Rahul Easwar alleges ‘deep state conspiracy’ behind Sabarimala, Jellikettu controversies

Rahul Easwar, one of the most prominent spokespersons of the Hindu right wing in Kerala, has blamed a section within the Hindu right wing for the controversies surrounding South Indian traditions likes Jallikettu and Sabarimala. Easwar, who can be found on TV on most days expounding the Hindu right wing perspective on Kerala-related issues, said […]

Church withdraws action against nun who protested against Bishop Franco

The Catholic Church in Kerala withdrew action against Sister Lucy Kalappura, who came out publicly in support of the five nuns who sat on protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal in Kochi for two weeks. The withdrawal followed strong protests by parishioners belonging to Karakkamala, which comes under the Manathavady Diocese in Wayanad district of Kerala. […]

India says WhatsApp giving ‘good response’ on monitoring proposal

Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s minister for law and information technology, said the government has got ‘good response’ from WhatsApp for its proposal to install a monitoring mechanism on the platform. The government has been pushing WhatsApp to put up a monitoring mechanism that would send out alerts when messages on any one subject starts going […]

6:30 PM Bulletin: Karunanidhi’s health declines

The latest health bulletin from Kauvery Hospital in Chennai at 6:30 PM today has said that there has been a further deterioration in Tamil politician Karunanidhi’s health. “There has been a decline in the medical condition of Kalaignar Dr M Karunanidhi, DMK President and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” read the bulletin signed by […]

Bhima Jewellers pulls ads from Mathrubhumi over Meesa novel

Bhima Jewellers, one of the biggest gold retailing firms in Kerala, seems to have pulled its advertisements from Mathrubhumi due to ‘controversies’ over the printing of a novel by the publication group. “We give importance to public sentiments and wish to stay away from controversies of any kind. We have noted your concerns and have […]

Non-BJP parties likely to jointly ask EC for paper ballot in 2019

An array of politicial parties, including BJP allies Shiv Sena and BJD, are likely to write to the Election Commission to ask for the next general election to be conducted using ballot paper, media reported. The parties include opposition outfits like the Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Janata Dal, […]

Supreme Court refuses to ban novel ‘Meesha’, seeks translation

The Supreme Court has refused to stay the sale of ‘Meesa’ (The Moustache), a Malayalam novel that has been in the news for offending certain organisations in Kerala, pending further deliberations. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based Malayali N Radhakrishnan, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked for a translation of […]

Indian govt demands greater access from WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter

India’s Information Technology Department today unveiled a new plan of action to combat fake news that would require foreign social media firms like Facebook, Twitter and Google to establish offices in India and actively help in flagging and tracking down people who post troublesome messages online. Ravi Shankar Prasad also said WhatsApp, in particular, has […]

Commission on OBC sub-categorization to report next week

The ministry of social justice and empowerment said that a committee looking into the need for sub-categorization of OBC groups is expected to submit its report by 31 July. The committee, comprising four members headed by retired Supreme Court Justice G Rohini, was formed in October last year. Minister Krishna Pal Gurjar said the committee […]

Govt faces questions over the ‘trolling’ of Sushma Swaraj in LS

Trinamool Congress MP Prasun Banerjee today raised the issue of the recent ‘trolling’ of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament. Over the last several days, Swaraj has come under attack on social media after she took disciplinary action against an official of the Lucknow Regional Passport Office for allegedly denying passports to a Hindu-Muslim […]

KERALA FLOODS: Dalits face ‘apartheid’ at relief camp

Setting off a controversy, Janam TV, a Malayalam news channel with leanings towards with the BJP, today reported that displaced people belonging to scheduled castes at a relief camp in Aleppey were moved to a separate relief camp due to protests from another community. The ‘apartheid’ took place at a relief camp run by the […]

Indian MPs question govt over stopping crude oil imports from Iran

Government of India has faced questions from members of parliament on reports that it has asked state-owned refiners to get ready to stop importing crude oil from Iran in the face of pressure from the United States. A question from Lok Sabha MPs Supriya Sule and Mullappally Ramachandran sought to know “whether the Government has […]