Two young and dynamic politicians from Kerala, Labour Minister Mr.Shibu Baby John and Mr.Anto Antony MP, have become the first to discuss about Kerala as an emerging destination for investors in the hallowed precincts of the British Parliament building.
The occasion was an unprecedented meeting of the UK-Kerala Business Forum in a chamber named after William Pitt, chaired by Virendra Sharma, MP of the House of Commons. The honour was shared by former ambassador Mr.T.P.Sreenivasan, who responded to questions from the British MPs gathered for the occasion. In attendance was a …

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa Wednesday requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to advise the Kerala government ‘not to venture upon a new dam’ and also not to whip up a sense of fear among the public about the safety of Mullaperiyar Dam.
In a letter to the prime minister Jayalalithaa requested Manmohan Singh to advise the Kerala government to ‘honour the rights guaranteed to the Government of Tamil Nadu under the 1886 Agreement followed by the Supplemental Agreements of 1970 in letter and spirit’ and abide by the Supreme Court’s Feb …

Kerala’s  Tourism Department has unfolded a range of products and packages to woo more tourists from the Scandinavian region which has managed to fend off the economic crisis in Europe.
 Following the successful road shows in Australia last month to kick off this new drive to tap the emerging markets, the department conducted a series of road shows in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland this week with the support of the travel industry from Kerala.
“The response from the trade fraternity in these countries was tremendous and these shows looked promising as the …

 
A delegation from Kerala is arriving in London next week for the first ever UK-Kerala Business Meet in the British Parliament. 
The 18 member delegation includes Ministers, MPs, MLAs, diplomats and Business leaders who will present upcoming infrastructure projects and associated activities in Kerala. 
This special event, to be held on 24th November 2011, is organised by the UK-Kerala Business Forum in association with Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The event is also supported by UK Trade and Industry (UKTI), UK India Business Council(UKIBC), British Deputy High Commission, Chennai and Kottayam Pravasi Federation. The meeting will be chaired by Virendra Sharma MP, chairperson of Kerala Business Forum. 
The …

The annual two-month-long Mandalam-Makaravilakku season at Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple is all set to begin on the first day of Malayalam month of Vrichikam on Thursday. For the auspicious occasion, the hill shrine will be opened on Wednesday evening by Melsanthi Sasi Nampoothiri, who completes his tenure on that day.
INSTALLATION CEREMONY OF NEW MELSANTHI The installation ceremony of M Balamurali as the new Sabarimala melsanthi will be held under the leadership of Thantri Kandararu Maheswararu in front of the Sreekovil at 7 pm on Wednesday evening. As part of the …

India’s first bullet train will be introduced between Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai. The train will pass through Kochi and is expected to give a boost to the business and tourism sectors of the city.
The high-speed rail corridor project was proposed in the 2010 Indian railway budget. A total of six high-speed corridors were proposed in the budget including Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai. The total length of the Thiruvanathapuram-Chennai corridor will be 869 kilometres. The high-speed corridor will connect Chennai with Bangalore, Coimbatore, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram.
The total project cost is estimated at `87,000 crore. According …

The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF), Asia’s biggest shopping festival and signature show by Kerala Tourism Department, is set to welcome shoppers and tourists from all over the world. The fifth edition of the mega shopping show  will open next month  and run through 45 days to end on January 15, 2012.
The inaugural function will take place in Kochin on December 1, Additional Tourism Director and Director of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival Dr Rathan Kelkar said.
Opening the 38,863 kms of the State for the shopping jamboree, the GKSF-5 will aim …

The Kerala pavilion  has bagged the best stand award at the World Travel Market 2011, in London. Kerala Tourism, which set up the huge pavilion spread over 117 sqm on the theme of ‘backwater with Chinese fishing net,’ won the prize in the category of Best Stand Feature. ‘
`This simple stand proved eye-catching for the judges thanks to a couple of features. A huge image of a Kerala backwater covering one wall was enhanced by a real-life fishing net stretching out into the stand as well as a canoe. The …

Joyalukkas Group is set to further enhance its presence in the retail market sector by launching a series of state-of-the-art Malls in Kerala and the neighbouring states. The group would develop eight upmarket malls in the next 30 months at a cost of Rs. 1000 crores.
Named “Mall of Joy”, these malls would be designed to offer single window shopping experience mainly for weddings.
The first in the chain of Mall of Joy would be inaugurated near the private bus stand on Mavoor Road in Kozhikode in March 2012. The second mall …

A UK businessman has sold his much-loved sailing boat to support a palliative care centre in Kerala. ‘Cuckoo’, the sailing boat that belonged to the businessman Bruce Davis and his wife for over 32 years, was sold and the proceeds donated to Thiruvananthapuram-based NGO Pallium India, reported leading Indian daily The New Indian Express. 
“Over the years, I have developed an enormous  admiration for the palliative work done in Kerala and the interest and caring attitude shown by literally thousands of volunteers who are associated with this work,”  the daily quoted …

Global Thiyya Initiative (GTI), a new organisation of Thiyyas of Northern Kerala, will be formed shortly at its first convention to be held in Kozhikode early 2012. The  objective of the GTI is to unite the Thiyyas all over the world bringing them under a unified platform. 
History has it that after the British had left the country and also during the colonial era, several families had settled abroad, mostly in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, France, Mauritius, the UK and the USA.
The organisers say they were getting enthusiastic response from …

Air India has denied reports of a strike by its pilots. The airline also rejected reports that over 100 Air India pilots have threatened to quit, charging the management with adopting discriminatory attitude against them and stalling their career progression.
A section of the press has reported that Air India pilots have given a call for strike while some pilots have reported sick, and that flights have been cancelled due to reasons of pilot’s agitation. It was also rumoured that a number of pilots have written to the Air India management …

Former minister and Congress leader MP Gangadharan passed away at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram Monday. He was 77.
Hailing from Ponnani, Malappuram Mr Gangadharan was the irrigation minister in the K Karunakaran-led government.
A six-time MLA, he had also acted as the Congress parliamentary party deputy leader, chairman of water authority and Kerala Tourism and Development Corporation (KTDC), Malappuram DCC president and KPCC general secretary.
In 2005 he resigned from the Congress to join DIC, the party launched by Mr K Karunakaran.  When Mr Karunakaran decided to rejoin the Congress party in …

 
 The Union of UK Malayalee Association (UKMA) is set to host its second national cultural festival at Southend-on-Sea on November 5, 2011.
The event, jointly hosted by UKMA East Anglia region and Southend Malayalee Association, would be held at Westcliff School.The organisers have made elaborate arragements to make the cultural fete a huge success.  Southend-on-Sea’s popular Indian restaurant Dosa Palace would put up its food courts at the venue.
Southend Malayalee Association president Kanesius Athippozhi, secetary Sabu Kuriakose and coordinator Pradeep Kuruvila, East Anglian regional president Kunjumon Job, UKMA national committee member …

Kerala’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister T M Jacob (61) passed away Sunday at about 5pm GMT in Kochi.  He is survived by his wife Annie Jacob, a banker, a son and a daughter.
Mr Jacob was under going treatment for pulmonary hypertension at a private hospital in Kochi. He was here in the UK for about a week last month for treatment at Cromwell Hospital in London.
He was representing the Piravom Constituency to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for Kerala Congress (J). 
An able administrator and an efficient parliamentarian, he forayed into politics during his studentt days. Mr …

The season’s first passenger liner, ‘Spirit of Adventure’, called at Vizhinjam on Friday morning. She left in the evening.
Since the port was too small to hold her, the ship anchored out at sea and off-loaded passengers on to small boats.
The medium-sized vessel had 333 passengers and a crew of 201, Vizhinjam port officials said. While not an important port of call for cruise liners, Vizhinjam remains an occasional stopover for them on their way to Colombo, Maldives or the northern ports such as Kochi. GAC Shipping India were the shipping …

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) would set up a world class food court, professionally run by experts in the field.
The company has invited proposals from major food & beverage outlet brands. An air-conditioned area of around 510 sq. m will be provided with access to the city side.
The facility, which will cater to passengers as well as visitors, is proposed to have three main outlets providing a variety of cuisine including Indian and Chinese.
CIAL has already announced plans to construct a covered alighting area in front of its international …

Kerala  state would set up a  power plant in Orissa to meet its fast-growing  power demand. The Cabinet Tuesday approved the proposal to put up the 2000 MW thermal power plant in Orissa in collaboration with the Orissa government.
A special purpose vehicle would be formed for setting up the coal-based plant. The two States would share the power generated at the plant on an equal basis.
The Central government had allotted a block of coal field at Baitarani in Orissa for powering the plant. This was to be used before March …

 A 16-member  team from Gravesend Grammar School, Kent, UK, has arrived at Bhavan’s Varuna Vidyalaya, Thrikkakkara, Kochi as part of a cultural exchange programme. The team comprises 13 students and three teachers.
Students of the host school received the guests by giving a taste of the rich cultural heritage of the country and the state.
Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattom, Thiruvathirakkali and yoga exercises offered a rare treat to the  UK team who are staying with the students and teachers of the Bhavan’s school. The high school and higher secondary students from Kent are aged …

An Inter-state Council will be formed to coordinate the work for providing better facilities for the pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple during the coming season which begins on November 17.
The decision was taken at a meeting headed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with the top officials from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry  Sunday. 
The Kerala Government will offer a maximum of five acres of land at Nilackal to other states to set up facilities for the Sabarimala pilgrims. The land will be used for constructing guest houses, …