Supreme Court stays Kasab’s death penalty

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the execution of the death sentence awarded to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack. 

A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C.K. Prasad, after hearing senior counsel Gopal Subramaniam for Maharashtra and senior counsel Raju Ramachandran, amicus curiae appointed to assist Kasab, directed completion of pleading by November 30 and directed that the appeal be listed for final hearing on January 31, 2012. 

A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C.K. Prasad, after hearing senior counsel Gopal Subramaniam for Maharashtra and senior counsel Raju Ramachandran, amicus curiae appointed to assist Kasab, directed completion of pleading by November 30 and directed that the appeal be listed for final hearing on January 31, 2012. 

Kasab was sentenced to death by a special anti-terror court on May 6, 2010 and this was confirmed by the Bombay High Court on February 21 this year. 

Even as the proceedings began, Justice Alam asked Mr. Ramachandran: “Does your man [Kasab] deserve it [appeal to be heard]. Many people in the country think he doesn't.” The amicus curiae replied that due process of law required it to be heard. 

Mr. Subramaniam also said that despite the magnitude of the terror attack, the due process of law had to be maintained and the matter needed to be dealt with expeditiously. All documentation and translation work relating to the trial court and the High Court had been completed. 

In his appeal, Kasab said his confessional statement relating to conspiracy had not been corroborated by any evidence led by the prosecution. Further, there was no evidence whatsoever of any training having been imparted to him. Also, there was no evidence that he was in touch with any of the other accused conspirators at any point of time either prior to the incident or during the incident. 

He also contended that the test identification parade was not conclusive for the reason that his picture was already splashed all over the newspapers and television channels which had adversely affected the independent judgment of witnesses. 

He said that even if he was held guilty for the offence alleged, it was not a fit case for imposition of the death sentence as his mind was completely brainwashed by the other accused. He was acting like a robot having been made to believe that he was acting in the name of God when he was allegedly told to commit the offence. He prayed for quashing the death sentence imposed on him and an interim stay on execution.

 

 

One-day anti-nuke fast turns into 72-hour strike at Idinthakarai

The one-day token fast observed by the anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project protesters at Idinthakarai on Sunday has been converted into a 72-hour-long hunger strike “to condemn the Central Government's adamant attitude” in rejecting the Tamil Nadu Cabinet's recent resolution pertaining to the halting of construction activities at KKNPP. 

Subsequently, 106 persons, including 22 women, two physically challenged and three priests, started their 72-hour-long hunger strike in front of St. Lourdes Church at Idinthakarai. 

To discuss the struggle committee's recent meeting with the Prime Minister, nearly 3,000 persons from the coastal hamlets in the district gathered in front of St. Lourdes Church at Idinthakarai on Sunday where the protesters had organised the 12-day-long fast demanding the closure of KKNPP. As Mr. Manmohan Singh dashed off a letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa after his meeting with the protesters asking her to ensure the timely operation of the KKNPP, Sunday's meeting at Idinthakarai was converted into a one-day token fast.  

“The Union Government, which had earlier rejected the State Cabinet's resolutions on retrieving Katchatheevu and the commutation of death sentences Rajiv Gandhi assassins, is once again snubbing Tamil Nadu Cabinet's resolution on KKNPP. This time we'll not allow this to happen. We'll resist vehemently and intensify our protest till all ongoing development activities at KKNPP are stopped completely,” Dr. Udhayakumar said. 

When he noted that it might take even two years to achieve the goal of permanent closure of KKNPP, mild grouse among the protesters could be felt. 

The struggle committee members and the leaders from various villages and community leaders convened a 90-minute-long meeting at Bishop Roach Higher Secondary School near the protest venue to discuss the future course of action. The meeting unanimously passed ten resolutions, of which nine condemned the Centre and its agencies Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. The meeting also appealed to the State to once again press its earlier resolution.

 

Bureaucratic hurdles delaying Nalanda varsity Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Friday blamed “bureaucratic barrier” as a major hurdle for the delay in starting of the Nalanda University, which is being established in Bihar, close to the ancient historic institution of learning.

“The reason for delay is the bureaucratic control. We are having some problem in getting the sanctioned funds released but we should be able to deal with it,” Professor Sen, who also chairs the Governing Board of the University, said. 

Explanations for bureaucratic queries take a lot of time, he said, while speaking at an open session on “Nalanda University: A 21{+s}{+t} Century University: (Re) Calling the Past'' here. 

“We wanted him to continue as the Visitor but he wrote to us saying that would be inappropriate since the new President had taken over,” he explained. Quoting Mr. Kalam, whom he met earlier in the day, Professor Sen said he (Mr. Kalam) felt that research in India was difficult because of bureaucratic control, though some of the institutions like the Indian Institutes of technology (IITs) were very good basic training centres.

Professor Saugata Sen, member of the Governing Board, said even though the Indian institutions did not seem to be doing well at a global level, there was enormous individual talent. “So something was missing which failed to translate individual talent to administrative ability,” he said, adding that most good researchers were in institutes and hence unable to benefit the young students. There is a need to strike a balance between research and teaching.

Kudankulam activists hope for breakthrough in meet with Manmohan

A head of their meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, activists protesting against the Kudankulam power project on Thursday expressed hope that their talks would be fruitful. “We know where the Prime Minister stands. Yet we will meet him tomorrow, submit our memorandum and see what happens. Of course we do hope to achieve a breakthrough in this,” Convenor of People’s Movement against Atomic Power S.P. Udayakumar told PTI.

Asked whether their threat to revive their stir and make it state-wide from October 9 if work on the commissioning of the plant was not suspended would continue, he said, “Whatever maybe the outcome of the meeting, we have to tell our people that. So we will surely meet them on the planned day.”

On September 22, the state Cabinet had adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to halt work on the Indo-Russian project till the apprehensions of the people were allayed. The first of two 1x1000 MWe reactors will be commissioned in December.

The fast by 127 persons at Idinthakarai was withdrawn after Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa promised to adopt a resolution in the Cabinet and arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister. She had written to the Prime Minister, urging him to halt the project till safety concerns were addressed. Dr. Singh had also deputed his ministry colleague V. Narayanasamy to the protest site to have a dialogue with the protestors.

Dr. Singh had recently said the Centre would sit with all enlightened leadership of Tamil Nadu and find a “practical solution” to the controversy over the project, but maintained that atomic energy is the energy of the future and its importance cannot be undermined.

 

Suicide bomb kills at least 70 as Islamic terrorists target Somalia

Mogadishu was shaken by the worst suicide bombing in its history yesterday, signalling a new phase in the war for control of the Somali capital. At least 70 people died when a massive blast ripped through the Education Ministry killing students and their parents who had gathered to learn about scholarships to study abroad.

That death toll was expected to rise last night as more of the seriously wounded arrived at hospital. The attack has raised fears that aid agencies will halt a tentative return to operations in the capital where hundreds of thousands of Somalis have fled to escape the famine.

Last night the streets around the Education Ministry were black from the blast and scattered with charred remains; the walls were flecked with shrapnel and wrecked vehicles were strewn about.

The capital is controlled by the Transitional Federal Government, which has been trying to reassert its authority since al-Shabab's departure two months ago. The unelected government, which has been derided as corrupt and ineffective, is guarded by an African Union force from Uganda and Burundi, AMISOM. The government's own security forces often go for months without being paid and have proved ineffective in operations against Islamic militants.

The suicide attack in the capital comes as al-Shabab is trying to make gains across south and central Somalia. The southern town of Dobley near the border with Kenya has witnessed heavy fighting in the last week as militants attempt to wrest control from forces loyal to the government and militias backed by Kenya. 

Dobley is the main transit point for refugees from the famine seeking entrance to camps at Dadaab, in northern Kenya. Since famine was declared earlier this year, the population at Dadaab has risen to over 470,000.

 

Prolonged stress can shrink the brain and cause dementia news

Suffering from stress for long periods of time can shrink the brain and even lead to dementia, researchers have claimed.

Chemicals released by the body during prolonged stress are toxic to brain tissue, they found. Types of stress linked to the condition include that suffered by those in loveless marriages, dead end jobs and post traumatic situations.

The research suggests chemicals called corticosteroids  can kill off brain cells if concentrations remain high over long periods. Corticosteroids help the body in ‘fight or flight’ situations  suppressing the immune system and increasing the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.

The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in the formation of memories, is particularly susceptible  which leads doctors to believe stress may lead to dementia.

"The sample size is too small to draw conclusions but the implication is that stress had affected the hippocampus,” the Daily Mail quoted T Byram Karasu, professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, as saying.

The study has been published in the Journal of Neuroimaging.

 

More than 700 anti-Wall Street protestors arrested

The "Occupy Wall Street" group inspired by the pro-democracy Arab Spring movements had said on its website that "at least 50" protestors had been arrested

New York: More than 700 anti-Wall Street protestors were arrested in New York on Saturday when they blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, forcing authorities to shut it down for hours, police said.

Anti-Wall Street activists first occupied a small park in lower Manhattan two weeks ago to protest corporate bailouts and corporate influence in politics, but took their demonstration to the bridge on Saturday. 

"More than 700 people were arrested. Most of them for disorderly conduct," a New York Police Department spokesman told AFP. Some were released after a few hours, while others would likely be held for a day or could receive a court summons, he said.

 Earlier, another NYPD spokesman said there were "several hundred protestors who decided to walk on the roadway and who blocked traffic. Some heeded the warnings, some left, and arrests were made."

The "Occupy Wall Street" group inspired by the pro-democracy Arab Spring movements had said on its website that "at least 50" protestors had been arrested. Police shut down the Brooklyn Bridge "for a couple of hours" in the late afternoon, the NYPD said, adding that many protestors had remained on the bridge's.