“A verbal bomb threat was received from a passenger during secondary ladder point check of Vistara flight,” CIAL said in a communique. “I’m carrying a live bomb,” the passenger reportedly said in a casual remark. The flight was scheduled to leave for Mumbai from Kochi at 3.50 pm.
Following the incident, which was declared ‘non-specific,’ a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened. The flight departed at 4.19 pm. On Saturday, a Kochi-Bengaluru Alliance flight underwent a BTAC following a bomb threat.
The Alliance flight remained grounded for nearly five hours following the threat. In one week, nearly 100 domestic airline flights have received bomb threats at various Indian airports.Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday that the government has planned to place the perpetrators on a no-fly list.

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KOCHI:

Emirates has a surprise for traveller flying to Kerala, India to celebrate Onam, the celebration of the Kerala harvest season. It has laid out a myriad of delicious treats onboard and an array of entertaining Malayalam movies. From August 20  to 31, 2023, authentic Onam dishes will be served across all cabin classes, on flights to and from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai.

Onboard the 14 times weekly Emirates flight to Kochi, and the 7 times weekly Emirates flight to Thiruvananthapuram, curated menus with the distinctive flavours of Onam will be offered, giving travellers a taste of home. Passengers will enjoy traditional appetisers of sharkara upperi – banana roasted in sweet jaggery, kaya varuthathu – crisp banana chips and kondattam mulaku – fried sundried chillies steeped in yoghurt. Passengers will also have a selection of tasty dips essential for Onam, including kaalan made of coconut, fresh yoghurt and yam, cucumber pachadi – a garnished salad, and puli inji – a sweet and tangy ginger-based chutney. First and Business Class passengers will also be served Kerala-style pappadam and piquant mango pickle.

A delectable choice of main courses will follow including alleppey kozhi curry – spiced chicken in coconut sauce, served with avial, chemba rice and cabbage carrot thoran, or vegetarian sadhya – sambar and kootu, paired with matta rice and carrot pea thoran, spiced chicken sukha – pan-fried chicken with coconut and spices, steamed rice, carrot pea thoran and vegetable kootu, or mutton sukha with chemba rice, erissery and bean thoran. First Class customers can also choose the tasty option of mutton pepper fry.

Desserts will include Onam favourites like palada pradhaman- creamy rice pudding served with roasted pistachios, raisins, and cashew nuts, or parippu payasam – the popular sweet lentil pudding topped with roasted coconut flakes. Staying true to the festive season, all meals will be served on banana leaf dish liners to offer an authentic feel to the sadhya for Keralites.

To make the journey even more memorable, those celebrating Onam can enjoy more than 6,500 channels of entertainment on Emirates award-winning ice, more than 45 Academy Award winning films, over 2,000 movies, 650 TV shows, and 4,000 hours of music, podcasts, and audiobooks across 40 languages. 18 Malayalam movies including award-winning titles like Ela Veezha Poonchira, Hridayam and blockbusters Bro Daddy and 12th Man are currently available on ice.

Emirates celebrates a wide range of global cultures inflight and is passionate about delighting customers with regionally inspired cuisine and special seasonal menus. From Onam to Diwali, Eid, Chinese New Year, Christmas, and Oktoberfest to Easter – many festivals are celebrated, creating thoughtful experiences for all global travellers.

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Based in Thiruvananthapuram, Chempaka Kindergarten was founded in 1984 by Vernon and Daphne Gomez with the objective of developing a holistic approach to pre-school education. With 11 branches in Thiruvananthapuram, Chempaka has grown to become a reputed quality education provider. Proven highly successful with numerous little preschoolers over the years, the ‘Chempaka Way’ has now been extended to include all levels of schooling.

In 2019, the group was acquired by UAE-based Athena Education which found it more in line with its own philosophy of educating the young generation. What sets the schools apart is its stress-free learning pedagogy or as they call it The Chempaka Way.

L’école Chempaka “Silver Rocks”, L’ècole Chempaka “Serene Valley,” ICSE curriculum Schools and L’ècole Chempaka International, a Cambridge Pathway School are the schools run by the society. With wide recognition from higher educational institutions in India and across the world, the Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Level Courses offer pupils from the Chempaka a wide range of opportunities.

A new kindergarten was opened at Venjaramodu near Thiruvananthapuram recently, making it the 11the kindergarten of the group. A new campus of L’école Chempakan International was inaugurated at Jawahar Nagar A-Street in Thiruvananthapuram by Ms. Sheeja, Director of L’école Chempaka Society for Educare, on January 14, 2021.

L’ecole Chempaka is a premier higher secondary educational institution based at Edavacode, Sreekariyam, Thiruvanthapuram and L’école Chempaka Serene Valley, Kallayam, opened on June 1 2015. A branch of L’ecole Chempaka, Serene Valley, Kallayam for Grades I and II only (for the academic year 2020-21) has been opened at Udarasirmony Road, Vellayambalam offering a choice of location to children of Grades I and II. With wide recognition from higher educational institutions in India and across the world, the Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Level Courses offer our students a wide range of opportunities.

The Cambridge IGCSE programme is offered in Grades VIII – X and AS & A Level Courses in grades XI-XII.

For the past five years Chemapka has also started IGCSE and A Levels. The school has good results and their students are placed in best foreign universities for their education.

Based in Dubai, Athena Education is a dynamic education group dedicated to delivering quality learning for all students. The company is committed to developing students as outstanding, independent learners both online and in the classroom. It aims to ensure that all learners become self-confident, are secure and achieve at the highest level they can.
V.N.P. Raj, a banker-turned-educationalist, is the founder and Managing Director of Athena Education. Mr. Raj believes that, “Learning is to liberate oneself from the fear of the self. Knowledge without confidence is like a filled balloon with a hole. What mankind needs is the confidence to observe, think and execute what he or she has learned and experienced.”

The company’s vision is to enable all students to develop strong literacy, academic, innovation and social skills which enable them to become self-confident and significant contributors to the local and global communities, who have full confidence in their abilities.

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The service can be availed over a distance of 50 km at a rent of Rs 4,000 for eight hours. Additional rent must be paid for the extra kilometers. The discounted rate is set for until December. The scheme is being implemented on a special commission basis for agents and those who book in advance.

This scheme was formulated and implemented by KSRTC for the purpose of increasing the non-ticket revenue of the corporation. The bus will be rented for wedding, pre-wedding, post-wedding shoots and parties, including birthdays.

Those who rent it get the opportunity for celebrations on the second floor of the bus and travel with family on the ground floor. KSRTC is implementing this project on the model of Afternoon Tea Bus Tour in London. Several agencies have already booked buses for the photo shoot in Thiruvananthapuram. If successful, the KSRTC project will be extended to Kochi and Kozhikode.

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“The work has been hastened to prepare the structure of the command under an Air Force officer. Efforts are being made to put everything together and announce the creation of the air defence command at Prayagraj around the Air Force Day on October 8 this year,” government sources said.

The air defence command is proposed to be set up alongside the Central Command Headquarters of the IAF which controls important air bases including Agra, Gwalior and Bareilly.

The aim of the command is to combine the resources of the three services under one command and activate it to protect the air space of the country.

A study in this regard was done by the IAF’s Vice-Chief Air Marshal HS Arora which also suggested the structure of the proposed command, comprising assets of all the three services.

The Department of Military Affairs under Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has been given the mandate to create joint military commands along with theatre commands.

The CDS is also working on the creation of the combined maritime command which would come up either at Kochi in Kerala or Karwar in Karnataka.

Each service has its individual air defence set-up. The air defence command would integrate the air defence assets of the Army, Air Force and Navy and jointly provide air defence cover to the country.

The CDS has also made it clear to the armed forces that he would not create any additional post at a three-star level for manning any of the new commands and the new formations would be raised from the existing resources only.
Meanwhile, for protecting the air space of the country, a proposal for the acquisition of two new PHALCON Airborne Early Warning ad Control Systems from Israel and Russia has reached the Cabinet Committee on Security and may be taken up for clearance soon.

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The arrested persons were Uttar Pradesh natives Shahid 24,of Hanupura, Farhad Khan, 29, Nangar in Rampur city and Haneefa, 28, of Nangar.

Three others are absconding and suspected to have left the state. Police have intensified search for others, also natives of Uttar Pradesh.

According to police, the girl was abused several times during the lockdown period, from April. The culprits assaulted the girl at her home during day time when her parents were away. Besides, the accused had exploited her at their rented premises. She was then threatened and taken to various other places.

The Eloor police registered a case after the girl’s family filed a complaint. The probe was led by the assistant police commissioner.

The incident was exposed during a counselling session the girl had undergone at her school, where teachers noticed changes in her behaviour.

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For Indian residents who are planning to return to the UAE, a valid pre-departure General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) approval is required if his/her destination is Dubai or Sharjah, according to a leading airline.

Air India Express has said that passengers need a Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) approval to enter any other airport in the country.  According to the FAQs posted on the Air India Express blog for travellers on the India-UAE sector, the airline has said only resident permit holders can book tickets on these flights.

All passengers landing in Abu Dubai, Dubai and Sharjah must have a negative COVID-19 test result from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-approved laboratories. The UAE government has permitted entry into the country for a limited period between July 12 and July 26. A UAE resident permit holder returning to Dubai should carry:

(i) A valid ICA or GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs) approval if you are going to Dubai;

(ii) A valid Negative COVID-19 PCR test report from a government-approved laboratory;

(iii) Health Declaration and Quarantine Undertaking forms to be filled and submitted at the Dubai Airport on arrival and;

(iv) A downloaded COVID-19 – DXB Smart App.

However, passengers with expired ICA/ GDRFA approval will not be accepted at check-in. If you are a resident permit holder returning to Abu Dhabi you should carry all of the above and also must have an ICA approval. A passenger returning to Sharjah must carry all the above documents, but approval can be from ICA or GDRFA.

A valid Negative COVID-19 PCR test report from a government-approved laboratory, no older than 96 hours prior to departure, is mandatory for travel to Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

When you arrive in Dubai, you must take a PCR test at the airport and remain in your residence until you receive the test result. If the test result is positive, you will be required to undergo isolation and follow the Dubai Health Authority guidelin

PCR testing and temperature screening is in operation at Abu Dhabi airport and in Sharjah, PCR testing is undertaken on arrival. Another important point to note is that currently, only resident permit holders returning to UAE are allowed to travel for a limited period from July 12 to July 26 from India.

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The two accused were on the run for the last six days after the Customs Department seized 30 kg of gold from an air cargo consignment in Thiruvananthapuram. They will be brought to Kochi in the early hours of Sunday, said an official. It is, however, not clear how the duo slipped out of Thiruvananthapuram, which is under a triple lockdown with an aim to contain the spread of coronavirus disease, and reached Karnataka.

The NIA had taken up the case on July 10 and filed first information reports against four persons in the case. In the FIRs, Sarith Kumar, a former employee of the consular office, who is now in the custody of the customs, is named first accused; Swapna Suresh is the second; elusive smuggling-kingpin Fazil Pareed is the third; and Suresh’s friend Sandeep Nair is the fourth accused. The FIRs were filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

It is the first time that the premier agency, which handles cases related to national security and terror, is investigating a gold smuggling case. In the FIRs, NIA said the accused were part of a well-entrenched smuggling racket.

The Kerala Police had set up a special group to arrest Swapna Suresh and Sandeep on July 11. The DGP had entrusted a special investigation team under the leadership of Kochi City Deputy Police Commissioner G. Poonkuzhali with the task of apprehending the accused.

The Customs authorities had requested the Kochi City Police Commissioner all help for the arrest of the suspects in an email by afternoon.
It is then that the NIA team arrested the accused in Bangalore.

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The district-wise figures of those who tested positive are 95 persons from Thiruvananthapuram, 55 in Malappuram, 50 from Palakkad, 27 in Thrissur, 22 from Alappuzha, 20 in Idukki, 12 from Ernakulam, 11 from Kasargod, 10 in Kollam, eight each from Kozhikode and Kannur, and seven each in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Wayanad.

The country-wise details are UAE-40, Saudi Arabia-37, Kuwait-19, Qatar-13, Oman-4, South Africa-1, New Zealand-1, Uzbekistan-1 and Bahrain-1. The state-wise split up is Karnataka 19, Maharashtra 14, Jharkhand 11, Telangana 9, Tamil Nadu 7, West Bengal 3, Odisha 3, Rajasthan 2, Delhi 2, Bihar 1, Andhra Pradesh 1, Gujarat 1 and Chhattisgarh 1.

Ninty-two people in Thiruvananthapuram district, 23 from Malappuram district, 10 in Alappuzha district, four each from Kollam and Ernakulam districts, three in Thrissur district and one each from Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kottayam districts are those infected through contact.

In addition, four healthcare workers were also infected, three in Thrissur district and one from Idukki district. One BSF personnel in Thrissur district, a Defence Service Canteen employee from Kannur district and two ITBP personnel in Alappuzha district were also among those infected.

The district-wise figures of those who tested negative on July 9 are 29 patients from Thrissur, 17 in Palakkad, 16 from Kannur, 15 in Ernakulam, 13 from Kasargod, 10 in Kollam, nine from Thiruvananthapuram, eight each in Kottayam and Idukki, seven each from Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha, six in Malappuram, three from Wayanad and one in Kozhikode.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID in Kerala is 6,534 and 2,795 patients are still undergoing treatment. Till now, 3,710 people have been cured of Coronavirus infection. There are currently 1,85,960 people in quarantine in different districts of the state, 1,82,699 in home or institutional quarantine and 3,261 in hospitals. 471 people were admitted to the hospital on July 9.

Interacting with the media through video conferencing, the Chief Minister said, “There is an increasing likelihood of multiple clusters being formed in the cities leading to super spreads. We see this happening in Poonthura in our state. According to a new report by the World Health Organization, the risk of contracting the disease has increased dramatically. Therefore, the gathering of people cannot be allowed under any circumstances. People should live in places with good air circulation and proper ventilation. To identify more cases, the number of tests being conducted has been increased significantly.”

In the last 24 hours, 12,592 samples were analysed. A total of 3,07,219 samples have been sent for testing and the results of 4,854 samples are yet to come. In addition, 66,934 samples were collected from high-risk priority groups as part of Sentinel Surveillance and 63,199 samples were negative.

On July 9, six new places were designated as hotspots while two were exempted. There are presently 181 hotspots in Kerala.

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After Shamna Kasim’s mother filed a case on June 24 in Kochi against six people for allegedly threatening the star in an attempt to extort money, the police team reportedly arrested the main accused, Muhammed Shareef, who is the mastermind behind the crime, along with six others. Rafique who faked his identity and approached the actor with a marriage proposal is another major player in the crime. Now as per latest reports, the police will be recording Shamna Kasim’s statement today in the extortion case.

Shamna, who has been filming in Hyderabad, will be reaching Kochi today to give her statement. As she was filming in Hyderabad, the actor will have to be under quarantine as per guidelines and hence the police will be recording the statement online, through video conferencing.

The whole incident came to light when Shamna’s family filed a complaint. As per reports, the accused approached the actress’ family with a marriage proposal before the lockdown. The con artists claimed that they are from a well-known respectable family from Kozhikode. After developing close connections with the family through phone calls, the group visited Shamna Kasim’s home, captured pictures and videos of the star’s home, and later threatened her and demanded Rs 1 lakh as per the complaint.

The police suspect that the accused are members of a thriving gold smuggling and sex-racket based in Kochi.

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