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One Indian Killed, Two Injured In Hezbollah Rocket Attack In Israel

By LokMarg 5th March 2024

The Israeli embassy in India confirmed on Tuesday that one Indian national was killed and two more Indians were injured in a terror attack by Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon in Northern Israel on Monday. The deceased has been identified as a 31-year-old man from Kerala.

As per information, the deceased has been identified as 31-year-old Nibin Maxwell, son of Pathrose Maxwell, from Kollam district in Kerala. Reports have also confirmed that the other two injured are also from Kerala.

Nibin Maxwell had arrived in Israel two months ago and was working in a farm there.

In its statement, the Israeli embassy said, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of one Indian national and the injury of two others due to a cowardly terror attack launched by Shia terror organization Hezbollah, on peaceful agriculture workers who were cultivating an orchard at the northern village of Margaliot yesterday early afternoon. Our prayers and thoughts naturally go to the families of the bereaved and those of the injured.”

“Israeli medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by our very best medical staff. Israel regards equally all nationals, Israeli or foreign, who are injured or killed due to terrorism. We will be there to support the families and offer them assistance. Our countries, who are sadly well versed in civilian loss, stand united in hopes of a speedy recovery for the injured and solace for the family of the bereaved” the Israeli embassy in India said.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported that Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at northern Israel on Monday night, resulting in damage that knocked out power in several towns, as the military struck targets in Lebanon following a deadly cross-border attack by the terror group earlier in the day.

According to the Israel Defence Forces, at least 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system.

Fighting also continues in Gaza with the Israeli Defence forces claiming that they eliminated Islamic Jihad terrorists who fired rockets toward Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Hatzerim. Fifteen terrorists were eliminated using sniper, tank and aerial fire. IDF forces also struck terrorist targets and eliminated terrorists operating from within civilian areas in Western Khan Yunis. (ANI)

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Left Wanted Cong Prince To Be Ousted From Wayanad: Modi

By LokMarg 27th February 2024

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the “crown prince,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Tuesday that the Left front wanted the “yuvraj” (prince) to be ousted from Wayanad in Kerala.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday announced candidates for four Kerala Lok Sabha seats, nominating senior party leader Annie Raja to contest from the Wayanad constituency, a seat presently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

“The Left wants the crown prince of Congress to be ousted from Wayanad. These people are advising the crown prince to stay out of Kerala,” PM Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi.

PM Modi said that the two alliances are “each other’s enemies” in the state but “outside Kerala, they are Best Friends Forever”.

“They (Congress and Communist parties) are each other’s enemy in Kerala, however, outside the state they are BFF that means Best Friend Forever. They have a different language in Thiruvananthapuram and a separate one in Delhi, people of Kerala would respond to this fraud in the upcoming elections,” PM Modi said, addressing a rally in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

He further continued his attack against the alliance and said that Congress and its other communist alliances have only one priority i.e. to focus on their family rule.

“They only let their family rule the country. For them, the welfare of their family is superior to the welfare of Indians,” he said.

He further said that the BJP third term will work on the development of educational institutions in Kerala.

“Everyone knows about the struggle faced by the students of the poor and the middle-class in Kerala while pursuing higher education. Our third term will work on the development of educational institutions in Kerala. This will pave the way for opportunities for students hailing from poor and middle-class families,” he added.

PM Modi further said that the opposition has accepted its defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“It (Opposition) does not have a road map for the development of the country, hence it has made only one agenda, to abuse Modi. I know that Kerala will never stand with those having such negative thoughts, Kerala will bless the BJP and NDA for nation-building. People are walking shoulder to shoulder with BJP on the streets, which in itself is a big message,” he added.

The Prime Minister further asserted that in his third term, India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy.

“Everyone is talking about the third term of the Modi government. In our third term, India is set to become the world’s third-largest economy. This is ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’. In our third term, our fight against corruption is going to be more defined,” he added.

Rajya Sabha MP and CPI (M) Secretary Binoy Viswam questioned the political logic of Rahul Gandhi contesting from Kerala.

“North India is considered the hotbed of India, from where the maximum number of MPs have come to the Parliament, where the BJP is a powerful force to fight. Forgetting that reality, what is the political logic for the Congress to come to southmost India, to Kerala, where there are just 20 seats? It is known to everybody that no one from the BJP will be able to win from Kerala. From where should he fight exactly? The essence of the earlier battle of 2019 is there when Rahul Gandhi did the same thing when he came to Wayanad from Amethi. BJP started a campaign, which got the cash. They said Rahul Gandhi was afraid of the BJP that’s why he ran to Kerala. This campaign resulted in the defeat of Congress in the entire North India,” Binoy Viswam said.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) is part of the INDIA bloc, which came into existence to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections. Kerala has a total of 20 Lok Sabha seats. (ANI)

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Modi Inaugurates Projects Worth Rs 4000 Cr

By LokMarg 17th January 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated projects worth over Rs 4000 crore in Kerala’s Kochi on Wednesday.

The three major infrastructure projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister included the New Dry Dock (NDD) at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL); the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of CSL; and the LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited at Puthuvypeen, Kochi.

Addressing a gathering in Kochi after the inauguration, PM Modi expressed gratitude to the people of Kerala for giving him a grand welcome on his arrival.

“It gave me immense joy to see the happy faces when I landed in Kochi. Thank you for the grand welcome. I consider myself fortunate to have gotten a chance to offer prayers at the Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur,” PM Modi said in his inaugural address.

“A few days ago while inaugurating the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya on December 30, I was talking about four temples related to Ramayana in Kerala. I am fortunate to offer prayers at Thriprayar Shree Ramaswamy Temple just before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya,” he said.

Highlighting the new infrastructure intitatives inaugurated today, the Prime Minister said the Central Government is working to increase capacity of coastal cities like Kochi.

He further asserted that Kochi is set to be the next ship building hub of the nation.

“We are making efforts to increase the capacity of ports, to build and strengthen port infrastructure and to increase connectivity of ports through initiatives like the Sagarmala Pariyojana,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today when India is becoming the centre of global trade, then we are increasing our sea power. Soon we will see Kochi growing to be on the epitome of this,” PM Modi outlined.

He emphasised the new infrastructure that is inaugurated today which will further boost the Cochin shipyard’s capacity.

“Today the country has its biggest Dry Dock (NDD). Besides this, infrastructures of ship-building, ship repairing and LPG Import Terminal have also been inaugurated,” PM Modi said.

“With these new features, the capacity of the shipyard will increase manifold. I congratulate the people of Kerala for these facilities,” he added.

Pointing out that India is emerging as a major centre of global trade, the Prime Minister said that the efforts to strengthen the country’s maritime power is also underway.

PM Modi who is on his two-day visit to the state offered prayers at Guruvayur Sree Krishnaswamy temple in Thrissur earlier in the day.

Guruvayur temple is dedicated to Lord Guruvayurappan (Lord Krishna) and is a significant place of worship for Hindus in Kerala.

He was welcomed by the Devaswom office bearers by giving a ‘Poorna kumbham’ (a pitcher with sacred water adorned with flowers). It is a traditional way of welcoming guests in temples and similar places.

During his temple visit, PM Modi also attended the wedding of actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi’s daughter.

PM Modi also visited Triprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple in Thrissur and offered prayers there. The Triprayar temple is one of the prominent temples in the state with Lord Ram as the main deity.

The Prime Minister arrived in Kerala on Tuesday night where he was welcomed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, MoS V Muraleedharan and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar at the Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery.

PM Modi held a grand roadshow in Kochi on Tuesday which was attended by thousands of supporters. BJP state president K Surendran accompanied the Prime Minister on board his motorcade for the roadshow.

This is the second visit of the PM to Kerala in two weeks. (ANI)

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Multifold Jump In Covid Cases; Kerala, Karnataka Major Contributors

By LokMarg 23rd December 2023

A multifold spurt in fresh Covid cases was noted in India over the past 24 hours, with Kerala contributing the major chunk of those.

A total of 423 cases were reported and of which 266 were from Kerala and 70 from neighbouring Karnataka, Union health ministry data showed.

Two deaths were reported in Kerala.

The total number of active cases of Covid-19 in the country was recorded at 3,420.

Meanwhile, amid rising concerns over the emergence of the new variant of the coronavirus, former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan asserted that there is no need to panic currently as it is a variant of interest and not of concern. However, she urged people to be cautious by taking proper precautionary measures.

Speaking to ANI exclusively, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former DG, of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, “We need to be cautious, but we don’t need to worry because we don’t have any data to suggest that this variant JN.1 is more severe or it’s going to cause more pneumonia, more death.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified JN.1 as a variant of interest, distinct from its parent lineage BA.2.86. However, the global health body emphasised that the overall risk posed by JN.1 remains low based on current evidence.

The number of new COVID cases increased by 52 per cent during the past four-odd weeks, the WHO said, with over 850 000 new cases reported during the period.

The number of new deaths decreased by 8 per cent as compared to the previous 28-day period, with over 3,000 new fatalities reported, World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest press release.

As of December 17, over 772 million confirmed cases and nearly seven million deaths have been reported globally since the onset of COVID-19, the WHO noted.

Further, the WHO said over 118,000 new COVID-19 hospitalisations and over 1600 new intensive care unit (ICU) admissions have been recorded, with an overall increase of 23 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively, globally.

Due to its rapidly increasing spread, WHO is classifying the variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from the parent lineage BA.2.86. It was previously classified as VOI as part of BA.2.86 sublineages.

Based on the available evidence, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low. Despite this, with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, JN.1 could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries.

The WHO had earlier said it was continuously monitoring the evidence and would update the JN.1 risk evaluation as needed.

Current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it noted.

COVID-19 is not the only respiratory disease circulating. Influenza, RSV, and common childhood pneumonia are also on the rise.

The WHO advises people to take measures to prevent infections and severe disease using all available tools. These include wearing a mask when in crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated areas, keeping a safe distance from others, practicing respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes), cleaning hands regularly, and getting tested if one has any symptoms or if you might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or influenza. (ANI)

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Kerala: Death Sentence To Accused In Aluva Minor Rape Case

By LokMarg 14th November 2023

The Ernakulam POCSO Court in Kerala on Tuesday awarded the death sentence to Asafaq Alam for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Aluva, nearly four months after the incident that sent shock waves across the State.

Additionally, Alam was awarded five counts of life sentences for the remainder of his natural life under five sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He was sentenced to five years for destroying evidence, three years for drugging the minor, life imprisonment for raping the minor and received the death penalty for the murder and rape of the minor.

“These five life sentences will run concurrently,” read the court judgment.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 7,20,000 on Alam, a migrant labourer hailing from Bihar.

The court sentenced the accused under various sections of the IPC, POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

The accused Asafaq Alam who was arrested on Friday, July 28 on the same night of the crime, was present in court when the Additional District and Sessions Judge K Soman pronounced the judgment.

The conviction and sentence were handed down within four months of the incident.

The Ernakulam Court had begun hearing the matter on September 7. Charges were framed and read over to the accused on September 16, following which a trial began on October 4. Alam was convicted for his crime on November 4 and the punishment for the crime was pronounced today.

On July 28, a 5-year-old girl was kidnapped from her home at around 3 pm and raped in Aluva municipality, which comes under Ernakulam district in Kerala. Later, she was murdered and was dumped in a marshy area near Aluva market, police said. After a thorough investigation, the suspect in the crime was arrested.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala police, which probed the case had submitted an 800-page charge sheet against the accused in a POCSO court on September 2.

The investigation and trial were completed over a period of three months.

Kochi police said that CCTV footage from the day of the murder helped them arrest the accused and crack the case.

The child was found after a coordinated search conducted by police and locals the locals who also saw the accused kidnapping the child. The child’s family had been living in Edapparum and surviving on miscellaneous jobs for the last decade.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had termed the incident an “isolated one” and accused the Opposition in the state of only trying to ‘tarnish’ the image of the government. (ANI)

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Rain Lashes Parts Of Kerala, Waterlogging Disrupts Normal Life

By LokMarg 15th October 2023

Normal life was disrupted as heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala, leading to waterlogging in many areas including the state’s southernmost district on Sunday.

Rainwater entered several houses in the residential areas. The day-to-day lives of many families were disrupted as they were shifted from the waterlogged parts to safer zones.

Visuals show loy-lying areas of the state capital filled with rainwater, making it difficult to differentiate between streets and streams.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in nine out of the 14 districts of the state for the day.

The weather department also predicted isolated heavy rainfall in many places in the state in the coming days. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm.

Earlier this week, severe waterlogging was witnessed in parts of Bengaluru after heavy rainfall lashed Karnataka’s capital.

Heavy rains caused severe waterlogging on the roads which resulted in a three-kilometer-long traffic jam in Bengaluru’s Bellandur area.

Waterlogging was also witnessed in Manyata Tech Park, Seshadripuram.In this regard, Bengaluru Traffic Police has issued an advisory and said that it is working tirelessly to resolve the situation.

“Due to waterlogging near Bellanduru Kodi, vehicles and commuters were stuck in the midst of the flood. With the assistance of a tractor, our Inspector sir and team successfully rescued all commuters and pedestrians,” HAL airport traffic police BTP posted on X.

Advising commuters to avoid the route, Traffic police said, “Still this route is not in a condition to use for commuters so please avoid this route and use Outer Ring Road as an alternative.” (ANI)

All 4 Nipah Patients Including 9-Yr-Old Boy Have Recovered: Kerala HM

By LokMarg 29th September 2023

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday said that all four patients including a nine-year-old who were undergoing treatment for Nipah have recovered and have tested negative for the virus infection.

A total of six cases of Nipah virus infection were reported in Kerala’s Kozhikode district of which two persons died.

The Health Minister today said that all four patients have tested double negative and left hospital.

“Informing the good news that four people, including a nine-year-old boy who were undergoing treatment for Nipah, have recovered from the infection and have tested double negative (two samples tested in intervals tested negative),” the Health Minister said in a post in Malayalam on Facebook.

The nine-year-old boy is the son of Muhammad Ali (47), the index case, who died due to the deadly virus on August 30. The second victim died on September 11.

As per the government data, no new Nipah cases were reported until Sunday and the five samples that were sent for lab tests have tested negative.

The Kozhikode District Administration has relaxed restrictions in containment zones in the district as no new cases were reported.

Earlier in a press briefing, Minister Veena George said that the state government has decided to strengthen the healthcare system.

“We have started to strengthen the ‘One Health’ activities in the district. We have started training people for the same. ‘One health’ means all the departments will come together. We have also taken the decision to establish an institution where all the departments will be well-coordinated. So, community surveillance will be there throughout the year”, she said.

The health minister said that ICMR and WHO had conducted studies and found that Kerala and eight other states in India have the probability of Nipah occurrence.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the state will conduct a seroprevalence study on the Nipah virus being repeatedly found in Kozhikode district. (ANI)

Nipah Virus: Places of Worship Remain Closed In Kozhikode

By LokMarg 15th September 2023

Kerala announced new restrictions on Friday as it stepped up measures to contain the spread of the outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus.

Two infected people have died since August 30 in Kozhikode district of the State, where officials have declared containment zones in 9 panchayats.

New restrictions have been implemented in Kozhikode district with directions issued against gatherings or public events of any kind, including those at places of worship, in all the containment zones.

According to the restrictions, shops selling essential items and medical shops in these zones can operate from 7 am to 5 pm. All places of worship will also be closed in the areas.

On Friday, one more person a 39-year-old man was confirmed with Nipah virus after his samples sent for testing returned positive, State health department said. With this total number of active Nipah cases in the State has gone up to four.

Secretary of the Kuttiady Juma Masjid Mahallu Committee Zubair P said that the mosque has been closed even for Friday prayers complying with the orders.

“In the wake of the outbreak of Nipah virus in our area…The district collector and police authorities have directed us to not gather people in the masjid. Complying with the orders we have decided to close the masjid until further orders. Friday prayers will not be held at the masjid today…We will co-operate with the government authorities to control this disease…” Zubair P said.

Two deaths from the Nipah virus in Kozhikode took place on August 30 and September 11.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus spread to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.

Samples of 15 people in the high-risk category in the contact list have been sent for testing. The contact list contains 950 people of which 213 are in the high-risk category. A total of 287 health workers are also there in the contact list.

Four people in high-risk categories are in a private hospital and 17 people are under surveillance at the Kozhikode medical college, state health department said. (ANI)

Nipah Virus: Schools, Colleges To Remain Closed In Kozhikode Till Sept 16

By LokMarg 14th September 2023

In the wake of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode district, the District Collector declared holidays for all educational institutions including Anganwadis, Madrasas, tuition centres including professional colleges on September 16, in addition to the two-day holiday already declared for September 14 and September 15.

Meanwhile, the university and PSC exam schedules remain unchanged.

“All tuition centres and coaching centres in the district should not function on these days. Educational institutes can arrange online classes. These days should not be an occasion for celebrations. Avoid unnecessary travel and gatherings. Caution is prevention”, said the Kozhikode DC A Geetha in her Facebook post.

Earlier, amid rising concerns over the return of the Nipah virus in Kerala, the state government strengthened measures to prevent the spread of the infection a day after two deaths from the same were confirmed in Kozhikode district.

Meanwhile, the total number of active cases of the infection has gone up to three with the confirmation of one more positive case of Nipah in Kozhikode on Wednesday.

Kerala Health Minister V George said that 13 people who are on the contact list are admitted to the medical college and their health condition is stable.

Health Minister Veena George while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, said, “So far, three samples have tested Nipah positive. We have started contact tracing. Of 706 contacts, 77 are in the high-risk category, 153 health workers are in the low-risk category,”

“Those who are in isolation can use the support of volunteers. Volunteers will be appointed by Panchayats. More rooms will be set up in hospitals for isolation,” she said.

Till the 24th of this month, if necessary the district collector can ban gatherings in Kozhikode district. The person who died due to Nipah on 20th August is the index case, said the Minister.

A state-level control room has been opened in the office of the health directorate, and a State-level rapid response team held a meeting today, she added. (ANI)

Two Deaths In Kerala Due To Nipah Virus: Mandaviya

By LokMarg 12th September 2023

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday confirmed that the two deaths in Kerala’s Kozhikode district have been caused by the the Nipah virus.

The Union Health Minister added that currently four patients suspected to be infected with Nipah virus are under surveillance and their samples have been sent for testing.

A Central team has been sent to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the state government in Nipah virus management, Mandaviya said in a press conference here.

“I have spoken to the Health Minister of Kerala, there have been reports of this virus several times this season. Cases are coming up, this virus is spread by bats. A guideline has been prepared by the Health Ministry regarding this so that we can take precautions,” Mandaviya said.

The first death took place on August 30 and the second death on September 11.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the State government is viewing the two “unnatural deaths” reported from Kozhikode very seriously and that the health department has issued an alert in the district. Health officials suspect Nipah virus infection to be behind the two “unnatural deaths” reported from a private hospital in Kozhikode.

The state department has also issued an alert in the district in the wake of two deaths after a review meeting chaired by State Health Minister Veena George.

There was a Nipah outbreak in the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in 2018 and later in 2021, a case of Nipah was reported in Kozhikode.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.(ANI)