Top News - December 15, 2007

• Setting of Smart City at Kochi has started a fresh rally in real estate prices in and around Kochi.
  
• Kerala launched the first phase of Internet broadband connections to 1200 schools in the state.
  
• Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul foresees India becoming a hub for world manufacturing industry in the near future.
  
• Dubai-based Syed Mohammad Salahuddin has become the first to get a licence for operating a low-cost regional airline in India. The carrier, Star Aviation, will begin operations by mid-2008 in South India.
  
• Legal immigrants from India to USA has risen from 539,000 (1999) to 629,000. It is largest from any country.
  
• Head of British Columbia (province of Canada) said that Canada was on a path of 'ageing', have shortage of manpower and might require manpower from India.
  
• The UK introduced a new points based immigration system that will help highly skilled professionals from India.
  
• A US-based NRK woman launches a women's football club in Trivandrum.
  
• Kerala will form a Trade Fair Authority of its own to conduct shopping festivals in the state.
  
• The Kerala expatriate community will organise an Inter-District Football Tournament for the members of various district associations in Qatar
  
• Saudi Arabia warned investors against the betting on an appreciation of the dollar-pegged riyal and said that the kingdom had no plans to change currency policy.
  
• Payyannur a small town in North Malabar has set up a unique Court to enforce discipline, friendly customer service amongst auto rickshaw drivers.
  
• The UAE Ministry of Economy has warned suppliers against raising prices of goods and services in an "unjustified" manner to take advantage of a 70 per cent increase in federal government employee wages next year.
  
• Kerala's first private FM radio station started functioning. Radio Mango 91.9 is a venture of Malayala Manorama.
  
• With the objective of turning Kerala into a major harbour state, Kerala govt frames policy to develop ports in the state.