Postnoon E-Paper for March 12th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS; 31°C

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BULL SPEED AHEAD This year sees the Italian automobile superstar Lamborghini celebrate its 50th anniversary. Let’s take a ride back to trace this supercar’s origins.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

Senior traffic cops say impromptu checks in the middle of the road were never sanctioned by them. Yet confusion continues to reign in the City.

ARE

REPORT ON P6

TRAFFIC COPS ENDANGERING M ANIL KUMAR

MOTORISTS?

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

city events

TAJ KHAZANA SPRING TREASURE SALE

Taj Khazana (at Taj Falaknuma Palace) showcases artefacts created by master craftsmen of India as well as a selection of garments, stoles, shawls and accessories from various Indian designers. Between March 15-25, it offers up to 50 per cent off on its merchandise.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

31°C

23°C

Clear with cloudy periods.

Morning

Afternoon

29°C

37°C

Sunny with cloudy periods.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 32 Max 32 Min 19 Min 22 Clear.

Chennai Max 33 Min 24

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 JeanPierre Dubois.

BACK TO THE OLD WAYS: Around 1km from the Dilsukhnagar blast site, crowds were back on the roads as students prepared to take their exams. However, there was no police presence around. M ANIL KUMAR Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: March 16- March 21 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466

selected entries. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 15-24, 9.30am to 5.30pm Contact: (040) 2335 0443

Passage Sowjanya L and Devi Santoshi K are organising a show aligning with International Women’s Day, where paintings and installations about social awareness and violence on woman will be displayed. Where: Rainbow Art Gallery , Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet When: March 8-14

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

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

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

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 hotel 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

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK ASSEMBLY SESSIONS ARE A WASTE OF FUNDS? 83% 17%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL THE TRS MOVE FOR A NO CONFIDENCE MOTION BRING DOWN THE KIRAN GOVERNMENT? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

8 attack, rob bizman and friends The dacoits struck near Shameerpet and made away with `1.92 in cash. One of the victims is critical. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

gang of eight dacoits attacked a businessman and his two friends near Shameerpet sub-station on Monday night. They stole cash amounting to `1.92 lakh and one tola of gold

from them and managed to flee the scene. The businessman,. Mohammed Arif Ahmed, and his friends, Mohammed Riyaz and Mohammed Azharuddin, were injured. ACP of Pet Basheerabad, Syed Rafiq said that the injured men were shifted to Medi Citi Hospital. The condition of one of the victims, Riyaz, is said to be

critical because he sustained head injuries. According to the police, Arif, 37, lives in Siddipet, Medak, and runs a poultry business. On Monday night, he, along with Riyaz and Azhar, was driving to Siddipet from Falaknuma in Old City. When they reached Shameerpet, a Tata Sumo stopped in front of their car, forc-

CRIME

Brothers cheat stepmom, caught POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he Bowenpally police have arrested two brothers, Mohammed Irfan and Mohammed Farhan, on Monday and seized cash amounting to `1.2 lakh and an ATM card after receiving a complaint from their stepmother, Shahnaz. Inspector, Bowenpally, RB Rangaiah said the two brothers, who worked in private companies, had managed to defraud the stepmother using the ATM card. According to details, the duo’s father, Mohammed Mustafa, had married Shahnaz, 50, after the death of his first wife. Recently, Mustafa fell seriously ill and sought aid from the chief minister’s

relief fund. He was undergoing treatment in a hospital and an amount of `1.5 lakh was sanctioned. The money was deposited in Shahnaz’s name but the forms were all filled up by the two sons. Later, when the branch allotted the ATM card and password, those too were kept by the sons. Meanwhile, Mustafa died. The amount remained in the bank. The two sons demanded part of the money from their stepmother, who refused. The duo then withdrew over `1 lakh in two to three withdrawals. Shahnaz recently went to the bank to withdraw some money and was shocked to find that there was only a small balance left. The whole thing came out and the two have been arrested. FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY

ing them to halt. Seven or eight men were in the SUV. Two of the men were carrying country made weapons and lathis. They attacked the trio and demanded cash. Arif handed over the money he was carrying, along with a gold chain weighing one tola. The dacoits then drove away. The Shameerpet police have

booked a case against the unidentified dacoits and have started investigations. Two teams have been formed to nab the accused, said ACP Rafiq. The police suspect that the people involved are known to the victims or are in some way connected because they knew that Arif was carrying cash and accordingly planned the robbery.

city TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Signalling change

ast year we had reported how people were facing difficulties due to faulty traffic signals in the City. However, ACP (traffic) CV Anand promised us that a new signalling project would be set up, with a UPS system in place. There would be central management of signals and the connectivity would be excellent, he assured citizens.

CIVIC

EC spikes mayor’s plan for general body meeting

MARCH 12, 2012

No meeting, no decisions till the election in Borabanda division is over, EC tells GHMC.

NUMEROLOGY

FILE PHOTO

76%

of senior and mid-level executives working in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chennai endure the highest levels of stress and mental fatigue, according to a study.

I am not a very religious person. I do believe in my own religion with my own personal God. We are still not very open that way, but we’re getting there. C Isaac, media professional See page 8

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

Low stress for Hyderabad’s honchos. Turns out that Hyderabad is a great place for mid and senior level executives to work in. The levels of stress they endure in the City are drastically lower than in the metros and other big cities.

Religion is more personal for the younger generation. For Gen Z, religion isn’t so much about not tolerating other belief systems or following rituals. Their’s is a more benevolent, more personal God.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

he plan of the GHMC corporators to hold a general body meeting to berate civic officials has gone awry, with the Election Commission forbidding any meetings or decisiontaking till the elections are over on March 17. Consequently, the GHMC shelved the standing committee meetings and planned for a general body meeting. However, it has sought and got permission to hold ward sabhas, sources said. “It gave permission for only reviews. Not for any policy decision,” clarified MSS

All meetings organised during elections should be treated as election meetings and no government money should be spent on them. Somaraju, secretary, GHMC. The Election Commission clearly mentions its stance on meetings in the booklet for local body elections. “Ordinarily, all meetings organised during elections should be treated as election meetings and no government money should be spent on them. No government servant should attend any such meeting

Code of Conduct is in place. “As it would take at least one week for officials to prepare for the meeting, the decision on the general body meeting should be announced on March 15,” said Singireddy Srinivas Reddy, TDP floor leader. The deputy mayor, G Raj Kumar, and officials close to the mayor believe that it cannot be announced as the code is being observed. “It may take time as the code is being observed. The meeting can be conducted only next month,” said the deputy mayor. “As the code is applied, the GHMC is not conducting standing committee meetings, let alone the general body meeting,” said a higher official.

except those who are in charge of maintenance of law and order or those deployed for security duties.” At another place, it says, “From the time the elections are announced by the State Election Commission, ministers and other authorities shall not (a) Make any ad-hoc appointments in government, public undertakings etc. which may have the effect of influencing voters in favour of the party in power; (b) Make any promise of construction of roads, provision of drinking water facilities etc.” Some politicians feel that a date could be announced for such a meeting, while others feel that no such announcement could be made while the Model

NEWS BRIEFS

No decisions till elections are over. The Election Commission has forbidden the GHMC from taking any major decisions till the Borabanda polls are over.

Owaisi ready to take on Azhar

CM approves increments to teachers

59 students booked for malpractice

Gutka worth `25L seized at rly station

Won’t bend? Good for you, minister! Minister D Sridhar Babu refused to inﬂuence a police recruitment drive to ensure his vote base.

TRS’s no-conﬁdence move shakes Opposition. The party’s decision might expose the ‘two-faced’ nature of the other opposition parties, it feels.

IM chief Asaduddin Owaisi expressed his readiness to take on Congress MP and former Indian cricket captain Mohd Azharuddin in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency. In an interview with a media house, he was quoted saying that he would be glad to take on Azharuddin if he chose to ﬁght him.

hief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has approved two increments to teachers working in all the government-aided schools of the State. This will place an additional burden of `5 crore on the government. All the government teachers and those in Panchayati Raj institutions are eligible for the increment, it is reported.

s many as 59 candidates were booked for malpractice during the Intermediate examinations held across the State. A total of 91,161 or 8.11 per cent candidates out of 10,21,415 in general and 1,02,390 in vocational abstained from the exam in subjects of Mathematics – IA , Botany, Civics and Psychology paper – I.

he railway protection force of Secunderabad has seized gutka worth `25 lakh from parcels found on the platform this morning. It was found that gutka, a banned item, was being smuggled out to Jammu and Kashmir and Kolkata. But no arrest has been made as senders’ identity was being probed, said inspector N Ashwin Kumar.

city TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

POLITICAL

TRS move to expose YSRC, TDP The no confidence motion the TRS plans would expose the Opposition ranks which run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. FILE PHOTO

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

requested them to extend their support to our no confidence motion. The BJP and Telangana Nagara Samithi agreed to extend support to the NCM. We will also approach TDP and YSRC and seek their support,” he said. TRS Politburo member and party programmes committee chairman K Prabhakar said that they are aiming for two birds in a single shot. “We think this is the right time to end the anti- people rule of the Congress. We will seek rival TDP’s and YSRC’s support also. If they do not support our motion, people would know where they stand.”

RS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao’s sudden announcement to move a no confidence motion against the Kiran government has put the rest of the Opposition on a cleft-stick. The TRS move is a master strategy that would expose the Opposition ranks on their stance with regard to the Congress government, it is believed. Sources told Postnoon that KCR’s decision comes in the wake of reports of the YSRC careening toward the UPA government in order to secure the release of their chief, Jagan Mohan Reddy. The TDP would be in great difficulty as it can neither support nor oppose the move because the party is in a bad shape and if the government falls, it would not be in a position to capitalise on the situation. It will also expose the YSRC, which is seemingly fighting the Congress while secretly holding parleys with the ruling party. TRS leaders indicated that the party would corner the government on many issues such as VAT on textiles, the delicate power situation, water shortage, poor law and order, and terror attacks on the City.

OPEN APPEAL

All this would be apart from its seminal theme of a separate Telangana. Addressing a media conference here at the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, after the TRS Legislature Party (TRSLP) meeting, party president KCR announced that they had decided to move the NCM based on two issues. The first one is the noncommittal and callous attitude of the State government in solving the Telangana issue and the second is the glaring

POLITICAL

A minister with a difference

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

eet a minister out of the ordinary. These days, when politicians are willing to commit murder to secure votes, State Cabinet minister D Sridhar Babu (in pic) turned down the pleas of some job-seekers from his constituency. He told them, “I know you will not vote for me next time and I am willing to lose your votes but I will not interfere in the process of police recruitment. It is done impartially with no scope of corruption. If you have written the examinations well, you are sure to win.”

The situation came up when many youngsters from his constituency, Manthani, who had written the sub-inspector examinations, came to him demanding his influence to get them through. The minister, who has a clean image in the Cabinet, said he understood their eagerness and wished them well but, no, the recruitment is fault-free. An aspirant later told an aide of the minister that he believed Babu was not telling the truth and he was not going to support him next time. This, when the minister heard of, prompted him to remark that he was willing to lose such votes that come with a string attached.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision comes in the wake of reports of the YSRC careening toward the UPA government in order to secure the release of their chief, Jagan Mohan Reddy.

unsolved problems of the Telangana people. The TRS president did not stop here. He said he had sought the support of the BJP, CPI, CPM, MIM and Lok Satta parties and would welcome the ‘conscious’ votes from the ruling party ranks too. TRS, with 17 members, alone can’t get the NCM moved. It requires 30 members to get the motion taken up. “We have already spoken to BJP, MIM, CPI, CPM, Telangana Nagara Samithi and Loksatta, and

In a fresh development, the party has decided to make a public appeal to all political parties by writing an open letter today. The party is also mulling over sending its legislature party leader to meet TDP and YSRC Leaders and seek their support.

GOVT TO BE GRILLED

Power, farmers’ problems, and terror would rock the session. All rival parties, except MIM, have decided to corner the government on ongoing severe power crisis and the proposed decision of the State government to effect huge hike in electricity tariff from the next fiscal.

MAKING THEIR POINT

Members of the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Textile Associations address a press conference, reiterating their decision to go on an indefinite bandh till the government withdraws VAT on textile.

city TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

TRAFFIC

Jumping jacks in middle of the road Who authorised traffic cops to dash into the middle of the road and create panic and accidents? Not their bosses, Postnoon finds out. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

Kiran, a retired defence person, is thanking his stars. He shudders as he recalls how the traffic police’s insensitivity had nearly cost him his limbs the other day. “Just after getting off the Begumpet flyover I was driving at a moderate speed as traffic was thin at that time. Near the Kakatiya hotel, suddenly a cop appeared from nowhere, waving at a biker in front of me. The biker in panic applied sudden brakes that forced me to stop too. It had a cascading effect. I heard a loud thud as the vehicle behind me hit my car boot. My head hit the roof. I would not blame the chap behind, though. What are these cops doing?” he asks. Web, where the young roosts, is full of anti-cop feelings. “In the post-blasts days, the traffic cops

are going nuts, stopping traffic in the middle of the road for ‘checking.’ They don’t follow rules. These traffic cops have no business to disrupt a traffic flowing without violating rules,” observes one. Many citizens are reporting their brush with accidents. Recently a youth lost his life at Khairatabad when a cop suddenly tried to stop his 2 wheeler for checking. Though the Central Motor Vehicle Act permits cops to check vehicles for documents, cops rushing to the middle of the road is not in the rule book. Speaking about the law, senior advocate Gopal Krishna Kalanidhi says, “According to the Motor Vehicle Act, the motorist should ensure that he carries all the documents, and a vigilance body should supervise if he is. Though the duty of the traffic police is to ensure the free flow of traffic, in case the

M ANIL KUMAR

motorist violates a rule, the cop has all the right to stop him. Or if a cop finds the driver’s behaviour suspicious, he can stop him. However, during the course of checking, if any harm of life is caused to the motorist, the cops can be booked,” he says.

DANGEROUS HYDERABAD

SRINIVAS SETTY

NO REGARD FOR LAW

aws are meant to be broken, or so believe Hyderabadis. The Outer Ring Road, or ORR as it is better known, had been inaugurated a couple of years ago to facilitate an easier commute for citizens. But given that it is a highway that most motorists use at high speeds, it had been decreed that two-wheelers and three-wheelers stay off it. Despite that bikers continue to use the eight-lane road. With no checks in place, two wheeler riders misuse the ORR for racing. In the past there have been several accidents on this stretch, the most infamous one being where former Indian skipper Mohd Azharuddin’s son was killed while he was racing

with his cousin. However, nothing seems to deter two-wheeler riders and they continue to ply on the ORR. In the picture above, two bikers can be seen riding along the ORR, while cars whizz past them. What is worse, is the fact that one of them is oblivious to the vehicles zipping past at high speeds and is having a blissful conversation on his cell phone, regardless of his own safety. He is violating two traffic rules, both very important ones, and yet there is nobody to crack a whip. Too lazy to use the service roads provided next to the ORR, that provide just as good connectivity, motorists continue to endanger their own lives every single day.

Most of the motorists feel that the government should direct the cops to ensure that they do not halt traffic abruptly. “The cops doing their duty is a good thing. However, they should do so without hindering traffic,” says R Balasubra-

manyam, a commuter. Meanwhile, the traffic cops blame the confusion on the roads because of the operation of the various departments. Speaking to Postnoon, PVS Ramakrishna, IPS, DCP Traffic-I said, “We have given clear instructions to the traffic police not to randomly jump in front of the vehicles to check. Usually we stop vehicles only to check for the documents at specified points. Unless and until the driver commits a traffic violation we do not come in front of the vehicle and stop it. However, after the Dilsukhnagar blasts, for security reasons we have taken the support of even the law and order police. So in the process of checking the law and order angle the police have been stopping vehicles they find suspicious. Hence, there could be a possibility of the motorist finding the chaos while driving.”

city TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

CORPORATE LIFE

Hyderabad corporate chiefs better off: Study Comparitively head honchos in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Banagalore were much more stressed out, due to the high pressure of their jobs. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

Dilute that stress n Work out facility/ indoor games

onchos in Hyderabad are less stressed than their counterparts in mega cities like DelhiNCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, reveals an Assocham survey. The cities wearying chief executives less besides Hyderabad are Jaipur, Kanpur, Dehradun, Goa, Nagpur. Over 76 per cent of senior and middle level executives working in DelhiNCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Ahemdabad and Chennai endure the highest levels of stress and mental fatigue, according the study. “Capacity expansion plans of corporate India in these smaller cities are not that feverish as those of the big metros. This apart, the eco and administrative systems in these cities are supportive to executives to take stress and mental fatigue in right earnest,” it says. The larger cities are devoid of this facility and multiplies stressed and mental fatigue especially on corporate executives who are supposed to execute ambitious capacity expansion and modernisation plans of India Inc. Stress as to why metros fall under “High Stressed Zones” is because these have longer working hours, commuting takes a long time and board room meetings last much longer as corporate issues call for lengthy debates, reveals the survey. In smaller cities, however, neither commuting nor meetings take longer as corporate issues are resolved in these towns without much deliberation since general eco and other surroundings prevailing beyond metros, support expansion and modification drive of corporate India. Secretary general DS Rawat said that the Chamber has received the aforesaid conclusions from over 2,000 executives

n Library n Weekend getaway to suburban alcoves of peace n Weekly family get-together and dining together among colleagues n Encouraging hobbies n Yoga

from marketing, sales, engineering, construction, public relations, human resource, purchase, administration etc. However, the employees working in marketing, sales, engineering, construction, purchase and accounts departments of Indian companies and MNCs were found to be more severely affected by stress and mental fatigue compared to employees working in HR, admin, public relation, teaching, legal etc.

GENDER PART

Top 10 High Stress Zones (Cities)

Top 10 Low Stress Zones (Cities)

Delhi, NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.

Hyderabad, Goa, Jaipur, Kanpur, Dehradun, Nagpur, Lucknow, Haridwar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

Mega projects and capex plans of companies forced senior and mid level executives to work under most stressed conditions.

Low stress zones has still a lack of competition compared to the big cities.

Employees working in marketing, sales, construction, engineering, purchase are severely affected by stress and mental fatigue compared to those working in HR, admin, PR, teaching, legal etc.

On gender-wise, the male employees working in High Stress Zones are found to be mostly suffering from extreme depression compared to women in these cities as their working hours have reached to over 60 in a week compared to 48-50 hours of women, mentioned the survey. The sectors that witness the maximum ratio of stressed employees comprise construction, shipping, banks, hospitals, export houses, electronics and print media, SSI, retail, engineering etc. The survey also points out that the lowest stressed have been seen in institutions and bodies funded by Central and State governments, textiles and sugar mills in view of limited work pressures compared to corporate houses. Compiled by PK Surendran

AGE OF TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

A PAGE DEDICATED TO THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF GEN Z

‘My own religion, personal God’ Gen Z is a mixed basket when it comes to religion, with different beliefs and views; but they stand united in their tolerance and acceptance of other religions. DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN deepashri.v@postnoon.com

“I

remember the time when I was four and my grandmother asked me not to lie. When I asked her why, she said that Lord Shiva would prick my eyes if I did so. Ever since, I must have fibbed about finishing my lunch ‘on my own’ or something small, but I never lied extensively. So yes, religion as a whole was basically fabricated so that ‘man can choose the right

path’, so that every person has the ‘fear’ within them. But in our generation, religion is way more than that. No one will ever bring up their children by inculcating a sense of fear in them. Religion is no longer the ‘I am Muslim, you are Hindu, so we can’t be friends or get married.’ It is not a barrier to anyone in any way,” says Mira Swaminathan, 16, a class XII student. The way people perceive reli-

gion undergoes a change every generation. As much as it is individualistic, there is definitely more tolerance today towards other religions and cultures. Many youngsters today say they have their own personal God and a set of values they believe in. As long as they are accepted the way they are, they are more than willing to explore other faiths, cultures and religions. “Honestly, I think we are still very traditional in our values,” says Christopher Isaac, 23, media professional. “Talking in the context of relationship, this generation is more tolerant, as long as they are morally correct. I dated a girl out of my religion. I never had a problem with her going to the temple and she never had a problem with me going to church. We are more willing to learn about other religions and cultures.” “I am not a very religious person. I do believe in my own religion with my own personal God,” he says. “We are still not very open that way, but we’re getting there.” There are some others who are still very religious, minus the

I am not a very religious person. I do believe in my own religion with my own personal God. We are still not very open that way, but we’re getting there. Christopher Isaac media professional superstitions. They would gladly accept others for what they are, and expect the same courtesy to be extended to them. Meenakshii Thakur, 22, who works at a clothes boutique, says it is her upbringing and the education system that helped her cherish, understand and learn to be with people from different religions and cultures. “I am very religious. It makes me stand out. But I still love to go to a Gurudwara. Our (this gener-

ation’s) thoughts are broader.” So does she follow all the rituals blindly or does she question what she follows? “In today’s world, it is very difficult to follow everything. I follow the positive ones; what I think is right for me.” Kavya Vinod, 23, a student of actuarial sciences, says she respects all religions as she feels it brings people together. But she says people are more relaxed today. “You don’t realise (notice) who is from which religion. People are not so ritualistic.” As diverse as they are in their views, there is mutual respect and understanding with regard to religion among Gen Zs. Inter-religious marriages are more common today than they were a decade or two ago. Acceptance in the society, as a whole, has increased tremendously. Youngsters today, by and large, can see through superstitions and misconceptions; they question what they are told, look for answers. They don’t like being judged by what they believe in or what religion they follow, and don’t judge others by it either.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

focus

PLUMMETING NUMBERS

While a majority still consider themselves Christians, census data revealed in December that their numbers plummeted from 72 per cent in 2001 to 59 per cent in 2011. The proportion of Britons with no religion, meanwhile, shot up from 15 per cent to 25 per cent over the same period.

GOOD GOD!

Britain’s atheist church is barely three months old but it already has more “worshippers” than can fit into its services, while more than 200 non-believers worldwide have contacted organisers to ask how they can set up their own branch.

BRITAIN’S ATHEIST church set to go global

LONDON: Echoing with joyful song and with a congregation bent on leading better lives, this London church is like any other — except there’s no mention of God. Britain’s atheist church is barely three months old but it already has more “worshippers” than can fit into its services, while more than 200 non-believers worldwide have contacted organisers to ask how they can set up their own branch. Officially named The Sunday Assembly, the church was the brainchild of Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones, two comedians who suspected there might be an appetite for atheist gatherings that borrowed a few aspects of religious worship. Held in an airy, ramshackle former church in north London, their quirky monthly meetings combine music, speeches and moral pondering with large doses of humour.

“There’s so much about Church that has nothing to do with God — it’s about meeting people, it’s about thinking about improving your life," said Jones, a gregarious 32-year-old with a bushy beard and a laugh like a thunderclap. The Sunday Assembly’s central tenets are to “help often, live better and wonder more” — themes that would not be out of keeping with the teachings of any major world religion. At a recent Sunday service, which had a volunteering theme, songs included Help by the Beatles and Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler. The “sermon” was given by the founder of an education charity, while in a section called Pippa Is Trying Her Best, Evans had the congregation in stitches as she reported on her attempts at voluntary work. The service ended with big cheers and — this is Britain, after

all — shouts of “Who would like a cup of tea?"

COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU? Like many Western countries, Britain is becoming an increasingly faithless nation. While a majority still consider themselves Christians, census data revealed in December that their numbers plummeted from 72 per cent in 2001 to 59 per cent in 2011. The proportion of Britons with no religion, meanwhile, shot up from 15 per cent to 25 per cent over the same period. But the Sunday Assembly’s success — 400 Londoners packed into last week’s two services, while 60 had to be turned away at the door — suggests many urban atheists crave the sense of community that comes with joining a church. “You can spend all day in

Held in an airy, ramshackle former church, their monthly meetings combine music, speeches and moral pondering with large doses of humour. London not talking to anyone," said Evans. “I think people really want somewhere they can go and meet other people, which doesn’t involve drinking and which you don’t have to pay to get into." It’s an idea that is catching the attention of atheists further field. Jones reels off the locations of would-be atheist “vicars” who have asked to set up new branches. “Colombia, Bali, Mexico, Houston, Silicon Valley, Philadelphia, Ohio, Calgary, all across Britain, The Hague,

Vienna... It’s so ludicrously exciting that my head occasionally — literally — spins round." The pair cheerfully admit that they have “ripped off” many elements of their services from the Christian Church. “You’re asking people to do new things, so it makes sense for it to be familiar," said Jones. Religious people have been broadly supportive of the aims of the atheist church. “The only thing is, they’ve said they’ll have to think about what to do if it gets bigger," Evans laughed. “Actually, the biggest aggression towards us has probably been from atheists saying that we’re ruining atheism and not not believing in God properly. So that’s quite funny." The assembly met the approval of local vicar Dave Tomlinson, who came from his church two miles away to see what his new rivals were up to. AFP

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Business

MEXICO TO END TELECOM MONOPOLIES Mexico's government introduced a draft constitutional reform to end monopolies in telecom industries. The plan would put an end to telephone monopoly of Carlos Slim and concentrated control over TV and cable, which is dominated by Televisa, owned by Emilio Azcarraga.

MAP PRODUCTS

NY SODA BAN BLOCKED

Charting the best course Businesses stand to gain a lot by adding map products and technologies to their operations as it helps them to make optimal use of their resources. A New York judge blocked mayor Michael Bloomberg's planned ban on giant sodas, dealing a setback to his public health agenda just hours before curbs on selling such drinks were due to begin. Judge Milton Tingling ruled that measures to restrict soda servings to a maximum of 470 milliliters in restaurants and other venues, were "arbitrary and capricious," and he was barring the plan "permanently." Bloomberg has made health issues a key plank of his administration, banning smoking in restaurants, bars and public places. He quickly denounced the judge's decision on sodas as "clearly wrong," and said the city would appeal.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

ap products and technologies are turning out to be an important aspect for business in everyday operations. Unfortunately, most of the businesses are not harnessing this evolving technology like Geocoding, navigation, tracking, store mapping and Routing. However, some brands like P&G, Suzlon, Adani, Swastik Masala and Micromax are exploiting this map technology to increase their employee efficiency and decrease costs in their operations. “Store Mapping/customers decoding is an nascent technology in the country. These technologies will immensely helpful to the companies that have more than 25 field employees. Firstly, all the stores or places where the employees have to visit are mapped. After which, these stores are divided in to clusters based on their proximity to each other. Similarly, all the employees or sales agents and their start locations are mapped and linked with the stores map. This will chalk out locations to visit for each employee in a specific time,” says Amit Kishore Prasad, MD and CEO, SatNav Technologies. “This will optimise sales, marketing and distribution operations and increase the returns. The employees can save time and effort by visiting stores or cluster that is close to his area with this optimal route planning. “The time saved can be used for other purposes like pitching to new stores. It can also help in saving fuel costs and other reimbursements,” he says.

NUMEROLOGY

140

is the production capacity of the world’s largest biogas plant, located in Finland .

Companies can also go one step ahead and track fleet and sales executives on the field by adding an application to their phone. “A company can exactly know the employee location in real time. This will help companies to see whether that employee is attending and taking the orders from every store allocated to him. “The company can also ask him to go to any new store if there is an inquiry. Eventually, the sales at each location store can be further analysed for strategising and improving businesses,” explains Prasad. “Businesses can put their sales data on maps and find out the region wise sales and product wise sales in each of the localities. “For instance, if a company in certain kind of geography does not have required sales, it can increase the distributor net-

Geocoding

eocoding is the process of finding associated geographic coordinates (often expressed as latitude and longitude) from other geographic data, such as street addresses, or ZIP codes (postal codes). With geographic coordinates the features can be mapped and entered into Geographic Information Systems, or the coordinates can be embedded into media such as digital photographs via geotagging. Source: Wikipidea

work. Companies can also increase their service centres by analysing the number of sales in particular area. “ They can also locate existing or potential customers in an area and target those groups innovatively. They can also provide driving direction to the

customers to the nearest store,” he says. “However, businesses need a shift in the way they think and work. Most of them don’t have exact map locations for their continuous customers. “Business should at least start with existing free services like Google Maps and find latitude and longitude, which can be used forever. “For instance, Broadband companies, cab companies give numerous calls to the customers for finding the address of the existing customers. “This data can be used for enhancing the customer services but can also further used in taking the operations to the next level by taking services from companies like ours,” he adds. With the number of smartphone users on the rise, focus on these technologies are sure to give a leg-up for businesses.

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AUTHORS FIGHT AMAZON Groups representing US authors and publishers called on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to deny online retailer Amazon exclusive rights to websites ending with .book, .author, or .read. ICANN is considering nearly 2,000 requests for new web address endings. Many of the requests are from large companies such as Apple, Mitsubishi and IBM — with Google alone applying for more than 100, including .google, .YouTube, and .lol Amazon.com has applied for generic top level domains including .book, .author, and .read. "We strongly object to ICANN's plans to sell the exclusive top-level domain rights for generic book-industry terms," Authors Guild president Scott Turow said in a ﬁled objection. "Placing such generic domains in private hands is plainly anticompetitive, allowing already dominant, well-capitalised companies to expand and entrench their market power," Turow said. "The potential for abuse seems limitless." The guild represents more than 8,000 published authors in the US.

BSE 5,944.30 6,057.70 NSE

20,025.67 19,666.21 44.10 20.00 9.20 1.60

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

nation

PARLIAMENT ADJOURNED As soon as the House met on Tuesday, leaders raised several issues, including the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Following the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the Parliament session till noon.

FISHERMEN KILLING

FIRE AT CHENNAI AIRPORT

Italy u-turn not acceptable: Chandy Fisherman's wife claims conspiracy, seeks justice.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The two Italian marines who had fatally shot two Indian fishermen must be brought back to India to stand trial, demanded the wife of one of the two fishermen who were killed. Italy has decided not to send the marines back to India. The two Italian marines being tried for murder in India will not return to the country as New Delhi does not have jurisdiction over the case, the Italian foreign ministry announced Monday. Dora, wife of Gelastine, one of the deceased, said: “ This is nothing but a conspiracy at the highest level and the Indian government should see that they bring back the two marines to stand trial in the case in our country.” The two marines have been at the centre of a year-long international row for allegedly shooting dead two Indian fishermen — Ajesh Binki and Gelastine — after mistaking them for pirates near the Kerala coast in February 2012. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday

Italy claims the incident occurred in international waters and has been trying to get the marines tried in Italian courts, while India contends the shooting occurred in its own territory.

termed as unacceptable Italy’s decision not to send its two marines to India. He said he will take up the issue with the external affairs ministry. “I am reaching Delhi (on Tuesday) night and I will take this issue up with the external affairs ministry. We are also look-

ing to take up this issue legally,” Chandy told IANS after Italy announced that the marines will not be returning to India. Chandy said: “You should see the earnestness in how Kerala pursued this case in the... courts and also in the apex court in the country. Our stand

NEWS BRIEFS

remains the same; that they should stand trial here according to the Indian law." In no way would this would be acceptable to Kerala, he said. The Supreme Court in February allowed Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, the two marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen, to return to Italy to vote in the February 24-25 national elections. It had earlier allowed them to go home for Christmas. Italy claims the incident occurred in international waters and has been trying to get Latorre and Girone tried in Italian courts, while India contends the shooting occurred in its own territory. IANS

A fire broke out in the Air Traffic Control room at Chennai airport today affecting operations for a few hours but no casualties were reported. The fire was caused due to malfunctioning of batteries, Airport Director H S Suresh said, adding a probe has been ordered into the incident. A total of 12 incoming and outgoing flights were affected even as flights arriving in the city were diverted to other locations including Bangalore and outgoing services resumed around 6am, sources said. The overall operations had become normal around 8am though some flights were delayed due to the mishap which occurred around 2.40 am, airport sources said. The flames were noticed by the staff and five fire tenders were engaged and the blaze doused within 20 minutes. No casualty was reported but computers and the ceiling in the ATC hall were damaged in the fire, sources said. Meanwhile a car went up in flames in the airport premises after the driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the wall, airport sources said. The driver fled from the spot.

MISHAP

Man injured in stone pelting incident dies

Four Indian students win US arts contest

SRINAGAR: A man injured in a stone-pelting incident in Anantnag district of Kashmir succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll to ﬁve in the clashes that erupted in the Valley following hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru. Reyaz Ahmad Khanday succumbed to injuries at SKIMS Hospital here late last night after battling for life for three days, a police spokesman said. He said Khanday was hit by a stone on the head on March 8 at Mattan when a mob attacked him while he was driving a load carrier. Authorities had imposed curfew in many parts of the Valley on the day as separatist Majlis Mashawarat had called for protests seeking return of the mortal remains of Guru, who was hanged and buried inside Tihar Jail on February 9. The spokesman said four persons have already been arrested in connection with the incident.

WASHINGTON: Four Indians are among the 36 students from various countries who have been selected as winners of an international arts contest. Bhavya Mithra from Artesia Art School in Malappuram district of Kerala has bagged the second place in the thirdﬁfth grade drawing category of the 2013 Space Foundation International Student Art Contest. Mankeert Narang from Yadavindra Public School in Punjab's Mohali town has been judged as third in the third-ﬁfth grade painting and mixed category, a media release said. Similarly Jasmine Narang from Yadavindra Public School in Mohali and Payel Saha from Chaturanga Art Centre in West Bengal have grabbed the top two spots respectively in the ninth-12th grade category in painting and mixed media. Artists from as many as 12 countries were selected for top slots from among more than 4,700 entries.

11 killed in accident

MATHURA: Eleven people were killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between a college bus and an auto here today. While ten persons died on the spot, another succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital. The deceased include four women, SP (City) Ashok Kumar said. The condition of three of the injured is serious. The accident occurred when an auto carrying 15 passengers tried to overtake a bus and collided head-on with a college bus coming from the opposite direction. The auto was going to Mathura from Vrindavan when the mishap took place. PTI

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

World

CHINA SNUB DISAPPOINTING, SAYS JAPAN Japan said on Tuesday it was “disappointing” China did not send anyone to a ceremony marking the second anniversary of its tsunami, in the latest sign of deteriorating ties between the two countries. Beijing’s apparent snub came after Japan invited representatives from Taiwan to take part on an equal footing with other diplomats.

REFERENDUM

CASTRO PRAISES CHAVEZ

Falkland votes to stay British

LONDON: Falkland Islanders on Monday voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a British oversees territory in a referendum designed to send a strong message to Argentina, which earlier derided the poll as illegal. Some 92 percent of the islands’ 1,672 eligible voters turned out to deliver a 98.8 percent “yes” vote in favour of staying an internally self-governing British territory, election officials in the capital Port Stanley announced. Only three votes out of 1,517 were cast against the islands remaining British. British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the result, saying it “demonstrates more clearly than ever the

Falkland Islanders’ wish to remain an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. “We have always been clear that we believe in the rights of the Falklands people to determine their own futures and to decide on the path they wish to take," he said in a statement. “It is only right that, in the twenty-first century, these rights are respected. All countries should accept the results of this referendum and support the Falkland Islanders as they continue to develop their home and their economy." International observers — from Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, the United States and Uruguay — monitored the polling stations, which opened at 10:00 am (1300

GMT) on Sunday and closed at 9.00 pm on Monday. They declared that the referendum, which asked: “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?" had been “free, fair and technically sound". The resounding “yes” result, delivered at around 10.30pm (0130 GMT) sparked unprecedented celebrations. “There’s so much noise here, it’s huge," Legislative Assembly member Barry Elsby told AFP. Elsby called it a “tremendous point in time” for the islands which “sends a message around the world". He said that Argentina

would be “very frightened” because “this process was democratic. “They can’t dismiss it," he added. Argentina, which invaded the islands in 1982 before its troops were ousted by a British task force after a short but bloody war, maintained its dismissive line on the vote. “It’s a manoeuvre with no legal value, which has neither been convened nor supervised by the United Nations," said Alicia Castro, Argentina’s ambassador to London. “We respect their way of life, their identity. We respect that they want to continue being British, but the territory they inhabit is not British," she told Buenos Aires radio station La Red. AFP

CLOUDS OF SUSPENSE

Former Cuban president Fidel Castro said here Monday that the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was the “best friend” the Cuban people had in history. In his ﬁrst public statement after Chavez’s death, the 86-year-old retired Cuban leader in an article published by the ofﬁcial media, said the news of Chavez’s death was a bitter hit, Xinhua reported. Chavez had maintained close friendship with Castro and used to regard the ex-Cuban leader as his political mentor.

NUMEROLOGY

people have died in Tripoli, Libyan capital city, after consuming spurious alcohol.

eople walk at night on St Peter’s square on the eve of the conclave on Monday at the Vatican. Catholic cardinals had a final day of talks on Monday before going into lockdown in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope, with an Italian and a Brazilian among the top contenders. The cardinals have been debating the challenges that the next pope will face and vetting possible candidates for the post, as well as airing rare criticism of the Vatican’s opaque bureaucracy. Vatican insiders put Milan Archbishop Angelo Scola in the lead, but short of the two-thirds of the 115 “cardinal electors” needed to become the new leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Brazilian Odilo Scherer, the charismatic archbishop of Sao Paolo and Latin America’s best hope, is also seen as in with a chance after the cardinals begin the storied process, cloaked in secrecy, of choosing one of their peers to lead the Church. AFP

AUS MEDIA LAW CHANGE Australia’s government unveiled a shake-up of media laws Tuesday, introducing a public interest test for mergers but stopping short of press regulation as feared by the industry. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the reforms, drafted after an inquiry into Australia’s media following the phone-hacking scandal in Britain, were aimed at modernising the industry and guarding fairness and diversity. It would be monitored by a new statutory authority called the Public Interest Media Advocate, which would oversee a robust self-regulation model, the minister said, stressing that the government would have no role.

NEWS BRIEFS 5 Nato soldiers killed in Afghan chopper crash

Phosphorus used in crackdown: Suu Kyi

Italian police seizes 33 kg cocaine at port

Ukraine scribe escapes from Syrians’ captivity

KABUL: Five members of the Nato-led international force ﬁghting in Afghanistan were killed in a helicopter crash in bad weather in the country’s south, the coalition and provincial authorities said Tuesday. Police in the southern province of Kandahar said the helicopter had come down on Monday evening during a heavy rain storm.

YANGON: Myanmar police used phosphorus in a crackdown on a rally against a copper mine last year, causing “unnecessary” injuries to dozens of protesters, a parliamentary report led by Aung San Suu Kyi said. The probe called for reform of authorities’ riot control methods after more than 100 people, including scores of monks, were injured.

ROME: About 33 kg of cocaine was seized at the port of an Italian town on Monday, Xinhua reported. The drugs worth about ﬁve million euros was hidden in a container, supposed to carry fruit from Colombia to Spain. With the aid of a digital scanner and canine unit, police discovered the narcotics subdivided in 30 cakes.

BEIRUT: Ukrainian journalist Ankhar Kochneva, abducted by Syrian militants last October and held for a $50 million ransom, has escaped from the captivity and is now safe. An outspoken supporter of President Bashar al-Assad, she was freelancing for several Russian media outlets, including the NTV, RenTV and RT channels.

I will never be in a prison in the United States. I can guarantee you that. Get the popcorn ready, because you won’t believe what these guys did. Kim Dotcom Megaupload founder

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Technology SXSW 2013

The next big

INDUSTRY? ROBERT MACPHERSON feedback@postnoon.com

AUSTIN: The 27th edition of South by Southwest kicked off with a bold prediction that desktop 3D printing will unleash a new industrial revolution guided by “creative explorers." Inventing or replicating everyday objects in three dimensions using laser beams and molten plastic is a major theme of the interactive segment of the 10-day SXSW festival that also celebrates independent film and music. Delivering the opening talk, Makerbot co-founder and CEO Bre Pettis unveiled his Brooklyn-based start-up’s latest shoebox-sized desktop 3D copier that will carry a $2,200 pricetag when it goes on sale this fall. It can recreate objects up to eight inches (20 centimeters) high and eight inches tall — including concepts from Thingiverse, an online treasure trove of designs just waiting to be

downloaded and turned into objects. Speaking to a capacity crowd in a vast darkened auditorium, Pettis said 3D printing for the masses has the potential to rewrite the rules of manufacturing by obliviating the need to make things in large quantities. In the future, he said, if you need something — from children’s building blocks to a prosthetic hand — it can be made at home, or in a small workshop, in as few quantities as necessary. “There’s a renaissance going on right now," Pettis said. ‘It’s never been easier to make and share actual things. Creativity is much more accessible now in the thing world." Makerbot boasts NASA as one of its biggest customers. The US space agency uses its products to create prototypes, or prototypes of prototypes, of new designs at its jet propulsion laboratory in California. But Makerbots have also been used to create individualized

smartphone cases, scale model stage sets for Broadway productions and a “robohand” prosthetic for a child in Africa born with a deformed hand. Someone has even used a Makerbot to copy a Makerbot, or at least the components that make up a Makerbot. Pettis didn’t seem bothered at all about that novel twist. While Pettis stopped short of anticipating a 3D printer in every ho-

Inventing or replicating everyday objects in three dimensions is a major theme of the interactive segment of SXSW

me, Makerbot foresees a day when every classroom will have one to help teach the principles of science and technology. Baptized the Digitizer, the latest Makerbot product consists of two lasers, a webcam to keep them aligned and “a bunch of electronics” in a toy-like box conceived to give the device a user-friendly appeal. Pettis acknowledged teething issues with 3D technology — any dust on a copied item, for instance, risks

reappearing on the copy — but he said the endless list of possibilities will inspire a generation of “creative explorers." Thingiverse, he said, already has 40,000 designs ready for Makerbot owners to download and copy. Alarm bells were sounded recently when it emerged that a few of those designs were for assault rifle parts. “More people are going to get access to the manufacturing process," Pettis said alongside a working prototype of the Makerbot Digitizer that had turned out a faithful copy of a humble garden gnome. “You can make as many copies as you need," Pettis added. “You can fill the world with garden gnomes if you want — because you have the power of replication." SXSW Interactive shifts into high gear this weekend with its trade show, gaming exposition and innumerable talks and networking opportunities. The film side of the fest runs in tandem, while music begins next week. AFP

PULSE TO BE BOUGHT? LinkedIn will buy the maker of the newsreader app Pulse, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The price of the acquisition is in the tens of millions, they said — between $50 million and $100 million. Kara Swisher reported earlier today that a deal was in the works, with Microsoft and Yahoo also engaged in talks. San Francisco-based Alphonso Labs, which makes the Pulse app for various platforms, has raised about $10 million from Redpoint Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Mayfield Fund, Lightspeed Investment Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Lerer Ventures. It has 20 million users as of now.

IE10 IS SO FLASHY

Microsoft has just announced that it will permit Flash content to run by default in both Windows RT and Windows 8 beginning tomorrow, March 12. Until now, compatibility in IE10 has been limited to a select number of sites whitelisted by Microsoft. Windows 8's traditional desktop mode has offered full Flash support from the get-go. But moving forward the inverse will be true. Microsoft has apparently concluded that web developers have made sufﬁcient progress in bringing touch interactivity to Flash content.

Boost for BB BlackBerry shares jumped the most in more than a month after Lenovo’s chief executive officer was quoted in a French financial newspaper as saying his company may eventually consider buying the smartphone maker. Lenovo’s Yang Yuanqing told Les Echos that a deal with Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry “could possibly make sense, but first I need to analyse the market and understand what exactly the importance of this company is.” The remarks echoed comments made in January by Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming, who said that the company was “looking at all opportunities,” including BlackBerry.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Comment

VATICAN CONCLAVE

By imposing too great a responsibility, or rather, all responsibility, on yourself, you crush yourself.

he tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan will go to polls for the second time in its history next month for elections which will consolidate its transformation to democracy, according to a royal decree. A vote for the 25-member upper house will take place on April 23, said the decree which was posted online. An election date for the larger and more influential lower house has yet to be announced but is widely expected in May. “It is important that all voters take their right and duty seriously, exercise their franchise and choose the most competent and deserving candidate as their representative,” said the decree. The landlocked Buddhist nation wedged between India and China held its first vote in 2008 after its beloved royal family opted to step back and peacefully turn the country into a constitutional monarchy. Almost 80 percent of Bhutanese turned out to vote, handing a landslide to the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) or Bhutan United Party led by Jigmi Thinley — a two-time former premier under the previous royal governments. Political parties have flourished since the last polls with a total of five parties set to contest the elections in the lower house, two of which are led by women. Bhutan follows a unique home-grown development model focused on boosting Gross National Happiness instead of economic growth, putting respect for the environment and well-being of citizens at the heart of its policy-making. Results will be declared on April 24. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ODDS STACKED AGAINST ASIAN POPE GUY JACKSON

Franz Kafka Writer

Bhutan keeps date with democracy

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

UPA government can rejoice in the addition of another feather to its cap of spectacular embarrassments with Italy refusing to send back its marines to face trial in India. But no one is surprised as this is not the first time a Congress government bungled on an ‘Italian job’. Clue... it begins with Q.

Agence France-Presse

atholics in Asia and other parts of the world where the Roman Catholic Church is growing fast would dearly like to see the cardinals choose an Asian pope for the first time in history when they begin meeting on Tuesday to select a successor to Benedict XVI. They argue that the choice of the new pope should reflect the changing face of the Catholic Church, which is expanding rapidly in Asia, Africa and Latin America yet ageing fast and shrinking in Europe, its onetime stronghold. Despite the decline in church attendance in the developed world, when the 115 cardinals solemnly walk into the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to begin selecting a new pope, two thirds will be from Europe and North America. The odds are stacked against Asia. Not only does it only have just nine representatives among the cardinals eligible to vote, but few move in the inner circles of the Vatican, or have held positions within its apparatus. Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is carrying the

hopes of Asia and those of his country’s 80 million Catholics. The archbishop of Manila, who developed a taste for braised chicken feet while visiting the poor in the megacity’s teeming slums, would be a bold choice as he is just 55 — three years younger than Pope John Paul II when he was elected in 1978. Father Bernardo Cervellera, editor of AsiaNews, a Catholic news agency, said Asia wants to challenge the powerful vested interests in the Vatican. “The Asian churches want more powers. They say that Vatican diplomacy does not take into account local sensibilities,” he told AFP. “The important thing about Tagle is that he is inside the Catholic tradition but can adapt it to modern times. That would make him a good successor (to Benedict).” India supplies five of the nine Asian cardinals in the conclave even though Catholics in India amount to less than two per cent of the population in the overwhelmingly Hindu nation. But with 17 million Catholics in India, only the Philippines has more among Asian nations. Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Mumbai, has expressed serious doubts that an Asian will be elected pope but insists that a candidate’s birthplace should not be the determining factor in the cardi-

nals’ thinking. “For me it’s not important what continent he comes from,” he told the Catholic News Service. “We want a person who is most suitable for this assignment and most suitable for the very great responsibility, the one to whom the Holy Spirit guides us.” Sri Lanka’s Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is considered another long shot. The traditionalist was appointed by Benedict to oversee the Church’s liturgical practices in 2005, having previously served as papal nuncio, or ambassador, to Indonesia and East Timor. Should the cardinals decide that the time has come for an

Asian pope, Ranjith, 65, could find his age and his ideological convictions work in his favour over Tagle, who is a decade younger. While Asia’s chances appear distant in this year’s conclave, Latin America — home to 30 percent of the world’s Catholics — appears to have a genuine contender in Odilo Scherer, the archbishop of Sao Paulo. Scherer, born to ethnic German parents, has the important advantage among candidates from outside Europe and North America of being a Vatican insider. For seven years, he served as an official of the Congregation of Bishops, putting him at the centre of thinking in the Holy See.

EDITORIALS BJP needs to wake up

t is sad that in India the main opposition political party does not see itself as a check on the government of the day. The national opposition party, the BJP has not been performing its task in the past three-four years and yet, it discusses of coming back to power with Narendra Modi as Prime Minsiter! It’s a bit thick. What has the party done to put the government in the dock is the question an average voter should ask. Its squeamish attitude toward the FDI in retail, its conciliatory approach to the government on giant coalgate and Vadra scam, its laughable attitude to the atrocious reactions of the home minister SK Shinde on many issues make the party a laughing stock. Nor are its electoral performances anything special. The party’s southern showcase, Karnataka, is in a mess. If the party is serious in replacing UPA next year, it has to put its house in order. Currently, its leaders from Sushma Swaraj to LK Advani seem to be daydreaming only about becoming Pradhan Mantri. First perform before eyeing the PM’s chair, BJP.

READERS’ VIEWS

Shinde never fails to surprise

ome minister Sushilkumar Shinde deserves kudos for his ‘discoveries’. After the Hyderabad blasts he says evidence points to acts of terrorism. Wow... we didn’t know that. Now there is confusion over who is in charge of security at Tihar jail complex. When the government of the country is caught on the wrong foot regarding massive security lapses in the biggest prison complex of the country, that too involving a high proﬁle case, why blame the jail ofﬁcials.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

workplace

CUPID AT WORK

Internet-based dating service, Cupid has said that it is commissioning an independent audit of its member database following claims that customers were lured to the site with users who disappeared when they paid for the service.

A JOB IN HAND

KNOW YOUR COMPANY

Aircel Aircel group is an Indian mobile network operator headquartered in Chennai, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in India. It is India’s ﬁfth largest GSM mobile service provider and seventh largest mobile service provider (both GSM and CDMA) with a subscriber base of over 63.35 million, as of December 2012 with 62.24% of them being active. It has a market share of 7.33% among wireless operators in the country. It also has the largest service in Tamil Nadu.

DID YOU KNOW...

Vodafone Thousands of people took part in a unique recruitment process recently. It was Asia-Pacific Recruitment day in all Starwood hotels. Postnoon visits The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace to find out more.

Unique recruitment!

KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

n a huge hall, dummy elements of The Westin were displayed. At a glance there was a plush looking bed, a table with neatly organised stationery, a pedicure arrangement, a gym equipment, baskets full of fruits and vegetables and a table for refreshments such as water and aromatic oils and lotions. Every batch of candidates was introduced to, told about and hence given the experience of The Westin. “We say The Westin is a wellness brand but they don’t understand what wellness is. For example heavenly bed is not common. It is exclusive to Westin. We told them what is special about heavenly bed,” says Training manager Prabhakar Singh. Other fun elements were also added like a

photo-op where candidates could get pictures of themselves instantly. “Many of them are appearing for an interview for the first time. People would like to keep a memory of that. We also have costumed cardboards which they can stand behind and see what they might look like if they got selected as a chef.” explains Prabhakar. The concept besides deleting all the tension that is attached to a job interview gave a grand

view of the brand that the candidates aspire to be a part of. “This overall experience let them feel the brand. They also had an opportunity to interact with senior employees here. They now know more about the brand they might be a part of,” explains an associate at Westin. Why all this jazz to recruit one may wonder. Starwood is now a family of nine brands, 110 operating hotels and 40,000 associates. A 100 more hotels are

in the pipeline and will be functioning by 2015. The recruitment day is nothing but a convenient way to collect a huge database for placing employees in the near future. The registration forms they filled had made sure their specific preferences of which brand and location they have in mind. “The concept is to create a databank and a talent pool which will be used for properties as and when required. We are doing it here because we had a success story in China. The kind of talent we hunt for, we don’t generally find through usual recruitment processes. This way it is easy to touch base with talent—when you do it country wise, when it happens parallelly all over and when we are all well connected,” says Manish Kumar Rishi, Director Human Resource. This way candidates get placed in any city of their preference.

India has announced that it is planning to open 16 angel stores across the country solely for serving women to mark the International Women's Day. The first of its kind Vodafone Angel Store will be completely run and managed by women.

CHIC WORK ATTIRE

Colour plays a big part in professional image. Traditional career colours include red (aggressive), navy (trustworthy), gray (conservative) and black (chic). Most of these colours work well in pantsuits, skirts and shoes and mix back with softer feminine colours that are appropriate like ice blue, lilac, soft pink and ivory

Designer labels are great, but heavily logoed clothing and accessories look cluttered and frivolous in the work place. A small designer bag is ﬁne; a logo trench coat looks ridiculous. Choose wellmade items that are free from obvious designer labels for the most professional look.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

spotlight

ROCK TUESDAYS WITH DJ PAUL

Rock music and hip hop is on the menu this Tuesday as the in-house DJ at 10 Downing Street will dole out the best of mixes to get you dancing. Be there to enjoy an evening of fun, music, food and great beverages.

S BALAKRISHNA

STARTING THE WEEK

Dance Attack

Kismet pub was the epicentre for a whole of fun this weekend with youngsters in the City turning up in large numbers to enjoy a night of dance. 4

1 Sahithi & Monisha

4 Raj & Smrithika

7 Sharun

2 Chithra & Mandeep

5 Rajeshwari & Manju

8 Lovleen

11 Megha

3 Namrutha & Adesh Roy

6 Tejashwani & Rohit

9 Poojitha Reddy

12 Rachna

10 Priyanka

SUMMER WARDROBE FUN RIDE :

The cast of the upcoming Telugu movie Back Bench Student including director Madhura Sridhar, actors Mahat Raghavendra and Piya Bajpay were at the Radio Mirchi studio in Begumpet to award the grand prize of a Vespa scooter to winner Santoshi. She won the hunt for Hyderabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best backbench student who had a fun story to tell.

Hyderabad Central presented their summer fashion collection 2013 o n Sunday. They unveiled the latest trends and colourful designs of the season at the show.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

health

BIRD FLU: MORE THAN 2,000 CHICKENS CULLED IN BIHAR

More than 2,000 chickens were culled and a large quantity of eggs destroyed in Bihar's Purnea district in the last 24 hours following an outbreak of avian flu, officials said Monday. An official of the animal husbandry department said the state government had also alerted neighbouring districts.

MAPLE SYRUP URINE DISEASE

The name belies the seriousness of the issue. In reality, maple syrup urine disease, is a metabolism disorder that can result in brain damage in case of infections. Worse still, it requires the patient to be on life-long diet of baby food.

Nothing delicious about this RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

wenty-year-old Rohan survives on baby food. Not the store-bought variety but the one made at home. While his family and friends eat the regular roti, sabji, pizza etc, he survives on his food that is free of proteins and has low levels of amino acids. It’s the only way he can survive. Sounds shocking? This is one of the ways

patients with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) manage to beat odds. Although the name might not sound ominous, it is one of those rare genetic ailments that can take quite a serious turn if left untreated. In fact, if not caught on time, it could lead to brain damage and death.

WHAT IT IS

Maple syrup urine disease is a rare metabolic disease where the body cannot break down specific types of proteins. The fact, that the patient’s urine smells like maple syrup is

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

how the ailment got its name. What really happens in a patient with maple syrup urine disease is that the body is unable to break down proteins like leucine, isoleucine and valine. Hence, these build up in the bloodstream. In severe forms of MSUD, the patient could suffer brain damage. Children with MSUD often become mentally retarded and have some developmental delays.

difficulties, lethargy, seizures, urine that smells like maple syrup and vomiting.

SYMPTOMS

Treatment usually involves changing the patient’s diet. The idea is to eliminate pro-

Symptoms of MSUD include avoiding food, coma, feeding

HOUSECALL

Moves

Obesity

Moves automatically tracks your everyday life and exercise. Just carry your phone in your pocket or bag. It has automatic tracking to record daily walking, cycling and running. You can visualise your day in an easy-to-read timeline. It can also recognise places in your daily life and count your steps, so you can set simple goals.

Most doctors calculate obesity using a formula known as the body mass index (BMI), which is a measure based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. Tose with a BMI above 40 are considered morbidly obese. Waist circumference is another important measure to assess health risks and 38 per cent of adults had a raised waist circumference in 2009 compared to 23 per cent in 1993.

DIAGNOSIS

Tests like plasma amino acid test and urine amino acid test, help diagnose the condition. Since the condition is genetic, there are prenatal tests that can be done to determine if the foetus has maple syrup urine disease.

TREATMENT

DID YOU KNOW? Earlobe crease predicts heart disease A diagonal crease in your earlobe is linked to a much higher risk of coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death in men, according to a study in PubMed. It was concluded that this sign could be especially useful in screening for premature coronary artery disease in youngsters.

teins from the diet so they don’t build up in the body. Dialysis might be suggested to level the amino acids. Once amino acid levels are normal, the patient is put on a special diet, usually man-made baby foods, during the treatment period. The diet needs to be closely monitored by a nutritionist and modified periodically. This special diet must be followed at all times to prevent neurological damage. Frequent blood tests and medical supervision are required. If left untreated, MSUD can result in coma or death.

PIONEERS Willem Einthoven In 1903, Willem Einhoven devised the ﬁrst string galvanometer and with it measured the changes of electrical potential caused by contractions of the heart muscle and to record them graphically. He coined the term electrocardiogram (EKG) for this process. Einthoven continued to develop electrode arrangements, and the present-day standard limb leads were originally described and used by him.

health TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

BREAKTHROUGH

STUDY

New drug reduces heart damage during surgery? WASHINGTON: A single dose of an experimental anti-inflammatory treatment reduces heart muscle damage during an angioplasty operation to open blocked arteries, a study found Sunday. The antibody inclacumab, developed by Swiss lab Hoffmann-La Roche, significantly reduced levels of the standard molecular markers troponin I and CK-MB in patients, compared to those who took a placebo in a clinical trial. Patients who received the inclacumab dose saw troponin I levels drop 22.4 percent more after 16 hours and 24.4 percent after more at 24 hours (p=0.05), compared with patients on a placebo. CK-MB levels dropped 16.3 percent more after 16 hours and 17.4 percent more at 24 hours, compared with patients on placebo. “It was exciting to see that a single administration of inclacumab would yield clinical benefit,” said the study’s lead investigator Jean-Claude Tardif, director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute. The phase II trial examined 530 patients with a median age of 61 experiencing a type of heart attack called nonST-elevation myocardial infarction or NSTEMI. Patients were randomized to receive an infusion of inclacumab of 20 mil-

growing pains My daughter is 15 and her relationship with her father is very strained. He scolds her for everything and she has become very rebellious over the years. How do I get her out of it? When children reach teenage, rebellious behaviour is often a sign of formation of one’s unique identity that allows them to mature and gain a sense of self. During this time, it’s also fairly normal for some strain in the parent-child relationship However, if your relationship

Angioplasty can damage heart tissue, which can trigger a need for more procedures, poor outcomes and higher health care costs.

ligrams per kilogram, five milligrams per kilogram or a placebo one hour before angioplasty. The researchers also found that 24 hours after angioplasty, 18.3 per cent of patients on the placebo had CK-MB increases more than three times the upper limit of normal. Many clinical trials define that threshold as the onset of a post-angioplasty heart attack. But only 8.9 per cent of patients who received the higher dose of incla-cumab experienced those same CK-MB increases. “If we’re able to confirm these results in potential future studies, this drug could become part of the therapeutic armamentarium in modern cardiology,” Tardif said in a statement. “You could use this drug more widely, in all patients coming in with heart attacks, although that would require additional large studies.” More than a million coronary angioplasty procedures are performed in the United States each year, costing more than $10 billion. Angioplasty can damage heart tissue, which can trigger a need for more procedures, poor outcomes and higher health care costs . During angioplasty, surgeons insert a balloon catheter to mechanically widen narrowed or obstructed arteries. AFP

Heart disease may be ancient malady

NEW YORK: Mummies from thousands of years ago and around the world show evidence of clogged arteries, according to a new research, which dispels the myth that heart disease is a modern-life ailment. The study, published in The Lancet, suggested that atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease wherein calcium deposits narrow the arteries, may have been a universal disease in all human societies. While some researchers believed hardening of the arteries was a 20th century disease, the new study suggested it to be a basic part of human ageing. “In three different continents and a total of five different sites, prehistoric peoples had atherosclerosis,” said study coauthor Caleb Finch, a neurobiologist at the University of Southern California. There’s no doubt that westernised diets have worsened diabetes, obesity and chronic disease, but whether a more primitive diet could completely eliminate those scourges was debatable, LiveScience reported. Finch and his colleagues used CT scanning to analyse the arteries of 137 mummies that spanned 4,000 years. The mummies came from Peruvian, ancestral Pueblo Indian, indigenous Aleutian islander, and ancient Egyptian populations. Most of the mummies were younger than about 60 years old. Despite some of the people coming from societies with a grain-based diet and others likely consuming mainly meat and fish, all of the mummies showed atherosclerosis. It can narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow, and if the calcium deposits rupture, it can cause heart attacks. The findings suggested that heart disease may be an unavoidable part of human ageing. PTI

Dr Diana Monteiro

DEALING WITH A REBEL with her becomes so strained that there are very few normal conversations or her behaviour is extremely problematic, then it’s time to do something. Firstly, examine what is going on within your family: Is her father being overly critical and thus she has been reacting to that by rebelling, or is her father within his limits for repri-

manding her? Typically, teens and parents need to work together to come to an understanding about how to behave with each other. Often, parents expect their child to behave a certain way without thinking about their child’s expectations of them. Thus, talking openly with your child and with your husband (first separately and then maybe together)

about how they can both work together to make their relationship better might be helpful. Set limits for your child but also honour her need for privacy and space. Talk to your husband about why he scolds her so often and encourage him to think about how he can change his behaviour. You might have to help him see how his behaviour is impacting her. Talk to your

daughter and use a basic reward for good behaviour system to help her behave appropriately. If you are uncertain how to handle this by yourself, seek the help of a professional counselor who can be an unbiased helper. The writer is a counselling psychologist at the Hyderabad Academy of Psychology. You can write to her at askdrdiana@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Vicky Donor to be remade in Telugu

yushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam starrer Vicky Donor, one of the most talked about films in 2012, will soon be remade in Telugu. Madhura Sreedhar has reportedly bought the remake rights and the Telugu film might be titled as Dana Karna. Currently, he is busy promoting his next film Backbench Student which is slated for release on March 15.

Gopichand’s film to be named Sahasam?

fter a brief hiatus, Gopichand is making a comeback on silver screen in Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s upcoming action adventure film. Taapsee is paired up with Gopichand in the film which is about a treasure hunt. Buzz is that the team is contemplating to name the film as Sahasam. The film will release in summer.

Karnataka Bulldozers wins CCL 3

arnataka Bulldozers team, headed by Kannada actor Sudeep, won the title at Celebrity Cricket League – 3 by defeating Telugu Warriors team by 26 runs. Charmee, Priyamani, Vishal, Bipasha Basu, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia and Pranitha Subhash were also spotted at the ﬁnal which was held in Bangalore.

HIS PREFERENCES

RP PATNAIK

still a composer at heart

e may have become a director and is enjoying his new role — but RP Patnaik confesses that at heart he is still a musician. Patnaik, who debuted as a director with Andamaina Manasulo, is busy wrapping up his fourth Telugu directorial venture Thulasidhalam. “I started my career as a music composer and, therefore, I can never stop being one at heart. I have stopped composing music for other films, but I still compose music for my own films,” Patnaik said and added: “Since I'm busy being a director, I don't find time to compose music for other films.” In a career spanning over a decade, he has composed music for over 50 Telugu films including Nuvvu Nenu, Jayam and Manasantha Nuvve. His latest venture Thulasidhalam is a horror-thriller based on the barbaric murder of 10-month-old girl Sanvi. “I play a paranormal doctor in the film, which is loosely based on the murder of 10-month-old girl Sanvi. It is not entirely based on the incident, but we have partly touched upon it to build some tension in our narrative,” said Patnaik. Completely shot in Las Vegas, Thulasidhalam is getting ready for a May release. The postproduction is currently underway. What lured you to directing films? “I wanted to direct for quite some time now. All these years I was busy composing music and carving an identity for myself in the industry. However, I have dedicated the last few years of my life writing and directing films,” he said. What next? “I'm busy finishing my next film on the US Amish community. The film is nearing completion and will very soon hit the theatres,” he said. IANS

Entertainment TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

MEETING THE BIG MAN

CINE BYTES

BIG B EXCITED

to meet Spielberg

Paresh Rawal to dance in Himmatwala

eteran actor Paresh Rawal, who has shown his acting prowess a number of times, has now put on his dancing shoes for director Sajid Khan's Himmatwala remake. The 62-year-old, who tickled the audience's funny bone in movies like Hera Pheri, Golmaal: Fun Unlimited and Bhagam Bhag, agreed to do breakdance on the director's behest. IANS

Manisha Koirala likely to return in July

ctress Manisha Koirala, who is undergoing treatment in New York for ovarian cancer, will most probably return to India in July, said her manager. "Manisha is recovering well. She is better now. Most probably she will return to India by July. Nothing is decided now, but if things go well, then she might be back. IANS

Kahaani... success will last me a lifetime: Sakshi

akshi Tanwar never expected her career to blossom in the way it did after Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. She says it's enough to keep her going. "I had no plans of even reaching here. I have been very blessed and god has been very kind to me," Sakshi said in an interview. "I never thought that after Kahaani...'there would be such a jump. The kind of success I saw with 'Kahaani...' it's enough for me to last a lifetime," she added. IANS

e g a s t a r Amitabh Bachchan is looking forward to welcoming acclaimed Hollywood director Steven Spielberg who is said to be visiting

the country to celebrate the success of his Oscarwinning film Lincoln. Lincoln, a movie that has been co-produced by Spielberg's DreamWorks along with Anil Ambani's Reliance Entertainment

and DreamWorks, is a biopic on the US president Abraham Lincoln's struggles during the Civil War. "I shall attempt to elaborate later â&#x20AC;Ś but for now just wish to leave

you with the thought of the meeting with Steven Spielberg (Monday) and to welcome him to the country and be in conversation with him amongst a relevant audience that connects itself with the

fraternity," the 70-yearold posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com. It has been reported that Anil Ambani and his wife Tina are Spielberg's official hosts during his stay here.

Entertainment TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

AT ODDS

RIHANNA

censors Chris Brown’s songs from Diamonds tour?

erforming at the first concert of her Diamonds tour, Rihanna censored Chris Brown’s songs from her setlist as she did not sing even a single song featuring the fellow R&B star. Rihanna and Brown have three songs together — Bad Girl, Turn Up the Music and Nobody’s Business — which were not included in her her 28 song long setlist, reported Hollywood Life. The 25-year-old performed her hit single What’s My Name? though, which is a collaboration between her and Canadian rapper Drake, Brown’s rival. Rihanna’s in-concert omission comes just two days after Drake released a song that disses Brown and suggests that Rihanna spends time with Drake behind Brown’s back. PTI

CINE BYTES Billy Zane won’t risk going on Titanic replica

itanic star Billy Zane has said he “wouldn’t risk” going on the proposed Titanic II, being built by Clive Palmer as an exact replica of the original doomed ship. The actor said he wouldn’t want to travel with his family aboard the new ship that will set sail in 2016 on Titanic’s original route. PTI

Oz’ conjures great box office numbers

z the Great and Powerful had one magical debut over the weekend, vanquishing last week’s chart topper — Jack the Giant Slayer. The movie pulled in $80.3 million, easily knocking off Jack the Giant Slayer, which fell to second place with $10 million.

Adele bonding with Lawrence dele is reportedly bondA ing a lot with actress Jennifer Lawrence has been invited by the singer to stay near her house. “Jennifer’s set to come to London later this year for a movie and Adele’s recommending she move to Notting Hill, where she has a house," a source said.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. Victor Hugo

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 Golden Triangle flower 6 No longer in fashion 11 Warning issuer at the start of a DVD 14 Entrance courts 15 ‘___ your instructions ...’ 16 Particle that’s emitted 17 Be in need of repair 19 ‘Bebe’s Kids’ star Tone ___ 20 Where to find Today’s Special 21 Love archer 22 Bikini piece 23 Chief in a burnoose 25 English royal house after York 27 Aloha accompaniments 28 Mountain clusters 30 ‘My kingdom for ___’ 32 Reverse of NNW 33 Cut of one’s jib 35 Solemn promise 36 Withdraws from 39 Expressed, as a farewell 41 Ballroom blunder 42 Favorite in class 45 Capitol dome 47 Signal with the hands 49 Frankenstein flunky 50 Catch forty winks 53 Ultimatum’s end: ‘or ___’ 54 Kind of reflex 55 LaBeouf of ‘Disturbia’ 56 ‘___ helpless as a kitten up a tree’ 58 Bearded prez, informally 59 Kitchen vessels 63 Deer with three-pointed antlers 64 Misplayed a baseball 65 Reef material 66 Urgent letters 67 Garden interlopers 68 ‘___ big deal!’

DOWN

1 Partners of 24-Down 2 Mel who slugged 511 career homers 3 Pinkie swear, eg 4 ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ group 5 Betray boredom 6 Standard score on a golf course 7 Didn’t command 8 Richard’s first second 9 Lady of the casa 10 Units of work or energy 11 Hazelnut 12 Uncultured 13 ‘___ of fire, break glass’ 18 Ensemble 23 911 response initials 24 Rustic female parents 26 Operates 27 Be a slacker 29 Push forward 31 Hula in them 34 NIMBY part 36 Olfactory nerve stimulator 37 Compelling itch 38 Cuff link companion 39 Bogey 40 Orbital points farthest from Earth 42 Celestial objects that emit radio waves 43 Places to see MD’s in a hurry 44 Peg stuck in the ground 45 Some Cubans 46 No longer aboard ship 48 Something’s brewing here 51 Metric unit in England 52 Made less severe 55 Spout forth 57 1,601 in Roman numerals 60 Sellers’ notices 61 A Bobbsey twin 62 ___-mo instant replay

Chai Time TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 13-3-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Women advised to stay away from love affair for the time being. Businessmen struggle hard and earn good profit. Avoid contemplating major investment for now. Postpone important decisions till you make a proper analysis.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Businessmen will be charged with a cheerful atmosphere as profits are likely to jump beyond expectations. Never interfere in personal issues of blood relatives as there are chances that you might be blamed. Working women will be ambitious.

Though inflow of money is good and as per expectations, equal or more expenses might irk you. Savings become a distant dream. Politicians advised not to blame other party men without proper evidence. Unexpected financial fortune likely.

Loan for construction or purchase of house will get sanctioned. Purchase of valuables gold and silver ornaments likely. Some of you might undertake pilgrimage with family. Employees might be overburdened with responsibilities.

Major decisions to be postponed for a couple of days as planetary situation is not favourable. Businessmen likely to have a booming trend. You will be disturbed to know that none of your family members are ready to understand you properly.

You will become cheerful with the influx of close relatives and good friends. Strained relationship will blossom again and progress well without further misunderstanding. Delayed marriage talks will resume and progress successfully.

Long-time dreams will become reality. New efforts by businessmen get delayed but ultimately success is yours. Benefits through close friends and relatives not ruled out. Important responsibilities should be handled by you and you alone.

Though financial situation is satisfactory, you will be forced to raise new loans to meet unexpected huge expenses. Drive away the inferiority complex within you and feel great about you. Acidity, dental and digestion problems likely; take care.

Debt issues might be haunting you but need not worry as solution is near; wholehearted help extended by friends and relatives. Solution to old age problems will be found and you will relax. Some are likely to go to other states or abroad.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Seven of Wands You’re feeling tired and need to rest. Use the end of the year to look back, review your decisions and plan ahead for the months to come.

LEO:

Temperance - Be patient about your work situation. Things will improve soon. You’re getting anxious about the sacrifices you’ve made in order to get here.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Hanged Man Spiritual awareness is in focus. You may be in the mood to achieve greater understanding of spirituality and life’s philosophies.

SAGITTARIUS:

Ace of Swords - Believe in yourself and your ideas. Faith takes you half the way to your destination. You can go the other half way with hard work.

TAURUS:

Two of Cups - A surprise Sunday brunch or an impromptu plan to meet for coffee can do wonders to your relationship. Keep the passion alive.

CANCER:

Three of Wands Success is imminent. All your plans are working out fine and your patience in the last few weeks is paying off. Don’t be in a hurry.

VIRGO:

King of Wands You’re feeling creative and in control. Bosses love you for your professionalism and peers like your attitude. Great going!

SCORPIO:

Eight of Wands - This is a lucky phase when all your plans work out beautifully. You feel wonderful about your current status, personal and professional.

CAPRICORN:

Six of Swords - Your foreign friends will be influencing the decisions you make in the immediate future. You get a bigger and better world view.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

The Hermit - This is a metaphor for the lonely person in search of the light. You are that person today. You’re in the quest for deeper meaning to your existence.

NUMBER GAME

This is the card of love, romance and fertility. Women looking to get pregnant have a good chance now. Those in love will have a great phase.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: The Empress -

POOCH CAFE

Politicians march ahead with self-confidence and boldness to keep the opposition at bay. Businessmen will be happy as their profits improve steadily. Friends and close relatives will extend help at the time of need. Employees face tension.

for 13-3-2013

Queen of Wands You want to be left alone and wish to spend time thinking and planning your next phase of life. Your family and friends will understand.

NON SEQUITUR

You will undertake renovation of your house and also build an annex. Self-confidence level will be at its high. You feel very happy to receive assets from paternal side. You participate with interest in the celebration at your friend’s place and enjoy.

SUDUKO

Health will be fine. Businessmen will have a steady business and consistent profits. Good news like promotion and pay hike on the cards for employees. Politicians advised to stay away from groups within the party against high command.

Boggle FORD TYLER TAYLOR CARTER REAGAN TRUMAN Vol: 2, No 235 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 TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

SOON-TO-BE MUMMY

CINE BYTES

Two Hollywood films on Lance Armstrong

ilm studio Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to an untitled project about the rise and fall of American former road cyclist Lance Armstrong, a subject that Paramount Pictures also is planning to bring to the big screen. The project is being developed by Atlas Entertainment's Charles Roven and Alex Gartner and will be scripted by Scott Z Burns and directed by Jay Roach, entertainment blog. IANS

Jessica Parker bears the brunt of heels

ctress Sarah Jessica Parker says high heel shoes that she wore regularly for more than a decade has damaged her feet. Parker, known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in hit TV series Sex And The City, wore high heels most of the time and now doctors have asked her to avoid wearing them. IANS

Weisz wants to open production company

I'm doing fine: F KIM

Kardashian

ew days after returning from the hospital after fearing a miscarriage, pregnant reality TV star Kim Kardashian has assured fans that she is doing fine. Kardashian took to Twitter to tell her fans that she is feeling much better now, writing, "Thanks for all the well wishes, I'm doing fine! Just resting... have a good weekend. Love you guys!(sic)." The 32-yearold was admitted to the hospital after she felt she was having a miscarriage as she returned from Paris Fashion Week. The four-months-pregnant reality star flew to Paris last Sunday to join boyfriend Kanye West at a Givenchy show. Kardashian has been advised by doctors to take adequate rest during the pregnancy. PTI

ctress Rachel Weisz would love to open a production company in future. "I've got to ďŹ gure out how to multitask. But when I'm doing a ďŹ lm or a play, I can't think about much else apart from my family. But I'd like a production company," Esquire magazine quoted Weisz as saying. IANS

sports

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS

BOLT STRIKES THRICE Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt and British athletics queen Jessica Ennis (below) won the top prizes as athletics dominated the Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday. RIO DE JANEIRO: Usian Bolt was crowned the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the third time following his triple gold-medal winning performance at London 2012, where he won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m crowns. Bolt pipped a star-studded field of nominees which included British Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, British distance runner Mo Farah and German F1 ace Sebastian Vettel. The winners of the awards are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, a jury made up of 46 sports stars. Jessica Ennis, who delighted her homeland with victory in the Olympic heptathlon last year,

Bolt pipped a starstudded field of nominees which included British Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, British distance runner Mo Farah and German F1 ace Sebastian Vettel. won the World Sportswoman of the Year Award. “It is so surreal to stand here in front of all these amazing sportsmen and sportswomen," Ennis said. Meanwhile retired

US swimmer Michael Phelps was also honored with the Laureus Exceptional Achievement Award after becoming the most decorated Olympian in history in London. Phelps quit swimming after the London Games where he took his career tally to 22 medals, including 18 golds. “It has been an amazing career and it is crazy to think that it is over," Phelps said in accepting the award. “But I’ve done everything that I wanted to do in sport. I wanted to change swimming and take it to a level, and I have." Meanwhile Europe’s golfers won the Team of the Year prize following their remarkable fightback to beat the United States in the Ryder Cup at Medinah. AFP

Laureus Exceptional Achievement Award: Michael Phelps Team of the Year prize: Europe’s golfers.

‘There’s no chance of coming back’ RIO DE JANEIRO: US swimming legend Michael Phelps said Monday there was no chance of him coming out of retirement to compete in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. “I’m done, I’m done," Phelps said after meeting children from Rio’s Rocinha Favela on the sidelines of the Laureus Sports Awards. Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals, retired from swimming after bagging four golds and two silvers at last year’s London Olympics. But the 27-year-old Baltimore Bullet ruled out any chance of a comeback in Rio. “It was a great race ... I look back at all I’ve got and I can truly say I’ve done everything I’ve wanted,” said Phelps, who accumulated an astonishing 18 Olympic golds in his career. During Monday’s visit to a sports complex in Rocinha, Phelps swam with local children before sharing technical advice with his young admirers. AFP

HE’S OUT OF THE WOODS

Tiger finds his mojo again MIAMI: Tiger Woods is playing like he does when he wins major golf titles and, with the Masters only a month away, he looks ready to close the major win-record gap on Jack Nicklaus for the first time since 2008. With impressive putting and a masterful short game, Woods captured the World Golf Championships event at Doral on Sunday for his second US PGA title of the year after a January triumph at Torrey Pines. “That’s how I know I can play," Woods said. “That’s the thing. To be able to bring it out a couple times so far this year,

That’s the thing. To be able to bring it out a couple times so far this year, and then able to close and get the Ws on top of that, that’s nice. Tiger woods Ace golfer

and then able to close and get the Ws on top of that, that’s nice." Woods has won at Torrey Pines and Doral in the same season three times. In each of those years, he has captured a major title and won between six and eight total events overall. “Any time I can win prior to Augusta, it always feels good," Woods said. “I’ve been able to do it a few times throughout my career, which is nice." Woods has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, when he limped to victory in a playoff over Rocco Mediate with an injury that ended his season.

Since then, Woods has faced nagging injuries and an infamous sex scandal, but has seldom shown the form he displayed in winning this year. His final tuneup for next month’s Masters comes next week at Bay Hill, and then he heads for Augusta National legendary layout, a course where he has won four green jackets, but none since 2005. Woods could overtake Rory McIlroy for the World No. 1 ranking ahead of the Masters and the 14-time major champion could move a step closer to overtaking the record 18 major wins of Nicklaus if he keeps putting well. AFP

sports TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

INDIAN WELLS

FIRST TIME

Roger marches into Round 4

Earthquake scare as Nadal in R4 on walkover

Federer beat Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-1 in 61 minutes flat. REBECCA BRYAN Agence France-Presse INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA: Roger Federer made quick work of Ivan Dodig on Monday, keeping his Indian Wells title defence on track with a 6-3, 6-1 third-round victory over the 60th-ranked Croatian. Federer needed just 61 minutes to seal the victory — abetted somewhat by Dodig’s six doublefaults, the last of which came on match point. The quick finish may have been a godsend for the Swiss great, who said he “tweaked” his back late in the match. However, Federer said he fully expected to be fit enough to continue his pursuit of a first title of 2013. “I’m not too worried,” Federer said. “I have gone through it so many times where you feel a little tweak. You might play next day. Now this time around I have a day off, extra time. “From that standpoint I’m not worried at all.” Leonardo Mayer’s back injury was bad enough to have the

I have gone through it so many times where you feel a little tweak. You might play next day. Now this time around I have a day off, extra time. Roger Federer about his game

Argentinian pulling out of his scheduled third-round match against Rafael Nadal, sending the fifth-seeded Spaniard into the round of 16 by walkover. That meant Nadal had a chance to rest his troublesome left knee, but cost him more of the match experience he says he needs as he continues his comeback from a seven-month injury layoff. The former world No. 1, currently ranked fifth, returned in February, reaching one final and winning two titles in three claycourt tournaments in Latin America. This is his first hard-court tournament since injury forced him out of the Miami Masters last March. Nadal remained on course for a possible quarter-final showdown with Federer. But first he faces a potentially tough fourthround clash with red-hot Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who defeated 20th-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Gulbis became the first qualifier to win a title this season in Delray Beach and he came through qualifying here as well.

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA:- A 4.7 earthquake that shook the California desert proved the most exciting moment of Rafael Nadal’s Monday morning as he advanced to the fourth round at Indian Wells on a walkover. The former world No. 1, playing his fourth tournament since returning last month from a seven-month injury absence, was preparing to take to the court when he learned third-

Including those qualifiers, he has won 13 competitive matches in 17 days. The Latvian was looking forward to another crack at Nadal, who has beaten him in four prior encounters. “I like to play against him,” he said, noting that he has twice taken Nadal to three sets but each time suffered from his own lack of experience and lack of fitness. “I think the way I play right now, that should make a difference,” Gulbis said. “Of course he’s a great player, but I believe - honestly I believe - that if I play my best game I can beat him.” Sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych also advanced with ease, beating Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-1. Berdych lined up a clash with 10th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz.

I was very scared. First time in my life. Rafael Nadal He was speaking about the earthquake that shook the California desert. He said he was so alarmed to feel a massage table move beneath him his legs were shaking when he got up.

Results Men 3rd rd Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-3, 6-1 Rafael Nadal (ESP x5) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) walkover Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA x20) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Florian Mayer (GER x27) 6-4, 6-1 Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-3, 6-1 Richard Gasquet (FRA x10) bt Jerzy Janowicz (POL x24) 6-1, 6-4 Women 3rd rd Angelique Kerber (GER x4) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x30) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-4, 6-0 Nadia Petrova (RUS x10) bt Julia Goerges (GER x21) 6-1, 6-2 Samantha Stosur (AUS x7) bt Peng Shuai (CHN x32) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x8) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS x29) 6-2, 6-1

Roger Federer of Switzerland serves to Ivan Dodig of Croatia during day 6 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2013 in Indian Wells, California. STEPHEN DUNN/GETTY IMAGES/AFP

round opponent Leonardo Mayer of Argentina had pulled out with a bad back. “That’s bad news, especially for the fans and for Mayer,” said Nadal, who was applying tape to his fingers in preparation for the match when he heard. “I talked with him. It seemed like it’s nothing very, very bad — just a typical back problem beginning when he was warming up his serve.” Mayer’s sudden withdrawal left Nadal feeling a little flat, but the Spaniard was quite animated when describing the earthquake, which originated from an epicentre just 30 miles (50 km) from Indian Wells.

Pep talk helps Kerber pip Wickmayer INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA: Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber had to dig deep in the second set on Monday to polish off a 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) third-round victory over Yanina Wickmayer at Indian Wells. After easing through the opening set, Kerber trailed 4-1 in the second. But the 25-year-old, ranked Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a sixth in the world, was able to return to Yanina Wickmayer.

turn the tide after some encouraging words from her coach. “He was coming to me and just reminding me of the game plan we had before the match and just telling me to focus on my game, play point by point and believe in my game,” she said. “It helps me.” Kerber had a breakthrough season in 2012, winning two titles and moving into the top 10 in the world rankings.

She has struggled to build on that success this year, in part because of a back injury that forced her out of Germany’s Fed Cup team. She lost her opening matches at her last two tournaments, at Doha and Dubai, but said her confidence is growing now that she has put together a couple of wins with no ill effects on her back. “Now my confidence is of

course back and I feel good, and I’m looking forward to playing tomorrow again,” said Kerber, who will face Spanish qualifier Gabine Mugurza — a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Magdalena Rybarikova. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka woke up just in time on Monday, rallying for a 3-6, 6-3, 60 victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens that kept her Indian Wells WTA title defence on track.

sports TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CRISIS

Applause, brickbats for Arthur Cricket fraternity slams coach, while national media says players’ attitude was unprofessional. MELBOURNE: Coach Mickey Arthur has received applause from a section of Australian media while a few experts pilloried him for the “nonsense” decision to axe four players from the side on disciplinary ground. The majority of the Australian cricket fraternity has also criticised Arthur for the stunning move, but the national media feels the players’ attitude was unprofessional and disregardful of the baggy green. “What a disgrace. Australia’s infamous four deserve not a shred of sympathy for their feckless disregard for the team ethos and culture aimed at returning Australia to the apex of world cricket," a Herald Sun report read. “In the past week, coach Mickey Arthur and the selectors have copped an absolute hammering from Australian cricket fans for the team’s dismal performances on this wretched tour of India...Today, Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur should be applauded for their relentless desire to bring success back to Australian cricket," it added. Watson and three other key players — pacers James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja were dropped from the squad for the third Test for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team’s performance. “The actions of Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja are a kick in the guts for the stan-

M ANIL KUMAR

What a disgrace. Australia’s infamous four deserve not a shred of sympathy. Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur should be applauded. Herald Sun

The standing down of four squad members — including the vice-captain Shane Watson — is the head coach’s undeniable statement that enough is enough. It has already echoed around the cricket world. The Sydney Morning Herald dards of excellence Clarke and Arthur are trying to establish," the report said. “That one of the four should openly be seen smiling just moments after the announcement underlines the attitudinal problems that are eroding the team’s collective ambitions. “Watson, Johnson, Pattinson and Khawaja are paid more than $500,000 a year to play cricket for their country. That they failed to take part in a peer review aimed at improving the team is an indictment on their professionalism and shows a lack of respect for their colleagues and the baggy green," the report added.

Another major daily of Australia, ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ also stood behind Arthur and Clarke, saying the quartet had only got themselves to blame for their axing. “The standing down of four squad members - including the vice-captain Shane Watson - is the head coach’s undeniable statement that enough is enough. It has already echoed around the cricket world. “At home it was met with incredulity. How could professional sportsmen be treated as children? How can they be sacked for not completing homework? Is this an early April

Fool’s joke? “The quartet’s failure to complete the task asked of them - to deliver a presentation, by email or in person, explaining their virtues - was simply the trigger, however. The attitudes among some had been slipping before this assignment was handed out. Not all players are completing the ''wellness reports'' that they are meant to fill in every morning, and the management team Arthur, captain Michael Clarke and team manager Gavin Dovey - argue discipline has been on the slide for some time," the report added. PTI

Young Mickey, we don’t do this kind of nonsense here. We don’t mind you going on about it in private, in your odd meetings, and carrying on about self-improvement, and self-awareness, and all that touchy-feely mumbo-jumbo. Peter FitzSimons The Age

BOXING

Floyd says he’s gonna bust the ‘Ghost’ LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Unbeaten fighter Floyd Mayweather began promoting his return to the ring after a year’s absence on Monday, saying rival Robert Guerrero does not have a ghost of a chance of winning on May 4. Guerrero, whose nickname is “Ghost", will be the first foe for World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mayweather in a new six-fight, 30-month deal with CBS and Showtime that he claims is the biggest in boxing history. “My new deal is very thrilling for me and a motivation to fight more often," Mayweather said. “I know Guerrero has been campaigning to fight me for

quite a while now and I am happy to give him his opportunity. “I’m excited for the challenge and fully expect a good, tough fight. However, I do expect the same outcome for him as all of the others who have challenged me." Mayweather, 43-0 with 26 knockouts, has not fought since taking a unanimous 12-round decision from Miguel Cotto last May. Mayweather has served a 90-day jail sentence for domestic battery last year after his victory. US southpaw Guerrero, 31-11 with 18 knockouts, has won 15 fights in a row since suffering his only loss, a 2005 split-decision defeat at the hands of Mexico’s

Gamaliel Diaz. “I’m destined to dethrone Floyd," Guerrero said. “When we lock eyes across the ring on fight night he’s going to feel the presence of a man preordained for greatness." Mayweather was ranked as the highest-paid athlete in sports last year by Forbes magazine at $85 million a year, just ahead of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiaio, the major foe Mayweather has never fought. Should all six fights of his new deal take place and his payper-view averages of more than one million buys per fight hold, Mayweather says his new deal would be the largest for any individual athlete in sports history.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

sports

JUVENTUS COACH STAYS CONFIDENT Juventus coach Antonio Conte said he was absolutely certain he would face no further action after being interrogated by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Disciplinary Commission over a match-fixing scandal on Monday.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Schalke short of After a record-breaking start to the season, Barcelona have strikers

Barca hopes on line

GELSENKIRCHEN: With Holland striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar out injured after tearing knee ligaments, Schalke 04 have problems up front for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray. Schalke host Galatasaray in the last 16, second leg tie with a slight advantage after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw in Istanbul three weeks ago. But with Huntelaar, last season’s top scorer in the German league, out for several weeks having torn the medial ligament in his left knee, Schalke coach Jens Keller has only limited options up front. “There’s not much use in complaining, we have to accept things as they are,” said Keller, with neither of his reserve strikers, Teemu Pukki of Finland or Nigeria’s Chinedu Obasi, in form. Pukki took over after Huntelaar’s injury against Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory, but failed to make an impact and Peru forward Jefferson Farfan could be moved in from the wing on Tuesday. “Teemu really worked hard, but he needs more games to find his rhythm again,” said Keller. Former Hoffenheim forward Obasi has made just three league appearances all season for the Royal Blues, but took part in final training on Monday. “Obasi is an option,” said Schalke’s director of sport Horst Heldt. AFP

suffered a dip in form and face a stern test of their Champions League credentials against AC Milan on Tuesday night.

BY TIM HANLON MADRID: 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 haven’t kept a clean sheet in 13 games in all competitions until Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Deportivo la Coruna. It is a far cry from Milan’s own form as they notched a 10th league match in a row without defeat as they won 2-0 at Genoa on Friday night. Much of Barca’s problem has been caused by a failure to perform with the same intent up the pitch, starting with the forwards, which has allowed the opposition to have more time on the ball and expose their defensive flaws, as was shown clearly in the first leg at the San Siro. They also looked ragged and without ideas in the King’s Cup defeat by Real Madrid and while it could be argued that it is logical for a team to drop their form at some point during the course of the season, it has coincided with the absence of coach Tito Vilanova, who has been receiving cancer treatment in New York. Except for one game against Espanyol in early January, it has been assistant coach Jordi Roura who has been leading the team. Although he is in close contact with Vilanova, it appears as though he lacks the same discipline and strength of character to motivate the players.

CROATIA SLAMS PLATINI

The Croatian government slammed UEFA president Michel Platini on Monday over his “inappropriate” letter to Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic in which he urged the Balkan country to tackle hooliganism. “We regard this form of address... as diplomatically inappropriate,” read a letter to Platini signed by Croatia’s interior and sports ministers. Last month, Platini urged Croatia and Serbia to tackle hooliganism ahead of the high-risk March 22 World Cup qualiﬁer, the ﬁrst meeting between the two sides as independent nations since the bloody war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

NUMEROLOGY

Barcelona’s Jose Manuel Pinto (L) and Lionel Messi (R) take part in a training session at the Sports Center FC Barcelona Joan Gamper in Sant Joan AFP/ LLUIS GENE Despi, near Barcelona, on March 11.

Pre-match word play

arcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura said on Monday his team were ready to “revolutionise” their tactics as they look to overturn a 2-0 first leg defeat in Tuesday’s Champions League return against AC Milan.

C Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri insisted on Monday that his team would need to be even better than in the first leg to go through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

arcelona’s Gerard Pique insisted that they can win Monday. “We have one of the best teams in the history of this club and we know our qualities.”

However, he seems sure about how his team need to tackle Milan. “It is an important game and the one that we have been focusing on. We are clear about how we are going to approach it,” he said after the Deportivo game. “We know how Milan are going to play and how we will do ourselves. I don’t think there is a problem psychologically and we are all very much up for Tuesday’s game.” Roura rested a number of players against Depor who will start against Milan, including Lionel Messi, and again Barca lacked their typical slick passing, committing too many errors and needing Messi to come on and score the second to secure the win. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS UEFA reject Lazio stadium appeal

Seven charged in murder of linesman

Fuerth appoint Kramer as coach

Nigerian Emeghara stars in Siena victory

PARIS: UEFA on Monday rejected Serie A outﬁt Lazio’s appeal at what the club termed an “excessive” punishment of having to play their next two home Europa League games behind closed doors following incidents in their last European outing. There was racist behaviour in their recent 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

LELYSTAD: Six teenagers and one of their fathers appeared before a Dutch court on Monday to face charges over the killing of a football linesman last year, in a case that shocked the football-mad country. At a pre-trial hearing, the teenagers and a 51-year-old man whose 16year-old son was with him in the dock, were all charged.

BERLIN: Bundesliga bottom side Greuther Fuerth, who lie 14 points from safety with nine games left, on Monday appointed Frank Kramer as their new coach on a contract until 2015. Kramer, 40, replaces Mike Bueskens, who was ﬁred last month despite leading Fuerth into the Bundesliga for their ﬁrst time in their history last season.

PARIS: Nigerian Innocent Emeghara scored one goal and created the other as Siena won 2-1 at Palermo in a weekend Series A relegation clash. Emeghara, who is on loan from French club Lorient, equalised after 51 minutes and won the penalty in the closing stages that was converted to secure maximum points.

Sri Lankan Manilal Fernando, a member of world governing body FIFA’s Executive Committee, has been provisionally suspended from all football-related activities for 90 days.

MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Arsene Wenger has told Arsenal to “make the impossible possible” at Bayern Munich with the Gunners needing to score at least three times in Wednesday’s Champions League last 16, second leg clash.

Everyone thinks when Guardiola comes everything will be better. Of course, there are things which can be improved, for example the team’s shape, but it is going to be hard to top this season. Franz Beckenbauer on Guardiola as Bayern coach