Renowned Telugu film writer Mullapudi Venkata Ramana died of old-age related illness in Chennai on Thursday. He was 80.

The Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh remained shut for the second day on Wednesday over the demand for a bill in Parliament for the formation of a separate Telangana state, with a 48-hour shutdown call evoking a total response.

Proceedings of Andhra Pradesh Assembly had to be repeatedly adjourned for the third today as members of various parties raised protests on different issues.

After a lull, fresh violence erupted at Osmania University campus in Hyderabad, which has been the epicentre of movement for statehood for Telangana.

Politics in Andhra Pradesh touched a new low on Thursday as for the first time in the history of the state Legislative Assembly, the constitutional head of the state, the governor, Mr E.S.L.

Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had compromised on corruption by citing coalition government as an excuse, and said he “felt pity for his helplessness”. “When I heard his television interviews, I was not angry but I felt pity for his helplessness,” Mr Advani said, while addressing a public meeting of the NDA here on Thursday evening.

Politics in Andhra Pradesh touched a new low on Thursday as for the first time in the history of the state Legislative Assembly, the constitutional head of the state, the governor, Mr E.S.L. Narasimhan, was physically attacked by pro-Telangana leaders in the House. The incident later precipitated into a conflict with two leaders, Lok Satta Kukatpally MLA Jayaprakash Narayan and Congress MLC Paladugu Venkat Rao, being beaten by TRS men in full view of TV cameras and the media.

Former Congress MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday started a seven-day fast here demanding that the Andhra Pradesh government release funds for the tuition fees reimbursement scheme.

Over two lakh government employees of Telangana region will boycott work from today as part of their non-cooperation movement launched to mount pressure on the State and Central governments to grant separate statehood.

The minister for agriculture, Mr Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, and his son-in-law, Mr Narreddy Rajasekhar Reddy, have left for Delhi to meet the central leadership of the Congress in a bid to finalise their candidatures for the Pulivendula Assembly and the Kadapa Lok Sabha byelections respectively. Though they claim they were in Delhi to