Go for it if you love goofy Greek gods

Clash of the titans
Cast: Sam Worthington (Perseus), Gemma Arterton (Io), Mads Mikkelsen (Draco), Alexa Davalos (Andromeda), Jason Flemyng (Calibos/King Acrisius), Ralph Fiennes (Hades), Liam Neeson (Zeus)
Director: Louis Leterrier
Rating: ***

There are too many Greek gods for me to keep straight, since as a child I didn’t have action figures as a learning tool. I was prepared to take notes during Clash of the Titans, but only wrote down a single one: Release the Kraken! — Conan O’Brien. I know I was intended to be terrified by the release of the Kraken, but all I could think of was O’Brien shouting “Release the bear!” and then some guy in a bear suit runs out and sits on the lap of a guest. In this case, the Kraken is the nuclear option for Zeus, who has been persuaded by Hades to put down a revolt by the upstart mortals of Argos.

The mortals are fed up with the whims of the gods. It would be one thing if they stayed on Olympus and killed time leaning on pillars and addressing one another in thundering ultimatums. Now they meddle in the affairs of men. King Acrisius of Argos declares war and enlists the aid of a demigod who has been found at sea. This is Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) and a human mother. He didn’t ask to be a saviour, but would be happier as a simple fisherman. You know the type.

Zeus, it should be explained, disguised himself as the husband of Perseus’ mother and stole into her bedchamber to father the boy. So he is a rapist. Just sayin’. Perseus so loved his mother and adoptive father that he will never forgive Poseidon for drowning them, and wants nothing to do with gods. Yet such is his destiny.

The outcome is told in Clash of the Titans with impressive technical mastery and somewhat lesser dramatic command. For its intended audience I suspect this will play as a great entertainment. I enjoyed myself, particularly after they released the Kraken. There’s no particular dramatic conflict in the movie: Perseus has to wrestle with his demigod ambiguity; Hades (Ralph Fiennes) nurses a resentment against Zeus; he demands the sacrifice of King Acrisius’ daughter Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) to spare the city, and the citizens seem prepared to get along very nicely without her. That’s about it.

It’s strange how the sacrifice of one person makes us uneasy. Earlier in the film, the entire fleet of Argos is lost at sea, with the exception of the vessel holding Perseus. The king is philosophical: They were patriots. But the sacrifice of his own daughter — now you’re talkin’ real death.

Most of the film involves terrifying battles between mortals and special effects. After Calibos has a hand chopped off, his fingers grow into claws. Later, his blood drops start growing, creating a crowd of huge lobster-monsters that come crawling over rocks and snapping at everyone. Later in the film, inexplicably, these lobsters appear to be tame and walk obediently across the desert, bearing little houses on their backs for the mortals. What, did they forget they were the blood of Calibos?

There’s worse to come. Perseus and his comrades must invade the lair of Medusa, one of the three Gorgon girls, whose hair is a writhing mass of snakes and body is a long, lethal snake’s tail. Look at her, and you’ll turn to stone! Maybe this explains the high quality of Greek sculpture. The struggles with Medusa take place on ledges over a flaming lake of lava far below. She must be beheaded, which Perseus does, thoughtfully keeping the head, which he carries around like the head of Alfredo Garcia. Is that a spoiler? The story has been out since 490 BC.

The climax is classic, with the fair Andromeda hung by her wrists and suspended in a clinging white gown over a flaming pit at the edge of the sea. Meanwhile, Perseus flies to the rescue on the wings of the great flying horse Pegasus. The townspeople clamor for her death, but lose their enthusiasm after the Kraken rears up from the sea.

I like this kind of stuff. I don’t say it’s good cinema, although I recognise the craftsmanship that went into it. I don’t say it’s good acting, when the men have so much facial hair they all look like Liam Neeson. I like the energy, the imagination, the silliness. I even like the one guy who doesn’t have a beard. That’s Perseus. From the first moment we see him as an adult until his last scene in the movie, he has the Standard Regulation Macho-Length Stubble on his chin. And in a city where all the men go to Jerry Garcia’s barber, he has a burr cut on the short clipper setting.

So do I recommend the movie? Yes, if you intuit that this review is affectionate and have the same tolerance for goofy Greek gods as I do. One word of consumer advice, however. Explain to kids that the movie was not filmed in 3-D and is only being shown in 3-D in order to charge you extra. I saw it in 2-D, and let me tell you, it looked terrific.

Situation in old city of Hyderabad is worse and lead to Curfew in South Zone

The situation in old city of Hyderabad has transformed from bad to worse. People were seen pelting stones and in one incident one person who was stabbed died in the hospital. We would not like to reveal the religion of the dead person since this would only inflame the tensions.

Curfew has been imposed in the South Zone of Hyderabad which would come into effect from 7 PM today. South Zone covers Moosarambagh, Saidabad, Saroornagar, Barkas, Moghalpura, Falaknuma, Puranapul, Begum Bazaar, Shali Banda, and Rajendra area (For entire list please see the list below)

Seven more central battalions and additional forces, including nearly 1000 paramilitary personnel dispatched by the centre, were being deployed to restore peace in the trouble-hit areas.

Miscreants attacked passersby with knives and other sharp-edged weapons in Gowliguda, Falaknuma, Shamsheergunj and Chatrinaka areas after asking them to identify themselves. Women and children were not spared either. About a dozen places of worship were targeted by unruly crowds, who also torched a few shops, a cattle shelter and vehicles.

Even the media persons were not spared. TV9, NTV, TV5 and Eendau's reporters were reported to have suffered injuries.

Police Commissioner AK Khan has termed the incidents "pre-planned". Seventy people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

While the tensions have been rocking the old city the rain god sent rains to cool some tempers.

South Zone areas
---------------------------

Moosarambagh
Saidabad
I.S.Sadan
Santoshnagar
Riyasat Nagar
Kanchanbagh
Barkas
Chandrayan gutta
Jangammet
Uppuguda
Lalithabagh
Rain Bazar
Kurmaguda
Chavni
Akberbagh
Saleem Nagar
Old Malakpet
Azampura
Dabeerpura
Noorkhan Bazar
Pathergatti
Talabchanchalam
Moghalpura
Gowlipura
Aliabad
Falaknuma
Nawabsaheb Kunta
Jahanuma
Fathe Darwaza
Shali Banda
Hussain Alam
Ghansi Bazar
Begum Bazar
Gosha Mahal
Dhoolpet
Puranapul
Doodbowli
Ramnaspura
Kishanbagh
Rajendra Nagar
Shivarampally
Mylardevpally
Rajendra Nagar
Attapur

Curfue in South Zone: Commissionar AK Khan

Curfue in South Zone from 7:00 Pm onwords. The areas under cufue are Charminar, Falknuma, Hussaini Alam, Dabbir Pura, Chatrinaka, Madanna Pet, Mogal Pura, Chandrayan Gutta, Bahaddur Pura, Shali Banda, kala Patthar, Kamai pura, Meer chowk, Santosh Nagar, Bhavani Nagar, Rain Bazar.

Praja Natya Mandali drive against price rise

The cultural wing of the Communist Party of India, AP Praja Natya Mandali, will undertake a drive, from State to village-level, to increase public awareness about the cascading effect of rising prices and the Centre's inability to check them.

After the mandali's State Council meeting, Puli Sambasiva Rao, president, told a press conference that apart from the campaign to educate people about the government's failure to contain prices, it would also mention Telangana. He said ‘injustice' done to the region for decades would be explained, along with what could be done redress it.Chada Venkat Reddy, CPI State Council member in-charge of Cultural Front, said the party would organise a ‘Jail bharo' programme on April 8 against the price rise. The programme would highlight ‘failure' of the PDS to streamline its supply chain management to help the poor. Mr. Rao said the mandali would exert pressure on government to declare April 16, the birthday of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu as ‘Telugu Natakaranga Dinotsavam'. It would reiterate the demand for the State to declare its cultural policy, while meeting Chief Minister K .Rosaiah and Information Minister J. Geeta Reddy.

Palle Narasimha, general secretary of the mandali, said it would redouble efforts to get performing artistes into the fold, especially from Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts.

Tension continues in old city of Hyderabad

Tension continued to grip the communally sensitive areas of old city of Hyderabad on Monday with mobs indulging in unabated stone hurling in different parts, even as the beleaguered police force is finding it difficult to contain the communal clashes that began on Saturday night.

Police used tear gas shells and stun grenades after repeated lathicharges, but did not have the desired impact. Heavy police contingents including the CRPF and RAF have been deployed in the old city but attacks on religious places and people at random continued.

Frenzied mobs raising full throated slogans were engaging the police forces in a hide and seek game in the labyrinthine lanes and bylanes of the old city.

Alarmed over the developing situation Home Minister,P. Sabitha Indra Reddy toured the area and assured the residents that peace would be restored in the areas. The DGP R.R. Girish Kumar too visited the troubled areas, while the Commissioner of Police, A.K. Khan is camping in the old city overseeing the security arrangements.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah convened a meeting of senior police officers to take stock of the situation and the Home Minister Ms. Reddy met the city legislators and sought cooperation in restoring normalcy.

However, trouble broke out in the old city again hours after the Home Minister left the area.

Heavy stone hurling was reported at Lal Darwaza, a locality having mixed population of Hindus and Muslims. Groups of people wielding sticks and stones positioned themselves in their respective ‘strongholds’ and indulged in what is being described as the ’heaviest’ stone pelting so far. Police moved in to disperse the crowds, but the mobs had just melted into the bylanes only to resurface as the police teams retreated.

Trouble began in the old city on Saturday night when two groups belonging to different communities clashed over a dispute on hoisting religious flags in Moosa Bowli locality. Violence spread to different areas instantly. The skirmishes continued on Sunday too with innocent people being marked and attacked at different places simultaneously, as rumour mongers had a field day using short messages to spread unfounded reports of religious places being attacked.

By Sunday night, normalcy appeared to have returned, but clashes broke out again on Monday morning.

Andhra Government deploys additional forces in trouble hit old Hyderabad

The Andhra Pradesh Government on Monday ordered deployment of additional security forces in old Hyderabad city where tension prevails, following overnight clashes between two communities.

Over 60 people have been injured in violence between both communities in Hyderabad on Sunday evening.

Police have arrested 70 people, for indulging in violent activities.

There were reports of attacks on places of worship in several areas.

Incidents of stabbing, arson, stone pelting, attacks on places of worship, shops and vehicles were reported from over a dozen areas well past midnight Sunday.

Police opened fire in the air, used teargas shells and batons to bring the situation under control.

Addressing the State Assembly, Chief Minister K. Rosaiah said his government is constantly monitoring the situation.

“We are constantly monitoring and reviewing the situation and also talking to the Centre on this. The Centre has sent 10 companies of paramilitary forces on my request to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram,” he said.

Rosaiah assured the House that the government would take every step to ensure peace and appealed to all sections of the society to observe restraint.

Meanwhile, police have imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of IPC, in 18 police stations of south zone and four police stations of Goshamahal division of west zone of the city. (ANI)

Tollywood to observe shutdown on Friday over piracy

The Telugu film industry will observe a shutdown on March 19 to demand Andhra Pradesh government to deal firmly with piracy even as producer Yalamanchi Ravichand's fast-unto-death over the issue entered the third day on Wednesday with leading film personalities expressing solidarity with him.

The Movie Artists' Association (MAA) president, Mr Muralimohan, said on Wednesday evening that all activities related to the film industry would come to a halt on Friday to press the demand for anti-piracy measures.

The MAA appealed to owners of all theatres in the state to participate in the shutdown. Even it urged television channels not to telecast film-related programmes on the day.

Producers will not take up shooting and all the artists including top stars would participate in a rally. Muralimohan said a memorandum would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, to bring piracy under the purview of Goonda Act.

The MAA president and other industry leaders appealed to Ravichand to withdraw the fast. The producer is on fast in front of the office of the Film Chamber in Film Nagar here,

The producer of film "Mayagadu" received support from actor-turned-politician K. Chiranjeevi, and several actors and producers.

Chiranjeevi, who met the young producer, urged the Andhra Pradesh government to take firm action to deal with piracy a la Tamil Nadu.

"Piracy is like pick-pocketing and it should be treated as a crime under the Goonda Act," said Chiranjeevi, president of Praja Rajyam (PR).

Popular actors Nagarjuna, Junior NTR and several others also called on Ravichand to express solidarity with him.

According to Telugu film industry, the second biggest after Bollywood, piracy was causing a loss of over Rs 200 crore every year.

IBM team visits AU, Gitam

A 12-member IBM team headed by Ms Amanda Garland director, strategy, IBM growth market and Mr Anuj Malhotra, strategy leader, IBM global business, held a meeting with registrar of Andhra University Prof P.V.G.D. Prasad Reddy and vice-chancellor B. Satyanarayana here on Tuesday.
According to sources, the IBM team is here to conduct a survey on the availability of human, knowledge, so-cial and technical resources in the city.
Professor Prasad Reddy said, “They (IBM team) enquired about the history, infrastructure and knowledge base of Andhra University. I informed them on the curriculum of the university and the national and international seminars being held here on a regular basis.”
The team later visited the EEE, CSE of the Engineering College and the management block and interacted with students present.
Sources said that they enquired into the quality of school-level education avai-lable here and also wanted to know about the road and traffic conditions in the city.
When asked if their response was positive, Prof Prasad Reddy said “I cannot really comment. Their response seemed to be enthusiastic.” The IBM team later visited the Gitam University campus and interacted with the vice-chancellor, Prof. G. Subhramanyam, pro-vice chancellor Prof D. Harinarayana, senior faculty members and students. According to Gitam officials, they (IBM team) were quite impressed with the infrastructure and the quality of human resource available.
Meanwhile, district collector Mr J. Shyamala Rao who had a meeting with the visiting IBM team, STPI officials and representatives of IT association here on Tuesday, said that Visakhapatnam is most suitable for developing into an IT hub.
He told them that the city was very peaceful and people-friendly to make it an ideal place for investments.
The city has good rail, road and air connectivity to important cities in the country. The international air services have shown interest to operate services from city to Dubai, Singapore and Colombo.
Efforts are also on to extend the night operations shortly. The IT industries and tourism has been the main sectors in the city and if IBM opened its centre, the industry could completely utilise the local human resources. The graduate have been migrating to Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai and if better companies began its operations, the migration could be checked to a large extent.
“We have plenty of water, power and transport facilities and the quality of life is much better than many cities in the country,” the collector told the visiting officials of the IBM.

T process to take time: Srikrishna

Justice B.N. Srikrishna on Friday said the five-member committee he heads would not say yes or no to the formation of a separate Telangana state but would only look into the issue in accordance with the terms of reference (ToR) given by the government.

Speaking to media persons after the committee’s two-day maiden visit to the state capital, the committee chairman said the members would initiate consultations and field visits next month.

Justice Srikrishna and the member secretary, Mr V.K. Duggal, emphasised that the committee is focused on inquiry and investigation of the ToR. The committee did not agree with the contention that the terms of reference were different from Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram’s, December 9 statement on initiating the process for the formation of Telangana.

The minister’s words were unfortunately misinterpreted to mean that “Telangana will start tomorrow. That is not possible,” Justice Srikrishna said. Asked if the committee would satisfy everyone Justice Srikrishna replied, “I don’t know; only time will tell.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, on Friday, met Justice Srikrishna committee and assured government’s full cooperation to it. Mr Rosaiah while proceeding to Assembly in the morning halted for a brief while at the Lake View guest house where the Committee stayed.

Priyanka is yet to watch MNIK

Priyanka Chopra sent Shah Rukh Khan a text message recently, expressing her desire to watch the film. “Priyanka heard about how brilliant the film is and she sent an SMS to SRK telling him that she couldn’t squeeze time out of her tight schedule to watch the film and that she wants to do so soon when she returns to Mumbai from her schedule,” said a source.

Rishi Kapoor too reportedly recently sent an SMS to Shah Rukh Khan and expressed his appreciation for the film.

An injured knee slows Hrithik down

Hrithik Roshan, undoubtedly one of the most sensational dancers Bollywood has ever seen, has been forced to slow down due to his constant knee problems. Hrithik had hurt his knee again while shooting for Kites in the US. Treatment followed and things seemed all right for a while. But now the actor has gone off to Singapore for treatment.

“In Singapore for a day treating my knee! Wish me luck guys! Getting back in action. Fingers crossed!” tweeted Hrithik on his profile. Kites is a dance-based love story starring Hrithik, Barbara Mori and Kangna Ranaut, which is scheduled for a summer release.

Fissures in T-JAC as TD fails to quit

Fissures have developed in the Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) with the Telugu Desam MLAs deciding not to resign.

The T-JAC, which met here late on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prof. Kodandaram, failed to arrive at a decision on resignation issue and decided to meet again in a couple of days.

The TD representatives, Dr N. Janardhan Reddy, Mr E. Dayakar Rao, Mr Kadiam Srihari and others made it clear that their party MLAs would quit only if the Congress MLAs do it.

“We will sit again in a couple of days and discuss the resignation issue,” Prof. Kodandaram said.

The T-JAC condemned police lathicharge on students who obstructed the convoy of minister, Mr Komatireddy Venkatreddy near Yadagirigutta.

The T-JAC is also planning to boycott goods and services produced by Seema-Andhra politicians who are opposed to formation of Telangana.

“The list of services and products to be boycotted are being classified and will be announced soon,” said T-JAC convener, Prof. Kodandaram.

Film My Name Is Khan sets a new box office record in US and Canada

Shahrukh Khan starrer 'My Name Is Khan' has turned out to be the largest weekend grosser Bollywood film ever in North America, recording an estimated USD 1.86 million in the US and Canada.

The movie, directed by Karan Johar averaged a stellar USD 15,500 from 120 theatres across the US and Canada.

The Fox Searchlight movie opened on Friday with USD 444,000 and rose 65 per cent to USD 734,000 on Saturday.

It is estimated to dip seven per cent to USD 682,000 today, celebrated across the world as Valentine's Day.

Monday's 'Presidents' Day' holiday in the US will lead to a four-day debit of more than USD two million, the firm handling promotion and advertising of the film claimed.

'My Name Is Khan' also generated the highest per-theatre average of any film in the Top 20 over the weekend.

The previous record was held by Shahrukh's musical extravaganza 'Om Shanti Om', which grossed USD 1.76 million from 114 theatres over Diwali weekend in 2007.

The American mainstream media is all praise for the movie which received rave reviews.

"This is a movie not built for subtlety, but it does tackle a subject American movies have mostly avoided - that of racial profiling and the plight of Muslim-Americans.

It also allows Shah Rukh Khan to display his talent to an even wider audience. It's well worth the 162-minute journey,"

Police on alert as Telangana students called for shutdown

Telangana leaders rejecting the terms of reference of the Srikrishna panel and student groups calling for a shutdown Saturday, police went on alert in Hyderabad and nine other districts of the region.

Anticipating violent protests, police tightened security at the chief minister's camp office, universities, the state assembly and other vital installations.

As soon as the central government announced the terms of reference, which a majority of pro-Telangana parties see unfavourable to the demand for a Telangana state, police were rushed to the Osmania University, which has been the never centre of Telangana agitation for over two months.

Demanding that the centre immediately dissolve the panel, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Osmania University students said that only people's struggle could achieve a separate state of Telangana.

The JAC, which is spearheading the student movement for Telangana state, also asked people to launch a non-cooperation movement as it called for a shutdown Saturday. JAC leaders said they would lay siege to all government offices in the region.

Police were also deployed at Kakatiya University in Warangal town, where students took out a procession, shouting slogans against the central government. Student groups of Kaktiya University and other universities in the region have extended their support to the JAC's shutdown call.

Osmania students JAC called for Telangana shutdown on Saturday

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Osmania University students on Friday called for Telangana shutdown on Saturday to protest the terms of reference of the Srikrishna panel, saying these were not favourable for formation of Telangana state.

Demanding that the centre immediately dissolve the panel, JAC said that only people’s struggle could achieve a separate state of Telangana.

The JAC, which is spearheading the students’ movement for Telangana state, also asked people to launch a non-cooperation movement.

JAC leaders said they would lay siege to all government offices in the region. The JAC of Kakatiya University in Warangal has declared support to the shutdown call.

Meanwhile, anticipating protests, police have deployed a large number of security forces at Osmania University, the nerve centre of the Telangana agitation.

Bad weather caused YSR copter crash

Confirming that inclement weather was the cause for the Bell helicopter crash that killed the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and four others, the expert committee has recommended that more than one person/agency should be involved in giving clearance to any aircraft carrying a VIP.

Report submitted

The two-member committee comprising former Director of Special Protection Group M.R. Reddy and former Director-General of Civil Aviation H.S. Khola submitted a 110-page report on the cause of the crash and other factors to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah here on Thursday.

Key accused in Vaishnavi murder case arrested

P.Venkata Rao Goud, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the kidnap and murder of 10-year-old Palagani Naga Vaishnavi on January 30, was arrested and produced before the magistrate here on Monday.

The city police had already arrested Morla Srinivasa Rao and Vemparala Jagadeesh, who allegedly executed the plan at the behest of Goud. The duo is serving judicial remand.

Goud was produced before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at the latter's residence amidst tight police security before the beginning of court hours. His face was covered and the police tried their best to keep at bay the posse of lensmen and media persons, who got wind of the arrest and descended on the place.

The magistrate remanded Goud to 15-day custody till February 22. He was immediately shifted to the district jail.

Notwithstanding rumours that Goud was in the police custody from the day Vaishnavi was killed, Police Commissioner K.V. Rajendranath Reddy had said at the time of arrest of Srinivasa Rao and Jagadeesh that he was still "at large" and they had no idea of his whereabouts. The police are now said to be showing him as arrested on Sunday evening.

Two dead in gas leak from Coromandel International Limited's; Kakinada

Two persons died of exposure to a liquid ammonia leak from the Coromandel International Limited's (CIL) fertiliser plant here late on Monday night.

The deceased were identified as operators D. Madhusudana Rao (52) and G. Ram Prasad (48). They were directly impacted by the poisonous substance while trying to plug the leakage. Five persons are receiving treatment in the ICU and 21 others in the ENT ward of the Government General Hospital (GGH). Their condition is stable, according to GGH superintendent (in-charge) K.Babji.

The sudden burst of liquid ammonia caused panic in the surrounding areas. People in the nearby habitations ran away as the chemical quickly spread in the air causing breathing difficulties and burning sensation in the skin and eyes. Residents of the fishing harbour area situated close to the CIL plant, had a dip in the sea to mitigate the impact while others gasped for breath.

They were temporarily evacuated from the vicinity of the fertiliser plant. The situation was however brought to normal when the pipelines were shut down by the CIL engineers.

The incident occurred when, according to a press release by the CIL, a ‘flange gasket joint’ failed causing the release of ‘a pool of liquid ammonia’ while it was being diverted into the main atmospheric tanks by operating the changeover valves after stabilisation.

It is standard procedure to stabilise liquid ammonia at the jetty (where it is unloaded) by taking it into spheres and then transfer it to pipelines through atmospheric tanks. The leakage took place when the valves failed. The leak was controlled by fire crews of CIL, Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Spectrum Power with the help of government fire service corps.

Eamcet on May 30, OU tests from June 4

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) announced on Monday the new exam dates for various CET examinations to be held in the state. While the Eamcet will be conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University (JNTU) from May 30, the PGCET will be conducted by Osmania University on June 4.

Announcing the exam dates, M Venkata Ramana Rao, the state minister for technical education, said that efforts would be made to make the examinations as error-free as possible. Announcing the schedule, Rao said that Ecet will be held on May 24 by JNTU and the Integrated Common Entrance Test on May 27 by Andhra University. The other exams include Ed-Cet, which will be conducted by Osmania University on June 13 and the PECET to be held by Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. Lawcet and PGLCET, will be conducted by the Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati on June 10.

Meanwhile, M D Christopher, secretary of the state council of higher education, said there was a proposal to make Eamcet question papers available to students. Earlier, the students had to write their answers in the same booklet that had questions. However, last year the Eamcet question paper had a few errors and the candidates had to be awarded as many as 14 marks. So this year, there is a proposal to give students answer sheets along with the question paper.

Another proposal to allow late comers to appear for the Eamcet exmas is also being considered. “No students is allowed to enter the exam hall even five minutes late, but a proposal was mooted to allow a student into the hall within 15 minutes of the beginning of the exam. But both these decisions would be taken by the Eamcet committee, which will announce them within a week,” said Christopher.

Feb 2nd 2010 breaking News & latest News by Daily Hyderabad News

45 injured in Hyderabad hospital fire

At least 45 people were injured after a fire broke out at the Park Super Speciality Hospital in Hyderabad. A police officer said some more people could be trapped and efforts were on to rescue them.

T Cong leaders to ignore Moily’s ultimatum, to stay in JAC

Expressing their displeasure over party general secretary M Veerappa Moily’s ‘biased’ stand against the region and the Telangana JAC of political parties, Telangana Congress leaders on Monday decided to ignore his ultimatum.

‘Special police teams’ during bandhs sought

To ensure that the state’s investor-friendly tag stays, a slew of security measures were announced on Monday by the government-established Industrial Security Task Force (ISTF) to allay fears of industry players of losing work days and business owing to the prevailing unrest.

CID to probe into attacks on SUES members

The state government on Monday handed over the probe into the attack and stabbing of three members of the Sultan-ul Uloom Educational Society (SUES) to the Crime Investigation Department.

2 held with antique Qurans

Task Force investigators arrested two persons who were trying to sell three antique Qurans in Nallakunta on Monday. The holy Qurans were confiscated.

TRS activists disrupt Roja’s film shooting

Actor and politician Roja had a bitter experience on Monday as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) activists disrupted her film shooting. Roja, a self-declared ‘samaikya vadi’ (proponent of united Andhra) returned to films lately after parting ways with the TDP.

Remembering A Master

It was a week of sheer magic, with its rare opportunity of sharing the ‘poetry on celluloid’ world of celebrated film maker Bimal Roy, who continues to inspire audiences, across generations and nations, in his centenary year.

Driver of security agency makes off with Rs 42L

A driver engaged by a private security agency gave the slip to its staff when they went to collect money from a petrol bunk in Mallapur and escaped with Rs 41.97 lakhs cash on Monday afternoon.

T-twist: Spectators barred from Duleep trophy final in city

Turmoil or not, Hyderabad seems headed to garner dubious distinctions at the rate of knots.