Fateh Nagar flyover puts lives in peril

Hyderabad, October 31: Government has constructed several bridges and flyovers for the convenience of the masses and to control traffic flow. But some of the flyovers and bridges are in wrecked condition.

One of them is Fateh Nagar flyover whose railing and pillars of the steps have broken and the foot path constructed over the bridge for pedestrians has broken down in many places. Almost 25 years have past after the construction of the bridge.

Appointments of secondary grade teachers underway

Hyderabad, October 31: Appointment of 30,830 secondary grade teachers (SGT) selected under the DSC recruitment exam will begin from today.

These posts will be filled in the ratio of 70:30. 30 percent quota will be provided to BEd candidates.

Pronouncing an official announcement about the decision secondary education Minister Mr. D. Manikya Vara Prasada Rao said that recruitments for DSC 2008 would be made according to the High court’s decision and state’s involvement in this matter is minimum.

CM flags off Hajj aspirants

Hyderabad, October 31: Chief Minister Dr. K Rosaiah bode farewell by flagging off the 14 batch of Hajj aspirants. Addressing the intending Hajj pilgrims Chief minister asserted that Islam is the religion of peace and brotherhood.

He said ‘State government is implementing fee reimbursement and scholarship schemes for Muslim community. The government is providing facilities to the Hajj aspirants at airport.’

Cargo plot has ‘hallmarks of Al Qaeda’: US official

Washington, October 31: The cargo terror plot discovered in Britain and Dubai has the “hallmarks of Al Qaeda”, a top US official has said.

“We know that the perpetrators of this — and it has the hallmarks of Al Qaeda — they are constantly trying things to test our system,” homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano said Saturday.

According to Xinhua, the failed terror plot, in which two suspicious packages were found Thursday night on cargo planes originated from Yemen and destined for the US, has spurred security scare across the Atlantic.

Oxford students forced to wear nappies

London, October 31: Dozens of girl students of Oxford University were forced to wear nappies, suck on dummies and drink alcohol from baby bottles during an initiation ceremony, a media report said Saturday.

According to the Daily Mail, pictures of the “Babies and Teenage Mums” themed event which appeared on social networking website Facebook – also showed the first-year members of the lacrosse team of the university rolling on the floor wearing nappies.

Yemen emerges as base for Qaeda attacks on US

Beirut, October 31: On Friday, as news emerged of a plot to send explosives in courier packages from Yemen to synagogues in Chicago, the world’s attention was focused on the threats brewing in Yemen’s hinterlands, where US citizens appear to be helping the local branch of al-Qaeda take aim at the US.

Cargo plane bombs were wired to explode, officials say

Washington, October 31: The two bombs concealed in U.S.-bound packages found on cargo planes in Britain and the United Arab Emirates were wired to explode, at least one via a cellphone detonator, and were powerful enough to bring down an aircraft, U.S. and British officials said Saturday.

A Yemeni official in Washington said a woman was arrested in Yemen in connection with sending the packages and that a relative, whom the official identified as either her mother or sister, was being interrogated.

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Leave Gujarat, SC tells Amit Shah

New Delhi, October 31: The Supreme Court on Saturday issued notice to former Gujarat minister Amit Shah on a petition by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking stay of the Gujarat High Court order granting him bail in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Shah, former minister of state for home, was arrested by the CBI on July 25 for his alleged involvement in the killing.

He was granted bail by the high court Friday on his executing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with a surety of like amount.

Saudi Prince opposed to Ground Zero mosque

Dubai, October 31: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has said he is against the construction of a mosque close to the 9/11 site in New York and also he had no part in financing the controversial project.

I’d ordered 9/11 planes to be shot down: Bush

Washington, October 30: Former US President George W Bush gave orders to shoot down planes on 9/11, his new book has revealed. He also thought the hijacked airliner that crashed in Pennsylvania had been shot down.

Bush may appear on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show to promote his memoir
The ex-president learned minutes later that brave passengers had forced terrorists to abandon their attempt to smash into the White House and crash land into a field.

Bush’s memoir Decision Points is due to be published next month, reports the Daily Mail.

First-aid centre at Imlibun under threat

Hyderabad, October 30: For 14 years, this tiny room at the corner of the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station at Koti has seen poor patients from rural areas coming in. They get directed to proper and free medical treatment in the best city hospitals here.

However, the Centre for Traveller’s Aid for the Sick is on the verge of being evicted by the APSRTC which leases the space.

Run by Dr Patricia D Bidinger, the centre provides free counselling on AIDS awareness, family planning and lifestyle besides giving first aid to travellers.

Six more CBI courts to be opened in AP

Hyderabad, October 30: Six more CBI courts will be opened in Andhra Pradesh by the end of this year, with four in Hyderabad and two at Visakhapatnam, a senior official said on Friday.

At a workshop on ‘Generation of awareness and publicity against corruption’ organised here, CBI DIG (Hyderabad Zone) V V Lakshmi Narayana said that a total of 71 special courts have been opened through out the country so as to speed up trial of CBI cases.

The workshop was organised as part of Vigilance Awareness Week, a release said.

———PTI

Heavy rainfall in coastal Andhra, Rayalseema

Hyderabad, October 30: Many districts in coastal and Rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh have been receiving heavy rainfall since Friday as the northeast monsoon became vigorous over the south coast.

According to Meteorological Department, Nellore town received the heaviest rainfall of 17 cms, followed by Kavali 10 cm, Venkatagiri town 9 cm and Tada 8 cm (all in Nellore district), Sompeta (Srikakulam district), Gudur (Nellore) and Srikalahasti (Chittoor district) 7 cm each.

Krushi bank: Depositors fail to collect money

Hyderabad, October 30: As many as 389 Krushi Bank depositors did not turn up to collect their deposits, when the officials of Crime Investigation Department (CID) distributed the cheques during the last 10 days in coordination with liquidators and Metropolitan Legal Services Authority (MLSA).

Potti Sriramulu statue set on fire

Hyderabad, October 30: A few days ahead of AP Formation Day, miscreants set fire to the statue of Potti Sriramulu on the Telugu University campus at Nampally on Friday evening.

Two youngsters poured diesel on the statue and set it in on fire and walked out of the campus in full view of scores of staff and security personnel.

The statue was partially damaged. It was Potti Sriramulu’s fast-unto-death that led to the creation of AP carved out from the then Madras state.

According to police and eye-witnesses, two young men walked into the university building around 5.10 p.m.

India, China for practical solution to border problem: PM

On Board PM’s Special Aircraft, October 30: A day after meeting his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said they had resolved to find “pragmatic and mutually satisfactory” solution to the border problem and remove “misunderstandings” to strengthen ties.

Singh said he had discussed with Wen the totality of issues in a general way and he agreed with the Chinese Premier that there was enough space in the world for both the countries to grow and that they should cooperate and collaborate.

No one likely to contest from AP: Srinivas

Hyderabad, October 30: There may not be any contestant from Andhra Pradesh for the elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) member posts, APCC president D Srinivas has said.

The CWC elections will be held at the All India Congress Committee session scheduled for November 2 in New Delhi. All the 141 AICC members (both elected and coopted members) who have been invited from the state, will be treated as special invitees.

Odean blast: Chargesheet against LeT man

Hyderabad, October 30: Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a chargesheet against Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq, the prime accused in the Odeon theatre bomb blast case, in the Nampally criminal court.

Besides Zia-ul-Haq, there were several LeT operatives and handlers, including Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, for whom the NIA was still on the lookout for conspiracy to wage war against India by supplying arms and ammunition, the chargesheet said.

Water Board seizes 42 illegal water motors

Hyderabad, October 30: A vigilance team of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) seized 42 electric water motors, being used illegally to draw water directly from the main board pipeline.

Motors were seized from Vekat Sai Nagar (Alwal), Shankerbagh (Hindinagar), Kummarwadi (Old Mallepally), Adarshnagar slum (Gunfoundry), Jai Prakash Nagar (Yellareddyguda), Phase I and II of Kukatpally Housing Board Colony, Kothapet, Maruthi Nagar and Phanigiri Colony (Maruthi Nagar).

The raids were carried out jointly by inspector B Srihari and Water Board staff.

Novel project on short films takes off

Hyderabad, October 30: The divide between what is considered high-culture and low-brow entertainment is growing smaller everyday.

In fact, it is the second somewhat derogatory term that gave rise to one of the more interesting art movements in the 70s, also known as pop surrealism. Hyderabad too, is striving towards democratic, when it comes to arts and culture.

Ikebana: Showcasing flowers and twigs

Hyderabad, October 30: Rekha Reddy’s exhibitions are often theme-based and have complemented works of eminent artistes.

Ikebana is quite different from conventional western arrangements as it is not based on the massing of flowers and foliage in symmetrical fashion.

A freshly picked twig entwined to a straight rod of dried wood can as well make a pleasant Ikebana arrangement that is sure to steal hearts and stay in them too.

D-firm gangster uses mobile phone in jail

Hyderabad, October 30: A Dawood Ibrahim gangster lodged in the Cherlapally prison is reportedly continuing his activities by way of a mobile phone smuggled to him.

Syed Abid Hussain alias Ali Bhai is said to be in touch with his associates across the country and as far as Dubai from inside the high-security jail.

And this is not the first time he has been found using a mobile phone. Prison department officials are, however, denying the discovery.

AP temple staff to defer agitation

Hyderabad, October 30: With talks between the state government and temple employees turning fruitful, the Andhra Pradesh Temple Employees Association has decided to defer its agitation by a month.

Priests and temple staff have been staging protests demanding implementation of pay revision on par with the state government employees.

The temple staff including priests went on a day-long strike yesterday and stayed away from performing Arjitha sevas causing inconvenience for the devotees.

Cotton growers on warpath againt low prices

Warrangal, October 30: Cotton growers ransacked the office of the Yenumamula agricultural market yard on Friday in protest against the low price being offered by traders for their produce.

A farmer, who came to the market yard to sell cotton, entered into an argument with a trader for being offered a mere Rs 3,400 per quintal.

The trader, Bhaskar, told the farmer that the cotton was damp and would offer only Rs 3,400 but not the prevailing market price of Rs 4,370.

NIA may take over Mecca masjid blast probe

Hyderabad, October 30: The Centre is contemplating handing over the Mecca Masjid blast case, currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sources told Express that the NIA might take over the case from the CBI as it was authorised to probe bomb blast cases across the country. “It is still being contemplated and handing over the case to NIA may depend on the developments in the investigation of the case in the coming days,” sources said.