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Kerala Blasters: Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna join Sachin as co-owners

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Kerala Blasters

Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Kerala Blasters, co-owned by cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, on Wednesday got several financial backers in the form of Indian movie stars.

A consortium of investors including regional megastars Chiranjeevi and Akkineni Nagarjuna, leading film producer Allu Arvind and industrialist and serial entrepreneur Nimmagadda Prasad have joined hands to purchase stakes in Blasters Sports Pvt. Ltd.

Tendulkar arrived here on Wednesday and had a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues and later the cricket icon introduced the new owners of the club to the media.

At the press conference, Tendulkar, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Allu Arvind and Nimmagadda Prasad signed a football, sporting the Kerala Blasters logo.

The third edition of the ISL is scheduled to kick off from October, 2016.

Commenting on the development, Tendulkar said, they are beginning their third season in right earnest and have some of the biggest names coming on board as investors in Kerala Blasters.

“I welcome Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Allu Arvind and Prasad to this exciting experience which is made more special with the faith and unique place that Kerala Blasters holds in the hearts of millions of its followers,” said Tendulkar.

Chiranjeevi said, he is very excited to be part of a popular team co-owned by Tendulkar.

“All of us in Kerala Blasters are committed to expanding the football base in the state and give the potential talent a platform to perform and excel,” said Chiranjeevi.

“I have been supporting sports in the country and I am excited to start with football and a very special football team – the Kerala Blasters. I am keenly looking forward to experience the craze for the game in the state and beyond and wish the team the very best,” said Nagarjuna.

Arvind said, he is very happy to strengthen his special relationship with Kerala by being a part of Kerala Blasters.

Kerala Blasters enjoys the highest television popularity in the country with an average TRP of six with a 100 per cent year-on-year increment in the Kerala market.

It also has one of the largest number of followers in the digital space among the clubs in ISL.

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Chandy resigns, P Vijayan to be next Kerala CM

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PINARAYI VIJAYAN

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan has been chosen as next Chief Minister of Kerala, a day after the marxist party-led LDF romped home to power in the Assembly polls, according to reports.

The CPI-M secretariat and party’s Kerala committee met here today in the presence of General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan and party politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, both of whom were elected to the Assembly, were being considered for the top slot. The meeting assumed significance as it had to choose one among them.

In the 140-member state Assembly, CPI-M-led LDF won 91 seats, UDF headed by Congress 47, BJP and Independents, one each.

Chandy resigns

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today resigned from the post following the defeat of Congress-led UDF in the Assembly election.

Chandy drove to the Raj Bhavan this morning around 1030 hrs and submitted his resignation letter to Governor P Sathasivam.

He told reporters that UDF and Congress would be meeting next week to discuss the poll debacle and take stock of the situation.

UDF, which was trounced by CPI(M) headed LDF in the May 16 polls, bagged only 47 seats against the rival front’s 91.

“This is only a temporary phenomena and Congress will come back with strength,” 72-year-old Chandy said, adding, “the party and Front have the responsibility for the setback, but as chairman of UDF, I have more responsibility”.

On reports that he was not willing to take up the post of Leader of Opposition, he said, “It is a matter to be discussed at the party level. I have nothing more to say.”

Chandy said that he would be going to the state Secretariat to meet his office staff and other employees.

Chandy has the distinction of being the only Congress chief minister to have completed the five-year term in office.

(Agencies)

 

Kerala poll: Sreesanth clean bowled

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Sreesanth

Thiruvananthapuram: Former cricketer S Sreesanth, who recently joined the BJP, was on Thursday finished at the third spot in his Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the Kerala assembly elections.

State health minister VS Shivakumar retained the seat.

Sivakumar polled 46,474 votes, winning over his nearest rival Antony Raju by a margin of 10,905 votes. Raju polled 35,569 votes.

Sreesanth came third with 34,764 votes.

As of latest media reports, the LDF is leading in 89 seats, UDF in 49 and BJP in 1.

Sreesanth was given a life ban by the BCCI in September 2013 after being found guilty of spot-fixing in that year’s IPL tournament. However, a Delhi court exonerated Sreesanth along with two other cricketers–Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila–in July 2015 in the high-profile IPL match-fixing case which had blown the lid off cricket’s biggest scandal in recent times.

The 33-year-old had earlier said his name had been cleared by the court in the match-fixing case and he was not worried about any political attack over the controversy.

(Agencies)

PM’s Somalia remark will impact BJP’s prospects in Kerala : Antony

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Narendra Modi

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader A K Antony today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial Kerala-Somalia comparison will impact the prospects of BJP, which has been pulling out all the stops in its bid to open its account in Kerala Assembly.

“Modi had compared Kerala to Somalia, which is infamous for starvation deaths and sea pirates. The pride of Keralites has been hurt,” Antony told reporters after exercising his franchise at a booth here.

“The Prime minister had an opportunity to apologise for the remark, but he did not do that,” the former Defence Minister said, adding the remark would affect the BJP’s prospects.

Modi, while addressing an election rally here, had compared the infant deaths in some tribal areas in the state with that to Somalia.

However, BJP defended the Prime Minister, saying people were “twisting facts” and he had only highlighted the plight of the tribal community in the state and his desire was to improve their living conditions.

Expressing confidence that Kerala will create history by voting to power the UDF government again, Antony said the Marxist-led LDF will have to sit in the opposition for the next five years and BJP will not open its account.

This will be a vote against the politics of violence and communalism and it will be a vote for peace, he said.

The attack on RMP candidate K K Rema at Vatakara will prove dangerous for the LDF, he added.

(PTI)

Kerala high court allows muslim girls to wear hijab for pre-medical test

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Kerala

Kochi: Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted permission to Muslim girls to wear hijab, a customary religious dress, for the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT)-2016 but on condition that they should be present at the hall half an hour before the exam for frisking if necessary.

The order was issued by Justice Muhammed Mushtaq while hearing a writ petition by one Amnah Bint Basheer challenging the dress code prescribed for the candidates by CBSE in the bulletin relating to conduct of AIPMT-2016.

The petitioner contended that the instructions contained in the AIPMT-2016 bulletin regarding dress code, as per her religious beliefs and practices, would amount to violation of exercise of religious freedom.

The court issued directions to CBSE to permit Muslim girl students to wear hijab for attending the AIPMT.

Last year, a single Judge of the Kerala High Court had allowed two Muslim girl students to wear hijab while appearing for the CBSE AIPMT-2015.

(Agencies)

Sreesanth, film personalities in second BJP list for Kerala polls

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BJP S Sreesanth

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Former Indian pace bowler S. Sreesanth and several film personalities are in the second list of 51 BJP candidates who will contest the May 16 assembly polls in Kerala from Thiruvananthapuram segment.

The state BJP early this month announced its first list of 22 candidates, including all senior state leaders. The second list of 51 candidates was cleared in the national capital on Friday.

Sreesanth early this week confirmed that he was offered a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.

On Friday, Sreesanth arrived at the BJP headquarters in Delhi and met with top party leaders. He later announced he had accepted the party membership and will do his best to strengthen the party in Kerala.

Malayalam actor Bheemen Reghu will be BJP candidate from Pathanapuram, to witness a triangular fight between three film stars – sitting legislator K.B. Ganesh Kumar who moved from the ruling United Democratic Front to the Left opposition and Congress’ popular comedian and character artiste Jagdish.

Friday’s BJP list also included the names of veteran film director Rajasenan from Nedumangad and another director Ali Akbar from Koduvally constituency.

The Thiruvananthapuram assembly segment, in the heart of the state capital, is presently held by Congress leader and state Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar and he is all set to contest again. The Left opposition is yet to announce its candidate.

The BJP is yet to open its account in the 140-member assembly.

Sreesanth was banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India after match-fixing allegations. He last played in the 2013 Indian Premier League. He was arrested on charge of match-fixing and lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

In July 2015, a Patiala House court in Delhi exonerated him and two other players in the case, against which Delhi Police have gone in appeal.

While his parents are settled in Ernakulam in Kerala, he keeps shuttling between Bengaluru and Kochi.

Sreesanth played 27 Tests (87 wickets), 53 ODIs (75) and 10 T20Is (seven wickets) and was part of two World Cup winning teams, in the 2007 World Twenty20 and the 2011 World Cup.

(Agencies)

Priests perform purification ritual after Dalit man takes bath in temple pond

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temple-pond-purification

Kozhikode: A purification ritual was performed at a temple in Kozhikode by the priests after a Dalit man took a bath in the temple pond.

The incident happened at the Kondamvalli Ayyappa Temple, near Koyilandi in Kozhikode, on January 26, 2016.

“A committee was formed to renovate the temple pond, which was lying in a dilapidated state. A Dalit man was chosen as the president of the committee. The temple authorities later removed him from the post after the completion of the first phase of renovation works. Later, they finished the renovation work and dedicated the pond to the temple on October 17, 2015. The dedication ceremony was conducted by the priests. As part of the ceremony, it was the Dalit man who had given Dakshina to the temple Tantri and he had conducted the snanam (bathing),” Dalit leaders said at a press meeting.

“However, there were some people who were not satisfied with a Dalit man performing snanam (bathing). So, they organised a rededication ceremony on January 26. They organised a purification puja in the temple pond. The snanam (bathing) ritual was then conducted by an upper caste man.  Neither the temple committee nor the temple Tantri was aware of it,” they said alleging that it was part of a move to bring back the caste system in Kerala.

“The rededication ceremony was conducted by Koomulli Karunaakaran, president of Chengottukaavu grama panchayat. Former MLA P.Vishwan was also present at the event,” they said.

“Dalits and other social activists should come forward against such move,” they added.

Bharathiya Pattika Samajan leaders M.M Sreedharan, P.M.B Naderi and Saseendran Bappankaavu were present at the press meeting.

(Madhyamam)

Paid Rs 1 Cr in cash for Kerala CM, testifies woman in ‘solar scam’

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Oommen Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: A bribe of Rs. 1.1 crore was paid to the personal staff of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for the politician, testified a woman accused, along with her partner, of engineering Kerala’s “solar scam.”

Saritha Nair, who was arrested for the swindle in 2013 and then granted bail, made her disclosure today before a retired high court judge appointed to investigate the solar scam, which has pummelled the government ahead of state elections this year.

Nair said today that the Chief Minister’s staff sought a bribe of Rs. seven crore for him, of which she paid Rs. 1.1 crore in cash, a claim Chandy has denounced as baseless.

Nair’s allegations come after Chandy, who belongs to the Congress, spent nearly 11 hours being questioned on Monday about his alleged links to the con job, which was centred on industrialists being promised solar panels at cheap rates by Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan, who she was romantically involved with. Radhakrishnan is still in jail for the alleged murder of his wife.

“Saritha Nair could have said all these things several times before the (judicial commission). But she never did that. Suddenly what happened?” asked the Chief Minister, reiterating that he has not committed any wrongdoing. Chandy has revealed that he refused to take a lie detector test on Monday, as requested by a lawyer for Radhakrishnan.

The couple has earlier said that they used Chandy’s name and his aides’ political connections to land valuable contracts, and that the Chief Minister had promised them a large plot of government land in exchange for 40 per cent of the profits from a clean energy plant they had proposed. Chandy was forced to suspend three aides whose close links to Nair and Radhakrishnan were established.

With assembly elections due in Kerala this year, Chandy is seen as making a strong political statement by deposing; he had requested an early hearing.

(Agencies)

SC upholds Kerala’s liquor policy; bars only in 5-star hotels

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Actor Mohanlal advertises for a brand of whisky in Kerala.

Actor Mohanlal advertises for a brand of whisky in Kerala.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Kerala government’s liquor policy restricting service and consumption of liquor at bars in five star hotels only.

An apex court bench comprising Justice Vikramjit Sen and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh in their judgement pronounced on Tuesday said that petitions challenging the Kerala liquor policy are dismissed and the Kerala High Court judgement sustaining the liquor policy is upheld.

The liquor policy, upheld by the apex court, allows service of liquor at bars in five star hotels only. Under the policy, the sale and consumption of liquor at the bars in hotels below five star is prohibited.

The Kerala government hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict that not only upheld the Kerala High Court’s verdict but also the Oommen Chandy government’s liquor policy.

“We are happy that the Supreme Court’s division bench has upheld our decision. From now on, we will be going ahead very strongly with our anti-liquor campaign programmes as we want this habit to be removed from our society,” Kerala’s Excise Minister K. Babu told reporters just after the apex court’s verdict on Tuesday.

In March this year the Kerala High Court upheld the state’s new liquor policy and dismissed a petition of the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association. Following this, the hotel association, led by its president Raj Kumar Unni, approached the apex court against this verdict.

From April 1, only 27 five-star hotels were serving liquor and with Tuesday’s verdict, the status quo would be maintained.

Reacting to the new development, Unni said the government will now decide how and what to do next. “Yes, we will seek legal advice on how to move forward,” said Unni.

Bar owner Elegant Binoy told reporters that the latest verdict is not the end of the world for the bar association.

“What must be noticed is that the liquor policy of the state is an annual exercise and there are just three more months for this policy. From April 1, 2016, there has to be a new policy, so we will wait and see, and before that we also will sit down and discuss what other legal recourse is there before us,” said Binoy.

In August 2014 the Chandy-led Kerala government announced, as part of its new liquor policy, that it was deciding to go in for total prohibition in 10 years and had issued a notice for closure to all the 710 bars, including the 418 ones that had not opened since April 1 that year.

Liquor, however, will be available through 305 retail liquor shops owned by the Kerala government. And, here too, 10 percent of these shops would be closed down every October, the new policy statement anno0unced. By now 78 shops have already downed their shutters.

With assembly polls round the corner, all eyes are on the Left opposition as to what would be its liquor policy, as the apex court on Tuesday pointed out it is the decision of the state government to formulate its own policy.

(IANS)

Tortured Kerala youths return home

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saudi-video

Thiruvananthapuram: Three Kerala youths, who were allegedly physically tortured by their Saudi employer, returned to their home state early today from Saudi Arabia.

The plight of the three came to light after a Whatsapp video of a Saudi employer allegedly beating them with a wooden plank surfaced. Kerala government and External Affairs Ministry had intervened to help them.

As the trio arrived at the airport here in the wee hours, their relatives and friends welcomed them.

Baiju, Abilash and Vimal Kumar had been taken to Saudi Arabia by a placement agency a couple of months back after promising them job opportunities.

21-year-old Abilash told reporters that he had taken loan to build a house and had hoped that employment abroad will help him clear his loan fast. However, that was not to be.
Their relatives said it was a relief seeing their near ones back safe.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier stated in New Delhi that the three men had been given police protection and the matter was being followed up.

(PTI)

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