The first ever Beach handball tournament in the state capital
Published March 13, 2008 | 
Thiruvananthapuram: Though beach handball is an extremely popular sport played all over the world, especially in European countries, it was not very common in India in general and Kerala in particular till recently. This game, which is an outdoor version of the conventional handball is played on sandy beaches as against indoor stadiums. The ball is passed between the two teams and the players try to throw it at the goal of the opposite team.
Now, Kerala is all set to get the hang of the amazing Beach handball tournament. The three-day sixth National Beach Handball Championship for Men and Women is scheduled for March 14-16 at the famous Shangumugham beach in Thiruvananthapuram. 32 teams from all over the country are participating in this sports event, which will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis. Members for the Indian national team for the First Asian Beach Games to be held in Bali, will be picked up on the basis of the performance of the participants in this championship.
India is slowly starting to make its presence felt in the international scenario by actively participating and patronizing the exciting game of Beach handball. Kerala has a definite advantage in beach handball considering its amazing coastal line of over 600km of sand.
Online registration of Foreign Tourists in Alappuzha soon
Published February 5, 2008 | 
ALAPPUZHA: Alapuzzha, more famous as the ‘Venice of the East’ for its meandering canals and waterways has made news recently for a different reason. It will be the first district in Kerala to introduce an online registration form (C Form) for foreigners touring this coastal town.
The District Police is planning an online registration system for foreign visitors at hotels, houseboats and home stays. Hitherto all the hotels would have to complete the registration formality which enables the district administration to prepare a data base of outlanders and to keep a tab on the visitors to the district, opined the district Superintendent of Police Nagaraju.
Many home stays operate without proper registration and this streamlining process might bring these unscrupulous elements into book. The police also plan to conduct regular beats to monitor the movements of strangers who loiter around without any valid reason, causing hardships to the general public and foreign tourists. A permanent police aid post will be set up on the beach apart from beefing up the patrolling to ensure a pleasant milieu to the tourists.
With the registration process in full swing, the tourists can now look forward to a well organized and pleasant holiday as never before!