Postnoon E-Paper for Jan 17, 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

city events

ASLI PUNJAB DA FOOD FESTIVAL

There will be a bonfire and Punjabi delicacies like Murgh Tikka Anari, Gosht Ka Saag, Sarson Da Saag, Makki Da Roti and Doodhi Halwa will be served. The food festival is at The Square, Hitec City, up to January 20. The special guest chef for the food festival is Sweety Singh.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

23°C

15°C

21°C

30°C

Clear. Windy at times.

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

A mix of cloud and sun.

Sunny. Windy at times.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 16 Max 29 Min 5 Min 15 Chances of storm.

Chennai Max 30 Min 21

Bangalore Max 27 Min 16

Partly cloudy.

Sunny, clear skies.

Sunny. Foggy at times.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road, Nampally, When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015

ART Rural Excerpts An exhibition of paintings and sculptures, of village depictions and life in rural areas, by Narsimlu Kandi. The preview is on January 19. Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery When: Up to January 30, 11am to 7pm Contact: www.alankritha.in

Shoppers Stop sale Sale up to 51 per cent off on international and Indian brands across categories at Shoppers Stop, HomeStop and Mothercare outlets with Shoppers Stop. Where: Shoppers Stop outlets When: from January 12 Contact: www.shoppersstop.com

Diva Divine Deified An exhibition of ceramic and terrakota sculptures by artist Jayaprakash. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: www.iconart.in Code Red Countdown Code Red Countdown is an art collection revolving around ecology, by New York based artist Asher Jay. The theme is endangered wildlife. Where: Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public gardens When: January 27 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 93965 55888

DINING Hot Dog food festival ITC Kakatiya’s multi restaurant, Deccan Pavilion, is organising a hot dog festival. Hollywood hot dog, Philadelphia cheese steak dog, Garden Dog and Arizona rush are some of the items on the menu. Where: Deccan Pavilion,

DIFFERENTLY ABLED: A physically challenged sculptor makes a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi at Shilparamam S BALAKRISHNA

ITC Kakatiya When: 18-27 Contact: (040) 4008 1816

Jubilee Hills, When: Up to February 10 Contact: (040) 2355 0105

Business Lunch A three course menu with Italian cuisine prepared by chef Matteo Gradi at Park Hyatt. Where: Tre-Forni Bar & Restaurant When: Weekdays only 12pm to 3:30pm Contact: (040) 4949 1234 Cafe Classics Month Truffles cafe pays tribute to some selective cafes and restaurants in India and the world. The cafe will be serving some of their special dishes. This weekend starts with Britannia restaurant & cafe located in Bombay, with delicious Parsi dishes. Where: Truffles cafe Plot no. 376, Road no. 10,

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints

198 155313

POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

SHOWS The Monsoon Oracle The Monsoon Oracle is a factual film based on ritualistic practices that take places in the country. It revolves around the rituals performed, predicting the arrival of monsoon. Where: NIFT, Madhapur When: January 25, Contact: (040) 2311 4537 Tribute to Rajesh Khanna There will be dance performances on Rajesh Khanna’s songs to pay tribute to the superstar. The dance will be choreographed by Mahesh L Munde, who has choreographed national

WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills

and international performances. Where: Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public gardens When: January 27 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 93965 55888

MISCELLANEOUS End of Season Sale Arrow end of season sale is here. This New York fashion with a collection of casual and work wear is available on a discount. You can walk in to any Arrow store and avail discounts up to 40% on apparel and footwear. Where: All Arrow outlets When: Up to January 20

Nikhil Chinappa Night Sky lounge is set to host its first ever grand party on the January 23, with celebrated DJ Nikhil Chinappa entertaining the guests over a gala dinner. Exquisite variety of food and beverages will be served, with a wide selection of alternative Tapas cuisine. Where: Sky Lounge, Madhapur When: January 23, 8pm onwards

Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES

The Republic Ride The biggest corporate cycling event at Hyderabad is being organized by The Atlanta Foundation on republic day. The aim is to promote educational programs for underprivileged children. Where: Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad When: January 26, 6:15am onwards Contact: atlantafoundation.org

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 HYDERABAD

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32 PAGES

PG 4

BAYERN-BOUND GUARDIOLA OPTS FOR CLASS OVER RICHES

FISTICUFFS NEAR ANDHRA LEADERS’ MEET

German giants Bayern Munich won the battle to secure the most sought-after coach in football when former Barcelona handler Pep Guardiola agreed to take over as head coach for the 2013/14 season. The 41-year-old Spaniard — who last week said he was ready to return to coaching after a brief sabbatical since stepping down from the Barcelona hotseat at the end of last season — signed a three-year contract.

Waves of protesters led by Telangana Rashtra Samiti and T-JAC today tried to gatecrash the venue in Banjara Hills where Rayala-Andhra leaders are meeting to ponder the Centre’s announcement on a Telangana state. Protests led by T-JAC were held at Gun Park while the pro-T protesters made a noisy scene before ministers’ quarters in Banjara Hills. The slogan-shouting, unruly crowd tried to break through the police cordon and indulged in pushing and fisticuffs. In the melee, a few suffered minor injuries. Police wielded lathis and warned of further action.

P30

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

RTI amendment shame

NOT IN P MY NAME!

OSTNOON IMPACT

OWAISI FUMING AS WRONG DOC TURNS DCP AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is fuming at the government for posting a young doctor-turned IPS officer, Dr Tarun Joshi (left), as DCP South in place of Dr Akun Sabharwal. Sources in the police department told us that the MIM president had gone to the government recommending that VB Kamalasen Reddy be made DCP South. As this came after the MIM broke ties with the Congress, the request was allegedly not granted.

Principal secretary SK Sinha has slammed the RTI amendment excusing Public Information Officers (PIO) from appearing at RTI appeals. Sinha claims he was abroad when the amendment was signed, and hopes that it will be rolled back.

REPORT ON P3

BOEING IN SPIRAL AS WORLD GROUNDS ITS DREAMLINERS Aviation regulators on Thursday grounded most of the world's 787 Dreamliner fleet until a fire risk linked to the plane's batteries can been fixed, deepening a crisis for its US manufacturer Boeing. Regulators in Japan, India and Chile followed the lead of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in ordering an indefinite halt to all operations.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

City LAST YEAR... HERE

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS IT PRACTICAL TO HAVE HYDERABAD AS A DUAL CAPITAL? 83% 17%

NUMEROLOGY

500

is the starting fine amount for autorickshaws with faulty meters, according to officials at the metrology department.

Our aim is to create a common ground for all these writers who seem to be narrowing down to their little cocoons (and) bring the writers and readers together. Vijay K, lit fest organiser See page 5

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

YES

CIVIC ISSUES

The RDF power project, which converts garbage to power, will most likely kick start by the end of next month, officials say. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

elayed by almost a year from its scheduled time of March 2012, the power project is aimed at converting the 700 tonnes of garbage into 11 mega watts power. The State government, in collaboration with the central government, made a deal with RDF to help generate power at a facility in Bibinagar, Nalgonda district, in a space of 26 acres. But owing to some reasons, the subsidy by the government and the stakes of the GHMC could not materialise. According to GHMC officials, the major hindrances were cleared by the RDF, which had signed in other partners when the government failed to provide a loan of `10 crore and GHMC partnership of `2.68 crores. The delay by the government in helping the company establish has escalated the investment capital. Now, with the help of other stakeholders, it would be able to complete the unfinished business. “Most

probably, RDF may start working in the month of February,” said Vandan Kumar, additional commissioner, health and sanitation. In 2009, the RDF started construction of a plant in

Bibinagar. At first, the estimation of the project was only `84 crore. But the company has spent more than `100 crore on the project over last three years. The GHMC had struck a deal

Old scheme relaunched to look like a new initiative Mana Biyyam (our rice) originally launched by the late YSR in 2009 at `2 per kg for the poor has been relaunched as a new scheme by Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Literary festival is back in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad literary fest, in its third edition, will start on January 18 at Gachibowli. It brings writers and publishers from across the globe together on one platform.

Check the meter when you get into an auto. Tampered auto meters are not checked by the metrology department, as they claim to be short staffed for the job.

Politics prevalent even in the police department. It is said that Asaduddin Owaisi is unhappy with the government for posting a young doctor-turned-IPS ofﬁcer as DCP, in Akun’s place.

More confusion over RTI amendment. The signatory, SK Sinha, says he was abroad when the amendment was made.

Power project a reality?

JANUARY 17, 2012

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

State in audience again ast year we had reported on AP’s failure to secure a slot for its tableau in the coveted national Republic Day Parade for the third year in a row. While some said we lack creativity in the theme, others said the State does not have proper lobbying.

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

IS THE GOVERNMENT FOCUSING ENOUGH ON ADMINISTRATION?

that for a tonne of garbage, it would to pay `25. But the red tape, involving various departments from GHMC to State government and central government, had put the entire process in a deadlock. But the officials, who had worked hard on this, found a way around the problem. One of the officials, who is in favour of improving the living conditions of the citizens feels that the government should support this for the sake of its people. “What can the GHMC make out of this garbage? At least this company is interested in availing itself of this waste. Why not help them in this direction?” asked an official from the solid waste management department.

NEWS BRIEFS Odisha man found dead in City

Owaisi in custody till January 28

Another Cong MLA joins Jagan's YSRC

Swamis protest before police station

ay Ranjan, 24, is alleged to have committed suicide by consuming poison on Monday at his residence at Raju colony of Balanagar. He was shifted to Gandhi hospital for treatment, where he died on Wednesday. He is a native of Odisha and was working at a hotel. He is said to have fallen in love with a girl who recently forsake him.

IM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, arrested and jailed in Adilabad for his hate speech, was today taken to Sangareddy court in connection with another case of similar nature. He was produced before a court in connection with a case registered in 2005, for abusing the then district collector. He was remanded to custody till January 28.

he government suffered yet another blow with its Kakinada MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy formally joining the YSR Congress today. Dwarampudi, however, said he would not resign from his post despite switching over to the YSRC. The MLA met YSRC president YS Vijaya today and completed the formality of joining the party.

large group of swamis, including Peethadipathis, have staged a dharna in front of the Banjara Hills police station, demanding the release of Swami Kamalananda Bharathi, who is facing hate speech charges. They threatened to go on indeﬁnite hunger strike. Meanwhile, SIT took into him custody for questioning.

city THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

CRIME

EVE-TEASING ACCUSED LEAPS TO DEATH A youth, charged with molesting a young woman from his village, committed suicide at the police station, fearing punishment.

MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

Mallesam (pictured), 25, facing eve-teasing and molestation charges is alleged to have jumped from the roof of the Karankote police station in Ranga Reddy district and died yesterday. The deceased was a resident of Allahpur village, Tandur mandal, who was caught by the Karankote police on Tuesday in connection with the molestation of a married women, said the deputy SP of Tandur, G Uday Kumar. According to the details, Mallesam was working in a petrol pump in Tandur. He was attracted to a newly-wed woman, 22, from the same village. It is said that the youth tried to waylay the woman on Tuesday night.

Police said that Mallesam was booked on a similar charge earlier, but was never arrested. Enquiries revealed that no foul play was involved and he committed suicide fearing punishment.

However, she escaped and later lodged a complaint with the local police. It is learnt that the man denied the charge. Early Wednesday morning, Mallesam, who was in prison, called the guard and asked to be released to attend nature’s call. The guard opened the cell. Mallesam is said to have sprinted to the roof and jumped off before the guard could react. The victim was taken to hospital, where he later died. This stirred up the village and they came in hordes protesting and alleging foul play. However, inquiries revealed that no foul play was involved. The man was scared and jumped fearing the worst. Police inquiries found that the man was booked on a similar charge earlier, but was not caught.

GOVERNANCE

RTI amendment: Govt to revert It is learnt that Sinha was abroad when an amendment was issued in his name! The file for correction ahs been moved, according to sources. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

he signatory did not know what he was stamping! In a curious case of waywardness of governance, principal secretary SK Sinha, has evinced surprise at the amendment to RTI Act that absolved the public information officer (PIO) from appearing in an RTI appeal (Pictured: Postnoon January 12). Any amendment to RTI Act affects the public because this is the only instrument in the hands of the people to get official information, which otherwise remains wrapped in mystery. In a recent amendment signed by the governor, it had excused the PIO from appearing in an RTI appeal, which was mandatory earlier. This went unnoticed as it was done silently. Thanks to the vigilance of RTI activists like ITMD in the City, the sneaking amendment was captured and taken to the government level, demanding repeal to the Act. City RTI activist Rakesh Reddy (United Forum for RTI Awareness) said Sinha’s remarks when told of the amendment were, “The intention was only to exclude First Appellate Authority from the hearing and not the PIO.” It is learnt that the principal secretary accepted this as an error and hoped earnestly that

OSTNOON IMPACT

the amendment would be rolled back. However, it remains to be seen whether this minor change will actually take place or will remain muted, considering that not many civil societies have raised their voices. A fresh GO was planned to be issued after due revision. As of now, no amendment has actually been made. One reason for the delay is the series of holidays in the past few days that have stalled the government from making this correction. RTI activists from the City and across the State are eagerly waiting for the amendment to be rolled back.

CRIME

Doc replaces doc: Owaisi unhappy?

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

IMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is angry at the government for posting a young doctorturned IPS officer as DCP south, in place of Dr Akun Sabharwal. Sources in the police department told Postnoon that the MIM president had gone to the government recommending the posting of VB Kamalasen Reddy as DCP South. As this came after the MIM broke ties with the Congress, the request was not

granted. Instead, Dr Tarun Joshi (pictured), a young officer from the 2004 batch, was posted. It is said that Joshi is a noncontroversial officer. Postnoon gathered that the confidential report of Reddy was not savoury. He was with the taskforce for long and had a thorough knowledge of rowdies in the City. The government, it is said, wanted a neutral officer so that no undercover operations take place.

city THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

POLITICS

CM packs old rice in new bottle Mana Biyyam (our rice) is a clever way of repacking the existing scheme of `1 a kg rice. N SHIVA KUMAR

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

While the scheme is not going to bring immediate benefits to the government and the CM, it may be a good campaign point later.

he latest scheme launched by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday with much fanfare is nothing but a repackaged version of an already existing scheme. The scheme originally launched by the late YSR before the 2009 elections was `2 a kg rice for the poor. When Kiran Kumar Reddy became chief minister he slashed it to `1 a kg. Manna Biyyam sheme is aimed at providing 30 kg rice at `25 (market value of rice is `25 a kg) to 2.2 core white ration card holders under the public distribution system (PDS). Many would wonder where the government would find funds for such a massive welfare sop. But fact is the government will be saving at least `50 crore! How? Earlier, the paddy was some-

times going to rice mills that were outside the State, and it was being handled by FCI. Now with decentralisation, the provision is that the rice will be distributed to locally. This will cut down on

transportation costs. “Yes, the scheme will save a lot of public money. Earlier, we used to incur a lot of transportation cost to distribute the rice. Our new scheme will save that as

POLITICS

Fracas, fisticuff near Andhra leaders’ meeting

it aims at supplying rice in the same place where it is produced,” minister for Civil Supplies D Sridhar Babu told Postnoon on Wednesday after the launch of the scheme. Babu, who is the architect of the scheme said the total cost of the scheme would be `9,600 crore. Earlier, the supply of rice under PDS involved a lot more than it did today under the new scheme. The BPL families of the State will get rice produced in other states instead of the rice produced by them. The method, apart from the cost, had also led to a lot of complaints of the poor

About the scheme

he scheme is the result of State government’s last year’s decision to introduce Decentralisation of Public Distribution System programme. As part of the decentralisation, the State is procuring a total of 40 million Metric Tonnes of rice. Initially, the State is procuring rice in seven districts on a pilot basis. The rice procured under this method will be distributed through the Biyyam scheme. The government is aiming to implement it in all the 23 districts of the State by the end of the next year.

quality of rice. While the scheme is not going to bring immediate benefits to the government and the CM, it may be a good campaign point later.

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It’ll be suicidal for the Centre to allow a separate Telangana State, warned Andhra leaders. M ANIL KUMAR

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

aves of protesters led by Telangana Rashtra Samiti and T-JAC today tried to gatecrash the meeting venue in Banjara Hills where Rayala-Andhra leaders met to ponder over the Centre’s announcement on a separate Telangana state. Protests led by the T-

JAC were held at Gun Park while the pro-T protesters made a noisy scene before ministers’ quarters Banjara Hills. The slogan-shouting, unruly crowd tried to break the police cordon and indulged in pushing and fisticuff. In the melee a few suffered minor injuries. Police swished lathis and warned of action. Later, as more protesters, especially from OU rushed in, the

police began herding them into waiting vans and transported them away from the scene. Around 30 MLAs, MPs and other Andhra leaders have converged at the venue for a discussion on the future course of action in case the Centre wanted to segregate Telangana from the rest of Andhra. Leaders warned that such a step would be detrimental to the interests of the people. “It will be suicidal for us if the Centre decided to give a separate Telangana state. The party will incur irreparable losses in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Apart from this, we will also lose credibility. We will decide our future course of action after the meeting,” Congress MLA Mastan Wali told Postnoon.

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classifieds THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LITERARY FESTIVAL Hyderabad Literary Festival promises a grand revival of the slowly dying culture of book reading. CLASSIFIEDS

NOTICE

Of musings and scribbles KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

Adding to its kitty, author, musicians and artistes such as Kenize Mourad, Judith Oriol, Anupama Raju, Jand Vaiju Naravane from France will contribute.

he Hyderabad Literary Festival is back with its third edition from January 18 to 20 at Gachibowli. An initiative by Muse India, the literary e-journal, this festival is to harness literature and culture on a global scale. By nature, the literary festival brings together writers, publishers and readers of all regional, national and global languages to share the insights from their literary worlds. “Our aim is to create a common ground for all these writers who seem to be narrowing down to their little cocoons. We also want to bring writers and readers together in a physical space, and to bridge gaps between publishers and aspiring writers,” says Vijay Kumar, an organising member of the festival, who is also Professor of English at Osmania University and one of the founding editors in Muse India. The format is simple and highly interactive including activities like readings, talks, conversations between scholars and writers and discussion panels. Some interesting topics for panel discussions are translation as recovery, writings about Hyderabad, and endangered languages and cultural traditions.

A file photo of last year’s Hyderabad Literary Festival that saw the likes of noted lyricist and director Gulzar address the gathering.

Names such as Anita Nair, Amita Desai, Sekhar Kammula, Shankar Melkote, Nukhban Langah, Inka Parei, Rajendar Mangari and several others are taking part. The festival went global last year when Germany came in as guest nation to showcase its literature and culture. Adding to its kitty, author, musicians and artists such as Kenize Mourad, Judith Oriol,

Anupama Raju, Jean Moriéres, Pascale Labbé and Vaiju Naravane from France will be contributing this year. Going by their step by step approach, Hyderabad Literary Festival henceforth will also focus on one national language each year, starting from Telugu with 15 Telugu writers, poets and critics on board. In this chaotic world of enjamb-

ments on micro blogging and social networking sites, Hyderabad Literary Festival promises a grand revival of slowly dying culture of book reading. Having started from 60 writers in 2010, the number has gone up to 120 this year. “More and more writers have been getting in touch with us after last year’s success. Several national newspapers too have listed the event. We are expecting a footfall of anything between 1,000 and 1,500 this year,” said Vijay Kumar about the festival’s fast growing scope. Registrations for all sessions are free although paid delegates will be offered tea, lunch and invitations to sponsored cultural programmes and dinners. Venue: Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Gachibowli Timings: 10 am onwards

INTERVIEW

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‘Bon Jovi is much more than just pop’ Shannon and the Silent Riot are here to pay a musical tribute to Bon Jovi and are all set to put up a darn good show for Hyderabadi audiences. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

n an age where genre ranting makes for more space than actual music appreciation, Shannon and the Silent Riot are here to break the norm. In the wise words of Shannon Pereira, lead guitarist and frontman of the band, “Bon Jovi is much more than just a pop group, his music has taught me a lot more than what appears from the outside.” In his third visit to the City, Shannon Pereira with his five piece is here to perform a Bon Jovi tribute to the rock audiences of Hyderabad.

Shannon has also dabbled in Bollywood music and has worked with artistes such as Sonu Nigam and Shibhani Kashyap. Talking about his band, Shannon says, “This band actually came together after my marriage with another band ended and after all these years of playing music, I feel very responsible for the band.” Unlike other musicians, Shannon

believes in performance value. And true to his Mumbai spirit and blood, he believes in ‘paisa vasool.’ “A good show is not just the music but also performance value. At the end of the day, even a layman who attends my show should be able to go back home and feel good about spending money and time on the gig. So apart from the music, our show is about the glam, costumes, the pyrotechniques and all the stage gimmicks that give a live show a good flavour,” he says. Apart from Shannon, the band is also made of Michael Fernandes on bass, Partho Dasgupta on rhythm guitar , Joshua

Vaz on the drums, and Prasad Salian on vocals . Shannon has also dabbled in Bollywood music and has worked with artistes such as Sonu Nigam and Shibhani Kashyap. But the one person he credits with the runaway success of the band is his close friend and band manager, Amal Amjad. “It would not have been possible without him,” he says. Pereira is also the youngest brand ambassador of Gibson guitars in India. Venue: Hard Rock Cafe When: January 17

city THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

CRIME

Autorickshaws with tampered meters go scot free! And why not? The legal metrology department is clueless and uses shortage of staff as an excuse for not cracking down on errant auto drivers. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

against tampered meters. “We fan out teams into the City to check autorickshaws for faulty meters and fine the auto driver with an amount starting over `500. However, that too is getting difficult as we are severely understaffed right now,” says an official. According to sources, there are less than eight inspectors who are assigned to check for tampered meters. Officials too admit that another 10 officers or six at the least are required to carry out basic field checks.

he tale of tampered auto meters continues. When Mahendar Reddy filed an RTI with the Legal Metrology department seeking details and clarifications about the number of autorickshaws with tampered meters and the regularisation of autos with meters, he was instead given a helpline number. “When asked as to who was the appellate authority for lodging a complaint against autos running with faulty meters, after a great deal of struggle I was informed that it was not the RTA or the Hyderabad Traffic Police but the Department of Legal Metrology,” says Mahendar. Trying to reach the Legal Metrology department is another story. Their website is dead, and the only known contact with the

AUTO UNIONS SAY

outside world is the controller of the department’s phone number, which is never answered. Postnoon’s efforts to find out about

the state of tampered meters in the City proved futile as officials from the department came up with generic answers about the drive

According to Ravi Kumar, a union leader of auto drivers in GHMC, tampering can be reported to the unions or even the traffic police instead of trying to take it directly to the metrology department. “After fuel hikes and raised meter prices, many auto drivers fail to get their

Helpline in case of tampered meters 18604253333 Legal Metrology department helpline 9010203626 Hyderabad Trafﬁc Police helpline for trafﬁc violations

meters updated and tend to ply on the roads for quite a while. But because of lack of planning between the Traffic police and the metrology department, many of these cases go unchecked,” says Ravi Kumar. The L&M department says over hundreds of cases are booked but the auto drivers are fined and are let off after the payment. As to the number of auto meters seized or drivers arrested is a number that awaits a first appeal session with RTI activist Mahendar Reddy.

CULTURE

A page from German arts

Expressionist cinema, one of the first chapters of cinema, was the topic of discussion at a recent gathering at Goethe-Zentrum where enthusiasts soaked in an evening of dance and theatre in an open-air setting.

KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

aking use of the last few winter days, Goethe-Zentrum hosted a pleasant and insightful evening of cinema, dance and theatre in an open air setting. While eager listeners sat on the rooftop of the GoetheZentrum premises, soaking in the breeze and view of an open sky, one of the first chapters of cinema — expressionist cinema — and a revolutionary form of dance — dance theatre was opened up through interactive lectures. Expressionist cinema which originated in Germany in 1913 when many things in Europe were changing, was a medium to react to the impressionist movement, to react as quickly as possible to the world that was going by you. Taking German expres-

sionist classics like The Cabinet of Dr Caligary, The student of Prague, Faust, Nosferatu and M, elements such as lighting, camera angles, background score, acting, background of scriptwriters and directors were shone light upon. The audience quite appreciated the clippings from these films and went on to discuss further on German cinema and filmmakers. The session on dance theatre brought forth the style

and works of renowned performer, choreographer and director of modern dance, who free spiritedly worked on and developed a form of dance called Tanztheater or Dance Theater. Most of Pina Bausch’s works like Café Muller were designed for the performer to express an emotion and for the audience to feel it. Her pieces were not about finding an answer but sharing an experience which was the interesting aspect of her work. The evening came to an end with a quote by Pina, “To understand what I am saying, you have to believe that dance is something other than technique. We forget where the movements come from. They are born from life. When you create a new work the point of departure must be contemporary life, not existing forms of dance.”

focus THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

AVIATION

Air India Dreamliners grounded Air India bought 27 Dreamliners in a 2005 deal, with the first plane delivered last September. It now has six of the planes and the remaining 21 are expected to arrive by 2016. Chile's LAN to ground its 787s for now SANTIAGO: Chile's LAN Airlines said Wednesday it was temporarily grounding its three Boeing Dreamliners following a recommendation by US regulators. "In compliance with the recommendation of the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) and in coordination with the Chilean Aeronautical Authority (DGCA), LAN announces that it will temporarily suspend the operation of its three Boeing 787 aircraft," the company said in a statement. In its statement, LAN said flights due to be operated by its 787 fleet would be temporarily replaced by other aircraft to limit the impact on passengers and cargo clients. AFP

NEW DELHI: India's aviation regulator said on Thursday it had instructed Air India to ground its fleet of Boeing Dreamliners following similar orders from authorities in the United States and Japan. "We have asked Air India to ground all six Dreamliners after getting an advisory from the FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) citing safety concerns," Arun Mishra, the director-general of civil aviation, told AFP. K Swaminathan, a spokesman for Air India, told AFP the carrier would await approval from Indian regulators before putting the Dreamliner back into service. "We will not fly the plane until the regulatory authorities have completed their investigation and come back to us about the safety situation," he said. Mishra said the DGCA had no timeline as to when Air India would be allowed to fly the aircraft, long touted as a solution to the airline's loss-making operations. "We will track the FAA enquiry into the Dreamliner. We can't say when we will

allow it to fly again, it depends on when Boeing gives us satisfaction over safety concerns," he said. Air India purchased 27 Dreamliners as part of a 2005 multi-billion-dollar deal, with the first plane delivered to New Delhi last September. It now has six of the planes and

the remaining 21 are expected to arrive by 2016. Swaminathan declined to comment on whether the carrier was considering any changes to its aircraft orders. Jet Airways put in an order for 10 planes in 2006, with the first delivery scheduled in 2015. AFP

US, Japan ground 787s B

This picture provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) obtained by AFP on Wednesday shows the burnt auxiliary power unit battery removed from a Japan Airlines Boeing 787. The NTSB is investigating the January 7 fire aboard the 787 and plans to disassemble the battery. AFP

Boeing says 787 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;safeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

oeing on Wednesday insisted its 787 Dreamliner was safe after the authorities in United States ordered airlines to stop flying the plane over a fire risk linked to its lithium batteries. "We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity," Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement. "We will be taking every necessary step in the coming days to assure our customers and the traveling public of the 787's safety and to return the airplanes to service." AFP

oeing suffered another huge blow on Wednesday as US and Japanese regulators grounded its 787 Dreamliner until a fire risk linked to the plane's lithium batteries can been resolved. Japan's two biggest airlines had already taken almost half the global fleet out of service, but the decision by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) means 30 of the world's 50 Dreamliners have now been grounded. "As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthi-

The decision by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) means 30 of the world's 50 Dreamliners have now been grounded. ness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations," the FAA said in a statement. "Before further flight, operators of US-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate

to the Federal Aviation Administration that the batteries are safe," it said. United Airlines, the world's biggest airline and currently the only US airline operating the 787, with six Dreamliners in service, said it would "immediately comply" with the FAA directive and redirect customers. The FAA action was prompted by a battery incident during an All Nippon Airways flight that resulted in an emergency landing in Japan on Wednesday, following another incident last week on an ANA 787 on the ground in Boston. AFP

Airlines stand by Dreamliner SINGAPORE: Airlines in Asia and Europe on Wednesday said they stood by their Dreamliner orders, expressing confidence in Boeing's latest plane after it was grounded by Japan's two biggest carriers for safety checks. British Airways, which has 24 Dreamliners on order, reaffirmed a statement from last week that it was "committed to taking delivery of the aircraft". Scoot, a budget long-haul unit of Singapore Airlines, said there was no change to its order for 20 of the high-tech aircraft. "Boeing has kept us fully informed about the performance of the 787 since we committed to acquire the aircraft," the compa-

ny said. "We are confident that Boeing's ongoing performance monitoring and external review process will identify and resolve any issues, and look forward to taking delivery of our first 787 on schedule in late 2014." Australia's Qantas said it was confident that any problems would be resolved before it took delivery of 15 Dreamliners destined for its low-cost Jetstar in the second half of this year. Korean Air, which has 10 B787-9 planes on order, said it carried out stringent tests before putting any new aircraft into service and it still intended to operate the Dreamliner from late 2016. AFP

This picture taken on Wednesday and released by a passenger to AFP via social network Twitter shows a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by All Nippon Airways on the runway with its emergency slides inflated after an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport in Japan.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Business

US ECONOMY PICKS UP SINCE NOVEMBER

The US economy has picked up pace since November, with Christmas sales modestly stronger and New York and New Jersey rebounding from Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book showed on Wednesday.

REAL ESTATE

QANTAS-EMIRATES GETS NOD

Positive policies hold key

Government’s land policies and uncertainty in politics worries the industry. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

eal estate industry is in gloom and in uncertainty over government’s decision to increase land values, raising input costs and political agitations that surrounded the state. Neither the industry in the state or in the country has nothing much to cheer about last year. “Overall, 2012 remained inactive, affecting all the major sectors in real estate. Office space absorption remained lower compared with 2011. Meanwhile, retail faced challenges of quality supply, affecting the overall absorption. The residential demand improved; however, developers continued to struggle with unsold inventories,” says Jones Lang LaSalle Monthly Real Estate Monitor January 2013 report. With the expected moderation in inflation and strengthening policies for the benefit of the industry will bring some signs of relief and hope to the industry. It says, “The last year for the real-estate industry in the country closed with a few notes of positivity as the inflation was below the RBI’s projected levels and the Index of Industrial Production growth increased in

New launches n n n n

Aparna CyberZon in Nallagandla Neclace Pride in Kavadiguda Main Road NSL Sindhu in Medchal Highway Isola in Bandlaguda

the last two months of the year, giving new hopes for 2013,” The inflation, which touched three year low especially in the whole sale, has positive impact across the country. Bank chiefs have requested RBI to cut down interest rates to increase the con-

sumption and push the activity across the sectors. With these positive signs, RBI may cut down the repo rate in the quarterly policy announcement on January 29, which may result in the overall decrease of interest rates. “As per RBI, the policies will focus towards growth in 2013, although risks of inflation will continue to remain. Interest rates are expected to witness a downward correction of 100 to 150 bps in 2013. The softening of interest rates is expected to reduce the home loan rates, in turn increasing the buying of real estate assets,” says the

report. A reduction in one basis point will reduce the interest rate by 0.01 per cent. The report also talks about positive impacts of urbanisation. “Increasing urbanisation and consumption despite the slowdown in GDP growth will be the key drivers of the economy in 2013.” This will push the growth in various sectors including real estate. “The recent policy initiatives are expected to improve the investment climate and business environment, and they are likely to benefit the real estate sector in 2013. Few policies to look at this year are Real Estate Regulation Bill, likely to be tabled in the upcoming winter session of the parliament; the real estate investment trusts or real estate mutual funds are also expected this year. Adding to this, the RBI allowed real estate developers and housing finance companies to raise up to $1 billion through external commercial borrowings in the current fiscal year to promote low-cost housing projects, says the report. In 2013, Kolkata and Hyderabad are likely to witness increased launches. Prices of residential units are likely to increase in all the cities because of the increased construction costs, envisions the report.

IMF releases €4 bn for Greece, Portugal WASHINGTON: The IMF on Wednesday released 838.8 million euros ($1.11 billion) in bailout funds to Portugal after a review of the country’s program to restructure its finances. The newest release in its three-year, 27.51 billion euro aid program for Portugal came four days after International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said the country is “on the right

track” in meeting economic reform targets set by its international creditors in exchange for rescue funding. Total disbursements under IMF loan plan launched in May 2011 have now reached about 22.16 billion euros. The deep austerity demanded by the program has thrown the country into recession and sent unemployment soaring to a record 16 percent.

The IMF also said it would release 3.2 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in aid to Greece that had been frozen for months amid fears about the country’s ability to surmount its debt crisis. The IMF executive board approved release of the funds after completing two reviews of Greece’s economic performance under an IMF loan program that is part of an international rescue also sup-

ported by the European Union, the institution said. In completing the first and second reviews, the board also waived some performance criteria and modified others, the IMF said in a statement. The payment is part of a four-year 28 billion euro IMF loan granted to Greece on March 15 last year to support the Greek authorities’ economic adjustment program. AFP

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DOLLAR `54.64 POUND `87.39

Australia’s competition watchdog on Thursday gave Qantas and Emirates Airlines permission to launch their global alliance although ﬁnal approval is still pending. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which gave the carriers preliminary approval in December to combine operations for an initial ﬁve years, said that practical sales, marketing and other steps could now start. “The ACCC is allowing Qantas and Emirates to start implementing their alliance because of the long lead time required to market and sell tickets before the commencement of longhaul services,” said ACCC chairman Rod Sims. “In making its decision, the ACCC has accepted written assurances from the parties that should the ACCC ultimately decide not to allow the alliance to go ahead, the airlines will accommodate consumers’ bookings.”

NUMEROLOGY

$694

is the compensation a South Korean court has ordered for victims of a 2007 oil spill.

SHARP, LENOVO IN TALKS Struggling Japanese electronics maker Sharp is in talks with Chinese electronics giant Lenovo Group to work together on the production of televisions, reports said Thursday. In the possible tie-up, the troubled ﬁrm is expected to sell all shares in a Chinese subsidiary operating an LCD TV assembly plant in Nanjing to Lenovo by the year-end, the Nikkei daily and Jiji Press said. Sharp’s other Chinese subsidiaries handling development and sales will also be turned into 5050 joint ventures, the Nikkei said, without citing sources. Sharp and Lenovo plan to sign a memorandum of understanding as early as this month. The TVs sold in China will continue to bear the Sharp Aquos brand name, while plans call for the ﬁrms to jointly make inroads into other markets, including Southeast Asia and South America, it said.

BSE NSE

19,856.51 39.70

6,011.95 10.10

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

nation

BUSINESSMAN SHOT DEAD A businessman was looted and shot dead at a place between Chandikhol and Tangi stretch of National Highway-5 in Cuttack district of Odisha, police said today. While the driver claims that the looters have decamped with the cash bag containing Rs `3 lakh, police have recovered `50,000 from Acharya’s trouser pocket

LINE OF CONTROL

HALL OF SHAME ‘Goa school tried to destroy rape evidence’

Guns fall silent

Khar offers talks with Khurshid to defuse tensions JAMMU: It was all quiet at the Line of Control (LoC) after Indian and Pakistan forces agreed not to violate the ceasefire, army sources said Thursday. There was no incident of firing reported from the LoC Wednesday night, an army source said. “The Director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan Wednesday had agreed not to violate the ceasefire and exercise maximum restraint,” according to an Indian Army spokesperson in New Delhi. The DGMOs agreed not to allow the situation along the LoC, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, to escalate, he added. The agreement between the DGMOs came after more than 10 days of heightened border tension between the two countries. The tensions began on January 6 when a Pakistani soldier was killed allegedly in firing by Indian troops. Two days later, Pakistani soldiers brutally killed two Indian soldiers. Meanwhile, Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who had earlier accused India of engaging in war-mongering, has offered to hold “discussion and dialogue” with her Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid to resolve the crisis at the Line of Control. “Instead of issuing belligerent statements by the military

and political leaders from across the border and ratcheting up tension, it is advisable for the two countries to discuss all concerns related to the LoC with a view to reinforcing respect for the ceasefire, may be at the level of the Foreign Ministers, to sort out things,” Khar said in a statement issued late last evening in Islamabad. “Rhetoric and ratcheting up of tensions is certainly counterproductive,” she said a day after accusing India of engaging in “war-mongering” in the aftermath of the killings of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops, which led Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to issue a stern comment that there “cannot be

business as usual with Pakistan.” Speaking at an event organised by think-tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York last evening, Khar said, “We will be open to a discussion and a dialogue at the levels of the Foreign Ministers to be able to resolve the issue of cross LoC incidents and also to recommit ourselves to respect for the ceasefire because Pakistan is fully committed to respect for the ceasefire 2003.” She said the LoC clashes and killing of soldiers has “unfortunately created questions but we still believe that dialogue must be the means to resolve this or any issue.”

PANAJI: The parents of a minor girl, who was raped in a Goa school four days back, have alleged that the school staff tried to destroy the evidence of the crime. “School teachers washed her clothes, gave her bath and cleaned the toilet after the sexual assault,” the parents alleged while talking to PTI. They tried to destroy the evidence by washing her blood stained clothes, gave her bath and even went to the extent of cleaning the toilet where the crime was committed, the shattered parents further alleged. “This was done before police were informed about the incident,” the seven-year-old girl’s father claimed, adding that he received a call from the school saying that his daughter was sick. The management said that they will clarify their stand by calling a special meeting of the parents and agitated locals later today. The father of the girl also alleged that the school management tried to hide the incident. “The gates of the school should have been sealed

when the incident came to notice. But that was not done. There is clear negligence on part of the school and also an attempt to destroy evidence,” the victim’s father said. He also claimed that one of the teachers told him that the girl was bleeding when she was brought before the headmistress. On January 14, a sevenyear-old girl was raped in her school toilet in Vasco town, 40 km away from Panaji. Police are yet to track the accused, suspected to be a middle-aged man. They have also released sketches to track him. The mother of the victim said that the school should have taken the girl to the doctor immediately and also informed police. “But that did not happen. There was indiscriminate delay,” she added. Following the incident, there were protests for the last two days in Vasco city. Goa Police have formed a 15-member SIT to trace the accused. Yesterday, a reward of `50,000 was announced for information about the accused. PTI

Teenager raped CHANDAULI: A 13-year-old girl was raped allegedly by two persons in Dhanapur area, police said here today. The victim was dragged to a canal by the accused and raped yesterday. An FIR has been registered against Sintu Yadav and an unidentified person, police said. The girl has been sent for medical examination at district government hospital, they said. PTI

IANS/PTI

NEWS BRIEFS One killed in sectarian clash in Lucknow

Fire in tent being put up for Congress Chintan Shivir

India close to signing nuke plant pact with Areva

LUCKNOW: A man was killed and more than a dozen people were injured in a clash between members of the Shia and Sunni sects here on Wednesday night, police said. Several rounds of gunshots and arson was also reported from the old part of the Uttar Pradesh capital, they said. There was simmering tension between the two Muslim sects for the last one week and it spilled onto the streets Wednesday night, they said. The violence broke out near Deputy Saheb Ka Imambara in Wazirganj area after a religious congregation at a mosque was attacked, leading to several rounds of firing and stone pelting, a senior district police official told IANS. Police rushed to the spot and chased away the rioters. The dead man was identified as Shanu. He died due to gunshot wounds, police said.

JAIPUR: A tent put up for the threeday ‘Chintan Shivir’ of the Congress was set on fire by two unidentified men who appeared to be drunk, police said on Thursday. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was inside the Birla Auditorium nearby to oversee arrangements for the introspection camp of the party when the incident took place Wednesday night. Some labourers saw a burning stick being thrown by two men on a motorcycle. “Some labourers were setting up tents near the entrance of the auditorium, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with all senior party leaders will attend the party’s Chintan Shivir, when they saw the two men,” a police official told IANS. The bike-borne men fled immediately.

NEW DELHI: India may sign a commercial pact with French power major Areva for building two nuclear power reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra during the visit of French President Francois Hollande here next month. “We have set our objective that before the French President’s visit we should come to a good converging situation. I hope we are close to that,” Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ratan Kumar Sinha said when asked about talks with Areva. He said the deal with Areva was one of the drivers for quick action in the relations with France. “There have been plenty of discussions already, mainly on the technocommercial offer and there seems to be reasonable hope of convergence,” Sinha said.

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

World

WIKILEAKS SUSPECT’S MOTIVE NO DEFENSE: US JUDGE A US military judge ruled Wednesday that Bradley Manning’s motive for allegedly leaking a huge cache of secret files to WikiLeaks is no defense against the long list of charges he faces. Manning, an army private who was arrested in May 2010 while serving as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, faces trial in June for passing diplomatic cables and war logs to Wikileaks.

A woman wades through a flooded street in downtown Jakarta on January 17, 2013. Severe flooding following torrential rain has driven almost 10,000 people from their homes in the Indonesian capital, an official said on January 16, with two people killed so far in the seasonal chaos. AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY

GUN LAWS

Obama signs 23 measures Demanded an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Wednesday demanded an assault weapons ban and universal background checks for gun buyers as part of sweeping gun control measures in response to the Newtown school massacre. “We can’t put this off any longer. I will put everything I’ve got into this,” Obama said, daring Congress not to defy public outrage and block his plans and setting the stage for a generational fight with the US gun lobby. Obama signed 23 executive actions, using his presidential power in a swift effort to check a rash of gun violence including the killings of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month and other recent mass shootings. And he challenged Congress to enshrine enduring reforms into law, including renewing

Flanked by mayors and gun control activists, Chief Policy Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chairman of Mayors Against Illegal Guns John Feinblatt (C) speaks during a news conference. AFP

and bolstering a ban on assault weapons, and closing loopholes that permit 40 per cent of gun sales to take place without back-

ground checks. “This will be difficult,” Obama warned, unveiling measures drawn up by a task force

led by Vice President Joe Biden at a White House event attended by gun crime victims, including the parents of a girl who perished in Newtown. “There will be pundits and politicians and special interest lobbyists publicly warning of a tyrannical all-out assault on liberty,” Obama said. “Behind the scenes, they’ll do everything they can to block any commonsense reform and make sure nothing changes whatsoever,” Obama said, underlining he did not oppose the right to bear arms laid down in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. The National Rifle Association warned that only law abiding gun owners would be affected, and “our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.” AFP

NEWS BRIEFS First electrocution since Cops disperse families 2010 in US protesting with coffins

US ‘deeply concerned’ over Myanmar unrest

Pakistan court to meet over PM arrest order

WASHINGTON: An American who murdered two fellow inmates while serving a life sentence was put to death Wednesday by electric chair, a ﬁrst such execution since 2010, authorities said. Robert Gleason, a 42-year-old former tatoo artist, was declared dead at 9.08 pm local time (0208 GMT), said Larry Traylor, an ofﬁcial spokesman.

YANGON: The US ambassador to Myanmar has said he is “deeply concerned” about civilian deaths in a recent attack on a rebel stronghold in the country’s north during the escalation of a bitter civil war. Derek Mitchell called for both Myanmar’s army and ethnic minority ﬁghters to “stop the violence” in Kachin state.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani anticorruption ofﬁcials are to appear before the Supreme Court on Thursday over orders to arrest the prime minister and 15 other people on accusations of graft in 2010. The country’s top judge ordered that all those accused of graft in power generation projects be arrested.

PESHAWAR: Pakistani police early Thursday fired tear gas shells to disperse coffin-carrying protesters who refused to bury 14 people allegedly killed in a raid by security forces, officials said. The pre-dawn operation was launched about 13 hours after around 300 people staged a sit-in outside the governor’s house.

ROYAL RESPONSE

A Thai court sentenced a comedian and renowned “Red Shirt” supporter to two years in jail Thursday for insulting the kingdom’s revered monarchy during a speech at a mass rally in 2010, his lawyer said. Yosawaris Chuklom, 54, who goes by the stage name Jeng Dokchik, was found guilty under Thailand’s strict lese majeste law, which punishes anyone convicted of defaming the Thai king, queen, heir or regent with up to 15 years in prison.

NUMEROLOGY

$694

is the compensation ordered by a South Korean court that must be paid to victims of the country’s worst oil spill, which fouled miles of coastland in 2007, decimating local fishing and tourism industries.

VIGILANTE FORCES Two rural communities in southwestern Mexico have formed their own vigilante police forces, detaining 44 suspected criminals and announcing that they will mete out their own justice. Hundreds of civilians armed with riﬂes, pistols and machetes decided to provide security for the communities of Tecoanapa and Ayutla de los Libre in the state of Guerrero, saying gangs were committing robberies, kidnappings and murder. The 44 suspects will be judged by the community police and a general assembly of all the towns”.

We favour dialogue between India and Pakistan on this issue in any and all channels that both governments consider appropriate. Victoria Nuland State Department

world THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

ALGERIA

Troops besiege militants

Algerian troops have surrounded Islamist gunmen who seized 41 hostages in a raid on a gas field in reprisal, they said, for the French assault against rebels in neighbouring Mali and Algeria’s cooperation. BEATRICE KHADIGE Agence France-Presse

Who is behind it?

ALGIERS: Algerian troops have surrounded Islamist gunmen who seized 41 hostages in a raid on a gas field as Britain’s foreign minister Thursday condemned the “cold-blooded murder” of a Briton in the attack. The Islamists told Mauritanian media they were holding 41 Westerners including French, British and Japanese citizens,

An undated grab from a video obtained by ANI Mauritanian news agency reportedly shows former Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emir Mokhtar Belmokhtar speaking at an undisclosed location.

An undated handout picture released by the BP petroleum company on January 16, 2013, shows their operation at the In Amenas field in the Sahara desert, 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) southeast of Algiers, close to the Libyan border.

as well as seven Americans in reprisal, they said, for the French assault against Islamists in neighbouring Mali and Algeria’s cooperation. One Briton and an Algerian were killed in the attack, Algeria’s Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia said. Six people were wounded: another Briton, a Norwegian and a Scot, as well as an Algerian security agent and two policemen. Condemning the attack, British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed scepticism about claims the raid

was retaliation for France’s offensive in Mali. “That is a convenient excuse, but usually operations like this take longer to plan. “Whatever excuse is being used by terrorists and murderers, there is no excuse. This is the cold-blooded murder of people going about their business,” he said during a visit to Australia. While Washington and Tokyo said their nationals were among the hostage, French President Francois Hollande said it was not certain that French citizens were being held.

French news channel France 24 reported that Malaysian and Filipino nationals were also among the hostages. Algerian Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia, speaking on national television, insisted Algiers would not negotiate with the “terrorists”, who he said were surrounded by the army and security services. The group appeared to want to leave the country with the hostages, which Algiers had rejected, he said. They were “around 20 men from the region”, he added, denying that they had come from either Mali or Libya.

okhtar Belmokhtar, an Algerian jihadist with close ties to al-Qaida, under whose orders at least 20 western contractors hostage in a raid on a desert gas field in which two people were killed. According to the Guardian, Belmokhtar, a veteran of Algeria’s civil conflict, was a deputy commander of al-Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb (Aqim), until last month when he broke away and set up his own group, to which he has referred as the Masked Brigade and Signers in Blood, dedicated to resisting western efforts to suppress the jihadist uprising that has taken control of northern Mali and spilled into the surrounding region.

MALI

France borrows words from Bush President Hollande and his ministers seem to have taken a page from former US president George W Bush’s playbook on war-time communications.

PARIS: With its talk of “destroying” enemies and confronting “jihadi terrorists”, France has adopted a language of war for its intervention in Mali that few expected from Socialist President Francois Hollande. As French warplanes carry out airstrikes and French troops clash with Islamist rebels in the West African country, Hollande and his ministers seem to have taken a page from former US president George W. Bush’s playbook on war-time communications. This has led some critics to accuse the government of carrying out a propaganda war alongside the fighting on the ground. Hollande and his chief lieu-

Malian people wave to French soldiers as a convoy of armoured vehicles leave Bamako and start a deployment to the north of Mali as part of the “Serval” operations on January 15, 2013.

tenants — Defence Minister JeanYves Le Drian and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius — have been ubiquitous on French television and radio, giving regular updates on France’s military progress. Their language has been simple, direct, and clearly designed to portray the conflict in blackand-white. “The use of language is calibrated: the cause is just, a fight against terrorism, us/them, good/bad. These are the fundamentals of war-time communication,” said Francois-Bernard Huyghe, a researcher at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations. AFP

NUMEROLOGY

2,000

Soldiers from Chad will take part in the operation against Islamist insurgents in northern Mali, the country’s foreign minister told Radio France Internationale Wednesday. “We intend to send an infantry regiment and two support battalions, which comes to around 2,000 men,” Moussa Faki Mahamat told RFI.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Comment Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

OF WARS AND BATTLES

ARUN KOSHY PHILIP arun.k@postnoon.com

chanced on newspaper report on how the State’s teachers’ unions are up in arms over a government proposal to introduce biometric attendance for teacher and other school staff. Their bone of contention is that the government is ‘wasting’ money on unnecessary matters while basic facilities such as classroom infrastructure and toilets are ignored. One must concede that the teachers have an axe to grind regarding this. However, the real reason for the outrage is that biometric attendance system will ‘force‘ the teachers to spend time at school. This will mean absentees will lose pay, and in course of time, face disciplinary action. They cannot send proxies to teach and attend to more pressing matters like their side businesses and private tuitions. Biometric attendance would put an end to their ‘freelancing’ activities and no work would translate into no pay. In a country where teachers are considered at par with parents and gods, the system has deteriorated to a level where such forceful measures have been necessitated. The blame is not on teachers alone. The criteria for recruitment of teachers need to undergo a sea change. Instead of going through the regular testplus-quotas route, a method giving priority to aptitude and commitment of candidates need to be evolved. Contribution and value addition, and not seniority should decide promotions. Teaching is not just a job, it is a great responsibility. And only the deserving should be entrusted with it.

IT STARTS WITH LUDO AND ENDS WITH WAR BUT... SERIOUSLY

Winston Churchill Former British PM

Teaching is not a business

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Pep Guardiola has decided to coach Bayern Munich! This is like some pretty princess leading on a score of princes and then choosing some noble who was nowhere in the picture. Now that he’s gone, José Mourinho is the princes next best bet.

Ajay Hotchandani

o apparently neighbors can’t always get along. I like the way Wikipedia puts it, “Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of India and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries have been involved in four wars, including one undeclared war, as well as many border skirmishes and military stand-offs. Additionally, India has accused Pakistan of engaging in proxy wars by providing military and financial assistance to violent non-state actors.” First off, who decides if it is a declared war vs. and undeclared war? Is there paperwork that was supposed to have been filed before a war starts? Did someone not get it in on time? “Hey man, you have to submit your “I Declare War” paperwork 72 hours in advance, along with an application fee and two passport size picture of the person you will blame in case something goes horribly wrong. False start! Hey man, the war isn’t suppose to begin for another 30 minutes, you threw a grenade too early, four-hour penalty, plus you lose one turn and don’t collect $200 when you pass GO (or in this case the LoC). “

Do both sides have to agree to the war before it is approved by the National Board of People With Mustaches Who Decide Wars? What are acceptable grounds for objection? Just painted your buildings – wait six months to start war. Weather too cold to go outside — postpone war until both parties feel it is ok to go outside and fight and not catch a cold. Taxes – if you have to pay taxes then start the war, if you are about to collect money back for paying too much taxes then we wait. Then there are “Border Skirmishes”, and I say “are” and not “were” cause I’m sure it still happens and most of it is premeditated and for fun. Think about it. You are in some remote

region of the mountains and you want to keep the mood up beat and fun, so what do you do? You play a rousing and intense game of LUDO! Each country gets two colors – which in itself will start an argument as both will want to be green, since both flags have green. Most people don’t know this, but there was an entire war that started as a result of a skirmish that involved two soldiers fighting to be the green color in Ludo. Other skirmishes have been known to include games such as “Snakes & Ladders” (or sometimes referred to as Politicians & Ladders), Kabaddi, and my personal favorite Kokla Chapaki (Google it). But in Kokla Chapaki,

instead of a whip, participants leave a warning letter from the United Nations indicating that the recipient has violated a part of the Geneva Convention and must be punished by having someone pour water in their shoes. Then there is my favorite, proxy wars by actors! I really don’t think this means what I think it means, as I’m pretty sure that the government isn’t paying actors to pretend to be violent and act out a war scene along the LoC or at public gatherings that involve gullible people or members of government. But just in case you do run into a war scene being played out and want to stop it, yell CUT! Then run for your life.

EDITORIALS Greedy guns Why turn from the truth?

hen you are driven by greed, you are most unlikely to see sense, even if your decision and stances may cost you dearly and when you finally see the true state of things, it almost always is too late. Following the US President Barack Obama’s proposing tough measures to tackle the America’s gun culture, the National Rifle Association has sounded the clarion to let all know that they are preparing for "the fight of the century". The Guardian quotes Wayne LaPierre, the NRA executive vice-president, as saying: "I warned you this day was coming and now it's here. It's not about protecting your children. It's not about stopping crime. It's about banning your guns … period." Everyone knows apart from making the country a safer place, what the proposed measures entail: reduced sale of arms and ammunition, which would adversely affect the gun manufactures. The matters that Wayne LaPierre and people like him should ponder is has guns been able to protect them; does the practice of arming people actually deter crime and are the existing licence laws been truly effective in ensuring that only people of proper discretion are allowed to buy guns. To all these the answer is no. The gun culture has only spilt blood before, and will only continue to do so. Hope LaPierre sees sense.

READERS’ VIEWS

ver the centuries torture has been one of the main means of the high and mighty and those in authority to take on opponents. So why make a big deal of the depiction of torture in her latest ﬁlm Zero Dark Thirty? To say that the movie perpetuates "the myth that torture is effective" makes no sense. There are thousands languishing in secret places over the war against terror.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

tELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT UNLIMITED

A 'Bigg' hangover

NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

he traditional recipe of the Bigg Boss series comprised fights, buckets full of tears, nasty bitching sessions, a Rakhi Sawant element and all that one can expect when people from different walks of life are thrown into one house and asked to coexist. The latest season — Alag Che — was a tad different with fewer fights and more task-oriented entertainment. And, of course, this season also included Navjyot Singh Sidhu! The swanky house that was home to 19 contestants for more than three months had turned into a cuckoo's nest thanks to the controversies the inmates brought along with them. The juiciest of them all was supposed to be Delnaaz and Rajev Paul's divorce saga. The show kicked off with Sidhuji trying to patch things up between the couple, which seemed possible at the time. Viewers were briefly interested in what the outcome was going to be. However, the topic lost its sizzle soon. The one thing that seemed to hold the season together was the

Most interesting tasks: The statue task: Family members of participants were invited to meet them. However, contestants were statued by the voice during the visit. While the task ruined it for Delnaaz as her brother Bakhtiyaar left on a bitter note, it worked for Urvashi and Rajev whose family members seemed more civil in comparison. The secret task given to Urvashi: Asked to deliberately provoke Delnaaz and Rajev Paul, Urvashi Dholakia performed the task with all her might. The time task: Asked to maintain the time of the day, this task saw all contestants come together to win their luxury budget that week. Washing clothes: The celebrities in the house must have done this for the first time in their life. Asked to wash, dry and iron hundreds of clothes, this task had all participants on their toes. The zoo task: Some became animals and others were asked to play the role of zookeepers. Colourful and exciting, it was one of the few tasks that hardly saw any squabbles.

Now that the sixth season of the biggest Indian reality show has come to an end, most of us are nursing its hangover. To remind you of its entertainment-filled journey, Postnoon analyses what sets Season 6 apart.

control Bigg Boss had over the participants. Unlike the previous series, they weren't allowed to swear, to fight endlessly or hold grudges against one another for long. Whether it was the common man's (Kashif Qureshi) threats or Imam Siddiqui's 'bare' insanity, the voice always managed to intervene and set things right. Moreover, this year's interesting tasks also helped play a huge role in setting Season 6 apart. The tasks — some creative, many discrete added the drama that the show is known for. Another aspect of the season that stood out was the choice of celebrities. Apart from Niketan Madhok and Delnaaz Paul, everyone else seemed a bit nutty at first. Sapna Bhavnani, a celebrity hair dresser from Mumbai, took the cake when it came to madness. She seemed like a fiveyear-old stuck in a 40-year-old woman's body most of the time. In fact, while performing tasks she didn't seem to be a day older than two years. She was that mad and certainly not in a good way. Generally confused by her own personality defect, Bhavnani had earlier said that she wanted in on Bigg Boss to promote empowerment of women. Luckily, Salman Khan who was an extremely entertaining and witty host by the way, cleared that in the first few weeks. Other annoying participants included Sidhuji, who had almost become the Thakur of the house with his gyaan, Delnaaz Paul with her constipated expression, Aashka Goradia with her constant weeping and Rajev Paul being what he is. The list of participants who kept us glued for three months is also a long one. Urvashi Dholakia, who rightly won the season this year, was every bit entertaining as she promised. She performed all tasks given to her, especially the secret one, with enthusiasm and a winning spirit. Another contestant worth mentioning in this bracket is Sana Khan, you might remember her from Billo Rani — an item number in Goal. She literally danced her way to the end of the season. Unlike our other item girls (read Rakhi Sawant), she was mature and patient in the house. She didn't pick any fight and stood for what she thought was right each time she was confronted.

BACK FOR MORE

More of Katie Holmes Actress Katie Holmes is apparently planning to make her comeback on the small screen. The 34year-old's decision to work on TV came after her Broadway play Dead Accounts closed early due to poor ticket sales, reports showbizspy.com. According to American tabloid the National Enquirer, the actress has told her representatives that she wants her own series based in New York, so that she can be close to her daughter Suri, who is enrolled in a private school in the city.

DID YOU KNOW..

Walking Dead

The name Edwin Jenner, the doctor at the CDC, is a reference to to Edward Jenner who developed the first vaccine (which was for smallpox). Actors who played zombies had to go through zombie school to learn how to walk and move like zombies.

TRENDING...

Tate Stevens, the winner of The X Factor’s second season, has signed with Syco Music/RCA Records Nashville. The country singer, whose musical heroes are George Strait and Garth Brooks, is writing and recording material for his debut album, which will come out this spring. He began working on the album earlier this month.

Lifetime has decided to forgo a ﬁfth season of Drop Dead Diva. The drama about a dead model trapped in the body of a smart and ﬂuffy lawyer has attempted to make noise over the last few years with a bevy of eclectic guest stars — Joan Rivers, Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams, among them. But it never managed to generate the kind of viewership.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

spotlight 1

KICKING UP A STORM

Listen to Shannon and the Riot as they perform at Hard Rock Cafe tonight. Shannon Pereira as he teams up with 4 of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most talented musicians, to bring you a power house of a show.

S BALAKRISHNA

ON THE DANCE FLOOR

D A N C E AT TA C K

AGAIN Kismet on Wednesday night witnessed the charge of the party brigade. The dance floor was full of youngsters making the most of the sizzling music at the pub. 3

1 Varsha 2 Buet, Priyal,

Chanchal, Akash 3 Soso 4 Pearl 5 Smrithi

6 Tina 7 Achan

12 Pinky, Sid 13 Richa

8 Monika

14 Nita, Veena 15 Poornima, Sanjana

9 Bhagyasri 10 Aryan, Ayesha

16 Sartaj Khan, Sofia

11 Monisha, Swathi

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

health

FOETAL EXPOSURE TO PVC LINKED TO OBESITY Pregnant women exposed to low doses of tributyltin (TBT), a chemical used in marine hull paint and polyvinyl coated (PVC) plastic, can give birth to obese children, says a US study. Human exposure to TBT can occur through PVC plastic particles in dust and via leaching of the chemical.

GYNAECOLOGY

Identifying a resistant ovary Resistant ovary syndrome is often confused with PCOD or POF, and an ovarian biopsy needs to be performed before coming to a conclusion. ROS, if genetic, is difficult to treat. DEEPASHRI V

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

he brain sends a message to the pituitary gland, which then secretes a hormone, FSH, telling the ovary to produce eggs. But when the ovary becomes resistant to FSH, it could lead to a disorder called resistant ovary syndrome. “The ovary does not respond to stimulating hormones by higher centers. In turn, the ovary does not produce sub set of hormones like oestrogen and progesterone, which in turn causes changes in the ovary and uterus, affecting ovulation and menstruation,” said Dr Sujata K, consultant gynaecologist at Yashoda Hospital. Resistant ovary syndrome (ROS) can easily be confused with polycystic ovarian disease or premature ovarian failure, said Dr Divya T Sudarshan, a consultant gynaecologist at Happy Women clinic. “About one per cent women have POF, where they attain menopause before 40. There will be no growing follicle,” she said. “In resistant ovary syndrome, the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) would be in the menopausal range. But they will have follicles.” The follicle should ideally be between 18 to 20 millimetres before in ruptures. But for ROS patients, there are many follicles, 5-10 millimetres in length, she

Fact file

n Resistant ovary syndrome can be easily confused with polycystic ovarian disease or premature ovarian failure. n It is characterised by irregular periods, or intervals with no periods at all. n It is, however, possible for women with ROS to conceive spontaneously,

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

and when they do, mostly don’t realise till they are 12-15 weeks pregnant. n Treatment depends on the factors causing the syndrome. If it is temporary (due to obesity, stress or hormones), it can be treated, but if it is genetic, it is hard to correct, doctors say.

HOUSECALL

said, adding that an ovarian biopsy would be required to confirm if a patient has ROS. The treatment would depend on a lot of factors, Dr Sudarshan said. It depends on whether the woman was close to menopause, whether she is obese, whether she wants to conceive. Many women who wish to conceive are asked to take a donor egg. Sometimes, women

DID YOU KNOW?

with ROS can conceive spontaneously. They think that they skipped a period because of the syndrome, only to later discover that they are 12-15 weeks pregnant, Dr Sudarshan said. ROS can be genetic sometimes. “If it is due to temporary factors like hormones, obesity or stress, it can be corrected,” said Dr Sujata. “But if it is genetic, it is difficult to correct.”

PIONEERS

HealthTap

Migraine

You have an omentum

Baruch S Blumberg

HealthTap is a mobile health care Q&A station. Users can write and submit their own questions and then get an answer from a real-life doctor — who is required to show proof of a valid medical license to register. HealthTap is the best way to quickly ﬁnd, trusted, reputable doctor answers to health questions anytime, anywhere for free.

A migraine is a medical condition which usually causes a pounding, throbbing headache on one side of the head. The pain may be very bad and hurt so much that a person may have a hard time doing anything. Most migraines cause a headache and nausea and might make the person dizzy or very sensitive to bright lights or loud noises. Some people have "auras" before a migraine starts.

An omentum is a wonderful organ that lives in your belly where it hangs like an apron of tissue. It is a ﬁlmy and tough creature that sweeps your belly constantly, looking for problems. If there is an infection, or something even worse, your omentum sweeps in and wraps itself around the mess until it can be ﬁxed.

Born in 1925, Dr Baruch Blumberg received his MD from Columbia University, then his PhD from Oxford. In the 1960s, he examined blood samples from a variety of populations to see how they differ in susceptibility to disease. During this study, he discovered an antigen that enabled both a screener and a vaccine for hepatitis B. Blumberg was awarded a Nobel Prize for this work in 1976.

health THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

STUDY

RESEARCH

KIDS CAN GROW out of autism

Strawberries can cut cardiac risk

Tests confirmed that the group, aged eight to 21, no longer suffered symptoms of the developmental condition. WASHINGTON: Some children with autism may lose the symptoms and even manage to grow out of the condition later in life, researchers have claimed. Scientists studied 34 school-age children and young adults who had been diagnosed with autism early in life but now appeared to be functioning normally. Tests confirmed that the group, aged eight to 21, no longer suffered symptoms of the developmental condition that makes it difficult to communicate and socialise. Researchers led by Deborah Fein, from the University of Connecticut, matched the 34 children by age, sex, and nonverbal IQ with 44 kids with high-functioning autism, and 34 typically developing peers. Participants ranged in age from 8 to 21 years old. Prior studies had examined the possibility of a loss of diagnosis, but questions remained regarding the accuracy of the initial diagnosis, and whether children who ultimately

The investigators evaluated the current status of the children using standard cognitive and observational tests. appeared similar to their mainstream peers initially had a relatively mild form of autism. The results suggested that children in the optimal outcome group had milder social deficits than the high functioning autism group in early childhood, but had other symptoms, related to communication and repetitive behaviour, that were as severe as in the latter group. The investigators evaluated the current status of the children using standard cognitive and observational tests and parent questionnaires. "All children with ASD are capable of making progress with intensive therapy, but with our current state of

knowledge most do not achieve the kind of optimal outcome that we are studying," said Fein. "Our hope is that further research will help us better understand the mechanisms of change so that each child can have the best possible life," Fein said in a statement.

This study cannot provide information on what percentage of children diagnosed with ASD might eventually lose the symptoms. Analysis of those data may shed light on questions such as whether the changes in diagnosis resulted from a normalising of brain function, or if these children's brains were able to compensate for autism-related difficulties. PTI

LONDON: Strawberries and blueberries eaten thrice a week are likely to help women lower their heart attack risk by a third, new research says. The berries have rich levels of compounds called dietary flavonoids, found in foods such as dark chocolate, grapes, red wine, blackberries and eggplant. Dietary flavonoids may prevent heart disease by helping to dilate blood vessels and by countering the build-up of plaque which can cause blockages in the coronary arteries and, ultimately, heart attacks, said researchers, the journal Circulation reports. The researchers found that women who ate the most blueberries and strawberries had a 32 percent reduction in their risk of heart attack compared to those whose ate them once a month or less - regardless of whether they had an otherwise nutritious diet, according to the Telegraph. Eric Rimm, professor, who led the study, said: "Blueberries and strawberries can easily be incorporated into what women eat every week. This simple dietary change could have a significant impact on prevention efforts." Since these dietary flavonoids are very common in fruit and vegetables, it is likely that other foods will yield similar health benefits, he said. The study involved 93,600 women aged between 25 and 42 years. IANS

CARDIOLOGY

Some migraines tied to women’s heart risk

WASHINGTON: Women who suffer from migraines accompanied by visual disturbances such as flashes of light may be at increased risk of heart attacks and blood clots, researchers said Tuesday. The study involved 27,860 women, of whom 1,435 had migraine with aura, as such disturbances are called. Over the course of the 15-year study, there were 1,030 cases of heart attack, stroke or death from a cardiovascular ailment, said the

report from the American Academy of Neurology. “After high blood pressure, migraine with aura was the second strongest single contributor to risk of heart attacks and strokes,” said study author Tobias Kurth. “It came ahead of diabetes, current smoking, obesity, and family history of early heart disease.” Kurth, or Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the French National Institute of Health, is also a fellow of the

American Academy of Neurology. The risk for migraine-plagued women with aura was three times greater than for those with migraines that lacked this disturbance, Kurth told AFP. A second study released by the same academy said women who had migraines with aura and took hormonal contraceptives were more likely to have blood clots. Both studies will be presented at the academy's annual meeting in March in San Diego, California. AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Mahesh Babu is back in action

ahesh Babu is expected to join the sets of Sukumar's upcoming film from tomorrow. The film was earlier shot in Hyderabad, Goa and the latest schedule will take place again in Hyderabad. Kriti Sanon is the lead actress in the film. Devi Sri Prasad is scoring the music. The film is slated for release in late summer this year.

Shatruvu set to release on Jan 24

rikanth, Aksha starrer Shatruvu is going to release on January 24. NSR Prasad has directed the ﬁlm and VS Rami Reddy has produced it. Aksha will be seen as a Muslim girl in this action drama. Most part of the ﬁlm was shot in Hyderabad. Gana has scored the music and Rahul is the cinematographer.

Vasu Verma’s next titled Lover

asu Verma, who had directed Naga Chaitanya’s debut film Josh, is gearing up to make his next film titled Lover. Dil Raju is going to produce the film. The film’s pre-production work has already been completed and it’ll be launched soon. Dil Raju has stated that a young hero is going to play the lead role.

WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH?

SVSC,

NAAYAK MAKE A KILLING

AT THE BO

013 has begun on an extremely positive note for Telugu film industry. Both Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu and Naayak have been registering record collections and it’s the first time in almost five years where two Sankranthi releases are doing extremely well at the box office. Interestingly, both the films were made with a budget of more than `40 crore which meant that over `80 crore was at stake for the producers of these two films to recover the costs. The official figures of Ram Charan, Kajal and Amala Paul starrer Naayak were released yesterday and the film has reportedly collected a share of close to `26 crore in the first week of its run in Andhra Pradesh alone, whereas it has collected an additional four crore from its run in other parts of the country. The total first week share of Naayak is said to around `30 crore which is a new record in Telugu cinema. On the other hand, trade analysts are predicting that Mahesh Babu, Venkatesh starrer Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu will collect a share of around `10 crore from Nizam region alone. The film’s mind boggling theatrical run in US has come as a big surprise and it’s poised to be the biggest hit ever in US. Sources say that Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu will easily break the earlier record set by Mahesh Babu starrer Dookudu and the final figure is expected to be over `10 crore in US alone. The glorious run of both these films has left no scope for new releases this weekend.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

fashion T

DESIGNERS NEED TO BE MORE “OPEN MINDED”

STYLIST Jessica Paster believes that young designers need to be "a little more open" when deciding which stars to dress for events. Paster is responsible for the immaculate red carpet style of Miranda Kerr, Emily Blunt, Cate Blanchett and Fanning sisters Elle and Dakota — to name but a few.

TINA FEY

BEN AFFLECK

he double winner for the film Argo (that won the best director and best film) got the third win in our books in the category of men’s fashion. Walking hand in hand with wife and mother of three, beaming Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck stood his own ground in a three-piece indigo tuxedo. The satin lapels made it stand out from a sea of well-made tuxedos. The black bow tie and neat stubble added an old world charm and casual elegance.

he co-hostess of the night must give her stylist a big increment after this awards night. The funny woman resonated a vintage vibe with side swept wavy hair and flattering dresses throughout the night. The actress who usually wears bootcut jeans and shirt for her TV character stunned the audience with waist cinching feminine gowns. The red carpet welcomed Fey in a below the knee L’Wren Scott strapless dress with a Roger Vivier clutch.

AMY POEHLER

my Poehler played the role of the co-host very well and proved that women can be funny and fashionable. The blonde actress wore plunging looks throughout the night. Starting with a black tuxedo and high heels keeping the look embellishment free. At the awards function the actress wore a low cut violet gown cinched at the waist with a embellished belt and clean neckline. The actress looked elegant and super comfortable in her fashion choices.

Hits on the

RED CARPET As the award season kicks off this year, we look at the most memorable looks of the stars at the Golden Globes 2013.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

tar of the film Silver Linings Playbook wore a Dior Haute Couture coral organza evening dress with structuredbustier. The winner of the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical award, shone in this stunning Raf Simons’ minimal design resonating the elegance of vintage glamour while keeping heavy makeup at bay.

JESSICA CHASTAIN

inner of the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama award for her role in Zero Dark Thirty kept things light on the red carpet. Chastain chose a light blue plunging gown free of embellishments and layers. The minimalistic dress worked wonders for her frame. Her red hair was a great accompaniment to the light blue tone, which she wore open and combed back. The diamond jewelry accentuated her muted look.

LUCY LIU

ucy Liu wore a Carolina Herrera pre-fall/winter 2013-14 floral ball gown. The actress bought a refreshing change to the red carpet by breaking the existing norm of wearing block colour slit gowns. This strapless ball gown rose print matched with her satin gold clutch bag. The side braid thought didn’t work for her advantage and would have preferred to see her with open hair instead.

The writer is a fashion blogger (www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gap between creator and consumer. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.

ANNE HATHAWAY

nne Hathaway wore a Chanel Couture strapless white peplum gown. The winning actress of the award Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture chose to wear a colour out of the ordinary. The dress worked well for her fit frame, highlighting the toned shoulders and arms. Her pixie like haircut also shone with just a pair of simple diamond stud earrings.

20&21

WRANGLER LAUNCHES MOISTURISING JEANS

WRANGLER will launch the first pair of moisturising jeans. Modelled by Lizzie Jagger, the pioneering skinnyfit style incorporates high-performance skincare ingredients to protect your legs from the dehydrating effects of denim.

LENA DUNHAM

DEV PATEL

he awkward and lovely Lena Dunham took away the big TV awards of the night. Lena accepted the best comedy and best actress awards in a violet satin ball gown by fellow New York designer Zac Posen. While the dark colour of the gown suited her skin tone very well, the ill fit of the dress was apparent, as the actress seemed to be in excruciating pain while coming up and down the stage to receive her big awards.

he actor represented his home country in a British heritage brand Burberry tuxedo. Patel wore a black grosgrain notch lapel tuxedo, white dress shirt and black grosgrain bow tie all by Burberry. Burberry is known to dress the new crop of young musicians and actors from their country. The slim fit and clean lines work well for Patelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frame and give him a fashion forward stance.

CLAIRE DANES

nother winner of the night, Claire Danes wore a classic red carpet look for the Globe awards. The winner of the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Drama award for Homeland wore a plunging bright red gown by Versace. While Versace does some very sexy, fitted numbers, this one seemed a little shabby on the actress. Neater hairdo and accessories might have helped the actress sport the dress better.

SURABHI CHAUHAN feedback@postnoon.com

KATE HUDSON

ADELE

he winning songstress and new mother accepted her award in total surprise stating she had traveled to the award show just to have a good time with her friend. At the red carpet Adele shone in a Burberry gown in what seems like her favourite colour black. The embellished boat cut neckline and sparkly red manicured nails made the simple black dress look special.

ate Hudson wore a black Alexander McQueen gown that highlighted her petite frame in a flattering way. The fulllength gown had long sleeves and a high neck with a deep keyhole slit on the neckline. The bejeweled art deco inspired embellishment highlighted the waist and neckline of the black dress. The actress made this strong look her own keeping her hair relaxed and open.

Entertainment THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Chai Time

Play & Win

Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.

KAKURO How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column refer-

QUICK CROSSWORD enced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so

on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

Play & Win

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ACROSS

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SUDOKU

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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1 Part of Einstein's famous equation 5 Metallic fabrics 10 Part of a crescent moon 14 Opera solo 15 Ammonia compound 16 Turkish honorific 17 Split apart 18 Last Greek letter 19 Hunk of dirt 20 Retire from the snack food industry? 23 Employ for a purpose 24 ___ and cry (public clamour) 25 Hoedown honey 28 Didn't drink daintily 32 Successful solver's shout 35 ‘Bye-bye, Brigitte’ 37 Square fare? 38 Pastrami or salami 39 Game that begins with a break 42 Cleveland's lake 43 Powerful impulse 44 Library no-no 45 US Open component 46 Pop's pop (Var) 48 Airline's best guess (Abbr) 49 A Bobbsey twin

50 Pastoral place 52 Very poor alibi 61 Gem with coloured bands 62 Fabled tale teller 63 Fed mail agency 64 Land of the alpaca 65 ‘When ___ Eyes Are Smiling’ 66 British break beverages 67 Meadow mamas 68 Comes up short 69 Marine eagle

DOWN 1 Chagall or Connelly 2 A, in geometry 3 Confession components 4 Hindu holy man 5 Hampton of jazz fame 6 Rounds and clips, for short 7 Demeanor or manner 8 Sword feature 9 Beachcomber's find 10 Stashed supply 11 Tangelo relative 12 Hunt for bargains 13 Goalie protectors 21 Time edition 22 Ruminant's chew 25 Stares in wonder 26 Be taken with

27 Within the law 29 Shaded area 30 Rule the kingdom 31 ___ in comparison 32 Eagle's home 33 Possessed, Scriptures-style 34 ‘Victory ___’ (1954 film) 36 ___ out a win (barely beat) 38 Famous Chinese chairman 40 Run away 41 Back-of-the-book section 46 Long-jawed fish 47 Hebrew alphabet openers 49 Connecting link 51 Angle between 0 and 90 degrees 52 John or Paul, but not Ringo 53 In a different form 54 Funeral fire 55 Medal winner 56 Wife of Osiris 57 Schnozz 58 Microsoft customer 59 Distance between wingtips 60 Start of North Carolina's motto

Chai Time THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 18-1-2013

As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You act without partiality, which will bring respect from all. Success is certain in all important undertaken work. You fulfill wishes of your children and keep them cheerful. Though good inflow of funds is certain, expenses too will match them.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

You will march forward with your wise decisions. Debts will be under control. Unexpected financial fortune is likely. Profits are set to increase for businessmen. Blood relatives will support you and make you happy by understanding you.

You will get a good opportunity to use your skills and work will get completed successfully. You will reap good gains through relatives and children will make you happy and proud. Govt work might get delayed, but the situation will change soon.

You will look very brisk and active. You will complete all held-up work. Expected money will come. Friendship circle will expand. Chances of misunderstanding with spouse likely but avoid such a situation. Govt work might get delayed.

You progress towards your goal without looking back and by thrashing the obstacles swiftly. You will be the most respected in functions you attend. You will understand the real characters of your friends and relatives and act accordingly.

All expectations will be fulfilled without any hurdles. Some have bright chances to get a job abroad. Misunderstanding with friends and close relative will be over. Health problems likely; take good care. Avoid hurried important decisions.

All work planned by you will get completed successfully. Sudden and unexpected financial fortune likely. Ego clashes and misunderstanding at home and with friends will be over. Avoid arguments. Health problem likely; be careful.

You will get new and innovative thoughts which will shape the future. Postponed marriage talk will resume and marriage will be finalised. Never be in a hurry to take important decision in govt-related work. Businessmen will collect pending dues.

You are aware that failures are stepping stones to success; follow this policy in your life and march ahead without giving up. Sops from govt offices likely. Sudden trips likely. Chances of misunderstanding with friends and blood relatives.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Five of Cups – Some form of loss is indicated. You lose the love or trust of a dear friend. But the important learning is to let go and move on.

LEO:

Two of Pentacles – Work-life balance is becoming more difficult than you imagined. You need to plan better. It’s nothing you cannot handle. Be open to new ideas.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Knight of Cups – Emotions tend to take charge of you today. Mood swings will be aplenty. Rein in your emotions before they mess up any situations for you.

SAGITTARIUS:

Ace of Swords – You’re thinking only in terms of extremes, and due to this, you may be missing out on some very good opportunities. There are middle options, too.

TAURUS:

Page of Pentacles – News regarding a financial transaction will come your way. You will be prepared to make a big investment. Check out the details before you do.

CANCER:

King of Pentacles – You’re on the threshold of taking up a very senior position. Things just fall in your lap and you will have no choice but to pick it up.

VIRGO:

The Magician – Today is all about synchronicity at its best. Chance meetings, being at the right time and the right place, will all put you in the spotlight.

SCORPIO:

The Sun – You’re cheerful, bright and chirpy. Your health reflects this state of mind. Your happiness is infectious. You feel great about yourself today.

CAPRICORN:

Queen of Wands – You’re in a position of power and get innovative ideas to work things out to your satisfaction. Listen to your heart and go with the flow.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Ten of Wands – Learn to prioritise work. Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of things you have to finish. Spend more time planning and less panicking.

NUMBER GAME

– Despite all efforts you might find that things are moving as quickly as you’d like them to. Be patient. Don’t be in a hurry and make mistakes.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Two of Wands

POOCH CAFE

Though certain work will get delayed, an unexpected and long-pending one will get completed to your surprise. Children will behave as per your expectations and cheer you. Avoid rewinding past and bitter experiences.

for 18-1-2013

Knight of Swords – You need to stop getting emotional and making decisions based on how you feel. Use your intellect to move forward. Be as detached as you can.

NON SEQUITUR

Your talk will be wise and diplomatic, hence expectations will get fulfilled. Some might undertake renovation of their house. Spouse will be more affectionate towards you. Tension and expenses due to children likely; avoid depression.

SUDUKO

Financially, a very comfortable situation is likely. Some have bright chances to buy a new vehicle. Tension and worries likely but keep your cool and proceed with work as the situation will soon change. Businessmen will make good profits.

Boggle SPAIN ITALY POLAND PORTUGAL Vol: 2, No 181 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BRIGHT AND CHIRPY

CINE BYTES

‘I want to do another musical movie’

es Misérables actor Hugh Jackman is interested in performing in another musical movie. Jackman, who played Jean Valjean in the Tom Hooper-directed ﬁlm, said that he would like to star in something “lighter”. Jackman told E! Online prior to his Golden Globes win: “I think I want to do maybe a lighter one next time. What about some dancing in the next one?”

Adele won’t share son’s name

dele publicly dedicated her Golden Globe for Best Original Song to her 3-month-old son on Sunday night, but you’re not going to hear much more about him. The singer is keeping details about her baby — including his name — very private. “I am not sharing his name at the moment. It is very personal to me,” she said.

‘I should’ve been in Zero Dark Thirty!’ O

h, Jennifer Lawrence, you are too much. The Golden Globe winner stopped by the Late Show With David Letterman and, as usual, made viewers laugh to the point of tears with her hilarious and charming responses to David Letterman’s questions and comments—including his statement that J Law should have been cast in the hit film

Zero Dark Thirty. “I should’ve been in the background like, ‘Yeah, catch him! Obama!’” And shortly after, exclaimed, “Obama?! I mean Osama...Bin Laden! Don’t catch Obama! Sorry. Sorry, Mr. President.” Even though she was kidding, there’s no question that Lawrence’s career is currently on a fire. So how did the star become so talented without ever taking an acting class?

“I was a big liar when I was a child,” she explained. “I was just like a pathological liar when I was a kid. I just always lied about everything and I think it was partly I just wanted to one-up somebody,” and shared stories about telling kids in school that she was going to have to get her legs amputated (among other things). Guess the lying worked for something! She also touched upon the

Meryl Streep “diss” at the Globes, confirming that she was quoting First Wives Club and didn’t think Lindsay Lohan and the Twitterverse would get so mad. Which also brought up a fun fact: Lawrence doesn’t have Twitter, but if she did, she’d tweet about “anal leakage.” Yeah, she was joking again, but that would definitely gain some more followers, no?

Keira catches “weird, archaic” lung infection

eira Knightley works hard—a little toohard sometimes! The Atonement star admitted in an interview that she recently suffered from pleurisy, a lung infection, after she jumped from project to project last year. “You do period ﬁlms and you get some sort of weird archaic disease. And I didn’t realise, so I went on for another month,” she said.

sports

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

DAKAR RALLY

NBA

Lakers’ Gasol hopes to take on Heat LOS ANGELES: Lakers forward Pau Gasol (right), sidelined for five games because of a concussion, hopes to return to action on Thursday when Los Angeles host reigning NBA champions the Miami Heat. “I feel better — a lot better, actually,” Spain’s Gasol said on Wednesday. “I feel 100 per cent now. Got a good workout in today and everything felt good. Tomorrow will be a go.” Gasol must still be cleared to return by doctors, and he admitted that the head injury

Despres extends lead, cars brought to a halt FIAMBALA, ARGENTINA: Defending champion Cyril Despres (above) extended his overall lead in the motorcycling category in the Dakar Rally after the 11th stage of the race on Wednesday. However, while the 38-yearold Frenchman moved a step closer to a fifth Dakar title, his colleagues in the car category were once again frustrated by the elements as an overflowing river brought the majority of the drivers to a halt. Despres’ compatriot and

defending drivers’ champion Stephane Peterhansel — who leads this year’s edition by more than 50 minutes with the race finishing on Sunday — was one of only seven drivers to succeed in crossing the river. American Bobby Gordon — disqualified from last year’s race when in contention to win — was declared the stage winner though it had a hollow ring about it. Saturday’s eighth stage had seen the car category also badly affected by torrential rain.

LEAGUE CRICKET Mukilesh has Andhra in a spot South Zone Interstate Under-14 Cricket tournament Round 3, Day 1 Hyderabad Vs Kerala played at RGICS Hyderabad 242 for 9 in 90 overs (Vijay Kumar 76, Sagar Chourasiya 28, KR Fardeen Rafeeque 2 for 50 Advaith Murali 4 for 55 Kerala 15 for 1 in 8.1 overs Andhra Vs Tamil Nadu played at Gymkhana Andhra 293 for 7 in 90 overs (T Vamshi Krishna 103, K Maheep Kumar 93, U Mukilesh 4 for 48 Tamil Nadu 63 for no loss in 29 overs (Ryan Jebaraj batting 21, U Mukilesh batting 39 A2 Two-Day Leagues Championship Galaxy 280 (Charan 36, Sekhar 64, Ramesh 4 for 42) Bt Telangana 212 (Sohail 46, Raju 3 for 82, Kritesh Soni 6 for 54) A1 & A2 One-Day Knockout tournament Osmania 41 (Abhishiek 3 for 5, VL Shashank 3 for 13, Shiv Shanker 3 for 7) Lost to BDL 45 for no loss Ensconse 247 (Mohammed Azmath Khan 108, Praveeth 5 for 39) bt SA Amberpet 209 (Faiz Ahmed 34, Sreekanth 93, Mallikarjun 3 for 38)

Peterhansel — seeking his 11th win in the race having won the bike title six times and the car category four times — was pleased with how the stage had turned out as it took him one stage closer to victory. “It hasn’t turned out too badly at all for us today,” said the 47-year-old Mini driver. Despres was not in good humour at the end of the day. “There was a storm in the dunes and it started raining. It wasn’t easy to navigate,” he said.

was difficult to deal with. “The struggle of getting up every day and not getting better, bothered by light, noise and not knowing what the next day will be like or not knowing when you’ll be healthy,” he said. AFP

ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

Kaymer eager for US Tour challenge ALLAN KELLY Agence France-Presse ABU DHABI: Martin Kaymer (right) is set to play full-time on the USPGA Tour this year, saying he feels the time is now right for such a move away from his European base. The 27-year-old German will forever be remembered for completing the “Miracle at Medinah” when he sunk a five-foot putt that

clinched Europe’s amazing comeback victory over the United States in Chicago in September.

HYDERABAD TRACK WORK

Vijays Champ and Aegis exhibit fine form Vijays Champ, Aegis, Garcia Marquez, Ponte Verdi, Thirteen Black and Our Mascot impressed when horses were exercised at the Malakpet racecourse in the City this morning. Sand track 800 metres Vijaysjyoti (Tograllu) 57.5, 600/43.5 Moved on the bit. Castle Town (Joshi) 1-1.5, 600/45 Easy. Sheer Genius (M Mark) 59, 600/44 Handy. Garcia Marquez (Christopher) Ponte Verdi (S Nayak) 54, 600/41 They impressed. Kohinoor Wish (Ravinder Singh) 54, 600/41 Pleased. Exclusive (S Nayak) Magical Punch (Christopher) 56.5, 600/43 Former finished a length in front. El Paso (rb) Coral Springs (Kuldeep Singh) 57.5, 600/43 They finished together. Havok (app) 1-3, 600/48 Easy. Handsome Hunk (Anil) 10, 600/44 Moved freely. Combined Force (app) 56, 600/42 Moved well. Golden Arrow (Joshi) 56.5, 600/43 Moved on the bit. Bound For Glory (Tograllu) 58.5, 600/44 Easy. Enrapture (Chary) 1-3.5, 600/47.5 Easy. Proof M

Mark) 57.5, 600/44 Moved well. Queen Major (Kiran Naidu) Lily Marlene (Chary) 1-1, 600/46 They moved together. Ashoka Chakra (Joshi) 1-2, 600/47 Moved freely. Sand track 1000 metres Moghul Emperor (Deep Shanker) Skander (Harinder Singh) 1-15, 800/59, 600/44 They finished together. Vijays Winner (Tograllu) 1-15, 800/1-0, 600/46 Easy. Thirteen Black (Imran Khan) 1-11, 800/55, 600/41 Pleased. Play The Music (app) Wow O Wow (Joshi) 1-10, 800/55, 600/42 They moved together. Scubarioo (S Nayak) Ocean Side (rb) 1-13, 800/54.5, 600/41 They finished together. Queens Necklace (Sreekant) 1-17, 800/1-1, 600/46 Easy. Winning Strides (rb) 1-12, 800/56, 600/43 Moved well.

Sand track 1200 metres Our Mascot (Kiran Naidu) 1-26, 1000/1-11, 800/55, 600/42 Pleased. Allianz Arena (app) 1-33.5, 1000/1-18, 800/1-2, , 600/47 Easy. Prince Of Arabia (Kuldeep Singh) Beau Ideal (rb) 1-31.5, 1000/1-15, 800/57.5, 600/41.5 They finished together. Zorro The Legend (M Mark) 1-29.5, 1000/1-12, 800/57, 600/43 Moved well. Chocolate Soldier (C Henrique) 1-30.5, 1000/1-15, 800/10, 600/46.5 Easy. Aegis (Joshi) 1-28.5, 1000/1-10.5, 800/53.5, 600/40.5 Impressed. Sand track 1400 metres Vijays Champ (Ravinder Singh) 1-39.5, 1200/1-24.5, 1000/1-10.5, 800/56, 600/42.5 Slightly pushed. Bernabeu (C Henrique) 1-48.5, 1400/600 in 57.5 Urged.

sports

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Murray cruises through The reigning US Open champion conceded just eight games in putting away 100th-ranked Joao Sousa, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 on the Hisense Arena. MELBOURNE: Andy Murray's form matched the scorching temperatures as the British third seed powered into the Australian Open's third round in straight sets on Thursday. The reigning US Open champion conceded just eight games in putting away 100th-ranked Portguese Joao Sousa, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in 1hr 41min on Hisense Arena. In ambient temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius, the Scot was too hot to handle, breaking Sousa's service five times without facing a break point. Murray, a twice runner-up at the Australian Open, will next play Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis, who was his practice partner when he won the lead-up Brisbane International. "It's tough to get used to these conditions and it was

Tsonga stops Go to reach third round MELBOURNE: Frenchman JoWilfried Tsonga overcame a midmatch stumble against Japan's Go Soeda before taking his place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday. The 2008 runner-up was made to work hard for his 6-3, 76 (7/1), 6-3 win over 73rd-ranked Soeda in 2hr 3min in hot temperatures on Margaret Court Arena. It was seventh-seeded Tsonga's second victory in straight sets in the tournament and puts him in the last 32 where he will face an unseeded opponent, Australian James Duckworth or Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic. Tsonga began well in the opening set but encountered stiffer resistance in the second set from Soeda, who broke the Frenchman's serve in the second game before he gave up the break with a forced error in the ninth. Tsonga was on song in the tiebreaker, ripping through with two mini-breaks before clinching it on the back of a 24-stroke rally. It was plain sailing in the final set for the Frenchman with a break in the sixth game, and he finished the match with 17 aces and 44 winners. "Go is a good player, he plays flat and didn't give me any rhythm and I'm pleased to go through in straight sets," said Tsonga, who now leads Go 3-0 in their matches.

Britain's Andy Murray reacts after victory in his men's singles match against Joao Sousa of Portugal on the fourth day of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. AFP/PETER PARKS

extremely tough out there, and it was good to get it done in three sets," said Murray, who trained in the heat of Miami before travelling to Australia. Murray controlled the match and had two service breaks to wrap up the opening set in 31 minutes. He quickly reinforced that with further breaks in Sousa's opening two service games in the second set, which he clinched with a forehand winner. There was little Sousa could do and he was broken again at the start of the final set as Murray coasted to victory. It was Murray's sixth consecutive match victory this season after he beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov to win his 25th career title at the Brisbane International. AFP

Aussie press lay into ‘choker’ Stosur MELBOURNE: Australia's media didn't pull their punches Thursday with howling coverage of Samantha Stosur's self-confessed "choke" at the Australian Open. "It's beyond a choke for nervous Sam," headlined The Australian, after the ninth seed and former US Open champion surrendered meekly to China's Zheng Jie in round two. "Abject Stosur sinks to new depths," said The Age, while the Herald-Sun went with "Homegroan talent," adding that the "Yips are getting bigger" for Stosur after a string of failures on Australian soil. "Oh dear. Oh really. Just, oh," read the lead story in The Age. "Sam Stosur's latest Australian Open has ended early, disastrously and distressingly for another year." Stosur threw away a winning position in the final set against Zheng, who reeled off five games in a row to reach the next round.

Serena, Azarenka surge ahead Azarenka conceded just one game in a lopsided match while Serena shook off an ankle injury to progress. MARTIN PARRY Agence France-Presse MELBOURNE: Defending champion Victoria Azarenka conceded just one game in a lopsided second-round romp at the Australian Open Thursday, while Serena Williams shook off an ankle injury to progress. A pumped-up Azarenka, with her renowned grunting at full volume, said her game was exactly where she wanted it after crushing Greece's Eleni Daniilidou 6-1, 6-0. She was followed onto Rod Laver Arena on a scorching hot day by Williams, with all eyes on her condition after a nasty roll of the right ankle

in her first-round match. But the American third seed, looking for a sixth Australian title, was moving freely in a solid 6-2, 6-0 workout against Spanish teenager Garbine Muguruza. "It's feeling better," she said of the heavily strapped ankle, which needed intensive treatment over the past two days. I did everything I could, from icing to massage, and woke up this morning and it was like 'my God, it feels good." The 15-time Grand Slam winner, who has admitted she's eyeing the first calendar-year Grand Slam since 1988, next plays Japan's Ayumi Morita, who beat

Serena Williams reacts after falling during her women's singles match against Garbine Muguruza on the fourth day of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. AFP /WILLIAM WEST

German Annika Beck 6-2, 6-0. If the draw goes to plan she is scheduled to meet Azarenka in the semi-finals. Williams had never played the 112th-ranked Spaniard, who was making her tournament debut, and she raced to a 2-0 lead before some uncharacteristic forehand errors allowed Muguruza to hold serve and get off the mark. She wasn't at her best and even hit herself in the face with her racquet in the sixth game as she went for a lob at full stretch, spending the next game dabbing at her lip. But she rallied to break once more for 5-2 and held for the set.

TENNIS BRIEFS Berdych, Stepanek to lead Czechs Andy picks tips from Ian, Lennox

Love matches for leading ladies

PRAGUE: Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek

MELBOURNE: Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov. Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou. Victoria Azarenka and Stefan Gordy. The three best female tennis players in the world have something in common at the Australian Open — romance. Not since Jimmy Connors was engaged to Chris Evert in 1973 has tennis been so immersed in high-proﬁle courtships. Although none of the relationships has been formally conﬁrmed, the lack of denials speaks volumes. "I don't like to kiss and tell," Gordy, the musician better known as Redfoo from LMFAO, told Australia's Channel 7.

will lead Czech Republic in the Davis Cup ﬁrst-round tie against Switzerland in Geneva on February 1-3, team captain Jaroslav Navratil said on. Besides Berdych Stepanek, Navratil also named Lukas Rosol and 19-year-old Jiri Vesely in the team. "The nomination of the ﬁrst three players was clear," Navratil said, adding that Vesely had "achieved great results last year. We have to use more young players in the years to come." The Swiss team said. Monday it did not expect world number two Roger Federer to play against the Czechs.

MELBOURNE: Andy Murray said he'd been

taking tips from swimming great Ian Thorpe and heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis as he strives to stay at the top of men's tennis. Murray said he took his opportunity when meeting sports stars and other celebrities to ﬁnd out what makes them tick and how they rose to the height of their profession. "As a mad sports fan, something I've always done is imagine what it might be like to go up against the best of the best, to wonder what it is that makes them so special or what sort of sacriﬁces they made," he wrote in a column for The Australian.

sports

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

DOPING TROUBLE

‘Watch interview then decide’ Lance Armstrong says viewers can judge for themselves how candid he was in his interview.

AUSTIN (USA): Lance Armstrong says viewers can judge for themselves how candid he was in his interview with Oprah Winfrey. “I left it all on the table with her and when it airs the people can decide,” he said in a text message to The Associated Press yesterday. Armstrong responded to a report in the New York Daily News, citing an unidentified source, that he was not contrite when he acknowledged during Monday’s taping with Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs. He’s also held conversations with US anti-doping officials, touching off speculation that the team leader who demanded loyalty from others soon may face some very tough choices himself: Whether to cooperate and name those who aided, knew about or

Oprah banks on Lance to lift her network’s profile WASHINGTON: Oprah Winfrey’s exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong is a coup for the talk show diva as she strives to pull her upstart OWN network to the front of the crowded TV peloton. Winfrey,dominated US daytime television like no one else from 1986 through 2011 with her eponymous syndicated talk show that redefined the genre and firmly established her as a

household name. Since the demise of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” however, it’s been an uphill battle for the pop culture icon and her OWN cable and satellite channel, which began with less than stellar ratings. Her much-talked-about interview with Armstrong, which airs over two nights from Thursday on both OWN and her Oprah.com website, could be a turning point.

In this file photo, words are seen at the anti-cancer charity Livestrong offices on October 18, 2012 in Austin, Texas. The cancer charity founded by Lance Armstrong said it expects the disgraced cyclist to be “completely truthful and forthcoming” in his interview with talk show diva Oprah Winfrey. AFP/AARON M. SPRECHER

helped cover up a sophisticated doping ring that Armstrong ran on his tour-winning US Postal Service squads. “I have no idea what the future holds other than me holding my kids,” he said.

Armstrong’s interview with Winfrey won’t begin airing until Thursday, but already some people want to hear more — under oath — before he’s allowed to compete again in elite triathlons,

a sport he returned to after retiring from cycling in 2011. In addition to stripping him of all seven of his Tour de France titles last year, anti-doping officials banned Armstrong for life

ON THE BACKFOOT

Warne faces new ban

Shane Warne is facing a new ban for an alleged breach of the spirit of the game in a domestic T20 match. SYDNEY: Australia’s Shane Warne (in pic) is facing a new ban for an alleged breach of the spirit of the game in a domestic Twenty20 match, Cricket Australia said Thursday. The bowling great apologised last week after a foulmouthed rant against West Indian all-rounder Marlon Samuels that earned him a ban and a fine in Australia’s Big Bash League. But in Wednesday night’s semi-final Warne, the official Melbourne Stars skipper, was not listed as captain for the match they lost against Perth Scorchers. Cricket Australia said they had recently sent a memo to BBL teams about the captaincy role.

“If a team’s official captain is selected but not named as captain, this will be considered against the spirit of cricket and may attract a code of behaviour charge,” CA said. “Warne has been reported for breaching CA’s code of behaviour,” it said. The time and date of Warne’s hearing was yet to be fixed. The spinner, who was banned for one match and fined Aus$4,500 (US$4,700) over the Samuels row, claimed 708 Test wickets in a celebrated career. But he has also courted controversy, notably when he was fined for accepting money from a bookmaker and sent home from the 2003 World Cup for taking a banned diuretic. AFP

from sanctioned sports. “He’s got to follow a certain course,” said David Howman, director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency. “That is not talking to a talk-show host.” PTI

A RAY OF HOPE

Charity expects Lance to be ‘truthful’ ROBERT MACPHERSON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: The cancer charity founded by Lance Armstrong said Wednesday it expects the disgraced cyclist to be “completely truthful and forthcoming” in his upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Livestrong Foundation issued a statement on the eve of the broadcast of Armstrong’s much-anticipated pre-recorded interview — his first since he was stripped of his Tour de France titles amid irrefutable doping allegations. “We expect Lance to be completely truthful and forthcoming in his interview and with all of us in the cancer community,” said the statement, posted in the blog section of

Livestrong’s website (www.livestrong.org). “We expect we will have more to say at that time. Regardless, we are charting a strong, independent course forward that is focused on helping people overcome financial, emotional and physical challenges related to cancer.” It added: “Inspired by the people with cancer whom we serve, we feel confident and optimistic about the Foundation’s future and welcome an end to speculation.” Highly respected for its work with cancer patients and its promotion of better health and fitness, Livestrong took a hit when the US Anti-Doping Agency put Armstrong at the heart of the biggest doping scandal in sports history.

SPORTS BRIEFS Sarwan back from Windies exile

Olympic medalist dies after shooting

Cycling ‘unlikely to lose Olympic status’

CASTRIES: Ramnaresh Sarwan has been recalled to the West

MEXICO CITY: Noe Hernandez, who won the race

LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday that is “very unlikely” cycling could be stripped as an event for the 2016 Games, despite the fall-out from the Lance Armstrong doping affair. The fall of the disgraced Texan has thrown the spotlight on the sport’s governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), who have been accused of covering up for the American and helping him evade positive tests. “During the last years, the UCI have battled strongly in the ﬁght against doping. An eventual exclusion of cycling from the Olympic programme is very unlikely,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told AFP. Armstrong was banned from cycling for life and stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins last year after doping revelations.

Indies squad for the upcoming limited overs tour of Australia while Marlon Samuels was left out due to an eye injury sustained in the Big Bash league. Sarwan, 32, last played for the Windies in ODIs in June 2011 but fell out of favour with the West Indies Cricket Board because of a public dispute about coaching and training methods. He also received damages after his ﬁtness was publicly called into question and he lost a central contract to play for the Caribbean side. “I’m happy to be back in the team. Obviously I’ve been out for a while, but it feels really good to be back representing the West Indies,” said Sarwan. “I am really looking forward to this tour and I’m conﬁdent things will go well for us in Australia.” AFP

walking silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, died of a heart attack in central Mexico on Wednesday, two weeks after being shot in the head in a bar. The 34-year-old ex-athlete died on his way to a hospital after he suffered two heart attacks in his home, the Mexico state government said in a statement. The former Olympian was at a bar called “Queen of Kings” on December 30 when gunmen shot him and several other customers, including two who died. Hernandez lost an eye in the shooting. No one has been detained in the case so far.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

sports

FORMER CITY STAR JOHNSON PLEADS FOR PRIVACY Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson asked Wednesday to be “left alone to live the rest of my life”. The 24-year-old also told the Manchester Evening News he’d been undergoing treatment at the Priory Clinic, renowned for dealing with mental illness, for several years.

SPECIAL ONE

FA CUP

BAYERN PULL OFF COUP Facts and figures Name: Guardiola First name: Josep (nickname Pep) Date of birth: January 18, 1971 Birthplace: Santpedor, Spain Weight: 75kg Position: Coach Playing Career Position: Midﬁelder Clubs: Barcelona (1990-2001), Brescia (ITA/2001-2002), AS Roma (ITA/2002), Brescia (ITA/2002-03), Al-Ahli (QAT/2003-05), Dorados Sinaloa (MEX/January-May 2006) International appearances: 47 (1992-2001) International goals: 5 International debut: 14/10/1992, Northern Ireland-Spain (0-0) Last intl appearance: 14/11/2001.

Rooney lifts United into fourth round LONDON: Wayne Rooney (below) marked his first Manchester United appearance since December 23 with the only goal of the game as they beat West Ham 1-0 in a FA Cup third round replay at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Victory saw Premier League leaders United, the record 11times FA Cup winners, into a fourth round tie at home to fellow top flight side Fulham. Rooney opened the scoring in the ninth minute after the recalled Anderson produced a superb, defence-splitting pass and Javier Hernandez bore down on goal before unselfishly squaring the ball to the England striker, who was never going to miss from a few yards out. The forward could have put the result in this all-Premier League clash beyond doubt in the second half but Rooney blasted over the top from the penalty spot after Jordan Spence handled a cross from Ryan Giggs.

The German biggies hire Barcelona’s former coach Guardiola for the coming season. RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse

Height: 1.82m

BERLIN: German giants Bayern Munich won the battle to secure the most sought after coach when former Barcelona handler Pep Guardiola agreed to take over as head coach for the 2013/14 season. The 41-year-old Spaniard - who last week said he was ready to return to coaching after a sabbatical since stepping down from the Barcelona hotseat at the end of last

season - signed a 3-year contract. Guardiola, who twice guided Barcelona to the Champions League title, will replace current Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, whose contract expires in June, just after his 68th birthday. Bayern, who have not won silverware in the past two seasons, have pulled off a major coup as Guardiola had been linked with jobs in England with both Chelsea and Man City being mentioned.

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Chelsea suffer major title blow IAN WINROW Agence France-Presse

LONDON: Chelsea’s hopes of winning the Premier League title this season were left hanging by a thread after they squandered a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw at home to strugglers Southampton on Wednesday. The result, which came on the same day former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola confirmed he was turning down the European champions’ overtures

to manage German giants Bayern Munich, left Chelsea still in third place but 13 points behind leaders Manchester United with just 16 league games remaining. After successive home defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Swansea, the latter in the League Cup semi-final first leg, Chelsea appeared on course for victory when Demba Ba (left) and Eden Hazard put them ahead before half-time. But the visitors rallied after

the break through substitute Rickie Lambert’s 10th goal of the season and an outstanding equaliser from Jason Puncheon. The result saw Southampton continue their improved run of form to move three points clear of the bottom three. Chelsea left the field to boos from their own fans and this result will have done nothing for the wafer-thin popularity of interim manager Rafael Benitez with large sections of the London club’s supporters.

BRIEFS Barcelona held by 10-man Malaga

Ferguson wary United will one day pay penalty

Iraq-UAE Gulf Cup final a FIFA not for demolition boost for local coaches of former Rio museum

MADRID: Holders Barcelona’s hopes of retaining the Spanish Cup hang in the balance after being held 2-2 at home by 10-man Malaga in their Spanish Cup quarter-ﬁnal ﬁrst leg clash on Wednesday. Barcelona looked to be in the driving seat after coming from a goal down to lead 2-1 after half-an-hour thanks to two goals in as many minutes.

MANCHESTER, UK: Alex Ferguson called on his Manchester United side to improve their penalty-taking after Wayne Rooney missed their ﬁfth spot-kick of the season on Wednesday. United, the 11-times record-winners, did advance in this term’s FA Cup with a 1-0 third round replay against Premier League rivals West Ham.

MANAMA: Iraq will take on the United Arab Emirates in the ﬁnal of the 21st Gulf Cup on Friday after both sides, the only two of eight in the tournament to be coached by locals, advanced through the group stage undefeated. The UAE netted eight and conceded two in their four-match run to the ﬁnal, while Iraq scored six but let in just one.

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA on Wednesday denied reports that it was seeking the demolition of Rio’s former Indian Museum located next to the iconic Maracana stadium, the venue for the ﬁnal of the 2014 World Cup ﬁnal. The demolition is at the centre of a months-long legal tussle, with authorities saying they will raze the colonial-style building.

Wilshere late show has Gunners’ bid going LONDON: Jack Wilshere’s goal four minutes from time was just enough for Arsenal to see off Swansea City 1-0 in an FA Cup third round replay at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Arsene Wenger’s side had dominated the second half but a succession of chances that were either missed, blocked on the line or hit the woodwork meant the tie appeared destined to go into extra time. But Wilshere, who was his side’s man of the match, ﬁnally broke Swansea’s stubborn resistance and the Gunners’ reward is a trip to second-tier Brighton, who knocked out Newcastle, in the next round. Wenger made three changes from the side that had lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. Per Mertesacker replaced the suspended Laurent Koscielny in defence while Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud came in for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski further up the pitch.