Postnoon E-Paper for February 11th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

32 PAGES

WEATHER: MOSTLY CLEAR; 26°C

VENUS RISING

A NEW WEEKLY PAGE DEDICATED TO WOMEN AND THE ISSUES THEY FACE ACROSS THE GLOBE P13

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

TRAFFIC COPS NAIL CULPRIT FOR LAKDIKAPUL TRAFFIC CHAOS, SAY...

THE GHMC’S HASTE, MEANS YOUR TIME GOES TO WASTE

The traffic police are fed up with being made the whipping boys for the farcical traffic situation at the new Lakdikapul RoB. They tell Postnoon that the bottleneck is not their fault. The blame lies with the GHMC’s haste in opening the bridge to the public before making sure surrounding infrastructure was in place, they assert. M ANIL KUMAR

MISSILE-LADEN DEFENCE VEHICLE KILLS 2 IN CITY?

In a late-night hit-and-run allegedly involving Army vehicles, two men were killed near Peeli Dargah. The police are investigating the accident.

A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

Shyam Benegal is the latest recipient of the prestigious ANR National Award, which he says is a great recognition. In a candid conversation, Shyam Benegal talks about his career, and the opportunities for young filmmakers today.

P22

MUMFORD & SONS, SWIFT WOW GRAMMYS

REPORT ON P7

The British rockers picked up the Album of the Year, while pop band fun. won Song of the Year with Gotye winning the Record of the Year.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

city events

DAWAT E HINDUSTAN

Orchid is organising a food fest with different flavours and cuisines from all over Hindustan, including Kashmiri Wazwan, Punjabi Tadka, Nawabi Dawat and Rajasthan ki Rasoi, Dilli ka Khana. It is at Orchid, Fortune Park Vallabha, from 7pm to 11pm.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

21°C

25°C

28°C

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

A mix of cloud and sun.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 23 Max 32 Min 11 Min 27 Partly cloudy.

Chennai Max 31 Min 23

Partly cloudy.

Bangalore Max 29 Min 18 Partly cloudy.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Contact: www.iconart.in

V-DAY SPECIAL

Buy Art It is an anniversary art show of affordable art by 30 artists. All artworks are priced between `1,000 to `10,000. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad When: January 18-February 18 11:30am-7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

Valentine’s Day buffet There is a candle light dinner and special buffet for Valentine’s day. Where: Seasonal Tastes, Westin Hyderabad Mindspace When: February 14, 7pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 6767 6888 Landmark love hampers Landmark is giving out romantic novels, music CDs, romantic movie DVDs and gadgets at a discount. Three for two on romantic reads and 30 per cent off on romantic DVDs are some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: February 14

SHOWS Hyderabad 360 Live virtual and visual music by Puce Muse. Where: Qutb Shahi Tombs When: February 17, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4486

Special V-Day menu Enjoy a sumptuous Valentine’s Day meal with a delectable western and Indian menu at The Dining Room. There is also a special Valentine’s Day menu at Tre-Forni Bar & Restaurant. Where: Park Hyatt When: February 14, 7:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 4949 1200

French Film Festival Six French films will be screened with English subtitles. Where: Prasads IMAX When: February 19-21 Contact: hyderabad.afindia.org Yudh Sai Shree Arts presents Yudh, a Bharathanatyam solo by Savitha Sastry on war. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad When: February 19, 7pm to 8:15pm Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Four course meal There is a special meal for Valentine’s Day. The meal combo for two people includes roasted vegetable, goat cheese quesadilla, pot stickers, stuffed nachos, and cottage cheese delight pizza. Where: TGI Friday’s, RK Cineplex,

DINING FOR A LIVING: A boy sells petrol on Begumpet road. Road no 2,Banjara Hills When: February 14 Contact: (040) 4015 1925

ART For 'HER' A tribute to Victim X, raising the con-

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

SRINIVAS SETTY

science to respect womanhood through art. Exhibition of installations and mixed media art by a variety of artists. The preview is on February 4 at 6:30pm. Where: Iconart Gallery When: February 4-14, 11:30am to 7pm

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

Golden Dragon Taj Krishna is hosting a Chinese New Year at special meal. Master chef Hung Fong Ng is crafting an array of traditional delicacies. Where: Golden Dragon, Taj Krishna When: Up to February 17, Lunch: 12:30pm to 2:45pm Dinner: 7:30pm t 11:45pm Contact: (040) 6629 3309

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Chinese New Year Traditional Chinese dishes including dimsums, oriental barbeque and dumpling soup will be served. Where: The Square, Madhapur, Hitec City When: February 8-17 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

MISCELLANEOUS Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road, Nampally When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015 The Landmark sale Landmark announces its sale of Up to 70 per cent off. Bestselling books starting at `49, 3 for 2 on the top 500 new releases are just some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: January 25-February 25 Filmmaking workshop Yavanika Films is conducting a film appreciation course over two weekends and a filmmaking workshop over four weekends. The workshops are for adults and will be held on weekends. When: Weekends starting from February 23, 11 am onwards Contact: 94901 00404

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS THE SCRAMBLE FOR AADHAAR A BOON FOR BRIBE TAKERS? 83% 17%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DOES REGULARISATION OF ILLEGAL LAYOUTS AMOUNT TO ACCEPTING BRIBES OFFICIALLY? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Boy may lose eyesight after teacher’s attack A boy was asked to stand on the bench for not completing his homework, and when he did not oblige, he was brutally beaten by the teacher. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

n yet another incident of cruel corporal punishment damaging the life of children, a 9-year-old boy is undergoing treatment for injury to his eyeball after his Arabic

teacher beat him black and blue with a stick. Fardeen Ahmed studies at a private school in Moghalpura. The boy failed to do his homework. His teacher Abdul Jabbar asked him to stand on the bench in the last row. Sensing humiliation, the boy appeared

reluctant. The teacher insisted but Fardeen is said to have not obliged. The worked up teacher took up the cane and beat the boy all over leading to several cuts and damage to his eye. The screaming child ran home, where his parents shifted

CRIME

Missile-laden defence vehicle kills 2 in City?

him to the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, where the doctors have formed a panel to study the possibility of saving his sight. Later, angered and hurt, parents lodged a complaint with the police and with the help of other parents they held a dharna before the school.

The school management immediately placed Jabbar under suspension and Jabbar has taken to his heels. The police are making inquiries to trace him. The incident came to light only on Saturday though it happened a few days ago.

INAUGURATION

The late night hit and run has kicked up a row that lingers on.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

eople in Peeli Dargah in Barkas of Chandrayangutta spent their night on the road, sleepless and agitated. Out of the blue came rumbling a convoy of army vehicles carrying missile-like armoury. In the vicinity of Peeli Dargah, one in the convoy knocked dead two

men on a bike. All of a sudden, the deep rumbling of half a dozen heavy duty artillery vehicles was pierced by the screams of the dying men. Soon, out came hundreds of terrified locals who had no idea what was happening. The convoy did not stop. But the gathering had some phone numbers and some had caught the vehicles on a mobile camera.

This happened around 1am and the whole area was flooded with people demanding action against the army. Roads were choked and traffic came to a standstill. Angry mobs were demanding arrest of the driver. The victims have been identified as Mohd Ibrahim, 42, a resident of Qazipura and a native Tandur in Rangareddy, and his friend Syed Abdul Hameed, 45. Both, employed in private industries, were reportedly going to Pahadishareef dargah. DCP Joshi told Postnoon that the phone numbers and mobile photographs have established that they belong to the defence. Investigation is ongoing and the police would have more details in a day. He said some local people had said they spotted these vehicles in Shamshabad area in the morning. The road from where the convoy came was from the direction of Sri Sailam to Shamshabad.

Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, chief justice of AP, and CM Kiran Kumar Reddy at the inauguration of Telugu lo naya palana sadhasu at Jubilee Hall on Sunday. M ANIL KUMAR

city MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

HUMAN RIGHTS

LAST YEAR... HERE The witching hour

ast year we had reported how witchcraft and ‘black’ magic continues to thrive despite all our technological advancements. AP has no antiwitchcraft policy, which could have protected the numerous people cheated by false witch doctors. Cases of torture, child sacriﬁce and murder continue to crop up in villages, where magic practitioners exploit ignorance.

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

‘Secret hanging a dangerous precedent’ Some civil society activists believe the government violated Afzal Guru’s human rights when he was hurriedly and secretly hanged. M ANIL KUMAR

men were killed when a convoy of army vehicles carrying missile-like weapons was making its way through Shamshabad. The police seem unclear as to where the convoy was headed.

In our country, we constantly complain about dirty streets and filth, but wait for the government to react rather than do something about it. Sashikanth K, volunteer See page 6

THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY

The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

Traffic cops not fully to blame for traffic mess. The new ROB at Lakdikapul seems to be creating more chaos than making life easier. However, traffic cops claim they cannot be blamed because they were not aware that the bridge was to be inaugurated.

MLAs ask for separate ofﬁces in constituencies. With the Budget Session nearing, MLAs have asked to government to give them exclusive, modern ofﬁces in their constituencies. Of course, this demand is only for the good of the public.

PADMINI C padmini.c@postnoon.com

uman rights activists from different fora converged at Lamakaan on Sunday to condemn the government’s secretive hanging of Afzal Guru, a prime accused in the 2001 Parliament attack. The manner of hanging was a human rights violation on several accounts and as members of civil society, they believe that the unjust execution has strengthened undemocratic tendencies, the activists said while speaking to the media. “By no means are we saying Afzal Guru should be exonerat-

The real shocker is the premise of the judgment, which deems that it was delivered to appease the ‘collective conscience’ of the society and not to serve justice. Brother V Theckanath Director, Montfort institute ed or not punished for his crimes, should he be guilty, but the secretive and clandestine manner of the hanging was con-

demnable. His family was not informed of the hanging (notices through speed and registered post notwithstanding) and the body was not handed over to them, which violated the rights of Afzal Guru’s family,” said Jasveen Jairath, representing the group, Concerned Citizens. Brother Varghese Theckanath, director of Montfort Social Institute, another of the member speakers, condemned the judgment and questioned the increasing instances of capital punishment in the country. “The lack of transparency in the trial and the family being deprived of the last rites are reprehensible practices.

But the real shocker is the premise of the judgment itself which deems that it was delivered to appease the ‘collective conscience’ of the society and not to serve the ideals of fairness or justice. Moreover, the world is moving towards a system where capital punishment is being rendered obsolete, but not here, it seems,” he noted. The low price and value of a life in India is another reason why gross injustices are committed by the state, opined Sagar, a risk analyst. “When due processes designed to preserve the law are ignored, it slides away from democracy to become not just a dictatorship, but a fascist state. The low value and price of life in the country, I think, are the among main reasons for continued injustices by the State against its citizens.” “The evidence against Afzal Guru was circumstantial and illegally gathered. There was a series of mishaps during the judicial process. A fair and unbiased trial was not offered to him,” added Ashraf Farhan, from Lamakaan. Whether on grounds of human rights violations or undemocratic practices, the hanging in secret of Afzal Guru on February 9 sets a dangerous precedent, agreed the activists. The event was organised by members from various groups, including Apna Vatan, Human Rights Forum, Human Rights Law Network, Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee, Coalition for Peace and Harmony, Montfort Social Institute, Hyderabad Aman Manch and Concerned Citizens.

NEWS BRIEFS

Capital punishment incidents worry activists. Activists say the secret hanging of Afzal Guru violated his rights and sets a bad example.

Residents demand CBI probe into land scam

Land ready for culinary institute

Governors’ conference begins

One dies in bike accident in Banjara Hills

Taking matters into their own hands. A group of youngsters have begun to clean and beautify walls around the City.

Water, water, nowhere, and not a drop to drink. It isn’t even summer yet, but the City’s water woes have already begun, say citizens.

he Green Fields Plot Owners’ Association demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged land scam. They alleged that former minister Dr P Shankar Rao and his family members were trying to give a castetwist to the land scam. Although the SC has ruled against Shankar Rao, the government was hesitant to take action against him.

ational Culinary Institute, a centrally funded `50 crore project will be coming up soon. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has agreed to allot about 20 acres of land near Shamshabad Airport for setting up the institute. While chairing the State Tourism Promotion Board meeting, he asked the ofﬁcials to speed up the work.

ndhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan has ﬂown to Delhi to take part in the two-day governors’ conference that begins today. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate it. During the two-day conference, issues pertaining to women’s security and economic development of the states and UTs will come up, sources said.

ne person was killed and two injured in an accident on Road No 12 in Banjara Hills early Monday. The three were speeding on a bike, when the rider lost control and slammed into a divider. They were rushed to hospital, but one succumbed to his injuries. The deceased was a resident of Asifnagar, police said.

city MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

POLITICS

Pressure mounts on Cong TJAC plans a six-day agitation and a bus yatra in all Telangana districts. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he operation ‘End Congress rule, get Telangana state’ (Congress ko khatam karoTelangana hasil karo) of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) will begin in the State from February 16. According to the strategy chalked out by the TJAC, the TJAC activists and other pro-Telangana groups would lay seize at the residences of all Congress leaders in the Telangana region. The idea is to either mount pressure on all Congress party leaders to quit the party and join hands with other pro-Telangana

groups or put pressure on their party high command to immediately give the separate state. “As per the announcement made by the TJAC from the venue of Samara Deeksha, we have decided to launch a six-day long agitation programme against the Congress leaders. As part of the agitation, all the separate Telangana activists will lay seize at the residences of all the Congress party leaders, including ministers and MLAs, and demand that they quit their party for betraying the Telangana people,” G Devi Prasad Rao told Postnoon. “If they do not want to quit their party, then the Congress leaders will have to mount pressure on their party high

command to create a separate Telangana state.” Apart from this, the TJAC had already announced to organise massive road blocking (sadak bandh) February 24 on the national highways.

TJAC BUS YATRA BEGINS

In order to create awareness about the sadak bandh, the TJAC launched its bus yatra this morning at Gun Park. TJAC president Prof Kodandaram flagged off the yatra. Addressing the gathering later, Prof Kodandaram reiterated that the ruling Congress party and its leaders are their prime target in the ongoing phase of Telangana agitation.

EXCLUSIVE

Netas want modern offices AP MLAs are demanding swanky corporate-style offices for them in their constituencies without which they feel un-empowered.

CLASSIFIEDS CLOTHING

HOTEL

COMPUTERS

EVENT

What they want

HEALTH INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE CONTACT ‑ 040‑40672222

LAs of AP Assembly want the most modern office to serve the aam aadmi. As the budget session is approaching, MLAs are gearing up to put forth a cherished dream to the speaker. They want exclusive offices in their constituencies with modern facilities and full-fledged staff to “serve the common man.” “We are facing a lot of problems in our Assembly constituencies due to the lack of a special office for us. It has become very inconvenient for us to meet people at our residences for varied reasons. If we have an exclusive office, we can not only hear the problems of our people but can solve them in an effective manner using egovernance of the State government,” BJP legislature party leader E Lakshminarayana told Postnoon. Another MLA belonging to YSRC says too many people coming to his house disturbs his family too. Lakshminarayana claims such a facility is given to MLAs in Karnataka. The State government there provides exclusive office facilities to all its MLAs. The office has a telephone, personal computer and internet facilities for their convenience, he said. But AP MLAs have been provided with laptops and

n A well furnished AC ofﬁce with an ante-room n Most modern equipment with staff to manage n Personal staff to attend to issues n Internet connections n A staff room What would be the cost to the exchequer? Nobody has calculated yet. Aam aadmi will foot the bill for sure.

net connection, one points out. “Yes, but we must meet people. Where will that be?” MLAs point out that the State Assembly has also launched an online complaint facility for MLAs to raise the mass problems being faced by the people of their constituencies. The floor leaders of all political parties have already raised this issue with the State government during the all party floor leaders’ meeting. Communist Party of India floor leader Gunda Mallesh too stressed on the need for special office accommodations for all MLAs. “As public representatives, it is our utmost responsibility and duty to meet the public round the clock and solve their problems. If we have an office, we can not only discharge our duties with utmost care but can also undertake a round the clock monitoring of our constituency and people using modern technologies, including internet.”

city MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

COLOUR THERAPY S BALAKRISHNA

SHADES OF CHANGE

Instead of complaining about dirty paan-splattered walls, a group of youngsters have come together to clean, paint and beautify public walls across the City. AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

Despite it being their second visit to the wall, the volunteers still encountered curious stares and interestingly, even advice asking them to give up.

hey were a sight to behold. Amid stunned stares from passersby were a bunch of youngsters hard at work cleaning the wall of a community hall at West Marredpally on Sunday morning. Armed with buckets of water, detergent and paint, these members of Rotaract Club transformed the wall, which was once splattered with spit and urine into a colourful and vibrant specimen that is bound to catch anyone’s attention. Aptly named as Ugly Indian, the initiative is a project taken up by Rotaract Club through which members clean up the dirty surroundings in the City, and the community hall is their first in this direction. “This is the second time we are working on the same wall. We had cleaned the wall the first time we came. Today, we beautified it by painting flowers and other designs on the wall. It is decided that we would organise these cleaning drives every alternate weekend. In our country, we constantly complain about dirty streets and filth, but wait for the government to react rather than do something about it. After our first attempt at cleaning the wall, we realised that cleaning in itself will not

solve the problem since the next time we visited the wall, we saw more posters and dirt. That is why we decided to involve residents and shopkeepers nearby in the project. They inform us when they spot anyone dirtying the wall and if possible, take their picture too so that we can

put them up on Facebook and embarrass them into giving up the nauseating habit of spitting and urinating in public,” Sashikanth Kaja, one of the pioneers of the project, said. In spite of it being their second visit to the community wall, they still encountered curious

stares and interestingly, even advice asking them to give up. Pragnya said, “We worked on the wall from 7am to 11am. I was surprised to see the number of people who were interested to know what we were up to. Cars would slow down with heads hanging out of the windows. A

person asked us not to waste our time cleaning up and said it will get dirty again soon enough. Most of the onlookers seemed like they were mocking us and I am sure they thought that we were wasting our time. However, this is not the case with residents from the nearby apartments. Many of them were very pleased with our work and some even offered to pay for the work and invited us for breakfast.” Srinivas Rao, a resident of one of the apartments near the community hall, feels that it is the mentality of the people who do not think twice before dirtying their surroundings at fault. “It is impossible to survey the wall 24/7. Mentality of the people should go through a sea change. If I catch someone dirtying the wall, he will hear from me. The wall used to stink before this clean-up. Now, the stench has remarkably reduced after the kids cleaned the wall many times,” he said.

city MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

CIVIC

M ANIL KUMAR

GHMC HASTE

WASTES OUR TIME The traffic police are fed up with being made the whipping boys for the farcical traffic situation at the new Lakdikapul RoB. They tell Postnoon that the bottleneck is not their fault. The blame lies with the GHMC’s haste in opening the bridge to the public before making sure surrounding infrastructure was in place, they assert. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

t may have taken five years to build the RoB at Lakdikapul, but ever since the bridge has been inaugurated, it has done little to ease traffic woes. With traffic flowing from Saifabad and Lakdikapul towards Masab Tank, confusion and congestion prevail. But all our authorities can do is play the blame game. While some people blame the GHMC for giving the traffic police little time to sort out traffic issues, GHMC officials say the fault lies with the City’s traffic wing. According to them the traffic flow at this junction is not scien-

tifically controlled and leads to traffic jams on working days. It is not an engineering fault, say officials, but a traffic control issue that must involve a holistic approach to the feeder lines and surrounding areas. Traffic police on the other hand say that the GHMC went ahead with its plan of inaugurating the RoB without taken them into confidence. The official, who spoke to Postnoon, was instrumental in solving traffic problems in most parts of the City and also directly involved in the Lakdikapul project. “We did not have information about the RoB’s inauguration until the last minute,” says a senior traffic official. The traffic police is of the

opinion that until the road is widened at Masab Tank, the new bridge should not have been inaugurated. Several meetings later, the GHMC demolished a few structures to widen the road, but then left it at that. “We are trying our best, but until the road is widened towards Masab Tank it will continue to choke,” says the official. “The road widening may take time. We cannot force people to evacuate. There is a procedure to be followed,” said K Dhananjaya Reddy, additional commissioner (Planning). While dealing with the new developments, senior officials who visited the site on Sunday evening have decided to remove portion of the traffic island.

While some blame the GHMC for giving the traffic police little time to sort out traffic issues, GHMC officials say the fault lies with the City’s traffic wing. Traffic police are optimistic that this will solve the problem at vigilance office. But motorists are not sure. Says the contractor who has been awarded the work to dig up the Masab Tank portion for widening ,“I shall do my work, but I do not think it will help all that much. When hundreds of

vehicles ply daily, no planning will help.” But civil society groups are not very convinced about the traffic police’s innocence. “They keep experimenting like children do with mud houses,” says Ramachandriah Chigurupati, convenor, Citizens for better transport in Hyderabad. He points out that the problem created after the inauguration was due to ‘traffic diversions’. “Vehicular movement should have been observed by the traffic police before acting,” he says. Traffic police are hopeful that the problem will be resolved once people are apprised of the situation. A GHMC official said the traffic police had enough time to do their homework.

city MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

CIVIC

WATER WARS BEGIN Summer is not even around the corner but residents of the twin cities are already plagued by water woes. While some areas make do with erratic water supplies, others have no option but to rely on tankers sent by the HMWS&SB.

8 M ANIL KUMAR

city

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

GRAMMY AWARDS The British rockers picked up the Album of the Year, while pop band fun. won Song of the Year with Gotye winning the Record of the Year.

MUMFORD & SONS TOWER WITH BABEL

MICHAEL THURSTON Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES: Indie pop band fun. won two big prizes at the Grammys as the music industry’s top honors were shared out Sunday, on a night which united veteran artists with the latest generation of hitmakers. The New York group won Song of the Year for We Are Young as well as best new artist at the 55th Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center amid tight security as Los Angeles police hunt a former cop wanted for multiple murders. British rockers Mumford & Sons took Album of the Year with Babel, while AustralianBelgian singer Gotye won Record of the Year for Somebody That I Used to Know, featuring Kimbra. The night saw several pairings of younger and older generations: Sting singing with reggae legend Bob Marley’s children; Elton John with Ed Sheeran; and Prince handing a prize to Gotye. Taylor Swift opened the show in white hot pants and a spangly top hat, with a circus-themed performance of her hit We Are Never Ever Getting Back

Together. Jennifer Lopez provided the first

fashion moment of the telecast, coming out to present the first award with Pitbull dressed with a toned bare leg and shoulder on full display in an asymmetrical black Anthony Vaccarello ensemble. “As you can see, I read the memo!” she joked when she came on stage, referring to a leaked letter from broadcasters CBS before the show, warning performers not to show too much flesh. British songstress Adele — who scored a clean sweep with six Grammys last year — won the first prize handed out at the show Sunday, for best solo performance for a live rendition of her hit Set Fire to the Rain. “My good luck charm, J-Lo,” she said as she accepted the award from Lopez. “This is amazing. I wanted to

Jennifer Lopez provided the first fashion moment, coming out to present the first award with Pitbull with a toned bare leg and shoulder on full display. come and be part of the night. I loved it last year, obviously,” she added. Other highlights of the three-anda-half hour show included a rousing tribute to Marley, featuring Sting, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Ziggy, Stephen and Damian Marley. They segued from Hawaiian-born Mars’ hit Locked out of Heaven into exPolice frontman Sting’s reggaerhythmed Walking on the Moon, before breaking into Marley’s classic Could You Be Loved? Heartthrob Justin Timberlake also brought the house down with a couple of songs from his new album The

20/20 Experience, starting with Suit and Tie — in which he was suitably attired. As the telecast went briefly black and white, he was joined by Jay-Z to sing Pusher Lover Girl. In a two-hour pre-telecast show, the Black Keys won best rock album, Keys singer Dan Auerbach won best rock song, Drake took best rap album, while Paul McCartney won for best traditional pop vocal album for Kisses on the Bottom. Beyonce won best traditional R&B performance for Love on Top, Beach Boy Brian Wilson was honored for best historical album and late Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar won best world music album for The Living Room Sessions Part 1. In the Grammy show’s traditional In Memoriam segment, John, Mumford & Sons and others paid tribute to Levon Helm, the late drummer and singer with The Band. Organisers hope to avoid drama which the Grammys seem to attract — last year with the death of Whitney Houston on the eve of the show; and a few years before with the infamous Chris Brown-Rihanna domestic assault. There was minor drama on the eve of the Grammys, but nothing like Houston’s shock death last year: Brown wrecked his Porsche in Beverly Hills on Saturday, and blamed paparazzi for the crash. The LA Police Department (LAPD), as well as helping provide security for the Grammys, have been involved in a massive manhunt for an ex-cop accused of killing three people and threatening to kill more officers. Thankfully there were no incidents to disrupt Sunday evening’s show, which went off smoothly.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Business

DIAGEO GETS MORE TIME FOR USL OPEN OFFER

Diageo has requested Sebi to allow it to launch an open offer for purchase of shares in United Spirits after regulatory approvals. While granting its approval, the Sebi said Diageo will have to pay an interest of 10% per annum for the period of delay to the public tendering their shares.

EUROZONE

EMIRATES PROFITS UP

Euro strength poses headache for EU ministers The euro has now risen sharply, sparking fears it could make eurozone exports less competitive and undercut growth. BRUSSELS: Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem holds his first eurozone meeting Monday just as hard-won measures to stabilise the bloc pose a different problem — a strong euro dampening the economy. It is feared that this could make eurozone exports less competitive and so undercut badly needed growth.

France especially has voiced its concerns as Japan, a major EU trading partner, forces down the yen to make its exports cheaper. French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici called last week for a debate on the euro’s exchange rate and wants the eurozone to consider setting a target level, which the ECB would then have to defend.

Several of the eurozone finance ministers will likely be taking up the issue again later in the week when the Group of 20 meets in Moscow and as the subject moves up the international agenda amid fresh talk of a “currency war.” Dijsselbloem has several other difficult issues on his plate: a Cyprus debt bailout,

continued weak growth and political uncertainty ahead of elections in Italy and Germany. Cyprus, which also goes to the polls shortly, has asked for help to the tune of some 17 billion euros, equal to its annual economic output, but there are deep misgivings about its banking system and money laundering. If the sums involved are relatively small — Greece needed some 240 billion euros in direct aid — letting Cyprus fail could badly compromise the credibility of the euro, threatening the recent progress made. An EU official said Monday’s meeting would review the situation but no accord is expected until a new Cypriot government is formed in March. Ministers will likely also review progress on the key measures agreed last year -- a single regulator for the banks and the working of the European Stability Mechanism, the bloc’s defence back-stop. AFP

INDEPENDENCE PLANS

‘Scotland should retain pound’

LONDON: Scotland should keep the pound if it votes to leave the United Kingdom in the 2014 referendum, First Minister Alex Salmond’s economic advisors concluded in a report due out Monday. Retaining the British currency “immediately” after a vote for independence could also benefit the remainder of the UK, they concluded. “In our view it would be in Scotland’s interests to retain sterling immediately post-inde-

Some argue Scotland would have to adopting the euro as a consequence of gaining full EU statehood, while others have called for a new currency. pendence,” the report says, according to extracts released Sunday.

“It is also the case that, postindependence, this would benefit the rest of the UK to maintain a key trading partner. As nearly 10 percent of the existing UK economy, Scotland would remain one of the largest trading partners of the UK economy. “There would be particular advantages for the UK in areas such as energy and financial services. Scotland’s economy is strong enough and sufficiently aligned with the rest of the UK that a separate currency would

not be necessary.” Some argue Scotland would have to commit to adopting the euro as a consequence of gaining full European Union statehood, while others have called for a new currency. An Angus Reid poll of 1,003 people in The Scotsman newspaper on February 4 found that 32 percent of people in Scotland supported independence, with 47 percent against. Twenty percent were undecided. AFP

GOLD`31,107 10g GOLD`31,100 1kg `60,100 1kg SILVER `58,580

24C

for

for for

DOLLAR `53.70 `53.79 `85.15 POUND `84.86

Dubai’s Emirates Airlines said Sunday its year to March 2013 income is seen rising by 18 to 20 percent, as the emirate officially opened the world’s first concourse dedicated to Airbus A380 superjumbos. The Middle East’s biggest carrier expects to see “an 18 to 20 percent” income rise this year, Emirates president Tim Clark told reporters. For the first six months of the current fiscal year its net profit jumped by 104 percent to 1.7 billion dirhams ($464 million) from 836 million dirhams in the corresponding period of the previous year. In the year to March 2012, Emirates had posted a net profit of 1.5 billion dirhams, down from 5.4 billion dirhams in the previous accounting year.

NUMEROLOGY

60,000 cars are being recalled by French car maker Renault from China over problems with their fuel gauge sensors, China’s consumer quality watchdog said.

HORSEMEAT ROW SPREADS The Europe-wide scandal over horsemeat sold as beef spread Sunday as leading French retailers pulled products from their shelves and threats of legal action ﬂew. France promised the results of an urgent inquiry into the scandal within days and the government announced crisis talks with meat industry representatives for Monday night. As Britain dismissed calls for a ban on EU meat, producers and distributors insisted they had been deceived about the true nature of the meat and vowed to take legal action. Several ranges of prepared food have been withdrawn in Britain, France and Sweden after it emerged that frozen food companies had used horsemeat instead of beef in lasagne, other pasta dishes, shepherd’s pies and moussaka dishes. Reﬂecting the complexity of European food supply chains, the meat has been traced from France through Cyprus and The Netherlands to Romanian abattoirs.

BSE 5,894.60 6,057.70 NSE

20,025.67 19,461.63 44.10 23.14 9.20 8.90

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

nation INCONSOLABLE

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

Hollande in dilemma over rape case Lawyers for the official, Pascal Mazurier, were received at Hollande’s Elysee Palace last week . Lawyers for the official, Pascal Mazurier, were received at Hollande’s Elysee Palace last week in a move greeted with incomprehension by the mother, Suja Jones Mazurier, and the women’s and rights groups supporting her. They accuse France of supporting the husband at the expense of the interests of the rape vic-

MAN INJURED IN J&K FIRING DIES A man injured allegedly in security forces action against persons staging protest against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru died today. Ubaid Mushtaq, who was injured allegedly in ﬁring by security forces in Baramulla district yesterday, succumbed to injuries at 3am at a hospital in Srinagar, ofﬁcial sources said.

A man weeps as he holds his wife who was killed in a stampede on a railway platform in Allahabad on Sunday. The death toll reached 36 today, with 14 more people succumbing to their injuries. The victims include 26 women, 9 men and a baby, official sources said. PTI

PARIS: The Indian wife of a French consular official charged with raping their daughter has requested a meeting with Francois Hollande this week, presenting the French president with a diplomatic dilemma on his first state visit to India.

MUKESH AMBANI BULLISH ON INDIA

RIL chief Mukesh Ambani said he was very “bullish” on India despite a slowdown of India’s growth and foreign investors’ complaints about poor infrastructure and lack of reform. “India has had some slow growth, but I’m really very optimistic,” he said. “I’m very bullish on India, because it’s really the aspirations of a billion people. And ours is a country where all the billion count.”

tim and her two siblings, who are all French nationals. In a letter to Hollande’s minister for women, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Algerian academic Marieme Helie Lucas argues the Elysee meeting was part of an orchestrated campaign in support of the father amounting to an attempt to interfere with the case in India. “We were very surprised to learn, through the press, that only the advocates of the accused, the father of the young victim, have been received at the Elysee,” Helie Lucas, a prominent rights campaigner, writes in the letter. Hollande’s aides must now decide whether to grant Jones Mazurier an audience. If they do, they will draw further attention to a case they would like to go away. If they don’t, they run the risk of adding to anger over how it has been handled. AFP

4 HELD FOR MURDER OF BJP WORKER

Four persons were arrested from Dhule district in Maharashtra in connection with the murder of BJP worker Kishor Gondhali, police said. The accused were hiding in the residence of one of them at a village in Dhule district, but were traced and brought to Vadodara today, police commissioner Satish Sharma said.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

World

AUSTRALIA ROYAL RADIO HOAXER BACK ON AIR One of the Australian radio hosts at the centre of a royal hoax call controversy in which a nurse was found hanged returned to the airwaves Monday. Michael Christian resumed work with Austereo station Fox FM in Melbourne. “We are happy to have Michael back on air,” said Austereo chief Rhys Holleran.

Mission accomplished

crew members bringing the vessel Alexandra Shackleton to shore at South Georgia to successfully complete leg one of their historic re-enactment, during their expedition across the Southern Ocean to Antarctica.

SYDNEY: A team of exhausted but elated explorers successfully recreated Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic survival journey Monday, completing a three-day climb across mountains despite a treacherous blizzard. Expedition leader Tim Jarvis and Barry Gray reached the old whaling station at Stromness early Monday (2245 GMT Sunday) after a 900-metre (2,950-foot) climb over the mountainous interior of South Georgia. “It was epic, really epic, and we’ve arrived here against the odds,” said Jarvis, who with Gray completed the climb using the same kind of clothing and gear that Shackleton and his men would have worn in 1916. “The ice climb at the Tridents is a serious thing and Shackleton didn’t exaggerate — with ice at 50 degrees, with one wrong foot, we could have careened down a crevasse.” AFP

SYRIA

EXPLOSION IN GAO GAO, MALI: An explosion shook the largest city in northern Mali early Monday, hours after Islamist gunmen battled French and Malian troops following two straight days of suicide bombings. Malian troops told an AFP correspondent that the sound of the blast appeared to have come from the north of Gao, possibly from the checkpoint guarding its northern entrance, the target of suicide attacks Friday.

A French sniper is on duty as French soldiers patrol at a suicide attack site.

Fighting escalates

50 killed across the country on Sunday alone. DAMASCUS: Syrian rebels launched fierce assaults on government troops in several parts of the country on Sunday, as a UN envoy urged the leader of the opposition to seek dialogue with the Damascus regime. There were reports of tension between rival rebel groups in the rebel-held northwest of the country, where witnesses say local fighters faced off with a hardline Islamist group. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects reports from a network of activists and medics

Iran building militia WASHINGTON: Iran and its Lebanese-based ally, Hezbollah, are trying to build a network of militias inside Syria to protect their interests there in case President Bashar al-Assad falls, The ashington Post reported late Sunday. Citing unnamed US and Middle Eastern officials, the newspaper said Iran’s goal appears to be to have reliable operatives in Syria in case the country fractures into ethnic and sectarian enclaves.

in civilian and military hospitals on the ground, said at least 50 people were killed in violence across Syria on Sunday. UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Moaz alKhatib Sunday in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday and urged him to keep seeking dialogue with the Damascus government, the UN said. Brahimi repeated his backing for Khatib’s push for talks and “encouraged the Coalition to continue in this direction,” said a UN statement.

NEWS BRIEFS Japan police arrest US airman in Okinawa

‘Fake prince’ fortune to be auctioned in Oz

Aid trickles into tsunami-hit Solomons

Obama to propose deep nuclear arms cuts

TOKYO: Japanese police said Monday they have detained a US airman in Okinawa for allegedly causing a car accident while driving drunk, the latest in a series of arrests of American servicemen in the country. Two drunken US sailors were arrested for trespassing last month after allegedly breaking a night-time curfew.

SYDNEY: A trove of luxury goods including a fake crown amassed by a health executive in Australia who claimed to be a Tahitian prince as he allegedly embezzled millions is to be sold off, ofﬁcials said Monday. New Zealand-born Hohepa MorehuBarlow, also known as Joel Barlow, is due to appear in court next month over his alleged defrauding.

HONORIA: Relief supplies began trickling into tsunami-hit communities in the Solomons Islands Monday, as another powerful aftershock rattled the Paciﬁc nation in the wake of last week’s 8.0-magnitude earthquake. The aftershocks had slowed but not halted aid operations in the remote Santa Cruz islands.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address on Tuesday to call for dramatic cuts in nuclear arsenals around the world, The New York Times reported. The newspaper said that in recent months Obama had secured agreement with the US military that its nuclear force can be cut by roughly a third.

SO LONG LOLONG

The world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity has died in the Philippines, 17 months after the suspected man-eater was hunted down and put on display for tourists, his caretakers said Monday. “Lolong”, who measured 6.17 metres (20.24 feet), died on Sunday night from a mystery illness inside his small enclosure in Bunawan, a backwater town in the country’s remote south. “This is a very, very sad day for us,” town spokeswoman Welinda Elorde said.

NUMEROLOGY

16,000

Afghanis are being treated for drug addiction in about 90 centres across the country, according to the records of the United Nation.

SON REMEMBERS PA Australian gambling mogul James Packer has paid tribute to his “terrifying” late father Kerry and Hollywood star Tom Cruise in a rare and tearful interview on his private life. Packer, who owns casinos in Australia and Macau and is developing a complex in Manila, opened up on his media tycoon father Kerry Sunday night in a television interview. The late Packer senior, one of Australia’s richest and most inﬂuential men, who died from kidney failure in 2005, was known for his temper and his son said he was “best in class that I’ve come across” on that count.

The immediate intention seems to be to support the Syrian regime. But it’s important for Iran to have a force in Syria that is reliable and can be counted on. A senior US ofﬁcial to Washington Post

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

THE PAGE DEDICATED TO WOMEN AND THE ISSUES THEY FACE ACROSS THE GLOBE

VANGUARD OF CHANGE

Catwalk for change

Online SOS

fghani women walked the catwalk in a restaurant in Kabul in a rare fashion show that showcased the women wearing dresses, jeans and more traditional outfits. The show was part of a group’s efforts to empower women by breaking down barriers in the highly conservative Muslim society. Some of the participants said that the male members in their families were supportive of their move.

In good company

ollowing the brutal Delhi gang-rape of a young woman last December, several websites and helplines for women’s safety have popped up. One of them is Savemee.com, a new website for women, which allows women to register four people as people to contact if they are in distress. If you register and call the toll-free number, a message will immediately go to your emergency contacts. The service is available across the country. With an SMS service being one of the cheapest ways to communicate in India, this website should have many takers.

he National Association for Female Executives has released its list for the top 50 companies for women in 2013. These companies offer women better opportunities to reach executive positions. The companies include IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott International and Procter & Gamble. The companies on the list were ranked according to the percentage of women working in positions of power.

AFP/PATRICK BAZ

Women don’t paint very well. It’s a fact. And that despite the fact that they still constitute the majority of students in the art academies.

They tell you women are a red line. They tell you that naked women — who are going to Tahrir Square because they want to be raped — are a red line!

Georg Baselitz German painter

Ahmad Mahmoud Abdullah Egyptian Salaﬁ preacher

WORKING WOMEN

TWO STEPS BACK

Not going down the drain as yet

Gents Only, Ladies Forbidden

golf club in Kenya, which has several women members, recently passed a rule stating that women were barred from seeking elective posts in the club, even though they payed the same amount as their male counterparts. Reportedly, women are not even supposed to speak up during annual general meetings. Three female members have now hired a top-ranking lawyer to challenge the decision and plan to drag the club to court. Two of the women who challenged the decision were suspended and one was stripped of her post at the golf club.

Sterilised! Now leave, say WB doctors

government hospital in West Bengal has come under the scanner after reports surfaced that women undergoing sterilisation surgery were made to leave right after the surgery, and had to lie in the open fields to recuperate. According to a report in India Today, the hospital said that it was unable to handle the influx of people coming in as part of a sterilisation drive. Some women fell unconscious because of the pain and discomfort.

An Iraqi model is made up before a show during a hairdressers and make up artists festival in Baghdad.

WHO WEARS THE PANTS?

The French government has recently overturned a 200-year ban on women wearing trousers in the country.

he country that houses the most chic country in the world has taken a fashionable step foward. The French government recently overturned a 200-year ban on women wearing trousers. Cheering the move, minister of women’s rights, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, said that the outdated ban was ridiculous in context to modern French values and laws. The law, imposed on November 17, 1800, had already been rescinded earlier because of incompatibility. The move to repeal the law officially was the cause of a

parliamentary question asked last year. According to the law, women need to have permission of the local police if they wanted to “dress like a man” and wear trousers. Though it has been ignored for decades, it remained on the books. Va l l a u d - B e l k a c e m explained that the original law was framed to prevent women from doing certain jobs, especially after women asked for permission to wear pants in the French Revolution The law was modified in first in 1892 and in 1909 to allow women to wear trousers if they were “holding a bicycle handlebar or a horse’s reins.

audi Arabia, notorious for its regressive attitude towards women, has decided to train 20 women to be professional plumbers. While the women plumbers will only be allowed to work in female-only workplaces, activists say this is a step in the right direction. Some men have said that women plumbers are a bad idea as women are physically weaker. An economist even predicted economic uncertainty because of “unproductive female workers”.

THE WEAKER SEX Men offended by ratings app

new app that released in the US recently has men up in arms. The app, Lulu, allows women to rate the men they date, using hashtags like #HandyMan and #CheaperThanABigMac, and search the database for the ratings of other men. Men argue that if such an app existed for rating women, feminist groups will be baying for the blood of the creators. However, the creator, Alexandra Chung, said that it was all in good faith.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Comment I don’t wanna hear nobody complain that they’re getting paid all this money and people won’t leave them alone. It’s part of it. Mark Wahlberg Actor

Marky Mark’s funky bunch THE HUMAN CONDITION Dean Williams

y mentor once told me that in order to thrive in any space one needs to possess five things: The hide of a rhinoceros; the ability to take nothing personally; the tolerance to let everyone speak their mind; the misanthropy to believe humans are intrinsically selfish; and the knowledge that life basically sucks most of the time. The first, he said, will allow you to go through life without being hurt by the things people say about you. The second will allow you to listen to criticism (many times deserving) without becoming a quivering wreck. The third will open up intellectual avenues that would have otherwise remained shut. The fourth will prevent you from ever being disappointed. The fifth will make the end much easier. Saturday saw Mark Wahlberg attempt his best Gascoigne imitation in his cringe-worthy drunken performance on the Graham Norton Show. Marky Mark has had his Funky Bunch on the wrong side of the law and good taste for quite a while. He has a hide that would have made my mentor proud, and is incredibly selfish. Wahlberg tomtommed the fact that his kids never watched any of his more adult-themed films and then proceeded to behave like a drunken boor on TV. There’s more chance of them watching that Mark.What Mark thought about his performance on Sunday morning is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for sure, he won’t be taking the Twitter backlash personally, because he knows the one cardinal rule: Life sucks, deal with it.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

A multinational security firm has secretly developed software capable of tracking people’s movements and predicting future behaviour by mining data from social networking websites, says a Guardian exclusive. An “extreme-scale analytics” system created by Raytheoncan gather vast amounts of information about people from websites including Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Watch out next time you tweet.

DIPLOMACY

OBAMA TRIP TO ISRAEL: WHY NOW?

LETTER FROM WASHINGTON Stephen Collinson

e’s hardly best buddies with B e n j a m i n Netanyahu and his drive for a Palestinian state is comatose, so why did Barack Obama pick Israel to fire up his legacy-boosting second term diplomacy? The US president sprung a surprise last week by announcing he would pick the turmoillaced Middle East for the first trip since re-election. The twisted personal chemistry between Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu is no secret, and was not helped by the Israeli leader rooting for Republican Mitt Romney in November’s election. After Obama’s first term peace efforts were spurned by Israel, and Palestinians embarrassed him by seeking UN recognition, the chances of the president coming home with nothing to show for his trip seem high. But the political timetable reshaped power dynamics after US and Israeli elections, and crises both nations face — including Syria’s mayhem, uproar in Egypt and Iran’s nuclear defiance — mean a visit

may make sense. The success of the centrist Yesh Atid Party in the Israeli elections, noises from new Secretary of State John Kerry and Obama’s trip have sparked some optimism of a new USsponsored peace drive by Washington. The White House quickly dampened expectations that Obama, burned by a failed effort in his first term, would launch his second with a blockbuster peace initiative. Paradoxically, current hibernation of the Israeli-Palestinian track may make now the optimal time for Obama to visit. Freed from expectations of a breakthrough, White House officials can bill the trip as a chance for both sides to coordinate positions on issues certain to dominate the new governments on both sides. Had Obama waited, the shelf life on that narrative would have passed and the IsraeliPalestinian question would have loomed larger. Obama may benefit from heading to Israel at a time when his power as a re-elected president is at its apex, before second term lame duck beckons. An early visit also smacks down Republicans who complain he is yet to visit Israel, and underlines to foes like Iran that the alliance is unshakeable despite personal tiffs between

Obama and Netanyahu. “It is better to go at the beginning of your term, than in year seven or eight when you are on your way out of the door,” a senior US official told AFP. Bruce Jentleson, a Duke University professor who was once a senior advisor to Obama’s State Department, said presidential trips are about more than chalking up points on a diplomatic scorecard. “I don’t think that presidential trips are just about deliverables,” he said. “If you look at the trips the president made in his first term, to China for instance, these were about moving the relationship.” For all the talk of Obama’s first-term foreign policy pivot to Asia, his trip, also including the

West Bank and Jordan, will also demonstrate that the Middle East remains an important foreign policy focus. The fact that Netanyahu, who had his maximum point of leverage over Obama before the last year’s US election, has emerged in a weaker political position after his own date with voters is not lost on the White House. After Democratic complaints Netanyahu meddled in US politics, the way Obama’s trip is looming over the Israeli leader’s coalition building is ironic. Democrats also savor the fact that Romney lambasted Obama for throwing “Israel under the bus” and pledged to make Israel his first foreign stop as president — and now it is Obama who gets to make that journey.

EDITORIALS Did Didi overreact?

o one is unfamiliar with Didi’s tantrums. The latest is her threatening to slap a bunch of photojournalists for heckling and tussling with her guards after she entered an outlet. They wanted to take pictures of a very pleasant Mamata Banerjee. She turned unpleasant when the tussling looked like getting out of hand and she rushed out raising her hand and yelled that she would slap them and asked if they did not see there was ﬁre lit for cooking in the outlet. The photojournalists were astounded by her behaviour. The Opposition in West Bengal has asked what can cure Didi’s strange behaviour. But what about making a woman feel uncomfortable and unsafe somewhere where she felt there could have been an accident. Getting news and pictures is the media’s job. But it must be done in a way it does not become ‘pap’ style where ethics and standards are never adhered to. Maybe Didi overreacted, but if she felt harassed, the shutterbugs there are to blame.

READERS’ VIEWS

Gun control: what about us?

19-year-old boy was shot at after he tried to protest against the sexual harassment of a minor by four men on Sunday. The four men were on a bike when they started harassing the young girl. The man who was shot at suffered injuries to his hand. Apart from the shame that eveteasing continues without abatement despite the uproar over the Delhi rape victim, we must turn our focus on gun control in our country, too. Here, too, guns are in the wrong hands.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

campus

LOUD & CLEAR Jan Samwaad (Dialoguing with the people), a four-member, Hyderabad-based band will be performing live at Lamakaan from 6 pm on Saturday. The band tries to engage its audience into social and political issues plaguing our society.

BLOOPERS

SPORTS AURA

Postnoon readers share some of their most torturous V-Day tales that are forever etched in their minds.

My not-so-funny Valentine

AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

o other movie depicted Valentine’s Day disasters as the movie Valentine’s Day did. There was the annoying Felicia Miller, played by Taylor Swift, walking around the campus with a huge teddy bear, which was her Valentine’s Day gift from her boyfriend. While Felicia seemed to be enjoying

Single and Fabulous!

ou are single and fabulous, with an exclamation mark. But as Valentine’s Day draws nearer, you become a little less self-assured about yourself. We list things that singles should never do this Valentine’s Day. n Whatever you do, never call your ex. If that thought comes to your mind, abort immediately. n Going on a first date is hard enough. Valentine’s Day is not the day to take a dating risk. Do not complicate your mind by going on a first date and spoiling the day. n Make sure you are not alone. Gang up with your pals and hang out with them. n Your friends might have heard you complaining a hundred times over. Save your dignity this day.

the attention she garnered holding the teddy, other mortals in her position cannot survive the day without dying of embarrassment. There are many hopeless romantics out there who do not think twice before inflicting such pain on their partners. Postnoon readers share some of their torturous Valentine’s Day memories. “I still flinch thinking of a particular Valentine’s Day. It was many years ago and I was single. My friend, in order to cheer me on Valentine’s Day, set me up on a blind date with someone. She was known for her good taste in men and after much coercing, I gave in and decided to give the blind date a try. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming when he asked me to meet at Subway, of all the places in the City. He was a complete geek and very nervous. It seemed as if he had never spoken to a girl before and was very formal throughout the evening. I couldn’t wait to get home and as far away from him as possible. I made sure that I never ran into him

after the incident,” said Nandita, 25, who works in PR. “Every time I hear people talk about Valentine’s Day, I go back to the time when I was stuck in my girlfriend’s closet for more than 45 minutes. It all began when she wanted to meet me on Valentine’s Day but since her parents were home, she didn’t get permission to go out. We were young and naïve, so we did the unthinkable. She helped me sneak into her room. All was fine until her father came knocking on her door. We were not prepared for this and panicked. I hid inside her closet. I am more than 6 feet tall and I was all cramped

inside the closet. Her father was in her room for 45 whole minutes, taking prints, talking to her and so on. And I was there stuck in the closet dreading when he will come peeping inside the closet. I never celebrated Valentine’s Day after this incident,” said Arvind, an engineering student. “I was a teenager at the time and had just started going out with this girl whom I really liked. It was our first Valentine’s Day and I took her out for lunch. After lunch, we parked our car at a place we thought was deserted and made out a little. We were in for a shock when we saw a cop knocking on the window. As it turns out, we had parked right next to a school and it was a crime to get physical anywhere near there. We were both very young and sitting in a police station for hours was one experience I wouldn’t want to be reminded of. At the end of the day, after they were convinced that we didn’t have any money to give, cops let us go,” said Noel, 26, a PhD student. (Names have been changed on request.)

Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology is organising Sports Aura on February 20. Cricket, football and badminton will be some of the competitions to be organised during the day.

COLLEGE OF THE WEEK

QMC

Queen Mary's College is a government-run college in Chennai. Started in 1914, it is the first women’s college in the city and is one among the first three colleges for women in the country. Originally the residence of Lt Col Francis Capper in the mid-1800s, the building later housed a hotel before becoming a college in 1914.

TRENDING...

College Info Geek: This site is different from other college websites mainly because of the sheer size of the articles posted – 11,000 words. Whether it’s a laptop review or just a random rant on college life, you’ll enjoy checking this out.

Surviving College: Academic Life, Party Life — if you need to survive it, Surviving College is a great place to start. This site will help you ﬁgure out college in real time so that you are not just getting the hang of hangovers and 8 am classes.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

spotlight

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

Gang up with your girl pals and head to Kismet. Let go and have a blast as the resident DJ belts out the latest chartbusters.

S BALAKRISHNA

BOLD MOVES 1

A FITTING TRIBUTE Cure foundation organised a programme ‘Dance like a child’ dedicating it to the young cancer survivors. The function was held at Banyan N Convention on Sunday.

WIZARDS OF WORDS

1 Padma 2 Ajitha Reddy 3 Pranathi 4 Sandeep, Rajina 5 Visha, Kavya, Karan,

Snigda 6 Nikita, Monica 7 Pruthiv, Srujana 8 Dr. Vijay Anand

with wife

Sadhana Ponnaluri (left) of Delhi Public School and AV Lakshmi (right) of Gitanjali Senior School were declared winners of Spell Bee - India Spells 2013. They pose with Radio Mirchi RJ Dhiraja on Sunday.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

health

SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TRACKS EPIDEMICS

Researchers have developed a method to identify the cause of epidemics, based on online reports about the symptoms, the season and the ratio of cases to fatalities. Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health used ProMED-mail’s data and applied this method.

PREGNANCY WEEK

HOW LATE IS LATER?

Having a child early in life is not an option for many. But a late first pregnancy comes with its fair share of problems. How good is it for you and your child, when you are 55 and your child still 15? DEEPASHRI V

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

omen today prefer being financially independent. There is no big hurry to get married, forget having children. Even after marriage, in most households, men and women share equal responsibility in running the family. The fast paced lifestyle and competition, in general, means less time with family and friends for many of us. And in the middle of all this, having children takes a back seat. It is something left for “later.” The trend is to climb up the professional ladder and postpone having a child, said Dr Devika Gunasheela, managing director and consultant obstetrician gynaecologist at Gunasheela Hospitals, Bangalore. “Suddenly one day they wake up at 38 or 39 and realise they don’t have any children. After that it is very difficult.” This increases the chances of

abortions and abnormalities in babies. After a late first pregnancy, as the mother grows older, she is at risk of getting gestational diabetes and hyper pressure, said Dr Gunasheela. “The child does not reach full growth potential. They are called growth restricted babies.” This is not something exclusive to women. The older the father, higher is the risk of mental and physical abnormalities in the child, doctors say. Dr Sudheer Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, said the chances of abortion and still births are higher even if the father is old. “The chances of abnormalities in the nervous system (for the child) are higher after 35 (for the mother). This can apply to above 30 also,” said Dr Kumar. “They (mothers who conceive late) need closer follow-ups and checkups with the obstetrician,” he said. “There is a fibroid tumour in the uterus, which is benign. It is more common in those who conceive late. Breast feeding is like a precaution against breast cancer. So they can be at a higher risk (of cancer).”

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

It is not uncommon these days to see a child in class X, whose parents are around 50 years old already. With this huge generational gap, isn’t there bound to be adjustment and behaviour problems for the parents as well as the child? “There will be a huge generational gap. Parents won’t be able to understand the child’s needs. The child will be exposed to a different world,” said Dr Minhaj Nasirabadi, consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospitals and professor of psychiatry at Shadan medical college. “It is difficult for parents also to adjust. When the child is 10, they are already 40 or 45. A lot of energy is required to handle a teenager. This puts pressure on the parents as well.” Apart from adjustment and behavioural problems, the chances of the child being born with Downs Syndrome or congenital anomalies is also high, he said.

HOUSECALL

DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

iWOD Fitness

Myelitis

A 4TB brain!

Julius Axelrod

iWOD Fitness delivers a WOD log, daily WOD's, CrossFit timers, Paleo Recipes, CrossFit news and more. You can track your progress with the built-in timers. The logs take you training to the next level. iWOD Fitness provides everything you need to turn your phone in to a tool that will enhance your CrossFit lifestyle.

Myelitis involves an infection or inflammation of white matter or gray matter of spinal cord. During an inflammatory response on the spinal cord, the myelination and axon may be damaged, causing symptoms such as paralysis and sensory loss. It is classified into several categories depending on the area or the cause of the lesion. People often refer any inflammatory attack on spinal cord to transverse myelitis.

The brain’s storage capacity is estimated to exceed 4 terabytes. It can store and recognize remember 10,000 different odors and differentiate between up to eight million colours and 500 shades of gray. It is estimated that there are between 100 and 200 hundred billion neurons in a brain and seven million brain cells are used each day.

Julius Axelrod was born in New York City. He became a biochemist for the National Heart Institute then joined the National Institute for Mental Health. His studies of neurotransmission of adrenalin and amphetamines led to his investigations into psychoactive drugs for treatment of mental illness. He shared the 1970 nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine with Bernard Katz and Ulf von Euler.

health MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

STUDY

BREAKTHROUGH

Diet fizzy drinks come with higher diabetes risk Researchers have found that people who had diet drinks were at an even higher risk of getting diabetes as compared to those who had normal fizzy drinks. LONDON: Diet fizzy drinks, touted as healthier substitutes are likely to push up diabetes risk by 60 percent, rather than the regular versions, says a European study involving more than 66,000 women. Diet drinkers also consume more or an average of 2.8 glasses a week which compounds the effect, as compared to 1.6 for regular drinkers. Regular, full-fat versions have previously been suspected of causing diabetes. More than 66,000 middle-aged French women were quizzed about their dietary habits. Their health was then monitored over 14 years from 1993 to 2007, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. The researchers, from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France, examined the rates of diabetes among women who drank either regular or diet fizzy drinks and those who drank only unsweetened fruit juice, according to the Daily Mail. Those who drank up to 359 ml of any type of fizzy a week — just more than a regularsized can —were a third more likely to develop the disease. The risk was more than double in those who drank 600 ml a week — just bigger than a regular bottle. Drinkers of diet drinks had an even higher risk of diabetes compared to those who drank regular ones. Those who drank up to 500 ml a week had a 15 per cent increased risk. Once more than 1.5 litres a week was consumed, this became a 60 per cent increased risk. “Contrary to conventional thinking, the risk of diabetes is higher with light beverages compared with regular sweetened drinks,” the researchers said. IANS

Stem cell implants fix bones LONDON: Researchers have pioneered a new technique combining bone stem cells with a degradable rigid material to encourage real bone to regrow. The material developed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Southampton is a honeycomb scaffold structure that allows blood to flow through it, enabling stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow to attach to the material and grow new bone. The plastic slowly degrades as the implant is replaced by newly grown bone. The material is a blend of three types of plastics found suitable after hundreds of combinations of plastics were tested, to identify a blend that was robust, lightweight, and able to support bone stem cells, the journal Advanced Functional Materials reports. Successful results have been shown in the lab and in animal testing with the focus now moving towards human clinical evaluation, according to an Edinburgh and Southampton statement. Mark Bradley, professor from Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry, adds: “We were able to make and look at hundreds of candidate materials and rapidly whittle these down to one which is strong enough to replace bone and is also a suitable surface upon which to grow new bone. We are confident that this material could soon be helping to improve the quality of life for patients with severe bone injuries.” IANS

RESEARCH

Dogs help understand human skull WASHINGTON: Man’s best friend,dog, may help us better understand our head, according to American researchers. Researchers relooked at the progress in defining the genes and pathways that determine canine skull shape and development, ever since the dog genome was mapped eight years ago. Dogs can serve as a model for

skull growth and shape determination because the genetic conservation between dogs and humans makes it highly likely that craniofacial development is regulated similarly between both species,” said Jeffrey J Schoenebeck, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the journal Genetics, reports. “These discoveries are impor-

tant for human health and biology, especially for children born with craniofacial deformities,” said Elaine A Ostrander according to an NHGRI statement. In humans these deformities include Apert, Crouzon and Pfeiffer syndromes, where skull bones fuse prematurely causing facial malformations, such as wide-set bulging eyes and broad

foreheads, resulting in dental, eye and other physiological problems. Skull shape is a complex trait, involving multiple genes and their interactions. Thanks to standardised canine breeding which documents more than 400 breeds worldwide, and their distinct morphological features, researchers can disentangle traits such as skull shape,

which in many breeds is a breeddefining variation. “We may find new roles for genes, never before implicated in cranium development and because similar genes and genetic pathways operate in humans, unexplained craniofacial developmental defects may become better understood,” said Schoenebeck. IANS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Koratala Siva bags a biggie oratala Siva, who recently K made his directorial debut with Prabhas starrer Mirchi, has been roped in to direct another big project. Bandla Ganesh is going to produce the film and coincidentally, the news first came to light on the day of Mirchi’s release. More details will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Mirchi is doing extremely well at the box office.

Rajamouli goes on a recce

Varun Sandesh in Nuvvala Nenilaa

fter Priyathama Neevachata Kushalama, Varun Sandesh is teaming up once again with director Trinadh Rao for an upcoming film titled Nuvvala Nenilaa. Poorna is going to play the lead role in the film, which will be launched on February 13. Sai Karthik is going to score the music.

ce director SS Rajamouli has gone on a threeday recce to Karnataka and Kerala along with his team, to scout locations for his upcoming film Baahubali. Prabhas, Rana and Anushka are playing the lead roles in this fantasy film and already the lead actors have begun their training. The film is expected to go on floors in April.

TO STAR IN A POLITICAL DRAMA?

BALAKRISHNA

RUMOUR MILLS

t has been nearly five months since Balakrishna’s previous film Srimannarayana released and yet, there’s no clarity over what his next film is going to be. Few months ago, there was a rumour that he’s going to act in the sequel to Aditya 369, a cult sci-fi film directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and later, there was another rumour that he’ll play the role of Sri Krishna Devaraya in a film to be directed by K Raghavendra Rao. Recently, there was a buzz that he’s all set to don the director’s hat and make a fantasy film; however, none of these films have gone on floors so far. According to the latest rumours in the industry, Balakrishna is expected to play a powerful role in Boyapati Sreenu’s upcoming political film titled Ruler. The two had earlier teamed up for Simha, which turned out to be the biggest hit in Balakrishna’s career. Ram Achanta, Gopichand and Anil Sunkara are going to produce this new film under 14 Reels Entertainments banner. It’s a known fact that Balakrishna has been toying with the idea of joining politics and he’s likely to campaign for Telugu Desam Party in the upcoming 2014 elections. The film is expected to take off later this year and it’s being pegged as a launch pad for Balakrishna’s big jump into politics. An official announcement about the project is likely to be made soon.

Entertainment MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

MEMORIES OF A GLORIOUS PAST

In his illustrious career spanning four decades in the film industry, Shyam Benegal has won many laurels. He’s the latest recipient of the prestigious ANR National Award, which he says is a great recognition. In a candid conversation, Shyam Benegal talks about his career, alternate cinema and the opportunities for young filmmakers today. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

n the year 1958, Shyam Benegal took a decision which changed his life forever. Having lived in Hyderabad all his life till that point of time, he decided to move to Mumbai to work as a copy writer in an advertising company. That was the beginning of his tryst with documentaries and television before he made the big jump to feature films in 1973. Four decades later, he has been the recipient of multiple national awards, a Golden Bear nomination in 1974 at Berlin Film Festival, a Palme D’Or nomination in 1976 at Cannes Film Festival, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the government of India.

than films, the reach of television is enormous in India. The TV series and documentaries I have made over the years introduced me to a wider audience. In fact, when I made Bharat Ek Khoj, which was based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India, in 1988, I didn’t know that the book would become a prescribed textbook in schools,” Shyam Benegal recalls. He was one among the initial wave of Hindi filmmakers who dealt with sensitive issues and some of his films like Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, Junoon and Trikal were instrumental in heralding a new wave of cinema in India. “I think the emergence of alternate cinema in Hindi occurred because there was an opportunity waiting to be grabbed. Filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen revolutionised Bengali cinema in the ’50s, but it took Hindi film industry another two decades to embrace the idea of parallel cinema. In early ’70s, foreign

that he has always vouched for gender equality, women empowerment and eradication of social oppression in his films. “India has always been a patriarchal society where women have always been dependent on someone from time immemorial which is the root of most of the gender issues we face today. Daughters are not treated on par with sons and women will always be portrayed as a dependent on someone unless they are recognised as an individual on their own right. That has been one of the central themes of my films over the years,” he says. The defining moment of his life, he recalls, was a speech made by Jawaharlal Nehru back when he was studying in Nizam College in Hyderabad. “In his speech, Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about communicating what you want to say with absolute clarity because it works on the conscious, subconscious and unconscious levels. There’s always a debate on the impact that films

L E A G U E

O F

HIS OWN

Now, he has been awarded the prestigious ANR National Award for his outstanding contribution to cinema. Ask him if awards mean a lot to him even after all these years, he says, “Awards don’t mean much to me anymore, but recognition does. I am deeply humbled by the fact that Akkineni Nageshwara Rao chose me this year to confer the award. His career has been nothing short of extra-ordinary and his contribution to cinema is unparalleled. I consider this as a recognition more than an award. It feels good to receive the award in my hometown.” He made his debut feature film Ankur in 1973 and throughout his career, he juggled between making films, documentaries and TV series — a feat that not many filmmakers have been able to manage over the years. “More

exchange was abysmally low in India and several foreign studios who had been releasing their films in India would take back a large chunk of the revenue English films were making in India. It was around that time that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi put a restriction on the amount of money which the foreign studios can take away from India and even the number of English films which were allowed to release was drastical-

Sometimes what a filmmaker wants to say through his or her films totally changes when it’s not conveyed with clarity. Shyam Benegal Filmmaker ly reduced. Cinema halls that were screening English films were suddenly empty and it gave an opportunity for filmmakers like me to make and screen films, which appealed to the sensibilities of people at that time. Today, we are seeing a similar trend, thanks to the rise of multiplexes. Several talented filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee have found their niche. There are plenty of opportunities today,” he says. A common factor in most of his films has been strong woman characters who challenge the norms set by the society. He admits

have on the society and sometimes what a filmmaker wants to say through his or her films totally changes when it’s not conveyed with clarity. Films are meant to entertain people and one has to stretch one’s imagination a little more to simulate people’s consciousness through cinema. Anyone can make a mainstream film if they have a good team, but to make an alternate film, based on an idea which need not necessarily appeal to the audience requires a lot of thought,” he says, adding, “Cinema cannot be complete without an audience, but filmmakers shouldn’t try to ape what others do. Reactiveness is the worst thing that can happen to creativity.” He’s currently working on a mini-series based on the making of India’s constitution. “We have been working on this project for the past eight months. I think it’s a story which needs to be told because the people who wrote our constitution had a humongous task of taking into account the sheer diversity of the country,” he says. He recently turned 78, but age is just a number for him. “I really want to make a film based on the life of Noor Inayat Khan, who worked as a Special Operations Executive agent for Britian during World War II and was later brutally tortured and killed by the Germans. It’s a fascinating story, but to recreate that era needs a lot of money and time. I am also fascinated by the life of Princess Niloufer, who was married to the second son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. The script is ready but it’s difficult to shoot in Hyderabad today. Unlike Europe, Hyderabad hasn’t tried to save most of its cultural heritage. The City has changed so much,” he signs off.

Entertainment MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Katy Perry steals the spotlight

MAIN ATTRACTION

CINE BYTES

t may have been a tribute to Bruce Springsteen but Katy Perry seemed to be the main attraction for some at Friday’s MusiCares Person of the Year tribute at the Los Angeles Convention Center before Sunday’s Grammy Awards. The singer, who arrived at the charity event which raises money for musicians in need, sans beau John Mayer, was interrupted by two young fans who asked to take a picture with her as she was talking to director JJ Abrams. But that wasn’t all: The pop star, who later hung out with Elton John, was approached by even more fans in the lobby at the show. Other MusiCares attendees included Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, who arrived hand-in-hand before the dinner began. McGraw and Hill later performed Tougher Than the Rest during the concert.

Beau wants matching tattoo with JLo

asper Smart wants him and Jennifer Lopez to get matching tattoos. The 25-year-old dancer is desperate to tie the knot with Lopez, but instead of buying her a ring, he suggested they get inkings afﬁrming their commitment on their ring ﬁngers, reports contactmusic.com. “When he presented her with that idea, Jennifer could barely control her laughter,” a source told Star magazine. IANS

Russell Brand loves Kundalini yoga

ritish comedian Russell Brand loves his daily Kundalini yoga sessions because he ﬁnds it “highly psychological and very beautiful”. The 37-yearold, who has battled drug and sex addiction, starts every day with transcendental meditation followed by Kundalini yoga and ﬁnds the techniques “overwhelming”. IANS

Wahlberg bans daughters from watching Ted

ctor Mark Wahlberg has banned his daughters from watching Ted. Wahlberg’s daughters Ella, 9, and Grace, 3, were delighted when their father landed the role, but he has vowed never to let them watch it, reports express.co.uk. “They’re thinking, ‘Daddy, ﬁnally there is a movie with you and a teddy bear and you’re laughing and having fun.’ Ted is really inappropriate," he said. IANS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Chai Time

Play & Win

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

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

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

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

Play & Win

voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

ACROSS

SCRIBBLING PAD

Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

SUDOKU

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

1 Port-au-Prince’s place 6 Ticked (off) 10 ‘Rush Hour’ star 14 Home of Weber State University 15 Apt setting for this puzzle’s theme 16 Suffer from, as an illness 17 One skipping the middle man 20 Erie Canal mule, of song 21 Guns, in the driver’s seat 22 Noted English university 23 Fiber used in carpets 25 Trial balloon 26 He’s a real clown 28 Drooping 32 Change a bill 34 Lunchtime, for many 35 Dizzy’s jazz style 38 They’re used for leverage 42 Nav rank 43 Big high school event 44 Goes off the perpendicular 45 Villain in Exodus 48 Not eat 49 Ollie’s sidekick 51 Legitimate or legal 53 Kind of apartment

55 Edible root of the taro 56 Water in Cannes 59 Be in the best possible position 62 Nutmeg coat 63 Lady of Spain 64 Staring intently 65 Excessive promotion 66 Babe Ruth was its ‘sultan’ 67 Parts of shoes

DOWN 1 ‘___ the weather?’ 2 Turkish general 3 They love with blind admiration 4 Phone bk listing 5 Sluggish 6 Really go places 7 Sushi serving 8 Ariz-to-Kan dir 9 Flightless bird of the past 10 Rubbed the wrong way 11 Saintly rings 12 Keep from happening 13 Uncool sort 18 ‘... to thine own ___ be true’ 19 Like 9-Down 24 Dance partner? 26 Pig pic

27 Middle Eastern gulf 29 Persona’s counterpart, in Jungian psychology 30 Jailbird 31 Gearwheel feature 33 Freshwater crustacean called a water flea 35 Like two-country trade agreements 36 Makes up one’s mind 37 ‘Wanna hear a secret?’ 39 ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ novelist Levin 40 Neither’s companion 41 Sound system of yesteryear 45 Spank 46 Dated 47 Camouflage 49 Narrative 50 Bloomer of Amsterdam 52 Andean drug-yielding plants 53 Former Iranian ruler 54 Cutlass Supreme, eg 55 Italian volcano 57 Woodcarver’s need 58 Makes a patsy of 60 Almost ready for a refill 61 ‘Long, long ___’

Chai Time MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 12-2-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You might have to struggle hard to get all work completed within the stipulated time. You night have to make more than one attempt to achieve success in certain important events Health problem likely; take care. Expected money will come.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Your stock is set to pile up. Time is precious and you have to make the best use of it. Bold relatives will be helpful and you benefit a lot. Politicians and govt officials have a golden period. Businessmen will take steps to get back old status.

Employees need to work hard to earn recognition and avoid the ire of superiors. Unexpected tension and worries likely to upset you . Good and promising opportunities likely for businessmen, which need to be grabbed without fail.

Children will perform well and make you proud and happy. Written-off dues will get collected if correct efforts are put. Financial position is set to improve. Spouse will co-operate with you and be more affectionate. Happy events likely at home.

Avoid boasting beyond the tolerance of your audience. Employees need to focus well in their duties so as to earn a name; colleagues will support them. Focusing on work is a must for to achieve goals as per plan and expectations.

Success and fame are certain in all undertaken work. Parents will support you in your new efforts. Blood relatives might create trouble and mental depression; keep your distance. You might need to go off on an important journey.

Delayed work will resume and progress well. Those trying for a new job will get favourable news. Avoid unwanted expenses to lead a tension-free life; there are chances of a deficit financial situation. Couples will be more affectionate.

Expenses towards good events will have to be borne by you. Unexpected financial opportunity is likely. Expenses for children likely to go up considerably. Businessmen will flourish. Politicians’ wishes get fulfilled. Help through new friends likely.

There will be minor confusions; do not worry as the situation is likely to change soon. Keep a distance from blood relatives as chances are likely that they might land you in trouble. Mother’s health is a cause for concern. Businessmen do well.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Four of Wands – Creativity rules all your work. You’re ahead of your time and think differently. Beware; it might take a while for your peers to understand you.

LEO:

The High Priest – Most of us don’t like very much to look within but it’s important to selfevaluate our actions and goals to see where we’re headed.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Four of Swords – You seek stability and look for it in unusual places. It might be a good idea to take up a meditation course to calm those nerves.

SAGITTARIUS:

Nine of Wands – There’s a lightening of the burden you’ve been carrying for long. It may be a secret or more serious, like a commitment. Be patient.

TAURUS:

The Hanged Man – It’s a spiritual time. You’re perhaps thinking of taking up a study course to alleviate boredom or to appease your curious side.

CANCER:

Knight of Pentacles – You’re pensive. Weighing pros and cons is good but also be prepared to go with the flow, as all decisions may not be in your control.

VIRGO:

The Tower – There’s no easier way to deal with difficult changes than to accept them with open arms. All your hesitation and discomfort will vanish in a jiffy.

SCORPIO:

The Hermit – Answers come naturally, instinctively, without your having to go looking. The fact that you desire to understand how things work is important.

CAPRICORN:

Six of Cups – You’re likely to get a message from an old friend or someone special from the past. This is likely to make you nostalgic, crave a slice of yesterday.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Judgement – Things don’t come easy. Fruits of your labour are about to be gifted to you, though you least expect it. Somewhere, you feel justice has been done.

NUMBER GAME

acles – Skill and training programmes are important for you to get ahead in your job. Why just job, maybe a lesson or two in dating might help, too.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Three of Pent-

POOCH CAFE

Journey on official reason will be successful. Delayed marriage talk will resume and progress well. Some have a good chance to undertake pilgrimage or a jolly trip with family. Chances of separated couples getting together again.

for 12-2-2013

King of Swords – Think logically before you make harsh decisions that impact your day to day life. Use the gift of your intellect to better your own circumstances.

NON SEQUITUR

Those working hard and putting their best efforts will achieve goals. Litigation in ancestral property will be over. Those awaiting marriage will get favourable news. Artists will get recognition for their performance in a recent project.

SUDUKO

Confusions in the family will be over and a happy atmosphere will prevail. Separated couples will get together again and lead a happy life. You take bold decisions and your individuality and caliber will surface with the way in you execute all work.

Boggle RAT MOUSE GERBIL BEAVER HAMSTER Vol: 2, No 206 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Beasts drive Academy wild Benh Zeitlin couldn’t have asked for a better reception for his debut feature film, Beasts of the Southern Wild. Made with a budget of $1.8 million, the indie film has swept plenty of awards, starting from Sundance Film Festival in early 2012. The icing on the cake was Benh scoring an Oscar nomination for Best Direction this year. We look at why he has made filmdom sit up and take notice his work and his film.

HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

here’s a famous saying in Hollywood — “Never work with water, animals and children”. Yet, Benh Zeitlin broke every rule to make his debut feature film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, a surreal tale about a community which is completely cut off from modernity. The film, made on a budget of $1.8 million, is one of the biggest indie hits of 2012 and Zeitlin, who directed, wrote and composed the music for the film, has been basking in the glory of the umpteen awards and rave reviews which his film has been getting. It’s not everyday that a young indie filmmaker gets to share the limelight with the likes of Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. Zeitlin’s tryst with folklore and cinema began at a very young age. His parents, Steven Zeitlin and Amanda Dargan, were folk arts scholars in Manhattan, and introduced him and his sister Eliza to folklore. Everything he learnt while growing up in New York, their family rituals, came alive during the making of Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film is adapted from a play named Juicy and Delicious written by Lucy Alibar. Zeitlin and Lucy first met when they were 14 and it took Zeitlin nearly 10 more years before he decided to adapt the play, which was written in 2000, into a film. In

the meantime, he enrolled in a film programme in Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where he and his friends formed a group, Court 13, which was dedicated to making films about communities on the edge of the world. Later, he went to Prague to apprentice under animators who were working with renowed

who build a raft out of debris and rescue their loved ones trapped beneath the waves. By then, he had already moved to New Orleans and began travelling to every corner of Louisiana where he discovered some of the most unlikely places one could come across in USA. One of them was Isle de Jean Charles, a fishing vil-

surrealist Jan Svankmajer. 2005 was a turning point in his life. He was in Prague when Hurricane Katrina struck the coast of Louisiana and the extraordinary tales of courage during the crisis inspired him to make his first short film, Glory At Sea, which was about a group of mourners

lage whose residents refused to move inland despite facing threat of erosion and rising water levels. That was one of the major inspirations behind him creating the environs of Bathtub, a Louisiana bayou community which is on the verge of extinction due to a storm. Zeitlin’s choice of actors for Beasts of the Southern Wild was as unorthodox as his film. Both Quvenzhané Wallis

and Dwight Henry, who played Hushpuppy and Wink respectively, had no prior acting experience, yet Zeitlin was so impressed with their personality that he moulded the script so that the two lead characters could relate to them. His gamble paid off and Wallis, who’s now nine, has become the youngest ever actress to be nominated for an Oscar. Incidentally, Henry is a baker in real life and has survived two devastating hurricanes, including Katrina. Films like Beasts of the Southern Wild are rare to find these days. Despite the treacherous conditions in which the story is set in, none of its characters feel the need to move away from the place they call home. Most of all, this is Hushpuppy’s story and the world she imagines around her is both spellbinding and thought provoking. Zeitlin has been hailed as one of the most promising filmmakers with an original voice and the director confessed that he’s not going to change the way he thinks or works if Hollywood studios show more interest in his work. As long as he continues to make such surrealist films, no one’s complaining. (Benh Zeitlin has won numerous awards for his film, including Camera d'Or award at Cannes Film Festival and Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) at Sundance Film Festival. He has been nominated for two Oscars this year, for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.)

sports

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

BASKETBALL

AUSTRALIA DOPING SCANDAL

Media outlets face $10-mn lawsuit

James sets record in Heat win

The Miami star forward finished with 32 points and seven rebounds as he set a club record.

MIAMI: Guard Dwyane Wade scored 16 of his 30 points in the final quarter as the Miami Heat defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 107-97 in a National Basketball Association matchup Sunday at American Airlines Arena. Miami star forward LeBron James (dunking in pic) finished with 32 points and seven rebounds as he set a club record by scoring at least 30 points in five consecutive games. “You could feel the buzz in the arena today,” said James. “We were just happy that we were able to play our game,

weather some of their storms that they had and come out with a win.” Chris Bosh posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have won five straight. Mario Chalmers had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win. Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 28 points and nine assists as Los Angeles lost for the second time in three games. Earl Clark finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Howard had 15 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. AFP

Fan violence halts Greek Cup final ATHENS: Fighting between fans marred the Greek Cup basketball final Sunday, won by Panathinaikos over Olympiakos, with riot police called in after two players were hurt, one with a knife thrown from the stands. Authorities stopped the game and emptied the Ellinikon indoor stadium seven minutes before the end

of the second period with Panathinaikos ahead 26-17 when fans from both teams clashed in the stands and on the court. Riot-trained police were deployed to separate the two groups and led them out of the stadium. The game resumed after an hour with Panathinaikos winning 81-78. Panathinaikos player Michael

Bramos was slightly injured in the arm from a knife thrown from the stands, according to a statement from the winning team. Before the start of the contest, Olympiakos' American centre Kyle Hines was struck in the back by a flare thrown by a fan. Dozens of plastic chairs were broken by irate fans.

SYDNEY: A sports scientist at the centre of doping allegations in Australia plans a Aus$10million lawsuit against media outlets, with his lawyer Monday scathing of how investigations have been handled. Stephen Dank claims he has been falsely accused of selling illegal drugs to sportspeople as part of a bombshell nationwide doping scandal after an official report said the use of prohibited substances was widespread. Dank, co-owner of a Sydney anti-ageing clinic, has worked with both National Rugby League and Australian Rules football clubs. One of them, Essendon, is being investigated for supplying suspect supplements to its players. Despite no charges, he has been widely portrayed by media as the villain of the piece but his lawyer Greg Stanton said it was unfair and he was launching a defamation claim against various, unnamed, outlets. Stanton said he had concerns about the way the process had unfolded, with the Australian Crime Commission report, released Thursday, claiming the use of peptides, hormones and illicit drugs was common across multiple sporting codes. “There are no specificities,” Stanton told ABC radio, adding that Dank had been provided with no information and was not aware of any investigation into him despite the media attention. “What we do know is this: the government, hand in hand with the commission it would seem, is prepared to create a shadow and a cloud over people such as my client without any credible and reliable information being suggested, yet alone being made public. “That is the gross injustice of what is occurring at this point in time.” The official report indicated that sports scientists, coaches and support staff as well as doctors and pharmacists were involved in the provision of drugs, which were often supplied by organised criminal gangs. AFP

HYDERABAD TRACK WORK

Vijays Champ puts up a good show HYDERABAD: Vijays Champ, Ashleen State, Plenipotent, Vijayshaurya and Roses in Bloom impressed when horses were exercised this morning (Monday) at the racecourse in Malakpet here.

SAND TRACK 800 METRES

Star Striker (Anil) 57, 600/42 Moved on the bit. Lady Of Grace (rb) 59, 600/44 Easy. The Leader (Kiran Naidu) 1-0, 600/45 Moved freely. Ashleen State (P Venkat) 56.5, 600/43 Pleased. Winning Strides (app) 59, 600/43.5 Moved well. Queens Necklace (Ravinder Singh) 56.5, 600/42.5 Speedy. Romantic

Champ (S Nayak) Marquise (Kuldeep Singh) 1-2.5, 600/46 They moved freely. One One One (app) 1-0, 600/43 Moved freely. Star Value (rb) 58.5, 600/43 Moved well. Crown Castle (K Alam) 56, 600/42 Pleased. Classic Emerald (NS Parmar) 58, 600/42 Moved well.

SAND TRACK 1000 METRES

Plenipotent (Josi) 1-9, 800/53, 600/40.5 Caught the eye. Vijayshaurya (Joshi) 1-13, 800/56.5, 600/43.5 Moved on the bit. Deal Maker (Anil) Advisor (Deep Shanker) 1-12, 800/56, 600/42 A fit pair. Enrapture

(Chary) Sniper Fire (app) 1-13, 800/57.5, 600/43 They moved well and finished together.

SAND TRACK 1200 METRES

Nasheeta (Ravinder Singh) 1-30, 1000/1-15, 800/58, 600/44 Moved well. Roses In Bloom (Chary) Tico Tico (Kiran Naidu) 1-27.5, 1000/1-11, 800/54, 600/41 Former finished in front. Most Impressive (Ravinder Singh) Majestic Rock (rb) 1-33, 1000/1-15, 800/10, 600/45 Finished together.

SAND TRACK 1400 METRES

Dancing in the Rain (Chary) 1-49, 1200/1-33.5, 1000/1-18.5, 800/1-

2.5, 600/47.5 Easy.

SAND TRACK 1600 METRES

Vijay Champ (Ravinder Singh) 155, 1400/1-41, 1200/1-27, 1000/1-12, 800/57, 600/42.5 A good display.

NOTED ON SUNDAY SAND TRACK 800 METRES

Art Ace (Kuldeep Singh) Half Moon Bay (S.Nayak) 59, 600/45 They moved together. Advisor (Dileep) Deal Maker (Anil) 1-2, 600/47 They moved freely. Vocation (S Nayak) Par Excellence (NS Parmar) 1-0, 600/45 They finished together.

Atternborough (Kuldeep Singh) Sea Runner (app) 58, 600/44 They finished together. The Leader (Kiran Naidu) 58, 600/44 Easy.

SAND TRACK 1000 METRES

San Ramon (NS Parmar) 1-18, 800/1-2, 600/47 Easy. Ann Arbor (Kudeep Singh) Queen Of The Stars (NS Parmar) 1-17, 800/1-1, 600/46 They moved freely. Thirteen Black (rb) 1-18, 800/1-2, 600/46 Easy.

SAND TRACK 1800 METRES

Toli Toli Toli (rb) 2-20, 1600/2-5, 1400/1-47.5, 1200/1-31, 1000/115, 800/1-0, 600/45 Moved well.

sports

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

QATAR OPEN PREVIEW

Azarenka ‘to let racket talk’ RICHARD EATON Agence France-Presse

DOHA, QATAR: World number one Victoria Azarenka’s tennis-playing stock has never been higher, but further repairs to her image may be appropriate during her title defence at the Qatar Open, which has nine of the world’s top ten, starting Monday. By winning her second Grand Slam title in

Melbourne last month, Azarenka displayed a new resilience and clung on to the world number one ranking ahead of Serena Williams. It evidenced a capacity for focus in the 23-year-old which is significantly improved since her younger days when spectacular emotional explosions happened all too often. Azarenka’s equanimity was admirable considering the negative energy which

was zapping towards her both on and off court after an ill-timed time out she took during her semi-final with Sloane Stephens. Rather than attempting to retrieve the situation with defensive comments, coach Sam Suryk persuaded Azarenka to do all she could “to let her racket talk” in the final against Li Na. That will be Azarenka’s attitude here during her first appearance since the fuss.

“You have to go through rough patches to achieve things in life,” she said. “ I can only learn from this and move forward and try to improve as a player.” There are memories to be set aside in Doha too. Last year Radwanska, the world number four claimed she had “lost a lot of respect” for Azarenka.

FED CUP

ATP CLAY COURT

Italy beat weak US

The Italians beat USA 3-2 going through the semi-finals. DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse PARIS: Three-time winners Italy edged a weakened United States 3-2 on Sunday to reach the Fed Cup semi-finals and an April date with double defending champions, the Czech Republic. Italy, the champions in 2006, 2009 and 2010, needed topranked world doubles pair Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani to see them through on the clay courts of Rimini, winning 6-2, 6-2 against Liezel Huber and Varvara Lepchenko. Earlier, Lepchenko, the world number 21 and making her Fed Cup debut in the absence of Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens, stunned Errani, the world number seven, 7-5, 6-2 to give the US a surprise 2-1 lead. But Vinci then levelled the World Group first round tie with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 triumph over Jamie Hampton.

Italy’s players Roberta Vinci (L) and Sara Errani celebrate after winning against US players Varvara Lepchenko and Liezel Huber on Sunday.

World Group I results Czech Republic 4 Vs Australia 0 Italy 3 Vs USA 2 Russia 3 Vs Japan 2 Serbia 2 Vs Slovakia 3

CZECHS BREEZE PAST OZ

AFP

Petra Kvitova led holders Czech Republic into the Fed Cup semifinals by giving them a winning lead with a three-set victory over Australia’s Samantha Stosur in Ostrava on Sunday. The Czechs also won the dead doubles rubber later on Sunday for an overall 4-0 win.

Nadal denied title in comeback contest

VINA DEL MAR, CHILE: Horacio Zeballos denied Rafael Nadal (right) a fairytale finish to his comeback tournament on Sunday, rallying to hand the Spaniard a rare clay court defeat in the $410,200 ATP event here. Zeballos, ranked 73rd in the world and playing in just his second ATP Tour final, rallied to beat the former world number one 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. He became just the third player — along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — to beat Nadal in a clay court final, quite an achievement for the Argentinian despite the fact that Nadal was playing his first tournament in seven months. Nadal was back in action this week for the first time since a surprise second-round exit at Wimbledon in June. Since then he had been sidelined by a torn tendon and inflammation in his left knee, with his return this year further delayed by a virus.

PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

Snedeker captures title PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA: Brandt Snedeker, who finished second each of the last two weeks, busted through for his first win of the year on Sunday, firing a seven-under 65 to capture the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The red-hot Snedeker saved his best round of the week for the final day as he finished with a 19-under par 267 total to beat fellow American Chris Kirk by two strokes. “It is kind of crazy,” said Snedeker, who will improve to number four in the world rankings on Monday. “This is a

special day. To win at Pebble Beach in such a beautiful place. “This gives me a ton of confidence going into The Masters and the US Open. Those are next on my list.” Snedeker’ 267 set a tournament scoring record, bettering the previous mark of 268, which Mark O’Meara established in 1997 and Phil Mickelson tied six years ago. The 32-year-old Snedeker entered Sunday’s round tied for the lead with James Hahn, who shot a two-under 70 in the fourth round. AFP

Now ranked fifth in the world, Nadal was the top seed and had lost just 14 games en route to the final. Neither player managed a break of serve in the first two sets. They traded breaks in the first two games of the third before Zeballos broke Nadal at love in the final game two wrap up the victory in two hours and 46 minutes.

JOBURG OPEN Sterne cruises to win over Schwartzel JOHANNESBURG: South African Richard Sterne cruised to a seven-stroke victory over former US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel on Sunday in the Joburg Open. Sterne, runner-up behind Stephen Gallacher of Scotland in the Dubai Desert Classic last weekend, fired an eight-under final-round 64 for a total of 260 in overcast conditions at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. Pre-tournament favourite Schwartzel, who won the Joburg Open in 2010 and 2011 before relinquishing the title to Branden Grace last year, finished with a 66 for a 267 total.

sports

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

TEAM FOR SERIES AGAINST AUSTRALIA

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Dhawan gets surprise call Ignoring Wasim Jaffer’s strong claims, selectors replace Gautam Gambhir with Shikhar Dhawan. MUMBAI: Under-performing opener Gautam Gambhir was shown the door with Shikhar Dhawan (right) being his surprise replacement in the 15member Indian cricket squad, announced today for the first two Tests against Australia starting February 22 in Chennai. Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh rode on past reputation to return to the squad to form a three-pronged spin attack also comprising R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. With Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan recovering from injuries, the selectors opted to give rookie paceman

Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who impressed in the limited oversseries against England and Pakistan, his maiden Test call. The selection committee, headed by Sandeep Patil, deliberated for over two hours at the BCCI headquarters here and made three changes to the squad

that played against England in Nagpur in December. The 32year-old Harbhajan, who was dropped from the team after the lost third Test against England in November, has been brought back, keeping in mind his excellent record against Australia. PTI

Don’t want sympathies, time to show some steel: Gambhir NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir has urged his fans and well-wishers not to “sympathize” with him for being dropped from the Test team as he is ready to “fight” in order to earn his place back national squad. “No sympathies plz,” the diminutive opener tweeted after the news of his exclusion. The left-hander will be leading India A against the Australians in a three-day first-class tie and the 31-yearold Delhi lad is looking forward to that game.

Praveen suspended by BCCI NEW DELHI: Pacer Praveen Kumar has been suspended from participating in the upcoming interstate Vijay Hazare Trophy matches after being issued a show cause notice by the BCCI following his unruly behaviour in a Corporate Trophy game recently. “Praveen Kumar has been issued a Show cause notice by the Board. He has been suspended from participating in the forthcoming inter-state Vijay Hazare Trophy matches,” the BCCI said in a release. Parveen has been left out of UP’s 15-member team for the Vijay Hazare trophy. PTI

WEST INDIES IN AUSTRALIA

Voges ton sees Oz whitewash WI

After handing the West Indies a 5-0 drubbing in the ODIs, Australia take on the world Twenty20 cha mpions in a T20 format match, at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, the final game of the tour.

MELBOURNE: Australia bowled out West Indies for 257 to secure a 17-run victory and a 5-0 whitewash in their one-day international series on Sunday, thanks to a century from stand-in Adam Voges. The tourists had looked on target to chase down a 275-run target at the MCG when Johnson Charles struck his maiden century to match Voges, who scored a magnificent unbeaten 112. The West Indian opener struck a boundary to bring up his 100 off 120 balls, including eight fours and a six. But he fell next ball, caught by Ben Cutting at square leg

Brief Scores Australia 274/5 in 50 overs (A Voges 112(noto out), B Haddin 43, Best 2/71, DJ Bravo 2/62) bt West Indies 257 in 49.5 overs all out (J Charles 100, K Pollard 45, McKay 3/52, Johnson 3/50).

West Indies batsman Johnson Charles (R) scores boundary as Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin looks on in the match on Sunday. AFP

2020 SUMMER GAMES One sport set to be cast into Olympic limbo PIRATE IRWIN Agence France-Presse PARIS: One sports federation will not be happy on Tuesday as the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee is set to vote in Lausanne to have a sport removed from the 2020 S u m m e r Games. The Executive Board will then vote at a later date on what sport should replace it at those Games with squash - which lost out to golf and

rugby sevens for the 2016 edition and karate among the frontrunners to do so. Such decisions do not sit easily with some of the IOC members outside the EB who believe that such matters should be debated and decided upon by all of them. They will, however, have the chance to vote their approval or not of the sport being voted off the 28 sports roster and its replacement at the IOC Congress in Buenos Aires in early September.

playing a poor shot to Clint McKay. He had ridden his luck, surviving two dropped catches and two television reviews. After that wickets fell regularly as the required run rate soared and the West Indies were

forced to hit out. Captain Darren Sammy had a late chance to guide the tourists to the target but he was caught behind by Brad Hadddin off McKay for 23 off 18 balls. West Indies still needed 18 runs off five balls and it proved too much. Opener Kieran Powell had been the first to go, caught in the slips by Aaron Finch off paceman Mitchell Johnson for just two. Darren Bravo managed 33 in a partnership of 106 with Charles before all-rounder James Faulkner held a fine low catch off Xavier Doherty’s finger spin.

HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE

Ranchi Rhinos players celebrate with the HIL Trophy after they won the final match against Delhi Waveriders, 2-1, in Ranchi on Sunday.

PTI

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

sports

BALOTELLI SAVES MILAN BLUSHES AT CAGLIARI

Mario Balotelli scored his third goal in two games for AC Milan to snatch a share of the points in a 1-1 draw at Cagliari as Roma’s slump continued with a 3-1 defeat to Sampdoria. AC Milan remain fourth, 14 points behind leaders Juventus.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Fergie now has 12 reasons to smile With Jose Mourinho watching, United took full advantage of second placed Manchester City’s defeat at Southampton to thump Everton 2-0. ESTER, ENGLAND: Ryan Giggs and Robin van Persie (right) scored the goals as Manchester United opened up a commanding 12-point lead at the

of the season, maintaining his astonishing record of having scored a league goal in each of his 23 seasons as a United player, a sequence which now covers every year in Premier League history. Van Persie got the second just before the break and, with City stumbling of late, the destiny of the title is firmly in United’s hands once again. United should have taken the lead after 10 minutes but for an uncharacteristic error by the prolific van Persie.

top of the Premier League after a 2-0 win over Everton on Sunday. With Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho watching from the directors’ box at Old Trafford ahead of his team’s Champions League tie against Alex Ferguson’s side at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, United took full advantage of second placed Manchester City’s surprise defeat at Southampton on Saturday. Giggs opened the scoring early on with his first league goal

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

The victory may extinguish some of the cynicism toward a team that performed so poorly at the 2010 World Cup. MJ SMITH Agence France-Presse LAGOS: Nigerians frustrated by years of waiting for their football team to again play to its potential erupted with screams of joy and celebration Sunday as the country clinched the African Cup of Nations. Thousands who gathered near the national stadium in Lagos, the largest city of Africa’s most populous nation, to watch the final on two big screens hugged one another, danced with abandon and held plastic chairs aloft. They counted down the final seconds and fireworks exploded above them after the 1-0 win by their Super Eagles over Burkina Faso was assured, giving the country its first Nations Cup title since 1994. “It has been long,” said 32-year-old Walter Samuel shortly after the match ended and with the crowd around him swaying as local hip-hop blared on speakers from the stage. “This is the Super Eagles we have been looking for for so long.” A number of people in the crowd said they hoped this team marked a new era. “Football always adds to some kind of belief in us,” said Kunle Francis, 33. “It gives a message to people that we can make it.” “This will continue,” said Walter Samuel, before adding: “We are taking this team to Brazil.”

SUPER SUNDAY Nigeria ended 19 years of hurt last night when they beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

DAVID LEGGE Agence France-Presse SOWETO: Nigeria ended a 19-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought Sunday with a 1-0 final victory over Burkina Faso at Soccer City thanks to a superb late first-half goal from Sunday Mba. It was a result that took winning coach Stephen Keshi into the record books as he equalled the feat of late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary by winning gold medals as a player and a coach.

Among the rewards for the Super Eagles was a $1.5 million first prize and a place at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where they will face world and European champions Spain, Tahiti and Uruguay. Nigeria conquered Africa for the first time in 1980, thrashing Algeria 3-0 in Lagos with all the goals coming before half-time, and the second title arrived 14 years later as they fought back to defeat Zambia 2-1 in Tunis. Collecting the third title in Soweto was particularly sweet as they were robbed of the chance to defend the title

there in 1996 because a political cold war with South Africa led to Nigeria withdrawing. “Winning this is mainly for my nation — when I came on board a year and a half ago my dream ws to make all Nigerians happy, and to construct a great Nigerian team, We are not there yet, it’s still in process,” said Keshi. Referring to the tense final five minutes, he added: “You don’t want to know what was going through my head! To represent Africa in Brazil at the Confed Cup is an honour for Nigeria.” AFP/ISSOUF SANOGO

After the wait, joy erupts across Nigeria