Security up in Old City Area

Hyderabad, May 18 : Though the police had arrested Viquaruddin and some of his associates who carried out attacks on policemen in the last two years in the city, the Hyderabad Police have sounded a high alert and stepped up security in the Old city Area in view of the fourth anniversary of the bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid, today.Security has been tightened at the mosque, Charminar, monuments, places of worship and other public places in the Old City Area and patrolling intensified in and around Old City.There is no major threat this year as extremist Viquaruddin Ahmed alias Viqar and his associates who killed policemen are already behind bars, a senior police officer said adding the city police were on high alert for the past two days at Old city.Viqar and his associates had targeted policemen on duty on two consecutive anniversaries of the Mecca Masjid Blast by allegedly killing two policemen and injuring two others since December 2008. ''All precautionary steps had been taken to prevent any untoward incident besides checking all vehicles passing through Old City and monitoring the entire activities at the Old city by Task Forces, the senior officer added.
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QADIYANI'S condemns Owaisi statement

Hyderabad, May 18: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (AMJ) today condemned the statement made by the Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi at a public meeting at Khilwat recently that the Qadianis (Ahmadie) and two editors of Urdu dailies were involved in the conspiracy behind the murder attempt on his younger brother and MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi.Mr Owaisi was shot and stabbed by his rivals in Barkas on April 30.a release here, the Jamaat, while condemning the attack on the life of the MLA, refuted the allegations made by the MP and stated that it had no role to play either in paying a sum of Rs 1.5 crore for planning the assault on the MLA.In the entire history of the Jamaat, it had never indulged in any activity that was illegal or contrary to the law of the land, or any activity that went against the teachings of Islam."We would like to point out that the Jamaat is under continuous attack by a section of the Ulemas for the last four years by making false and malicious allegations against our teachings," the release said.
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After assassination attempt, MIM got strengthened: Asaduddin

Hyderabad, May 18: The failed assassination attempt on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi has led to outpouring of public sympathy and thus strengthened the party, says the outfit's chief Asaduddin Owaisi.As the young leader recovers in a hospital from bullet and stab injuries, the hoardings, banners and posters displayed outside and elsewhere in the city are a proof of the mass following the MIM has, said Asaduddin, a party MP and the victim's elder brother.Akbaruddin was injured when assailants stabbed and opened fire at him April 30. One attacker was killed and two others critically injured when security guards returned the fire. The incident sparked tensions in parts of the old area of the city that have been MIM strongholds for nearly four decades.The MP feels the prayers of the people gave a new life to his brother, who is leader of the seven-member MIM legislature party in the Andhra Pradesh assembly."People not only condemned the attack but also prayed for his recovery. Allah has answered their prayers and given him a new life. I don't think medical treatment alone could have helped him," Asaduddin told He sees the attack as a deep-rooted conspiracy against MIM."The attack was not because of a land dispute. It is the first step in this big unholy conspiracy by forces that could not defeat us in a democratic manner. They will be exposed."We want the government and police to conduct a comprehensive probe, especially into the conspiracy angle, so that the real culprits behind this are exposed and arrested," he said.After camping at hospital for a week when Akbaruddin was battling for life, the Hyderabad MP is back at Darussalam, the party headquarters.Asaduddin is facing the first major crisis after he took over the reins of the party following the death of his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi three years ago."Such cowardly acts will neither affect MIM's popularity nor hit the morale of its cadre. On the contrary, our belief in the almighty has gone up and it boosts our morale. It has given a new purpose to our life," said the London-educated barrister.Unlike leaders of other parties, the leaders of MIM always moved without security. Even the attack on Akbaruddin by a group of 12 armed assailants has not shaken Asaduddin."I will continue to be amidst people without security. As far as Akbaruddin is concerned, since he faced a serious incident, we can't take a chance. He will take security from the government and we will also take whatever precautionary measures required for him."The rest is in the hands of Allah. As long as we are here in this world we will live with courage and confidence, raise the issues of the community and try to find a solution to them," said Asaduddin.Established in 1928 with the aim of keeping the then Hyderabad State independent, MIM was banned after the state's merger with the Indian union in 1948. However, in 1958 it was revived with a new constitution by Moulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi, grandfather of Asaduddin Owaisi, to champion the cause of Muslims, who constitute 40 percent of the city's population.
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Minister of Welfare of Monorities -Ahemedullah addressing the International Youth Fellowship

Hyderabad,18th,May-(Deccansamachar) Ahmendulla Syed Mohammad - Honourable minister of Welfare of Minorities addressing the IYF hyderabad workshop attendees along with Mr Sudhir from Andhra Pradesh christian minorities finance, Mr Dongyeop Kim Director IYF Hyderabad and Hyderabad Coordinator - Dr Sarita. Minister with the IYF volunteers national as well as international members. Attendess participating in cultural dance. Cultural dance by the Iyf team. Workshop delegates, (photo by RSJ THOMAS)
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G. Srinivas (General Secretary SSS), addressing The press conference

Hyderabad,13,Dec, Telangana Samanvaya Samithi,Telangana Co-ordination Committee..press conference addressing G. Srinivas (General Secretary), Vidha Sagar Advocate (Adhikara Prathinidi), V. Venkat reddy (Advisor) (photo by RSJ Thomas)
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Andhra Pradesh govt sanctions Rs 430.98 cr as relief

Hyderabad, Dec 13 : The Andhra Pradesh Government has accorded administrative sanction of Rs 430.98 crore to various departments from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for relief measures for the losses and damages due to the recent heavy rains, floods and 'JAL' cyclone.Out of Rs 430.98 crore, the agriculture department has been sanctioned Rs 170.77 crore, Horticulture department Rs 1.87 crore, Animal Husbandry Rs 15.88 crore, Fisheries Rs 1.84 crore. The remaining amount was for Sericulture, Handloom Textiles, Roads and Buildings, Rural Water Supply,Irrigation, Health, Panchayat Raj, Municipal Administration Departments.The government had sanctioned relief of Rs 8.83 crore for damaged houses, an offcial press release said here tonight.
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Former Mayor T Shakuntala resign, from Cong, join Jagan group.

Dec 13 : Former Mayor Tadi Shakunatala announced that she had resigned from the Congress Party and would join the new regional party being floated by Former Congress MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.However, Senior Congress leaders told that Shankuntala's move was not politically significant, as she had earlier defected from CPI to Join Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) and later joned the Congress. Meanwhile, Mr Jagan, son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy continued his tour of Krishna district to console the rain affected farmers, He was given a warm welcome in many villages.At Patha Majeru village, Mr Jagan alleged that the state government had failed on all fronts in providing a helping hand to the affected farmers. The government was working against the ideals and wishes of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, he alleged and claimed that the government would ''fall'' soon.
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Andhra Pradesh universities act bill introduced in Assembly

Hyderabad, Dec 13 : Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy today laid the Andhra Pradesh Universities Act (Amendment) Bill, 2010 on the table of the Hosue.After Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar asked the minister to present the Bill on behalf of Minister for Higher Education C Damodar Rajanarsimha, he introduced the Bill.Later, the Deputy Speaker announced that the motion has been carried and the Bill was introduced in the House. It could be taken up for discussion.Mr Manohar also announced that the Andhra Pradsh Micro Finance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Bill 2010, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2010 and the Andhra Pradesh Self-Help Groups Women (Leasing of Agriculture Land) Bill, 2010, which were introduced in the House on Saturday would be taken up for discussion tomorrow evening along with today's Bills.
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Telangana stir: Andhra withdraws cases against students

13,Dec,2010, Buckling under opposition pressure, the Andhra Pradesh government Monday said it was withdrawing around a third of criminal cases against students and others who took part in the movement for a separate Telangana state.Making a statement in the state assembly, Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy said 562 cases against 2,436 people were being withdrawn.A total of 1,667 cases were registered against 8,047 people during the protests between December 2009 and September this year.She said all cases were divided into two categories depending on their gravity. While petty cases like violation of prohibitory orders, road blockades and attempt to suicide were being withdrawn, cases like arson and attack on public and private property would be examined.“Of the total cases, 122 against 411 people were closed at the police station level during the course of investigation, while 383 cases against 2,500 people were pending in court,” she said.The statement came after the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) paralysed the state assembly Friday and Saturday over this demand. It forced an adjournment Monday as well.The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and TRS expressed dissatisfaction over the statement and demanded that all cases against the students in all the regions be withdrawn unconditionally.Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy assured the house that every case was would be thoroughly examined.“The government will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time in respect of the cases which were not withdrawn,” he said.Reddy appealed to students not to resort to violence during protests.Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi demanded that the cases booked against 422 Muslim youths in the old city of Hyderabad in the aftermath of communal clashes this year be withdrawn as well.The chief minister told him that the two issues could not be clubbed. He, however, said the government was ready review these cases.(photo by RSJ THOMAS)
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Chandrababu Naidu stages sit-in in front of Andhra assembly

13,Dec,2010, Leader of Opposition N.Chandrababu Naidu Monday staged a sit-in on the road in front of the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly building to protest the arrest of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators and farmers’ leaders.Angry over the attitude of police, Naidu told reporters that he would not end his protest unless all the arrested legislators and leaders were freed.Earlier, TDP leaders claimed that Naidu had a narrow escape when a police vehicle carrying the arrested legislators almost ran over him. The former chief minister was trying to stop the vehicle but the driver did not apply the brakes and Naidu’s security guards pulled him back in the nick of time.“Is this the way you treat a former chief minister? Is it democracy or what?” an angry Naidu asked police officers when they tried to persuade him to end his protest.It all started when a group of leaders of some farmers’ organisations reached the assembly building to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, demanding relief for farmers whose crops were damaged in recent heavy rains.When security personnel did not allow them inside, they sat on the road to lodge their protest.Meanwhile, legislators of the TDP, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) came out of the assembly and joined the protest. Police then bodily lifted the legislators and farmers’ leaders and took them to a waiting vehicle.On hearing about the arrests, Naidu too came out of the assembly and tried to stop the police vehicle.The TDP chief alleged that the government was not only running away from a debate on the farmers’ issues in the assembly but was also adopting “high-handed” attitude towards opposition legislators and farmers.(photo by RSJthomas)
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India, US to hold final agenda talks for Obama visit

Oct,19, US Undersecretary of State William Burns and chief pointperson for South Asia Robert Blake will hold two-day talks here starting Thursday, barely three weeks before President Barack Obama touches down in India.Topping a series of preparatory meetings aimed at firming up deliverables during the presidential visit, Burns and Blake, the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, are expected to meet Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Indian officials Thursday-Friday, official sources said. They may also call on External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.This will be the final round of agenda-setting talks before Obama comes on his maiden visit to India, likely Nov 5-8.The talks will try to iron out differences over contentious issues like the hike in H1B visa fees, curbs on outsourcing and the civil nuclear liability legislation.The two sides will focus on issues such as the easing of high-tech exports that could give a historic character to Obama’s visit to India.There will be talks on removing Indian firms from the banned ‘entities list’ that could signal the relaxation of much-needed high-tech exports to India, said informed sources.India is being denied technology in 11 of the 16 categories, just one short of both Pakistan and China, while most European nations figure in just four categories and Canada faces restrictions on just two counts.Krishna had last week said India would raise concerns expressed by its IT industry over the US curbs on outsourcing when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets the US president next month and will press for lifting restrictions on exports of high-technology.The visit by Burns and Blake follow a string of recent high profile visits from Indian ministers to the US.These include trips by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao too met top US officials in Washington to firm up agenda for Obama’s visit.Last week, Blake had announced that Obama was planning a landmark visit to India in November.“I foresee our great nations becoming ever closer in the years and decades to come. President Obama intends to make a landmark visit to India in November to help further grow the ties between our two knowledge societies, our economies, and our people,” he said at the San Diego World Affairs Council.
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Rosaiah defends university land for TIFR campus

Oct,19, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Monday defended the allotment of University of Hyderabad land to the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) for setting up its Hyderabad campus.

Rosaiah told reporters that TIFR was not a private company and that it was allotted 209 acres of surplus land of the university in accordance with the rules.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone for the Hyderabad campus of TIFR Tuesday even as a section of students and faculty are opposing the land allotment.Rosaiah claimed that the state got the second campus of the prestigious institution after tough competition from other states. He pointed out that TIFR planned to invest Rs.2,500 crore in the campus and this would help in the state’s development.The chief minister promised to compensate the central university for the land by extending other assistance.Meanwhile, University of Hyderabad’s Vice Chancellor Seyed E. Hasnain also justified land allotment to TIFR. He pointed out that it is an institute of excellence wholly-funded by the Department of Atomic Energy and there was nothing wrong in giving it land.He said the opposition to the move from some sections was politically motivated. The VC hoped that the institute would help in making the campus a world-class research hub.TIFR director Mustansir Barma said the Hyderabad campus would start functioning from the next year. It will have world-class labs and facilities to put India in the forefront of research in the emerging areas of science.It plans to accommodate 200 permanent faculty, 1,000 students and 300 post-doctoral researchers.TIFR, which was founded by Homi J. Bhabha on June 1, 1945 with the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has already entered into memorandum of understanding with University of Hyderabad to facilitate collaborative research.Barma said this collaboration between the university and the institute would continue in future.
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Expand human resource pool in science, technology: PM

Oct,19, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday called for expanding the human resource pool in science and technology and creating a stimulating institutional environment “through innovation and pursuit of excellence”.Singh laid the foundation stone for the Hyderabad campus of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at the centrally-run University of Hyderabad.
“We need to expand human resource pool in the area of science and technology to maintain our competitive advantage in the knowledge economy that is now on the horizon in the world,” Singh said.“Secondly, we need to create a stimulating institutional environment that can engender a full flowering of our vast, latent capacities through innovation and pursuit of excellence.”“The scientific and technological prowess of a nation is a major determinant of its state of development. Innovation and knowledge will be the key factors in our nation’s progress in the 21st century. We must, therefore, foster an environment that promotes and nurtures scientific achievement and makes us a world leader in creating intellectual property,” he said.He stressed the need to strengthen scientific infrastructure, draw the brightest minds to scientific research, and create institutions of the highest standards of excellence.“Scientific development is an integral part of the journey of our country towards inclusive, balanced and sustainable growth,” he said.The ceremony passed off without any untoward incident as tight security arrangements were made in view of protests by a section of students and faculty of the university over allotment of university land to TIFR.The institute is coming up on 209 acres allotted by the state government. TIFR plans to set up various research and academic facilities at the Hyderabad campus with an investment of about Rs.2,500 crore over a decade.Recalling that India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone for TFIR at Mumbai 56 years ago, Singh noted that from modest beginnings TIFR has emerged as a great centre of research and learning of international repute.He said the institute was closely associated with many of the advances the country has made in the frontier fields of scientific research.“From its origin in nuclear science and mathematics, TIFR’s activities now encompass all branches of natural sciences, mathematics, computer cience and science education,” he said.Paying rich tributes to TIFR’s founder and a greatest scientist Homi Bhabha, Singh said the nation owes Bhabha a deep debt of gratitude for his pioneering efforts in putting India on the scientific map of the world.Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee described TIFR as a cradle of atomic energy activities in the country.He said the need for the new campus was felt as the Mumbai campus had come to a state of saturation and it couldn’t grow any farther.“TIFR has chosen a path in which it will try to converge various traditional disciplines into some common theme. They have named it as research in light, matter and life,” he said.TIFR plans to have 1,000 to 1,400 students in Phd programmes and about 400 post doctoral associates in new campus. It will also have 250 faculty members.Mustansir Barma, director of TIFR, said TIFR was an autonomous institute supported by the department of atomic energy with a mission to conduct world class research in various sciences and train young researchers.He said the new campus would have TIFR centre for interdisciplinary science, which is expected to be functional by 2013.Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L Narasimhan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah were also present on the occasion.
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Kasab spits on video camera, wants to go to US

Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, caught alive during the 26/11 Mumbai mayhem, Tuesday spat on the video-conferencing camera in the Arthur Road Central Jail from where he ‘attends’ the proceedings in the Mumbai High Court where arguments on confirming his death sentence are going on.Though the jail officials discreetly switched off the camera at the right moment, they later informed the court of the spitting incident.Kasab, who was seen misbehaving during the first day of the hearing Monday – laughing, stretching himself, playing with his jail uniform buttons, yawning and exhibiting boredom – continued his antics Tuesday, the jail officials said. At one time, he attempted to get up and walk away from the camera.He also came on the live video-screen and demanded that he should be sent to the US since he was not sure on what charges he was being kept in captivity here. At this, the bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R. V. More suggested that he should ask his lawyers under what charges he was being kept in jail.Kasab also told the court in Hindi that he wanted to attend the proceedings in person, instead of through video-conferencing, which the judges declined on security grounds.Kasab’s lawyers too agreed that he could not be brought to the Bombay High Court in view of security considerations.Government counsel Ujjwal Nikam Monday opened his arguments in the case for confirming the death sentence awarded to Kasab by Special JUdge M.L. Tahaliyani May 6 this year.Kasab was the only Pakistani gunman nabbed alive from the group of 10 terrorists who sneaked into Mumbai and created mayhem between Nov 26-29, killing 166 people, including 26 foreigners, and injuring around 300 others.
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A.R. Rahman, brand ambassador for Toyota Etios

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has roped in music composer and two-time Oscar winner A.R. Rahman as brand ambassador for its small car Etios to be launched in December.

Rahman will endorse the Etios through various marketing campaigns, the company said Friday.“There is a very strong connect between the product and its brand ambassador, with both being global, innovative, reliable, and a class-above quality,” said Hiroshi Nakagawa, managing director, TKM.The new Toyota hatchback is said to have been designed for the mass volume segment of the Indian market and will compete in the Rs.3-5 lakh price band.“I believe real quality is created when skill meets dedication, when insight meets inspiration, when passion meets perfection. This is why I am happy to be associated with Toyota. The same values drive Toyota in whatever they do,” said Rahman on his association with Toyota.Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director, marketing, said the Toyota brand in India would get stronger and far-reaching “with Rahman in our multi-media campaigns”.
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Bal Thackeray anoints grandson Aditya into politics

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Sunday night formally anointed grandson Aditya into politics by presenting him a ceremonial sword as a crowd of over 200,000 cheered lustily.A surprisingly robust and healthy looking Thackeray, accompanied by Aditya, arrived at the Shiv Sena Dussehra rally at the historic Shivaji Park grounds, even as his son and Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray wound up his 45-minute-long address.
First, the three generations of the Thackeray family garlanded a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji before Thackeray was escorted to his ‘throne’.After the usual round of garlands, Aditya stood before him, clad in a simple blue kurta with sleeves rolled up to the elbows and dark trousers.Thackeray handed his grandson a gleaming sword and touched his forehead, while Aditya bent and touched his feet. Thackeray also presented a bouquet of flowers to the 20-year-old.Aditya then sought his father Udhav’s blessings by touching his feet.He then came forward on the stage, raised the sword and waved it to the cheering crowds, then bowed before the gathering and syumbolically sought their blessings.Belying expectations, Aditya did not make a speech and the stage was left for his father and grandfather.Flanked on his right by former leader of opposition in the state assembly Ramdas Kadam and on the left by ex-chief minister and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, Aditya sat throughout the two-hour function and listened attentively to the speeches of the two senior Thackerays.In his 45-minute speech, Bal Thackeray said that Aditya had progressed in the party by his deeds and urged partymen to encourage and support him.
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Ayodhya verdict: Nirmohi Akhara to also move Supreme Court

The decision of theAll India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to take the Ayodhya battle to the Supreme Court has prompted one of the key Hindu parties, Nirmohi Akhara, to follow suit, almost ruling out any chance of an out-of-court settlement.“We have no choice but to move the Supreme Court now, since the Sunni Central Waqf Board’s resolve to file an appeal agaist the (Sep 30) Allahabad High Court verdict has been formally endorsed by the Muslim Personal Law Board,” Akhara spokesman Mahant Ram Das said over telephone from Ayodhya.Speaking on behalf of 89-year-old Akhara head Mahant Bhaskar Das, who avoids talking over the phone on account of his hearing impairment, Ram Das said: “We were somehow apprehensive that a particular lobby among Muslims was not interested in closing the Ayodhya chapter and that is exactly what has happened. Under the circumstances, we are compelled to take the same course and file an appeal before the Supreme Court.”Asked what would happen to the initiatives taken by 90-year-old Hashim Ansari, the first Muslim plaintiff in the case, to put an end to the court battle and settle the dispute through dialogue, Ram Das said: “Well, we all appreciate Ansari’s efforts to which Mahant Bhaskar Das had also responded very positively, but what to do now?”Signalling a hardened position, he said: “We have reason to believe that we must not only have full right over the entire disputed land, but also be given complete right to perform puja and have full control over the proposed temple.”A three-judge special bench of the Allahabad High Court had ordered division of the disputed 90 ft x 120 ft plot of land where the Babri masjid once stood into three parts – one to Ram Lalla, one to the Nirmohi Akhara and one to the Sunni Waqf Board.After a meeting of its executive here Saturday, the AIMPLB said it had decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the Ayodhya verdict, but clarified it was not opposed to an out-of-court compromise, though with certain conditions.Asked to comment on the change in Nirmohi Akhara’s stand, All India Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Gyan Das blamed it on Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Vinay Katiyar.“It is all because of Vinay Katiyar that the Nirmohi Akhara has altered its stand. It appears that Katiyar has poisoned the mind of Mahant Bhaskar Das,” he said.Gyan Das, who strongly championed keeping politicians out of the amicable settlement process, alleged Katiyar had vested interests.“Having been a MP from the area in the past, Katiyar knows that he could continue to get political mileage out of the issue only as long as it was allowed to simmer,” he said, referring to Katiyar’s stint as Faizabad MP.Earlier this week, Katiyar told mediapersons in Ayodhya that no out-of-court settlement on the issue was possible until Muslims abdicated their claim even to the one-third portion of the disputed site.

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Kasab death penalty: Case in high court Monday

Unprecedented security arrangements have been made at the Bombay High Court where the hearing on the confirmation of the death sentence to Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab begins Monday.

Kasab will not be present in person but participate in the proceedings through video-conferencing in view of the threat perceptions against him.The day-to-day hearing will be taken up before a division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R.V. More.Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani, who is now the principal sessions judge, awarded the capital punishment to the 22-year-old Pakistani gunman for his role in the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attack that claimed the lives of 166 people, including 26 foreigners.Unprecedented security measures have been ordered in the court premises with strict regulations on the entry of lawyers, litigants, mediapersons, court employees and others in Court No. 49.Government counsel Ujjwal Nikam, who fought the case in the trial court, will open his arguments seeking confirmation of the death sentence.Later, defence lawyers Farhana Shah and Amin Solkar will make their submissions on the confirmation of the sentence and their appeal against it.Two other co-accused in the case, Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, who were acquitted by the Special Court owing to “doubtful evidence” against them, were re-arrested following an appeal filed by the state government.Both are currently lodged in different jails in Mumbai.Nine out of 10 gunmen, barring Kasab, who staged the attack were killed by security forces.
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Students plan protest during Prime Minister's Hyderabad University visit

Hyderabad, Oct 18 : Tight security arrangements are in place for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the University of Hyderabad here Tuesday as a section of the students and faculty is planning a protest against laying of the foundation stone for the Hyderabad campus of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).The students' unions and some faculty members are opposing the allocation of university land for TIFR while the Left parties have also appealed to the prime minister not to lay the foundation stone for the institute.Anticipating protests by the students and faculty, police have made elaborate security arrangements on the campus.Manmohan Singh will arrive in Hyderabad Tuesday at 11.30 a.m. He will inaugurate the 21st general meeting of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) at 12 noon.He will lay the foundation stone for the Hyderabad campus of TIFR at 2.30 p.m. and return to New Delhi at 3.40 p.m. Students Monday staged protests at the university campus against plans to allot the land to various private institutions.The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of faculty, non-teaching staff and students fears that the land allotment to TIFR would set a "bad precedent" as the versity authorities could allot land to more private institutes.The strong protest by the JAC early this year had forced Vice-Chancellor Seyed E. Hasnain to put on hold a project to lease out 200 acres of campus land for Knowledge and Innovation Park (KIP).Leaders of Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), in a joint letter to the prime minister, appealed to him to cancel his proposed programme as it could be used by an "unscrupulous" administration to sanctify its "selfish" and "unreasonable land deals".CPI leader K. Narayana said there were proposals to allot 1,000 acres more to institutions and Singh's foundation stone laying for TIFR would enable the university to clear them.The central university authorities, however, clarified that land had been allotted to TIFR, a central government's institute of excellence wholly-funded by Department of Atomic Energy, and not to any private institute.The Hyderabad campus of TIFR is coming up on 209 acres of land allotted by the state government on the university campus at Gachibowli. TIFR plans to set up various research and academic facilities in the Hyderabad campus with an investment of about Rs.2,500 crore over a decade.According to TIFR officials, the Hyderabad campus will have world-class labs and facilities to put India in the forefront of research in the emerging areas of science. It plans to accommodate 200 permanent faculty, 1,000 students and 300 post-doctoral researchers.TIFR, which was founded by Homi J. Bhabha June 1, 1945, with the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has already entered into memorandum of understanding with the University of Hyderabad to facilitate collaborative research.The prime minister will also inaugurate the 21st general meeting of Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). More than 350 scientists from 35 countries are expected to attend the four-day event.The union ministry of science and technology is sponsoring the meet. The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the TWAS Regional Office for Central and South Asia (TWAS-ROCASA) are the joint hosts.Based in Trieste, Italy, TWAS is an autonomous international organization which is working to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the south.
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Hyd to host national seminar on changing trends in news papers

Oct 18 : Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium News Papers of India Association (APSMNPIA) President A Ramachandra Reddy today said a one-day national seminar on 'News papers Service in Changing Trends of the Public and Government' will be held at in Hyderabad on October 20.He told newspersons that here more that 90 delegates representing small and medium newspapers across the country, including New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Naidu, Orissa, Haryana, Karnataka and Gujarat will participate in the seminar and focus on various issues, including role of small newspapers in development of Telugu language, small newspapers public responses and the role of small newspapers in rural development. National President for Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India (Kanpur) K D Chandola, Narsapur member of Parliament K Bapu Raju, Amalapuram Member of Parliament G V Harsha Kumar, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University Vice Chancellor Prof A Bhumaiah, National co-ordinator for Small and Medium Newspapers Association P Vishumurthi, Telugu University Journalism department Head Satti Reddy will participate in the seminar. Right to Information Act Commissioner R Dilip Reddy, AP Press Academy Chairman T Surendra and senior journalists Pothuri Venkateswara Rao and Satish Chandar, will participate in the seminar, he said.
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