Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government hold Covid tests for officials who joined in Election duty in Local self-government elections here.

 The move comes after Covid confirmed those on election duty in some districts, including Ernakulam. The disease was confirmed by a PCR test after some of the candidates had symptoms. With this, the health department directed to inspect all the employees who were in charge of elections. The list of employees in charge should be handed over by the Returning Officers to the District Health Department. All of them will be inspected at the expense of the government. Many prominent leaders who were active in the election campaign, including those who came in contact with the disease and voters, have been advised to be vigilant.

Kochi: The ED (Enforcement Directorate) has said that a charge sheet has been filed against M Shivashankar in a money laundering case related to gold smuggling. A supplementary charge sheet will be filed against Shivshankar on December 24.
The ED also clarified that permission has been obtained from the department. The move comes 60 days after Shivshankar was arrested on December 26. The ED pointed out that the goal is to eliminate the possibility of natural bail.

Kochi: The airline has not paid full compensation to the families of those killed and injured in the Karipur plane crash. In the first phase, Air India provided only Rs 10 lakh to the victims. The family members of the deceased approached the High Court seeking fair compensation. The Air India Express crashed on August 7 in Karipur. Eighteen people were killed, including the pilot and co-pilot. 172 people were injured. So far, Air India has only provided interim assistance to the families of those killed in the tragedy. The injured were given Rs 2 lakh and medical expenses. The complaint alleges that Air India received the full amount of insurance but did not pay the subsequent compensation to the victims. The family of Sharafuddin, who died in the accident, has approached the high court seeking immediate action to pay compensation.

Kannur: Big gold hunt at Kannur airport. Customs seized gold and electronic equipment from three passengers. Syed Chemparika, a native of Kasargod, Dubai, was found in possession of 116 grams of gold. Customs seized 312 grams of gold worth Rs 16 lakh from Ibrahim Badshah from Dubai. Abdul Basit, a native of Kasargod from Sharjah, was found with 360 grams of gold, six drones, and a cigarette worth Rs 92,500.

Kochi: Viligilance to question KM Shaji MLA in Plus Two bribery case.KM Shaji will be given the notice to appear for questioning next week. The Vigilance Kannur unit is investigating the allegation that the MLA took the bribe of Rs 25 lakh in 2014 to allot Plus Two to Azhikode school. Meanwhile, KM Shaji’s wife asked for more time to explain why the house was built on the land. He asked for more time in reply to the Kozhikode Corporation notice. The Kozhikode Corporation had asked KM Shaji’s wife to appear on December 17. The notice was issued by the corporation after encroachment was found on land in Vengeri village. The encroachment was discovered after a corporation survey of the land on which the house was built illegally. Shaji’s wife Asha should explain the matter.

Kochi: The accused who insulted the young lady at the shopping mall in Kochi have been identified. The accused are Irshad and Adil from Malappuram. Their footage was released by the police yesterday. The police said that the arrest of the accused will be recorded after recording the statement of the actress. Defendants, meanwhile, said they did not deliberately insult the actress. She came to the shopping mall for work. Defendants said he may have accidentally clapped his hands. The search for them has intensified. After returning home, the police will take further action after taking the statement of the actress. The incident took place at a mall in Kochi last day. The actress herself reported the incident through social media.

Pathanamthitta: As many as 5,000 people will not be allowed to visit Sabarimala from today due to the non-launch of the online booking system. Though the High Court allowed the entry of 5,000 people, the virtual queue system of the police was not open till Saturday night and devotees were not likely to get a chance to see it. This time Sabarimala viewing permission has been given only to those who book online despite the Covid situation. At present, 2,000 people are allowed to visit from Monday to Friday and 3,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. At the same time, the committee chaired by the chief secretary had not earlier given permission to Sabarimala staff and police to admit more devotees in the event of Kovid confirmation. The government had directed the Ayyappans to test RTPCR, Artilamp, and Express Nat within 48 hours after December 26.