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

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

32 PAGES

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS; 30°C

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DELHI RAPE PRIME ACCUSED COMMITS SUICIDE IN TIHAR JAIL

Ram Singh, the prime accused in the December 16 gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in New Delhi, allegedly committed suicide in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early this morning. Singh, 33, hanged himself using his clothes tied to the grills of his cell.

P11

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

IT COSTS `263cr TO KEEP OUR MLAs HAPPY. WHAT DO WE GET IN RETURN? NOTHING REPORT ON P5

GRUB FROM YOUR GARDEN

Everyone can grow vegetables in their homes, no matter how little space they have, believes Dr Vishwanath K Narayan, the man who champions organic terrace gardening in Bangalore. Narayan, who lives in a rented apartment in south Bangalore, grows vegetables in seven boxes that are 2X4 feet, 8sq ft in area. Here are his hot tips.

CATS SIMILAR TO WOMEN, SAYS LONGORIA Actress Eva Longoria says she is a passionate cat-lover and thinks they are very similar to women. “I always found that I identified with them. Cats are feminine and independent and playful.”

P28 P8&9

THE GROUND BENEATH YOUR FEET

The freak incident of a man being swallowed by a sinkhole which appeared right under his bedroom has brought into focus this natural phenomenon, the incidence of which, thanks to human intervention, has begun to grow at alarming rates. Here we explain how they occur and list some of the famous ones.

P16&17

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

city events

FULL MOON DINE

Dine with your loved ones under the full moon. La Cantina serves a special thali every full moon day. It is on March 27, March 27th, 7:30pm onwards. Reservations have to be made a day in advance. The contact number is (040) 6682 4422.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

30°C

22°C

A mix of clear and cloudy skies.

Mostly clear.

Morning

Afternoon

28°C

36°C

Sunny. Windy at times.

Sunny with cloudy periods.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 31 Max 34 Min 16 Min 22 Partly cloudy.

Chennai Max 33 Min 23

Partly cloudy.

Bangalore Max 34 Min 22

Clear.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES FILMS

SHOWS

DocuSplash! Barf, 1997 & Sita's Family, 2002, Delhi Mumbai Delhi, 2006 and Naach, 2008, will be screened. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad 20 Journalist Colony, Road no. 3, Banjara Hills When: March 24, 11am onwards Contact: gothe.de/hyderabad

Imany World music- jazz and soul. Where: Hyderabad International Convention Centre Novotel & HICC complex Near Hitec City When: March 15, Contact: (040) 2355 4486 The Justice Verma report To bring clarity to the public regarding Verma report on rape laws, Vasudha Nagaraj will give a lecture. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 13, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443

German movie night German film Sophie Scholl — The final days will be screened, as part of the Women’s March, with English subtitles. The film was directed by Marc Rothemund. Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad When: March 12, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443

MISCELLANEOUS

ART Art for children A workshop is being held for children aged 4-6 years to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Where: Treasure House, Banjara Hills When: Every Wednesday and Friday, up to March 29 Contact: (040) 2355 0118 French heritage A photographic voyage of French heritage in India with Anay Mann, Gigi Scaria, Rishi Singhal, Serena Chopra, Isabel Saij along with Jean-

JUST HANGING OUT: A child spotted at Malakpet railway station. selected entries. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 15-24, 9.30am to 5.30pm Contact: (040) 2335 0443

Pierre Dubois. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: March 16- March 21 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466 Tribal art Muse Art Gallery hosts a first-of-itskind tribal art exhibition featuring art from the Gond tribal community. Where: Muse, Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre When: Up to March 11, 11am onwards Women in Public Spaces About one month ago GoetheZentrum Hyderabad has called for applications for a group photography exhibition on ‘Women in Public Spaces.’ This is an exhibition of

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

Katharsis in Forbidden Zones Paintings, sculptures, installation and performance by Dimple B Shah, as part of Women’s March 2013. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Road no 10, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 13, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 2355 4485

DINING Easter goodies Hot cross buns, Easter Bunnies, and Easter chocolates are part of the spe-

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

M ANIL KUMAR

cial Easter menu. Where: Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: March 25-31 Saturday sunset BBQ Bring your family and friends for a fun barbeque evening with grilled specialties, a variety of Kebabs and a whole lot of Asian delights. Where: The Square When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards

The great Oxford sale Discounts on books, magazines, stationery and gift items. Where: Oxford Bookstore, Tresorie, The Park , 22 Raj Bhavan Road When: Up to March 31, 10am to 10pm Contact: (040) 31002959

St Patrick’s Day – Brunch Menu includes Irish soda bread, boxty and colcannon. Where: The Square, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: from March 17, noon onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

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

Girl Getaway package ‘Lavish Luxury package’ offers a minimum of two nights at lebua’s Tower Club, a five star in Bangkok. Where: State Tower, Bangrak, Bangkok When: Valid till March 31 Contact: www.lebua.com

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, MARCH 11, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE COPS ARE TAKING UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF BUSINESSMEN IN BEGUM BAZAAR? 74%

26%

YES (A) O (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK ASSEMBLY SESSIONS ARE A WASTE OF PUBLIC FUNDS? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Inter-state robber gang held Once hardworking labourers, these men soon took to thievery to supplement their income. And when the law caught up with them, they formed a gang to strike better and richer, only to be arrested once again. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

Lethal recovery

n n n n n n

nce again proving our penitentiaries are making criminals rather than reforming them, an inter-state gang of 10 robbers, whom the City police caught in their net recently, proved to be one-time labourers of straight habits but eventually turned to small thefts to supplement their income. Once jailed for minor thefts, the gang conferred on how to ‘improve’ their prospects and run a crime syndicate. The gang belong to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. P Venkataramana, aged 40, is said to be the leader. He is a Kannadiga. His close aide is K Anand, 28. Other gang members included P Venkatappa, 30, Amarnath, 25, A Suman Reddy, P Anjayelu, 32, G Ravinder Reddy, 27, and three others. Their favourite spots for attacks are highway dhabas,

2 revolvers 7 live cartridges 2 country-made bombs 1 acid bulb 2 knives Unspecified amount of cash, gold and LCDs

restaurants, homes with senior people alone. The gang has graduated from local robbery to inter-state robbery. They are said to have gone to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on their robbing adventures. They reportedly acquired illegal firearms from these states. The gang was formed in a Karnataka jail where they happened to undergo conviction for various theft cases. The gang is believed to have committed a dozen robberies in and around Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerate areas.

CRIME

PROTEST

Heavy police presence fails to deter snatchers

Lawyers strike work The Bar council of India has called for a protest against atrocities against lawyers.

Despite security being beefed up in the City, chain snatchers continue to be on the prowl as hapless citizens fall victims. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

ll their security drills that made life difficult for citizens and businesses after the blasts have not prevented snatchers who go about their job jolly well unhindered. In a span of merely one hour, snatchers on bikes relieved three women of 12 tolas of gold on Sunday. M Meena, a resident of Champapet had come to Begum Bazaar to buy pooja material on Shivaratri. She was returning home after the purchase when two youngsters wearing helmets whizzed past her at

Siddiamber Bazaar and snatched her gold chain, right beside the police picket. Her screams drew people but not the police. The second incident at RP road in Secunderabad saw one Prameela, a resident of Shivajinagar in Monda Market losing her six tola gold chain to thugs on bike. She too was on her way to buy pooja material for Shivaratri. There too while policemen were on duty, none came to her rescue. Another incident occurred at Film Nagar in Jubilee Hills where

one Devi lost her 3-tola mangal sutra. She was getting into an auto rikshaw when bikers wearing helmets sped past her snatching the chain.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

awyers in the City courts, including High Court, today stayed away from work in deference to the Bar Council of India’s call to protest against the recent atrocities

against lawyers in Chandigarh and Jaipur. Lawyers were seen standing in groups in the court compound and discussing the situation. They are set to stage a peaceful protest today over the government’s failure to keep a check on the attacks against the gowned fraternity.

city MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

GOVERNANCE

LAST YEAR... HERE

Corporators to take on civic officials

Was it foul play?

ast year we had reported how the CPI saw a Congress hand behind the tragic ﬁre at Sainagar in LB Nagar, where a 10-year-old girl lost her life and nearly 550 hutments were gutted, even as police ofﬁcials said it could have been due to a short circuit. Eyewitnesses had told Postnoon that the colony did not have even a shred of safety consciousness.

MARCH 11, 2012

Corporators and civic officials have taken to sparring, each blaming the other for civic ills. An interesting duel is in the making.

NUMEROLOGY

`250

crore was spent on maintaining the 295 Assembly members, without a serious discussions on issues of public interest during the sessions.

You don't grow plants, you just take care of them. Pick a Sunday, put in a few hours to set up your organic garden. That's the most effort you'll need. VK Narayan, gardener See page 8-9

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

So this is where the tax payer’s money goes. Since 2009, `72.8 crore was spent on Assembly sessions alone and `169.34 crore was spent on MLAs’ salaries. For all that money, there was hardly a proper session on matters of public importance.

We could be consuming poison every day. We are seldom aware of the amount of pesticide we consume every day. Organic farming experts say cultivating your own vegetables is not that hard.

Does heavy police presence make a difference? Right beside a police picket, two men on a bike snatched 12 tolas of gold from a woman.

Does imprisonment reform criminals?. A gang that was initially arrested for minor thefts was caught again by the police, this time for interstate robbery.

Kiran at the mercy of MIM this time? If a no-conﬁdence motion is passed against the CM, he will need MIM’s support.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

fter the corporators drew flak for not conducting ward committee meetings and area sabhas, they decided to press for a general body meeting to muzzle the GHMC officials. Both the opposition and ruling ally, the Congress, have expressed displeasure to Mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain over the recent developments in the GHMC. They complained that officials follow a different line of work at their own pace while corporators draw the public ire. Ever since GHMC commissioner M T Krishna Babu cautioned the corporators against putting the entire blame on the civic administration, they have been perturbed. The officials blame politicking and lack of discipline among the people’s representatives for the troubles. But corporators are not buying the argument. “We have passed several resolutions in Standing Committee meetings. Where is the report of the action taken ? I am demanding that the officials produce it (report) on various issues of public interest like water problem and mosquito menace,” said Singireddy Srinivas Reddy, TDP floor leader. He was the first among the corporators to propose the conduct of a special meeting by the end of this month to the mayor. According to sources, the mayor has agreed, in principle, to convene a special meeting of the GHMC general body to discuss the issues which have recently developed. Other issues likely

Officials say the date of the meeting cannot be confirmed at this juncture. to be discussed by the GHMC council include illegal constructions, illegal cell phone towers and unauthorised hoardings. The meeting is likely to be fixed for March 13. However, since the by-elections to Borabanda division are scheduled to be held for March 17 and the results will be out on March 19, the meeting is likely to be held only next month. “As we are under the model code of conduct, it may not be possible to conduct the meeting this month,” says G Raj Kumar,

deputy mayor. It is believed that the Congress corporators are eager to raise at the council meeting the issue of corruption in the town planning department. Even the higher officials point out the that it is not possi-

ble for the Mayor to officially announce the date of the general body meeting at this juncture. “Official confirmation will come only after the model code of conduct is lifted. He only nodded in yes for the demands of corporators,” clarifies an official.

NEWS BRIEFS Sharmila slams Chandrababu Naidu

Women should utilise govt schemes: Minister

Police make progress in bomb blast case

Court asks brothers to reveal secret

SR Congress leader Sharmila alleged that the Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu had been making atrocious promises, which he never wanted to fulﬁl. Taking a dig at Naidu, Sharmila, currently on a padayatra, challenged him to spell out how many of his poll promises were fulﬁlled during his reign.

unita Laxma Reddy, women development and child welfare minister, called upon women entrepreneurs to utilise various schemes and loans of `1,500 crore that the State government is offering, at a programme organised by the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) to celebrate International Women’s Day.

he police investigating the Dilsukhnagar blasts have identiﬁed the bicycles used for the blasts. They found that the cycles were assembled from spares of used cycles. They released the photographs on Sunday. Cyberabad commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said they had found that the cycle frame was from Atlas company.

he Nampally court has ordered Bathini Goud brothers, of the Bathini fish "medicine" fame, to reveal the secret ingredients of the wildly popular cure for asthma. Jana Vignana Vedika, a rationalist group working for greater scientific awareness, filed a petition at the Nampally City civil court regarding the same.

city MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

POLITICS

Shame! Netas’ bill `263 cr

Assembly, the citadel of democratic governance, is reduced to a wasteful home of chatterers,, thanks to the unaccountability of our MLAs. What would be the end harvest? INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

ere is at last a fact sheet which every tax payer should know about so you can ask your legislator the next time he or she comes to you wearing that synthetic smile. The exchequer spent nearly `250 crore for maintaining the 295 members and what did we get in return? Not a single serious discussion on an issue affecting the larger population. Budgets are passed without even a cursory discussion as they are busy politicking and pursuing their personal or communal agendas. As the budget session of the 13th AP Legislative Assembly begins on Wednesday, it would set a record of being the stingiest session, because for the past three years, since the 2009 elections, the House has not recorded a single serious discussion on a matter of great public importance. As against an average 60-75 days AP Assembly sessions annually held before, the 13th Assembly session could not hold more than 45 days, and that too there were hardly any meaningful questions and answers on public issues. Q and A is the most effective and vibrant tool for legislature works.

A LOOK BACK

Between 2005 and 2008, the same Congress government held the session for 51 days for four years in a row. Consider all this against 1958, when the session of AP Assembly was held for a record number of 78 days. The present Assembly carves out another dubious record: the House was held only two times instead of the usual three times a year norm. The budget, monsoon and winter sessions have

been dispensed with. Apart from this, another shocking factor is that the amount of discussion undertaken by the various political parties on budgetary allocations pertaining to 40 departments in the present term of the Assembly has also come down. If we look at the official statistics, the House which successfully held discussions on all the heads of budget in the year 1995 created history during last year’s budget session. The session lasting 29 days could not even undertake discussion on a single head of the department despite spending 88.14 hours for the entire session. There were hee-haws, heated exchanges, walkouts, name calling and

absenteeism galore.

THE ‘MAUNI BABAS’

Another interesting fact is that the current Assembly has 147

Fact sheet (since 2009) Total number of Assembly sessions held 12 Total number of hours Spent

509 hours

Total money spent on Assembly sessions alone `72.8 crore Total public money spent on MLAs’ salaries and perks `169.34 crore

new faces. Of them, about 67 MLAs have not got a change to open their mouths! Nor was there any effort on their part to force the House to listen to them.

NO Q AND A SESSION

The 13th session comes out with another dark trophy. Nearly 12 sittings could not have a question and answer session, which is when popular problems are taken up. A key component of the Assembly sessions , question and answer, is actually sacrosanct that should not be violated.

HUGE WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY

The sum total of the current Session is that the State govern-

ment has ‘wasted’ a whopping `242.14 crore tax of payer's money on making arrangements for the Assembly sessions, which includes salary and perks to the 294 MLAs. If we add up the amount of security arrangements being made by the police and other departments for the Assembly session, the cost would go up further. The inept handling of State government in holding the session and lack of coordination among political parties in ensuring peaceful conduct of the House is likely to repeat in the ensuing budget session too as all rival political parties are preparing themselves to use the House for their political gains.

MINORITY RIGHTS

COVA condemns attack on minorities

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

onfederation of V o l u n t a r y Associations (COVA), a national network of voluntary organisations in India, which aims at maintaining harmony in South Asia,

with its office in Hyderabad, strongly condemned the attack on minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. There was an attack on the Christian community in Lahore, Pakistan, where 180 houses were burnt and looted, and on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the past 10 days

where many houses and shops were reported to have been damaged and burnt. Mazher Hussain, executive director of COVA, said that attacks on hapless minorities anywhere are condemnable. “It is the responsibility of the governments to protect all citizens, especially the minorities, and

ensure stringent punishment for the guilty. We demand that the governments in both countries take immediate measures to protect minorities, order judicial enquiry and set up special courts to try and punish the guilty.” COVA expressed its solidarity with activists and organisations in Pakistan and

Bangladesh who are working for the protection of minorities. It also started a relief fund to support the affected in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. Indian donors can avail tax exemptions under Sec (80) G, and can either call (040) 2457 2984 or write in to covanetwork@gmail.com for details.

city MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

ANALYSIS

Troubled days ahead for Kiran The CM, despite his stance against the hate speech case slapped on MIM’s Akbaruddin Owaisi, may be forced to make up with the party to survive a no-confidence motion. PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

Delicate party position Party Congress

t least now stop carping about a chief minister or a prime minister being ‘indecisive’ or ‘ineffectual’. The fault lies not with an individual politician but with the political system we adopted in Independent India, where the number game decides the longevity of a government. Look at the abject predicament CM Kiran Kumar Reddy is in today, and the situation becomes clear. Kiran, who’d seemingly taken a principled stance against the ‘hate speech’ cases involving MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and his big brother Asaduddin Owaisi, is now placed at the mercy of the two brothers by a situation that relies wholly on headcounts. Bled by the YSRC in the past, the Congress is so emaciated that it now has no

(after Congress suspended nine MLAs in February)

TDP YSR Congress TRS MIM CPI BJP CPI(M) LSP Independents Nominated Total strength left if the Opposition TDP moves a no-confidence motion (NCM). While the TDP has no special interest in bringing down the government as it is in a miserable condition itself, the pressure could impel the TDP leadership to such a course when

SRINIVAS SETTY

BUS STOP OR BAZAAR? n Mehdipatnam, the scene under the flyover is always chaotic. Roadside vendors set up shop not on pavements but right on the road. Due to this, buses rarely stop at the main bus stop, but have to halt some distance away. Passengers are forced to stand perilously close to traffic if they want to flag down and board a bus. Due to the throng of people standing on the road, traffic too gets affected, causing major jams every

86 17 17 7 4 3 1 1 3 1 295

the Assembly meets for its budget session from Wednesday. In the House of 294, the Congress has an effective strength of 146 and it can count on a couple more (from the Independents). With the Speaker’s casting vote, it might

DANGEROUS HYDERABAD

Strength 146

now and then. Though vendors have a right to conduct business, setting up shop on the road is dangerous for them, their customers and pedestrians. Many miss their ride home as the buses don’t halt at the stop where they are waiting. It is also a hassle for residents who live nearby, because they are plagued by constant noise. It would be better for everyone if the vendors had a designated zone to sell their goods.

survive but of what avail? The government can’t be run with a perpetual fear of getting torpedoed any time. It is at this juncture that the importance of former skipper Md Azharuddin’s meeting with Kiran the other day assumes significance. While understandably nobody is saying it, the idea to call the ace cricketer to the crease by his former captain is to rattle the MIM. First, it floated the ‘news’ of Azhar, saying he was willing to bat for the Congress against Owaisi if asked to, but soon it became clear that the Congress would love to have the comfort of the MIM with it in case the Opposition proves adventurous, slapping an NCM on the government. Its seven MLAs need not vote with the government. They only need to go for a coffee break when the gong goes. All this is in the eventuality of the nine suspended Congress

MLAs, who have been hobnobbing with the YSRC, sticking to their guns and refusing the Congress whip to vote for the government. With the YSRC becoming desperate and the TRS in a combative mood, the Opposition party is in a good position to topple the government, if for nothing else but to derive a vicarious pleasure from it. It will certainly serve no purpose as the State will be under the President’s rule, which is a virtual Congress rule. Even if the disparate Opposition parties join hands to bring the government down, they would not stick together for a moment. So why the futile exercise is the question many political observers are asking. But there are wheels within wheels. No party has as many selfish circles as the Congress has — each one waiting to play Brutus to Caesar. Troubled days are ahead for Kiran.

AGE OF FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

A PAGE DEDICATED TO THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF GEN Z

Be it a candle light march or an awareness run, you can count on the younger generation to partake in them and be at the forefront with gusto. In a way, this driven lot is teaching their elders to believe again. AMY ROSE THOMAS

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

ears have come and gone but the perception that our country is unclean, and unsafe for women persists. The recent Delhi rape incident has only reinforced this notion. But while their predecessors are losing hope with this persisting state of the society and government, Generation Z refuses to be bogged down by these obstacles. Instead of depending on the government to bring about change, they are becoming the change themselves. Be it a candle light march or an awareness run, you can count on the younger generation to partake in them and be at the forefront with gusto. In a way, this driven lot is teaching their elders to believe again. “College students today are well-read and informed and the difference between them and their predecessors is that instead of cribbing about the problems plaguing society and sitting at home, they prefer getting out and heralding the movement. There is a lot a single person can do if he wills. All the people I know at college are involved in some cause or the other and spend their weekends working towards them. I am part of Street Cause NGO, through which we

There are many organisations started by collegians that regularly organise events and have many a youngster hooked to them. try to change the lives of the underprivileged,” Meenakshi Thakur, 22, says. Street Cause is not the only NGO that youngsters have taken a liking to. There are many organisations started by collegians that regularly organise events and have many a youngster hooked to them. The most popular NGOs among youngsters include Make a Difference (MAD), Indian Youth Climate Network, and for animal lovers, Humane Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (HSPCA) and Blue Cross. Mansukh, a MAD member, says, “MAD was initially started by collegians in Kerala and now it has grown multi-fold and is present in many states in the country. MAD members spend

weekends teaching kids at government schools how to read and write English. The only marked difference between children educated at private schools and government-schooled kids is their language skills and how they carry themselves. By spending time during weekends, we try to bridge this gap. There are as many as 1,300 members as part of the NGO in the country now.” For some, these initiatives are no longer a part-time engage-

ment, but a full-time profession. Many youngsters, after their graduation, are working full-time with some of these organisations. One of them is Gloria Benny, who was part of MAD while she was working with Google and now she has resigned from the company to work with the NGO. “I was always waiting for the right time to put in my papers and work with MAD full time. I could dedicate only my week-

ends for the cause and I wanted to do more for the NGO. As years passed, my responsibilities at Google increased and I couldn’t dedicate much time to MAD. Since I was part of the organisation from its inception, I have a special connection with the NGO,” she says. Once, their biggest fight was with their parents to convince them of their decision to work for the society. However, this scenario has seen a change and parents are nowadays easily giving in to their kids dreams. Sashikanth Kaja, 21, after graduation, decided to take the road less travelled and started a green company, all while continuing to be a part of Snake Cell NGO and NGO Ugly Indian, which works towards cleaning up the City. With his parents by his side, he had the easy way out. “I was waiting to complete college and dedicate myself to working with a company and Ugly Indian. I cannot see myself working under someone else and I am ready to wait till my dreams pan out. My parents are my bigged support as they are the ones who are helping me,” he says.

special report

ENVIRONMENT

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

GRUB FROM Everyone can grow vegetables in their homes, no matter how little the space they have, believes Dr Viswanath K Narayan, the man who champions organic terrace gardening in Bangalore. ELIZABETH SOUMYA elizabeth.s@postnoon.com

ota in Kannada means food. Thota means garden. When I dropped in at a fair called ‘Oota from your thota’ or ‘grub from your garden’ when translated, I found that it was hugely popular. Shoppers were wandering around with concentrated efforts to stack up on supplies that are otherwise a tad difficult to come by. Some were ordering sacks of compost, many were picking up herbs from stalls that had signs such as ‘celery plants for sale’ A couple from Coorg, who had travelled to Bangalore for the fair, was selling soapnut (natural detergent), ginger and bananas grown on their farm. Somewhere behind plants of tomatoes and double beans was Vishwanath K Narayan (in pic), the man who, along with a team of food growers or urban gardeners, started organising the fair in 2011. He took me to a small stall of organic food. Sadly, I had just missed a salad party thrown by members of a Facebook group called Organic Terrace Gardening (OTG). Growers who produce vegetables and fruits for themselves and not for sale had a potluck of veggies and fruits for the party. But I was in time to swig some fresh lemonade made from lemons harvested by some of the urban gardeners. Dr Vishwanath K Narayan, author of A Handbook of Organic Terrace Gardening, is someone who doesn’t tire from teaching others gardening. Open empty space to him outdoors means just one thing to him — an opportunity to grow vegetables. In over 18 years of growing vegetables and teaching others how to, he has helped add food to crammed balconies, windowsills and open terraces. Everyone can grow vegetables in their houses, no matter how little the space they have, he believes. Narayan, along with a team of gardeners from Bangalore, the Garden City Farmers (GCF), conceived a gardening-cumorganic produce fair when they realised that sourcing resources wasn’t easy. “One thing that was keeping people from taking up

organic gardening was the difficulty in procuring materials. Getting your seeds from one place, manure from another and looking for containers from elsewhere is very inconvenient. There are also things such as natural pesticides that one needs,”

he points out. The fact that organic gardening involves chemical-free inputs meant just about any resources from anywhere won’t do. This year’s fair saw 30 stalls that sold various kinds of organic seeds; kinds of compost; com-

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YOUR

PICS: ELIZABETH SOUMYA

GARDEN

post-creating solutions; millets; herbs, medicinal plants and vegetable saplings and vegetables from organic farmers. Schools had also contributed compost and seeds developed by students. The event is also a great place to pick up organic products

that are not stocked in supermarkets — grains, pickles, chutneys, chips, honey, jaggery, flour, spices, natural detergent, natural handmade soaps, oils and much more. Narayan says the market for organic products is growing each year with people becoming both health and environment conscious. While it may take a little more effort to procure organic products than those in the market, it’s now easier than it used to be, he says. “Europe and the US have seen a 10 per cent increase in the organic product market, while growth in India has been seven to eight per cent per year,” he says. Narayan, who has trained over 1,000 people on cultivating their own vegetables, dismisses the notion that it’s difficult. “You don’t grow plants, you just take care of them,” he reminds. “Pick a Sunday, put in a few hours to set up your organic garden. That’s the most effort you’ll need. Rest is taking care of the plants by putting in half an hour each day. Watering them is also a good way to unwind. Except for a few insects, there are not that many pests in a terrace garden either. Simple natural pesticides do the work.” The Facebook group Narayan and others are part of has over 3,000 members. South India receives ample sunshine that’s great for growing vegetables, he says. For an article published on him in a Telugu newspaper, he says he received over 300 calls from Andhra Pradesh inquiring about terrace gardening. However, there’s no formal group in Hyderabad so far. Since lot of resources on the net on growing vegetables are pertaining to other countries and temperatures may vary, he recommends a local club. Narayan, who lives in a rented apartment in South Bangalore, grows vegetables in seven boxes that are 2X4 feet, 8sq ft in area. His most recent harvest included tomatoes, chillies, bajji chillies and brinjal. Having grown his own vegetables for 16 years now, he has no doubt it’s the best thing for the environment as well. “All kitchen waste is used to make compost, that becomes manure for the plants

to grow in,” he says of the healthy cycle. Terrace gardens also have an effect on the microclimate of a house, reducing its temperature greatly. Asked if growing your own food will eat into the market of poor farmers, he says that agricultural land is increasingly being taken over for development, whether it’s building roads or real estate. Young farmers are migrating to cities to do menial work; this leaves older farmers who can’t supply the volumes for the demand that exists. This means prices of food items go up. Encouraging urban agriculture may also help those who migrate to cities to practice agriculture in cities, he said, citing the example of Kerala that has been able to encourage urban agriculture in cities like Trivandrum and Cochin. Narayan, who was an entomology professor in the University of Agricultural Sciences for 16 years, ironically taught about chemical pesticides. Somewhere around 1993, when he moved to making documentaries on agriculture, he had a change of heart and turned his back on chemically aided agriculture. Reading Rachel Carson’s controversial book Silent Spring that talks about DDT was an eye-opener, he confides. “With all the chemicals used, we don’t realise we could actually be consuming poison along with ‘healthy’ food”, he warns. “In fact, a lot of ‘natural’ Ayurveda is also being made with herbs that are not completely grown organically.” Talking about his own kitchen garden, he says he’s ready to plant his next set of vegetables. As for gardeners meeting again, June 5, World Environment Day, is when the next fair is slotted and everyone’s invited to taste some Oota from the Thota.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Business

LIBYAN GAS DELIVERIES TO ITALY RESUME

Supplies of Libyan natural gas to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline have resumed after a week-long interruption caused by clashes between former rebels. Mellitah is a joint venture company owned equally by Italian energy group ENI and Libya’s state-run National Oil Corporation.

TECHNOLOGY

SSTL BIDS FOR 8 CIRCLES

BYOD in limelight

Managing security and increasing the productivity employees by letting them use their own devices has become a challenge for enterprises. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

obility has become buzz word in the enterprise operations with advent of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) concept in the corporates. Today, companies are figuring out ways to give accesses to the personal mobiles and Tablets. In such a scenario, tablets and mobiles have become key growth drivers for businesses. The devices (tablets and mobiles) have changed the way content is consumed and this trend is slowly eclipsing the time spent on personal computers. “There is tangible shift towards mobility across the industries. When the enterprises allow the employees to bring their own devices and give them access to every day office computing, there will be proliferation of tablets leading an end of consumer and professional divide,” says Sunish Raghavan, head, commercial PC category, printing and personal systems group, HP India. Market trends and projections also envision the increase in the tablets. “There is huge growth in tablets but the market is stable with out any growth in PCs. “However, the BYOD concept has also made things difficult to HR and IT teams of the enterprises. The question is whether enterprises will spend time, money and effort to create infrastructure that supports any device. “They would rather filter out and ask employees devices, which will not comprise on security and can seamlessly integrate with their existing ecosystem,” he says. Managing security and

increasing the productivity of the employees by letting them use their own devices has become a challenge for enterprises.

SECURITY IS THE KEY FOR ENTERPRISES

The device manufactures are finding the need of businesses today and unveiling various devices along with enterprise security solutions. HP ElitePad 900 (tablet) and Blackberry with its BB 10 run devices have significantly increased the security enabling the buyers to use these devices in corporate environments. “The device (ElitePad) can be controlled by the enterprises. Device access manager can disable all the ports of the tablet with out actually letting any one to take data from the tablet.

When the enterprises allow staff to bring their own devices, there will be proliferation of tablets leading to end of consumer and professional divide. Sunish Raghavan HP India “Features like Trusted Platform Model for ElitePad 900 significantly increase the security when the device is stolen.

“For instance, one can track the device if it is lost, find out which IP is using the device or erase the data on the device before some body tries to copy it,” he said. Where as BB10 smart phones have separated personal and work domains on the phone with its Balance feature. “Each of the domains can have its own apps and does not let user to copy some information from the work domain and paste in the personal domain application. Enterprises can lock and control the devices with out affecting the personal data. “For instance, if an employee leaves the company, all the business information can be remotely wiped with out effecting the personal data,” says Annie Mathew, director (alliances), BlackBerry.

Lone bidder Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL) today bid for eight circles in the 2G spectrum auction for CDMA services. The second round of auction is underway and it is expected that it will end by the third round, which could be the shortest online sale of radiowaves in terms of time consumed. The auction for 2G spectrum for GSM players held in November last year was spread across three days fetching the government `9,407 crore. In 2010, spectrum auction for 3G services ended after 34 days and 183 rounds of bidding. This was followed by 16-day long auction for wireless broadband (BWA) spectrum. SSTL has deposited `613.75 crore for the auction, according to information disclosed by DoT. This makes the company eligible to bid for minimum quantum of 2.5 Megahertz spectrum (two blocks of 1.25 Mhz airwaves frequency) in 11 circles. The company has already announced discontinuation of services in 10 out of 22 telecom circles — Assam, AP, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, North East, Orissa and Punjab.

US COS OFF-SHORE CASH US companies are keeping more of their profits offshore, choosing overseas tax havens, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The business newspaper said its analysis of 60 big American companies had found that they had collectively parked a total of $166 billion offshore last year. That shielded more than 40 per cent of their annual profits from US taxes, the report said. Each of the 60 companies chosen for the analysis had held at least $5 billion offshore in 2011, according to The Journal. The list included Abbott Laboratories, whose store of untaxed overseas earnings rose by $8.1 billion. Honeywell International Inc. boosted its store of untaxed earnings held by its offshore subsidiaries and earmarked for foreign investment by $3.5 billion last year to $11.6 billion. The practice is a result of US tax rules that allow companies to not pay taxes on profits earned by overseas subsidiaries if the money is not brought back to the United States, the report pointed out.

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MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

nation

PRANAB LEAVES FOR MAURITIUS President Pranab Mukherjee today left for Mauritius on a three-day visit during which he will be the chief guest at the national day celebrations of that country. India and Mauritius will also sign several bilateral pacts in social sectors, including health and tourism, during Mukherjee’s visit.

SYSTEM FAILURE

Delhi rape prime accused commits suicide in Tihar jail NEW DELHI: Ram Singh, the prime accused in the December 16 gangrape of a 23-year-old girl here, allegedly committed suicide in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early this morning. Singh, 33, hanged himself with the help of his clothes from the grills of his cell in Jail No 3 at around 5 AM, jail officials said. “There is already an inquiry which has been ordered by Tihar Jail on suicide of the main accused. We are enquiring into the matter,” R P N Singh, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said. Singh, who was to be produced before court for its daily hearing, was rushed to the jail hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body will be taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post mortem. Forensic experts have visited the Jail premises to collect samples. Sources said he was under depression for the past couple of days and last evening, he even did not have food. PTI

Suicide watch fails

Woman abducted, raped in moving car in Delhi NEW DELHI: A 35-year-old married woman was abducted and raped in a moving car by five people, including some known to her, here Sunday, police said. According to police, the woman was abducted outside the Akshardham temple in east Delhi at around 9am and found unconscious outside the Pragati Maidan metro station in central Delhi at around

10.15am. People found spotted the woman lying outside the station and informed police, who reached the spot and took the women to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. A medical examination confirmed rape, a police officer said, adding the woman had given a statement saying some of the people who abducted and raped her were known. IANS

NEW DELHI: He managed to dodge all eyes on him — the guard posted to keep a “suicide watch” on him and inmates in the high-security cell in Tihar Jail — to end his life. The suicide has raised questions about the role of authorities who were keeping a watch on him. Singh was not alone in the cell in Jail Number three of the prisons when he used his clothes to hang himself from the grill early this morning, jail sources said. A guard was posted outside his cell to keep a watch on him but could not detect the happenings inside the cell. Other inmates, who were sleeping, also did not know that Singh was hanging himself, they said. Sources said a Metropolitan Magistrate will inquire into the incident. The other four accused were also under suicide watch since January after they stopped interacting with other inmates. PTI

Victim kin not sad

he family of the December 16 gangrape victim today said they were “surprised but not saddened” by the main accused in the case allegedly committing suicide and are waiting for the four others to be sent to the gallows. The brother of the victim said the family wanted the trial to be completed at the earliest. “We are surprised at the suicide but we are not sad. He would have been hanged even otherwise. We wanted him to be hanged publicly. Now we are waiting for the four others to be sent to gallows,” he said. The brother did not suspect any foul play and said guilt might have caught on to him. PTI

NEWS BRIEFS UP spent `12 crore to dole out `8 crore in youth sops

LUCKNOW: Has the Akhilesh Yadav government got its priorities wrong? Even as the SP gears up to celebrate its first year in office, an RTI query on its flagship scheme — an allowance for the unemployed — is set to trigger a controversy. The scheme had created a wave of goodwill in the run-up to last year’s Assembly polls and reaped rich electoral dividends to the SP which won 224 seats. It has now been disclosed that money spent on extravagant functions to distribute the dole is more than the money given to the programme’s beneficiaries. In response to a RTI query by activist Urvashi Sharma, the training and employment directorate has pointed to an expenditure of `12.29 crore on holding functions at various places. In contrast, the allowance disbursed by the government to the unemployed youth added up to only `8.54 crore till November 2012.

Fasting TN students admitted to hospital

Cong surge in Karnataka urban local body polls

NEW DELHI: Eight students of a city-based college, who were on a fast unto death on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, were removed by police and admitted to hospital. Police also detained many of those who supported them. Police sources said the students were removed and admitted to hospital last night, three days after they embarked on the protest pressing for a seven-point demand, including calling for an international probe against Colombo for alleged war crimes. Police also detained supporters of the students present at the venue and sealed the building. Condemning the police action, MDMK chief Vaiko said besides his party deputy general secretary Mallai Satya, many others including some Tamil cinema directors were detained. Vaiko, who met the students and expressed his party’s support to them, demanded that all detained persons should be released.

BANGALORE: The opposition Congress in Karnataka has forged ahead in the March seven elections to urban local bodies in the state, for which counting was taken up today. At the time of going to press, in the 207 ULBs, including seven city corporations and 43 city municipal corporations, for which elections were held, the Congress bagged 1227 wards, followed by JDS at 603 and the ruling BJP at 583. Results in 3036 wards were declared so far, of the total nearly 5000. The Karnataka Janatha Paksha of former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa bagged 197 wards, while BSR Congress of former BJP Minister B Sriramulu was victorious in 47. Independents were winners in 351 wards. The election was considered as a “semi-ﬁnal” as Assembly election is due in May.

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

World 3 names favs for Pope post VATICAN CITY: Cardinals will hold a final set of meetings on Monday before they are locked away to choose a new pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church through troubled times. The conclave triggered by the historic resignation of Benedict XVI will start on Tuesday, with the eyes of the world on the 115 men who must nominate one of their own to take his place. Vatican watchers say there is no clear favourite, but three names have emerged as frontrunners — Odilo Scherer, the charismatic archbishop of Sao Paulo, Italian conservative Angelo Scola, head of the powerful Milan archdiocese, and Marc Ouellet, a Canadian who holds a senior Vatican position.

‘Key resolve’ begins SEOUL: South Korean and US troops launched a joint military exercise Monday as North Korea, which has slammed the drill and threatened both countries with nuclear attack, severed its hotline with Seoul. The start of the two-week “Key Resolve” exercise follows a week of escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea lashing out over tightened UN sanctions adopted after its third nuclear test last month. Pyongyang has condemned the joint manoeuvres as a provocative invasion rehearsal and announced that it was scrapping the 1953 armistice ending the Korean War and voiding peace pacts.

JAPAN MARKS SECOND TSUNAMI ANNIVERSARY Japan on Monday marked the second anniversary of a ferocious tsunami that claimed nearly 19,000 lives and sparked the worst nuclear accident in a generation. The government will host a national ceremony in Tokyo, attended by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, to mourn 15,881 people who died and 2,668 others who remain unaccounted for.

TO BE NOR NOT TO BE BRITISH?

SANCHEZ: I’M COMING

Falklands vote gets huge turnout The referendum is intended to show the world that residents want to stay British despite Argentina’s claims. LONDON: Buenos Aires has dismissed the vote as meaningless, but witnesses reported up to 90 people waiting in the rain to vote at the single polling station in the capital Stanley an hour after it opened. “It’s an extraordinary turnout,” Barry Elsby, a member of the Falklands legislative assembly, told AFP by telephone as he queued up outside the town hall behind two islanders dressed head-to-toe in the British flag. In a move instigated by residents themselves, 1,672 eligible voters are being asked whether they want the Falklands to remain an internally self-governing British overseas territory. The result, due overnight on Monday, is not in doubt but the scale of the ‘yes’ vote will be closely watched as a sign of the Falklanders’ strength of feeling. “No matter what Argentina says, the rest of the world will not ignore it,” said Elsby, a 57year-old Welsh doctor who moved to the Falklands on a two-year contract in 1990 and never left. “I’m very proud of what we’re doing today.” Bookmaker Ladbrokes called the result “the biggest certainty in political betting history” but Argentina said the vote had no legal standing and would not affect its claim to the South Atlantic archipelago, which it tried unsuccessfully to take over in a short but bloody war in 1982.

Award-winning dissident Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, on her ﬁrst international trip in years, challenged Havana on Sunday to let her launch an independent media outlet. “I have told a lot of people. And I am telling this to my country’s government: I am coming back to Cuba to set up a media outlet,” Sanchez, 37, said at a brieﬁng on the sidelines of an Inter American Press Association meeting.

NUMEROLOGY

1,200

A woman shows her T-shirt in Stanley, Falkland Islands on March 10, 2013, during a referendum intended to show the world that the residents want to stay British amid increasingly bellicose claims by AFP PHOTO / TONY CHATER Argentina.

HISTORY Britain has held the barren Falklands since 1833 but Buenos Aires claims what it calls “Las Malvinas” are occupied Argentinian territory. On April 2, 1982, Argentina’s then-ruling junta invaded the Falklands, sparking a 74-day war with Britain which cost the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British troops.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? 1,672 eligible voters are being asked whether they

want the Falklands to remain an internally self-governing British overseas territory.

THE SCENE 90 people waited in the rain to vote at the single polling station in the capital Stanley an hour after it opened.

REACTIONS Argentina said the vote had no legal standing and would not affect its claim to the South Atlantic archipelago “I’m very proud of what we’re doing today.” Elsby, a Falklander

NEWS BRIEFS Australian central bank computers hacked

Australia rolls back Zimbabwe sanctions

Child killed in Syrian mortar attack

Chinese arrested in $133 mn Aus drug bust

SYDNEY: Computer networks at the Reserve Bank of Australia have been hacked, some reportedly by Chinese-developed malware searching for sensitive information, ofﬁcials said Monday. The central bank revealed the attacks after investigations by The Australian Financial Review found multiple computers had been compromised.

SYDNEY: Australia said Monday it would lift sanctions on 55 prominent Zimbabweans in response to the announcement of a referendum on a new constitution ahead of July elections. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the group included members of the judiciary and media, provincial governors and leading business ﬁgures.

DAMASCUS: A child was killed and nine injured Sunday when a bomb shell hit a mini school bus in a restive suburb of Syria’s capital city of Damascus, Xinhua reported. The bus was struck in the suburb of Harasta. Earlier in the day, multiple mortar shells landed at Souk al- Hal in al-Zablatani area in Damascus, wounding ﬁve people.

MOSCOW: Seven foreign hostages have been killed by a Nigerian Islamist group, the western governments said Sunday. The hostages — nationals of Italy, Britain, Greece and Lebanon — were captured by the militant group Ansaru in a raid on a construction site in Nigeria’s northern state of Bauchi last month.

pigs

were fished out from Shanghai’s Huangpu river in China, a day after over 900 dead pigs were recovered from the same river. The city’s water supply bureau said the water quality of Shanghai had not been affected by the floating dead pigs

GOOD SAMARITANS Americans have given nearly threequarters of a billion dollars in private donations to help tsunami-wracked communities, a report said, as Japan marked the second anniversary of the disaster Monday. Individuals, companies and non-proﬁt groups have donated $712.6 million to help crisis-stricken areas over the last 24 months, the Japan Center for International Exchange said. The private sector total is the largest ever given to a developed country and the third biggest disaster donation after those for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 quake in Haiti, it said.

My communications team has provided me with an easy way to distinguish between Star Trek and Star Wars. Spock is what Maureen Dowd calls me. Darth Vader is what John Boehner calls me. Barack Obama US President

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

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

VANGUARD OF CHANGE

Dads stay home, mums work

Tibetan blogger wins award

rench President Francois Hollande, who is known as a champion of women’s causes, reportedly wants more dads to stay home with their babies and more mums to get back to work faster. Giving fathers more flexibility with parental leave could help make it easier for mothers to return to their jobs, as most French working mums’ career prospects can suffer from taking long maternity leave, a report said.

Peacekeepers to safeguard women

ibetan author, poet and blogger Tsering Woeser was honoured with the International Women of Courage Award in absentia as China denied her a passport necessary for her to travel to the US to receive the prize. “For courageously striving to improve human rights conditions for China’s Tibetan citizens by illuminating their plight through her writings, and thus giving eloquent voice to those whose stories might otherwise never be heard, Tsering Woeser is a woman of courage,” Secretary of State John Kerry said reading her citation at the awards ceremony.

t the Commission on the Status of Women's current session at the UN headquarters, the theme of which is “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”, the importance of those who serve in the UN peacekeeping operations in conflict areas was lauded. The UN peacekeeping forces have been adopting innovative measures to ensure that women are protected.

AFP/MANAN VATSYAYANA

We cannot move backwards, we must keep moving forward. It is what we owe to millions of women fighting for their rights around the world.

We don't raise boys to be men. We raise them not to be women, or gay men. White people confronted white people to fight racism. Men need to confront men.

Michelle Bachelet

Don McPherson Former footballer

UN Women Exec. Director

WORKING WOMEN

TWO STEPS BACK

Pregnant women discriminated against

Child marriages continue unabated

etween 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides, according to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). If current levels of child marriages hold, 14.2 million girls annually or 39,000 daily will marry too young. The countries with the highest rates of child marriage include: Niger, 75 per cent; Chad and Central African Republic, 68 per cent; and Bangladesh, 66 per cent. In terms of absolute numbers, because of the size of its population, India has the most child marriages.

One half of the population left out of papal conclave

s cardinals prepare a secret conclave in the Vatican to choose a new pope, the only woman seen taking part has been the seamstress sewing the ceremonial tablecloths. The decision is being taken with one half of the Catholic community either looking on or playing an auxiliary role. Vatican observers say that of the 115 cardinal electors who could become pope, none are likely to overturn centuries of ingrained gender bias in the Church.

Elderly widows attend a reading and writing class, held by Sulabh International, in Vrindavan.

DR Congo vows to punish army rapists Around 200 suspected rape victims said that the soldiers barged into their homes and gang-raped them in front of their families.

he Democratic Republic of Congo’s defence minister vowed to investigate allegations that soldiers committed rape during recent fighting in the east of the country. Alexandre Luba Ntambo said military inquiries were carried out in December and February following clashes pitting the army against the M23 rebel group that briefly seized the main eastern hub of Goma. “202 suspected rape victims have been heard, as well as 346 presumed looting victims. Given the high number of victims... further inquiries are needed,” he told reporters. “When the investigation is

completed, the responsibility of the suspected perpetrators will be established and I can assure you they will be severely punished,” he said. A UN official said that the DRC had been given a deadline in March to act against two army battalions accused of carrying out 126 rapes as they fled an M23 offensive in November.

The UN mission in DR Congo will stop working with the two battalions if action is not taken. Human Rights Watch said in a report in February that several women told investigators that “soldiers in official army uniform forced their way into the women’s homes at night, pointed guns at them, and demanded money”. “The soldiers then threatened to kill the women if they refused to have sex with the soldiers or if they screamed for help. Some of the victims were gang raped in front of their husbands and children by several soldiers operating together,” said the report. AFP

new poll shows that despite offering maternity leave and other measures to help pregnant women, female employees are facing illegal discrimination at work. The women are often made redundant while they are on maternity leave, said the poll, commissioned by law firm Slater & Gordon in the UK. The survey shows that one in seven women surveyed had lost her job while on maternity leave; 40 per cent said their jobs had changed by the time they returned, with half reporting a cut in hours or demotion.

Women still not on top, shows survey

recent survey shows that women in the Asia-Pacific region still face barriers when it comes to top positions in government and private sector jobs. MasterCard's latest Index of Women's Advancement measured the standing of women at workplaces across Asia/Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. In the 14 Asia/Pacific markets, New Zealand ranked first (77.8), followed by Australia (76.0) and the Philippines (70.5). At the other end of spectrum was India (38.0) and Japan (48.1).

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Comment I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. George Bernard Shaw Playwright

Syrians play hunger games ROUEIDA MABARDI Agence France-Presse

“Y

esterday I did not make anything to eat as there was no electricity for the entire day," says Umm Fadi, a resident of Artuz district near Damascus that has been caught up in the fighting between rebels and regime forces. Like most Syrians, the mother of four faces a shortage of oil and gas and has to resort to cooking on a wood fire or, when there is power, an electric stove. "A gas cylinder costs 3,500 (Syrian) pounds (49 dollars) and there is no oil... we have to wait for two or three hours patiently just to buy bread," she says with a sigh. Another resident, 35-year-old Bilal, also expresses frustration. "The price of gas has risen tenfold. Oil, if you can find it, is twice as expensive as it used to be. Prices are simply exorbitant, plus one has to wait for hours in queues," he says, lamenting the "unbearable" living conditions. The situation in Artuz is but a reflection of Syria's dire economic crisis caused by an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that started on March 15, 2011 and later turned into full-scale civil war which according to the United Nations has left more than 70,000 people dead. In the past few months, Assad's regime has hiked prices of essential commodities such as flour by 140 per cent, gasoline by 62 percent and oil by 106 percent. The country's agricultural production, meanwhile, has halved due to the conflict, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, calling for emergency aid for the sector that offers livelihood to about eight million people.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Google doodle is more than a doodle. Today’s is on the occasion of the birthday of Douglas Adams, English writer, humorist and dramatist, best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It informs, enlightens and refreshes our memory.

NATIONAL POLITICS

THE GREAT INDIAN CIRCUS

HARD TALK

PK Surendran

013 is the year of pollshow rehearsal as early next year will see the general elections. And, whatever one say of the flip side of our expensive democracy, one must admit it’s a great comic relief — a grand circus! In this carnival you will see, free of cost for now, trapeze artists swinging wildly from one impossible height to the other, strange bedfellows sleeping together, camps throwing muck at one another, Halloweens going great guns to the delight of the kids, would-be prime ministers strutting about like roosters at dawn, clowns with red nose wearing worn pants and pointed caps playing silly acts to make you laugh and what not. In fact, this is the celebration time for the media too. They would splash around, making the water murkier and play up trivialities, thus adding to the general pollution level. I being part of it enjoy it too. Hence I was greatly amused the other day when the pre-qualifying games have already started at the state level. I was delighted to read our retired skipper Mohammed Azharuddin declaring that he

would take on MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi ‘if’ the Congress party asked him. That ‘if’ has come out after his meeting with his former college chum and willow-mate the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. It amused me to visualise the great intentions of the warrior on crease. Well, one remembers similar noises coming out during last election time too. And soon, I was not erred; I read in another despatch almost the same time that the skipper was willing to ‘mediate’ with the MIM on congress behalf! Here, then, came the ‘news’ that the whimsical leader of TRS, K Chandrasekhar Rao has ‘decided’ to detach himself from the Congress camp and join the Modi troop as he ‘realised’ now that only the NDA would be able to achieve Telangana. Now, when I enquired, nibs tell me this was another trick in trade to scare the Congress and compel it to take a favourable decision. Who knows? There, in another sphere, the AP political parties are going to the extent of hurling out threat to party leaderships on securing the MLC seats to ‘serve the public.’ These ‘humble servants’ have been serving India for the past 60 plus years and we know the result. At the national level, great spectacle is available for the weary. Serial sop is being staged at Delhi Durbar where a young Sultan is being coroneted

and the courtesans whose number surpasses the Indian military strength are vying with one another singing the paeans of the Maharani while muttering profanities against the Yuvraja under their breath. Experience tells them that these ‘Yuvas’ in their enthusiasm trample on the veterans who refuse to fade even as senility overtake them. At the birth place of Gandhi on the Western front, another warrior is getting ready to take on Yuvraja. His name, being properly branded as the man of the hour by the brand makers, is dropping nuggets of wisdom nobody suspected him to have had. And, on the sidelines, Advani et al are seen comically gesticulating at Modi on the sly — the ‘sour grape syndrome.’ Now, it is only the trailers.

Just wait for the great show to unfold. Remember, a good laugh is said to cure many ills. And, let us not waste the opportunity.

TAILEND A wit contributed: this government (UPA) is run by two R’s (No, not Rahul). One R stands for Renounce, attributed to Sonia Gandhi, who gives up the claim of the crown offered to her. The other R stands for Resignation, a famous aspect of the political career of AK Antony, supposedly the No 2 in Congress. Antony’s CV is punctured with resignations. In fact, he walks into to any office to resign. He does not do it now because age has added to the insecurity of life.

EDITORIALS Another starfall in the offing?

e is a good pugilist and has the makings to become a great one. Vijender Singh has brawn, punch, panache and looks pretty. The nation — mostly girls — went crazy over him when he won the Bronze at Beijing Olympics, such a feat was the ﬁrst by an Indian. Pictures of his posing with his medal with his tongue sticking out were an instant hit which went viral. Now there is a shadow over Vijender who was the darling of shutterbugs and whopped in wads of cash from commercials and endorsement deals. Vijender’s friend and sparring partner Ram Singh who is now embroiled in a drug peddling case has dragged in his mate’s name, too. He says both had embarked on a journey of snorting heroine, a

READERS’ VIEWS

practice he says which was paid for by the money that came from Vijender’s endorsement and commercial deals. These are bad times for sportsmen. Those who reigned like gods are becoming fallen angels and since these men famed for doings in their sport are turning infamous for actions in their personal lives. It should not be so, but that is the norm because sports have a huge inﬂuence and great reach among people. They are role models for the effort they put in to excel at the top level. Vijender denies any involvement, but Ram Singh’s statements speak otherwise. Vijender may be innocent and he stands ﬁrm that he has done nothing wrong. But if it turns out he lied, his fall will be complete.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

campus

JUSTICE VERMA REPORT

To bring clarity to the public regarding the Verma report on rape laws, lawyer Vasudha Nagaraj will give a lecture at Goethe-Zentrum on Wednesday at 6pm.

CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA

FREEZING A MOMENT

PEARL ON A ROLL This year, the four-day long BITS fest witnessed fatter cash prizes, more interesting events and a larger turnout.

AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

n eight-foot-tall idol of a laughing Buddha welcomes students to one of the biggest fests of the City, Pearl, hosted by BITS, Hyderabad. This year, the fest witnessed fatter cash prizes, more interesting events and a larger turnout. More than 4,500 students from across the country took part in the long line-up of events that were held during the four-day long fest. “Members of Art and Decoration department, who were in charge of decking up the campus, made the idol. It was installed so that students will not get bogged down by pressure to perform at the event,” Kalyan Srinivas, a third-year student at BITS, said. Among the events that were part of the fest, Till Deaf Do We Part, BITS’ musical fest, was the most popular. Some of the artistes who were featured in Till Deaf Do We Part included UK-based band Amplifier, who made their debut in the country with this concert; Junkyard Groove; guitarist/singer-song-

writer from Mumbai Nikhil D’Souza; DJ Nikhil Chinnapa; Rohit Barker and DJ Act BL@NK. The first night of the fest witnessed jugalbandi performances by Embar Kannan, Sudhir Nayak, Ameesh Pradhan and Arjun Kumar. “We had the most number of

students turning up for the musical programmes organised. This year, more than 1,000 outstation students came to take part in the competitions. The performance by Amplifier was the highlight of the show. As they were performing for the first time in the country, stu-

dents were curious and turned up in hordes,” Kalyan says. Glitterati and Frag Lore are the competitions that offered the fattest prize packets and had students from all corners of the State taking part. “Glitterati, which is the fashion show, had teams from NIFT, VIT and Hamstech participating. Prizes were declared for the best team, best model (male and female), and best designer. NIFT, Hyderabad scooped the award for the best team and won the prize money of `30,000. Best male and female models got their portfolios made free by a reputed company and the best designer was awarded jewellery as his prize. Frag Lore was another event that promised grand prizes,” one of the organisers, Somnath, said. Organisers created the buzz days before the fest even started with an online treasure hunt game, Erevno, that had more than 1,000 people participating in it. “We launched only one online game before the fest this time around and it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the fest,” Sidharth, a student union president, said.

A group photography exhibition on ‘Women in Public Spaces’ will be on at Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad from March 15 to 24.

COLLEGE OF THE WEEK

Brown

University is an American private Ivy League research university located in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the third oldest institution of higher education in New England. Brown was the first college in the nation to accept students regardless of religious affiliation. Completed concentrations of undergraduates by area are Social Sciences (42%), Humanities (26%), Life Sciences (17%), and the Physical Sciences (14%).

WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT

This site is delightfully profound and cheeky, all at once. Bro Tips is dedicated to providing modern advice to men who want to improve themselves. Targeted at the post-adolescent, this life advice is also very pertinent to those of you over 30, even over 40.

If you like pop culture and enjoy following celebrities in the news, then you will absolutely revel in PopSalad. Score points for every time Lance Armstrong apologises on TV. Advance your team every time America's Next Top Model eliminates a contestant.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

spotlight FUN DAY

DIFFERENT ART

Muse Art Gallery is hosting a first of its kind showcase of tribal art in a private art gallery. The art by the Gond tribal community that reflects the belief- viewing a good image begets good luck- has moved from motifs to decorate homes to paper and canvas. S BALAKRISHNA

RESTORING HOPE

Veteran Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao gave a small talk before ﬂaggingoff, the Glaucoma Awareness Week organised by the LV Prasad Eye Institute, on Sunday at Prasad Labs. World Glaucoma Week observed from March 10-16, seeks to raise awareness of this ‘silent’ eye condition.

A SUNDAY WELL SPENT Radisson Blu on Sunday celebrated Women’s Day by organising an art exhibition, and having counters for mehendi, nail art and much more. 1

Vandit Reddy, Richard Hyde, Catherine Dhanani and Azim Narani

PLAYING ON THE GREENS

MAK Projects launched its 9 Hole Executive Golf Course by organising an Invitational Golf Tournament on Saturday and Sunday.This invitational tournament saw some of the best known golfers of the twin cities showing their skills at the lush green ﬁelds of the Golf Course at Banyan Tree Retreat. S BALAKRISHNA

TURNING TO BOOKS

Krishank, the OUJAC national media spokesperson launched his books No One Dies and Facebook Revolution at Ravindra Bharathi on Sunday. The book release was done by Vice Chancellor Satyanarayan.

BATTLE OF WITS

1 Manjula Reddy, Varun,

Bhargavi and a friend

2 Neha 3 Sonia, Jonathan

4 Pooja 5 Maniza, Anaitha

6 Manjula Narsa 7 Kashish

The Hyderabad regional round of the ninth edition of the Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2013 took place on Sunday amidst some thrilling battle of wits and exciting show of intellect at Taj Deccan. The Anwar-Ul-Uloom College of Business Management emerged victorious.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

health

US NGO JOINS VEDANTA FOR FREE CLEFT LIP SURGERY

A US-based NGO has partnered with Vedanta Hospitals, to carry out cleft lip and palate surgeries, the company said Sunday. Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby's lip or mouth do not form properly. n India, over 35,000 children are born every year with clefts.

ALIEN HAND SYNDROME

Whose hand is it?

Imagine your hand doesn’t listen to you — it gropes people, lifts things, and you feel there’s nothing you can do; you feel it’s not even yours. DEEPASHRI V

There is no cure for alien hand syndrome. Behavioural therapy, like ‘mirror therapy’ is used to make people understand they are still in control of their hand.

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

f you remember the episode “Both sides now,” the last one in the fifth season of the TV drama House, two sides of the patient’s brain lose communication and he has no control over what his hand does. He is thought to have something known as “alien hand syndrome.” “If your right hand turns a page, your left hand turns it in the opposite direction,” said Dr A Venkat Reddy, consultant neurologist at Poulomi Hospital. “If your right hand combs, your left hand interferes.” Alien hand syndrome is a neurological disorder, where your hand, quite literally, is alien to you; it seems to do as it pleases. “What is interesting is that the hand belongs to the sufferer, but he treats it as someone else’s,” said Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad. The cause is not known in most cases, Dr Kumar said. “It is a disease of the brain, a degenerative process.” Explaining how this happens, he said there are different areas in the brain for the leg and the hands, and that area has to recognise that this hand belongs to us. The right side and left side (responsible for thinking) of the brain communicate via a tissue called “corpus callosum.” Alien hand syndrome was first noticed in a surgery where this connec-

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

tion was lost, he said. “A stroke, infection, lack of blood supply, or anything that affects the corpus callosum can cause thins,” he said. “The patient treats groping, lifting of objects (by that hand) as someone else’s actions.

TREATMENT

The corpus callosum cannot regenerate. There is no known cure as of today. There is no medication. Dr Reddy, who has seen four to five patients with this syndrome, said “mirror therapy” is given. The patient is made to stand in from of the mirror and understand the interference of the limbs. This helps people acknowledge that there is some interference and the hand still belongs to them. Dr Kumar has seen two patients with this disorder (one person developed it after a surgery and the other due to stroke). Though they cannot be cured, through counselling, they manage to do some basic activities on their own. They are made to understand that they can control their hand, though they still assume it’s someone else’s.

HOUSECALL

Take a Break!

Paratyphoid fever

You can enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation with this app by Meditation Oasis. Featuring two popular meditations from the Meditation Oasis podcast, the app gives you the option to listen with or without music or nature sounds. You can also listen to relaxing music and nature sounds alone.

Paratyphoid fevers are a group of enteric illnesses caused by serotypic strains of the Salmonella genus of bacteria, S Paratyphi. There are three serovars of the species of S enterica that cause paratyphoid: S Paratyphi A, S Paratyphi B, and S Paratyphi C. They are transmitted by means of contaminated water or food. It similarities with typhoid fever, and the two are referred to by the common name enteric fever.

DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

Do you know why a steth is used?

Walter Reed

The stethoscope was invented so that doctors could listen to a woman's heart without having to touch her. The native people of the Andes Mountains in South America have 2 to 3 more quarts of blood in their bodies than people who live at lower elevations.

During the Spanish-American War, Walter Reed investigated the spread of typhoid fever in military camps. His report revealed new facts regarding this disease and was a brilliant investigation in epidemiology. He then turned his attention to yellow fever and determined that it could not be spread via clothing, bedding etc. and only by mosquito bites, which led to stopping the deadly disease.

health MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

STUDY

RESEARCH

Forgetting first words

Chewing gum could improve focus

ON A LIST MAY SIGNAL MENTAL DECLINE During the study, older adults who had trouble remembering the first four of 15 words on a list were more likely to score worse on a test of cognition four years later. NEW YORK: People who have trouble remembering words at the beginning of a list may be at risk for mental decline later in life, a new study has warned. The study involved about 200 people aged 60 to 91 who showed no signs of dementia or psychiatric illness at the study's start. During the study, older adults who had trouble remembering the first four of 15 words on a list were more likely to score worse on a test of cognition four years later than people who had less trouble remembering the words. The new findings suggest that a person's inability to remember words at the beginning of a list may hint at the risk of later mental decline, the researchers said. In general, people tend to remember words at the beginning of a list (known as primacy words) better than those in the middle. This so-called primacy effect may be due to the fact that people tend to go over words at the beginning of a list more frequently, and better commit them to memory, than they do middle words. Previous studies have found that damage to a part of the brain called the hippocampus dampens the primacy effect, MyHeathNewsDaily reported. "If the findings are confirmed by future studies, such a test could be a non-invasive way to identify older adults at risk for subsequent cognitive decline," said study researcher Dr Nunzio Pomara, director of the geriatric psychiatry division at the Nathan S Kline Institute

for Psychiatric Research, in Orangeburg, New York. The study participants were read a list of 15 words five times, and then asked to remember the words immediately after hearing them. Twenty minutes later, they were again asked to remember the words. Everyone also took a test to assess cognitive function, and returned several times during the following years to complete the same test. Nearly 70 people experienced a decline in their cognitive test scores during the course of the four-year study.

If the findings are confirmed, it could be a non-invasive way to identify older adults at risk for subsequent cognitive decline, experts say. Those who initially had trouble remembering primacy words after the 20-minute wait were more likely to have a drop in their scores. There was no link between the ability to remember words at the end of a list and

scores on cognitive tests, Pomara said. The researchers noted that the mental decline experienced by the people in this study was subtle, which might be expected considering that no one had serious cognitive problems when the study began and participants were followed for a short time. Larger studies of people with a greater degree of cognitive impairment are needed, the researchers said. The study was published in the journal Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. PTI

LONDON: Chewing gum can help you stay focused for longer on tasks that require continuous monitoring, a new study has claimed. Research by Kate Morgan and colleagues from Cardiff University focused on the potential benefits of chewing gum during an audio memory task. Previous research has shown that chewing gum can improve concentration in visual memory tasks. "It's been well established by previous research that chewing gum can benefit some areas of cognition. In our study we focused on an audio task that involved short-term memory recall to see if chewing gum would improve concentration; especially in the latter stages of the task," Morgan said. The study involved 38 participants split into two groups. Both groups completed a 30 minute audio task that involved listening to a list of numbers from 1-9 being read out in a random manner. Participants were scored on how accurately and quickly they were able to detect a sequence of odd-even-odd numbers, such as 7-2-1. Participants also completed questionnaires on their mood both before and after the task, the British Journal of Psychology reported. The results showed that participants who chewed gum had quicker reaction times and more accurate results than the participants who didn't chew gum. This was especially the case towards the end of the task. "Interestingly participants who didn't chew gum performed slightly better at the beginning of the task but were overtaken by the end. This suggests that chewing gum helps us focus on tasks that require continuous monitoring over a longer amount of time," Morgan said. PTI

BEATING ADDICTION

Smoking no longer glamorous LONDON: Smoking a cigarette is no longer considered "cool or glamorous", according to a new poll in Britain. Just one per cent of smokers believe they look trendy when lighting up, the Daily Express cited the survey of 2,000 British smokers as saying. The poll, conducted on

behalf of the British Heart Foundation, showed two-thirds of smokers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 67 per cent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; believe public attitudes towards smoking have become increasingly negative in recent years. "Smoking has been considered normal for far too long so it's encouraging to see attitudes are finally changing," said

Just one per cent of smokers believe they look trendy when lighting up, the Daily Express cited the survey of 2,000 British smokers as saying.

Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse for the charity. "The results are great news for smokers aiming to quit smoking because they suggest friends and family are more likely to fully support them in beating their addiction to tobacco for good." IANS

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

TWICE THE FUN

Tholiprema’s song to be remixed in GJG

ithin, Nithya Menen and Isha Talwar starrer Gunde Jaari Gallanthayindhe will feature a remix of Yemaindho Ee Vela, a popular track from Pawan Kalyan starrer Tholi Prema. The song’s shooting will begin soon and the ﬁlm is in the last leg of shooting. Vijay Kumar Konda is directing it.

A narrow escape for Anjali

njali suffered a major accident on the sets of her upcoming Tamil ﬁlm Oor Suttri Puranam. During the ﬁlm’s shooting, she accidentally tripped over a live wire and suffered an electric shock. Soon, she was rushed to a nearby hospital and we hear that she has been advised to take rest.

Sonakshi Sinha’s cousin comes to Tollywood

havna Ruparel is all set to make her debut in Telugu cinema. She happens to be Sonakshi Sinha’s cousin and was last seen in a Hindi ﬁlm titled Chal Pichchur Banate Hain. In Telugu, she’s playing one of the lead roles in Sukumarudu which also stars Aadi and Nisha Aggarwal.

he first look of Allu Arjun, Amala Paul and Catherine Tresa starrer Iddarammayilatho was launched recently on the eve of Maha Sivarathri. Puri Jagannadh has directed the film and Bandla Ganesh is producing it. Most part of the film has been shot in Barcelona, Spain and recently few songs were canned on the lead cast under the aegis of dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya and another Tollywood choreographer named Ganesh. Talking about the film, producer Bandla Ganesh said, “I have known Puri Jagannadh for almost twenty years now and I am glad that I am producing his film for the first time. Allu Arjun is going to surprise everyone in this film. One of the highlights of the film is going to be an action sequence, choreographed by Kecha Khamphakdee, which was shot in Bangkok. Both Amala Paul and Catherine Tresa have done a great job in this action and romantic entertainer.” Amala Paul will be seen as a Brahmin girl whereas Catherine Tresa is playing an ultra glamorous role. Having acted with the likes of Siddharth, Naga Chaitanya and Ram Charan, Iddarammayilatho is yet another major boost for Amala Paul in Telugu. On the other hand, Puri Jagannadh and Allu Arjun have been having a blast on the sets of the film in Spain, along with the rest of the crew. Recently, Puri Jagannadh posted a video which had an old gentleman in Spain grooving to Devi Sri Prasad’s tunes. Puri and Allu Arjun had earlier teamed up for Desamudhuru back in 2007 which was a huge hit, but things are a lot different now. Both of them have tasted hits and flops over the past few years and buzz is that Puri Jagannadh is making sure that every scene in the film is shot aesthetically. Amol Rathod is the cinematographer. The film is expected to release on May 10.

Entertainment MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

DRESSING UP

CINE BYTES

PRIYANKA to sport two distinct looks in Zanjeer remake

ctress Priyanka Chopra will don two distinct looks for the remake of 1973 film Zanjeer, says designer Pria Kataria Puri, who is making her Bollywood foray with the movie. Priyanka plays the role of Mala in the movie, directed by Apoorva Lakhia. “In the first half of Zanjeer when she’s abroad, Priyanka would be dressed how a woman entrepreneur will be dressed. You see, in today’s times, a working woman from India doesn’t stand out at the airport. She looks like any chic, welldressed woman from any part of the world," said Puri. “Later, when Priyanka’s character comes to India, she gets more colourful in her sartorial expression. You would notice that even when an Indian girl in India dresses in western clothes, there is a dash of Indianness in her clothes. She may wear shorts, but it would be orange in colour. Priyanka’s clothes would reflect her changed geo-political mindset," she added. Interestingly the designer and Priyanka’s character share a similar background. “Like Priyanka’s Mala in Zanjeer, I am an NRI. So I instinctively know the kind of clothes Priyanka should wear. I often see actresses in our clothes looking wow. But they don’t seem to be dressed in character." The designer has so far done her globally-feted clothes from Kuwait, where her husband works. She also flies to San Franscisco at least twice a month to meet her daughter who studies in the US. But her heart has always been fully Hindustani. “You can say, I am fully filmy. I love Hindi films and I love the way the heroines dress up. I can’t sleep without watching a Bollywood film every night," said Puri. IANS

I was big ‘dramebaaz’ as a kid: Bipasha

ctress Bipasha Basu, who will soon be seen in horror ﬂick Aatma, says as a kid, she was a big dramebaaz (drama queen). “I used to cry and shout for everything. My mom knew that I am a big dramebaaz. So, I used to shout for whatever I needed," the 34-year-old said. “Aatma” tells the story of a mother, who ﬁghts to keep her daughter safe from the spirit of her dead husband. IANS

SRK never differentiates: Deepika

ctress Deepika Padukone says the superstar genuinely considers both genders equal. Shah Rukh recently announced that henceforth all his films will feature the actress’ name first in the credits. “It’s a wonderful initiative taken to prove that men and women are equal in all fields and professions. The way he interacts with us during shooting clearly shows that he doesn’t differentiate,” she says. IANS

Tamannaah, Akshay in Sajid-Farhad’s film

riter duo Sajid-Farhad, known for penning dialogues for hit comedies Golmaal series and Bol Bachchan, are set to direct Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah for a masala entertainer. “We have roped in Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah as the lead pair. It will be be a fun ﬁlm. It’ll be a complete masala entertainer ﬁlm," Sajid said. IANS

Entertainment MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

PLAYING WINGMAN

CINE BYTES

SELENA HELPED DAD PICK UP WAITRESSES

elena Gomez was once a favourite at Hooters. The 20year-old Texas beauty covers the April issue of Harper’s Bazaar and reveals inside that when she was a little girl, she used to help her father, Ricardo, pick up waitresses at Hooters after her dad split from her mom. “When I was seven, my dad would go to Hooters to watch [San Antonio] Spurs games, but he started noticing that when I would come, with my little pigtails, all the waitresses would be like, ‘Hey!’” Gomez tells Bazaar about her Hooters trips, according to the New York Post. “So he ended up spending time with me but with all those cute girls coming over. And that became our thing.” The Spring Breakers star previously opened up about her parents’ divorce to E! News. Her mom and dad broke up when Gomez was just five years old. “I blame my mom a lot, because I wanted a family so bad,” she said. “I wanted to have my dad and my mom together. So, it was really hard. I remember just being really angry with my mom. And I still feel really bad for that.”

Jim Carrey back in new Dumb & Dumber

im Carrey broke fans’ hearts last year when he announced he was bowing out of a planned Dumb and Dumber sequel. Now, Carrey says he’s deﬁnitely back in, but there’s still no start date for the comedy. “I’m ready [to start ﬁlming],” Jim told E! News of reprising his role as Lloyd Christmas in the sequel to the 1994 hit. “There is a script. It’s fun. Jeff [Daniels] and I are raring to go.”

Meryl Streep Not In Anchorman Sequel

ust because Meryl Streep once mentioned that she was a fan of Anchorman, that doesn’t mean she’s going to be in the sequel. The Oscar-winning legend mentioned how much she liked the local-news comedy to Steve Carell while they were ﬁlming Hope Springs. “I jokingly said, ‘You should be in it,’” Carrell said. “Meryl said, ‘Could you imagine?’ And it was just that.”

Sarah Jessica Parker on Carrie Diaries: ‘It’s Odd’

he Sex and the City star gave her rather blunt opinion about the show-turned-movie’s prequel recently. When asked how she felt about another actress playing Carrie Bradshaw, Parker told Neta-Porter, “I’m not sure…You know, I think it’s one of those tests of your generosity. She [AnnaSophia Robb] is a lovely girl and I want her to feel good about it, but it’s…odd.”

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 ‘Time is money,’ for one 6 Contra ___ (California county) 11 Camel’s hump, mostly 14 Word with ‘aid’ or ‘age’ 15 Hull caulking 16 Risk growing a long nose, like Pinocchio 17 Firemen’s burden 19 ‘What ___ friends for?’ 20 JFK screen info 21 Hallow ending? 22 ‘Have we ___?’ 23 One of the Simpsons 27 A bit flushed, colour wise 29 Leg’s partner 30 Hit the mall 32 Element of Times Square 33 Character in ‘The Matrix’ 34 Prized mushroom 36 Venetian rulers of old 39 Gross, to children 41 Brown ermine 43 Notation on an invitation 44 Cattle ranch critter 46 Have the wedding invalidated 48 An ideal, in Chinese philosophy 49 Octagonal-sign command 51 Lee who ‘nobody doesn’t like’ 52 Bother, in a title of The Bard 53 Cut, as a surgeon 56 Lloyd’s of London, eg 58 ‘... ___ gloom of night’ (postal motto) 59 Historic time 60 Fleming who created Bond 61 ‘Once upon a midnight dreary’ poet 62 Mount Sinai phenomenon 68 Fair ___ (copyright issue) 69 Responded on ‘Jeopardy!’ 70 Like stock without face value 71 Bill in a till

72 Obliging replies 73 Midterms and finals

DOWN

1 Priest’s garb 2 Costa ___ Sol 3 Turkish chief 4 Looks intently 5 Clique’s attitude 6 Part of a gearwheel 7 Clumsy type 8 One trying to stay up while going down 9 Bisque holder 10 Made corrections to 11 Western with Elvis 12 Buenos ___ 13 Dentist’s expertise 18 Mexican snacks 23 Joplin at Woodstock 24 Straight up 25 It’s used to conceal actual plans 26 Left ventricle exit 28 Transom site 31 Ill-treated workers 35 Luau locale 37 Do some dodging 38 Track of a wild animal 40 Legendary Himalayan humanoid 42 Retire for the night 45 Rhododendron variety 47 Cheesy pasta dish 50 Examine closely 53 Computer data 54 Gallow’s loop 55 They’re usually washed separately 57 Open, as a package 63 Name change indicator 64 Driver’s licenses, say (Abbr) 65 Kick ___ storm 66 Yosemite ___ 67 Mins add up to them

Chai Time MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 12-3-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You do not like to be dependant on anyone. Minor health problems likely; take care. Some works likely to get delayed or will get completed only after multiple efforts. Avoid anger and emotional decisions. Expected money will come.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Written-off dues can get be collected, provided you put in proper and continuous efforts? Never feel disappointed by turn of events and march ahead to achieve goals. Better communication ensures completion of undertaken tasks.

Marriage talks might hit a roadblock; better put talks on hold for some time. Employees might face certain incidents at workplace that irk them. Businessmen might face a slowdown and new efforts may not progress at expected pace.

Avoid being emotional and head strong. Children might make you feel embarrassed but deal with them politely and without hurting their feelings. Those in love will face complications and stress but handle the situation with patience.

You complete all work, which others could not. Long-pending court issue will come to a favourable end. You will be straightforward and never allow anyone to commit mistakes. Though expenses are more, inflow will let you relax.

Those wanting a change of job for any reason can initiate their efforts now and success will be yours without doubt. Employees can expect recognition as they complete entrusted work in time with perfection and to satisfaction of management.

Be careful in expressing opinions and avoid harsh talks that might spell trouble. Real-estate matters bring good gain. Good income through maternal relatives likely. Your influence is likely to increase. Mother’s health, a cause for concern.

Tensions and worries will disappear and situation will change for good. Sudden financial opportunity likely and real estate deals will bring gains that. Businessmen advised to go for expansion plans as they will get good results as expected.

Businessmen face competition wisely and win over the situation easily and march ahead. You talk wisely and convince most people to accept your decision. Some are likely to get fortune opportunities, which will make them comfortable.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Ace of Pentacles – This is the meeting of the left and right brains. You’re able to use your creativity and make it work in a largely structured format.

LEO:

The Chariot – Travel is on the cards. This will be an important journey when you meet interesting people who make an impact on your future life course.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Five of Cups – You’re feeling low and out of sorts because of some disappointment. Someone you trusted deeply has let you down. Move on, don’t get negative.

SAGITTARIUS:

Eight of Pentacles – You need to do something more in order to get ahead in career. Upgrade your skills, learn something new. Or just keep an open mind.

TAURUS:

Nine of Swords – Marriage needs attention. You and your partner might want to take a holiday together and spend some alone-with-each-other time.

CANCER:

Eight of Swords – Some bonds are being severed. But they may not be very strong ties. You will be forced to give up some friends because they are negative.

VIRGO:

Knight of Pentacles – Planning is key today. Keep some buffer time between appointments and account for delays and disappointments. A tough, testing day.

SCORPIO:

Strength – Finances need attention. Look for good deals and discounts especially while making big purchases. Shop smart and make use of card points.

CAPRICORN:

The High Priestess – You have the fear of being replaced – in your job or in your personal life as a parent or as a lover. The fear is genuine.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Eight of Cups – You have everything and your life is near perfect. This is to the outside world. But only you know that you’re missing something.

NUMBER GAME

ps – You seem vulnerable and those around you feel you might need to protect yourself better. What you feel is what you show on your face.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Queen of Cu-

POOCH CAFE

Plan to purchase land or house will materialise soon. Court verdict pending since a longtime is likely to go in your favour. Drastic and favourable changes are likely to take place that will keep you in good spirit. Delayed work will resume.

for 12-3-2013

Three of Cups – A third person may be interfering in a romantic relationship. It could be a mother or a sibling, who is anxious and worried about you constantly.

NON SEQUITUR

Prioritise your work or face a dilemmatic situation. Health is a cause for concern and you need to take extra care. Keep perfect food habits so as to avoid heat-related ailments. Court verdict may not go in your favour; attention is must.

SUDUKO

Be careful while driving as a minor accident is likely. Close friends and relatives will help you out of a tight situation at the appropriate time. Happy events to take place at home. New efforts will bring desired results and you will be appreciated.

Boggle PIP ACE JACK SUIT DECK DUCK Vol: 2, No 234 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

FELINE INSTINCTS

Cats similar to women, says

LONGORIA A

ctress Eva Longoria says she is a passionate cat lover and thinks they are very similar to women. “I always found that I identified with them. Cats are feminine and independent and playful, much like a woman,” Longoria told people.com. The 37-year-old, who has partnered with Sheba cat food in the US to kick off the Feed Your Passion campaign, revealed she grew up with a huge amount of cats and her mother hid the death of her favourite feline from her to protect her. “I grew up with a lot of cats, but one in particular, her name was Cindy. She was like a member of our family. I swear she lived for 20, 25 years because every childhood photo, she’s in it with all my sisters and me. “My mom did not even tell me she died. She told me she ran away... I believed her in college,” she said. IANS

CINE BYTES Olivia Wilde Talks Birthday Plans

livia Wilde turns 29 tomorrow. “It’s a big day tomorrow — a big day!" she said at the premiere of her movie, Drinking Buddies. “It’s the last year of my twenties.” So what's Olivia got planned? “I am going to wreak havoc on the world,” Wilde laughed.

Nicole knows all about balance

inger Nicole Scherzinger says it is important to maintain balance in a romantic relationship. “Taking time for yourself when you can, whether it's working out or meditating or writing,” contactmusic.com quote Scherzinger as saying. "I'll have a glass of wine, some dinner and a movie. It's lovely and really cute because it keeps everything in perspective," she added. IANS

Kelly Osbourne in no rush to have kids inger-actress Kelly Osbourne says S she is in no rush to have children. “Mum is besotted with her first grandchild (her brother’s child) — it’s taken the pressure off me. I’d love kids in the future, but I am in no rush,” contactmusic.com quoted Kelly as saying. IANS

sports

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

GOLF

Brown bags 1st PGA win RIO GRANDE: Puerto Rico: Scott Brown captured his first career win on the PGA Tour Sunday with a closing round of two-under 70 at the Puerto Rico Open to beat Argentina’s Fabian Gomez by one stroke. The 29-year-old Brown, who got into the tournament on conditional status after finishing 148th on the PGA Tour money list last year, birdied the last for the win to finish at 20-under 268. Gomez appeared to be heading to victory with a one stroke lead entering the last hole when the wheels suddenly fell off at the Trump International Golf Club course. He made bogey on the par-five 18 to finish with oneunder 71 on the day. T h e American has his playi n g card back and a spot in the PGA Championship later this year.

WGC-CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

76th career PGA win for Tiger MIAMI: Tiger Woods captured the WGC-Cadillac Championship at the Blue Monster course Sunday with a closing round of one-under 71 for a two-shot victory over fellow American Steve Stricker. Woods earned his 76th career PGA Tour win and posted his second victory of the year as he steps up his game ahead of the upcoming Masters tournament in April. Woods improved to 40-2 with the outright lead going into the final round on the PGA Tour, fending off a star-studded leaderboard on Sunday to finish at 19-under 269. The 14-time major championship winner Woods sank his final putt, picked up the ball and put it in his right pocket before waving his black cap to the crowd on No. 18. “I played well this week,” said Woods, who collected $1.5 million in prize money. “It was one of those weeks where I felt good about the way I was playing and I made some putts. I pretty much got it rolling.” The 37-year-old Woods posted his 17th career WGC victory, though it was only his first in

some time against an elite field with most of the top 50 players in the world competing. Woods made it interesting at the end by making bogey on two of his last three holes. He needed just 100 putts over the four rounds, the fewest he’s had in his career in a 72-hole tournament. “It feels good, especially to play that well this entire week on a difficult set up,” Woods said. “The greens got really quick out there today. If you left the ball in the correct spot, you could be pretty aggressive and shoot a good number. “If you didn’t, boy you had to putt so defensively. The wind was moving the balls on the greens.” Stricker closed with a fourunder 68 to finish at 17-underpar 271. Despite the impressive rally, he couldn’t make up the difference between himself and Woods and finished runner-up for the second time this season. Woods’s playing partner Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, posted a double-bogey on the final hole to finish at evenpar 72.

Woods has won a handful of PGA tournaments over the past two years but this was his first in some time against an elite field with most of the top 50 players in the world competing. four years. He has not won a major title in almost five years but hopes to change that with a win in the 77th Masters running April 11-14. Woods has won a handful of PGA tournaments over the past two years but this was his first in

AFP

CHESS

EYE ON THE BALL

Avikshith, Adithya become champs

vikshith of Sri Aurobindo International School won the juniors category of 82nd Brilliant trophy chess tournament at the Brilliant Grammar High School scoring 6 points in 6

rounds, while Harshith Krishna stood second with 5.5 points. K Pranav Sharma ended up third with 5 points. In the open category, S Adithya of Oriental Bank of

Commerce won the event by scoring 5.5 points in 6 rounds, while P Bharatkumar and Y Muralimohan got the second and third place respectively with 5 points each.

RALLY OF MEXICO

Ogier emerges victor

Captain Sameer Kumar plays a shot during the 1st Invitational Golf Tournament by MAK Projects at Banyan Tree Retreat on Sunday. He was tied with CVSS Satish but won on a better back half. Virat Reddy finished third.

Capt Sameer CVSS Satish Virat Reddy

hole 1 hole 1 hole 1

Scores 9 scores 9 scores 9 scores

333433343 434223533 434323443

LEON, MEXICO: Sebastien Ogier, driving a Volkswagen, won the Rally of Mexico on Sunday, seeing off Citroen’s Mikko Hirvonen of Finland and Belgian Thierry Neuville, who claimed his first podium finish in a Ford Fiesta. Ogier consolidated his overall season lead, bagging his first success in Mexico on the back of 16 stage wins to land his ninth career victory. He finished 3min 28sec clear of Hirvonen with Neuville more than a minute further back as the Finn finished runner-up for the third straight year. Ogier, giving his Polo R its debut win on gravel, took charge from the third special and was never in danger after Norwegian Mads Ostberg of Ford had to withdraw with electrical problems dur-

With this, Ogier consolidated his overall season lead.

ing Saturday’s 14th special stage. Overall reigning champion Sebastien Loeb, who had won in Mexico six times, did not compete in the event as he has reduced his commitments for this season. Ogier now leads Loeb by 31 points in the overall season standings with Hirvonen third 13 points further back. “The start of the season is just amazing for us,” said Ogier. “We want to thank the team because the car was perfect again all weekend. Okay, just a small alarm this morning with a sensor but it was not a drama, and here we are again at the end with a perfect amount of points,” he told wrc.com. “Now we have quite a good lead for the championship after just three rallies. For sure the season will be long, but already it’s not bad.”

sports

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

INDIAN WELLS ATP MASTERS

Djoker moves into third round The world No 1 scraped past 36th-ranked Fabio Fognini. REBECCA BRYAN Agence France-Presse INDIAN WELLS, CALIFO RNIA: Novak Djokovic (right) passed a tough first test at Indian Wells on Sunday to maintain his perfect record for the season and reach the third round of the year’s first Masters tournament. The world No 1 defeated 36th-ranked Fabio Fognini 6-0, 57, 6-2. But he was kicking himself for letting control of the match slip away in the second set, when he went up an early break only for Fognini to get back on serve with a break of his own in the seventh game. “It was definitely a difficult challenge today,” Djokovic said. “Fabio played well towards the end of the second set, but it was all my fault. I had a break for 4-2 up and I played a terrible game. “After that it was very even. It could have gone either way.” Fognini saved a match point with a service winner in the the 10th game of the second set and broke Djokovic in the 11th.

He duly served out the set, and had Djokovic under pressure in the opening game of the third, when the Serbian fended off one break point then battled through four game points and an irksome time violation before finally holding serve. From there Fognini began to flag. Djokovic held with ease for a 2-1 lead, then broke Fognini for 3-1. Fognini saved another match point with a service winner in the final game before Djokovic sealed the win. Djokovic said his difficulties hadn’t dented the confidence gained from capturing his fourth Australian Open crown in January, and a fourth Dubai Open title last week. “I’m not concerned,” Djokovic said. “I know I have been in this situation before where I had minor setbacks in a match, especially in the opening matches where I’m trying to get used to the court, the conditions, so forth. “In the end, I have done what I needed to do. The ‘W’ is there, so I feel good about myself.”

Sharapova reaches fourth round

econd-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova (below) secured her fourth-round berth at the Indian Wells ATP Masters and WTA tournament on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Carla Suarez Navarro. Sharapova, whose French Open triumph last year gave her a career Grand Slam, wasn’t at her best against the Spaniard ranked 21st in the world, but she battled through to book a clash with either 14th-seeded Italy Roberta Vinci or Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino.

MURRAY RALLIES TO WIN INDIAN WELLS OPENER A little rust, an unfamiliar opponent and some bad memories of the past two years at Indian

Wells added up to a tough opening match for world No 3 Andy Murray on Sunday. The Scot persevered to post a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 83rd-

ranked Russian Evgeny Donskoy, avoiding the ignominy of a third straight opening-match exit at the year’s first ATP Masters tournament.

FOR ATTACKING EX-BOYFRIEND

Capriati faces charges MIAMI: Former tennis World No 1 Jennifer Capriati (left) is facing battery charges and possible arrest after being accused of stalking and punching an ex-boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. Capriati, a three-time Grand Slam champion who won 14 titles and earned gold at the 1992 Olympics, had an altercation with Ivan Brannan at the Oxygen Health & Wellness gym in North Palm Beach, Florida on February 14, the local police department said. While Brannan was working out, Capriati, 36, “started screaming” at him before punching him “with a closed fist four times in the chest,” a police

report said. A yoga instructor then stopped the former tennis pro from continuing to punch Brannan and the 28-year-old managed to lock himself in the men’s locker room and call 911. Brannan, a former Florida State University golfer, had red marks on his chest from the incident, according to the police report. While filling out an affidavit, “his hands were physically shaking,” it added. “It was very apparent that he was in fear of physical harm.” Brannan, who dated Capriati from May 2011 to February 2012, told police that Capriati began harassing and stalking him shortly after the couple broke up. He also later

brought officers documentation of seven other altercations with the former tennis pro. The North Palm Beach Police Department in Florida subsequently requested an arrest warrant for Capriati, though it has not yet been issued by the court, a spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday. A publicist for Capriati issued a statement on Friday stressing that the case “has not yet been assigned in Palm Beach County and has not been reviewed.” “The current facts being circulated by Mr Brannan are an over-exaggeration and the police report is one-sided in Mr Brannan’s favor since they failed to get Ms Capriati’s side of the story,” Natalie Mikolich

said in a statement cited by US media. Capriati also took to Twitter herself to defend her behavior. “I pushed a man that was verbally assaulting me away from me. This man has been tormenting and abusing me for so long. The truth will prevail,” she wrote. And on Sunday, she added: “These lies and turmoil are only happening because of this man!Look at what he has done to the MOTHER of his own son not just me!!” Capriati was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last year. But her career was overshadowed by personal problems, including incidents of shoplifting and drugs, and she struggled with weight problems. AFP

sports

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

ENG IN NEW ZEALAND

Kiwis rejoice ‘moral win’ WELLINGTON: The Black Caps can claim a moral victory in the drawn first Test against England but must maintain consistency to confirm their re-emergence in the Test arena, New Zealand media said Monday. New Zealand went into the Test in Dunedin as underdogs after being thrashed in South Africa, but dominated England in the opening stages, skittling them for 167 and taking a 293-run first innings lead. “New Zealand can consider themselves moral victors,” the New Zealand Herald said after the Black Caps ran out of time pressing for a win in a match where more than a day’s play was lost to bad weather.

New Zealand unchanged for 2nd England Test WELLINGTON: New Zealand named an unchanged squad Monday for the second Test against England, with coach Mike Hesson saying he wanted to reward a fine performance in the drawn first Test in Dunedin. Squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Dean Brownlie, Ian Butler, Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

BACK TO THE ROOTS

Australia starts to break all-white mould As Australian cricket struggles to recapture former glories, the sport’s chiefs are aware of the need to widen the net to reflect the country’s cultural diversity.

ROBERT SMITH Agence France-Presse

The retirement of modern-day greats such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting has made the search for new talent more pressing.

SYDNEY: While rugby, Australian Rules and soccer have embraced the country’s multicultural make-up, the national cricket side has lagged behind, largely stuck in its white Anglo roots. Australia’s experience contrasts sharply with that of their oldest adversary England, who for decades have successfully incorporated the talents of players from ethnic minority communities, whether AfroCaribbean or South Asian. The 2011 national census revealed that 26 percent of Australia’s population was born abroad while many others had at least one overseas-born parent. The retirement of modernday greats such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting has made the search for new talent more pressing as the declining national team bids to revive its domination of the world game. “By 2015, 40 percent of Australians will have a parent who was born overseas,” Matt Dwyer, Cricket Australia’s national game development manager, told AFP. “Cricket Australia has programmes in place and we will benefit from having players in the national team which will reflect multicultural Australia and increase the diversity of our

game,” he said. There are examples of cricketers from ethnic minorities donning the famous “Baggy Green” cap and others are tipped to follow in their footsteps. Usman Khawaja (left), whose family emigrated from Pakistan when he was a child, was celebrated when in 2011 he became the first Muslim to play a Test for Australia, against England. The 26-year-old left-hander has gone on to play six Tests but has failed to hold down a regular place in the side. Moises Henriques, also 26, became the first Portugueseborn player to represent Australia in Tests when he made an outstanding debut against India last month, scoring two half-centuries in Chennai. Pakistani asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed could cap a dramatic rise by playing a role in Australia’s Ashes series in England later this year, the first of a double-header against the former colonial masters.

ROAD TO ASHES

Pakistani’s travel from graveyard to Baggy Green He will be eligible to play for Australia once is granted citizenship, and Cricket Australia is lobbying authorities to fast-track his application SWABI, PAKISTAN: Fawad Ahmed’s (left) cricketing journey began in a graveyard in his village in northwest Pakistan but could yet culminate in an Ashes Test for Australia at the home of cricket, Lord’s. Friends and former teammates of the 31-year-old, who fled to Australia in 2010 claiming he was targeted by extremists and now wants to play for

If successful he could find himself pulling on the Baggy Green to represent his adopted land on the hallowed turf of Lord’s — a far cry from his earliest matches at home.

his adopted land against England, said his talent was obvious at an early age but he never got the chance to shine in Pakistan. Syed Qamar, 35, who captained him in the northwestern town of Swabi, told AFP that even as a young man he was a match-winner, baffling batsmen with the leg-spinner’s full repertoire of deliveries.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

sports ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Gerrard puts dent in Spurs' Euro attempt LONDON: Steven Gerrard put a dent in Tottenham's bid to qualify for the Champions League as the Liverpool captain's late penalty clinched a 3-2 win at Anfield on Sunday. Andre Villas-Boas's team were on course for a valuable three points when Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen struck twice for the visitors either side of half-time after Luis Suarez gave the Reds a 21st minute lead.

Sunday results Liverpool 3 Vs Tottenham 2 Newcastle 2 Vs Stoke 1

But Stewart Downing capitalised on woeful defending from Spurs rightback Kyle Walker to equalise in the 66th minute. And England star Gerrard netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute after Benoit Assou-Ekotto fouled Suarez. Tottenham remain third, but fourth-placed Chelsea, two points behind, and fifth placed Arsenal both now have a game in hand in the race to finish in the top four. "It was a pity for us because we had some good moments. The key moment of the game was when we could have gone 3-1 up through Gylfi Sigurdsson," Villas-Boas said. "It's football and we have to hopefully get ourselves back together and go on another good run." Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool climb to sixth place. AFP

ENGLAND STAR ZAHA APOLOGISES FOR GESTURE England international Wilfried Zaha has apologised for a rude gesture he made towards Leeds supporters during Crystal Palace's 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park. Zaha was taunted by Leeds fans over his impending transfer to Man United and the 20-year-old responded by raising his middle finger.

FA CUP

LA LIGA

Chelsea roar back

The visitors might even have won the match against Man United they came back to draw after being 2 down. TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, UK: Holders Chelsea stormed back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and take their FA Cup quarter-final to a replay. After Javier Hernandez opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Wayne Rooney marked his return to the United starting line-up with another early goal to put United 2-0 up at halftime. Alex Ferguson's side looked poised to move on from the hurt of their Champions League exit to Real Madrid, but second-half goals from Eden Hazard and Ramires meant Chelsea kept one hand on the trophy. United were guilty of an oddly disjointed performance, but Benitez - barracked, once again, by his own fans - could point to a second-half double substitution that changed the game's momentum.

Ronaldo double sees Madrid past Celta Vigo MADRID: Real Madrid registered their sixth consecutive victory in all competitions as two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (above) led them to a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. Despite dominating for long spells in the first-half, Madrid couldn't find a way past Celta Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Ramires (3R) celebrates after scoring the equaliser during their English FA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, England on Sunday. AFP/ ANDREW YATES

Rovers boss slams Millwall's ‘cheap shots’

LONDON: Blackburn manager Michael Appleton accused Millwall of taking "cheap shots" at his players after a feisty FA Cup quarter-final ended in a 0-0 draw at the Den. Appleton was furious that Scott Dann needed his head bandaged after being caught by Rob Hulse's elbow in the first half and the Rovers captain was clattered

again by Millwall defender Danny Shittu in the second half. Referee Martin Atkinson showed seven yellow cards in total, including one to Millwall defender Shane Lowry, who sent David Bentley flying with a wild tackle. Meanwhile, Bradley Orr had to be replaced with a suspected broken rib following a challenge with Shittu.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

Barca's Euro hopes on the line

TIM HANLON Agence France-Presse

Barca only dropped two points from their first 19 games in La Liga to open up a sizeable lead at the top of the table but in the last two months chinks have started to show in their armoury, particularly in defence where they hadn’t kept a clean sheet in 13 games in all competitions until Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Deportivo la Coruna.

MADRID: After a recordbreaking start to the season Barcelona have suffered a dip in form and face a stern test of their Champions League credentials against AC Milan on Tuesday night as they look to overturn a 2-0 first leg defeat to progress to the quarter-finals.

FOOTBALL BRIEFS Rodgers plays down talk of Euro bid

Lyon and Marseille lose ground on PSG

Last gasp Giaccherini sends Juve nine clear

Hibs want goal-line technology in SPL

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is refusing to contemplate the possibility of qualifying for Europe despite his team's rise to sixth place after an impressive 3-2 win over Tottenham. Inspired by Luis Suarez, Rodgers' side have suddenly hit a rich vein of form after putting 12 goals past Swansea.

PARIS: Lyon and Marseille failed to make up ground on French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain when they played out a tame goalless draw on Sunday night. A point apiece leaves Lyon four adrift of PSG while Marseille, in third place, are three points further back. After a relatively calm first half the game stepped up a gear in the second.

ROME: Substitute Emanuele Giaccherini struck in injury time to snatch a 1-0 win for an uninspired Juventus at home to Catania on Sunday to increase their Serie A lead to nine points. Giaccherini had only been on the field 15 minutes, during which time he'd been booked for diving, when he shot home from the centre of the box.

EDINBURGH: Hibernian manager Pat Fenlon has called for goalline technology to be introduced in the Scottish Premier League after a refereeing blunder cost his side a win in their 0-0 Edinburgh derby against Hearts. They had the ball in the net when a Griffiths free-kick crossed the line by at least a couple of feet before bouncing out.

Karanka plays down striker woes MADRID: Real Madrid assistant boss Aitor Karanka played down concerns about his side's strikers' inability to find the net. Despite Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain again failing to fire in front of goal, Karanka remains confident that both will eventually find the fine form they showed last season. "The important thing is to create the chances," he told reporters. "Last year almost everything went in and this year that hasn't been the case but, with time, they will start to score again."

goalkeeper Javi Varas until just after the hour mark when Ronaldo swept home a loose ball from close range. The lead lasted barely two minutes as Iago Aspas' deflected effort wrong-footed Diego Lopez to bring Celta level. However Varas was at fault for the winner as he clipped Kaka.

Last year almost everything went in and this year that hasn't been the case but, with time, they will start to score again. Important thing is to create the chances. Aitor Karanka Real Madrid asst boss