Kerala

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty strongly criticized NCERT’s decision to assign Hindi titles to English-medium textbooks, calling it a serious lapse in logic and a form of cultural imposition.

Mohammad Shuhaib, CEO of MS Solutions, claims innocence in the Christmas exam paper leak case in a new YouTube video. He alleges being wrongly implicated and points to personal vendettas and his stance against drug involvement in schools as potential motives.

Vishu is celebrated with fervor across Kerala, marked by traditions like Vishukkani and Vishukaineettam. Thousands gathered in Guruvayur for Vishukkani darshan, while Sabarimala witnessed a huge rush of pilgrims for special Vishu pujas.

The incident occurred in the early hours of April 3, when the victim and her friend were returning to their PG accommodation in Bharati Layout after a late-night tea outing. At around 1:52 AM, Santosh allegedly accosted the women, pushing one of them against a wall and molesting her.

The sound of crackling firecrackers, smoky silhouettes of children running with sparklers, and wide-eyed excitement under a starlit sky — Vishu Padakkam (fireworks) is an essential thread in the festive fabric of Kerala’s New Year celebration. This year, Vishu will be celebrated on April 14.

BJP leaders in Palakkad have defended the decision to name a skill development center for differently-abled individuals after RSS founder Dr. K.B. Hedgewar. Amid criticism from opposition parties, the BJP asserted Hedgewar’s role as a freedom fighter and accused detractors of attempting to sabotage the welfare initiative for political reasons.

Advocate P.J. Manu, a native of Piravom, Ernakulam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a rented house in Kollam. He had been residing there temporarily for legal case-related work.

A trial court criticized the police for procedural lapses in the cocaine case involving actor Shine Tom Chacko. The court noted the investigation was flawed, with improper handling of evidence, failure to test the accused for drug use, and violations in search protocols. Shine Tom Chacko was acquitted in February.

Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is likely to be brought to Kochi by the NIA to probe his visit to the city just ten days before the attacks. Investigators are exploring possible local links and whether his presence in Kochi was part of a wider terror plot involving other Indian cities.

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Germany’s Museum A. Koenig have discovered six new species of Sericinae scarab beetles in biodiversity hotspots across India, including the Northeast and Western Ghats. Published in Zootaxa, the study also recorded 28 new regional sightings of beetles, highlighting the importance of international collaboration, ecological research, and conservation efforts.