Biennial Election to the Council of States from the State of Andhra Pradesh

(PIB NEWS) The term of office of 6 (six) members of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) elected from the State of Andhra Pradesh, is due to expire on their retirement as detailed below :-Name of Member,Date of retirement,and Party affiliation ,

1)Shri Girish Sangi, 21.06.2010 INC
2)Shri Jesudasu Seelam, 21.06.2010- INC
3)Shri Jairam Ramesh, 21.06.2010- INC
4)Shri Penumalli Madhu, 21.06.2010 -CPI(M)
5)Dr. N.Janardhana Reddy, 21.06.2010- INC
6)Shri V.Hanumanta Rao, 21.06.2010 -INC
2. The Commission has decided to hold the biennial election to the Council of States from the State of Andhra Pradesh in accordance with the following programme:-.
Issue of Notifications 28th May, 2010 (Friday) Last date of making nominations 04th June. 2010 (Friday) Scrutiny of nominations 05th June, 2010 (Saturday) Last date for withdrawal of candidatures 07th June, 2010 (Monday) Date of poll 14th June, 2010 (Monday) Hours of poll 9.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M Counting of Votes14th June, 2010 (Monday) at 5.00 PM Date before which election shall be completed.17th June, 2010 (Thursday)
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Smt. Ambika Soni Condles Death of TV Reporter Ajay Tiwari

(PIB NEWS) The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Ambika Soni has condoled the tragic demise of Shri Ajay Tiwari who died while covering a major fire in the capital yesterday.In her message Smt. Soni said that in Shri Tiwari’s death Indian journalism has lost promising talent. Shri Tiwari died in the line of his duty maintaining the highest tradition of television journalism, the Minister added.
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Political pressure will not work on me, says Srikrishna

Hyderabad, May 6 : Justice B.N. Srikrishna, who heads a five-member panel formed by the central government to look into the demand for a Telangana state, Thursday said political pressure will not work on him.The former Supreme Court judge, who was here along with other members the panel for consultations with various socio-cultural groups, said this when a reporter asked him if he was under any political pressure. "In all my life nobody including my parents, let alone politicians, dared to pressure me," Srikrishna said. His remarks assume significance in the context of the civil war threat by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and comments by some political leaders that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government would force the committee to give a report of its liking. TRS has warned that there would be civil war if a Telangana state was not carved out after the Srikrishna committee submits its report. The retired judge said the panel would hear the views of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Muslim League May 10, 11 and 12. The committee, which has heard the views of TRS, two Left parties and Praja Rajyam Party will hold consultations with the ruling Congress party May 17 and 18. He said Congress leaders from both Andhra and Telangana regions would appear before the committee to submit their arguments. The committee Thursday heard the views of socio-cultural organisations from both Andhra and Telangana regions. On the first day of their two-day visit, the committee heard the arguments by Andhra Intellectuals Forum against state's bifurcation. It also met representatives of Telangana Jagruti and Telangana Writers Association demanding a separate state.
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Child born with heart outside body dies

Hyderabad, May 6 : A child born with his heart outside his body in Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa district died at a hospital here Thursday, less than 24 hours after birth.The baby boy whose heart was atop his chest died a few hours after he was shifted to Care Hospital here for corrective surgery. Doctors said the child born with Ectopia Cordis, a condition where the heart develops outside the body. A team of doctors was preparing for the corrective surgery when he succumbed to his rare condition. The doctors said the child was brought in a critical condition from Kadapa district, about 400 km from here. He was born Wednesday and was examined at Proddatur Government Hospital before being shifted to Hyderabad. According to doctors one in 200,000 children are born with Ectopia Cordis due to genetic disorders but the diagnosis during pregnancy can help in treatment.
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Statement by US President on World Press Freedom Day

(Deccan Samachar Service) US President Barak Obama addressed several crucial issues in his World Press Freedom Day address, including the sobering number of journalists who were murdered in the past year and the unacceptable levels of impunity these crimes are confronted with.President Obama mentioned several countries where press freedom takes a especially brutal beating year in and year out, such as China, Ethiopia, Iran and Venezuela. But he also mentioned a country that this blog follows closely and that all too often gets an international pass for its blatant abuses and harassment of journalists.That country is Tunisia, and we welcome the president's bringing attention to several regimes notorious for their alarming proclivity to jailing journalists, including President Ben Ali's.Here is the full text of the statement:World Press Freedom Day is observed every year on May 3 to remind us of the critical importance of this core freedom. It is a day in which we celebrate the invaluable role played by the media in challenging abuses of power, identifying corruption, and informing all citizens about the important issues that shape our world. It is also a day for us to sound the alarm about restrictions on the media as well as the threats, violence or imprisonment of many of its members and their families because of their work.Last year was a bad one for the freedom of the press worldwide. While people gained greater access than ever before to information through the Internet, cell phones and other forms of connective technologies, governments like China, Ethiopia, Iran, and Venezuela curtailed freedom of expression by limiting full access to and use of these technologies.Moreover, more media workers were killed for their work last year than any year in recent history. The high toll was driven in large part by the election-related killings of more than 30 journalists in the Philippine province of Maguindanao, the deadliest single event for the press in history, along with murders of journalists in Russia, Somalia, Mexico and Honduras. In this year, like in other years, nearly three out of four of the journalists killed were local news-gatherers who were murdered in their own nations.Chauncey Bailey was one such local journalist. A tireless reporter who covered his own city of Oakland, California, Bailey was widely respected for his many exposés of abuse and corruption. He was gunned down 3 years ago, near his office, while taking a homeless man to breakfast. A trial of the alleged perpetrator is scheduled to begin this summer. Such accountability is critical to deterring further attacks. I note with concern that the murderers of journalists succeed in avoiding responsibility for their crimes in nearly nine out of ten cases, and urge fellow governments to address this problem.Even more journalists and bloggers find themselves imprisoned in nations around the world. Iran, following its crackdown on dissent after the last elections, now has more journalists behind bars than any other nation. Governments in Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, North Korea, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela imprisoned journalists who wrote articles critical of government leaders and their policies.But for every media worker who has been targeted there are countless more who continue to inform their communities despite the risks of reprisal. On World Press Freedom Day, we honor those who carry out these vital tasks despite the many challenges and threats they face as well as the principle that a free and independent press is central to a vibrant and well-functioning democracy.  (Interesting Times)================================================