Author: News Desk

Kerala has renewed efforts to advance the long-standing Nilambur-Nanjangud railway project, despite continued opposition from Karnataka. The proposed 236-kilometre line, also known as the Wayanad railway project, would create a broad-gauge connection from Nanjangud in Mysuru district, Karnataka, to Nilambur in Malappuram district, Kerala, passing through the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. Railway veteran E Sreedharan, widely known as the Metro Man, recently met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss the project. Earlier feasibility studies had raised concerns over low passenger demand and questioned the economic viability of the line. Karnataka has consistently opposed the project, citing potential damage to…

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is banking on its billion-dollar push into data centres to yield significant returns, relying on its strategy of owning land, physical infrastructure, and servers to keep costs under control. The company believes full control over the entire setup will allow it to offer highly competitive pricing, even as demand for data centres rises amid the global surge in artificial intelligence adoption. Prashant Jain, head of L&T’s corporate centre, said the company plans to scale its data centre capacity from 32 megawatts (MW) at present to 200MW by 2030. He emphasized that L&T’s “full stack” ownership enables…

Kannur airport has expanded its international reach with the launch of faster connecting services to London Heathrow, easing long-haul travel for passengers from north Kerala and nearby regions. IndiGo and Air India Express have started coordinated connections through major Indian hubs, reducing transit complexity and overall travel time. Air India Express has introduced a daily Kannur to London Heathrow connection via Bengaluru. The Kannur–Bengaluru flight departs at 10.15 am and lands at 11.25 am, allowing passengers to connect to Air India’s wide body service to London, which departs at 2.10 pm and arrives at Heathrow at 7.30 pm. On the…

360 One Asset’s private equity and venture capital arm has launched a 1000 crore fund focused on defence and space sectors. The fund is fully backed by domestic investors and is expected to close within the next two months. It will invest in 15 to 20 companies across the defence and space value chain. Sameer Nath, chief investment officer and head of private equity and venture capital at 360 One Asset, said the firm may expand the fund further through a greenshoe option. This could make it one of India’s largest funds dedicated to defence and space where funding has…

Luxury carmaker Lamborghini achieved a milestone in 2025, delivering 10,747 vehicles worldwide, surpassing the 10,000 mark for the first time and recording year-on-year growth. In India, however, sales slightly declined to 111 units, down from 113 in 2024. “Despite challenging market conditions, we are proud of our 2025 results. They reflect our ability to understand market trends and make strategic decisions that meet customer expectations, focusing on sustainable growth rather than short-term volume spikes,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s chairman and CEO. The EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) remained the largest market with 4,650 vehicles delivered, followed by the…

The Adani Group and the Maharashtra government have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for projects worth Rs 6 lakh crore at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday. The agreements cover multiple sectors, including data centres, urban infrastructure, renewable energy, semiconductor and display fabrication units, and arena development, with investments planned over the next 7–10 years. Pranav Adani, Director of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), praised the state for its business-friendly environment. “Maharashtra offers ease of doing business and is very welcoming to large-scale projects, which naturally attracts major corporations,” he said. He added, “As a group,…

Kerala will host the Kerala AI Future Con on January 23, 2026, at The Leela Kovalam, Trivandrum, bringing together representatives from across the country and leading companies in the AI sector. Organized under the leadership of the Kerala IT Department and Kerala IT Mission, the event is part of the regional preparations for the AI Impact Summit 2026 scheduled in Delhi in February. The one-day summit is being coordinated with support from Kerala Startup Mission, Digital University, C-DIT, and other state institutions. It will focus on AI governance, digital transformation, economic growth, public service, security, and sustainability, reflecting discussions that will later take place at…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that the European Union is on the verge of signing a landmark trade deal with India, described as “the mother of all deals.” Speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, she said the agreement will create a market of two billion people, representing nearly a quarter of global GDP, and give Europe a first-mover advantage with one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. “Right after Davos, I will travel to India. There is still work to do, but we are close to a historic trade agreement,” von der…

The Railway Ministry has announced the allocation of three new Amrit Bharat trains and one passenger train for Kerala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to flag off all three Amrit Bharat trains during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on January 23. The new services include the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Amrit Bharat Express, and the Guruvayur-Thrissur passenger train. The Nagercoil-Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Amrit Bharat Express trains will run via Kottayam, while the Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram service will operate through Nagercoil. The Guruvayur-Thrissur train will be a MEMU service. Railway officials said the allocation comes after Kerala was…

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday informed Kerala’s Special Representative in Delhi, Prof K V Thomas, that the delay in releasing funds to the state for national highway land acquisition was because similar payments were being processed for other states as well. Prof Thomas met Sitharaman at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi ahead of the Union Budget. During the meeting, he raised concerns earlier highlighted by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal at the pre Budget consultation held this month. One of the main demands discussed was the reimbursement of nearly Rs 10,000 crore spent by Kerala on acquiring…