Lovers found dead

KASARAGOD: The bodies of a 29-year-old man and a 19-year-old girl were retrieved from the Karyankode river, near Neeleshwaram, early Thursday. The police suspect the case to be a suicide pact. Their hands and limbs were found bound giving rise to suspicion that it was a suicide pact.

First phase of Smart City will be completed in 18 months: Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first phase of the proposed Rs 2,000-crore SmartCity project will be completed in the next 18 months.


"I specially invite the journalist who gave the report on the Smart City project being delayed on June 9 when the state-of-the-art sales pavilion will be opened. On the same day, the foundation stone of a three million square feet building will be laid and would cost Rs.600 crore, which would be completed in 18 months," said Chandy, reacting to a television report that projects like Smart City are getting delayed.


"It is unfortunate that such a report was given and I am very much available to all and if this reporter had any doubt he could have asked me. I wish to ask, why none said anything on the five-year delay by the previous Left government with regards to the Smart City project," asked Chandy.


Smart City Kochi is being built by Smart City Dubai and the ground-breaking ceremony was held in October last year.

Achuthanandan attacks CPM State leadership again

Friday, June 01, 2012: CPI(M) stalwart V S Achuthanandan has fired yet another salvo against the CPM State leadership. He said it is not the policy of the to threaten the investigation team.
Talking to newspersons here, he said that the party will support the govt’s efforts to nab the culprits.
VS also flayed the petition filed against the media.
‘CPM will win the Neyattinkara by-polls with a high majority’, he added.

Petrol prices likely to be revised today

Friday, June 1, 2012: Petrol prices may be revised today with companies talking about a scope of cutting rates by Rs1.50-1.60 a litre.
On a day when BJP-led NDA and the Left parties called a Bharat Bandh or a nationwide street protests against petrol price hike, the government appeared in no mood to announce a cut. Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum had over the past one week indicated of a scope of reducing rates from June 1.
The three firms, as per practice, were to revise rates of petrol today based on average international oil price and rupee-US dollar exchange rate in the previous fortnight.
With international gasoline rates, against which petrol is benchmarked, falling to USD 114-115 from USD 124 (that was taken into account for the steep Rs 7.54 a litre hike effected from May 24), there existed a scope for reducing prices by Rs 1.50-1.60 a litre.

3 Keralites die as house catches fire in Melbourne

 Friday, June 1, 2012: Three Keralites were burnt to death in a fire that broke out in their house on Friday morning. The deceased have been identified as Anita George (35) and her two children, Mathew and Philip.
According to preliminary report, short circuit could be the reason behind the fire. More details are awaited.

Main accused in TP murder in custody, says report

Friday, June 01, 2012: Reports say that T K Rajeesh, the gang leader who murdered RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan , has been taken into custody from Mumbai by the Special Investigation Team.
It has been said that the police team led by DySP P Shaukathali picked up Rajeesh from his hide out at Vashi in New Mumbai Thursday night. The police haven’t confirmed the report.
Reports also say the police nabbed him with the help of some Mumbai Malayalis.

Posters threatening novelist Balakrishnan in Kasargod

Friday, June 01, 2012: Hand-written posters threatening novelist C V Balakrishnan appeared on the compound wall of his house in Kasargod.
The threatening posters says that the novelist is leading a peaceful life in the red village is due to the courtesy of CPM and should not be forgotten.
C V Balakrishnan had flayed the CPM inconnection with T.P Chandrasekharan murder. This might have prompted pasting of posters.

Schools to reopen on Monday

 Friday, June 1, 2012: The schools in the state will reopen after summer vacation on June 4.
Earlier, the school reopening was scheduled on June 2 but was later postponed to June 4. The opening day will be celebrated as ‘Pravesanotsavam’, aimed at generating greater learning interest among students. Teachers and senior students will welcome the tiny tots to the schools with sweets and balloons.

Jayageetha issue: Railway police files chargesheet

Thursday, May 31, 2012: The Railway police have filed a chargesheet in connection with the Jayageetha issue on Thursday. TTE Jaffer Hussain has been named first accused and TTE GR Praveen is named second accused.
Jayageetha, a regular passenger of the train, was alone in a compartment when one of the ticket examiners asked her to come and join them in another compartment on February 17 evening. Jayageetha informed about the misbehaviour to her husband and DYFI Kollam area secretary Shivaprasad. He immediately reached the railway station when the train arrived around 7 pm.
The two ticket examiners allegedly showered abusive words on Shivaprasad and Jayageetha. Following this, the couple met the Station Manager and lodged a complaint.

Bala turns director

Actor Bala is all set to direct a movie. The movie titled `The Hitlist’ will see Bala do the lead role. Shooting for the movie began in Kochi. Screenplay and dialogues will be done by Bala himself.
With big names like Prithviraj and Unni Mukundan will make a guest appearance in the movie. Kannada actor Dhruv and Aishwarya Devan play pivotal roles in the film.
At present Bala is busy with several projects including Sthalam, Musafir, Veendum Kannur, Vilolet.

HM alleges move to sabotage probe into T.P murder case

Thursday, May 31, 2012: Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan today alleged that a move was on to sabotage the probe into the gruesome murder of RMP leader T.P Chandrasekharan near Onchiyam on May 4.
Addressing the presspersons here on Thursday, Thiruvanchoor added that the government would provide protection for the probe team investigating the murder case.
Chandrasekharan, 50, a former CPI(M) leader in the party stronghold Onjiyam in Kozhikode district, was murdered at Vallikkad near Vatakara on May 4.
The assailants who came by a car attacked him while he was riding a motorcycle alone. Country-made bombs were hurled at him before he was hacked to death with sharp weapons.
Chandrasekharan was expelled a few years ago after falling out with the leadership. He later joined RMP floated by CPI-M activists who either quit the party over ideological issues or were expelled for anti-party activities.

Smart City: Crucial board meeting on June 9

Thursday, May 31, 2012: The meeting of the SmartCity board of directors will be held in Kochi on June 9. Final decisions on many crucial issues, including the selection of firms to construct the IT buildings, are expected to be taken at the meeting.
Tecom Investments, the promoters of the project, is learnt to have held discussions with some global giants based in India as well as abroad who have shown interest in associating themselves with SmartCity.
The board meeting will be held at the office-cum-sales pavilion of SmartCity after the inauguration of the building on the day. Tecom Investments has already completed the concept master plan of the project, which has been sent for the approval from the SEZ board. Once the approval is secured, the construction of IT buildings can be started.
If the SEZ board demands any modifications in the concept master plan, it will delay the project. After the meeting, the SmartCity authorities will expedite the promotional activities of the project, including the road shows, a source said.
The inaugural ceremony of the office-cum-sales pavilion will be attended by chief minister Oommen Chandy, industries and IT minister P K Kunhalikkutty, excise minister K Babu, works minister V K Ibrahimkunju and Tecom CEO Abdullatif Al Mulla.

Cabinet approves new telecom policy with some tweaks

Thursday, May 31, 2012: The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave a green signal to the proposed National Telecom Policy (NTP) that provides for abolition of roaming charges and allows users to retain the same number across the country.
he cabinet approved the new policy with some changes from what was proposed earlier, Soni told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet, but did not elaborate.
The country overhauled its telecom rules after the once-booming sector was hit by a massive scandal over telecom licence grants in 2008, which the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has estimated to have cost New Delhi as much as $34 billion in lost revenue.
The new policy, which will separate licences and airwaves and will allow sharing of airwaves among carriers, also seeks to facilitate consolidation in the crowded market.
Pricing of airwaves is, however, not part of the telecoms policy, and will be set through an open auction process.

One killed in lorry-car collision in Thrissur

Thursday, May 31, 2012: One person was killed in a lorry-car collision that occurred near Kunnamkulam in Thrissur district on Thursday.
The dead has been identified as Mohammad, a native of Koonammoochi. Another three persons were seriously injured in the accident, police said.
The ill-fated car was proceeding to Koonammoochi after the victims saw off their relatives at the Nedumbassery Airport, when the lorry coming from opposite direction rammed into it, the sources added.
More details are awaited.

Shamili is coming back as heroine

Shamili is making her re entry in Malayalam movie as heroine through Azhakiya Ravanan sequal. It is known that, the young cute ‘Malootty’ will be seen on big screen again in Azhakiya Ravanan sequal directed by Parthasarathy.‘Azhakiya Ravanan’ was a film by Kamal starring Mamootty and written by Sreenivasan.
Shamili played her first female lead role in Anand Ranga’s directorial debut ‘OY!’ alongside Siddarth. As a teenager she acted in Malayalam movie Harikrishnan’s along with Mamootty and Mohanlal. She is probably best known for her critically acclaimed performance as the mentally challenged child Anjali in the film ‘Anjali’ ‘that fetched her the National Film Award for Best Child ArtistAs a child actress .she has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films.

Bandh supporters block traffic in parts of city

Thursday, May 31, 2012: The bandh called by NDA and Left parties to protest the hike in petrol prices did not evoke much response in the national capital though party supporters blocked traffic in some places.
Small shops were seen open in many areas in the morning while commuters complained that there were less autos on roads as number of auto and taxi unions have joined the protest.
BJP activists led by Sanjay Joshi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi led the protest in Delhi near Akshardham temple blocking roads this morning. The leaders and several activists were detained.
“The bandh shows the public anger against this government. This will be the last nail in its coffin,” BJP National vice president Naqvi said.
As there were less autos on streets, people chose Metro services and there was huge crowds at such facilities in Laxmi Nagar and Rajiv Chowk besides other places.
Police said the National Highway (NH-24) has been blocked and Delhi-Rohtak rail route has been choked by BJP workers.
Buses of state-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) were on roads in large numbers.
In Delhi, the protest is also against the state government’s budget proposal to impose a five per cent VAT on CNG.
A senior police official said they have ensured that every major road has police presence.
“We now there are a few protest spots. We warn people not to flout the law. We will take strict action against those violating law,” the official said.

Kayamkulam: Rape, murder accused gets death sentence

Thursday, May 31, 2012: Viswarajan, an accused in a case relating to the rape and murder of a woman in Kayamkulam on October 2011, was awarded death sentence by the Alappuzha district additional sessions Court here on Thursday. The Court also slapped him with a fine of Rs one lakh.
The victim identified as Smitha (35), was working as a sales girl in a shop in Kayamkulam. Police said the accused had attacked Smitha on seeing her walking home alone at night. He dragged the woman to a marshy field nearby and raped her.
He fled the scene soon after, leaving her with her head half-buried in the marsh. After hearing her cries for held the local residents rushed her to hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival. Viswarajan, a daily wage construction labourer, is an accused in several cases of attacks on women, the police said.

Court issues warrant against two Italian marines

 Thursday, May 31, 2012: The Kollam sessions Court has today issued warrants against Latore Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone- the two Italian marines, who allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the state coast on February 15.
Sessions Judge PD Rajan has issued a production warrant directing the police to produce the two Italian marines before Court. The warrant was issued prior to the case trail proceedings which begins on Saturday.
Meanwhile the Kerala High Court had granted bail to the marines and asked them deposit Rs 1 crore as personal bond. The Court also asked two Indians to stand as surety for the Italian marines.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kerala High Court had dismissed a petition by the Italian Government seeking quashing of the FIR against the two marines. The two marines were arrested on Feb 19 are in judicial custody and lodged at the Borstal school here which houses juvenile delinquents.
They have been charged with murder of fishermen Valentine alias Jalestine and Ajesh Binki, who had put out to sea from the Needakara coast in Kollam, by firing at them from onboard the merchant ship whose authorities have maintained that the marines mistook the fishermen for pirates.

Police case against Elamaram Kareem

 Thursday, May 31, 2012: The police on Thursday registered a case against CPM State secretariat member Elamaram Kareem for his provocative statements against V Santhosh Kumar who is leading the investigating team in T P Chandrasekharan murder case.
The case has been registered against him for threatening the police official following special branch’s report.
Inaugurating the protest march organised under the auspices of the party district committee to the office of the District Superintendent of Police on Saturday Elaram alleged that the SIT team probing the murder was biased and hostile to CPM and the Police are slapping cases one after another against CPM workers and leaders.

Police seek witnesses to arrest M.M. Mani

IDUKKI: The police team is on a search for witnesses in order to arrest CPI (M)’s Idukki District Secretary M.M. Mani in connection with his controversial speech on party-sponsored murders. The team is pursuing those people who were made witnesses at first in the case relating to murder of Anchery Baby, Mullanchira Mathai and Muttukad Nanappan.


The chief evidence against Mani which police filed before Thodupuzha First Class Magistrate Court is the Video CD containing Mani’s controversial speech. The FIR also includes excerpts of his speech in which he affirmed that CPI (M) had sponsored murders. But the obstacle before police is that court will not consider public speeches as confessions to crime.


The police are trying to collect old case diaries from DySP offices or SP offices. Those witnesses who later changed their statements are also under scanner. Those rebels who left CPI (M) will also be questioned.

CPI (M) District Secretary moves contempt petition against media

KOCHI:  A senior CPI (M) functionary on Wednesday approached the Kerala High Court seeking contempt action against the media for allegedly making derogatory statements against the Marxist party and its leaders in the aftermath of the murder of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan.


According to the petitioner, CPI (M)'S Kozhikode district secretary T P Ramakrishnan, as per a High Court judgement on December 22, 2010 after registering a criminal case and sending the FIR to a magistrate, nobody can leak information regarding investigation and questioning of witness.


If this is violated, the media and investigation officer have to face the consequences, it was submitted.


A series of versions had appeared in various newspapers and visual media after the murder. According to the petitioner, this was a violation under relevant sections of Contempt of Court Act.


Three major newspapers, and some television channels besides DGP Jacob Punnoose and ADGP Vinson M Paul are the respondents.


Chandrasekharan, a former Marxist worker, was hacked to death on May 4 in Kozhikode district and some local CPI-M leaders have been arrested in this connection.

Latin Catholic outfit comes out against Selvaraj

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Latheen Katholikka Aikya Vedi will work to ensure the defeat of UDF candidate R Selvaraj in Neyyatinkara bypoll. The decision was announced by Aikya Vedi president A James Fernandez at a press conference here on Tuesday.
 James Fernandez said that the decision to oppose Selvaraj was taken as the latter had prevailed upon Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to issue a new order directing village officers to issue caste certificates on the basis of certificate provided by the Church.
The order was issued on April 4, 2012, days before the re-election was declared, he said.
 Fernandez alleged that the order had facilitated conversion of people from other castes and religions to the Latin Church merely to corner the benefits enjoyed by traditional Latin Catholic community members.
 ‘’The new order directs the officials not to show the traditional vocation and sub-caste of Latin Catholic community members in the caste certificate.
“The order was passed by ignoring two reports presented by KIRTADS. The community has strong resentment against the order,’’ he said.
 Fernandez said that the Aikya Vedi was against communalism.  However, he refused to clearly state that whether the organisation would  extend support to the LDF candidate.

Degree admission process a headache

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new online mechanism for degree admissions introduced by the Kerala University is turning out to be a headache for students, who blame the new system for causing much confusion.
 Under the new single window system, the students say they have to apply online as well as submit hard copies of the application form and self-attested copies of certificates in person at the university office. This, they say, consumes a lot of time and needless effort.
 On Tuesday, the Palayam campus of the university witnessed a heavy rush of students who queued up to submit the forms and copies of the certificates.
 Students say that now they are forced to spend at least four or five days applying for admissions. The process goes somewhat like this. First the student has to download the challan from the university website. Then he/she has to visit the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and remit the examination fee using the challan. After that, the student must register for admission online using the challan number. But the student must also submit, as in the past, a hard copy of the application form as well as self-attested copies of certificates to the Joint Registrar, Kerala University.  
 ‘’I started off this process five days ago and finished my online registration too. Then why should I submit everything again which I have already done online?’’ wondered a   applicant from Pappanamcode.
 But university officials denied any confusion in the system and said it, in fact, was a blessing. This system is an initiative by the university to help students to submit their application form at a single location whereby they can apply for different courses using a single form to all the colleges under the university.
 Officials in the online admission wing under the joint registrar attributed the problems to the students’ failure to follow instructions properly. ‘’Each and everything is there on the website, in English and Malayalam,’’ an official said.  The students are made to submit hard copies of the certificates so that they can be verified and compared with the online application for errors.

Two arrested for raping girl

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have arrested two people in connection with sexually exploiting a young girl.
   Mini, 30, a native of Aryanad and her driver Prashanth, 31, of Anthiyoorkonam were arrested in connection with the rape of a 17-year-old girl who was working as sales girl in a fancy store at Thirumala.
According to the police, Mini used to frequent the shop and thus befriended the girl. In April, when the girl was returning home from work, Mini along with Prashanth in the pretext of offering her a better paid job, took the girl to their rented house near Poojapura.
 They allegedly locked up the girl for four days and three men,including Prashanth sexually exploited her. On the fifth day, they left the girl at her house. One week later, the girl felt physical uneasiness and informed her relatives about the incident.
  The relatives meanwhile had lodged a complaint with the Poojapura Police and a case was registered in this regard.   The accused went into hiding after police intensified the probe. The arrest was made the other day from their hideout.

Terrorists misused explosives meant for quarries

KOCHI: The arrest of two terror suspects involved in a robbery at Kizakkambalam confirmed the intelligence reports of terrorists misusing the explosives stocked at the quarries and metal crusher units across the state to carry out jihadist operations.
The Crime Branch confirmed that the explosives used to execute the robbery were bought from the owner of a metal crusher in June, 2002.
Explosive materials such as ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin gelatin sticks and detonator, that were used to carry out a series of bomb blasts in Coimbatore, Bangalore and Kozhikode were purchased from the state,  the agency confirmed after grilling the arrested duo of K P Shabeer and Bomb Ismail.
“Ammonium nitrate used in the Bangalore bomb blast was robbed from a shop in Kurupampady.
The Tamil Nadu Police had informed that to carry out the bomb blast in Coimbatore, gelatin sticks and chemicals were transported from Kerala. Similarly, in most of the bomb blasts that took place in South India, explosives were sourced from Kerala,” a Crime Branch official said.
According to the officials, involvement of expert bomb-maker Vedimara Thajudheen was evident in majority of these cases.
 “Thajudheen had close links with K P Sabir and Thadiyantavide Nazeer. It was Nazeer, who introduced him to terrorist activities. He was trained for making bombs and planting it in sensitive and busy localities,” officials said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources confirmed that the risk is high as a large number of metal crushers and quarries operate across the state.
“Lack of proper monitoring makes it easier for such anti-national elements to acquire explosives,” sou rces said.
However, Crime Branch investigation officer Biju K Stephan, who arrested Shabeer and Ismail, said that while it was easier to purchase explosives before the Coimbatore bomb blast, the scenario has changed now.
“It’s true that the explosives were purchased from Kerala to execute several bomb blasts. But after the Coimbatore blast, the metal crusher units and quarries operating in the state are under constant police vigil,” Biju added.

CBI submits FIR in fake currency notes case

KOCHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation  on Tuesday submitted the first information report (FIR) before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in the  case related to the seizure of high-grade counterfeit currency notes to the tune of `2.4 lakh from Parassala last year.
Khamarul Islam, Mujib Rehman, Inamul Haq, Sheyful Haq, Rijahul Karim, Shakir Ali, Masum Alam and Rahul Amir of Malda in Harishchandrapura are the accused in the case.
The police had arrested the accused from a lodge in Thampanoor following a tip-off from Bengali construction workers.
The first information report pointed out that the counterfeit currency notes were printed in Pakistan and reached Bangladesh.
 Later the currency notes were smuggled to West Bengal, from where they reached Kerala through migrant labourers.

Govt to promote 1250 policemen this year: CM

 Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today informed that the state government has decided to promote 1000 constables to the rank of Head Constables.
Addressing the reporters after the Cabinet meeting here on Wednesday, Chandy added that 1000 Head constables will be promoted to Assistant Sub Inspectors and 500 Assistant Sub Inspectors to Sub Inspectors.
1250 policemen would be promoted this year and the rest in the coming year, he told. It has also been decided to hand over the Agro Processing Company at Nadukavu in Moovatupuzha to Vegetable and Food Promotion Council. Rs 10 lakhs has been sanctioned for the year long birthday centenary celebration of Sree Chithira Thirunal.

King of chess Viswanathan Anand wins crown for the 5th time

MOSCOW: Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand showed immense resilience to beat challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel in a tense rapid chess tie-breaker to win the World Championship crown for the fifth time and fourth in a row in Moscow on Wednesday.


Anand won the second game and drew the other three to win the title at the State Tretyakov Gallery here. Luck played a major part in the final game, favouring the Indian chess wizard when it mattered the most.


After a 6-6 deadlock in the 12 Classical games, the rapid finale ended 2.5-1.5 in Anand's favour making him the world chess champion five times in all and four times in a row since 2007.


The victory also meant that the 'King of Chess' will keep the crown till 2014, when the next World Championship will be held.

Keralite killed in UP

ADOOR: A school teacher was charred to death at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The dead has been identified as Usha (24) of Adoor in Kerala.


Her parents were informed that she died in an accident. Instead of keeping the body in the morgue, it was cremated there itself. Usha’s relatives have lodged a complaint to the police and the chief minister seeking a probe on the death.


Police said only after questioning one Ajayan (30) who offered her the job, the real cause of the incident can be known.

Lal’s three more projects to come up this year

After his ‘Grandmaster’ which had a different Lal in the offering, superstar Mohanlal will have three more films to release this year. The coming movies will also display the best in the star.
The immediate release of the star will be the movie with Ranjith titled ‘Spirit’ which is into its post production. The movie which teams up the duo after five long years is said to have a very socially relevant theme and a stellar cast in the supporting list. The movie is expected to be on theatres by the final weeks of June.
Mohanlal is currently working for the movie ‘Run Baby Run’ with senior director Joshy. A new generation flick with a TV channel as its backdrop, ‘Run Baby Run’ will also have Amala Paul as the heroine in the scripts of Sachi. The movie is expected to become the Onam release of the star.

Selvaraj a ‘traitor', says VS

NEYYATINKARA: Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan called R Selvaraj, who resigned from the LDF and now contesting as a UDF candidate in Neyyatinkara, a ‘traitor’. He asked the people of Neyyatinkara to vote for LDF candidate F Lawrence.


He harshly criticized Selvaraj while attending the election campaign in Neyyatinkara.


Selvaraj, who won the assembly polls as a representative of the LDF is now contesting as a UDF candidate after resigning from the Left Front. Selvaraj, who said joining the UDF is like committing suicide, is now contesting as the Front’s candidate and seeking votes.  


VS came down heavily against Oommen Chandy and A K Antony.

Mammootty next with Ranjith & Lal Jose

As a part of his crisis management arising due to the continuous flop show of his films, Megastar Mammootty has preponed the shoot of his new project with director Ranjith. The movie will be the first project as a producer from Mammootty’s Manager George.
It has already been reported that Mammootty would be playing a driver in the film, and that the film would be scripted by Anoop Menon. Unconfirmed reports however suggest that since Anoop Menon is too busy at the moment, Shankar Ramakrishnan has taken over the project as the script writer.
That Mammotty has been going through one of the ‘leanest’ phases in his career would surely be an understatement. Ranjith is now gearing up for the theatrical relase of his Mohanlal-starrer Spirit whose shoot has been wrapped up. One the Mohanlal-starrer hits the screens; Ranjith would start work on his as-yet-untitled film with Mammootty in the lead.

Fishermen’s killing: HC grants bail to Italian marines

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Kerala High Court today granted bail to Latore Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone- the two Italian marines, who allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the state coast on February 15.
The Court asked the marines to deposit Rs 1 crore as personal bond and also asked two Indians to stand as surety for the Italian marines.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kerala High Court had dismissed a petition by the Italian Government seeking quashing of the FIR against the two marines. The two marines were arrested on Feb 19 are in judicial custody and lodged at the Borstal school here which houses juvenile delinquents.
They have been charged with murder of fishermen Valentine alias Jalestine and Ajesh Binki, who had put out to sea from the Needakara coast in Kollam, by firing at them from onboard the merchant ship whose authorities have maintained that the marines mistook the fishermen for pirates.

Controversial speech: HM warns action against MM Mani

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has warned action against M M Mani, CPM Idukki district committee secretary for his controversial remarks that there had been several instances of the party eliminating its foes.
“The statement made by Mani that CPM would kill its political opponents, should be taken as a serious one. Also an investigation will be carried out into all the murders mentioned by him. We will examine whether there was any political conspiracy behind it.
At a public meeting organised by the party at Thodupuzha on Friday last, Mani had said the party had prepared a list of “three targets” to be eliminated and it was carried out.

Man found guilty of rape, murder of woman in Mavelikkara

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Viswarajan, an accused in a case relating to the rape and murder of a woman in Mavelikkara on October 2011, was pronounced guilty by the Mavelikkara additional sessions Court here on Wednesday.
The quantum of sentence will be pronounced tomorrow. The victim identified as Smitha, was working as a sales girl in a shop in Kayamkulam. Police said the accused had attacked Smitha on seeing her walking home alone at night. He dragged the woman to a marshy field nearby and raped her.
He fled the scene soon after, leaving her with her head half-buried in the marsh. After hearing her cries for held the local residents rushed her to hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival. Viswarajan, a daily wage construction labourer, is an accused in several cases of attacks on women, the police said.

Antony says T.P murder shocked Kerala’s conscience

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Defence Minister A.K Antony on Wednesday said the CPM still had ‘Stalinists’ which was the reason for recurrence of political murders in the state.
“Unfortunately Stalin is still a role model for a section in the CPI(M) in Kerala. They follow him (the Soviet dictator) as their model in the organisational functioning”, Antony, here to campaign for the Congress candidate in the June 2 assembly by-poll from Neyyattinakara, told reporters.
“Stalin’s ideals have been discarded world over. But here a section in the party still practises them and this is what leads to political murders”, he asserted.
He was referring to the recent murder of Marxist rebel and RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district. Several CPI(M) activists have been arrested in connection with the case putting the party on the defensive.
Antony said Chandrasekharan’s killing was the latest in a series of political murders which shook the conscience of Kerala society.
“Let this be the last such murder and the CPI(M) cadre as well as people as a whole should take the by-poll as an opportunity to register their protest against the politics of violence”, he said.

MM Mani to face action for his controversial speech

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: CPM has disapproved the controversial remarks of M M Mani, CPM Idukki district committee secretary, seeking to justify the retaliatory killing of political opponents and said it will take appropriate action against him.
“The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) condemns and disapproves the remarks of M M Mani, which has sought to justify the retaliatory killing of political opponents,” a CPI(M) statement said.
These remarks have nothing whatsoever to do with the party’s approach and politics. “Appropriate action will be taken regarding this matter,” it said.
At a public meeting organised by the party at Thodupuzha on Friday last, Mani had said the party had prepared a list of “three targets” to be eliminated and it was carried out.
The party yesterday distanced itself from Mani’s speech with its state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan censuring the district leader saying that Mani had committed a ‘grave mistake’ and deviated from the party line.

Kottayam: Two killed in construction site accident

 Wednesday, May 30, 2012: Two migrant labourers were killed and two others injured in an accident at a construction site near here, police said Wednesday.
The deceased, Poornachandra Jana(20) and Anukul Das (26) who hailed from North 24, Parganas district in West Bengal, were working in the campus of a private engineering college at Choodacheri when mud caved in.
The injured Pardavar Chandan Das (24) and Sannattan Jana (25), hailing from the same locality, have been admitted at the medical college hospital here, police said.

One killed in road mishap in T’puram

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: A 38-year-old man was killed on spot when his bike collided with a bus of a private dental college near Sreekaryam here on Wednesday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Rajesh, hailing from Attingal, police told.
He was an employee of the postal department.

T.P murder: Rafeeq taken into custody

Wednesday, May 20, 2012:Police took into custody Vazhapadachi Rafeeq in connection with T P Chandrashekaran murder case.
According to reports, he was nabbed at Vadakara on Tuesday evening.
It was Rafeeq who had rented out an Innova car to Kodi Suni and team to kill T.P Chandrasekharan.
Rafeeq was planning for a surrender but before that the police arrested him.

VS to take campaign in Neyyattinkara today

Wednesday, May 30, 2012: With less than a week left for the Neyyattinkara by-election, political parties are gearing up for the final showdown by roping in their top leaders for the last leg of campaigning.
The CPM is getting their star campaigner opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Wednesday. He will be addressing in seven public meetings to boost the LDF campaign.
Achuthananandan is visiting Neyyattinkara for the first time after he revolted against the CPM leadership after the murder of Revolutionary Marxist party leader T P Chandrashekaran in Vadakara.
The LDF is in a defensive mode over the TPC murder and the controversial statement made by the Idukki district secretary M.M. Mony.

‘Top CBI officials had contacted Haridath'

KOCHI: The two CBI officials named in CBI ASP P G Haridath’s suicide note on Monday submitted before the Ernakulam Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that two high-level CBI officials had contacted Haridath hours before his unnatural death.
SP Pashion and Thiruvananthapuram Unit ASP Nandakumar Nair were the officials against whom the allegation was made by the two petitioners.
S Unnikrishnan Nair and K K Rajan, who were inspectors in the Thiruvananthapuram branch, made the submission when an application challenging their transfer to Guwahati and Kolkata came up for hearing before the tribunal. The petitioners also sought a directive to the CBI to produce the case diary (CD) in the Sampath custodial death case.
They contended that the case diary relating to the period from June 16, 2010, to December 4, 2010, and December 5, 2010, to April 1, 2011, and again from April 2, 2011, substantiate that the CD was manipulated by Haridath, Nanda Kumar Nair and Ashok Kumar to save two IPS officers. There was pressure to make changes in the CD.  The petitioners also submitted that Ashok Kumar and Nanda Kumar Nair had also pressurised Haridath to change the statements already produced before the court which was the part of charge sheet submitted on June 20, 2011. This had led Haridath to commit suicide after suffering from mental ailments for a long time.  “The top officials completely sabotaged the work carried out by Haridath and his team. The officials also intimidated the Chief Investigating Officer since the first week of April, 2011. Nanda Kumar and Ashok Kumar were controlling Haridath with others,” the petition pointed out.
CAT extended the interim order to the CBI to maintain status quo till June 12 on the transfer of two of its inspectors. The CAT had also directed the CBI that petitioners S Unnikrishnan Nair and K K Rajan may not be forced to join at new locations.
The petitioners moved CAT, alleging that the transfer order was issued as part of the superior officers’ plan to exonerate two top IPS officers Vijay Sakhare and Muhammed Yasin from the Sampath case. Under the cover of Haridath’s suicide note, the CBI top cops have transferred the duo, they said. Counsel for petitioners Pirappancode V S Sudheer submitted that evidence collected from the beginning of the Sampath case was supervised by Nanda Kumar and Ashok with the help of the legal officers of the CBI in New Delhi.
 He also sought a directive to quash the transfer of the petitioners.

KSRTC opens doors to more women conductors

KOCHI: The womenfolk seem to be showing an increased interest in taking up jobs in the KSRTC, with the Corporation appointing around 20 women conductors this year to the post of conductors in the district.
This is twice last year’s figures. According to KSRTC officials at the Ernakulam depot, the comparative rise in the number of women in the posts is encouraging as women are slowly proving to be at par or even better than their male counterparts. “Women are more patient and they are proved to be smarter at handling passengers,”  Sebastian Thomas Ernakulam Zonal Officer, KSRTC said.
Of the 700 conductors who were called for interviews from various employment exchanges, more than fifty were women. According to officials who conducted the interview, this year’s revised wages is one of the reasons for more women opting for the job.
“The KSRTC has increased the daily wages of the conductors from `280 to `310 per shift,” Sebastian said. Conductors in the KSRTC work double shifts amounting to 14 hours each day. This prospect of double wages and a four-day working week seems attractive. “Most of these women are highly qualified and are below 30 years. Lack of other job opportunities are pushing them to grab this opportunity,” he said.
“Also, some of them feel that one day their jobs will become permanent.” He said that most of the interviewed  women seemed unconcerned about the challenges of the job. “They liked the idea of travelling and some of them found it quite thrilling.”

Spirit mafia’s role fictitious: CBI officials

KOCHI: The alleged involvement of the spirit mafia in the custodial death of Sampath was the creation of top CBI officials, stated team members investigating the unnatural death of ASP Haridath.
The two CBI officials - S Unnikrishnan and K K Rajan - submitted before the Central Administrative Tribunal  that the higher-ups in the CBI brought the spirit mafia into the picture to divert the case and save the two accused IPS officers.
The documents in possession of Express reveal that the officers stated that some of the top CBI officials in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi units forced Haridath to alter the case diary.
According to the document, Haridath had pointed out in his two case diaries dated February 4, 2011, and March 5, 2011, submitted before Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ernakulam, that some of the officials in the department are spreading wrong news to divert the case.
The case diary dated February 4, 2011, pointed out that “Haridath had stated elaborately about the threat and harassment the investigation team had to bear because of the high influence of the accused. He had also referred to the spreading of wrong news using some newspapers.”
Similarly, the case diary dated March 5, 2011,  stated that “Haridath had pointed out the attempts made to tarnish the reputation of the investigation team by the CBI officials. They maliciously propagated that spirit and abkari mafia were behind Murukesan, the petitioner.” The application filed by Unnikrishan and Rajan stated that higher officials demanded Haridath on numerous occasions to hand over the case diary to them but he  refused it. It is also pointed out that many times a senior official in the CBI Thiruvananthapuram unit had leaked the departmental news to the local police and the accused IPS officer for assisting them in the case.
The application also suggested that ever since the Supreme Court ordered in April, 2011, to appoint a Supervisory Officer in the case, the situation became more favourable to the corrupt CBI officials.
“Even the statements were re-recorded and some of the witnesses were influenced to keep mum,” the application stated.

Police hunt on for Kodi Suni, TK Rajeesh

THALASSERY: The police continued raids on ‘party villages’ in the Chokli region here on Sunday night also to locate the hideouts of the members of the quotation gang involved in the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T P Chandarasekharan.
The targets of the raids were the suspected shelters of Kodi Suni and T K Rajeesh, the duo who led the gang that executed the murder of Chandrasekharan.
   The police conducted raids in Chokli, Pallur and Patyam regions based on the suspicion that the leaders of the killer-gang could be still remaining safe in the shelters of the party villages. The raids were  led by Panur CI Jayan Dominic, Chokli SI Shiju and Chombala SI Shiju. The usual hideouts of the killer-gang were searched by the police party, but no one could be taken into custody.   There were reports that the CPM workers would prevent the police from conducting raids on the party villages, but the police party faced no resistance.
The investigating police officials expect to make a breakthrough if Rejeesh could be arrested. Rejeesh is involved in a series of murder cases in the region.  The links of the quotation gang involved in the murder of T P Chandrasekharan with Mahe also are being probed by the team of officials, according to sources here.

Probe in piracy-related cases runs into trouble

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The investigation into piracy-related cases has run into trouble after the Karnataka Police slapped a case for custodial death on the officials of the Anti-Piracy Cell (APC) of Kerala.
The case was registered after Asokh, 27, an accused  who was in APC’s custody, was found hanging in the bathroom of the BSF camp in Bangalore where he was provided accommodation.
Asokh and his father Sudhakar were taken into custody after they surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here four days ago.
While the court declined the APC’s request for keeping Sudhakar in custody citing health problems,Asokh was sent to APC custody.
On Saturday, the investigation team took Asokh to Bangalore for collecting evidence. According to the APC’s version, Asokh went for a bath and committed suicide by hanging himself.
With Asokh’s death, the investigation by the State Anti-Piracy Cell, which has been cruising ahead successfully so far, received a major setback. Another youth, 25-year-old Hemanth,who was    suspected to be a key player in the piracy operations had committed suicide earlier. It was reported that he committed suicide after it became clear that the APC would hunt him down from his hideout.
With the number of casualties rising to two after the APC tightened its noose around the piracy racket,it is said that the APC officials are under tremendous pressure.
“The death has of course slowed down the pace of the investigation. Right now we are waiting for certain legal procedures to be completed,” said APC DySP S Rafeek from Bangalore.
He also admitted that with Asokh’s death, they have lost an important link that could have led them to the big sharks in the business. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from Bangalore suggest that the APC
arrested a theatre owner in connection with film piracy. Sudhakar, Asokh’s father was provided interim  bail by the court. He flew to Bangalore to attend his son’s funeral.

Navya Nair is Coming Back

Navya Nair is coming back to the Malayalam Film industry.She would play the role of a teacher in Shaiju Anthikkad’s new film that has been titled ‘Scene 1: Nammude Veedu’.
The film would have cinema as its backdrop and Lal would play Ottappalam Unni, an associate director in films. Navya would play his wife, a teacher in a higher secondary school. The script by Shailesh Kumar. Shafeer Seth is the producer of this film.
The actress is all set accept film offers, provided the roles are exciting enough.

Action will be taken against M M Mani, says PB

NEW DELHI: The central leadership hinted that action will be taken against CPM Idukki district secretary M M Mani for his indiscreet statement that the party had earlier finished off its rivals.


Soon after the available politburo meet convened here Tuesday, party general secretary Prakash Karat said what action should be taken will be decided only after consulting with the state leadership.


In a release issued, Karat said they deeply condemn the sensational revelation and asserted that the party has never encouraged political murders.

Pathanamthitta: Drunk on duty, cop suspended

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: A policeman belonging to the Perumbetty police station was on Tuesday suspended for being drunk on duty.
Sebu, a Sub inspector, was found in an inebriated state while on duty, sources said. The drunk police officer was later taken for medical checkup at Ranni government hospital later.
Acting on his misconduct and indiscipline he was suspended with immediate effect.

MM Mani likely to be quizzed over controversial speech

 Tuesday, May 29, 2012: CPM Idukki district secretary M M Mani is most likely to be quizzed for his controversial statements that there had been several instances of the party eliminating its foes.
A special investigation team has been appointed for conducting an inquiry into Mani’s shocking revelations.
In his sarcasm-laced speech, Mani reminded his audience of how some of the rivals of the party in Idukki district had been eliminated in the past.
As his words hit headlines in the local media, Mani later clarified that he did not say physically eliminating opponents was the party’s line but only meant it had sometimes to put up resistance to threats from opponents.
“What I said was the party had often resisted threats from opponents and in some such instances activists from both sides could have been killed”, Mani told.

Guruvayur Corp council meet witnesses unruly scenes

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: The Guruvayur corporation council witnessed some unruly scenes on Tuesday after a scuffle broke out between the rulings and opposition members.
The situation worsened after the vice-chairman allegedly made fun of the councillors, which later led to the scuffle. Two councillors, who were injured during the scuffle, have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

T.P murder case: Three accused sent to police custody

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Three persons arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P Chandrasekharan on May 4 were sent to police custody on Tuesday.
The accused have been identified as PP Ramakrishnan- CPM Thalassery area committee member, Ajesh and Abhinesh. 50-year-old Chandrasekharan was murdered on May 4 at Vallikkadu near Vatakara town in the district.
The assailants, who came by a car, attacked him while he was riding a motorcycle alone. Country-made bombs were hurled at him before he was hacked to death with sharp weapons.
A former CPI(M) leader in the party stronghold Onjiyam in Kozhikode district, Chandrasekharan was expelled a few years ago after falling out with the leadership. He later joined RMP floated by CPI(M) activists who either quit the party over ideological issues or expelled for anti-party activities.

Italian Govt’s plea dismissed in fishermen killing case

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Kerala High Court today dismissed a petition by the Italian Government seeking quashing of the FIR against two of its marines, who allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the state coast in February and slapped a cost of Rs one lakh on it.
Dismissing the petition, Justice P S Gopinathan said Kerala Police has the jurisdiction to register the case since the incident occurred in the territorial waters falling within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone making the Indian penal laws applicable.
The Judge said the marines cannot claim sovereignty and also pointed out that ‘Enrica Lexie’ was not an Italian government owned vessel, but a private ship.
He directed the Italian embassy to deposit the cost in two weeks.
The two marines — Latore Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone, arrested on Feb 19 are in judicial custody and lodged at the Borstal school here which houses juvenile delinquents.
They have been charged with murder of fishermen Valentine alias Jalestine and Ajesh Binki, who had put out to sea from the Needakara coast in Kollam, by firing at them from onboard the merchant ship whose authorities have maintained that the marines mistook the fishermen for pirates.

Kerala grants permission to TN to close holes in Mullaperiyar

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: The Kerala government granted permission to plug the holes in Mullaperiyar dam.Tamil Nadu has been permitted to carry out the work of closing the holes as the state’s need to examine the dam for which the holes were drilled was over, the office of Water Resources Minister P J Joseph said .
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had Sunday sought intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to facilitate the work.

TP murder: Ashokan’s allegations baseless, says industrialist

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Pradeep Kumar, an industrialist who was mentioned in the bail plea application of CPM Onchiyam area committee Secretary C H Ashokan today said that allegations against him are totally baseless.
‘Ashokan may have made the allegations to escape from the case. Chandrasekharan was not active in the agitation against ice plant’, he said.
He also said that his uncle P.P. Sukumaran doesn’t have any connection with the case.
C.H Ashokan had stated in his bail plea that the murder of T P Chandrashekaran was not a political murder and an industrialist who had a personal enemity with TP led to his murder.

Neyyattinkara by Election Results: Election campaign in full flow

 Tuesday, May 29, 2012: With less than a week left for the Neyyattinkara by-election, political parties are gearing up for the final showdown by roping in their top leaders for the last leg of campaigning.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony will lead the campaign today with a series of road shows in the constituency spread across five panchayats and one municipality.
The CPI(M) is getting their star campaigner opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan on May 30. He will be addressing in seven public meetings to boost the LDF campaign.
Political observers say it’s going to be an evenly fought battle with the BJP putting up a strong challenge to the Congress and CPI (M).
The LDF is in a defensive mode over the TPC murder and the controversial statement made by the Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani. The UDF which raised the pitch against the CPI (M)’s politics of murder hopes to get the support of the electorate on the issue.

Associates of Thadiyantavide Nazir arrested

Tuesday, May, 29, 2012:Crime Branch police on Tuesday arrested two associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Thadiyantavide Nazir .
K.P. Shabir and Bomb Ismail were arrested today in connection with jewellery theft case.
‘They are arrested in a jewellery theft case that happened 10 years ago. The theft was organised by Nazir to find money for terrorism’, police said.

Alert call against cell phones in schools

KOCHI: Aiming to combat the misuse of mobile phones in schools, the Childline is planning to organise an awareness campaign for its student ambassadors.
Childline has already selected four students each from 250 schools as its ambassadors. They will be given training on a zonal basis. Accordingly, the campaign for schools in the city will be organised on June 16 at Ernakulam Children’s Park.
The campaign will also focus on creating awareness on the hazards of tobacco, drugs and sexual abuse.
“In a majority of the cases, the students who turn victims of sexual abuse hesitate to tell it to their parents and teachers. In such cases, the Childline ambassadors can help them contact their parents or Childline for immediate help,” said an official spokesperson of Childline.

Kerala: Omani national among three arrested

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An Omani national and two Keralites were arrested by the Poojapura police here for conducting unauthorised recruitments in the city.
Abu Omar of Oman and Pradeep of Mangattukadavu near Tirumala and Anilkumar of Poovar were arrested for conducting recruitment drive without getting the prior permission of the authorities.
The three were arrested from a private hotel at Thirumala, where they were residing. The police said that the arrests were made after they received a tip off that the accused were recruiting workers to Oman without permission.
The police confirmed that Abu Omar was the proprietor of a recruiting agency in Oman and Pradeep and Anilkumar were his employees. They were in the state to recruit trained carpenters to Oman.
But they hadn’t obtained necessary sanctions from the Emigration Department. The arrested were charged with relevant sections of IPC and Emigration act, the police said.

Varma's poem: Malayalam Varika firm on decision

KOCHI:  The ‘Samakalika Malayalam Varika’s’ decision to discontinue publishing the poetry series of CPM sympathiser Prabha Varma, who has justified the brutal murder of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan, has been creating ripples in the state’s socio-political sphere.
Reacting sharply to the killing of Chandrasekharan and Prabha Varma’s  attempts to vindicate the murder, ‘Malayalam Varika’ has discontinued the serialised publication of Varma’s poem titled ‘Syama Madhavam’.
In the latest issue of the weekly, Malayalam Weekly Editor Jayachandran Nair remarked: “Chandrasekharan has been a symbol; one which points fingers against the rule of autocracy. And there is nothing more contemptible than the brutal killing of a person... While some of us are heartbroken by the cruelty, the attempt by Prabha Varma to trivialise such attempts needs to be condemned. If I did not do at least this much, it would be a denial of my own self.”  
The decision to discontinue the publication has invited mixed response. Speaking to ‘Express’ on Sunday, Jayachandran Nair said it was not a political decision.   “It is a humanitarian protest. At a time when no magazine which is interested in its readership publishes lengthy poems, we decided to carry Prabha Varma’s poem as we consider it good poetry.
Same way, we decided to stop publishing it as it is a way of protest. A publication is a platform. We don’t have any reservations against anyone,” he said, adding that a piece of writing cannot be viewed in isolation from the writer.
Asked about the discussions and debates over the decision to discontinue the publication, Jayachandran Nair said he was not interested in such discussions. “Let there be debates. As an editor, I did what I’m supposed to do. That’s all,” Jayachandran Nair added.

He helped hitmen identify TP

KOZHIKODE: Ravindran, 47, hailing from Orkattery, was among the CPM leaders who attacked the RMP activists who were taking out a march in connection with RMP’s Onchiyam area conference in March 2012. Ravindran emerged as a leader to reckon with after the ouster of Chandresekharan and several others from the CPM in 2009.
The SIT has arrested Ravindran on the charges of criminal conspiracy in connection with the murder.  According to police sources, Ravindran had been assigned the duty of helping the hitmen by identifying Chandrasekharan. For this, he had reportedly extended the invitation of his house-warming to Chandrasekharan at Orkattery on May 2 in front of two of the assailants.

Fire kills 19, mostly children, in Qatar mall

DOHA - At least 19 foreigners, including 13 children, were killed in a fire that ripped through an upscale shopping mall in Qatar on Monday, the country's interior ministry said.

Four of the dead children were Spanish, diplomatic sources in Madrid said.


In was not immediately clear what caused the blaze at the Villagio Mall in Doha's west end and Qatar's interior ministry said an investigation was under way.


"There don't seem to have been any fire alarms or sprinklers at the mall," a relative of a two-year-old child who died in the fire told Reuters, speaking by phone from Qatar's Hamad hospital.


Smoke was seen billowing from the mall, which was evacuated. Ambulances and police vehicles blocked entry to the complex.


A ministry official told journalists none of the dead were Qataris. Four of the dead adults were teachers and the other two were civil defense personnel, the official said. Seventeen people were also wounded, including four children, the official added.


Many expatriates live in Qatar, a gas and oil-rich Gulf Arab state with one of the highest standards of living in the world.


The Villagio Mall, which opened in 2006, is an Italianate-themed shopping complex with a hotel, theme park and canal plied by gondolas.

CBSE Class 12 results declared

Monday, May 28, 2012: CBSE has finally declared CBSE class 12th results 2012 declared today at 11 am.
The results will be available at http://cbseresults.nic.in/class1211/cbse122012.htm
Students can also get their results on their e-mail IDs by registering themselves on the following websites: www.results.nic.in, www.cbseresults.nic.in and www.cbse.nic.in
CBSE has begun its second phase of counselling for both students and parents which will continue till June 7. Counselling is available through calls, interactive voice response system (IVRS) and CBSE’s website. One can call on the toll free number - 1800 180 3456 - from 8 am up to midnight.

Medical PG allotment from May 29

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second round of allotment for PG medical courses will be held at the Directorate of Medical Education, here, on May 29 and 30. The allotment of all candidates, except those in the service quota, will be held as per the rank in the list published by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, a press note issued here said. Candidates should download the option form from the website www.dmc.kerala.gov.in.Those who do not wish to change the allotment received during the first round need not participate in the second round. Details of those who receive selection would be available on the site www.dme.kerala.gov.in. Those who receive allotment should report at the respective colleges on May 31.

Holiday declared on polling day

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has declared a general holiday for government offices and educational institutions in the Neyyattinkara constituency in connection with the polling in the by-election to the Assembly on June 2. Employees of quasi-government institutions and commercial establishments could avail themselves leave with pay on the polling day, an official release said.

Mani to be arrested soon

THODUPUZHA: CPM Idukki district secretary M M Mani is likely to be arrested soon. The superintendent of police directly arrived at the Thodupuzha police station and directed to register a case against him.


A case was charged against him after examining the video tape of his speech. He may be soon taken into custody as the charges were non bailable. When contacted, Mani said that he came to know of the case charged against him through media. He refused to say more on the issue.

CBSE 12th class results announced available now

Monday, May 28, 2012: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will announce the Class 12th results 2012 today.
In a statement, the CBSE said that class 12th results will be published at 11.00 hrs on Monday morning. However, the timing may be changed at later stage.
Students, who are eagerly waiting for their CBSE class 12th results, can visit the official website http://cbseresults.nic.in to download their respective result.
Apart from this students can also get their results through email after being registered at the above mentioned website.

CBI arrests Jaganmohan Reddy

HYDERABAD: YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, who made a stunning rise in politics, was on Sunday arrested by the CBI in a disproportionate assets case, that can well be a turning point in Andhra Pradesh which is soon to witness bypolls to 18 Assembly and one Lok Sabha seats.


After three days of grilling, CBI arrested 39-year-old Jagan charging him under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 477A (falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.


Amid high drama outside the Dilkusha guest house, where Jagan was questioned for nearly nine hours today, his mother, YS Vijaya, and supporters staged a dharna shortly after he was taken into CBI custody.


"CBI arrested him at 7.15 PM," CBI spokesperson said.

Pinarayi's criticism of Mani not sincere: Chandy

KOTTAYAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Sunday that CPI (M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan statement criticising the comments by party Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani lacked sincerity.


Talking to mediapersons, Chandy pointed out that Vijayan was not able to confidently state that neither the CPI (M) nor its members had any role in the murders that were mentioned by Mani. “His stance only strengthened suspicion that the members of his party had conspired to eliminate its enemies. I am of the opinion that the press conference (called by Mr. Vijayan) was merely intended to become a medium to caution his party members against making public statements,” he said.


The Chief Minister said the comments made by Mr. Mani were of a serious nature and legal proceedings would be initiated to unravel the truth. “His revelations have come at a time when the party's leadership has reiterated its declared stance against political violence.”

Reject Mani’s vulgar opinions: Achuthanandan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Commenting on CPI (M) Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani’s controversial remarks, CPI (M)’s octogenarian central committee member V.S. Achuthanandan said Mani’s statement was contrary to facts.


“As the party’s State secretary at that time, I can authoritatively say that what he said is contrary to facts. I hope that you will reject Mani’s vulgar opinions with the contempt they deserve,” he said.


MM Mani had openly claimed on Friday that the party had a history of ruthlessly murdering its political enemies and would continue to do so if it was necessary.


Mani’s statement came at the most inopportune moment imaginable for the Marxist party as it was immersed in the difficult task of proving its innocence in the May 4 murder of rebel leader T.P. Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district by repeatedly saying that killing political enemies had never been a policy of the CPI (M).

Police to register case against M.M. Mani

KOCHI: A case will be registered against Idukki district secretary of the CPI (M), M.M. Mani, in the light of the controversial revelations made by him related to certain political murders in the hilly district of Idukki.


The Director General of Prosecution (DGP) T. Asif Ali has given legal advice to the police that there would be no time limit for reopening the political murder cases. It is on the basis of this advice that police started taking procedures to file case against Mani.


Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose handed the report containing the legal advice to Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as per the instruction of Kerala government.

KKR beat defending champs CSK to win maiden IPL title

CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders became the new champions of the Indian Premier League as they defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in a nerve-wracking final, to win their maiden IPL final, in Chennai on Sunday.


Chasing a stiff target of 191, little known Manvinder Bisla played the most defining innings of his life as smashed the CSK bowlers to all corners to notch up 89 off only 48 balls (8x4, 5x6) ably supported by Jacques Kallis (69, 49 balls, 7x4, 1x6) as most popular franchise of the cash-rich league finally lived upto its reputation.


The moment Manoj Tiwary hit Dwayne Bravo to the square leg boundary for the second successive boundary, the delirious KKR players were all into the ground as their principal owner Shah Rukh was engaged in a frenzied celebrations.


The day however belonged to Bisla wasn't supposed to play this match had Laxmipathy Balaji not suffered hamstring injury. The decision to drop Brendon McCullum was widely debated but the lad from Himachal Pradesh put all the speculation to rest as he emerged as an unlikely hero among the galaxy of stars.


Despite losing Gautam Gambhir early, Bisla played a blinder as he took on the CSK attack by the scruff of their neck. Four boundaries of an Albie Morkel over set the tone and couple of clean sixes of Ravichandran Ashwin meant that the Knights were certainly there in the match.


The best part was that Bisla-Kallis duo saw Ben Hilfenhaus' first spell without taking any risks and then launched into the other bowlers. As Bisla started spanking the CSK bowlers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni suddenly started worrying.