TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 HYDERABAD
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Back in the old days, April Fools’ Day used to be about people making their friends look like idiots. Now, it’s all about corporate giants pulling a fast one; only they admit they’re fooling you. We have listed some of the funniest pranks we saw yesterday.
17 & 6 P1
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
M ANIL KUMAR
15 SHOPS GUTTED IN KOTI BLAZE It is not known what caused the early morning fire on the Koti Main Road. No casualties have been reported.
REPORT ON P3
RTE tremors hit 200 City schools P6
With the three-year deadline for schools to meet the infrastructural requirements under the Right To Education (RTE) Act coming to an end yesterday, hundreds of City private schools that have not complied, face closure. Compared with other states, AP has not been successful in implementing the RTE Act. Not even 50 per cent of the provisions in the Act have been implemented so far, say educationalists.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
city events
THE CAR
This is a play by Eric Fergusson, which criticises class struggle and its fallacies in an allegorical manner. The play is at Lamakaan, on Road no 1, Banjara Hills. It starts on April 2, 7pm onwards. The contact number is 96427 31329.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
32°C
24°C
Cloudy periods with chance of showers.
A mix of clear and cloudy skies.
Morning
Afternoon
30°C
39°C
A mix of sun and cloud.
A mix of cloud and sun.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 30 Max 30 Min 21 Min 21 Partly cloudy. Chances of rain.
Chennai Max 34 Min 26
Clear.
Partly cloudy.
Bangalore Max 36 Min 25 Mostly cloudy.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Saifabad When: ICONART Gallery, 1672 SBI bldg Road no 12 Banjara Hills When: Show on till April 13, 11.30am to 7pm Contact: 98499 68797
DINING Punjab Da Tashan Ambar sariyan murg, Punjabi chicken keemedar, kalimirch machhi, achari paneer and khumb hardhaniya are some of the items on the menu. There is a starter and welcome drink free for ladies above 21 years. Where: Terrace Bay and Sky Bar, Babukhan Mall, 6-3-1111/B 501, 5th Floor , Somajiguda When: Fridays up to April 12, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2341 8545
MISCELLANEOUS Filmmaking workshops for children Yavanika Films is conducting a unique filmmaking workshops this summer vacation for children in Hyderabad. Each participant will make their own short film as part of the workshop. Even a parent and child can register as one student pair to make a short film together. Where: Begumpet When: From April 24, 2pm to 7pm, daily classes except on weekends Contact: 94901 00404
Saturday sunset BBQ Bring your family and friends for a fun barbecue evening with grilled specialties, a variety of kebabs and a whole lot of Asian delights. Where: The Square, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422
SHOWS Shakespeare's Hamlet play reading The play reading is being organised by Samahaara theatre group. Where: Lamakaan When: April 7, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329 Gumma Tapta This is a theatre performance about a mother who, upon finding that her
SUMMER TREAT: Youngsters enjoy their ice-cream at Cream Stone, Himayatnagar. Ice-cream parlours across the City have introduced new flavours to attract customers this summer. SRINIVAS SETTY son is dead one morning, refuses to bury him and insists on putting him in a boat and letting him sail away. Where: NIFT auditorium When: April 3, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443 A two part Improv play By removing the restrictions of a scripted play, this even gives actors a chance to interact spontaneously on stage. Where: Lamakaan When: April 4, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329 Heritage and restoration in post WWII Germany This is a lecture by Anuradha Reddy,
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
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an expert in restoration and heritage with many years of experience in Germany. Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, 20 Journalist Colony, Road no 3, Banjara Hills When: April 10, 6pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329
ART Group painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Pradosh Swain and Suchismita Sahoo. Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery, Kavuri Hills, Jubilee Hills When: Up to April 10
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
Contact: www.alankritha.in French artist B2Fays Alliance Française of Hyderabad, Kalakriti Art Gallery and Park Hyatt Hyderabad present French artist B2Fays. It is an exhibition of paintings and multimedia installations. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Plot No: 468, Road no 10, Banjara Hills When: Up to April 9, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466 Tracing dualities An exhibition of abstract art by artist Suresh Kumar P. Where: Ravindra Bharathi,
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
Vaishali Bisht's theatre workshop Vaishali Bisht is conducting special Summer Holidays theatre workshops for children between the ages of six and 12. The course consists of 20 classes held Monday to Saturday. Using theatre games and exercises, the workshop helps children use their imagination and get creative. Where: Road no 7, Banjara Hills When: From April 15, Monday to Saturday, 4.30pm to 6.30pm Contact: 94904 40986
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
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
City
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
IS ATTEMPT TO PARDON SANJAY DUTT A JUDICIOUS MOVE? 45% 55%
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
SHOULD THE DEADLINE FOR SET-TOP BOXES BE EXTENDED? A)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
MISHAP
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Fire destroys 15 shops in Koti Cops have no leads yet into what caused the blaze which disrupted traffic and kept residences agog. MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com
open the closed shops. It is not clear yet if this was the role of mischief mongers. It is also unclear if all the shops were licensed. M Bhagwan Reddy, station fire officer (central zone) said, “Since it was a big incident, an enquiry will reveal if the shops were authorised or not. All the shops were locked at the time of accident.” One U Vijay Kumar, who runs a footwear shop, said he has suffered a loss of lakhs of rupees in the fire; an amount that he owes to financers. He added that he could not fathom what could have caused the fire. Abdul Rahman, who owns a cloth shop and Mohd Imran, who owns a footwear shop, said there were good worth `6-7 lakh in each shop and the loss has hit all of them hard. M Venkateshwar Rao, additional deputy commissioner of police (east zone) said that a case has been registered that shows an electric short circuit as the reason behind the fire. However, further investigations will make clear whether or not it was an electrical problem or if there was an element of mischief.
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n early morning conflagration gutted at least 15 shops along the Koti Main Road adjacent to Osmania Medical College. As the fire broke out early in the morning, all the shops were and no casualty has been reported. All the shops on the road were small and said to belong to one Kishan Yadav who had given them on rent to various people. Some six fire tenders and a dozen firemen worked for over two hours to tame the fire. The fire disrupted traffic for a while and people had a tough time reaching their destination. The first distress call came in around 6.25 am, said Y Prabhakar Reddy, additional fire officer of Sultan Bazaar. He said that when firemen reached the spot, they saw that all the shops has their shutters down and the fire was raging inside. “This was the toughest part of the job,” he noted. Police and firemen used iron rods and other tools to break
CRIME
Man ‘forsakes’ wife and son for lover The City police are on the hunt for a constable who allegedly has ditched his wife and bolted with her jewels to live with his former lover.
POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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constable has allegedly abandoned his legallywedded wife and their son, and escaped with his wife’s ornaments and money to marry his former love. Suryanarayana, from Godavari region, a constable with the Special Protection Force, fell in love with a girl some years ago. His parents, however, did not approve of the relationship and arranged his marriage to another woman. After the wedding, Suryanarayana and his wife moved to Uppuguda and the couple were blessed with a son soon after. But Suryanarayana
allegedly kept his relationship alive with his old flame even after getting married. According to his wife’s complaints, Suryanarayana had offlate started physically attacking her for more dowry. He demanded `12 lakh from her parents. She said that she suffered all the ignominy for the sake of their child. Three days ago, Suryanarayana took her and their son to watch a movie. On the way, at the RTC crossing in Musheerabad, Suryanarayana told his wife that he had some urgent work to attend to and that he would be back in half an hour. He dropped his wife and son on the roadside and left. For three hours Suryanarayana did not
Suryanarayana, a constable with the SPF fell in love with a girl . His parents, however, did not approve of the relationship and arranged his marriage with another woman. return and his wife kept calling him on the mobile, which was switched off. His worried wife came home to find their house ransacked and jewellery and cash missing. Not knowing what to do, she waited for Suryanarayana to return. She kept trying his cell number, but there was no
response. After two days, she informed her parents and lodged a complaint with the police. The Falaknuma police have sent a team to Godavari to search for Suryanarayana. A dowry harassment case has been booked against him and the matter will be investigated, said Mohd Tahir Ali, ACP, Falaknuma.
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city TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Not in my backyard
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ast year we had reported how the residents of Jawaharnagar were opposing the City dumpyard that was in their area. They complained that the locals had to bear the ill-effects of the piles of waste coming in from the City. Apart from the filth and stench, many residents were falling ill because of the increased insect population due to the garbage.
APRIL 2, 2012
NUMEROLOGY
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shops were gutted in an early morning blaze in Koti today. No casualties were reported as the shops hadn’t opened as yet. The cause of the fire is unknown.
In 2009, when the RTE Act came into existence, it was the duty of the school management to start implementing them... Ignoring the law will not be tolerated. SA Rizvi, district collector See page 6
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.
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Schools face closure for not implementing RTE Act. Many schools ignored the RTE Act, designed to ensure that no child was denied quality education. Now, with the deadline for implementing the rules getting over, errant schools will be penalised.
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Set-top box sellers fleece citizens after the deadline. With cable TV going off the air, citizens made a beeline for digital set-top boxes. The only problem? The sellers upped the prices by almost double to make a quick buck off the hapless buyers.
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BPL families get Ugadi gift from government. White ration card holders will be able to buy nine essential goods for cheaper on the occasion of Ugadi, thanks to the government.
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Timely service is your right, says Sakala scheme. A scheme in Karnataka is penalising officials for not giving services on time.
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Mayor calls council meet, surprises all. He promptly agreed to the demand of the TDP floor leader.
CIVIC
Mayor calls council meeting After closing the financial year on an exultant note, civic officials had to rush to their chambers to make preparations for the special council meeting to be held on April 9. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
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ost officials were caught unaware when Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain announced the decision to conduct the meeting in response to the demand of TDP floor leader, Singireddy Srinivas Reddy, invoking Section 88 (d) of GHMC. The dramatic nature of the event could be gauged from the fact that hours before the announcement was made, secretary MSS Somaraju could not ascertain to Postnoon if the meeting would be held in the coming days. In March, rumours were ripe that the meeting would be called but because of the bypolls
and the model code of conduct, the issue was put on the backburner. “It would take at least a week for preparing everything
from paper work to arrangements for everyone who comes here,” said an official. It was believed that there would be some dillydallying on part of the mayor after the MLC episode, but he served a surprise by readily accepting Singireddy’s suggestion. He decided a day earlier than demanded. “As there are some other government engagements on that day, I called the meeting a day before,” said Majid Hussain. The issues that will be discussed, put forward by Singireddy himself, include development of graveyards, summer action plan and issue of ward sabha and area sabhas. Singireddy expressed satisfaction. He pointed out that
these were the most important issues. “In the meetings of ward sabha and area sabha, all the officials concerned are not taking part. I shall be bringing up the issue to the fore,” he said. The issue of ward sabha and area sabha has become a bone of contention among officials and politicians of late, since the High Court gave direction to conduct them regularly. On April 9, this issue is likely to make the commissioner go on the offensive or the defensive. Apart from YSRC, no other party is likely to make a furor in the special council meeting. YSRC corporators have indicated to Postnoon that they will clamour for the inauguration of the statue of Late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
PROPERTY TAX
GIS tech to help collect `1,200 crore POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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fter closing the financial year (2012-13) by setting a new ‘benchmark’ in terms of revenue generation, GHMC officials are tightening their belts. By availing new technology called Geographical Information System (GIS), the corporation is hoping to generate `1,200 crore in property tax. Lauding the efforts of all the officials, particularly commissioner MT Krishna Babu, Mayor Md Majid Hussain has described the collection of `2,492 crore (from property tax and other sources) as a new ‘benchmark’. Speaking to mediapersons at a press conference, the mayor pointed out that this
The revenue income was `1,890 crore and capital receipts were `602 crore, amounting to `2,492 crore, a 32 per cent increase from last year. is the second consecutive year when the GHMC has done a remarkable job of generating revenue. Defining it as a ‘credible achievement’, the commissioner said that more than 30 per cent increase from last year could be achieved with efforts of all the officials. Acknowledging that there was ‘slippage’ of 30 to 40 per cent in residential tax collec-
tion, he said that they would focus on this aspect in the coming three months. “100 per cent coverage will be done in these three months, as assessment will be made based on GIS. Targets will be given to bill collectors. The assessment of 4,000 structures was completed as part of the pilot project. The balance of the areas will be covered in these three months,” said MT Krishna Babu. There were about five lakh residential buildings which needed reassessment. According to officials, there were discrepancies from the data obtained while employing older methodologies. GHMC was able to enhance its current year demand to `800 crore, which was insufficient to cater
to GHMC’s developmental projects and to provide better services to the citizens. In order to potentially increase the property tax collection, AP State property tax board, in its work plan for the financial year 2012-2013, has recommended GIS for mapping properties in the City.
‘CRIMINAL CASES’ FOR CHEQUE BOUNCING The commissioner warned that those whose cheques bounce will be slapped with a criminal case after April 5. “Notices will be given. A legal agency, which we have engaged, will take necessary steps towards filing criminal cases against the fraudulent,” he warned.
NEWS BRIEFS 9 of a family die in accident
TDP signature campaign Oil companies slashes over power charges petrol price
HMDA official convicted in bribery case
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ine family members travelling in an SUV going to Tirumala from Hyderabad died in an early morning accident in Kadapa district today. While eight died on the spot, one child who was injured, died later in the hospital. The deceased were identified as residents of Chakrampet. It was a head-on collision with a cement-laden lorry.
he main opposition Telugu Desam Party will undertake a signature campaign from today. The campaign is being held to collect public opinion regarding the recent decision of State government to raise the electricity charges. The TDP is aiming at collecting two crore signatures during the campaign.
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il companies slashed the prices of petrol by 85 paise, including local State taxes, due to a fall in the crude oil prices in international markets. The price of petrol has now been slashed by `1.11 per litre and the price of non-subsidised LPG was cut by `3 per cylinder. The drop in prices comes into effect today.
n assistant planning officer of the HMDA, Janardhan Rao, was convicted for accepting a bribe of `75,000 by the designated court. Principal special judge for ACB cases P Srisudha convicted the accused him and sentenced him to imprisonment for three years. The judge also directed the convict to pay a fine of `50,000.
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city TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
CABINET
Who’ll draw the ace in reshuffle? And who will draw the joker? Congress camp is in a state of flux with the news that a confident Kiran is soon off to Delhi to consult his bosses for a cabinet reshuffle.
INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com
List of probables Kiran loyalists and staunch supporers top the list of probables. The names of the leaders doing the rounds of political circles include: n Chief whip G Venkata Ramana Reddy n Arepalli Mohan n Anil Kumar n Former minister Mohd Shabbir Ali (Ali, who was recently elected as MLC, is also trying desperately to get the Cabinet post. Ali is reportedly using his proximity with AICC AP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad to get the Cabinet post).
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hief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, apart from devoting himself to governance, has also shifted his focus on reshuffling his cabinet. The Chief Minister, who has stabilised his position successfully by completing two years in office, is leaving for Delhi on April 7 to hold important parlays with the party high command on his cabinet expansion plans. Addressing mediapersons during the recent Budget session of the House, the Chief Minister made an official announcement that he would go in for cabinet reshuffle after the Budget session. The proposed Cabinet shake-up is primarily aimed at forming his own team ahead of the crucial 2014 general elections due to be held next year. If the Cabinet expansion proposed by the Chief Minister gets a go-ahead from the party high command, some of the Cabinet members will have to go. Dr DL Ravindra Reddy, a bitter critic of the CM, who is minister for health and family wel-
fare portfolio is expected to be shown the door, as he turned out to be a thorn for the CM. Ravindra Reddy had hit out at Kiran Kumar Reddy on many occasions and made critical remarks against the CM much to the discomfiture of the latter. On one occasion, the health minister went to the extent of saying that he is ashamed of
Ugadi gift for BPL families in the offing Nine packaged food items will be sold at a lower price to white ration card holders. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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n the occasion of Ugadi, the New Year for Telugu people, the government has decided to implement a new scheme that provides nine packaged food items for BPL families. The scheme will be launched from April 11. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will launch the scheme. The basket of nine essential food items to be supplied include wheat, atta, sugar, red gram dal, palmolive oil, iodised salt, tamarind, chilli powder and turmeric powder. These products will be sold through fair price shops across the State. The nine commodities whose combined market price stands at `292 will be sold
Ugadi gift The basket of nine essential food items to be supplied include wheat, atta, sugar, red gram dal, palmolive oil, iodised salt, tamarind, chilli powder and turmeric powder.
The nine commodities whose combined market price stands at `292 will be sold at `185 to all white ration card holders. at `185 to all white ration card holders. The scheme will provide a benefit of `107 to all the beneficiaries. Civil supplies minister D Sridhar Babu said that the scheme would act as a shield against growing inflation and help the poor people reduce their burden on food items. “I think the scheme will revolutionise the lives of poor people. It will provide a much needed relief to all the white ration card holders. We are already providing `1 per kg rice to these sections. The scheme would help the poor families to reduce their spending on essential commodities,” he said.
being in Kiran Kumar Reddy’s Cabinet. This did not go down well with the CM and his die-hard supporters. Apart from Ravindra Reddy, many others too are likely to get the boot to pave way for new faces. Among the names doing the rounds is Botsa Satyanarayana’s, who is a cabinet minis-
ter and the APCC chief. If the high command decides to go by Rahul Gandhi’s policy, which talks about “one leader-one post”, then, Botsa will have to resign from his Cabinet post. The Chief Minister is likely to raise Botsa’s issue during discussions with the party high command.
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city TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
POSTNOON EXCLUSIVE
RTE tremors hit City schools The fate of thousands of students hangs in the balance after the government notified 200 unrecognised schools that defied the RTE Act. They may have to be closed. FILE PHOTO
ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com
HPS — a role model for other schools
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ith the three-year deadline for schools to meet the infrastructural requirements under the Right To Education (RTE) Act coming to an end yesterday, hundreds of private schools in the City which are yet to comply are on the brink of closure. Compared with other states, AP has not been successful in implementing the RTE Act. Not even 50 per cent of the provisions in the Act have been implemented so far, say educationalists. Though the State claims that it has been ensuring that underprivileged students get their fundamental right of education, the truth is at variance with the claim. Most of the requirements remain unfulfilled, one of the major failures being the 25 per cent reservation for the underprivileged students in private schools. “For private schools to reserve 25 per cent seats and offer free education, the government has to reimburse the fees to the schools. However, so far, the State government has not constituted a committee to discuss the procedure and has not sanctioned any model for the effective implementation of this provision as of now,” says DEO, Chinna Reddy. Stating that the government is being pressurised by the private sector, and hence, has failed to implement it, educationalist and MLC B Mohan Reddy said, “The reason for the government’s failure, to ensure the implementation of the RTE Act is clearly because of the pressure
Primary education minister part of RTE debate
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massive meeting held at Jubilee Hall, public gardens, today saw a large number of MLCs, NGOs, educationists and parents, besides the primary education minister Shailajanath, debating on RTE and its impact on public and private schools. The question veered round to the view that the government was not taking care of the public schools which necessitated migration to private and corporate schools. What steps ought to be taken to strengthen the infrastructure and faculty of these schools is the crucial question being debated. Also in focus is the role of private schools and their failure to implement the RTE. from the top-notch schools in the private sector. Private schools still continue collecting exorbitant fees from students at the time of admission and do not
want to let go of it. The State has failed to ensure that all private schools have proper facilities and infrastructure. Many schools do not have computer labs, spacious
classrooms, and playgrounds.” Another major failure is the non-implementation of the teacher-pupil ratio. “Though the recommended ratio is 1:40, up to Class V, what remains is 1:60. Nearly 1,000 teacher posts still lie vacant,” says M Ravindar, general secretary of Andhra Pradesh Teaching Federation. However, stating that stern action will be taken against schools that have failed to implement RTE Act so far, Hyderabad district collector Syed Ali Murtuza Rizvi said, “In 2009, when the RTE Act came into existence, it was the duty of the school management to start implementing them. But most have been dilly-dallying despite a number of reminders. Ignoring the law will not be tolerated and action will be taken,” he said.
One of the oldest schools in the City, HPS has been implementing the RTE Act since its inception in 2009. In compliance with the Act, the school has reserved seats for students from underprivileged backgrounds. All the branches of the school have implemented the Act and have been making the admission process more student friendly. “Reservation of seats for students from underprivileged background is not new for HPS. We have been implementing the Act since 2009. The school has been admitting students in the presence of the officers of the district education department, so that there is transparency in the whole process. Students who join the school on the basis of reservation are doing well like the students who get admitted on a regular basis,” said a senior staff of the management at HPS.
200 UNRECOGNISED SCHOOLS TO CLOSE
The education department has decided to close down around 200 unrecognised schools by May this year. “We have sent all the unrecognised schools a number of circulars calling them for recognition. However, some 200 unrecognised schools have failed to implement the Act. By May, we will be booking those schools and filing police cases and will shut them down,” said Chinna.
School made cool POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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chools are no longer only about studies. Educationists have recognised that there is a need to shift the focus from a studycentric curriculum to one that promotes allround development of children. Samashti International School, located in Kollur, has designed a unique curriculum that integrates eastern values and western technology. The vision of the school is to prepare its students for a successful transition into becoming responsible global citizens. The 10-acre campus houses state-of-the-art facilities such as smart classrooms, science,
math and language laboratories, indoor and outdoor sports amenities, a cafeteria and an AV room. Currently, the school has classes from nursery up to Class XII. Soon, there are plans to introduce classes up to Class XII. The school follows a CBSE curriculum with an emphasis on experiential learning. The class strength is restricted to 25, maintaining a student-teacher ratio of 1:10 to ensure that every student gets personal attention. The school is also determined to get its students used to the idea that ‘school is cool’. An achievement appreciation system and fun activities ensure that the students learn much better even while enjoying themselves.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
WHITE NOISE
Screens go blank, viewers vexed With people making a last-minute rush to buy set-top boxes, sellers have more than doubled the prices and are even trying to push Chinese set-top boxes that have not passed quality checks. SRINIVAS SHETTY, N SHIVA KUMAR
RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com
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he deadline for digitalisation of television services ended yesterday, with all the major three multiple system operators (MSO), Hathway, Digi Cable and Sitivision Cable, shutting down services throughout Greater Hyderabad and Hyderabad divisions. Despite a request letter written to the Union ministry of information and broadcasting by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy asking for an extension of the deadline, all services were cut impartially. It has been reported that a flat “no” was the answer from the Union ministry of information and broadcasting to the CM’s letter — a development that was missed out due to the television blackout early in the morning. Sources told Postnoon that apart from the major MSO Hathway, Digi Cable and Sitivision cable operators resumed their ‘free to air’ channels after blanking out for a brief period of time. The reason was to convey the message of digitalisation to customers who remained unaware about the latest developments.
CONFUSION AT MARKETS With the early morning shutdown of television services, customers thronged business centres offering set-top boxes. Much to their dismay, the products being sold were either steeply priced or were sold out due to the sudden surge in demand. One customer, Venkatrao said, “They are using the excuse of huge demand to sell Chinese-made, duplicate set-top boxes that have no ISI guarantee or BIS trademark. What was earlier priced at `700 is now being sold at `2000 to `3000. This is unfair and the government should step in and save us from this daylight robbery as soon as possible.” Set-top box’s prices vary with the service provider’s connection. For instance, a Hathway settop box costs `1200, Sitivision `1000, Digi Cable `1300 and CTV `1500. Other set-top boxes that come independent of any service provider’s connection used to cost `500, but after the panic purchase, prices have shot up to as high as `3000! At Gujarati Galli in Koti,
where set-top boxes have been flying off the shelves for the last two days, customers are either angry or confused about digitisation. “When was the decision to to shift to set-top boxes taken? Now we are running around in hordes to buy China-made produced that may or may not guarantee performance. Some of our service providers also refuse to give us connections on these local market pieces. Why is there
Cable connections in Hyderabad
Why the need to digitise?
no clarity on these things until the last minute,” said an angry Syed Anwar.
Official records state that Hyderabad has 19.63 lakh cable connections, but unofficial records estimate that the total number of connections is 32 lakh, including illegal connections. Out of the official figure, DTH services cover 3.06 lakh homes and settop boxes cover 7.60 lakh homes with another 8.96 lakh still waiting to be fitted with set-top box service. Some say it might take well over three months to cover the entire GHMC and parts of Ranga Reddy and Medak district areas for service providers to install set top boxes. “The move towards digitisation started only three days before the deadline and it is absolutely impossible for any service provider to finish installations in all these areas,” says Sudhakar, a local cable operator from Somajiguda.
Analogue systems have several limitations such as it is difficult to keep tab on how many households use cable services. Taking advantage of this, cable operators, who act as collection agents for MSOs and broadcasters, under-declare their share of advertising revenue which a broadcaster depends on. Another reason is the rampant and lack of monitorship over fee charged for cable services. There is no uniform slab or charge that is followed by analog cable operators. Also, analog cables can transmit only 100-150 channels, whereas digital transmission can guarantee upto 700 channels. In India, Videocon and Dixon Technologies (makers of set-top boxes for Tata Sky) are the two major manufacturers of set-top boxes.
WHAT CABLE OPERATORS HAVE TO SAY L Hari Goud, president of Greater Hyderabad Cable TV Operators Welfare Association says, “The television blackout was majorly for Hathway’s free -to-air channels viewers. Other service providers also disconnected their services for a brief period but resumed their free-to-air channels to make people aware about the situation. We are waiting for the court order that might grant an extension of one month or 15 days, depending on what stance they take. For instance, the deadline in Gujarat has been extended to April 8. We are hopeful of a similar outcome here.”
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special report TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
CIVIC Karnataka’s Sakala scheme, aimed at ensuring that timely service is provided by government bodies, is an excellent model that would alleviate many of the problems that citizens of Andhra Pradesh face.
SAKALA
THE ANSWER TO ALL OUR WOES? ARUNIMA RAJAN arunima.r@postnoon.com
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here are surely many of us who have been annoyed by the sheer slackness with which the wheels of our bureaucracy operate. Do you feel the government does not respond to your basic needs like getting a passport, driver’s licence or ration card on time? The fact that government is slow and inefficient has been repeated so often that it has become a truism. However, things are slowly changing in Karnataka with the launch of the state’s latest citizen friendly scheme, Sakala. Sakala, which translates to ‘in time’ or ‘good time’, was launched in April 2012 in Bangalore. It is the state’s guarantee of services to citizens’ programme, which is aimed at reducing corruption, bribe and redtapism and bring about transparency in administration. Under the scheme, citizens are entitled to receive a wide list of government services within a scheduled period and if the service is delayed, the bureaucrat responsible has to pay a fine to the citizen — from his own pocket. Hence, it stays true to its tag line: “It is your right to obtain citizen related services in time.”
BACK IN FOCUS
Sakala is back in focus again as the Centre is currently planning to pass a national legislation which provides time-bound delivery of government services. The Right of Citizens for TimeBound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on March 7. According to Ramesh G, associate professor at the Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of ManagementBangalore, the intent of Sakala is to ensure that government agencies deliver according to the services as per various provisions and act with predefined timeliness. This shifts the onus of service delivery to the provider and
Under the scheme, if the government service is delayed, the bureaucrat responsible has to pay a fine to the citizen from his own pocket. enables citizen groups to put pressure. However, he notes that the time-frame of service delivery is lax and needs to be reset and be preceded by re-engineering. However, this Bill has come under severe criticism from the Opposition on the ground that it seeks to overturn stronger laws on the same topic passed by various state governments, including Karnataka. One of the important aspects of Karnataka’s Sakala is that, with 265 different government services, the state has brought the maximum number of services for timebound delivery.
How does it work?
U
nder Sakala, every citizen who applies for a service is provided with a 15-digit unique Guarantee Service Citizen Number (GSC), which is an acknowledgement receipt. The GSC number can be used to monitor the status of the application through the internet or even through SMS. Different time limits are set for different services. For example, if one wants to get a driver's licence, the RTO/assistant RTO is the designated officer who is responsible for providing the service within 30 days. If the deadline is not met, a citizen can complain to the deputy commissioner of transport (DCT), who is the competent officer. The competent officer must address the appeal within 15 days and can penalise the designated officer with a fine of `20 per day of delay. The fine amount can go up to a maximum of `500.
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special report TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 TRANSPARENCY IN THE SYSTEM Efforts to make the government more transparent began with the Right to Information Act in 2005. However, the RTI Act merely provided information about the status of various governments’ activities and schemes and didn’t have the power to fix it. Sakala and other similar laws passed by other states go one step further and ensure that citizens’ demands are met on time. “There is much to appreciate about Sakala which does try and see the citizen as recipient customer and government as a service provider,” says V Ravichandar, a civic analyst. It’s a good initiative and a wider range of government services can be covered under the scheme, adds Ravichandar. An interesting aspect about various time-bound service delivery legislations is that they were government-initiated and, unlike the RTI Act, did not come due to any civil society movement. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to enact the Right to Service Act in August 2010. This was followed by Bihar, Karnataka, Delhi, Punjab, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh among many others.
LOW LEVEL OF AWARENESS
The Centre for Public Policy at Indian Institute of ManagementBangalore (IIM-B) conducted a study between March and May 2012 on the pilot projects carried out by the Sakala mission. A field study in Puttur taluk of
MAJOR ELECTION ISSUE
Sakala is a major initiative that has a direct bearing on the citizens and hence, the voters. Political analysts feel that it could turn out to be a major election issue in the Karnataka Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held in May. The government is already busy with its propaganda machinery and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has hailed it as an innovative and revolutionary scheme. It is now up to the voters to decide in the fast-approaching elections whether the government has stayed true to its word in making services more accessible or not.
In the long run, the Sakala scheme will definitely reduce corruption and enable citizens to access government services, without the help of agents. Sridhar Pabbisetty In-charge, Sakala pilot Dakshina Kannada district found that the level of awareness of Sakala was very less and a majority of the citizens were unaware of the scheme. Sridhar Pabbisetty, the in-charge of the pilot project, says it takes time to successfully implement any citizen charter programme. “Even though a stipulated time frame was set for citizen services, it was not enforceable before
Sakala. In the near future, close to 1,800 services will be brought under the ambit of the scheme,” he notes. According to Sridhar, who is also an advisor to the State government on Sakala, the scheme will also weed out middlemen from the system. “In the long run, it will definitely reduce corruption and enable citizens to access government services, without the help of agents,” explains Sridhar.
OPERATIONAL DIFFICULTIES
Some of the operational difficulties for implementing the scheme include vacancies in government offices, poor IT skills of government employees as well as loop holes in the grievance redress mechanism. So, what is the one thing that one can change about Sakala, which will make it more effective? “Setting up a Quarterly Review Board for monitoring the time frame of services as well as discussing suggestions for reengineering processes will strengthen Sakala,” concludes Sridhar.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
Business
AIRASIA STARTS FARE BLITZ WITH 2MN TICKETS AirAsia (AA) started a big sale across its global network, including India, on Monday-Tuesday midnight and offered two million seats at fares way lower than domestic ones being offered by Indian carriers who will soon be its competitors.
HOME-GROWN BOON
MALLYA SUES SBI
Direct advantage With relaxed work hours and minimum investments, many young adults and homemakers are opting to run their businesses from home. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
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oday, with the markets opening up and with many opting to work from home, working is not restricted to a job within the walls of an office. With a plethora of evolving opportunities an individual can earn a good income without being part of employment pool. One can do this by selling products online by sitting at home (trader) or by making home-made products like pickle and sweets and retailing them (selfemployed). Direct selling is one such growing industry that provides an alternative source of employment to around 5 million Indians who use this as their regular or supplementary source of income. With the industry seeing over 20 per cent
It’s not just the seller that stands to benefit; even the buyer reaps the benefits of direct selling as products are easily available at their doorstep. growth, it is estimated around 8 million people will take this up as career by 2014-15 fiscal. “As direct selling offers flexibility to work within preferred hours and requires only minimum/negligible investment for business opportunity, it can be an alternative source of employment. Any individual above the age of 18 can take this up as a full or part-time career to earn additional income. Entrepreneurs, who have limited funds but have the zeal, can also be part of the growth story. It is also a viable
Spurring growth
Top dogs in the industry
n
Size of the Industry: `6,385.1 crore (2011-2012)
n
Expected growth by 2014-15: `10,843.6 crore
n
Tupperware
n
Growth rate: 22.5 per cent in orgainsed sector, 17.68 per cent in unorganised sector
n
Tianjin Tianshi
n
Number of distributors: 48,53,232 (2011-2012)
n
Oriflame
n
Number of women distributors: 30,33,270
n
Herbalife
n
Expected distributors by 2014-15: 80 lakh
n
Amway
n
Avon
alternative for housewives and youngsters who want to earn money in their spare time,” says S Subramanian, chairman, Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA). Margins for sellers depend on the company structure and vary from product to product. However, retail profit margin can be anywhere between 10-20 per cent and there are also varied incentives on product sales. And it’s not just the person selling the product that stands to benefit; even the buyer reaps the benefits of direct selling as products are easily available at their doorsteps. This cuts the need to take time out of their hectic schedules to go shopping. The seller also demonstrates the product at the buyer’s doorstep, clarifying all the buyer’s queries and also provides various catalogues and brochures. Direct selling companies also offer money-back guarantee and return policies to buyers within a stipulated time period to win their trust. The industry has created a win-win situation for all stake holders. Businesses can save huge distribution and retail costs by distributing through direct sellers. Businesses are making efforts to educate and train sellers to ensure the product is sold at right place and to right people.
MUMBAI: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the lenders to his grounded airline Kingfisher for selling a portion of the pledged shares of United Spirits (USL) worth `100 crore, according to banking sources. The petition seeks a stay on sale of shares of its subsidiary USL by State Bank of India, among others, after the bank sold a portion of UB shares it held as security in the market last week, said an SBI official. The official added SBI sold shares worth `100 crore last week, which prompted Mallya to seek legal remedy fearing the move could jeopardise his deal with British liquor major Diageo, for which he announced an open offer details with the exchanges on Monday.
NUMEROLOGY
12,347
units Is the sale of Tata Motors passenger vehicles in March. This is a decline of over a third, as it sold almost 37,000 units in the previous fiscal.
APPLE APOLOGISES BEIJING: Apple chief executive Tim Cook has apologised to Chinese consumers after the US technology giant was subjected to a barrage of criticism in state-run media over alleged "arrogance" and double standards. China is Apple's secondbiggest market, and its iPhones and other products — many of them made in the country — are highly popular, although it faces fierce competition from South Korea's Samsung. State media have carried a series of attacks on Apple over its customer service and returns policies, although some users expressed support for the company.
THUS SPAKE We have to sort out many internal issues, contain fiscal deficit, tame inflation and find ways in which projects are executed on time and efficiently. P CHIDAMBARAM, FINANCE MINISTER
GOLD `29,800 10g SILVER `53,000 1kg
24C
for
for
DOLLAR `54.34 POUND `82.87
BSE NSE
18,861.17 3.58
5,698.80 5.40
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
nation CHAMEL SINGH ROW
India waits for full report
NEW DELHI: As Pakistani authorities denied that Indian prisoner Chamel Singh had died after being assaulted by jail staff, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said on Monday that India was waiting for a full and detailed report on the circumstances of his death. Khurshid, asked if he accepted Pakistan’s explanation of the death, said: “I don’t have to take Pakistan’s explanation... We are awaiting the autopsy, and when a full report is given to us and detailed investigation report given, we will be able to reflect on it.” Asked when India would be given the report, he said: “We have been told that it will be given to us.” A senior official of Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, where Chamel Singh died in January, had Sunday termed as “malicious Indian propaganda” the reports that Singh died after allegedly being tortured in the jail and said a stroke was the reason. Singh, said to be in his 60s and serving a five-year-term for espionage, had died at the state-run Jinnah Hospital on Jan 15. During an autopsy, nearly two months after his death, marks of injury had reportedly been found on Singh’s body. IANS
CLEAR YOUR NAME, YASHWANT TELLS PM Citing former Telecom Minister A Raja’s communication to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 2G scam, BJP member in the panel Yashwant Sinha today wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to appear before the committee to “clear your name” following allegations levelled against him.
KERALA
11
SUKHU IS HP CONG CHIEF
Minister quits after wife alleges abuse Ganesh Kumar had refuted the allegations earlier.
The CM cheated me: Yamini Thankachy THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The estranged wife of a Kerala minister Monday accused Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of “cheating” her by not accepting her complaint of domestic violence by her husband who is now moving to divorce her. Chandy dismissed the charge. Hours after state Forest Minister K.B.Ganesh Kumar filed for divorce, alleging harassment including physical torture, by his doctor wife Yamini Thankachy, Yamini said
she had approached the chief minister and was assured he would intervene to solve the matter amicably. “I had a complaint with me but the CM did not accept it and told me that he will intervene and bring an amicable settlement. The last date according to the agreement was yesterday (Sunday) and I spoke to the CM yesterday (Sunday) also but today (Monday) I hear that the minister has filed a divorce petition. I was cheated by the CM.”
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Facing charges of domestic violence slapped by his wife, Kerala Forest Minister KB Ganesh Kumar resigned from the Congress-led UDF ministry late last night. Though the minister had rejected the allegation by his wife Yamini Thankachi as “baseless” and ruled out his resignation in the evening, his position became untenable after his wife lodged a complaint against him in a police station in the city late last night. Losing his ground, the actorturned politician belonging to the Kerala Congress (B) drove to the official residence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by midnight and handed over his resignation. The long-running family dispute reached a flashpoint yesterday with Kumar filing a divorce petition in a local court here. He alleged that he had been blackmailed and even manhandled by his wife Yamini. Yamini, however, hit back alleging that she had been victim of domestic violence for the last 16 years and accused her hushand of having “illicit affairs.” PTI
NEWS BRIEFS 3 suspected Maoists arrested in Bokaro
Delhi bus rape accused Modi to introduce bill to SC notice on plea over seeks good food, papers cut powers of Lokayukta rape probe guidelines
BOKARO: Three suspected CPI (Maoist) members, absconding for last several years, were today arrested from Sidhabanrha village in Bokaro district, police said here. Following a tip-off about the whereabouts of Gulab Mahato, Dualat Mahato and Dhaneshwar Mahato were arrested by security forces, sources said.
NEW DELHI: Delhi gangrape accused Vinay Sharma moved an application before special judge Yogesh Khanna, demanding healthy food and reading material, reported the Hindustan Times. He wanted milk, fruits to keep him fit and newspapers to help him remain focused for the April 7 written examination.
GANDHINAGAR: The Narendra Modi government is expected to introduce a bill in the Gujarat Assembly that attempts to overhaul the process of appointing the Lokayukta, virtually giving the full control to the state. As per the bill, the Lokayukta will have to seek the government’s permission before acting on a complaint.
Pick
GADCHIROLI: The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the central and state governments on a petition seeking framing of guidelines on registering and probing cases of sexual offences against women. The plea sought guidelines for victim compensation scheme, sentencing and maintaining a register of sexual offenders.
at the
The Congress Monday appointed Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the head of its Himachal Pradesh unit, a party statement said. “The Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) has appointed Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the full-time president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC),” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement here. Sukhu had been officiating as president of HPCC since Jan 8 after Virbhadra Singh took over as chief minister of the hill state.
RAHUL TALK
Industry honchos as well the common people will get to hear Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s views on economic and growth imperatives for India at an industry body meet April 4, party leaders said Monday.
If there is inconvenience caused to any Indian citizens, then whatever assistance we can give, we will provide. Salman Khurshid External affairs minister’s response amid worries that Saudi Arabia’s new ‘nitaqat’ policy.
airport,
-
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
World KOREAN CONUNDRUM
US sends destroyer SEOUL: The United States has placed a destroyer off the South Korean coast to defend against a possible missile strike, the latest in a series of publicised US deployments to counter North Korean threats. The USS Fitzgerald was moved to the southwestern coast after taking part in annual military exercises, instead of returning to its home port in Japan, a US defence official told AFP Monday on condition of anonymity. The deployment came hours after North Korea's parliament adopted a law formalising the country's status as a nuclear weapons state.
PALESTINE
Meshaal reelected
GAZA CITY, P A L E S T I N I A N TERRITORIES: Veteran Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was elected for a new term as head of the Palestinian Islamist movement, a party official said on Monday. There had been speculation t h a t Meshaal, who is based in exile, would be forced aside by the movement's powerful leaders in the Gaza Strip, which it has controlled since 2007. Meshaal himself had said last year that he would not seek a new term.
'BUCKWILD' STAR, 2 OTHERS FOUND DEAD IN US A cast member of the MTV reality show "BUCKWILD" was found dead in a sport utility vehicle in a ditch along with his uncle and a third, unidentified person, authorities said. The bodies of cast member Shain Gandee, 21, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and the third person were found yesterday near Sissonville. No foul play was expected, said police.
UNITED NATIONS
NO TIME TO HORSE AROUND
Arms treaty to get nod despite dissent The vote requires a simple majority, which practically guarantees adoption of the accord. Once adopted, every country would be free to ratify it.
12
Australian coal tycoon Nathan Tinkler put his thoroughbred breeding and racing empire on the market Tuesday, saying he no longer had enough time to devote to the business. Media reports suggested the package, which includes more than 1,000 horses on a 3,300-acre (1,335hectare) property in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney and another 1,000 acres in Queensland, could fetch Aus$125 million (US$131 million).
NUMEROLOGY File photo of director of Survivors and People with Disability Network, Jesus Martinez (right), who lost his legs at age 17 after stepping on a land mine in El Salvador, talks with Venezuela's Amnesty International Cesar Marin in front of replica of a helicopter set on a rooftop across Manhattan's skyline and the UN headquarters, during a campaign by Control Arms Coalition activists, in New York, March 27, 2013. AFP /EMMANUEL DUNAND
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly is expected to adopt the first global treaty on the conventional arms trade Tuesday after the 193 member states failed to reach consensus on it last week, diplomats said. After 10 days of arduous talks, Iran, Syria and North Korea on Thursday blocked the accord to regulate the $80 billion annual industry despite widespread support from Western, African and Latin American states. Kenya, with the backing of 63 other countries — including the United States, Britain and France — proposed that the General Assembly take up a resolution containing the blocked text. If adopted, the treaty would then be open for signature. The vote requires a simple majority, which practically
The scope of pact
T
he first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty will cover tanks, armored combat vehicles, largecaliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as small arms and light arms.
guarantees adoption of the accord. The General Assembly session is set to start at 10:00 am (1400 GMT). Once adopted, every country would be free to sign and ratify the treaty. It will take effect after the 50th ratification, which could take up to two years. The first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would cover tanks, armored combat
vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as small arms and light arms. It would aim to force countries to set up national controls on arms exports. States would also have to assess whether a weapon could be used for genocide, war crimes or by terrorists or organized crime before it is sold. The United States -- the world's biggest arms dealer -- is ready to sign the treaty but its ratification by the US Congress is not assured. Assistant US Secretary of State for International Security Tom Countryman predicted Thursday that other countries would join the objectors in voting against the treaty at the General Assembly. AFP
NEWS BRIEFS US man among 4 killed in Mexico bar shootings
Dutch cops search for nerve gas, four arrested
19 killed in attacks in northern Nigeria
Arrest warrant against ex-minister in Pak
GUADALAJARA: A 45-yearold US man was among four people killed when gunmen opened fire in two bars in Mexico's second biggest city, lobbing a grenade in one of the attacks, authorities said. The assailants fired off a total of 45 rounds with 9mm handguns in the two attacks in the western city of Guadalajara late Sunday.
THE HAGUE: Dutch police and chemical weapons experts searched for a suspected stockpile of deadly sarin gas outside the popular tourist city of Maastricht, with four people arrested, an official said. Police cordoned off an area on Saturday in a forest just outside the southern city but found nothing, public prosecutor spokeswoman Cindy Rijnders said.
ABUJA: Nineteen people were killed over the weekend in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna where gunmen attacked two villages of a local community, officials said. The chairman of the local government, Kumai Badu confirmed the attack on the Ataka community in Kaura area alleging that the assailants were from nearby villages.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-corruption court issued arrest warrants against senior Pakistan People's Party leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim and six other persons accused of involvement in a multi-billion rupee scam in the state-run National Insurance Company Limited. The warrants were issued after Fahim failed to appear before the court.
6.0
is the magnitude of the undersea earthquake that hit off eastern Japan, the US Geological Survey reported. No tsunami alert was issued.
TRAILBLAZER
Described by US President Barack Obama as a "trailblazer", IndianAmerican Srikanth Sri Srinivasan has moved closer to become the first South Asian circuit court judge in the history of the United States. A year after he was nominated by Obama on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday announced its decision to hold his confirmation hearing on April 10, which was immediately welcomed by the White House. Srinivasan, 46, born in India and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the US.
This is another very rousing song. Its title is 'Gentleman'. The dance is one known to all Koreans but new to foreigners. This will be presented in Psy style. Psy on his new number
13
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
Technology BOYS’ TOY
LET’S CHAT
KINDLE PHONE? Charlie Kindel, the Seattle tech veteran who left his job as a Microsoft Windows Phone general manager in 2011 to join the startup world, has now been hired by Amazon.com as the director of an undisclosed project inside the company. So does that mean the company is working on a phone? That’s a big may be as of now as there have been plenty of rumours about such a move for the past two years. However, the company has stuck to making more and more tablets that can be used by its customers to read books and make purchases online.
Youth flock to mobile messaging apps, may become threat to Facebook.
MIX IT UP
C
reate personal profiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos and music. That might sound precisely like Facebook, but hundreds of millions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to a wave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products of North American startups, as well as Kakao Inc’s KakaoTalk, NHN Corp’s LINE and Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat, which have blossomed in Asian markets. Combining elements of text messaging and social networking, the apps provide a quickfire way for smartphone users to trade everything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTube clips — bypassing both the SMS plans offered by wireless carriers and established social networks originally designed as websites. Facebook Inc, with 1 billion users, remains by far the world’s most popular website, and its stepped-up focus on mobile has made it the mostused smartphone app as well. Still, across Silicon Valley, investors and industry insiders say there is a possibility that the messaging apps could threaten Facebook’s dominance over the next few years. The larger ones are even starting to emerge as full-blown “platforms” that can support third-party applications
The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products of North American startups, as well as Kakao Inc’s KakaoTalk, NHN Corp’s LINE and Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat, which have blossomed in Asian markets. such as games. To be sure, many of those who are using the new messaging apps remain on Facebook, indicating there is little immediate sign of the giant social media company losing its lock on the market. And at a press event this week, the company will unveil news relating to
Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, which could include a new version of Android with deeper integration of Facebook messaging tools — or possibly even a Facebook-branded phone. But the firms that can take over the messaging world should be able to make some big inroads, investors say. “True interactions are conversational in nature," says Rich Miner, a partner at Google Ventures who invested in San Francisco-based MessageMe, a new entrant in the messaging market. “More people text and make phone calls than get on to social networks. If one company dominates the replacement of that traffic, then by definition that’s very big." Facebook spokespeople declined to comment for this article, citing this Thursday’s
planned announcement. Facebook’s big challenge is reeling back users like Jacob Robinson, a 15-year old high school student in Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K., who said the Kik messaging app “blew up” among his friends about six months ago. It has remained the most-used app on his Android phone because it is the easiest way for him to send different kinds of multimedia for free, which he estimated he does about 200 times a day. Robinson said he trades snapshots of his homework with friends while they stay up late studying for their exams — or not. “We also stay up in bed with our phone all night, just on YouTube searching for funny videos, then you quickly share it with your friends," he added. “It’s easy. You can flip in and out of Kik." Facebook “has really started to lose its edge over here," said Robinson, who found his interactions on Facebook less interesting than his real-time chats. Waterloo, Ontario-based Kik has racked up 40 million users since launching in 2010. Silicon Valley entrants in the race include Whatsapp, funded by Sequoia Capital, and MessageMe, launched earlier this month by a group of viral game makers. MessageMe has received seed-stage funding from True Ventures and First Round Capital, among others, and claimed 1 million downloads in its first week. AGENCIES
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley is gearing up to launch a new video site, MixBit. On Twitter today, Hurley announced while poking fun at a Google April Fools' joke, saying "since YouTube is ending, we're launching a new video site." The tweet ends with a link to the new site (mixbit.com) and its Twitter account. It's not clear exactly how MixBit will function, but Hurley told SXSW attendees that the site wouldn't be a direct YouTube competitor, and would instead provide "flexibility for people to work together and create content”.
No reselling MP3s A federal court in New York ruled in summary judgment within the case of Capitol Records v. ReDigi. The court decided that no, users do not have the right to resell digital music files, as doing so violates existing copyright law. ReDigi, the judge found, is also liable for secondary copyright infringement and likely will have to pay damages. Last year, the judge in the case, Richard Sullivan, denied a motion that would have shuttered ReDigi. The Boston-based music startup did not immediately respond to Ars' request for comment. The company has not indicated whether it plans to appeal the decision.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
Comment Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
POLL TIME
PATRICK FORT Agence France-Presse
T
he new government has optimistically promised that business activity will resume on Tuesday, but getting the Central African Republic's economy back on its feet will be no easy task after the havoc wreaked by the country's latest coup, experts said. "You cannot decree a recovery," noted Serge-Alain YabouetBazoly, a former minister and legal advisor for the Groupement Interprofessionnel de Centrafrique (GICA), one of two employer federations in the country. The new national unity government has pledged to resume administrative services on Tuesday, 10 days after the capital Bangui fell to rebels from the Seleka coalition who ousted president Francois Bozize. Sporadic looting in the capital continues however, and companies have paid a high price in a country of five million people that was already one of the poorest in the world owing to repeated rebellions and corruption that made it hard to develop mineral deposits and other natural resources. In December, GICA estimated the economic cost of the Seleka uprising, which was then in its early stages, at 27 billion CFA francs (4.1 million euros, $5.2 million), and "this figure has probably mushroomed since", estimated GICA president Patrick De Jean. The federation comprises 23 large companies that account for 45 percent of the country's local tax revenues, or roughly 130 billion CFA francs.
14
IRAQ WITNESSES POLITICS OF DEATH
FROM BAGHDAD
Abraham Lincoln Former US President
A tall task for Central Africa
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Lookie here: Accused in the Delhi gang-rape case seeks that he get good food and newspapers in jail so that he may get in shape and be prepared for some government job test. He wants well-fitting clothes, too. Now when has anything been pleasant in jails?
Salam Faraj
O
n a Sunday evening in March, gunmen walked into the offices of a prominent lawyer in the Iraqi capital, opened fire and left him for dead. A friend discovered his body a short time later. Security forces flooded the scene, cordoning off the area and telling passers-by that all they knew was that a lawyer had been killed. It was not until hours later that the apparent motive for the murder became clear. Salah alObeidi, 48, had been standing in provincial elections, one of 11 candidates to have been killed so far in the lead-up to the April 20 polls. "The motive for the crime was political," said Hamid, a cousin of Obeidi's who attended the funeral commemorations days later in the same Saidiyah neighbourhood where the father of seven was gunned down. "He was killed because he was standing in the elections." As he spoke, other relatives and friends sat in stony silence in the Obeidi family's reception room, the only sound that of children crying in an adjoining room. Obeidi was the last survivor
of four brothers. Two died in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war, another was executed by ex-dictator Saddam Hussein, and he had been working for the secular, mostly Sunni-backed, Iraqiya list headed by former prime minister Iyad Allawi. His death has contributed to growing mistrust between Iraq's Sunni community and the Shiite-led authorities. All 11 candidates killed have been Sunni, six of them Iraqiya members, fostering a belief that the security forces pay less attention to protecting Sunnis. Provinces in Iraq's north and west, all predominantly Sunni, have already been roiled by months of protests, the minority community alleging that it is disproportionately targeted by anti-terror laws and rules barring those with links to Saddam's regime from participating in public life. And at the highest levels of government, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is Shiite, is locked in a long-running spat with his erstwhile government partners, particularly members of Iraqiya who charge him with consolidating control of the security forces and marginalising Sunnis. "The security forces are responsible for his death," said Tahsin Mohammed, one of Obeidi's nephews, pausing to puff on a cigarette. "They are
responsible for protecting him, just like they are for protecting the other Iraqis who are killed every day."
'IT'S A CLEAR SIGN' Taha, a central bank employee and friend of Obeidi, added: "The targeting of Iraqiya candidates is a clear sign — to target the list, to stand in the way of its
work, and to hamper its success in the election." Another mourner, fellow lawyer and Iraqiya member Abdulkarim al-Juburi, all but accused soldiers and police of complicity in the killing. "How did they reach there, with silenced weapons, under the noses of the security forces?" he argued.
EDITORIALS RTE: Govt failure is showing
R
ight To Education (RTE) has been a glorious piece of legislation that empowered the poor and the downtrodden to get quality education (read private corporate schools). But three years on the Act got no support of the private schools for obvious reasons. Most private schools, we know, are not run on a charitable intention of furthering education, but a crass business models, out to make profit. In such a circumstance, it was the duty of the government to do things: to strengthen the public schools to bring them on par with the private, and to use stick to prompt the private managements to respect the law. Both the governments of the day did not. Result is a great chaos in the new academic year and threat of derecognition of the wayward schools. Why the government did not take the fate of students and parents into consideration is a moot question. The best course available to all is to extend the execution of the law by one more year and ensure smooth shift.
READERS’ VIEWS
Murray: Slow and steady...
W
here are those who said Andy Murray cannot make it to the top. Don’t say it’s too early to celebrate, for it was only a matter of time before Murray shone forth. The perennial underdog, they called. Oodles of talent, but a choker, they said. Always falering at the last moment. After rising to world No2 after defeating David Ferrer at the Miami Masters, even Murray feels he can toppled Djoker one day and stand on top of the world.
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. Editor: Dean Williams
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
workplace
NOT WILLING TO RISK IT
Dell Inc (DELL.O) warned on Friday that it would be dangerous to take on a lot of debt and remain a public company given its worsening profit outlook, in a sign that it views proposals from Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) and billionaire investor Carl Icahn as fraught with risk.
BE WISE: LEARN FROM OTHERS’ MISTAKES
KNOW YOUR COMPANY
To keep your resume from going into the ‘no’ pile, there are a few things you must refrain from. Postnoon gives you a list of epic blunders people make in that very important document while applying for a job. Read on and learn.
Mistakes you will regret NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com
I
n today’s weak job market, where everyone is struggling to step over the other. So, the first document that represents you before a prospective employer — a resume — should at least be error-free, if not extraordinary. Here’s a list of laughable mistakes that have made their way into resumes. Learn from them, it’s not too late.
‘PUBIC’ ANALYST
A simple spell check might not be enough for your resume as words like pubic instead of public, ruining instead of running, kills instead of skills, etc, will not show up as errors. Asking somebody to proof read your resume once it’s ready is one way to avoid such a faux pas. Typing out your designation as a director of ‘pubic’ relations is a sure way of being rejected.
OBJECTIVE
Most people get this wrong. The ‘objective’ category in a resume serves little purpose. In fact, it totally stumps your chances of being hired. Most people use buzzwords like ‘team player’, ‘result-oriented’ and ‘motivated’ in their objective. These adjectives have been used for so long that now, they have no impact on your employer whatsoever. And, considering, it’s the first thing that appears on your resume after your name, it might stunt your chances of making an impression through the rest of the resume as employers would lose interest when they see the word ‘objective’.
LIME-GREEN FONT
Yes, standing out in a crowd is important. Certainly necessary, to land that interview. However, doing so with lime-green font is not the best idea. A person who had applied for the post of a
personal assistant and manager in a reputed company decided to draw attention to her document by making it in lime green colour. It stood out, yes. But, only in the wrong way. The font colour made it difficult for the employer to read the resume and hence, it went straight to the trash can.
HOTDUDE@******.COM
Come on, you’re applying for a job. It’s time to grow up. Having retarded email ids like hotdude, and ariensarethecoolest are bad news on a resume. The ids may be fine for conduct in your personal lives, but not in a resume. Email addresses like these instantly make employers judge you, and...not in a good way.
YAWN
Agreed, that cramming your 10 years of experience into an onepage space can be quite the task. But, nevertheless, it’s important. A job applicant was once reject-
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ed because he submitted an 18page resume to impress his future bosses. Not only do such resumes eat up the space for conversations during the interview, the long resumes are tiresome to read and skim through. Average length of a resume of a person with five-six years of work experience to boast is two pages.
CLICKED
Attaching your photo to your resume, without it being mandatory, is the stupidest thing one can do. The employer finds it distracting and annoying. A lot of people attach random photographs of themselves and those they love to their resumes. It never works. While there are examples of people who attach their pet photos, there are those who have gone a step further by attaching naked pictures of themselves. Our advise is that you keep your ‘face’ for the interview.
Wipro Wipro Infotech is a leading manufacturer of computer hardware and provider of IT services in India and the Middle East region. Part of Wipro Ltd, the $6.98 billion conglomerate and global leader in technology enabled solutions, the company leverages on the parent's philosophy of 'Applying Thought' to enable business results by being a transformation catalyst.Their vast IT services portfolio includes consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, technology infrastructure services and R&D.
DID YOU KNOW...
$25 bn
is the amount Brazilian businessman Eike Batista lost in one year. His port, which he said would be the third-largest in the world, is still under construction, just one of many delayed projects and missed production targets. That, together with a 34 percent decline in the price of oil since 2008, has battered his companies’ share prices and knocked $25 billion off his net worth, more than the entire fortune of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
WORK POLICIES
Unemployed need not apply. Some companies, as a common practice, hire only applicants who are currently working. That’s a problem for the country’s many long-term unemployed who, arguably, would really like a job. The policy has led to a lot of younsters getting disillusioned
No food at your desk. Some call centers don’t allow workers to eat at their desks, saying it is impolite and unhygienic. It’s a contentious issue because “it cuts right to the heart of individual freedom,” according to callcentrehelper.com, an online British trade publication.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
spotlight
YOUR SHOPPING FIX
Nirmal's Hastakalakar Vikas Samithi is organising a mela which showcases handlooms and handicrafts by around 40 craftsmen from all over India. Head to HMT Community Hall, Kukatpally today, from 11 am onwards.
GOOD TIMES
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SOAKING IT IN
Hosts Raja Singh, Vinni Singh, Vicky Alag, Poonam Alag, held a summer party at a farmhouse in Gandipet recently. The theme was Splish n Splash, where guests got to dance in the rain, crush grapes and pamper themselves as well. 6
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HAIR AND CARE
THE HUNT IS ON
Children run across the Novotel HICC lawns as they participated in the egg hunt held as part of the Easter celebrations on Sunday.
Green Trends launched its 108th Salon at Srinagar Colony recently. Actress Madhu Shalini inaugurated the salon. The salon also witnessed a hair show, showcasing different summer hair styles.The fashion show was choreographed by Rajesh Menezes, Bangalore.
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1 Surithi
6 Poonam
2 Poonam
and Vicky
3 Vinni Singh,
Alag
Raju and
7 Ruchi
Poonam
8 Amit and
4 Tina and
Vibha 5 Susmita
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Struthi 9 Sweta
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
health
SC REJECTS PATENT PROTECTION FOR CANCER DRUG The Supreme Court Monday dismissed Swiss pharmaceutical chain Novartis AG's petition seeking patent protection for its anti-cancer drug, Glivec (Imatinib mesylate). Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Alam said that the claim was "beyond the realm of patents.”
BEAT THE HEAT
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Do you ignore your thirst? DEEPASHRI V deepashri.v@postnoon.com
A
s your exposure to the sun increases, it is important to supply your body with enough fluids to cope. But what other precautions do you need to take to avoid dehydration? According to medicinenet.com, some of the causes for dehydration are diarrhoea, vomiting, sweating in excess, diabetes (sugar spills into the urine, followed by water), burns (in burn victims where skin cannot prevent water from seeping out) and unavailability of sufficient fluids or inability to drink them due to any health condition. “Take plenty of fluids, mainly water. You can have coconut water and butter milk also. Aerated drinks are not recommended,” said Dr Pramati Reddy, internal medicine consultant at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. She said the initial symptoms are dry lips and mouth, dizziness, excessive sweating, lesser urine output, tiredness, fatigue, muscle pain, cramps, wrinkled skin and increased heart rate, adding that in severe cases, it can lead to a heat stroke. Dehydration may be diagnosed by recognising its symptoms. According to mayoclinic.com, severe dehydration can also cause delirium or unconsciousness; it can also result in sunken eyes, lack of tears while crying and fever. While daily intake of water depends on your surrounding and on the activities that you do, doctors recommend drinking three-four litres of water during
Do you take enough fluids or do you quench your thirst with aerated drinks? Here’s how you read the signs of dehydration.
Signs of dehydration n n n n
ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF
Skin loses lustre, becomes dry. Lips and mouth become dry. Tiredness and fatigue. Urine output will be less.
n n n n
Increased heart rate. Wrinkled skin. Muscle pain and cramps. Excessive sweating (at the initial stages).
HOUSECALL
Restaurant Nutrition
Oral cancer
The Restaurant Nutrition application allows a user to easily view nutritional information about restaurant menus and track what they have eaten. It can turn on diets to track calorie, carb, protein, and fat to help track and quantify their dieting progress. Multiple people can track what they eat in this application at the same time.
Malignant growths in the oral cavity and the oropharynx are called oral cancers. Most of these cancers are of a type called squamous carcinoma, which means they begin on the surface layer of the mouth and can spread if left untreated. Other types, such as lymphomas and melanomas, may also occur. It is more common in men and is diagnosed most frequently in people over 60, but it's rising in people under 40.
summer. “Those who sweat more or are exposed to more heat should drink more water,” Dr Pramati said. “Dehydration makes the skin dry, lose lustre and elasticity,” said Dr Radha Shah, consultant dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. “Other organs are affected.
DID YOU KNOW? Our body is taller in the morning We are taller in the morning than in the evening because during normal day time activities, the cartilage in our knees and other areas slowly compress. But when you go to sleep and rest the cartilage goes back to normal. We are about 1cm taller in the morning than in the evening.
Blood pressure goes down,” Dr Shah said. If the signs of dehydration are read early, it can be treated at home. Fluid replacement is the treatment to be given, according to medicinenet.com, and in extreme cases, rehydration therapy is given by a medical practitioner.
PIONEERS Averroes Averroes was a Spanish Andalusian Muslim polymath, a master of Aristotelian philosophy, , psychology, politics and Arabic music theory among other things. Averroes wrote a medical encyclopedia called Kulliyat (generalities or general medicine), known in its Latin translation as Colliget. He also made a compilation of the works of Galen, and wrote a commentary on the book Canon of Medicine.
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health TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
NEW DELHI: Sixyear-old Tanvi Roy flaps her hands continuously for hours, while Ankit Prakash, 17, doesn’t go to the toilet but eases himself in the kitchen or drawing room every night. These children are not mentally retarded but
Early diagnosis and social acceptance of children suffering from the neurological disorder are necessary for their welfare, say experts. suffer from autism, a neurodevelopment disorder. It is not just about Tanvi or Ankit, according to the Autism Society of India (ASI). About one in 80 people are known to suffer from Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterised as social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. “Autism needs a multi-disciplinary approach. There are only a few organisations and schools that cater to children with autism in India, most of which are NGOs and parentrun centres," ASI secretary
can help tackle autism
Lambodar Ray said. “But there are thousands of parents outside its fold, craving to help their child but with services simply beyond their reach," he added. Doctors and experts say although they are slow learners they can be prepared for the future if guided properly. Autism, a developmental disability that remains for life and affects the brain’s functions, appears in the first three years of birth. “The first signs usually appear before a child is three. Those with autism usually find social interaction difficult and have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication," said Niti Pall, a child psychiatrist.
Cicada’s wings can kill bacteria
n tio
Earl
r e v t e n i n y
RESEARCH
According to Sameer Malhotra, head of mental health at Max Healthcare, children with autism avoid eye contact, have difficulty in speech, repeat an activity many times and don’t react when they are hurt or don’t communicate. “Their condition needs to be detected early. The doctors can check their IQ levels, as certain ASD kids are exponentially good in arts, music and mathematics," said Malhotra. He said that such children should avoid food that is high in sugar like chocolates and candy as sugar items make them hyperactive. Vandana Prakash, mother of 17-year-old Ankit who was detected with autism at the age of five, said children with such
a condition should not be considered a burden. “They are definitely not the laughing stock of society and should not be treated as burden or mentally retarded.” “To train people with autism is a tough and huge challenge, but people with AKD can do well in academics. But a lot more needs to be done," said Shayama Chona, president of Tamana special school. There are 400 autistic children in Tamana. “Scores of parents are not aware. When they see that their kids are not communicating or have odd behaviour they term them as troublesome or stupid, but we make them understand what autism is," Chona said. Ray said autism should be included in the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act 1995 so that these children can get jobs when they grow up. Also, he wanted the Rehabilitation Council of India’s diploma course on the condition, which is currently offered in a few cities, to be available throughout the country. He said the course will help in producing more caregivers. “There is a need to change the mindset and attitude towards autism cases," he added. IANS
MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that tiny spikes on the wings of the insect cicada shred bacteria to pieces — one of the first natural surfaces to do so. The clanger cicada (Psaltoda claripennis) is a locust-like insect whose wings are covered by a vast hexagonal array of ‘nanopillars’ — blunted spikes on a similar size scale to bacteria. When a bacterium settles on the wing surface, its cellular membrane sticks to the surface of the nanopillars and stretches into the crevices between them, where it experiences the most strain. If the membrane is soft enough, it ruptures. Lead study author Elena Ivanova of Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorne, Victoria, said she was surprised that the bacterial cells are not actually punctured by the nanopillars, journal Nature reported. The rupturing effect is more like “the stretching of an elastic sheet of some kind, such as a latex glove. If you take hold of a piece of latex in both hands and slowly stretch it, it will become thinner at the centre, [and] will begin to tear," she explained. Ivanova and her team irradiated bacteria with microwaves to generate cells that had different levels of membrane rigidity. Their hypothesis was that the more rigid bacteria would be less likely to rupture between the nanopillars. The results validated the model, but also demonstrated that the cicada’s nanopillar defence is limited to bacteria that have sufficiently soft membranes. PTI
study
‘Women more commitment-phobic than men’
MELBOURNE: Women are more commitment-phobic than men, according to a new study which found men are more willing to take the plunge. The survey challenges the stereotype of commitment-phobic men, revealing that it is actually the fairer sex which is reluctant to commit.
While women wait for at least a couple of months, men are ready to commit even after a mere two dates, the survey found. According to the findings from a recent poll of 25,000 single adults, men are faster to commit than women, The Australian reported.
Asked how long it took to officially become a couple, the most popular response by men (42.1 per cent) was “after a couple of good dates". According to adelaidenow, 64.5 per cent men and 68 per cent women said they could not put a time frame on when it was appropriate to exchange their
house keys. However, women appear to need their space far more than men because they were twice as likely to say there would “never” be a right time. The most popular response among women (34.6 per cent) was that they preferred to wait “at least a few months", the sur-
vey by romantic social network Zoosk and online magazine Glamour.com found. Men are also quicker to show and tell, with 56.4 per cent indicating they would introduce a new love interest to friends after one to five dates, compared to 39.7 per cent of women. PTI
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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
Entertainment SWEETNESS OF SUCCESS
CINE BYTES
I’m in a good phase of my career: Swati Scoring a hit after a long time hasn’t changed Swati one bit. In a tête-à-tête with Postnoon, she talks about Swamy Ra Ra and why she chose to remain calm despite the film’s success. HEMANTH KUMAR Hemanth.k@postnoon.com
“T
o be honest, more than excitement, I am feeling a sense of calm now that Swamy Ra Ra has been declared a hit. I am happy that our efforts of our team have been recognised. Nikhil, Sudheer Varma, Sunny and Richard Prasad deserve all the praise they have been getting,” Swati confesses. She played a bubbly girl once again in Swamy Ra Ra. Did she think about being stereotyped all the time in Telugu? “You know, I had conveyed these reservations to director Sudheer Varma when I heard the script. I know that this ‘bubbly girl’ image has been associated with me since the time I was an anchor on Colours (TV show). People still believe that I am like that in real life too. Although in Swamy Ra Ra, I tried to make it as subtle as possible, I understand that, at the end of the day, it’s my job and I had to surrender myself to the character,” she avers. Except for Golconda High School, she hasn’t done a lead role in a long time in Telugu and in 2012, she didn’t have a single release. So how did Swamy Ra Ra happen? “I am not the kind of person who would go looking for opportunities and on top of that, I don’t have a manager who keeps a tab on what filmmakers are doing to pitch my name. Last year, one day, Nikhil messaged me asking if I would
listen to a script. I had never met Nikhil or Sudheer, but after I heard the script, it was one of the rare movies which I really wanted to be part of,” she recalls. There was a lot of running, jumping over the walls and other adventurous stuff involved in the film. “It was great fun considering how challenging it is to shoot for a film in general. You are out in the sun for long hours, working relentlessly despite being tired,” she says. Now that the film has been declared a hit, does it seem all the more sweeter since she hasn’t tasted success in quite sometime? “Everyone has something to say when a film flops and how I have been making wrong moves. When a film does well at box office, people appreciate you for various reasons. I have been around long enough and I have seen how things can change drastically. At the moment, I would say, I haven’t changed at all. At best, there’s a sense of calm and peace which is hard to find. Having said that, I am grateful to the audience who have appreciated our work,” she replies. Swati recently made her debut in Malayalam in a film titled Amen which was directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. “Lijo had been wanting to work with me ever since he saw Subramaniapuram. Amen is a divine comedy with lots of magical realism,” she says. She will soon begin shooting for a Tamil film. “I am in a good phase of my career these days,” she signs off.
Iddarammayilatho’s teaser soon in offing
T
he first teaser of Puri’s next film Iddarammayilatho is going to be launched on April 8, which is also Allu Arjun’s birthday. Most part of the film’s shooting has already been wrapped up. Allu Arjun, Amala Paul and Catherine Tresa are playing the lead roles in this romantic and action entertainer. The film will hit the screens on May 10.
Sukumarudu’s audio launched
T
he audio of Aadi, Nisha Aggarwal and Bhavna Ruparel starrer Sukumarudu was launched recently in Hyderabad. G Ashok has directed the film and Anup Rubens has scored the music. Krishna and Sharada have played important roles in this family entertainer which will release later this summer.
Navdeep’s new film launched
A
n untitled film starring Navdeep and Kavya Shetty was launched yesterday in Hyderabad. NSR Prasad is going to direct the film and Ramesh Babu is presenting it. “I was hesitant to sign this project because it sounded very risky, but I thought a lot about it since a film like this is rare to find,” Navdeep said at the opening ceremony.
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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 CINE BYTES Lata Mangeshkar felicitates Asha
S
inger Lata Mangeshkar felicitated younger sister Asha Bhosle with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award at a function that saw all the Mangeshkar siblings come together. Asha, known for songs like Dum maro dum, Mehbooba mehbooba, performed live for three hours Sunday night. IANS
HIS BIT FOR THE CAUSE
Ban horse drawn carriages, urges
Arjun Rampal A
ctor Arjun Rampal extends his support to Peta’s campaign to ban horse driven carriages in the city. The 40year-old has written a letter to Sitaram Kunte, municipal commissioner of Greater Mumbai, urging him to ban horsedrawn carriages from the city’s streets, just before the next court hearing today, said a statement from Peta (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals). “As a Mumbaiite and a person who cares deeply about animals, I am writing to add my voice to the campaign by my friends at Peta India for an immediate and permanent ban on horse-drawn carriage rides in the city,” Arjun wrote. “The manner in which these magnificent animals are treated is a crime. I respectfully request that you enact an all-out city-wide ban on horse-drawn carriages,” he added. The first court hearing regarding the same took place on January 15 this year, where out of 53 only 18 Victoria Carriages were found to be legal in the city. Peta had last year requested municipal commissioner of Delhi to uphold a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the capital citing cruelty to the animals. IANS
Manoj Kumar to file lawsuit against SRK
V
eteran actor Manoj Kumar will file a law suit today against Shah Rukh Khan and Eros International, producers of 2007 hit Om Shanti Om, and seek damages to the tune of `100 crore for releasing the film in Japan without removing certain scenes apparently lampooning him. PTI
Pooja Pihal hooked on to comedies, wants more
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fter doing Hum Aapke Hain In Laws, Pooja Pihal is hooked on to comedy shows and wants to do more funfilled roles. “I want to do comedy again. I want to work with SAB TV also. If I get an offer from them, again, I will do it,” Pooja said and added: “You can make them cry in two minutes. To make someone laugh, you have to struggle a lot.” IANS
Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
TWO OF A KIND?
I got mistaken for Lindsay Lohan:
AMANDA SEYFRIED A
ctress Amanda Seyfried mistook for the troubled actress Lindsay Lohan when she navigated through the Newark airport in New Jersey. Seyfried, 27, took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share the same, reported Ace Showbiz. "I just got mistaken for a Ms Lohan at Newark Airport," she tweeted. Seyfried was spotted at the airport wearing ripped jeans, red sunglasses and a black sweater. She dragged a suitcase with one hand and clutched a water bottle in another while holding a puffy jacket. Both the actresses had shared screen in Mean Girls in 2004. PTI
CINE BYTES I don't tolerate actor's ego: Danny Boyle
Beatles album auctions for $290,500
A
rare signed copy of
The Beatles' Sgt ilmmaker Danny Boyle says Pepper's Lonely Hearts he had once fired an actor Club Band has been sold for screaming at an assistant for $290,500 at an aucbringing him breakfast. The tion. The item signed by Trainspotting filmmaker said all four members of the he did not even think twice legendary band was that it would delay production purchased on March 31 on the project because he has by an unnamed buyer zero tolerance for such outfrom the Midwest, said bursts on set, reported Contactmusic. IANS the Hollywood Reporter.
F
Justin Bieber wants Selena Gomez back
B
ieber thinks that his exgirlfriend Selena Gomez will take him back. "Justin has been saying that when he decides to get Selena back, he will," showbizspy.com quoted a source as saying. Recent reports claimed Bieber told his friends not to bad mouth Gomez. IANS
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain. Adlai E Stevenson Jr
KAKURO
QUICK CROSSWORD
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SUDOKU 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 referenced 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.
ACROSS
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
SCRIBBLING PAD
1 Aides, briefly 6 Word with ‘blocker’ or ‘testing’ 10 Monopoly token 14 Ten Commandments site 15 Enthusiastic 16 Albanian coins 17 Subject for a Venetian boat song 18 Rosary piece 19 What some veterans recall 20 Divorcee’s lament (Part 1) 23 Common abbr in Quebec 24 Zoning unit 25 Cause of a rowdy scene 28 Winged 31 Bitter outburst 35 French dugout 37 They’re no longer an item 39 Audio signal receiver 40 Divorcee’s lament (Part 2) 43 Ditto! 44 Abrupt transition 45 Grand in scale 46 Artery openers 48 Pitcher in a still life 50 Key below Z, on PCs 51 ‘___-Team’ (Mr T’s old show) 53 Vicksburg soldier 55 Divorcee’s lament (Part 3) 61 Family group 62 Nightclub dancer of yore 63 Treats with milk 65 U2’s main man 66 Mark replacer 67 Public persona 68 Fret 69 Husky load 70 First name in gymnastics
DOWN
1 Hot ___ firecracker 2 ___ Valley (city near Los Angeles) 3 Frosted flakes 4 Lipinski and Reid 5 South-of-the-border nap 6 Ali ___ (‘Open, sesame!’ sayer) 7 ‘... happily ___ after’ 8 Princess’ adornment 9 Detox center candidate 10 Pocket calculator predecessor 11 Parsley or sage, eg 12 Thumb-and-forefinger sign 13 Abbr after an attorney’s name 21 Brawl 22 Noted Verdi aria 25 Sirs’ counterparts 26 ___ d’art 27 Type of force 29 Angle between stem and branch 30 Examine again, as a patient 32 Ma ___ Kettle 33 He’s a hell of a guy 34 Construct, as a skyscraper 36 ‘Beats me!’ 38 ‘Rich Man, Poor Man’ novelist Irwin 41 Words before ‘extra mile’ 42 Reason to buy Met tickets 47 Swamp grasses 49 Do a second hitch with 52 Run ___ of the law 54 Republic on the Bay of Bengal 55 Gobs 56 Not nuts 57 Shrek, for one 58 Crucifixion symbol 59 Library byword 60 Much-quoted Berra 61 ‘60 Minutes’ airer 64 ___ breeze (vodka cocktail)
Chai Time TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 3-4-2013
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As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Children make you proud and happy. You are likely to get a gift from close friends. Be cordial with spouse and ensure that she doesn’t change good intentions because of your bad behaviour. Businessmen make changes to ensure profits.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Though enemies are active to tarnish your image, you will be in a strong position and remain unscathed. Son will excel in studies and get your affection along with gifts. Some have a bright chance to add new valuables to their household stuff.
Be careful while driving and avoid speeding. Children will co-operate with you well and show improvement in studies and make you cheerful. You will purchase important household gadgets, which will make your spouse very happy.
Health problems could surface; need to take immediate attention. Children will be interested to go out on a jolly trip; you are obliged to keep them cheerful. Avoid reminding the spouse old blunders even for fun. Businessmen need work hard.
Influx of visitors will cheer you and the spouse; receive them well and take care of them to their satisfaction. A harmonious situation will prevail at home. Businessmen will make sincere efforts and put in hard work to ensure they earn profits.
Couples will be more affectionate towards each other; your praises will cheer them. Health looks fine. Happy events are likely to take place at home. Businessmen will be able to improve their profits well with a minimum investment.
You will be happy to see your son or daughter giving you valuable suggestions, which, if implemented, will yield good result. Avoid overworking; relaxation will work well for your health. Avoid travel so that health will improve.
You will clear a major portion of haunting debts and get partial relief. Be careful while allowing your children to play with valuable articles as they might not use them properly. Spouse will help you with her savings when you are in troubled times.
With patience, you will be able to reduce the adamant attitude of your children. Travel and expenses will increase; try to reduce them with good monitoring and effective planning. Employees likely to complete all entrusted responsibilities.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Three of Wands – Some unrealistic promises were made. You set your heart on them. Now that they haven’t come true, it’s hurting you real bad. Get real.
LEO:
Strength – Your hard work is being rewarded and your success grows by leaps and bounds. You’re in the mood to share this with loved ones. Go on, spread the joy.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Seven of Pentacles – Two groups are fighting over something and you’re caught in the middle. It’s not good to take sides in such a situation. Stay in the middle.
SAGITTARIUS:
Seven of Swords – Don’t trust everything you hear or see. There is someone who is conspiring against you. As long as you don’t react, it will all be fine.
TAURUS:
King of Swords – At work, you need to manage better coordination among the various teams you work with. There is a risk that you come across as arrogant.
CANCER:
Eight of Swords – Life will not always be smooth sailing and the sooner you get used to this idea, the better. You’re experiencing a low and want some company.
VIRGO:
Eight of Pentacles – There’s no point trying to convert some non-believers into your way of thinking. Be patient and give friends enough time to understand you.
SCORPIO:
The Chariot – There’s no point making investments for the short term. Always think of a retirement plan and work towards making your sunset years happy.
CAPRICORN:
Knight of Wands – Quick growth in a new, unfamiliar area may make you very nervous. It may have repercussions since you may not be sound in the basics.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Page of Cups – Take a break and enjoy time with loved ones. It’s been a while since you spent time with the people you love. It’ll be good for your confidence.
NUMBER GAME
cles – Travel is indicated. You may have to move cities for a job or travel in order to organise something related to work. It’ll be good experience.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Nine of Penta-
POOCH CAFE
Moderate income is possible through ancestral property. You need to adopt healthy food habits to avoid nutritional deficiency. Spouse will give importance to your suggestions. Businessmen will make use of favourable conditions.
for 3-4-2013
Queen of Swords – You’re on the hunt for best bargains. A shopping expedition will yield good results if you continue looking for what you want. Don’t give up.
NON SEQUITUR
You need to stay away from enemies of relatives to keep them happy and earn a good name. You undertake a jolly trip with family members on request of children and fulfill their wishes. Businessmen will collect written-off loans.
SUDUKO
You will extend help to blood relatives and make them comfortable and happy. Travel you undertake will be successful and yield desired results. Be patient while correcting your children from bad habits and ensure they are treated politely.
Boggle LEAD GOLD NICKEL SILVER COPPER Vol: 2, No 256 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
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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
WHOSE FANTASY IS IT ANYWAY?
CINE BYTES
Brangelina vacation in the West Coast
A
ngelina Jolie took Knox and Pax to Michaels in Santa Barbara, CA, on Saturday. Brad Pitt was in charge of the kids as they went off-roading in the sand. The whole family is back together on the West Coast after Angelina returned from a trip overseas last week. Angelina travelled to Africa with Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague to raise awareness of sexual violence in war zones.
Beauty comes from within: Brook
A
Ryan Gosling and Mila Kunis top celebrity sex fantasy survey
R
yan Gosling and Mila Kunis are the most fantasised about stars, according to research conducted by Details magazine. In their online sex survey, Details asked readers, "Which celebrities do you fantasise about?" Gosling was the most wanted male by a landslide, bringing in a whopping 50% of the vote. Coming in second place was The Paperboy star Zac Efron. The Voice coach Adam Levine came in third, with purported Sexiest Man Alive
Channing Tatum and Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper rounding out the Top 5. Kunis won the female category by a slightly narrower margin, with 41% of the vote. The evil witch from Oz the Great and Powerful easily beat out Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model Kate Upton, who came in second. The sex survey also brought Jennifer Lawrence's award winning streak to a screeching halt, as the Oscar winner came in third place in the fantasy minds of Details readers.
ctress Kelly Brook says looking beautiful has a lot to do with inner happiness.She describes herself as "a natural" and believes in saying the right thing."I truly believe that beauty comes from within. If you're happy then not only will you look better, you'll be a good partner and a good friend too," You magazine quoted Brook as saying. IANS
Justin Timberlake sends fans on a treasure hunt
S
inger-actor Justin Timberlake has sent fans on a special treasure hunt to thank them for sending his new album to the top of the US charts. He decided to treat devotees by hiding a handful of autographed records around the US.Timberlake tops Billboard Charts in the US after the sales ďŹ gure of his comeback album The 20/20 Experience reached the 968,000-mark, reports dailystar.co.uk. IANS
sports
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TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
NBA
Bucks bash Bobcats 131-102
Hamstring injury leaves Ginobili out for 4 weeks
The last time the Bucks reached 131 points was way back in 1986. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Monta Ellis finished with 19 points, 14 assists and six steals as the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Charlotte Bobcats 131-102 on Monday at the Bradley Center arena. Larry Sanders had a NBA career-best 24 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, six of which came at the offensive end for the Bucks. Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings netted 22 and 19 points, respectively, while JJ Redick came off the bench to chip in 20 points. Milwaukee remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and trail the Boston
Milwaukee are in 8th place in the Conference and trail the Boston Celtics by 1 1/2 games.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Guard Manu Ginobili (above) is expected to miss up to four weeks because of a strained right hamstring, the San Antonio Spurs announced Monday. Ginobili, of Argentina, sustained the injury during the first quarter of Friday's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, causing the 11-year veteran to miss Sunday's 88-86 loss to Miami. In 59 National Basketball Association games this season, Ginobili averaged 11.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. Spurs forwards Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard, both suffering from sore left knees, also did not play in San Antonio's 92-90 loss to Memphis on Monday. San Antonio has already locked up a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Celtics by 1 1/2 games. The last time the Bucks reached 131 points was way back in 1986. Kemba Walker scored a game-high 27 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field for Charlotte, who have dropped five of its last six games. Tyrus Thomas scored 13 points off the bench in his first game since February 6 while Gerald Henderson scored 17 points in the loss. AFP
DRUG DEALINGS
Vijender took heroin 12 times, say police
The high-profile boxer has not been seen in public for the past few weeks and has not issued any statement. NEW DELHI: Indian Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh (left) took heroin 12 times, according to police who are investigating his links to an alleged dealer and a $24-million drug haul last month. Police in northwestern Punjab said investigations showed both Vijender, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and fellow boxer Ram Singh procured the drug from the alleged dealer between December and February. “Vijender Singh consumed
the drug about 12 times and Ram Singh about five times,” Punjab police said in a statement Sunday which did not specify how they had reached this conclusion. “However, they did not actively connive with the smugglers in their activities and nothing was recovered from them -as such both of them are not being arrested in the case at this stage.” The police said Vijender, himself a police officer in the neighbouring state of Haryana, had declined to provide hair and blood samples for
The police said Vijender, himself a police officer in the neighbouring state of Haryana, had declined to provide hair and blood samples for test. testing last month. Vijender, 27, who became a household name in India after winning the Olympic medal, has strongly denied any link to the drug dealer and has slammed as “ridiculous” the allegations
against him. Police seized 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of heroin with a street value of 1.3 billion rupees ($24 million) in March in the northern state of Punjab. The alleged dealer was arrested along with five others. Vijender was linked to the haul after a car belonging to his wife was found outside the residence of the alleged dealer near Chandigarh. Officials from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said Vijender was unlikely to be penalised since any drug use was done out of competition. AFP
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sports TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT
Stenson, Jacobson, Sterne, Points join Masters field AUGUSTA, GEORGIA: Swedes Henrik Stensonv (in pic) and Fredrik Jacobson and South Africa's Richard Sterne received official invitations to next week's Masters golf tournament on Monday. The players qualified for the year's first major championship at Augusta National Golf Club by being among the top 50
in this week's world rankings. American D.A. Points booked his second trip to the Masters with a victory on Sunday at the PGA Houston Open. Stenson rose from 53rd to 42nd by sharing second at Houston. Jacobson is ranked 47th this week, two spots ahead of Sterne.
One last berth remains available to those not already in the field, but it will go to the winner of this wek's PGA Texas Open, provided that winner has not already qualified. American Bubba Watson will defend his Masters crown when most of the world's top players gather next week at the famed layout. AFP
WTA FAMILY CIRCLE CUP
Serena set to defend title
Serena will seek her third trophy of the season at the clay-court. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: World No. 1 Serena Williams (right), fresh from winning a record sixth Miami Masters title will seek her third trophy of the season at the WTA Family Circle Cup claycourt event. Defending champion and top seed Williams, who like the other top-eight seeds received a first-round bye, will open her defence of the title against Italy's Camila Giorgi, who eliminated Mandy Minella 6-4, 6-4 on Monday. Williams also won at Charleston in 2008. She also won this year at Brisbane as well as Miami, where she downed World No. 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia in the final. Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki has won four clay titles in her career, including at Charleston in 2011. Australia's third-seeded Samantha Stosur, the 2010 Charleston champion, is also in the mix, playing her first event since pulling out of Indian Wells with a calf injury. Other seeds in the field of 56
include Americans Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams, Czech Lucie Safarova, Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro and Germany's Mona Barthel.
Puerto Rico's Monica Puig beat Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-4, 6-0 on Monday to book a second-round date with Venus Williams. AFP
Results 1st rd: Sorana Cirstea (ROM x11) bt Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) Olga Govortsova bt Jamie Hampton 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 Mathilde Johansson (FRA) bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 Monica Puig bt Andrea Hlavackova 6-4, 6-0 Camila Giorgi bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-4, 6-4 Mallory Burdette (USA) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1, 1-6, 6-0 Varvara Lepchenko (USA x12) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Grace Min (USA) bt Tamira Paszek (AUT x13) 6-3, retired Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Nastassja Burnett (ITA) 6-2, 6-3 Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) Stefanie Voegele (SUI) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-2, 6-2 Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) Jessica Pegula bt Garbine Muguruza 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 7-5 Andrea Petkovic bt Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-0
TOUR OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY
Gerrans wins first stage MADRID: In-form Australian rider Simon Gerrans won the first stage of the Tour of the Basque Country after a 156.5km ride around Elgoibar on Monday. The 32-year-old edged out Peter Velits and Angel Vicioso on the line form his second stage win in Spain in just over a week after also emerging victorious in the penultimate stage of the Tour of Catalonia.
Pre-race favourite and two-time winner of the event Alberto Contador finished back in seventh, but registered the same time as the leaders. However, a crash just five kilometres from the end of the stage cost another contender Samuel Sanchez five seconds as he finished down in 18th. Until that point the day had been largely controlled by the peloton.
Amets Txurruka and Laurent Didier set the early pace as they broke away after 30km to establish a healthy five minute lead just before the 50km mark. That was as big a gap as the peloton allowed though as led by Contador's SaxoTinkoff team the front two began to be reeled in. Txurruka made a solo break 36km from the finish but was eventually caught 18km out by the chasing
pack. At that point the Sky and Movistar teams carried the workload in the peloton, but the leading pack was reduced to some 17 riders after a crash at the top of the final climb up the Alto de Aiastia. The chasing pack was never able to make up the gap the crash created and Gerrans timed his run to the line to claim the stage win.
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sports TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
India is not just Chennai or Tamil Nadu: Sangakkara SYED SHOAIB shoaib.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: “That Sri Lankan players should not play in the Indian Premier League is the view of people in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, and that too, a few, not that of all Indians, and so we are comfortable playing in other parts of the country,” said Kumar Sangakkara. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the official jersey of Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday, the outspoken former Sri Lanka captain said that though security was top priority while drafting out his itinerary, he and his fellow countrymen were happy to be playing in the IPL in other parts of India, especially since they have been received warmly everywhere. Going against former Sri Lankan great Arjuna Ranatunga’s advice that Sri Lankan players not participate in
Kumar Sangakkara addresses the media in Hyderabad on Monday. N. SHIVA KUMAR
the IPL, Sangakkara said, “This has been a divisive issue even back home. But this is not a nation versus nation issue.
SRI LANKA VS BANGALADESH
Foreign policy is not dictated by the situation. If it were, then the Sri Lankans would not be here.” “We will play in other parts of the country since India has been very welcoming of Sri Lankan players, and we will not give in to petty issues because sports transcend such pettiness,” he added. Having endured a difficult phase in the IPL, the revamped Deccan Chargers have not had much time to regroup in preparation of this season’s challenge but hope to do well this time. “The build-up for us has been different this time and it has been a difficult time for the Sri Lankan players, but will do well this time,” said Sangakkara of the preparation of the Sunrisers in this, the sixth edition of the IPL. Coach Tom Moody said that with Ishant Sharma doing well against a formidable Australian team and that too on flat Indian wickets, Sunrisers had in him
and Dale Steyn a winning pace attack, while rueing the fact that they will have to play without Shikhar Dhawan for at least four weeks. “A fit Ishant will be of big help and so will be the youngsters in the team, though it is unfortunate not to have the service of Shikhar Dhawan for a few weeks,” he said. CEO and founder of MakeMyTrip.com, the principal sponsor of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deep Kalra emphasised the growing popularity of IPL. “While hotel occupancy in the country is an average of 62 per cent, it grows by about 10 per cent in centres hosting IPL matches. Air traffic also goes up considerably during the IPL season,” he said. Sunrisers Hyderabad, he said would fare better this time around having been “resurrected” after not doing too well over the last couple of seasons.
CA not to disclose CT probables MELBOURNE: Breaking the norms followed by all participating countries ahead of ICC tournaments, Australia will not disclose their list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy in England starting June 8, according to a report. According to a report, CA had approached the ICC for clarification over the rules about squad announcement and requested that the 30-man list of probables, which will be pruned to 15, not be made public. The newspaper said that the CA has got permission from the ICC to keep secret its list of 30 players, bucking a dominant worldwide trend of disclosure. Before every major ICC tournament, participating nations must submit a preliminary squad of 30 two months beforehand, and then trim that squad to 15 a month later. AFP
FASHION AND CRICKET
Perera stars in win
PALLEKELE, SRI LANKA: Kusal Perera smashed a brisk 64 to set up Sri Lanka’s 17-run victory over Bangladesh in a one-off Twenty20 international in Pallekele on Sunday. The opener, who was named man of the match, hit four sixes and five fours in his 44-ball knock as Sri Lanka posted a challenging 198-5 before restricting Bangladesh to 181-7. Mohammad Ashraful top-scored for Bangladesh with a 27-ball 43 while seamers Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera each bagged two wickets for Sri Lanka. “I am happy about my first win as captain,” said Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal. “Kusal Perera gave us the
start and we continued after that. We put up a good total and that is why we won.” Bangladesh suffered a setback after reaching 68-2 in the eighth over as Ashraful was given out leg-before. He hit seamer Thisara Perera for two successive sixes and then a four in the same over. Mushfiqur Rahim (39) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (31) kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive with a 50-run stand for the fifth wicket before both fell in the 15th over to leave their team struggling at 137-6. Bangladesh were let down by their bowling in the later stages of the innings as they gave away 75 in the last five overs. They also conceded 19 runs in wides. AFP
Rajasthan Royals’ team owner, Shilpa Shetty during the unveiling of the ‘RR Fan Wear Collection’ in Jaipur on Monday. PTI
IN BRIEF SL players to play in IPL despite pressure COLOMBO: Despite mounting pressure to snub the event, Sri Lanka Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the players were allowed to take part in the IPL in view of BCCI’s assistance at times of need in the past. “We have to take into account our good relations with the BCCI and their assistance given to Sri Lanka at times of need in the past,” he said.
BAR BRAWL
Ryder fails to recall attack
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder told police Tuesday he has no memory of the vicious attack that left him critically injured in hospital last week. He suffered serious head and lung injuries following the beating, prompting warnings for New Zealand’s sports elite to be on their guard when out in public. Ryder was injured as he left a bar in the South Island city of Christchurch early on Thursday morn-
ing after a night out drinking with his Wellington team-mates. Although his condition has improved sufficiently for him to be moved out of the hospital intensive care unit, the last thing he remembers is being dismissed in a cricket match on Wednesday. “Unfortunately Mr Ryder has no recollection of what took place or the events leading up to the incident,” detective senior sergeant Brian Archer said. AFP
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
sports
TOO EARLY TO SAY IF MESSI IS BEST EVER: IBRAHIMOVIC Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic heaped praise on his former team-mate Lionel Messi on Monday, but insisted it was too soon to describe the Argentine as the greatest player of all time. Messi, who turns 26 this year, scored his 43rd goal of the season in La Liga this weekend.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW
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RACISM ROW
End goal drought: Mourinho As Ronaldo has outscored his teammates, the Real Madrid coach is concerned about the form of Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain. KIERAN CANNING Agence France-Presse
Malaga out to shock Dortmund DERMOT LEDWITH Agence France-Presse
MADRID: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is hoping his goalshy team rediscover their goalscoring form in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final here against Turkish giants Galatasaray on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo (right) kept up his imperious form with his 43rd goal of the season in Saturday’s 1-1 draw away at Real Zaragoza, but the lack of goals from other areas of the pitch concerns Mourinho. “Perhaps that is one of the differences this season,” he said. “Last season with four chances we would score three goals, we were scoring goals with great ease and the only one who has maintained a similar average has been Cristiano.” “All the others have gone down in their numbers of goals and obviously the team feels the consequences. “The goals will come. If they don’t arrive on Wednesday, then we hope they will do so in the next game, but it is a reality that we are having some difficulties in scoring goals.” Mourinho also indicated that Iker Casillas would not be involved against the
MADRID: Malaga winger Joaquin Sanchez is promising a big performance from his side on Wednesday as the Spanish side host Borussia Dortmund in a Champions League quarter-final in their first ever appearance in the competition. “We’ll go out aggressive and look for a result at home, but not even an 8-0 win would allow us to relax in Germany,’’ he said on Monday.
Turkish champions despite returning to training following a hand injury. Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao are though expected to return after missing the Real Zaragoza league game with slight muscle injuries and Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria will start after being rested at the weekend. Mourinho, though, is determined his side take a lead to Istanbul rather than living on their nerves as they did in the previous round against Manchester United.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Fulham hold on to leave QPR in trouble
LONDON: Queens Park Rangers spurned another chance to improve their chances of survival in the Premier League after a gripping 3-2 loss at Fulham on Monday left them seven points from safety with seven games to play. Fulham exploited generous defending from their west London rivals to establish a 3-0 lead inside 41 minutes at Craven Cottage through a
QPRs’ Clint Hill (R) vies for the ball with Fulham’s Dimitar Berbatov.
Dimitar Berbatov double and a Clint Hill own goal. Adel Taarabt pulled one back in the first half and Loic Remy added a second, moments after seeing a penalty saved, before Fulham lost Steve Sidwell to a red card for a late foul on Armand Traore. QPR could not find an equaliser, however, and remain second from bottom in the table ahead of a crucial game at home
to fourth-bottom Wigan Athletic on Sunday. “It was a disastrous first half and it cost us,” said QPR manager Harry Redknapp. “We gave away the worst goals I’ve ever seen in my life. It was an absolute disaster, but then we got a goal back, came out in the second half and absolutely murdered them. We are not giving up. We have to beat Wigan on Sunday,” he added.
FOOTBALL BRIEFS Ronaldo welcomes attacking Galatasaray
Cardiff move closer to promotion
Warnock quits ailing Leeds
Pele probed by Brazil’s military junta: records
MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is looking forward to facing Galatasaray in the quarter-finals of the Champions League because he believes Real Madrid fare better against sides that attack them. “The game against Galatasaray will be wide open and very balanced,” he told Madrid’s website. “We have to play well, like we do at home.”
LONDON: Cardiff are closing in on a place in the Premier League after moving seven points clear at the top of the Championship with a 3-0 win against struggling Blackburn on Monday. With second-placed Hull not in action until Tuesday’s clash with promotion rivals Watford, Mackay’s team took the opportunity to extend their lead in style.
LEEDS, UK: Neil Warnock quit as manager of ailing English giants Leeds United on Monday just over a year after he took up the post. Warnock, 64, who replaced the highly-regarded Simon Grayson when he was sacked in February 2012, leaves with the club just five points above the relegation zone in the second tier Championship.
SAO PAULO: Football legend Pele was investigated by Brazil’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, records released on Monday showed. The records are among nearly 300,000 digital files posted on the “Political Memory and Resistance” portal made public by the state of Sao Paulo. “It’s all public,” said Governor Geraldo Alckmin.
Di Canio hits back over racism claims LONDON: New Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has hit back at the storm of criticism over his political beliefs. Di Canio took his first training session with Sunderland’s players on Monday following his surprise appointment as replacement for sacked boss Martin O’Neill 24 hours earlier. But the Italian’s arrival at the Stadium of Light has already stirred controversy due to his far right-wing politics.
He has previously admitted to having fascist leanings and in 2005 said: “I am a fascist, not a racist”. The former Lazio, Celtic and West Ham striker has previously admitted to having fascist leanings and in 2005 said: “I am a fascist, not a racist”. Former British foreign secretary David Miliband immediately resigned as Sunderland’s vicechairman and non-executive director in protest at Di Canio’s stance. And Piara Powar, director of Football Against Racism in Europe, has called on Di Canio to soften his political beliefs to avoid setting a bad example. AFP
I don’t have a problem with anyone. I don’t know why I have to keep repeating my story, to be defending myself on something that doesn’t belong to me. Paolo Di Canio Sunderland manager