KERALA

Sandeep, a 36-year-old from Kerala's Thrissur, was killed in a Ukrainian attack on a Russian military unit in Rostov, Russia. He had gone to Russia through an agency, initially claiming to work in a Moscow restaurant, but later revealed he was working in a military canteen.

The Kolkata derby which was slated to be held in the West Bengal capital on Sunday was abandoned after state police raised concerns about potential security issues. Now, the quarterfinal matches of Durand Cup 2024, involving Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, will be held in Shillong and Jamshedpur. 

As reported earlier, this year we are expected to see four supermoons in a row. The first of the four will take place on August 19, Monday at 2:26 PM EDT (about 12:00 AM IST). Interestingly, this will be a Supermoon Blue Moon.

Kerala Chief Minister's office intervened after a rural bank in Wayanad deducted money as EMI from accounts of landslide victims who received government aid, demanding loan repayments. An investigation and a report have been ordered in the incident.

Kerala Gramin Bank at Chooralmala deducted EMI payments from borrowers' accounts right after emergency financial assistance from the government was credited. This issue was highlighted during the 3rd edition of the Asianet News Livethon program for Wayanad victims on August 18.

The Kerala State Lotteries Department announced the results of the Akshaya AK-665 Lottery on Sunday (Aug 18). The declaration took place at Gorky Bhavan, near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, at 3 p.m.
 

The IMD has issued an orange alert for heavy rainfall in Kottayam, Idukki, and Kozhikode districts in Kerala today (Aug 18). A yellow alert is also in effect for nine other districts, including Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.

A 45-year-old woman, Pushpalatha, was found dead in her Kollam residence, with her father, Antony, injured. Police suspect murder, possibly by suffocation and are searching for Pushpalatha's son, Akhil.

Parvathy, a 10th-standard student from Chathamangalam, Kozhikode, died due to fever-related complications after two weeks of treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Kerala, with 4 districts under orange alert and 6 under yellow alert. Rising water levels in the Manimala and Achankovil rivers have prompted orange and yellow alerts, respectively, with residents advised to exercise extreme caution and be prepared to evacuate.

Two separate road accidents in Kerala claimed the lives of two women. In Alappuzha, 62-year-old Latha died when a car crashed into her auto-rickshaw on the national highway near Purakkad. In Kannur's Therthalli, homemaker Marykutty was killed when a goods auto rickshaw collided with her scooter, and her husband was severely injured.

Kerala government has relaxed permit rules for auto-rickshaws, allowing statewide operations despite safety concerns, following pressure from Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Decision expected to have significant impact on transport sector.

Kerala Lottery Karunya KR-667: Lottery winners are required to return their tickets to the organization within 30 days of the draw period to claim their winnings. The results were declared at 3 pm on Saturday (Aug 17).

The price of gold in Kerala today (Aug 17) is Rs 6,670 per gram for 22 karat gold and Rs 7,277 per gram for 24 karat gold (also called 999 gold).

The release of the Justice Hema Committee report on Malayalam film industry has been put on hold due to a court petition filed by actress Ranjini. The report, which was scheduled for release today (Aug 17), will now be delayed pending a court hearing on Monday (Aug 19).