Postnoon E-Paper for 06 April 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

UNASSUMING HEROES

nsung, a book of photo-essays, tells the stories of nine amazing people from across India. The evocative black-and-white pictures by photographer Mahesh Bhat are his tribute to ordinary Indian citizens who’ve dedicated themselves to improving the lives of people around them. Their stories are truly inspirational and teach us how we can beat all odds if we harness and channel our inner resources. The book has received rave reviews and made a great impact. PG 16&17

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APRIL 6, 2013 HYDERABAD

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ON SATURDAY Responding to questions being raised about the Pentavalent vaccine’s credibility in India, Unicef says the reported deaths of a few infants after immunisation were ‘not exactly due to the vaccine’, and that ‘advantages outweigh risks’. REPORT ON PG 5

UNICEF:

Pentavalent is safe SOME FISHY STRESSBUSTERS

any people are unable to keep four-legged pets as they live in apartments or because their parents do not allow pets such as cats and dogs inside the home. For such people, keeping fish is the next best option. Find out if you are a fish person by setting up a tank. Zaheer Sharif from Ocean World gives some tips for beginners. PG 13

INDIAN COMICS COME OF AGE

ecently held in Delhi, Comic Con had about 45,000 walk-ins and a sale of `1cr from 50 participants. And to those of us who do not belong to this little community of comic book enthusiasts, it must be noted that there were comics other than the ones we have always known. We’ve come a long way from Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle, Chacha Choudhary or even Chhota Bheem. PG 14

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

JOY RIDE

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

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-7pm, Daily classes, Except on weekends Contact: 94901 00404

Chocolate making workshop

All materials will be provided by the organisers and you can take what you make. The seats are limited for a hands-on session. Where: Panache-The Finishing School When: April 6, 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6673 3451

Group painting exhibition

An exhibition of paintings by Pradosh Swain and Suchismita

typical Sunday brunch can be a little confusing — it's hard to stick to one cuisine. Taj Krishna in the City has decided to go off the beaten track by launching its Sparkling Yumcha brunch this Sunday at the Golden Dragon. The brunch, which includes sparkling wine, will focus only on delicacies from the heart of China. It lures you with dimsums, soup, spring rolls, noodles, rice and a variety of seafood to choose from. Visit once, you'll definitely indulge again! City’s #1 spot

CINEMAS

A man rides pillion on an ice box at Basheer Bagh. Sahoo. Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing 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

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 Contact: (040) 2341 8545

Special lunch

A changing menu, with a wide spread of food items, and special packages for kitty and group lunches. Where: Kailash Parbat, Above Ebony Gautier, 2nd floor, Road No. 36 Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 23558856

Heritage and restoration in post WWII Germany

This is a lecture by Anuradha Reddy, an expert in restoration and heritage with many years of experience in Germany. Where: Goethe-Zentrum 20 Journalist Colony, Road no 3, Banjara Hills When: April 10, 6pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Crossword Travel Fest

Lonely Planet – Crossword Travel Fest is a fest designed to aid all your travel needs, domestic as well as international. You also get a discount on Lonely Planet prodcuts. Where: Available at Crossword book stores When: Up to April 14

M ANIL KUMAR

Jaya Vilasam

Ananda Priya Foundation is organising Jaya Vilasam, a dance presentation by Dr Yashoda Thakore. Where: Saptaparni, Next to Kalpa school, Road no 8, Banjara Hills When: April 7, 6.30pm onwards Contact: 93962 12232

Punjabiyaan Di Shaan

With Baisakhi ushering in, masterchefs from Punjab, along with the skilled team of Radisson Blu Hyderabad, recreate the lip smacking authentic Punjabi delicacies and an array of cultural festivities. Where: Chill Restaurant & Terrace, Radisson Blu Hyderabad, Banjara Hills When: Up to April 14, all day long Contact: (040) 6733 1133

Shakespeare’s Hamlet play reading

The play reading is being organised by Samahaara theatre group. Where: Lamakaan, Opposite GVKOne, Banjara Hills When: April 7, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Fifth day of hunger strike

‘Notorious’ thief arrested

he ‘electricity Satyagarha’ (indefinite hunger strike) programme launched by YSRC MLAs entered its fifth day this morning. Addressing the gathering at the site of the strike, party president YS Vijayamma said the government’s decision to partially bear the hiked electricity charges is nothing but a knee jerk reaction to the agitation of rival parties.

Case of cheating booked against man, lover A woman residing in Saudi Arabia forged her siblings’ signatures to transfer their land on the outskirts of the City in her lover’s name.

Mohd Subhan

he Golconda police booked case of cheating against Jahangir and Haleema Khan, the woman with whom he was allegedly having an affair. The former was arrested and the airport authorities have been alert-

‘Hooligan’ killed by gang

he Chandanagar police arrested a notorious thief, G Satish, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, and seized nearly 20 tolas of gold, five tolas of silver and `20,000 from his possession. He has been involved in many thefts in the City and is always on the move, targeting shops and breaking in during the night, police said.

ed about the latter, a resident of Saudi Arabia, inspector Nayeemuddin Javed said. Jahangir, 34, a resident of Sahebguda, Mangalpally, of Ibrahimpatnam, was a real estate agent. He is said to been in an extra marital affair for a few years with Haleema, 50, a resident of

Saudi Arabia. She used to come to the City once a year to meet him, and is said to have helped him financially and gifted him a car, house, etc. Haleema, an NRI, and her family allegedly have property worth crores of rupees on the City outskirts, in Jallapally and Qutubullahpur. The land was in the name of Haleena, her two brothers and sister. One of the brothers died in 1997, said inspector Javeed. Haleema came to the City as usual on three years back, and registered two plots of land in his name with the help of forged signatures of her brothers and sister. When her younger brother Zahid Khan, a resident of Meraj Colony, Towli Chowki, who works abroad, came to the City, the incident came to light. He lodged a complaint with the Golconda police. A TATA Sumo car and some documents were seized from Jahangir. He was produced in court.

TA hooligan in the Chilkalguda police station limits was murdered by a gang of four. The deceased, T Sukanna, a native of Kuarnool, was residing in the City at Warasiguda. He was involved in many criminal cases, police said. He was travelling on the road from Jamia Osmania and Warasiguda, when four people stabbed him.

New ‘biscuit gang’ on prowl? A gang gave sedative-laced biscuits to four friends and took away their belongings and cash. Postnoon News

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ccording to the police, Arvind Kumar, Chand, Bahadur and Gambhir, all natives of Uttar Pradesh, who work as stone cutters, were travelling form UP to Hyderabad by the Karnataka Kranti Express, for work. They became acquainted with a gang of four people while travelling, who offered

them biscuits. The four friends fell unconscious, after which the gang robbed them of nearly `10,000, their hand bangs, and managed to escape from the train. The four were woken up when the train reached Kachiguda railway station. They noticed that their belongings were missing and lodged a complaint with the railway police.

Rebel MLAs’ letter takes parties by surprise The strategic move of the Congress and TDP MLAs, who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion against the whips of their respective parties, has caught the two key political players unawares. Inkeshaf Ahmed

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he 15 rebel MLA, nice from Congress and six from Telugu Desam Party, wrote an open letter to Assembly speaker Nadendla Manohar on Friday and requested him to immediately disqualify them from the House. They alleged that both Congress and TDP were conspiring to see that they lost their MLA posts without facing a by-poll till the next General Elections. They also brought to the notice of the speaker that they voted against whips of their parties with the sole objective of losing membership from the Assembly. This sudden action by the MLAs has surprised the Congress and

TDP camps. “The rebel MLAs have floored all of us with their open letter. We did not expect such a sudden reaction from them. The MLAs have request-

ed the speaker to disqualify them without any delay, which would force the speaker to hasten his decision. If he disqualifies them from the House in the next couple of days, then we

will face another round of byelections in the State,” the leader told Postnoon. He added that Congress is not at all prepared to face the elections as the people of the State are reeling under severe problems like the electricity crisis and increase in power tariff. A TDP senior leader and party politburo member told Postnoon that they are not in a position to face another by-poll. “The TDP’s position in the State is not as good as what we are claiming, despite the ongoing marathon padyatra of our party president N Chandrababu Naidu. The party had lost much of its ground and could not win even win a single seat during the last couple of by-polls. The same result would be repeated if the by-polls are held again.”

REVERSAL OF PLANS

The plans of both the parties seem to have taken an about turn after this sudden development. Both the parties, who have already officially requested the speaker to disqualify these MLAs, thought of dragging the entire process till June with the help of the Representation of People’s Act-1951. Section 151A (a) of the Act allow the election commission to hold the election for a vacant Assembly seat along with the General Election if the remainder of the term of the member who is disqualified or has quit is less than one year. The enforcement of this clause would help both the Congress and TDP avoid by-poll till the next General Election.

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Commissioner angers activists While some believe that Vijaya Babu is carrying out his duties according to his whims and fancies, the commissioner says this is merely a result of decades of professional rivalry. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

rahul.r@postnoon.com

ctivists allege that this is the beginning of the rot that will take over the RTI Act in the State. With the election of four information commissioners in an allegedly opaque and unchallenged process, the state of RTI applications has received its first brickbats. It is alleged that state information commissioner P Vijaya Babu is donning the role of an inquiry officer to RTI applicants. E Sivaramanjaneyulu, an RTI applicant was persistent in his efforts to seek information from various government agencies. So much so that he had filed 144 RTI applications with various departments; 36 of which were filed with the State agriculture department itself. Not satisfied with the information furnished, Sivaramanjaneyulu moved the appellate authority and eventually landed at the commission’s hearings. This is when State information commissioner Vijaya Babu stepped in. The commissioner accused

BABU’S LETTER OF APPLICATION STATED THAT HE WAS “SELFLESSLY LOYAL TO THE CONGRESS”. THIS IS JUST ONE AMONG THE MANY ACCUSATIONS LEVELLED AGAINST HIM THAT HE HAS DENIED. Sivaramanjanyalu of having ulterior motives for filing the applications.“This man has been blackmailing officials into publishing advertisements in his trimonthly magazine. All his RTI applications are devoid of any public interest and are solely driven for pressuring officials under the guise of RTI,” he said. RTI activists are vexed by the way the new commissioner style of functioning, especially this particular remark. RTI activist Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu, questioning Babu’s stand, said, “It is very funny and idiotic the way he is dealing with RTI applicants. When the Parliament and elected MPs themselves have said motives are not important in RTI and that the Act has no limitations on the number of RTIs that can be filed, how can

‘Padayatra more important to Naidu than sub-plan’ ELURU: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that padayatras are more important to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu than the SC, ST sub-plan. Inaugurating the SC, ST sub-plan at the ZP high school in Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district, the CM said he expected the TDP, BJP, TRS and Communist parties evincing interest in the SC, ST sub-plan, but was dismayed as they tried to obstruct the sub-plan. Kiran told the gathering that the governments in other States have shown keen interest in the SC, ST sub-plan brought out by the Andhra Pradesh government and that his government has enhanced the allocations for the SCs and STs by over four times during Naidu’s TDP rule. He sarcastically said that his “walking friend” (Naidu) felt that his walks are more important than anything else and went on walking, instead of attending the Assembly and taking part in debates. He said it is natural for opposition parties to criticise

The allegations

the government, no matter how much good it does. The Chief Minister also showered sops on the SCs and STs. He told them that the government would sanction `1 lakh each for houses. Kiran said his government wants every rupee meant for the upliftment of the SCs and STs to be used for them under the subplan. He said of the `12,256 crore allotted for the plan, `8,585 crore would be spent for the SCs and `3,666 crore for the STs. He said no other State in the country was implementing such a plan and added that late prime minister Indira Gandhi formulated the sub-plan as far back as 1975. Now, he said, the plan is being implemented under the directions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Kiran added that his government has appointed a committee under deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and the plan is being implemented as per the recommendations of NSS the committee.

These accusations are being levelled against me by a group of disappointed and disheartened individuals who have unsuccessfully tried to lobby for the post of information commissioner. P Vijaya Babu State information commissioner he question the motives of the applicant?” He added that this clearly defeats the purpose of the Act and only reinforces the belief that people in power work

E Sivaramanjaneyulu, an RTI applicant, filed 144 RTI applications with various departments; 36 of which were filed with the State agriculture department itself.

Not satisfied with the information furnished, he moved the appellate authority.

State information commissioner Vijaya Babu accused Sivaramanjanyalu of having ulterior motives for filing the applications.

for their officers and not for the people.” Sivaramanjaneyulu’s issue scratches only the surface of a deadly body of professional rivalry and jealousy. It is worth mentioning that Babu’s letter of application for the post of State information commissioner mentioned that he was “selflessly loyal to the Congress party”, which is just one among the many accusations levelled against him that he has denied. “These accusa-

tions are being levelled against me by a group of disappointed and disheartened individuals who have unsuccessfully tried to lobby for the post of information commissioner. It is their frustration and jealousy that is making them say these things. How else can you explain the chief minister, the leader of the opposition and the Governor agreeing unanimously to my candidature?” Babu quipped. When asked that it is irrelevant if an person has a motive while filing an RTI application, the commissioner said, “Yes, there are no limitations to filing an RTI but the Act clearly mentions that the information being sought should be in the public’s interest. What social value is there behind the filing of so many frivolous applications when the applicant’s sole reason is personal gain?” While some believe that the commissioner is carrying out his duties according to his whims and fancies, the commissioner says this is merely a result of decades of professional rivalry and jealousy. One things is clear: decadence and fundamentally wrong notions about the Act have begun to stall its progress and has clouded its success in the future.

NOWHERE TO GO

The road between Abids and Basheer Bagh was shut for several hours on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter and social reformist Babu Jagjivan Ram. Many commuters were inconvenienced due to this. M ANIL KUMAR

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Unicef says

PENTAVALENT IS SAFE

Responding to questions raised about the pentavalent vaccine’s credibility in India, Unicef says the deaths of a few infants after immunisation were ‘not exactly due to the vaccine’, and that the ‘advantages outweigh the risks’. This is the first in a two-part investigation. tigate other causes/possible explanations. If you find any, it could well be that. But if you can’t find any other cause, it is probably related to the vaccine. You don’t expect children to fall dead all of a sudden,” said the source. He added that WHO went to Sri Lanka to investigate the deaths that occurred after immunisation and found that there was nothing to connect the deaths and the vaccine. But a full report provided to the Delhi High Court revealed that WHO used the Brighton classification, but removed ‘probably’ and ‘possibly’ and replaced it with ‘unlikely’ and ‘certainly related’. So the report said although

DEEPASHRI V

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

nicef conducted a media consultation workshop in Bangalore yesterday to put all doubts about the pentavalent vaccine to rest and promote it for “saving the lives of infants.” In 2011, the vaccine provided by Unicef was tested in two states — Kerala and Tamil Nadu. According to a response to a Right to Information query filed with the Kerala government after the first six months of introduction of the vaccine, five deaths in 40,000 immunised children were reported. After some reports attributed these deaths to the vaccine itself, a committee was set up by the Unicef to probe the same. The reports said that the deaths were not related to the vaccine and it was soon launched in some other states as well. On March 17, the pentavalent vaccine was launched in Karnataka. “The events are not attributed to the vaccine at all,” said RR Jannu, mission director of National Rural Health Mission, Kar nataka, at the workshop. “For any new vaccine, there will be some level of apprehension. Apart from the normal reaction that any vaccine has, this has proved to be very safe and reduce infant mortality rates.” Madan Gopal, principal secretary of the health and family welfare department, Karnataka, said that 170 member countries of the WHO have already introduced the pentavalent vaccine and India is the 171st country to do so. It is being introduced in a phased manner in different states across the country as they “don’t want to play with the lives of the children.” “Three years ago, some unfounded comments were made. A committee was constituted to do a verbal autopsy of each case and it was found that the deaths were not due to the vaccine; it was due to some other reasons,” said Gopal. He feels that there is a tendency to sensationalise adverse effects, which are very minute in nature. Gopal says that whatever precautions one takes, adverse effects are inevitable, but this is no reason to stop the entire programme.

What is pentavalent vaccine?

entavalent vaccine, as the name suggests, combines the protection against five diseases — hepatitis B, DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) and Hib (that can cause meningitis and pneumonia in children) — in one vaccine.

it found no other causes, it was ‘unlikely’ to be related to the vaccine, as it cannot be proved that it is ‘certainly related.’

RISK- BENEFIT ANALYSIS

A member of the national technical advisory group on immunisation, however, has a different story to tell. “The vaccine was introduced in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Vietnam and some other countries. All these countries reported deaths (after immunisation). That is why it was decided to study its impact in the two states initially,” he said on the condition of anonymity. The member added that before the study from Kerala and Tamil Nadu could be analysed, the programme was extended to some other states.

A MATTER OF DEFINITION ?

Three years ago, some unfounded comments were made. A committee was constituted to do a verbal autopsy of each case and it was found that the deaths were not due to the vaccine. Madan Gopal, Karnataka health secretary

To identify whether a reaction after vaccination falls under adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI), Brighton collaboration, a global research network, provides a classification of AEFI. It proposes the method of “re-challenge,” where once a child who falls ill after vaccination recovers, the same is tented on him/her to prove that it is indeed a reaction to the vaccine and not related to any other cause. But if a child dies in the first instance, how do we find out? “You are supposed to inves-

Saying “myths and misconceptions” are impairing the vaccine’s outreach, experts at the consultation workshop said the advantages far outweigh the risks. The number of cases reported under AEFI were not any different for the pentavalent vaccine than it was with DPT, when administered alone, said Dr Giridhar Babu, associate professor at the Public Health Foundation of India. Compare this with Hib and pneumonia deaths (in the country). One in four people (dying or being affected with Hibrelated diseases), or one in 100,000 having minor AEFI? “Public health programmes run on risk benefit analysis,” said Dr Satish Gupta, health specialist, Unicef Delhi. So how many children are affected by the Hib bacterium every year in the country? What are the symptoms, what is the mortality rate and how essential is the vaccine? Read our report tomorrow to find out. Part II tomorrow

NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

IM’s Sadiq a hostile witness

Kerala liquor sales shoot up

iquor sales touched an all-time high in Kerala at `8,841 crore for fiscal 2012-13, show figures. Figures by the sole wholesaler of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and beer, the state-owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation shows that the overall sales jumped from `7,860 crore in 2011-12 to a record `8,841 crore in the last fiscal (2012-13).

efence advocates today declared alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Sadiq Sheikh a hostile witness in the 2006 train blast case. Sadiq, deposing in the court as a defence witness in the 2006 train bombing case, retracted his confessional statement given before a magistrate. He was declared hostile as he did not support the case on the point of confession.

26 fishermen held in Lanka

he Sri Lankan navy on Saturday arrested 26 Indian fishermen who were in Sri Lankan waters, a navy spokesman said. The navy said that the Indians were on five trawlers when they were detected and arrested for entering Sri Lankans waters illegally. Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said the fishermen were to be brought to Kayts islands in the north.

Toll in Thane building collapse rises to 72 Many children were rescued from the debris today and given critical medical care. Twelve succumbed to their injuries. Sandhya, 4, a survivor of the building collapse, at a hospital in Thane.

THANE: The toll in the collapse of a building at Thane rose to 72 Saturday, an official said. “The death toll has shot up to 72 as more bodies were pulled out from under the rubble between last night and this morning. Over 35 people are still in hospital in a critical condition,” a Thane disaster manage-

AFP

ment official said. A seven-floor building in Lucky Compound in Shilphata area on the outskirts of Thane city collapsed around 6.30 pm on Thursday. The unauthorised building was constructed in just three months, without the relevant permissions and certificates. Police have registered a case

of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the two builders, Jamil Qureshi and Salim Shaikh, who have gone missing. Another builder, Adnan Seth, involved in the construction , is also on the run. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday announced the suspension of two officials. He also announced

British tourist murdered SRINAGAR: A British tourist was found murdered on a houseboat in Srinagar on Saturday. Police have detained a Dutch national suspected to have committed the murder, Kashmir police chief said. Inspector General of Police Kashmir Abdul Ghani Mir said: “A 24-year-old British national was found murdered in a local houseboat this morning. A Dutch national, De-wit Richard, has been

SRINAGAR POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A DUTCH NATIONAL SUSPECTED TO HAVE COMMITTED THE MURDER ON A HOUSEBOAT. detained for investigations in this connection”.Asked whether the victim had been raped before the murder, the police chief said: “While preliminary investigation has

confirmed that the 24year-old woman was murdered, we are investigating other angles. Forensic evidence is being collected.” The Dutch national was living in the same houseboat, in a room adjacent to the victim’s room. The door of her room was found smashed by the police. The Dutch national had fled from the houseboat in the night, leaving behind his belongings. He was trying to flee from the Valley. IANS

Matyr’s wife SIT appeal cheated of relief in Guj riots MATHURA: The wife of slain soldier Lance Naik Hemraj was duped of `10 lakh today in the presence of her brother-in-law and a relative near a petrol pump in the outskirts of Kosi town area. In her complaint, Dharmvati, the widow of Hemraj said that one Amit Kumar, who claimed that he was an Army officer and sent by the Army Headquarters, approached her at her native Shernagar village this morning. Hemraj was killed and beheaded by Pakistani troops near the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on January 8. PTI

AHMEDABAD: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) today moved the Gujarat High Court against a special court’s judgement in a 2002 riot case in which 11 members of a family, nine of them women and children, were killed. The judgement in the Deepda Darwaza riot case was delivered on July 30, 2012. Designated Judge SC Srivastava had awarded life imprisonment to 21 people, a year in jail to a retired police officer and acquitted 61 other accused. The SIT largely challenged the acquittal of PTI 61 by the Special Court.

a probe to be conducted by an additional chief secretary of the urban development department. Thane Municipal Corporation deputy municipal commissioner in-charge of illegal constructions Deepak Chavan and the senior inspector of police KP Naik were suspended for ignoring the unauthorised building. Disaster management and

fire brigade officials continued the rescue operations Saturday. Many children were rescued and given critical medical care. At least 12 children have succumbed to their injuries in the incident, police said. While civic officials admitted to the building being unauthorised, they shifted the blame on AFP the builders.

WORLD SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

36 killed in bus mishap

4 journos abducted in Syria

our Italian journalists have been abducted in northern Syria, the Italian foreign ministry said, the ANSA news agency has reported. The Italian authorities said they had been monitoring the case from the start but called for “maximum discretion”, insisting that “the physical safety of the hostages remains the absolute priority”, the ANSA report said.

t least 36 people have been killed in a bus-tanker collision in the southwest Nigeria, officials said. “Thirty six persons including children died in the accident involving a petrol tanker, a bus and a lorry along Benin-Ore road” said Jonas Agwu, the spokesman of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). The collision caused the tanker to explode.

Terror attacks in Mogadishu

ritain has said it believed terror attacks were in the final stages of planning in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reiterated its warning to all British nationals not to travel to any part of the troubled east African country. “We have amended our travel advice for Somalia,” the ministry said.

US seeks China’s help on N Korea, says report Envoys told to leave

WASHINGTON: The United States is pressuring China’s new President Xi Jinping to crack down on the regime in North Korea or face an increased US military presence in the region, The New York Times reported late Friday. Citing unnamed administration officials, the newspaper said the recent US exchanges with China included a phone call from President Barack Obama to Xi. US officials briefed the Chinese in detail about US plans to upgrade missile defenses and other steps to deter the threats made by North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, the report said. China has not protested publicly or privately as the United States has deployed ships and warplanes to the Korean Peninsula, the paper noted. That silence attests to both Beijing’s mounting frustration with North Korea and the recognition that its reflexive support for Pyongyang could strain its ties with Washington, the report said. “The timing of this is important,” The Times quoted US national security adviser Tom Donilon as saying in an interview. “It will be an important early exercise between the United States and China, early in the term of Xi Jinping and early in the second term of President Obama.”

Lim Chang-Won

SEOUL: Foreign diplomats in Pyongyang huddled on Saturday to discuss a North Korean evacuation advisory as concerns grew that the isolated state was preparing a missile launch at a time of soaring nuclear tensions. EU mission heads had agreed to meet to hammer out a common position after N Korea warned it would be unable to guarantee their safety.

US to send spy plane

South Korean soldiers man a cannon at a military training field in the border city of Paju on April 5, 2013. The United States said it was taking “all necessary precautions” after North Korea rang fresh alarms in an escalating crisis by moving a medium-range missile to its east coast. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE According to the paper, in the coming weeks, the White House will send a stream of senior officials to China to press its case, starting with Secretary of State John Kerry, who will travel to

Beijing next Saturday. In the short run, the report said, the administration wants the Chinese to be rigorous in customs inspections to interdict the flow of banned goods to North

Korea. But in the long run, it wants China to persuade Kim to cease his provocations and agree to negotiations on giving up his nuclear program, The Times AFP said.

TOKYO: The US military is set to deploy an unmanned spy plane in Japan to boost surveillance capabilities as North Korea apparently readied for missile launches, a newspaper report said on Saturday. The Global Hawk will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan, in the first ever deployment of the aircraft in the country, the Sankei Shimbun reported, quoting government sources.

Abbas may fire Haiti aid went to US under-fire Fayyad groups, finds study

Officials fear Fukushima ‘leak’

RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas

PORT-AU-PRINCE: A report on American aid to Haiti

TOKYO: Radioactive water may have leaked into the

could dismiss prime minister Salam Fayyad, a Fatah member has said, as the party officially criticised the premier’s government for the first time. Abbas “is leaning towards dismissing Fayyad from the head of the government and forming a new one,” a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said the key factor was a disagreement over the resignation of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority’s finance minister, which Abbas refused to accept but Fayyad consented to. “Abbas informed Fayyad that if Nabil Qasis did not return to the finance ministry... Abbas would dismiss his government,” the official said.

in the wake of that country’s devastating earthquake finds much of the money went to US-based companies and organisations. The Centre for Economic and Policy Research analysed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake and found that the “vast majority” of the money it could follow went straight to US companies or organisations, more than half in the Washington area alone. Just 1 per cent went directly to Haitian companies. The report’s authors said a lack of transparency makes it hard to track all the money. “It’s possible to track who the primary recipients of USAID funds are, yet on what are these NGOs and contractors spending the money?” authors Jake Johnston and Alexander Main wrote.

ground from a tank at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the operator said Saturday, the latest in a series of troubles at the crippled facility. Up to 120 tonnes of contaminated water may have escaped from one of the seven underground reservoir tanks at the tsunami-damaged plant, according to a Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) spokesman. The tank stores water used to cool down the reactors after radioactive caesium is removed but other radioactive substances remain. “We are transferring the remaining water from the tank to others,” the TEPCO spokesman said, adding that the company believes the contaminated water was unlikely to flow into the sea.

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

EDITORIALS WHY SPARE THE officials concerned? The building that collapsed in Thane in which the death toll has risen to over 70 was constructed in three months. That the building was constructed illegally means that no standard safety measures might have been observed. When contacted, civic bodies promptly shifted the blame onto the builders saying that they did not seek permission before going ahead with the construction work. Also it is being said that the building was built on forest land. And there is already a counter come from the forest department that the building was built on private land. What does this prove? That those who have been charged with serving the people have no grip of what their duties are. What were these fellows doing when the work was going on? Surely they must have got wind that about any construction work going on in their locality and if they did know about it, what prevented them from taking action against those behind it? What’s the point of the blame game after scores of innocent people who did not know what was in store for them died? Who will answer for their deaths? The police have booked a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the builders. What about the officials concerned? Why must they be spared? They are equally responsible for this incident. No efforts must be spared to bring the official offenders to book. If they had been zealous in their duty, this tragedy would not have happened. Incidents like these keep happening because we never learn from our mistakes. But it is high time we did.

WHY WE LOVE... Juan Mata Rarely does the guy who sets up goals get credit. After the ball rolls and crosses the goalline, all kudos go to the scorer. But times have changed. People have begun to take notice and follow the silent exploits of those who assist the forwards: Xaxi, Iniesta and many others. In their pantheon, Chelsea’s blueeyed boy Juan Mata takes position. His contribution to the Blues has been immense.

Nothing lasts forever Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

othing lasts forever. Not friends or foes, as the Ambani brothers have shown us this week. Not good times or bad, as Sanjay Dutt’s verdict and his reaction to it have shown. Not even staying out of trouble all the time, as Olympic medal winning boxing champion Vijender Singh’s alleged involvement in the heroin case has shown. This theme was more pronounced for me when I received a phone call from my mother that an extended family member’s financial troubles were about to end. A part of my extended family had struggled with months of uncertainty and confusion over their business. This family had built the business over the last 50 years, with the son taking over the father’s business and

growing it to even greater heights. But suddenly, almost out of nowhere, their business was under threat by some external forces that they had no control over. Being close family members, we shared their anguish, too. We prayed and hoped for the best. That’s the best we could do. My mother said that they’re now on the road to recovery. Not everything is always hunky-dory for anyone. Nor is anything always sad and depressing either. Imagine what life would be like without these highs and lows. Don’t we all look back at the tough times and its role in helping us discover our own strengths? We cause ourselves a lot of stress when we ignore the impermanence of life. Everything is constantly changing and constantly moving. That is the law of life. What is born has to die some day, and what is blooming will wilt sooner or later. But we want things to stay the same when we’re content and happy with it. We resist change. We

NOT EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS HUNKY-DORY FOR ANYONE. NOR IS ANYTHING ALWAYS SAD AND DEPRESSING EITHER. IMAGINE WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT THESE HIGHS AND LOWS. feel insecure when something unfamiliar takes over. This is not an attitude we are born with. We acquire this attitude over time due to social conditioning and our expectations from ourselves. Children, perhaps through their keen instinct and their willingness to surrender to their feelings rather than their thoughts, are more tuned in to this all important mantra of life. The best example of kids’ attitude and openness to change is in the way they sit to build sand castles on the beach. They build the castle with love, care, attention and a lot of thought to

detail. But their most delightful moment comes when they get to stamp on it, walk all over it and destroy the castle. They jump in glee, and in the celebration of this understanding of impermanence. Tibetan monks, too, do the same. They are known to build sand mandalas by painstakingly taking grain by grain of sand and putting it together in intricate designs. Once done, they happily destroy it and move on to something else. Buddha said that impermanence is the nature of the human condition. We know it in our minds but wish from the bottom of our hearts that it weren’t so. Resisting change makes us fall into either denial or depression. For all their ego clashes and the desire for one-upmanship, the Ambani brothers perhaps accept this truth all too well. Even if it made the soundest business sense to partner with each other again, their egos would allow it only if they knew that nothing lasts forever anyway.

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Stunned Canada ponders middleclass terrorism The Big Story MICHEL VIATTEAU

VISWAPRASAD RAJU

Urban sketches

Green City

hocked to learn that two of their own attacked a desert gas plant in Algeria, Canadians are struggling to understand how young men from a quiet, middle-class neighborhood ended up as jihadists. It was announced by Algerian officials almost immediately after the days-long siege of the In Amenas plant by the Algerian army in January that the pair were among the dead. One intelligence source said they were Arabs with dual citizenship and were among the 29 Islamists killed in the bloodbath, alongside 38 hostages. But it was only this week when Canadian media revealed that they were actually former schoolmates who grew up in sleepy London, Ontario that the public’s interest was piqued. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation named the men as Xristos Katsiroubas, 22, from a Greek Orthodox family, and Ali Medlej, 24. They died during the

siege, possibly by blowing themselves up. The public broadcaster also said two of their friends had traveled with them to Algeria and might be accomplices. One of them, Aaron Yoon, 24, was arrested in Mauritania prior to the attack and sentenced in mid-2012 to two years in prison for “terrorism,” while the other, who was not named, is missing,

according to the CBC. Federal police on Thursday officially identified Katsiroubas and Medlej among the Al-Qaedalinked fighters, and asked the public’s help to fill in gaps about how and why this group had become involved in a deadly plot. “The RCMP is interested as part of the investigation in determining the circumstances that led to Ali Medlej and Xristos

Katsiroubas departing Canada,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Marc Richer said. Both apparently had become angry and alienated at home, and eventually ruptured ties with their families, reports said. After high school, they also reportedly struggled to keep menial jobs as employers refused to allow them time to pray.

An unclassified RCMP handbook on so-called homegrown terrorist threats says conversions to Islam are often portrayed in the media as a sort of “fast track to terrorist action.” The document notes that Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions and that most coverts are simply that -- average people who found that Islam rouses their faith. But it also states that “converts are a constant in Islamist terrorist plots,” and “about half of the subjects involved in disrupted plots in the United States are converts.” The RCMP cites Islamic leaders who fear “the experience of conversion can create an emotional state that is easy for radicalization agents to manipulate.” A former friend told the CBC that Medlej had once told him he did not want to give up women and drinking. “There’re things that I just can’t give up in my lifestyle, and it’s hard for me to be a practicing Muslim, so why don’t I just be a shaheed (martyr) and go straight to heaven instead of all the effort that I can’t seem to do,” Medlej was quoted as saying by his former friend. AFP

Global edits The New York Times (US)

Good Sense on the Morning-After Pill

federal district judge in New York has overturned the Obama administration’s ban preventing girls younger than 17 from purchasing emergency contraceptive pills over the counter. It was a well-deserved rebuke to a politically motivated decision that overrode sound science and the health needs of young girls in order to placate political opponents of emergency contraception. The case involves the so-called morning-after pill, Plan B One-Step and its generic versions, which can prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after intercourse, preferably in the first 24 hours. The fewer barriers women and girls face in obtaining the pill quickly, the better. Although major medical groups have long recommended unrestricted access to the pill, the federal government has procrastinated or stonewalled for more than a decade. Finally, in 2011, after a careful review of evidence showing that the emergency contraceptive pill was safe and effective and that adolescent girls could

THE CASE INVOLVES THE SOCALLED MORNING-AFTER PILL, PLAN B ONE-STEP AND ITS GENERIC VERSIONS, WHICH CAN PREVENT PREGNANCY IF TAKEN SHORTLY AFTER INTERCOURSE, PREFERABLY IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS. THE FEWER BARRIERS WOMEN AND GIRLS FACE IN OBTAINING THE PILL QUICKLY, THE BETTER. understand how to use it, the Food and Drug Administration was prepared to approve its use for females of all ages, without a doctor’s prescription. Then Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, with the support of President Obama, intervened and ruled that girls 16 and younger would need prescriptions. In a scathing critique, Judge Edward Korman, of the Eastern District of New York, accused the administration of a “bad faith” decision that was “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified and contrary to agency precedent.” Teenage girls can only be helped by the judge’s ruling.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Britain bans rip-off charges

Fisker cuts 75% workforce

igh end electric car maker Fisker Automotive, which has had financial difficulties for months, said Friday it was laying off 75 percent of its workforce. The US government had focused on the California-based company to encourage the development of green energy, providing it with loans. The company statement said it had run out of options.

ban on “rip-off” surcharges imposed on credit card spending came into force in Britain on Saturday, meaning traders must ensure that the extra fees reflect genuine processing costs. The ban on excessive charges for paying for goods and services such as flights and entertainment tickets by credit or debit card was welcomed by campaigners.

Manatee gray: Target’s sorry

S retailer Target apologized after a labeling gaffe that saw the color of a plus-size dress named after manatees, the blubbery denizens of the deep found off the Florida coast. While the scale of the outrage was not clear, Target was clearly not taking any chances by swiftly updating the color label for its “Manatee gray” kimono maxi dress.

Doing his ‘big’ bit A City-based entrepreneur is offering workshops on corporate skills to rural students to keep them on par with urban job aspirants.

PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

oteshwar is an entrepreneur who believes in lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness. He started Educe learning to do his bit to solve the problem of the shoratge of skilled human resource by imparting skills that are required for management graduates. Koteshwar did his MBA (PGDBM) degree from Dhruva College of Management and later did his Masters in Business Information Systems from Germany. However, his business idea did not take birth from these courses, but from a problem that he faced in childhood. “I hail from Mahabubabad, a town in Warangal district and did my education in Telugu till graduation. Like many other students there, my confidence level was low as I was unable to communicate well in English. I deliberately came to Hyderabad to do MBA as it was vital for me to equip myself with the necessary skills that are required in the corporate world,” he says. Koteshwar says that nothing has changed since. This was not just a problem back in his days, but is very real even now. A recent Business Today’s news report highlights the skilled human resource problem and has said that India needs to spend `5 lakh crore to skill its youth or risk a stalled economy. “Although, students from towns and villages have good academic knowledge, they are unable to express themselves because of their poor communication skills and low confidence levels. Even their exposure to general business knowledge is low compared to their counterparts in the Cities,” he explains. So Koteshwar aims to help such students with the necessary skills to make their entry into the industry easy. There are no formal finishing schools that imbibe the necessary skills

in students. “With my 15 years of corporate experience, I understand the requirements of human resource and have capsulated a curriculum in a simple format,” he says. Koteshwar had to quit a senior-level position and start from scratch, but says he is happy just knowing that he gets to give back to the society. But there is always competition to deal with. “Although there are various workshops that teach necessary marketing skills, they are very expensive and out of reach for a common student. Moreover, they are only helpful to people who are already working and are think-

Although students from villages have good academic knowledge, they are unable to express themselves because of their poor communication skills and low confidence levels. Koteshwar ing of climbing the career ladder. I provide affordable basic skill courses on sales, problem solving and decision-making.” Koteshwar is one among five certified trainers on Mind Maps in the country and also offers Mind Maps workshops to corporates and students. “I go to various colleges explaining the importance of Mind Maps. I chose Mind Maps to teach necessary skills for the students in a simple and effective manner,” he says. Koteshwar attended a course on mind mapping in the UK to get himself equipped with the techniques. Educe offers these skill and the course on Mind Map at affordable prices to benefit larger number of students and corporates. The business is targeting `50 lakh revenues and a breakeven this financial year.

Toyota settles $16 mn deal on car glitch LOS ANGELES: Toyota has agreed to a $16 million deal with a southern Californian county over charges the Japanese auto giant behind safety issues linked to unintended acceleration of cars, officials said Friday. Toyota issued recalls in 2009 and 2010 affecting nearly six million vehicles in the United States due to the risk caused by floor mats and “sticky” gas pedal issues, said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “The possibility of experiencing an unintended acceleration event during Toyota’s recall crisis clearly scared many consumers,” he said in a statement announcing the Toyota payout. “This settlement is an important step in holding Toyota accountable for the safety and security of their customers,” Rackauckas added, noting that Toyota has a “major presence” in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.

US dollar takes hit on Friday NEW YORK: The US dollar took a hit against most major currencies Friday after a disappointing jobs report suggested the Federal Reserve’s easymoney policies may not be reversed anytime soon. The Euro traded at $1.2990, up from $1.2934 late Thursday. The dollar also weakened against the British pound and the Swiss franc. An exception was the Japanese yen, which continued to show weakness against major currencies after the Bank of Japan’s exceptionally aggressive monetary policy.

FOCUS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Russian lesbians defy homophobia, publish glossy A recent poll showed extreme homophobia is still prevalent in Russia. About 34 per cent thought homosexuality was an illness that needed treatment, while 16 per cent said gay people should be isolated from society. Anna Malpas

feedback@postnoon.com Just as Russia's parliament considers passing a controversial law seen as anti-gay, a group of young women have published the first glossy magazine in the country aimed at lesbians. The glossy quarterly Agens is aimed at women who do not want to go to gay rights rallies but want to read about successful women who are open about their sexuality, said the 24-yearold editor Milena Chernyavskaya. "A lot of us don't want to go out on the street with posters, shout into megaphones and fight homophobes," she wrote in her first editorial, saying she wanted to "create a new image of the lesbian community." Confident and articulate, with long curly hair and a tattoo on her wrist, Chernyavskaya met AFP in a Moscow cafe after her day job in public relations at an IT company. The magazine, whose first issue featured tips on hairstyles and advice on coming out, has 120 pages and a neutral pinktoned cover. The only thing that stands out is its "plus 18" warning, in line with new legislation in Russia. The editor said Agens, which translates as powerful in Latin, is Russia's first glossy magazine aimed at lesbians. The magazine is aimed at women aged "22-32, working, earning the average or more, educated," she said. "It's active women, quite young, who are interested in what's happening in the world."

'NOT

AFRAID TO BE WHO THEY ARE '

Chernyavskaya stressed that the magazine was a lifestyle publication, saying it intends to reach women who are put off by gay rights activism, which in Russia involves real risk of violent attacks by homophobes. "Not everyone wants to go to rallies," she said. "Our task is to show young women who are not afraid to be open but at the same time suc-

A woman looks at some of the 100 free rainbow flags distributed by "Gay and Lesbian Gay Bookshop" on behalf of the gay interest organization COC in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on April 2, 2013. The organization hopes that the rainbow flag will be shown al over the city during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 8, 2013. Russian parliament considers passing a controversial national law banning "homosexual propaganda" to minors. The ruling is already in place on a regional level in several areas, including Saint Petersburg. AFP/JERRY LAMPEN cessful in their sphere... They are not afraid to be who they are and we really admire them." The magazine is appearing just as parliament considers passing a controversial national law banning "homosexual propaganda" to minors. The ruling is already in place on a regional level in several areas, including Saint Petersburg. Opposers of the bill complain that its wording is so vague that it could be used to justify any kind of repression against activists. The bill was passed by parliament in the first of its three readings. The loosely worded bill, which equates "propaganda" for homosexuality with that for paedophilia, could be used to ban

any Gay Pride event, critics say. It sets a fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($16,200) as punishment for flouting the law. "I think it scares everyone a bit... It seems like few people have been fined for this, but everyone is frightened anyway," Chernyavskaya said.

'BETTER

TO DO A MAGAZINE ABOUT CATS '

Ruling party member Vitaly Milonov, who was the sole author of a regional law passed by the Saint Petersburg parliament, has already expressed his distaste for the magazine, while acknowledging it did not break the law. Milonov told RIA Novosti news agency that "this magazine does not break the law, but it

Pick

would be better if they did a magazine about cats." Chernyavskaya did not rule out interviewing Milonov himself, especially given that he recently spoke to British actor and gay rights activist Stephen Fry for a documentary. "I would agree to talk to Milonov, just because I want to understand what kind of person he is." The pilot issue has a print run of just 999 copies, available at clubs and via gay websites, but the publisher plans to register it as a quarterly and sell it at newspaper kiosks. So far everyone is working unpaid, with financing coming from one of Chernyavskaya's colleagues at the IT firm. The next issue will include an interview with a lesbian tele-

at the

vision presenter, Chernyavskaya said, without revealing the woman's name. It is hard to get any of the celebrity interviews that normally fill glossy magazines in a country where almost no public figures are openly gay, she admitted. "There are very talented stars who are suspected of this but never talk about it openly. The community knows about them, but they would never agree to talk openly." A recent opinion poll by Levada showed extreme homophobia is still prevalent in Russian society. It found that 34 percent of Russians thought homosexuality was an illness that needed treatment, while 16 percent said gay people should AFP be isolated from society.

airport,

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK WonderHowTo.com ow to breathe fire. How to flirt like a pro. How to cut a beer bottle in half. WonderHowTo.com is a delicious buffet of engineering, ingenuity, and curiosity. Addiction factor = 5/5

LAUNCHERS

MOBILEGAME REVIEW

APP OF THE WEEK Jackie Junko

i f fere d s

k o o

his is a lovely app from developer Springy Thingy. It's a storybook app for children based on boats and animals, with 15 pages of interactivity and animation for kids to play with.

Facebook launched a new service called Facebook Home for Android devices that changes the way a device looks and functions. Here are a few other services that let you do this easily.

NT BALANARAYAN

balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

ROMS

A ROM is a modified version of the operating system and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to root your device to install a new ROM in case of Android. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also need to get an OS that supports your device and separately install the drivers for it on your computer before you get started. This requires some familiarity with the technology, but there are plenty of forums that provide easily understandable instructions. As opposed to launchers, ROMs are mostly make your phone faster and also improve battery life.

There are two ways to easily customise the looks and functionalities of an Android device, by using Launchers or by flashing in a new ROM. Launchers are like themes, they add a skin and effects on top of the existing operating system. In some cases, they add extra apps and change the icons of a device. Facebook Home, for example, is a launcher. Some launchers also allow you to add child themes that build on top of it. The only problem with this approach is that it ends up taking more RAM; not a problem in high-end devices.

You embody a nameless, lovelorn soul who embarks on a pilgrimage into the macabre world of Swedish folklore in order to win back his one and only. Along this increasingly horrifying walkabout, your fortitude will be tested on both a mental and emotional level.

YEAR WALK

APEX LAUNCHER

CYANOGEN MOD

If you want custom drawers, fancy transition between screens and customisable icons check out Apex launcher. While the basic version if free, it does have a paid version that throws in a dozen odd new features.

The aim of this ROM is to provide vanilla android experience to as many devices as possible, while optimising the code to improve performance. It is currently available for most of the high-end devices and those that come under Nexus series.

FACEBOOK HOME Unlike the other launchers, Facebook Home is good only for those who spend a lot of time on Facebook. Your FB friends, their updates and photos will take bulk of your phone screen with the launcher. Though an interesting idea, it needs to be seen how many people will adopt this launcher.

MIUI

B EST L

AUNCHERS

SMARTISAN OS

This upcoming launcher is built on top CyanogenMod, a ROM that offers stock Android experience for many popular devices. It has a very clean look and will soon be available in the market.

NOVA Very similar to Apex in terms of features and functionality, you can decide between them based on the interface you prefer. Like Apex, Nova also has a paid version which adds premium features.

If you want to make your Android device to look like an iPhone this is the ROM to turn to. It is also one of the easiest ROM to modify and offers a lot more features than the others in the market.

BROM EST

SLIM ICS Unlike other ROMs, Slim ICS brings you a lightweight installation of Ice Cream Sandwich without a few features that take up too much RAM. AOKP

This ROM came to market only recently, but has become extremely popular as it is offers vanilla android in terms of looks, but adds much more features than CyanogenMod.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

PET NEWS A glimmer of hope

Bumblebees in danger

Paw marks found

ndangered amphibians such as the limosa harlequin frog now have a tiny bit of hope to cling to thanks to a captive breeding programme run by Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Medieval cat literally walked through history, leaving its paw prints on a 15th-century Croatian manuscript, according to an historian. Emir Filipović, a research assistant at the University of Sarajevo noticed the inky paw prints.

eekeepers and researchers nationally are reporting growing evidence that a new class of pesticides may be killing off bumblebees. Research at the University of Pittsburgh points toward another potential cause: metal pollution from aluminum and nickel.

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

Some fishy stressbusters Many people are unable to keep four-legged pets as they live in apartments or because their parents do not allow pets such as cats and dogs inside the home. For such people, keeping fish is the next best option. Find out if you are a fish person by setting up a tank. Zaheer Sharif from Ocean World gives some tips for beginners. FLEME VARKEY fleme.v@postnoon.com Choosing a tank : Buy a 20 gallon tank for a starter tank and keep just a few fish. See if you like the hobby. Consider not subjecting any fish to a fishbowl. They tend to suffocate the fish either by lack of oxygen or by their own waste. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing location for your tank: n Placement: Too much sunlight will cause excessive fungal growth and a maintenance hazard. Pick a spot away from the light, but make sure it's near some water source, since you need to clean the tank weekly. n Check for leaks: Choose a dry area, cover it with newspapers, and place the tank on it. Very carefully fill the tank to the brim with cool water and wait for an hour or two. If the newspapers are wet, you know you have a problem with your tank. Setup: If all is well, open your bags of gravel stones or pebbles, and give them a good rinse under running water,

the less dust in the water, the faster it'll clear when the filter is started up. This step is especially important if you're using sand instead of gravel. Fill the tank with water to just under the rim of the tank, usually a gap of 1" will do. Now is a good time to decide on the type of aquarium filter you will want to use. Most also look for heater, but that is not necessary for most small tanks. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 kgs of gravel per gallon of water. As for decorations, you can keep small live plants, or even decorations, but make sure the tank does

not become overcrowded. These decorations could be something your fish use to play with or hide. If you've chosen an external power filter, set it up on the back of the tank in a position where the outflow will evenly distribute the water. Some tank hoods come with pre-perforated cut-outs which make it easier to position your equipment. For the fish: A good general rule to follow is that every one gallon will buy you one inch of fish. Decide what you want to keep, freshwater or saltwater ones. Freshwater is good for beginners. Start with two or three fish the first 10 days, then

get two or three more, wait another 10 days, etc. If you put too many fish at once into a new tank, the water will not be able to adequately cycle, and will quickly turn toxic. When buying a tank you’ll want one that comes with a lid and a light. This will keep out any sediment floating around in the air and illuminate the colours of all the fish and plants inside. Choosing the right fish for your freshwater aquarium depends on a number of factors, including the tank's size, the fish's diet, and more... Angelfish, Black Molly, Minnows, Fancy Goldfish, dwarf gouramis are good for starters. Fish are not very big eaters and hence you

will need to feed them once a day. After a few days of keeping them you will also know the amount a fish eats. Get ready for regular maintenance: Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and accumulation of bacteria and your fish will be healthy. Caution: Definitely do your research before buying fish or setting up a small fish tank. Some of the fancy pet stores might sell useless stuff in a bid to enhance their sales. Look up the web for the process and clear your doubts with the dealers.

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

SHORT READS Title: Manuscript Found in Accra Author: Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa Publisher: Knopf ystical writer Paulo Coelho is back with another book filled with ancient wisdom and the search for truth. This time, he passes on his message through the Copt, a mysterious preacher who appears in Jerusalem in 1099.

Title: Gulp Author: Mary Roach Publisher: WW Norton and Company ften called one of the funniest science writers around, Mary Roach takes her readers on a rollicking ride down the alimentary canal. Looking into digestion myths that have always fascinated people, Roach’s book is as much about people as it is about their bodies.

Title: Mom & Me & Mom Author: Maya Angelou Publisher: Random House aya Angelou famously wrote about her feelings of abandonment after her mother left her with her grandparents when she was three. Little is known of what happened when the two women reunited years later. Maya opens up about her relationship with her mother.

Title: The Burgess Boys Author: Elizabeth Strout Publisher: Random House he freak accident that killed their father when they were little made the Burgess boys, Jim and Bob, leave their hometown as soon as possible. But they are forced to go back when their sister, who stayed back, asks for help with her teenaged son.

Comics come of age From Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle and Chacha Choudhary to Angry Maushi and Ravanayan, Indian comic culture has come a long way. Postnoon explores the changing face of Indian comics. KANCHAN AGARWAL

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

ecently held Comic Con in Delhi had about 45,000 walk-ins and a sale of one crore from 50 participants. And to those of us who do not belong to this little community of comic book enthusiasts, it must be noted that there were comics other than the ones we have always known — Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle, Chacha Choudhary or even Chhota Bheem. The themes, artwork and style of writing have evolved and reached a higher level of quality. Till a few years ago, mythology was a favourite among publishers. They either stuck to the original story but experimented with the artwork, or modernised the entire story along with the artwork. This did not work very well for many except for Vimanika comics, which still has a large loyal readership, or the likes of Chhota Bheem and Pandavas which are essentially for children. Rudra Matsa, Founder and CEO of RME Pvt Ltd and also the creator of Pandavas TV series and comics tells us why comics have moved on from mythology. “It is tough to justify mythology. If you add unknown elements of fiction, it is unacceptable to readers. They want it just as they have always known it. As a publisher, you want to take your product to other formats. If you want to convert it into a tv series or a movie, broadcasters won’t take it for the fear of a controversy.” But Vivek Goyal, creator of Ravanayan has a different story to tell. “Ravanayan is Ravana’s story before he abducts Sita. Initially, I did receive a lot of heat. People took it for granted that I would make Ram the antagonist. But neither Ram, Hanuman or Sita appear in the entire series except the last issue. Did you know that Ravana was the great grandson of Brahma and was raised in an ashram. I am a practising Hindu but that did not stop me from bringing something new.” Those storylines which are literally ripped from American comics do not fare very well. The success of Angry Maushi proves

that everyday heroes is relatable and entertaining. This growing industry is still small, just not as small as it was. Although the artwork has become commendable, a good writer is a rare find. To summarise, Jatin Varma founder of Comic Con India says “The darker themes are for a niche and older audience. The contemporary stories are more of creative outlets and of course, the graphic novels which are more mature in nature are not for kids. Campfire does a lot of folk tales which sell excellently outside India.” Illustrators have also graduated to more elaborate artwork. “The artwork has much western influence to it. The colours, shading and textures are more detailed,” says Rudra. There seems to be a lack of opportunity to start with. Besides Comic Con, there seems to be no platform as huge for comics. A common answer to this enquiry was “The problem is with the distribution industry.” Which is why, many comics are self-published. “There are only 15 regular publishers. Even if you want to read comics, you have no access to them,” says Jatin Varma. “Even if people have not heard of these titles, if they are not on shelf, there is no potential reader. So we focus on online forums like readwhere.com. At comic con, we sold 1,100 books in three days which shows that there is enthusiasm,” says Vivek Goyal who is an independent publisher. Comics, even DC and Marvel, have not and cannot survive by themselves. Rudra explains, “Unless we cross connect with other mediums, comics will not do great. It is the same case everywhere. In Japan, they start with a tv series, then they make at least four movies, produce merchandise and video games. All this takes 15-20 years by the end of which the product is dead. Here we don’t have that culture”. Comic Con will soon be held in Bangalore in June. And from what I have learnt, at least the independent artists have even better stories to tell. For instance, Serengeti Stripes in which two Bengal tiger cubs are stranded in Serengeti plains. It is a story without any human. Looks like there is a lot to look forward to.

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

The end of Horrible Histories Author of Horrible Histories series Terry Deary says that Deadly Days in History that will be published in 2013 will be the last in the series.

ritish author Terry Deary is bringing an end to his much-loved Horrible Histories series for children after 20 years of the gruesome volumes, he said on Tuesday. "It has naturally come to an end, the way things do," the 67year-old told The Times newspaper. "It has had a good run, it's had a better run than most children's series." From The Rotten Romans to The Frightful First World War, Deary has penned more than 60 of the books, selling over 25 million copies in 40 countries. Illustrated by Australian artist Martin Brown, the series revels in the "wicked, weird and woeful" details of history — such as why rich Romans had to use a vomitorium, and how England's Tudors boiled some prisoners alive. The series, which has been translated into 25 languages, has also spawned a BBC television show and a stage production over the years.

Deary said his publisher Scholastic had not officially told him that the series was ending, but there was "a general feeling there will be no more". Deadly Days in History will be published in 2013 to mark 20 horrible years of the books, but he expects it to be the last.

Following in the footsteps of Harry Potter author JK Rowling, he will now try his hand at writing for adults — signing up for a four-part history series on the Roman Empire, the Elizabethans, the Vikings and the Victorians. Deary did not excel at history at school. As a teenager he got

a mediocre C grade in his O-level history examination, and narrowly avoided failing his history A-level a couple of years later. "His history lessons were so boring and so badly taught that he learned to loathe the subject," his website says. "Horrible Histories is his revenge." Deary said he would not

miss writing the books as he was tired of his publisher pressing him to write on topics he knew nothing about, with only a few months to do the research. "You have to immerse yourself in a new subject and hope there's something horrible to write about," he told The Times. AFP "There usually is."

WHAT’S SELLING Walden best in fiction

Walden best in non-fiction

The New York Times best in fiction

n Oath Of The Vayuputras by Amish Tripati

n Business Sutra by Devdutt Pattanaik

n Six Years, by Harlan Coben

n Lean in, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

n Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer

n Return of a King by William Dalrymple

n Manuscript Found In Accra by Paulo Coelho n Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James n Love Stories That Touched My Heart by Ravinder Singhleph by Paulo Coelho

n Leadership 2.0 by T Bradberry & J Greaves n On Hinduism by Wendy Doniger n Durbar by Tavleen Singh

n The Storyteller, by Jodi Picoult n Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn n Alex Cross, Run, by James Patterson n A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy

n Salt Sugar Fat, by Michael Moss n Killing Kennedy, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard n Sum it Up, by Pat Summitt with Sally Jenkins n Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

WOMEN SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Pioneer Woman: Parents looking for meal-time inspiration may find it on this addictive site. Ree Drummond juggles homeschool, career and life on a ranch, and blogs her recipes and photography.

Change The Ratio: The Tumblr presence of the campaign, which aims to tip the scales on women on in corporate and entrepreneurial fields, features updates from women’s events and inspirational content.

Sous Style: This sleek site presents the next generation of homemaking, which doesn’t require a nuclear family to make a house into a home. It offers stunning photography and smart design ideas.

Wandering about, gathering history Kanchan Agarwal

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

inks. To understand yourself through your history. This is why architectural conservationist Madhu Vottery does what she does — wandering about, gathering history. She re-started and redesigned Heritage Walks. She compiled the information about the City’s 275 historical buildings into a book called The Guide to the Heritage of Hyderabad — The Natural and the Built. And she is almost finishing a book for children, a compilation of the City’s folk tales. How she ended up curating the Heritage Walk has an interesting story behind. Born and brought up in UP, Madhu did her BArch from GCA, Lucknow. For her Masters, she specialised in architecture conservation,

From enlightening people through heritage walks to compiling the City's folk stories for children, Madhu Vottery has a direct link to the past. which she did in Delhi. Soon she was married and that brought her to Mumbai where she worked on the revival project of the legendary Prithvi Theatre. Once she shifted to Hyderabad with her husband, as part of a PG project, she had to show the reuse of one of the historical buildings. The challenge was to picking one building out of the 5,000 in Hyderabad to study. “My HOD sarcastically said ‘You take a flight, go all over the city, select your building and come back.’ And when I went to the official concerned for a map of these buildings, he said ‘It does not exist. You make one.’ And these two sarcastic comments changed

my career.” So did she make a map? Yes she did and one can see it on the last pages of her book. “I could not have done this if the people before me had not done their work. Where some work was undone, I filled the gaps. I consolidated the maps in different layers and realised that Koti has 70 historical buildings. I picked Jambagh Palace which extends till Masab Tank, Liberty Junction and Red Hills. It is Vikram Dev Rao’s palace and is where off-race course bets took place,” she said. The book was the next natural step. Here too, she initially faced rejection. It was three years of hard work with her father-in-law tutoring her in language skills and her student Arvind accompanying her to frequent visits to these sites, that finally made the book what it is. In 2009, when she went to speak to then secretary of tourism Jayesh Ranjan, he asked her to revive the Heritage Walk. She designed four walks — Charminar to Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar to Badshahi Ashurkhana, Charminar to Purani Haveli and State Central Library to City Hospital — each taking a route which people rarely tread. “I have clubbed buildings thematically. Buildings which sing the same song, which speak the same vocabulary architecturally fall under one walk,” she explains. Heritage, she emphasises, is not just the build. It is build, nature and culture. “You cannot just think about the building and ignore the garden in front of it. These walks are designed with the idea that you go from one place to another, covering that part keeping build, nature and culture in mind,” she adds. In 2011, she was selected by the US government for a cultural heritage exchange programme where she, with 15 other candidates, went to five different US states and studied their heritage. And why should heritage be preserved, I ask her. “Links,” comes an instant reply from the vibrant author, who is all set to complete her first children’s book.

Find your man now? All About Eve

FLEME VARKEY

hen I was in New Delhi in 2005, I was staying as a paying guest close to my south Delhi college, which happens to be famous for its feminist ideals. I was in that phase of life where I was seeing everything from the perspective of a small-town girl entering the big bad world. Relationships, affairs, sex — all had different meanings in Delhi. Needless to say, I was scandalised to hear the daughter of my landlady telling us how her mother was advising her to attract men and that at 21, it was high time she started looking for a good, wealthy and fair-complexioned guy in college (hah! even boys suffer from complexion woes). She even made her read magazines like Grihshobha and the likes that taught a young girl how to take care of a family. And cut to today’s 2013, I happened to read about a woman named Susan Patton. Last week, she wrote a letter to the Daily Princetonian newspaper, advising the school’s female students: “You will never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you... Find a husband on campus before you graduate.” In an age where all women are fighting to be treated as equals, and marriage figures second to a career, Patton has dared to make this statement, which is not entirely false. The article also mentioned that in a 2009 study in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, David Lubinski and his team found that in a sample of academically gifted young adults, women became less career-oriented than men over time. As they approached middle age, women placed more value than men on spending time with family and friends. And now, studies say that youngsters are taking their time to settle down. Career success and relationships are both an important part of women’s lives, but women also nurture their personal lives to a great extent and that feeling intensifies over time. So was Patton wrong?

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

To new beginnings

Manjula Narsa and her daughter Rishitha celebrated their birthdays at their residence in Banjara Hills. The birthday girls were perfectly dressed for the Hyderabad summer, making it one cool party. S BALAKRISHNA

Presenting the doctors of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences held their convocation ceremony on Friday. The 80 students of the outgoing batch were ecstatic, holding their hard-won degrees high.

Ten years of education

Nishitha College of Engineering and Technology held their decennial celebrations, with students showcasing their talents. A dance-drama on the theme of patriotism was the highlight.

1 Manjula

3 Meenakshi, Shilpa

2 Tanisha, Rishitha,

4 Rammy 5 Sharan, Gurleen

Sanya, Vedika

Baisakhi beats

The birthday girl

UK-based band RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) will be among the performers at Baisakhi Mela to be held at LB Stadium on April 14. Bhangra and Bollywood beats will dominate the celebrations.

10 Downing Street is always packed on Fridays and among the party people we found Alka, who was ringing in her birthday with close friends. 3

S BALAKRISHNA

The girl child in focus

1 Alka

3 Meher

2 Vibha

4 Gurmeet

Artist Rangoli Garg showcased her vibrant and thought-provoking paintings at Taj Deccan. She reserves a pride of place for the Indian girl child in most of her works to bring their issues into the spotlight.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

I AM ALL EARS

am 25. I have been married for around two years. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about my ex-boyfriend, who I broke up with six years ago. Does this mean something? I have no wish to rekindle any sort of relationship with him. How do I get it out of my system? Will talking to my husband help?

eens today are involved in intimate relationships at a much younger age and often have different definitions of what is acceptable behaviour in a relationship. Violence is something that is all too common and according to researchers at Iowa State, it is a reflection of the relationships teens have with their parents or their parent's partner. Source: The Tipping Point

Dear troubled by old love, ou probably heard or saw something that reminded you of your ex. This does not mean that you still have feelings for him. Nostalgia is a b**ch and we all tend to see our past relationships through rose-tinted glasses. Talk to your husband if you’re sure he’ll understand and appreciate your honesty. Express your emotions by writing about them so you can let go once and for all.

New beginnings, old ties When your best friend dates your ex, is it betrayal or simply the natural course of events? Postnoon examines the trend that puts a strain on the best of friendships. Kanchan Agarwal

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

etween friendship and love, or infatuation, it is hard to decide which to choose over what. John, a fellow journalist, tells us his story. “I was in a live-in relationship for two years. When it was time for us to marry, she didn’t think she could convert her religion anymore, so we called it off on good terms. A year later, she confessed that she had been seeing someone else while we were still together. Since I was over her by then, I could deal with that. My best friend was like my backbone through all of this but a few months later, he confessed that he was the ‘someone else’ my ex was seeing back then.”

In such times, we try to be forgiving, understanding and accommodating, but it is easier said than done. “Initially, I kept blaming my ex and completely ignored my best friend’s part. I tried to be friends with him but it was too awkward”, John added. As disturbing as it is, this is how many groups of friends disintegrate by the time they graduate. In a heterogenous group, members of which are all still figuring out their personalities, it is common to be confused about who you want to be just friends with or who you can

give an extra edge to. “Back in school days, there was this popular group of four boys and two girls. It seemed they felt good in each other’s company but as we moved from one semester to another, we also noticed that they were a close group of friends who dated only within the group and changed their partners within the same closed group. Well, there was no comment that they made out in public but their general behaviour towards their current partner was pretty revealing in terms of

affection and intimacy. And they strangely seemed okay with such an arrangement. We saw the girls cry once or twice or the boys break their knuckles on the wall but beyond that, their unity was pretty commendable. After all these years, for all I know, they are not friends anymore. Three of them married people from outside the

group”, narrates Udit Joshi, a PRO. “The victim is always the trust. If there is no trust, friendship ceases to hold value,” explains marriage counsellor Sujata Potay. These stories compel you to ask if we are really okay losing friends over love. What should, if anything, dictate who we move on to? And are we responsible to not make it worse for those who are left behind? “Of all human transactions, some are measurable, some are not. The emotional ones cannot be measured. There are always a lot of said and unsaid feelings which make situations complicated. By creating a series of wrong choices, you come across as a confused person,” concludes Potay.

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

NTR, Kajal-starrer Baadshah is a complete entertainer in which gags are aplenty but the film otherwise is quite predictable. With far too many characters to keep track of, finding the actual story is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

aadshah is a quintessential roles. Siddharth’s cameo is quite effecSreenu Vaitla’s film with far tive and it gives a emotional subtext to too many characters than one the NTR’s characterization. can keep track of — a huge Baadshah is perhaps NTR’s most family, plenty of mafia dons, audience friendly film in recent times an ideal son, a pretty actress and and for a change, NTR becomes a part comedians who become pawns in a of the story. We have seen him deliver plan conceived by the hero and above punch dialogues in the past and in all sheer madness which miraculousBaadshah, he keeps things going withly works every time. Finding the out overwhelming anyone else’s presactual story of the film is like ence. He looks dashing in his new searching for a needle in a avatar and dances like a dream in all haystack, so it all boils down to one the songs. Kudos to the stylists Ashwin simple exercise — prepare yourself Mawle and Roopa Vaitla who have to laugh your guts out scene after designed the look of NTR and Kajal in scene, although Sreenu Vaitla spothe film; both of them look really good, radically intersperses this temespecially in the first half. Thaman’s plate with action and emotional music and background score work scenes which reinforce how great quite well throughout the film and the the hero is. His earlier film cinematography, production values are Dookudu was one such example top notch. and the latest film Baadshah is no Comedy has traditionally been exception, except that it has NTR Sreenu Vaitla’s forte and along with and Kajal in lead roles and some genwriters Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat, uinely funny sequences peppered the trio have written several memothroughout the film. rable characters and dialogues in the NTR stars as Rama Rao, who goes past. While they are in top form when to Milan on a mission. There, he meets it comes to comedy in Baadshah, the Janaki (Kajal), a kind-hearted soul who rest of the film is harder to evaluate. believes that she has to help those who Could it possibly be because the comeare in need. Janaki takes pity on Rama dy is so good that you yearn for it Rao when the latter tells her that his much more than the other part? girlfriend had dumped him and soon Absolutely. It goes without saying that she’s so impressed with Rama Rao’s a large chunk of Baadshah is tailor good nature that she falls in love with made to enthrall NTR’s fans, but one him, but, like always, there’s a catch. would wish a lot more from a trio that's Janaki is already engaged to Aadi known for good writing. After the first (Navdeep) and it all boils down to what hour in the first half, the story unfolds Rama Rao does to stop this marriage at a lethargic pace. from happening and why he wanted to Despite a series of twists and turns go to Milan in first place. where double crossing is a common The film opens with a bang as NTR phenomenon, it doesn’t come as a surstrides into the frame with great prise after all. Baadshah does have a panache and for the next lot of spark and some genhour or so we are taken uinely funny moments Movie: Baadshah through a roller coaster ride throughout the film, but the as NTR meets Kajal and sheer predictability of the Cast: NTR, Kajal, impresses her in no time. story and the déjà vu effect Nasser, It’s easily the most entermar the film to a great Brahmanandam, taining and well written extent. It’s a typical summer Kelly Dorjee, part in the entire film. MS action entertainer, a potMukesh Rishi Narayana, as Revenge pourri of everything we Directed by: Nageswara Rao, and have enjoyed over the years, Sreenu Vaitla Brahmanandam, as but the magic potion to Padmanabha Simha, bring make a truly great recipe is Rating: the house down in their missing here.

HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

CINEMA

NO REAL-LIFE CHARACTERS IN

ONCE UPON...

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

JOHN-SIRCAR JOINED FORCES

efuting rumours that his upcoming movie Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Again (OUATIMA) is based on the lives of two underworld dons — Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Rajan — Akshay Kumar said it is a fictional story with no real life characters. “Let me correct you, we are not playing real life characters,” said actor Akshay, who plays Shoaib Khan in the underworld drama, in which Imran Khan will be seen as Aslam. “I am playing Shoaib’s character and he is fictional”, he said, when asked whether the duo have done any research on their respective characters. “It’s a fictional film. Many small incidents have been added in the movie,” he said. While Imran said: “It is a fictional story and as Akshay said incidents are picked up, modified and used.” Directed by Milan Luthria, OUATIMA also stars Sonali Bendre and Sonakshi Sinha. Produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, the film is slated for release on August 8. IANS

ohn Abraham is set to make at least eight films in collaboration with director Shoojit Sircar and says they have blind faith in each other. Sircar directed Vicky Donor, the first film that came out from John’s production company, and after that he also did Hamara Bajaj and Madras Cafe. “After that (Hamara Bajaj and Madras Cafe), Shoojit and I are making a lot of films together. We have tied up as production houses. We are making at least eight films together,” the 40-yearold said. Vicky Donor was recently named for three National Awards — Best Popular Film, Best supporting actor and actress for Annu Kapoor and Dolly Ahluwalia, respectively. IANS

SHAHID GETS

A STYLISH HAIRCUT

hahid Kapoor faced the camera while having a haircut — just for his fans! The actor agreed to do it for his celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim’s show Style Inc. with Aalim Hakim. The episode featuring Shahid will go on air on TLC Friday. Shahid and Hakim have been good friends for long. They take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, where in Shahid speaks about his struggling days and how Hakim supported him all through. The actor will also be given a couple of different looks on the show. IANS

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Add Rihanna to a growing list of swatting victims that also includes her main man, Chris Brown. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to E! News Thursday that a prank phone call was made to authorities alleging an incident occurred at her home, causing police to be dispatched to Ri-Ri’s house, only to see upon arrival that nothing was going on. So, what story did the perpetrator come up with to get the cops involved? According to police, they got a call shortly after 3 p.m. that an armed suspect was in the singer’s house and had shot somebody. Officers ultimately found no evidence of a crime and nobody was hurt. Rihanna, who’s currently on her Diamonds World Tour, was not at home. Obviously. Similar incidents have also occurred at the homes of Sean “Diddy” Combs, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher and neighbours of the Jenner family.

RIHANNA

IS THE LATEST

SWATTING VICTIM

RYAN WANTED TO BE FIREFIGHTER A ctor Ryan Reynolds says before becoming an actor, he was keen to do something adventurous. The 26-year-old, who has worked in movies like Buried, The Proposal and Green Lantern, even made preparations to get into another profession, reports dailystar.co.in. “When I was a kid, about 15 or 16, I was part of survival school in Canada called Trek. You do a year’s worth of school in two months and then you spend the

remaining 10 months in the wilderness in British Columbia. You live in the Rocky Mountains, on glaciers. You have to set up camps and learn to feed yourself with nothing. It was really lifechanging,” The Globe magazine quoted Reynolds as saying. “One of my brothers, who’s a cop, also does Search and Rescue stuff, so I was going to do that. Then I was going to join the Fire Department, but I couldn’t get in. So I was like, ‘I guess it’s off to LA IANS I go’,” he added.

LENA HEADEY: DIVORCE HAS ME DOWN TO $5 IN THE BANK

ena Headey is battling on a budget. The Game of Thrones star, who filed for divorce from her hairdresser husband Peter Loughran in July, claims in her latest court filing pertaining to the split that her bank account is down to single digits. “At the present time, I have less than $5 in my bank account and have been using credit cards to pay for living expenses for myself and our son Wylie,” states Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister on the HBO hit, in the 79-page filing obtained by E! News. According to the documents, Headey asked her estranged hubby for her share of their 2011 tax refund, stating in a declaration that, after she married Loughran, she became pregnant with their first and only child, who’s now 2, and was deemed not insurable due the pregnancy and was unable to work.

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

SUDOKU

THOUGHT OF THE DAY A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last. – Joseph F Newton

KAKURO

How to play kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Course listing 5 One who mollycoddles 10 Bartender’s measure 14 First czar of Russia 15 Good-night girl of song 16 Cryptologist’s interest 17 Dove’s retreat 18 Letter flourish 19 Orchestral ‘tuning fork’ 20 Teach baton class? 23 Undulating fish 24 ‘___ to worry!’ 25 Well-put 28 Lusitania’s undoing 32 Fox rival 35 Plumlike fruit 37 Politician’s pursuit 38 Group of Girl Scouts, eg 40 Gets revenge 43 Crude counters 44 List ender, briefly 45 Analogous 46 Blanc who voiced many a toon 47 Afternoon performance 50 NY minutes? 51 Rightmost pedal 52 Helmet add-on, on TV 54 Exerts control 63 Soprano’s strain 64 What stealth planes avoid 65 Not half-baked? 66 ‘The Fountainhead’ novelist Ayn 67 Famous San Antonio mission 68 Command shouted in many Westerns 69 Away from the storm 70 Middle Eastern country on the Red Sea 71 Sails crookedly DOWN 1 Julep flavor 2 Continuously 3 Exploration organisation 4 Free, as laces

5 Reveal, as medical information 6 Nabisco’s bestseller 7 Fork-tailed shore bird 8 Sooner State city 9 IRS payout 10 Patton portrayer 11 Freight car hopper, stereotypically 12 Reminder to take out the trash, maybe 13 Golf-range props 21 It’s behind the uprights 22 Crotchety types 25 State in Northeast India 26 West Point freshman 27 Smash up irreparably 29 Button for bowlers 30 LuPone or Page 31 Wharton’s Frome or actor Hawke 32 Rock and roll legend

good health Sam 58 Dutch cheese 33 Karloff or Godunov 59 Repetitive order (with 34 Threw euros around ‘the’) 36 Plus additional things 60 Best-selling author 39 1986 GE takeover Roberts 41 Succotash beans 61 Chew like mice do 42 Negative particle 62 Performs stitchery 48 Off course 49 Van Gogh’s PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER love offering 51 Forest clearing 53 Annapolis student, briefly 54 Troopers’ head? 55 ___ Mountains (EuropeAsia dividers) 56 Contour 57 Clearly in

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Aries Five of Pentacles

ork –You may be assigned some work you don’t like. Don’t fret or feel disappointed. Not every job will be to your liking always. Romance – Disagreements and arguments can be sorted out by talking through it. Make sure you’re open to communicating. Health – Take care of your mental health. Keep depression at bay by taking up meditation. You need to think positive and stay fresh in your mind to take on challenges. Money – An investment may not yield the results you were looking for. No need to feel low. Take it out immediately and do something new. Tarot message – When things go wrong, it’s an indication that you need to go slow. Reflect on your decisions and move on.

Taurus Nine of Cups

ork – There are good times and there are excellent times. Now, you will go through the latter. It’s almost like everything you touch turns into gold. Romance – You get what you need at this point in time. Don’t be upset if you have to be away from a loved one. The distance may be needed. Health – You feel good, emotionally. This is good to heal you from within and make your body respond to your needs. Money – There is no dearth of anything, You feel confident of your financial situation. Make yourself more secure by consulting an advisor. Tarot message – Everything goes to plan, and there is nothing better than this. Enjoy your time and give love to close family members.

Gemini Justice

ork – Your hard work is paying off. An increment and bonus will do your work justice. You will also be given perks to support your commitment. Romance – All the tough times you had in the past has ended. Now, only good times are ahead. Be open to trusting a potential partner. Things will work out well. Health – Change your health routine. Apart from a combination of physical exercise and diet, also consider meditation or reiki to reduce mental stress. Money – Finances need attention. You need to start planning for the long term seriously. Make realistic goals and work towards them. Tarot message – Not everything will be the same – situations or people. You need to start trusting again.

Cancer Judgement

ork – You’re in the spotlight at the work place. Seniors are watching you because they’re considering whether to give you an important role or not. Romance – You need to make a move and bring changes to your situation if you’re unhappy with your current status. Health – Eating right will solve lots of issues. It will immediately show on your health. Be disciplined about your intake of liquids, especially. Money – Be careful while lending money. Not a good time to lend large amounts of money without any record. Take it in writing if you’re lending. Tarot message – Everything happens for a reason. There is an account book called karma, which keeps track of your every move.

Leo The Tower

ork – Lots of changes are in the offing. You may be expected to work in an unfamiliar area, and excel. Take up a refresher course if you think it’ll help. Romance – You are entering a new stage of the relationship. Those committed will be happy with this change. Singles may find it more difficult to manage. Health – You need to take good care of your health because, if not, it will lead to problems later. Start by eating fresh. Money – Finances are looking stable and good. Before investing big amounts of money, though, get the right advice. Tarot message – Change adds spice to life. If there is no change, there will be no reason for us to live interestingly.

Virgo Six of Cups

ork – You get to work on something that will remind you of the past. It will make you realise how life has changed and how much you have moved on. Romance – A Facebook friend request from an old flame sends you down memory lane. You wonder if you should accept or not. It’s not an easy decision. Health – Try alternative healing methods for chronic ailments like migraine, sinus or asthma. Keep the faith and trust that it will work. Money – Not a time to make emotional decisions, especially when it comes to real estate and inheritance matters. Be practical. It’s only money. Tarot message – Not everything remains the same. Nostalgia is a good way to hold on to time gone by.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra Four of Cups

ork – A job offer is likely to come your way. But your current bosses are reluctant to let you go. Consider all your options for the long term. Romance – You’re not short of suitors. If one relationship is not working out, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try dating someone else. Health – There are many treatment options available and some options work for some people based on body needs and faith. Money – You may not be making optimum use of your investment needs. You need some good advice from the tax man to maximise your money inflow. Tarot message – When one door closes another opens. You need to have faith and be patient.

Scorpio Knight of Pentacles

ork – You’re enthusiastic and your bosses are likely to take advantage of this enthusiasm and adventurous streak in you. Romance – Candlelight dinners, flowers, perfume and all things exotic and nice will make your romantic life more than fun. Health – Maybe your exercise routine needs some change. It’s not that you don’t have the energy. You are just bored and need to bring in excitement. Money – Money flow is excellent. A recent hike is giving you the confidence to increase the EMI payments and reduce the loan tenure. Tarot message – Your youthful verve will take you places. Make use of it when it lasts. Sometimes you have to keep the faith and plunge in.

Sagittarius Five of Cups

ork –Some form of loss is indicated. Maybe the project you worked on didn’t fall into your kitty. Don’t worry. Move on to the next project. Romance – Don’t be in a hurry to make a commitment. Get yourself more comfortable with a partner and decide how you want to take it forward. Health – Beware of stomach upset, sore throat or tooth pain. These are minor issues but will stop you from functioning normally. Home remedies are good. Money – Take sound advice before you put your money somewhere. Also, tighten your purse strings when it comes to shopping for fun. Tarot message – Setbacks are bound to slow us down. This is only so we can power forward.

Date 7-4-2013

Capricorn Nine of Wands

ork – You’re reaching the end of a project and it’s made you realise that there’s so much more to learn in the field you thought you were very familiar with. Romance – Singles are having a good time. When you get more comfortable with your single status is when your life opens up to romantic possibilities. Health – Are you pushing yourself too much at the gym? Getting fit and feeling healthy is good. But also do it within safe limits. Money – You may need to be a little pushy and aggressive in trying to achieve your financial goals. Get good deals from banks and negotiate. Tarot message – You’re in the middle of a hectic learning period although the pace may not seem so.

Aquarius Four of Swords

ork – Stability is important if you have to do some good work. If your boss is making too many changes, maybe it’s time you had a chat. Romance – Times have changed and so has society’s expectations. Think about why you need to be in a relationship. Will marriage serve that purpose? Health – Avoid extra dessert helpings and any foods that might keep you from achieving your dietary goals. Be a little harsh on yourself. Money – A promotion or raise is in the offing, or it may have already been handed out to you. Plan your finances with the new salary hike. Tarot message – Planning is important. But then life happens to us when we’re busy planning other things.

Pisces Ten of Cups

ork – You’re in the right flow with ideas and execution. Keep it up by maintaining a good work-life balance. Romance – If you and your partner are thinking of deepening the commitment or starting a family, this is the right time. Health – You’re feeling positive and good. This shows on your health. Nothing to worry about. Just maintain your diet and exercise. Money – There is no problem here. There is enough for your every need. Make sure you have invested in the right places and are saving enough for a rainy day. Tarot message – When things go smooth, it gives you a breather. You might want to ruminate on the larger issues of life.

Vol: 2, No 260 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 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

IN THE NEWS

10. Where would you find the world's most ancient forest? 11. Name the actress whose career began at the age of 3, and who went on to star in films such as Contact, Maverick and The Silence of the Lambs? 12. Which kind of bulbs were once exchanged as a form of currency?

13. Name the country where you would find the Cresta Run. 14. Name the only heavy weight boxing champion to finish his career of 49 fights without ever having been defeated? 15. If you were painting with tempera, what would you be using to bind together colour pigments?

Answers

6. To which discipline did Carl Friedrich Gauss make a significant contribution? 7. How many films have received 11 Oscars? 8. Who was the legendary Benedictine monk who invented champagne? 9. What item of clothing was named after its Scottish inventor?

1. 2, Europium, Americum 2. 2003 3. 1915 4. Whoopi Goldberg 5.Denmark 6.Mathematics 7.3 8.Dom Priegnon 9.A mackintosh 10. Daintree Forest, north of Cairns, Australia. 11.Jodie Foster 12.Tulips 13. Switzerland 14.Rocky Marciano 15.Egg Yolk

DO YOU KNOW THESE FAMOUS PAINTINGS

CURRENT AFFAIRS

1 2 3 4

What African island nation is being overrun by swarms of locusts?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR FOOD?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The rice dish ‘paella’ comes from what country?

What gun rights organisation supports a school safety plan that includes arming adults inside schools?

What food is used as the base of guacamole?

President Obama announced a $100 million proposal to research what human organ? What international group offered Cyprus a bailout worth 10 billion euros?

True or false? India is the world’s largest producer of bananas.

Which chocolate bar with a honeycomb centre was introduced in 1929?

What kind of orange is used to flavour Earl Grey tea?

1.Madagascar 2.The National Rifle Association, America 3.Brain 4.Euro Zone

Answers

What is green horseradish called in Japan?

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

An Indian-origin British author had been named in the ‘mostwanted list of Islam critics to kill’ released by al-Qaida in the new issue of its English online magazine. Who is he?

Chiffon, marble and bundt are types of what? True or false? ‘Beefsteak’ is a variety of tomato.

PICTURE PUZZLE 61 with Santosh Ghule Camouflaged in the useful Aloe vera shrub is a menacing thing; spot it.

WHO AM I? Some social networking accounts have been sabotaged by hackers claiming association with the Anonymous, who has depicted me, a North Korean leader as a pig in their posters. Who am I?

Answer: Kim Jong Un

When was National Science Day observed?

Answers: 1. Girl with a Pearl Earring 2. Whistler's mother 3. No. 5, 1948 4. The son of man

3 4

Which place did Pranab Mukherjee visit as the chief guest at its 45th Independence Day recently?

Answers

Who was named as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team for the limitedovers series against Bangladesh, on 28 March 2013?

1. Spain 2. Avocado 3. True 4. Crunchie from Cadburys 5. Bergamot Orange 6. Wasabi 7. Cakes 8. True

1.How many elements are named after continents? 2. In what year did Brad Pitt become 40 years old? 3. In which year was metal lipstick containers invented? 4..Which artiste's real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson ? 5.Where does the drink Kirsberry come from?

The capital letter A, and small letter b.

Answer for 60:

1. Salman Rushdie 2. Harmanpreet Kaur 3.Mauritius 4. February 28

Answers

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Cook sees era of dominance LONDON: England captain Alastair Cook believes his team could be on the verge of a period of sustained dominance which would peak with a World Cup triumph in two years. Cook is confident theri recent lacklustre displays in the Test series against New Zealand were just a blip that will be forgotten as they head into a frenetic programme over the next few months.

Shakib returns for Tests

‘Pak need to improve swing’

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricket authori-

LAHORE: Famed paceman Wasim

ties on Friday announced the return of Shakib Al Hasan in the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe after the starallrounder recovered from a shinbone injury. Bangladesh will play two Tests, three one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches during their month-long tour of Zimbabwe, with the first Test starting at Harare Sports Club on April 17.

Akram on Friday told Pakistani bowlers that they must master swing bowling to win internationally, as he readies to nurture the country's talent at a key training camp. "I was disappointed the way our fast bowlers performed in South Africa, so I will try to teach the fast bowlers how to swing the ball,” he said.

Anthony tops 40 points in Knicks win Carmelo Anthony is now neck-and-neck with Oklahoma City’ s Kevin Durant for the NBA scoring title and the two will go head-to-head on Sunday. NEW YORK: The New York Knicks rode the hot hand of Carmelo Anthony to their 11th straight NBA victory on Friday, downing the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83 at Madison Square Garden. Anthony recorded his third straight game of 40 or more points following up a 50-point outing against Miami and a 40point game at Atlanta, Anthony scored 41 points against the Bucks, connecting on 17-of-28 shots from the floor. He scored 18 points in the third quarter, when the Knicks shot a blistering 79 per cent from the field and outscored the Bucks 42-21. Anthony added a game-high 14 rebounds for good measure. JR Smith was tremendous for the Knicks as well, contributing 30 points off the bench and grabbing 10 rebounds for a Knicks team that hasn’ t lost since a 93-80 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers on March 17. The Knicks’ performance came on a night when the team honored their 1972-73 championship, and some members of

Nuggets’ Gallinari has torn knee ligament

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks dunks against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. AFP/ NATHANIEL S BUTLER

that squad were there to cheer the current Knicks on. Anthony is now neck-andneck with Oklahoma City’ s Kevin Durant for the NBA scoring title and the two will go head-to-head on Sunday.

“It’ s that time of the season where we just have to pick it up,” Anthony aid. Brandon Jennings led the slumping Bucks with 25 points, but Milwaukee lost for the seventh time in nine game.

LOS ANGELES: Denver forward Danilo Gallinari has a torn knee ligament and will require surgery, Nuggets’ Italian playmaker said on his Facebook page on Friday. Gallinari was hurt in the second quarter of Denver’s 9594 NBA victory over the Dallas Mavericks. His knee buckled as he drove to the basket and he fell to the court in pain before hopping to the sideline to be helped off the court by teammates. Gallinari is the secondleading scorer for Denver with 16.2 points per game. He also has averages of 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 70 contests this season. The Nuggets victory over Dallas stretched their home winning streak to 19 games. The loss of Gallinari will be a blow to playoff-bound Denver’s post-season hopes.

Another Aintree horse fatality at National LONDON: The run-up to Saturday’ s Grand National was overshadowed on Friday after the death of a horse following a fall on the Aintree course, the second such case in successive days, British media reported. Animal rights campaigners slammed Grand National organisers after Battlefront became the 23rd horse to die on the Liverpool course since 2000. Little Josh became the second horse to die at this year’ s meeting at the rnowned venue after the 11-year-old, ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies and trained by his father Nigel, fell during the Topham Chase, held on the recently redesigned Grand National course.

Little Josh (L) participates in the Grand National Meeting horse racing event at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England on Friday. The horse had to be put down after fracturing a shoulder.

Little Josh suffered a fractured shoulder and had to be put down by veterinary surgeons. Aintree has altered the Grand National fences, making them of a more flexible plastic rather than wood, as part of a bid to focus on horse welfare at the meeting. Last year’ s race was marred by the death of two horses, According To Pete and Synchronised. There were also two fatalities in the 2011 race - Ornais and Dooney’ s Gate. Battlefront was pulled up by jockey Katie Walsh during the fourth race on the course on AFP Thursday.

Can anyone catch Cancellara? Peter Shard

PARIS: Ask any of the riders and team officials involved who is going to win Sunday’ s Paris-Roubaix race and one name stands out above all others — Fabian Cancellara (above). The 32-year-old Swiss rider, who has attracted the nickname “Spartacus” due to his power and resilience, is an overwhelming favourite for a third victory in the race, having completely dominated last weekend’ s Tour of Flanders. The Paris-Roubaix, the most gruelling and arguably the most popular of the Spring classic races, takes the riders on a 256.5 kilometre ride from leafy Compiegne to a finish in the northern industrial town’ s velodrome. The “Hell of the North”, as it has been dubbed, offers no respite for the riders.

Irfan in shortlist 30 The All-India Senior Selection Committee has announced the thirty probables for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, which will be played in England from June 6. Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, A Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Ms Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Jalaj Saxena, Parvez Rasool, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, IC Pandey, Sidharth Kaul

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

Serbia, US knotted at 1-1 Novak got Serbia off to a hot start but US soon pulled level. BOISE, IDAHO: Novak Djokovic got Serbia off to a hot start, but American Sam Querrey's gritty victory over Viktor Troicki saw the United States pull level on the opening day of their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie. Djokovic beat John Isner in straight sets in the first singles match, recovering from an early break in the first set en route to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 7-5 triumph. The Serb saved the only break point he faced in the third set â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the second game â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and broke Isner at love for a 6-5 advantage. He served out the match with a love game, wrapping it up in two hours with a backhand winner that sent him dancing over to celebrate with his teammates. Isner had made a quick start, breaking Djokovic for a 2-1 lead in the first set and holding for 3-1. But Djokovic found his rhythm on the indoor hard court in the Ta-

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with his teammates after defeating John Isner of the U.S. during their Davis Cup match at Taco Bell Arena on Friday in Idaho. AFP/MATTHEW STOCKMAN co Bell Arena in Boise, which sits at an altitude of about 800 meters, and broke back to level the set at 3-3. Djokovic delivered a second-serve ace to take a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker and claimed the first set on his third set point when Isner knocked a backhand long. "These kinds of matches

are very intense and there is a lot at stake," Djokovic said. "You're playing for your country. You get more involved with the emotions and you really want to start well. You want to bring the first point to Serbia. "I was a little nervous at the start, being, I guess, too cautious in my play and not

Horschel ahead, McIlroy lurks SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Billy Horschel had six birdies in a four-under par 68 on Friday to seize a two-stroke halfway lead in the US PGA Tour's $6.2 million Texas Open. Horschel's eight-under par total of 136 gave him a two-shot lead over Daniel Summerhays, Charley Hoffman and Australia's Steven Bowditch. It was a further stroke back to a group of seven players sharing fifth place on 139, which included Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, toppled from the world No. 1 spot by Tiger Woods in March, added the Texas Open to his schedule to give himself more rounds before next week's Masters, the first men's major of the year. He was feeling good about that move on Friday, after a fiveunder par 67 that included seven birdies and two bogeys. "I definitely feel like I made the right decision to come here, and even if I hadn't been in this position and have been a few shots back I'd still feel the same way," McIlroy said. "I haven't really been in contention this year. So it will be nice to get into the mix." McIlroy birdied his last three holes,

draining a 26-foot putt at the 16th and a 12-footer at 17. He reached the green of the TPC San Antonio's par-five 18th in two and just missed a 25-foot eagle attempt. Two-time major champion McIlroy is among the few golfers to reach 18 in two this week, and he was also on the green in two at the 592-yard, par-five eighth -but missed his 12-foot eagle attempt. "I think that shows where my game is," McIlroy said. "Those two par fives are probably the toughest to hit in two with how small the greens are. It shows that my ball-striking is there." Horschel birdied his last two holes for his second straight 68, dropping birdie putts of more than 10 feet at both the 17th and 18th. In search of a first PGA Tour victory, he's hoping to keep building on the momentum of a runner-up finish in Houston last Sunday. Hoffman climbed up the leaderboard with a 67 that included six birdies and a bogey. Bowditch carded a 69 as did Summerhays to share second on AFP 138. Billy Horschel reacts during the second round of the Texas Open on Friday. AFP/MICHAEL COHEN

really taking the ball. That resulted in being a break down. From that point on, I was really trying to just stay mentally composed and not get carried away. It worked well. I served really well after that and got the crucial break. After that it was a great performance." The Serbian applied the pressure early in the second set, breaking Isner in the third game and widening the gap with another break in the seventh. Tasked with getting the best-of-five tie back on terms, Querrey started strong, winning the first set and going up an early break in the second. But he let that advantage slip away and after dropping the second and third sets had to dig deep for a 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory. It was just the second five-set match victory of Querrey's career, and he finished it in style, breaking for a 5-4 lead in the fifth set.

Champion Czechs in charge PARIS: Lukas Rosol gave defending champions the Czech Republic a commanding 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup quarter-final clash with hosts Kazakhstan on Friday, battling back from a set down to beat Andrey Golubev. World No. 63 Rosol won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), subduing 205th-ranked Golubev in two hours 41 minutes. Jan Hajek had gained the first point of the best-of-five match tie for the Czechs when he beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Now Radek Stepanek, back from neck surgery in the wake of the Australian Open in January, will have the chance to clinch victory in Saturday's doubles when he teams up with Hajek against Evgeny Korolev and Yuriy Schukin. It's a strong position for a Czech team that suffered a severe blow with the injury withdrawal of world No. 6 Tomas Berdych prior to the tie on an indoor clay court in Almaty. "I am very happy, because 2-0 after the first day for a captain is very important," said Czech skipper Jaroslav Navratil. "Radek wants to play tomorrow to finish our tie, so I hope that they can finish it." The winners of the tie will face Argentina or France in the semi-finals of the nations tournament. Argentina and France ended the opening day knotted at 1-1. Juan Monaco, ranked 19th in the world, cruised past 13th-ranked Gilles Simon 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-4 on the clay courts at Parque Roca to even the tie after Jo-Wilfried AFP Tsonga gained the first point for France.

Tiger seeks to end drought WASHINGTON: Tiger Woods has not won a major title since 2008 but he enters the 77th Masters as the player to beat after three triumphs in as many months and form to rival his glory days. The 14-time major champion, chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, has won at Torrey Pines, Doral and Bay Hill and reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking that he had not held since October 2010. "It shows that my game is consistent. It's at a high level,"

Woods said. "It is getting the little things out of each round. You have got to grind it out and get those rounds in and that's something I've done." More than that, Woods has been confident and impressive with the putter in his victories, something that will be vital over the undulating greens of Augusta National when the year's first major championship tees off on Thursday. "The three events that I've won, I've putted well. I've made my share of putts, especially some

really key putts," Woods said. The last time Woods won back-to-back events just ahead of Augusta, as he did last month at Doral and Bay Hill, was in 2001 when he won Bay Hill and the Players Championship before completing the "Tiger Slam" of four major triumphs in a row at the Masters. Woods has won 77 PGA titles, five shy of tying the late Sam Snead's all-time record, and shown flashes of the form that allowed him to dominate the AFP sport for nearly a decade.

Park grabs slim lead RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA: Inbee Park notched six birdies in a fiveunder par 67 on Friday to take a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season. Park, seeking to add a second major title to her resume, had a seven-under total of 137 for a one-shot lead over American Lizette Salas. Salas carded a four-under 68 at Mission Hills and her total of 138 put her one stroke in front of Sweden's Caroline Hedwall (68) and Italian Giulia Sergas (59). Park started the day two shots off the overnight lead shared by England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff, South Korean Na Yeon Choi and Norway's Suzann Pettersen. Birdies at the third, fifth

and ninth saw her take sole possession of the lead, and she put together a burst of three

Inbee Park hits her tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championsh ip on Friday. AFP/STEPHE N DUNN

birdies in a row from the 11th before a bogey at 14 slowed her a bit. "Obviously (I) putted really good out there, and especially on the back nine," said Park, who won the 2008 Women's US Open. "The wind picked up so it was tough out there on the back nine. "I've played this golf course about eight years in my career and never really had a chance on the weekend, so I'm happy to be in the mix." Salas was one-under for her round through nine, but made three birdies in five holes to move within a stroke of Park. She couldn't get any closer, however, finishing with three straight pars. "It's something that I've kind of trained my mind in the last six months, playing solid golf and being in contention last week and the week before, so I'm just trying to get used to it as fast AFP as I can," Salas said.

IPL 6

METRE

6 S 17

We [Sunrisers Hyderabad] were probably 20 runs too short. But like I’ve said [earlier] I think we bowled fantastically well and got ourselves back into the game. Dale Steyn SRH player

Chris Gayle (RCB) 92 runs

Sunil Narine (KKR) 4 wickets

‘I haven't struggled against spin’

laiming that he had never faced problems negotiating Indian spinner in the recent Test series, big-hitting Australia opener David Warner said if the opponents have all tweakers in their attack, the wickets will go to them only. "I don't think I struggle against spin at all. I think, the reason why we got out to spin was, in the Tests, they had only spin bowlers bowling. So you are bound to get out to spinners only," Warner said. The DD opener was dismissed by Kolkata Knight Riders' mystery spinner, Sunil Narine, in the opening match on Wednesday. Warner said the batters need be more sensible in the upcoming matches as many of them were dismissed playing bad shots in PTI their six-wicket defeat.

BATTLE OF THE TITANS

T PT

Chris Gayle (RCB)

HIGHEST SCORE

92*

Chris Gayle (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

4-13

Sunil Narine (KKR)

MI look to target CSK SYED SHOAIB

shoaib.s@postnoon.com

fter losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the very last ball of a humdinger, and that too in a match they did very little wrong in, Mumbai Indians are faced with another tough match on Saturday against the Indian Premier League holders Chennai Super Kings. From having the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen (save Chris Gayle) hopping around like bunnies when they bowled, to getting a dream start by two of the best batsmen to have ever played the game, Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Ricky Ponting, the only thing that went wrong on Thursday for the ‘Boys in Blue’ was the result. An aghast captain Ponting said after the match that it was an “inch or two” that denied them victory, referring to the four (and not six), declared by the third umpire after several viewings, struck by Kieron

DD VS RR AT 4PM CSK VS MI AT 8PM ON SET MAX Pollard off the penultimate ball of the match. The only way they are going to recover from that heartburn is with a victory, and the sooner that happens, the better for

them. To go out and achieve this against the strong Chennai Super Kings will prove the perfect balm. Delhi Daredevils have a similar task when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the first match of the day. Having lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in the season opener, they too will be looking

forward to redeeming themselves. The Daredevils, having to go into the match without their former skipper Virender Sehwag, who still suffering from back spasms, and also with England’s star batsman, Kevin Pietersen, who is not completely fit, is only going to make things difficult for them.

SRH win in their opener

SCORECARD SUNRISERS HYDERABAD Vs PUNE WARRIORS

Sunrisers Hyderabad innings (20 overs)

Pune Warriors innings (target : 127 runs from 20 overs)

PA Reddy b Yuvraj Singh

27 (30)

RV Uthappa† c †Patel b Perera

24 (22)

PA Patel† b Dinda

19 (18)

MK Pandey c White b Mishra

15 (29)

MN Samuels c White b Perera

Kumar Sangakkara* b Sharma 15 (16) Cameron White c Marsh b Samuels 10 (18) NLTC Perera c Pandey b Dinda

30 (18)

Hanuma Vihari c Dinda b Kumar 11 (12) A Ashish Reddy not out

7 (4)

DB Ravi Teja not out

4 (4)

Extras

(lb 1, w 2)

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) O

MN Samuels

0 34

8.50

B Kumar

0 17

4.25

AB Dinda

0 29

7.25

AD Mathews

0 16

8.00

0 21

5.25

4.0

SRH

1.100

KKR

0.511

Yuvraj Singh

RCB

0.100

0 -0.100

0 -0.511

0 -1.100

CSK

0.000

KXIP

0.000

126

Bowling

R Sharma

P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points

5 4S 76

Chris Gayle (RCB)

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

W Econ

5 (9)

Yuvraj Singhst †Patel b Mishra

2 (5)

LRPL Taylor b Ashish Reddy

19 (19)

AM Nayar c Sharma b Mishra

19 (14)

AD Mathews* not out

8 (6)

MR Marsh run out (Perera)

7 (3)

B Kumar

b Steyn

3 (3)

R Sharma

b Steyn

0 (1)

AB Dinda c White b Steyn Extras

0 (2)

(w 2)

Total (all out; 18.5 overs; 99 mins)

aparna.s@postnoon.com

DW Steyn

3.5

0 11

2.86

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyde-

I Sharma

0 22

5.50

NLTC Perera

0 29

7.25

A Mishra

0 19

4.75

CL White

2.00

Ashish Reddy

0 21

rabad began their Indian Premier League journey with a splendid victory as they defeated Pune Warriors India here on Friday. Chasing a paltry 127 for victory, the Warriors fell well short by 22 runs. The openers, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey began the innings on steady note, but the PWI players failed to sustain this momentum for a longer a duration as they were dismissed for a mere 104 runs. The Warriors fell like a pack of cards. After the first wicket fell with 36 runs on the board, the remaining tumbled at regular intervals. But credit needs to be given to the bowlers of the

W Econ

G.APARNA SAI

Bowling

Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 22 runs

104

1 10.50

Sunrisers team. Having a very small score to defend, they bowled accurately. Amit Mishra and Dale Steyn claimed three wickets apiece. While Mishra, along with Perera destroyed the openers and the middle order, Steyn, who narrowly missed out claiming a hat-trick, cleaned up the tail, to gift SRH the perfect victory. Earlier, having won the toss, the Angelo Mathews decided to feild. The bowlers did a splendid job of keeping the flow of runs in check. The Sunrisers looked to struggle against their opponents bowling and it was only after huffing and puffing through their innings, did they manage to post 126 for the loss of six wickets, a score which many believed could not be defended.

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013

‘Arsenal should aim higher‘ Despite their inconsistent performances this season, England winger Theo Walcott believes Arsenal have enough to quality to aim for first place next season rather than settling for a top four finish. Jon West

Hawthorns on Saturday they will move above Chelsea, at least until the Champions League holders take on Sunderland on Sunday, and to within a point of Tottenham, who are also in action the following day, in third place. Walcott is one of a number of Arsenal players who could miss the Albion game because of injury, with midfielder Jack Wilshere also sidelined. The England pair are back in training however and are likely to return for the visit of Norwich the following week. Spanish left-back Nacho Monreal is available to play after he was hurt in a collision with a goal-post in last week’s 4-1 victory over Reading, a result that was Arsenal’s third straight victory. That contrasted with just one win in the four games before those and Walcott has called for greater consistency in the coming months. “We shouldn’t have to get a bad result and then perform well in the next game,” he said. “We just need to do it every week — it’s as simple as that.” West Brom head coach Steve Clarke believes Wenger deserves more time to restore Arsenal to their former glory. “In normal cycles in football you have periods in football where you are at the top and periods you are not,” Clarke said.

BIRMINGHAM, UK: Theo Walcott (right) has told his Arsenal team-mates they need to have loftier ambitions than just qualifying for the Champions League. Arsene Wenger’s side will reclaim a top four position in the Premier League if they win at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as London rivals Chelsea are not in action until the following day. Wenger has made it clear he regards qualifying for the Champions League as a bigger achievement than winning a domestic cup, which the Gunners have not managed since their FA Cup final success over Manchester United in 2005. Yet Arsenal supporters have been infuriated by the barren run and Walcott admits he is also tired of watching United, Chelsea and Manchester City finish on top of the pile. “There’s great potential there,” Walcott said. “We’ve had too much experience now to be challenging for fourth. We need to be challenging for the Premier League because that’s what we want to be known for. “We want to be in the history books, we need to win something now.” Should Arsenal win at the

Johor cuts Guiza deal Terry expects Di Canio to revive Sunderland scorer in 2008. The Football Association of Johor, a southern state which runs the team, said Friday it had terminated his contract -- which was due to end in August when the Malaysian season would still be ongoing -- to enable the team to find a replacement during the upcoming transfer window. The team, which plays in the topflight Super League, also released former Italian youth international and Lazio midfielder Simone Del Nero. “As the transfer window opens on April 8, the management has decided to release the two players and find calibre replacements,” said acting Johor FA president Obet Tawil in a statement. “It cannot be denied that the two players... are international-class who have helped the team to its current position.” Darul Takzim are third in the table AFP and just one point off the top.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Spain striker Daniel Guiza (above), the biggest star in the Malaysian league, will return to La Liga side Getafe after Darul Takzim cut short his one-year loan deal. The 32-year-old is reportedly paid 250,000 ringgit ($82,000) weekly, a massive sum for a club in Malaysia, whose national team is ranked 164th in the world. The striker was La Liga’s top

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WOLF WHALE WEASEL WARTHOG

LONDON: Chelsea captain John Terry (right) has backed Paolo Di Canio to revive Sunderland as the controversial Italian prepares to take charge of his struggling side for the first time at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Di Canio’s arrival on Wearside as successor to the sacked Martin O’Neill triggered a storm of negative headlines about the Italian’s notorious political views. The Italian’s support for right wing extremism, summed up by his declaration in 2005 that he was a fascist but not a racist, didn’t go down well among sections of the Sunderland fanbase. Di Canio has just seven games to save Sunderland from relegation. And making the task even harder, his team face Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton in their next three matches.

Blatter cools stance on racism sanctions

Suduko

ZURICH: FIFA president Sepp Blatter on

Number game

Scrabble

SOLUTIONS

Steve Griffiths

Friday eased his hardline stance on combating racial abuse and violence. Blatter previously said football clubs should be docked points or relegated if their fans were found guilty of racist abuse and violence. He is now suggesting such measures would be difficult to enforce. Blatter had said last January that

slapping financial penalties on clubs or ordering them to play matches behind closed doors did not go far enough. But in comments on Friday he appeared to recognise the practical difficulty of enforcing harder-hitting measures. “How far should we go? Where should we stop?” the boss of world football’s govAFP erning body said.