerger of its hotel business after receiving an order from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

1 min

Adani group firm Ambuja merges Penna Cements, Sanghi Ind with itself

AMBUJA Cements, the cement and building material company of Adani Group, announced the merger of Sanghi Industries (SIL) and Penna Cement Industries with itself.

1 min

Sebi may tighten SME listing norms, bring in transparency

THE Securities and Exchange Board's (Sebi) board meeting slated for Wednesday is likely to come up with a slew of measures to clean the SME IPOs space that has, of late, received regulatory attention.

1 min

Domestic market declines on trade deficit, weakening rupee

Trend shows selling spree by FIIs

2 mins

Slower Q2 GDP growth temporary blip, will see healthy growth in coming qtrs: FM

FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has termed the second quarter GDP growth slowdown a temporary blip and expressed her confidence that the economy will see healthy growth in the coming quarters.

1 min

ED hands over ₹22,000 cr worth properties attached under PMLA to owners

THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) has handed over properties worth ₹22,280 crore attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to victims or their legitimate claimants, finance ministry has informed parliament.

1 min

Two World Champions, 31 GMs, Tamil Nadu is the best: Anand

OPEN rooftop car. Scores of people. Cavalcade of cars. It was another maddening but memorable day in the newly-crowned world champ, D Gukesh's, life.

2 mins

Rana wouldn't have got into our playing XI: Gujarat coach Klinger

GUJARAT GIANTS, after finishing last in the back-to-back Women's Premier League points table, went into the mini-auction looking to make a few important changes.

2 mins

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

SOMEWHERE in the middle of the first innings, Virat Kohli rushed out of the Gabba dressing room, called up Abhimanyu Easwaran, told him something in earnestness and sent him off to the ground.

3 mins

Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club

CHELSEA forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.

1 min

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

Poor form and captaincy issues could be two unrelated things as Rohit falls for another low score on day four in Brisbane on Tuesday

7 mins

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