Postnoon E-Paper for March 15th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 27°C

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

32 PAGES

AUSSIE OPENERS GO INTO ANOTHER BOUT OF BYPOLLS LUNCH IN STRONG POSITION THRUST UPON US? Electing to bat, Australia were 109 for no loss at lunch on the second day of the third cricket Test against India in Mohali today. David Warner was unbeaten on 54, while Ed Cowan was batting on 43. Australia must win this Test to keep alive any hope of drawing the four-Test series.

The stage is being set for another avoidable by-election for 15 or 16 Assembly seats with the no-confidence motion being put to a vote today. Eight MLAs from the Congress and seven from the TDP who have crossed camps to the YSRC will attract disqualification, leading to by-polls.

P31

FLASH

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

EXCLUSIVE!

GHMC LOSES THE PLOT!

The GHMC is probably the richest civic landlord in the country, but the corporation makes no effort to wrest a reasonable rent from its properties. Imagine the extent of misuse — some tenants have even sublet the property and are earning a handsome income! Is it laziness or corruption?

REPORT ON P4

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

city events

FILM-MAKING WORKSHOP

Yavanika Films is conducting a four-weekend workshop starting March 16. It will teach participants to write scripts and understand the concepts film-making and editing. Each participant will make their own short film as part of the workshop. The contact number is 94901 00404.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

30°C

21°C

27°C

35°C

Clear with cloudy periods.

Mostly clear.

Sunny.

Sunny. Windy at times.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 29 Max 32 Min 17 Min 24 Partly cloudy.

Chennai Max 32 Min 24

Partly cloudy.

Bangalore Max 33 Min 20 Partly cloudy.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES 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

DINING Easter goodies Hot cross buns, Easter Bunnies, and Easter chocolates are part of the special Easter menu. Where: Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: March 25-31 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 Saturday sunset BBQ Bring your family and friends for a fun barbecue evening with grilled specialties, a variety of Kebabs and a whole lot of Asian delights. Where: The Square When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422 Special lunch There is a special lunch buffet at Kailash Parbat. It includes chats, starters, soup, welcome drinks and desserts. There are special packages for kitty groups and big groups. Where: Kailash Parbat, Above Ebony Gautier, second ﬂoor, Road no. 36, Jubilee Hills When: ongoing Contact: (040) 2355 8856

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

MISCELLANEOUS OVERLOAD: A tempo loaded with produce at Tarnaka, Secunderabad.

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 Sangeet Sandhya Aradhana Karhade presents an evening of Hindustani classical performances. Where: Lamakaan, Lane Adjacent to CBay, Opposite GVKOne, Road No 1, Banjara Hills

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

When: March 16, 7pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

N SHIVA KUMAR

ART

Imany World music- jazz and soul. Where: Hyderabad International Convention Centre Novotel & HICC complex When: March 15 Contact: (040) 2355 4486

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

Deccan Voices — Choral Ensemble Hyderabad Western Music Foundation, along with musicians and singers in the City, are celebrating Lamakaan’s 3rd anniversary. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: March 15, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

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. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: March 16-21 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466

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

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

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, Contact: (040) 31002959 Spring Treasure Sale There is a sale of up to 50 per cent off at Taj Khazana, which showcases artefacts as well as a selection of garments, stoles, shawls and accessories from various Indian designers. Where: Taj Khazana Taj Falaknuma Palace When: March 15-25 Contact: (040) 6629 8600

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

SHOULD AP GO FOR NUCLEAR POWER IN VIEW OF POWER CRISIS? 72% 28%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

IS LOWERING THE AGE OF CONSENT AN INJUDICIOUS MOVE BY THE GOVERNMENT? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Gang of snatchers busted, 4 held And they are not desperadoes but educated and well-placed in private industries. Then, what was the motive behind the crime? Police make a breakthrough in snatching cases. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

he police have taken into custody four men who are suspected to be behind a series of chainsnatching incidents that have been raging in the City for quite some time. The Pahadishareef police have recovered seven bikes and eight tolas of gold ornaments from their possession. They used to wear big helmets to mask their identities. Three of the gang took to their

heels when news of the police closing in on them came. The arrested have been identified as Syed Masood, 21, a resident of Jahangirabad; Salam Bin Hussain, 22, a resident of Barraks; Syed Hyderuddin, 21, a resident of Quba colony; and Mohammed Allahuddin, 19, a resident of Barraks. The other three gang members — Sattar, Ali and Akber — have managed to escape. The four have been remanded in judicial custody and imprisoned. The prima facie police

The seven-member gang is involved in at least 14 snatching cases, police believe. They used different bikes with false number plates. inquiry reveals something deeper than a simple crime. The arrested are not poor men who are desperate to make a living. They are educated and well

POWER PROTEST

YSRC MLAs paid tribute to the Basheerbagh firing victims at their memorial on Thursday. They also staged a march to the Assembly to protest power cuts. N SHIVA KUMAR

employed in private companies, which gives rise to suspicion that there is more to the snatching than a bid to make easy money. “There could be a conspiracy angle,” remarked a police officer. The seven-member gang is involved in at least 14 snatching cases, police believe. They used different bikes on different occasions with false number plates. They would also use disguises

and wear different outfits to mislead the public and police. Meanwhile, the Gandhinagar police also arrested an alleged bike thief identified as GV Shanta Ram, 36, a resident of Kavadiguda in Secunderabad, and seized four stolen bikes from his possession. He works as a labourer and also goes around lifting bikes to make an extra sum, police said. With his arrest, a dozen or so cases of bike stealing are likely to be solved.

CRIME

‘Govt conspiring to gag Opposition’ C PI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao (in pic) has alleged that by constituting standing committees, the State government has conspired to deny rights of the opposition parties to talk and participate in discussions on all issues in the House. Speaking to the media on the premises of the Assembly, Sambasiva Rao pointed out that as CPI members have been appointed members only in four standing committees, they would get a chance to discuss on the four subjects only. Even the big parties in the House would not get an opportunity to participate in discussions on all issues, he added. He charged the government with killing the time of the House in the name of standing committees. Stating that the adjournment motion notice given by his party on power shortage issue was rejected by the Speaker, Rao alleged that Andhra Pradesh was top among the states which were imposing power cuts in the

country. His party would raise its voice on various issues during the no-confidence motion against Kiran Kumar Reddy’s government, when it came up in the House, he maintained. If all opposition parties remained united, the ensuing budget session would become the last Assembly session for the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, he added. NSS

city FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

CIVIC EXCLUSIVE

LAST YEAR... HERE

Richest earns the least!

CoP planning

ast year we had reported how GHMC ofﬁcials were excited about the funds coming in to deck the City for CoP-11. The commissioner held a meeting to discuss how to undertake the mammoth task of beautifying and sprucing up the City. But what started with such hope quickly turned to disillusionment, as the civic body scrambled to use the funds.

MARCH 15, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

of 75 slums in the City, when tested for groundwater and drinking water quality, had water bodies with high pollution levels, with high alkalinity and nitrate levels.

Because of scarcity and fall in water quality, it is certain we will have to pay FSA charges for water supply, just like we are paying for electricity charges now.

GHMC is probably the richest civic landlord in the country, but, alas, it makes no effort to wrest a reasonable rent from its properties. Some tenants have even sublet the property and are earning handsome rent. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

he GHMC continues to lose huge sums in revenue from estates. Occupants of commercial spaces carry on with their business though the lease period expired several years ago. When it comes to properties, the GHMC is perhaps one of the richest corporations in India. Eighteen big commercial complexes and 25 municipal markets are no mean estate. Properly done, earnings from these would have filled the civic kitty to its brim and the GHMC could have given better amenities to its citizens. But no, the corporation sits tight like an owl in a hole, feigning ignorance

despite the High Court asking it to re-auction the properties. Putli Bowli Complex, Sultan Bazaar Complex, Chilkalguda Complex, Buddha Bhavan Complex and Nacharam Complex are some of the biggest complexes. The rent received from the complexes (all 18) is a laughable sum of `56,89,129 per month. “It could be `56 crore if the GHMC slapped market rent,” remarked a functionary of the corporation. Take, for instance, Hari Hara Kala Bhavan, which has 24 commercial spaces. The lease period of some of the shops expired in 1989. As per the official records, allotment for Raj Enterprises was in 1984 and the period of lease expiry was 1989. An interesting fact is that some of the tenants have even subleased the property to others. With 71 commercial spaces,

the Buddha Bhavan is one of the important properties owned by the GHMC. The spaces were given on lease in 1993 and 1994. While around five spaces are sub-leased to others, the ‘nature of business’ for most of the commercial spaces is not defined and remains blank. On her visit, even the additional commissioner was surprised by the kind of businesses running in the complex. Abids commercial complex, with 85 spaces, is a unique case, where a single person is occupying 18 shops, but the irony is that ‘business has not started’. The year of expiry is 2008. Similar to Buddha Bhavan, the commercial spaces are being leased out to sub-lessee by around 10 individuals. While the Head Office has only three commercial spaces, as almost all the spaces are occupied by union offices, the

spaces are not listed in the records. For the markets, like MJ Market (in pic), the date of expiry for some of the shops is as far back as 1973. The market has 189 spaces occupied by businessmen for decades. According to the additional commissioner, after the lease period expires, the government should take over the issue; nothing that the GHMC or its ‘standing committee’ can do. If the GHMC does, it would be in violation of High Court orders and government norms. The standing committee can only take up the issue while leasing out for the first time. “We shall be initiating action in near future. After seeking permission from the higher officials, a strong case will be made,” said GD Priyadarshini, additional commissioner (estates). FILE PHOTO

D Reddy, convener See page 7

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

No confidence about noconfidence motion. All the opposition parties are threatening a no-confidence motion, but the main Opposition, TDP, is rethinking its options. The ruling party now is planning a confidence vote instead.

Water wars not such a distant possibility. With summer coming, concerned citizens have started worrying about water. With indiscriminate drawing of groundwater, misuse and pollution of water bodies, our future seems grim.

NEWS BRIEFS

Global outlook, local loyalties for Gen Z. They might keep an eye on world happenings, but their ties to the country are as strong as ever.

SSC hall tickets available online

Petrol price to drop by one rupee

Woman’s chain snatched in hospital

19-year-old complains of harassment

Empty Hyderabad wins empty awards. Hyderabad has bagged four tourism awards at a time when most are avoiding the City.

The grand old party’s young onslaught irks many. Rahul Gandhi’s youth-centric policies for his party have rufﬂed the feathers of many a veteran.

n view of the coming SSC public exams, the SSC Board has uploaded hall tickets of the students onto its website www.bseap.org. Students can download the hall ticket from Friday onwards. Board director B Manmadha Reddy assured SSC students that strict action will be taken against ofﬁcials for not issuing hall tickets on any pretext.

he price of petrol is set to get cheaper by a rupee following the fall in crude oil prices. The Indian Oil Corporation, which is the largest fuel retailer with over 50 per cent market share, is expected to announce the cut in prices on Friday. On the other hand, diesel prices are expected to go up by 5060 paisa per litre.

resident of Jeedimetla, G Ellamma, 55, who is working in the physiotherapy department of Gandhi Hospital, lost her four-tola gold chain on Thursday in the hospital premises. She was going for lunch when an unidentiﬁed youth came from behind, snatched her gold chain and disappeared even as she raised an alarm.

resident of a women’s hostel in Begumpet has complained of harassment. R Nandani, 19, who is from Adilabad district and is employed in a private ﬁrm, lodged a complaint against Vikas, 22, the son of a hostel warden. She complained that the youth was brazenly teasing and attempting to molest her. Police have booked the youth.

city FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

POLITICS

All set for another bout of bypolls? No-confidence motion may fail to achieve its aim of toppling the government, but it is set to lead to by-elections in at least 16 Assembly constituencies as these MLAs will be disqualified for cross voting. N SHIVA KUMAR

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

The government had the option of moving a confidence motion too but it chose to take up the opposition’s challenge.

confident Kiran sarkar today took up the gauntlet thrown by the TRS against it. In a day packed with action and drama in the Assembly, the TRS-sponsored noconfidence motion was taken up, with 45 members supporting it. Soon after the speaker saw the numbers backing the NCM — TRS 17, TDP MLA backing TRS one, BJP three, TNS one, CPI three, CPM 1, YSRC 17 and one independent — he adjourned the House to hold a Business Advisory Committee meeting to decide the course of action. At the time of going to press, it was learnt that the House will take up the NCM immediately and dispose of it with voting by afternoon or evening. A confident government had the option of moving a confidence motion too but it chose to take up the opposition’s challenge and tear it up. The confidence of the government came

from the TDP, which had decided to stay away from the NCM. While the NCM is fated to be a stillborn, the NCM voting may pave way for at least 16 Assembly by-elections, as those who jumped the fence will be disqualified. Those facing the prospects of by-poll belong to Congress (eight), TDP (seven), others (one). It is learnt that the speaker has allowed eight hours in all for discussions on NCM. TRS gets one hour, Congress 1.50 hours, TDP 1.35 hours, BJP 15 minutes, CPI 20 minutes, Lok Satta and CPM 10 minutes YSRC 1.30 hours. Though the fate of the NCM is clear, the discussions are sure to set the House on fire.

NO CONFIDENCE MOTION

ASSEMBLY

Govt mulls counter-strike ‘TDP should have The mercury level in the AP Assembly has risen even before the peak of summer with the no-confidence motion taking the House by storm. N SHIVA KUMAR

The CM and his team have decided to exercise the Anti Defection Law, to rein in the nine Congress party MLAs who have joined YSR Congress.

ANTI-DEFECTION LAW TO BE USED

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he parties which gave the notice on no-confidence — the TRS, CPI, BJP and YSRC — have shifted the gun to the TDP camp which has already shot down the NCM proposal. To embarrass the TDP, TRS has renewed its appeal to the

party to vote for the motion if it believes that the Congress government was harmful for the State.

BUOYANT GOVT PLANS CONFIDENCE MOTION With the notice NCM moved and the opposition lacking the number, the government may turn it into a vote of confidence.

The chief minister and his team have also decided to exercise the master weapon, Anti Defection Law, to rein in the nine Congress party MLAs who have joined YSR Congress. Speaking to Postnoon, YSR Congress MLA Amaranatha Reddy said that the ruling Congress will not hesitate to exercise the law to disqualify the nine MLAs if they voted against the government. After disqualifying them, the government could go in for a vote of trust.

issued whip to vote’ KTR said the CM has failed to mobilise enough Central funds for victims of natural disasters.

inding fault with the TDP for issuing whip to its MLAs asking them not to cast votes in favour of ‘no-trust’ motion introduced by the TRS, CPI, BJP and YSRC parties here on Thursday against the State government, TRS senior legislator K Taraka Ramarao has sarcastically said instead of issuing a whip not to vote in favour of ‘notrust’ motion, the TDP should have issued a whip asking its MLAs to vote in favour of the government directly. Speaking at the Assembly along with party MLAs Gampa Goverdhan, Jogu Ramanna and Dr T Rajaiah, KTR alleged that the TDP succumbed to the Congress. He also alleged that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was trying to protect the CM’s government. KTR alleged that Kiran government has miserably failed to get Central assistance to extend help to the victims of natural dis-

asters in the State. He said the government sent proposals seeking `3,566 crore assistance, and it could only get a paltry `417 crore from the Centre. He pointed out that Maharashtra and Gujarat have succeeded in getting more Central funds, and the State had succeeded in getting only 4 per cent of funds of those States. He said the TRS would submit a representation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to release more funds to extend help to the victims of the natural calamities. KTR also alleged that the CM has miserably failed to achieve industrial corridor and more funds in railway budget. Gampa Goverdhan alleged that the State government has utterly failed to extend help to Dubai victims and demanded that the State government allot `500 crore in the budget to be introduced on March 18 to extend help to those victims. NSS

city FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

FAMILY COURTS

Whose case is it anyway?

Family courts which deal with such urgent issues as marital discord function at a snail’s pace, thanks to lawyers’ penchant for adjournments, and vacancies of judges not getting filled up. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

ack of serious efforts on the part of the government and the legal fraternity has been leading to a huge pile up of marital cases in City family courts. In Hyderabad alone every year nearly 7,500 cases are being filed in the four family courts, of which 60 per cent are pending at any point of time. Veteran lawyers attribute the increase in rate of pendency to the liberal adjournment of cases for different reasons. The propensity for keeping a case pending is so deep-rooted that it has become the order of the day. Senior advocate Gopal Krishna Kalanidhi says, “Nearly 150 cases are listed every day, out of which 100 cases are adjourned to different dates for different reasons. Of the remaining 50 cases, the judge adjourns another 30

cases by evening for different reasons and only in 20 cases some slight progress is made.”

LITIGANTS ARE LOSERS

For every adjournment, the lawyer charges the client `700, says Kalanidhi. This may be one

reason that encourages adjournments, he says. His brave stance is corroborated by a few other lawyers who, however, did not want to be named. One such litigant, Padma (name changed) says, “ I came all the way from my native place 50

DANGEROUS HYDERABAD

M ANIL KUMAR

LANE DISCIPLINE?

ane discipline is barely followed in Hyderabad, despite heavy police presence at traffic junctions in the last few days. Hyderabad is notorious for its chaotic traffic and indifference to traffic rules. This picture was taken at Necklace Road. A four-wheeler took a sudden about turn in the middle of the busy road. People tend to drive pretty fast along this stretch, making it even more dangerous and accident-prone when someone jumps lanes. The absence of a divider gives riders a free hand, allowing them to take a turn anywhere on the road.

Two-wheelers riding on the right side of the road to avoid a longer route is not an uncommon site either. In other places in the City where plastic dividers are put up, vehicles are seen toppling them and switching lanes. Permanently fixed dividers are needed to curb the problem. Motorists are also seen jumping lanes and moving dangerously close to cars and buses to avoid traffic signals or because they are impatient to wait. This increases the risk of accidents for commuters as well as pedestrians.

kilometres away for a hearing two days ago. But on reaching here I was told that due to a bandh I must return and come back another day. It is very frustrating. In 2009, I filed a divorce petition and have been running around courts for the final judgment ever since. In the process. I am not only losing my time, but also a lot of money.” Over and above the usual adjournments are the bandhs and protests. Says a senior advocate C Srinath, “For any trivial reason a protest takes place, which is often political than legal.” It affects the working of the court. “If the Bar Council has any issue, it tells the advocates to protest about the issue by wearing a badge as a symbol of protest. It does not ask them to stay away completely from work. But protests often lead to disruption of works,” says Kalanidhi.

Another reason for increasing pendency is the judiciary’s failure to fill up vacant posts of judges. In Andhra Pradesh, 146 judge posts are lying unfilled. “Once a judge gets transferred or has retired, another judge has to be appointed. However, this is not happen-

For every adjournment, the lawyer charges the client `700. Some lawyers say this could be one reason why cases get adjourned. ing and for years the post of the judge is left vacant. For example, since three years the post of the XI Additional Senior Civil Judge has been vacant. The consequences are reflected on the working of the courts,” says a City-based advocate.

city FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

WATER WOES

Water war a distinct possibility in City

Government ought to step in to save water bodies as they would humans and stop indiscriminate water-drawing and construction to thwart a possible calamity. PRE MONSOON WATER QUALITY - NOVEMBER 2013 Total Samples 65 Safe Samples 3 Unsafe Samples 62 Unsafe Due to Total Dissolved Samples 0 Hardness 10 Chlorides 0 Nitrate 0 Sulphates 0 Fluoride 4 Total Microbial Count 36 Most Probable Number 61 E.Coli 2

PRE- MONSOON WATER QUALITY- MARCH 2013

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

t’s no doomsday soothsaying. It is a cold fact. The City is hurtling towards a water crisis as groundwater is unimaginably polluted. With no check on construction anywhere and everywhere, indiscriminate water-drawing, destruction of lakes and streams and river, the 80 plus lakh population faces a grim future. A discussion on Water Governance, convened by Chetana Society, on Thursday brought experts and scientists together who, after examining the tests conducted for water purity recently, came to the conclusion that rain water harvesting could mitigate the water shortage but it would not replenish groundwater. Destruction of streams and lakes was a calamitous act, they opined. Prominent among the panelists were D Narasimha Reddy, convenor of Chetana Society, S Hari Krishna, Additional

Commissioner of GHMC North Zone, D Ramakrishna, Retired Chief Engineer of HMWS&SB and others. The fact that drinking water and groundwater will soon be extinct from the City’s resources was every panellist’s view. While the need for rainwater harvesting was promoted at every minute of the discussion, D Ramakrishna said, “It is foolish to think that through rainwater harvesting, we will be able to restore the City’s groundwater levels. There is absolutely no guarantee in this system that it will rejuvenate all the lost capacity of groundwater. However, it is certain that if rainwater harvesting were to be practiced seriously by every household, there will be sufficient water supply but not the same amount as there was earlier, say 10 years back.” he said. The issue of groundwater pollution received much attention when Narasimha Reddy insisted that rainwater pits, that soak in rain water, do not guar-

Most highly polluted water found in n Nacharam n Bholakpur n Saidabad n Chaderghat n Addagutta n Punjagutta n Naga Vaikuntam

antee pollution free water supply. “Considering the amount of oil and dust particulate matter we have in this City, we cannot blindly trust rainwater harvesting to produce clean drinking water for us. This should undergo treatment by various filters,” he said.

POLLUTION LEVELS SHOCKING Groundwater and drinking water quality tests were conducted by the Joint Action for Water

supported by WaterAid India and the survey was implemented by Chetana Society, monitoring groundwater quality tests in 75 slums of Hyderabad. According to B Vamsi, of the 75 areas in the City, seven localities registered the highest amounts of pollution levels in their groundwater reserves. According to B Vamsi from Chetana Society who was part of the groundwater testing, “ Most of these areas ie; 69 out of 75, registered high pollution levels like alkalinity with Ph being more than 8.5. Post-monsoon samples indicate high nitrate content. But the areas around Nacharam indicated high fluoride levels because of the presence of industrial units around it.” Among the 75 areas tested for groundwater pollution, the highest amounts of pollution levels were registered in Nacharam, Bholakpur, Saidabad, Chaderghat, Addagutta, Punjagutta, Naga Vaikuntam. Nacharam and Bholakpur were shown to have severe amounts of

Total Samples 40 Safe Samples 3 Unsafe Samples 37 Unsafe due to total dissolved solids 0 Hardness 13 Chlorides 0 Nitrates 0 Sulphates 0 Fluoride 14 Total Microbial Count 13 Most Probable Number 28 E.Coli 0 fluoride and heavy metal contents in groundwater. According to D Narasimha Reddy, chief mentor at Chetana Society, “Not only does the City have absolutely depleting groundwater levels, whatever little water we have is polluted and contaminated. And because of this scarcity and fall in water quality, it is absolutely certain that we will have to pay FSA charges for water supply just like we are paying for electricity charges right now. The situation is grim and we need to take stock of this, before water wars occur in the future.”

COMPARISON BETWEEN PRE AND POST- MONSOON QUALITY : Safe Unsafe Unsafe due to total Samples Samples dissolved solids

Hardness

Chlorides Nitrate

Sulphates

Fluoride

Total Microbial Count

Most probable number

E.Coli

Pre -monsoon

Post monsoon

city FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

REPORTER’S DIARY

YSRC, a game changer?

he YSRC has proved a game changer where both the big parties, the Congress and the TDP, find themselves hapless victims. The sight of big brothers being tweaked, prodded and ridiculed is to be seen to be believed. On Thursday the former TDP MLAs who had joined the YSRC had come in the distinct YSRC dress and insignia to provoke their erstwhile colleagues to lodge a complaint against them. Though their scheme fell through as the Desham ignored the taunting, the message was clear. ‘We have no rule, you be beware.’ (IA)

UPRIGHT POLICE OFFICER IS A RARE COMMODITY TODAY It is not often that we come across upright police officers these days. Probity is something gone out of fashion while the pliable and the corrupt are the order of the day. Deputy commissioner of police, South Zone, Dr Tarun Joshi is one of the rare breed. The doctor who donned the uniform has told political and religious leaders not to come with recommendations or for any favour: come through proper channels. This means one should try the police stations or approach him without the help of the Netas. In fact, he, by so saying, conveys to the bloated egos that he considers all equal before law, whether he is a peanut vendor or a political leader. His forthright approach has dissuaded many ‘self appointed custodians of moral laws’ to keep off. And, this gives a great relief to the ranks because when they know the boss is no-nonsense man, they dare not indulge outright corruption, and need not worry too much about bigwigs. While this may be an uncomfortable situation for the Netajis, it is a great relief to the commoners. His visiting times are open to all. Reporter wishes the officer well. (MS)

A BIT THICK, THIS AWARD

It is of course a matter of pride for every Hyderabadi to know his City has earned tourism awards. Hyderabad bagged four such awards recently, but what surprised some is that tourism in the City has, of late, taken a beating. Not only are tourists avoiding the City but its own people do not venture out after dark without a strong reason. It’s been more than three weeks since the Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts but roads continue to look weary and lacklustre after sunset.

Shop owners know it best. The biggest mobile market in the City, Jagadish Market, for instance, has lost everything to the indiscriminate frisking by the police. Awarding the City has come at an inopportune time, many feel. (MN)

‘KANGRESS’ VETERANS VS YOUTH Man, by nature, dislikes change, and likes status quo in any field of life and living. That is why revolutionaries are few. In AP’s Congress politics the change sought to be made by Rahul Gandhi is being perceived as a threat by the ‘veterans’ who have made Congress camp their fiefdom. It is said that Rahul’s condition of not giving tickets to twice-defeated and one-manone-post has already irked the ‘veterans’ like PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana. Some 60 per cent of Congress leaders are ‘veteran’ category who would hate to give space to the ‘youth’ as Rahul wants. The way Rahul is going, there won’t be long before the AP Congress saw an upheaval. And, the AP youth congress president Dr Challa Vamsichand Reddy be warned, lest he would live in the domain of overconfidence and face a revolt from the veterans. (PK)

TWO HOOTS FOR THE LAW

It is a truism that when people violate rules with impunity, it’s a sure sign of corruption. Bribery

sedates the law keepers, whether they be civic or police. Look at (pictured) the waste hills being created along the Road No 18, Jubilee Hills (above), where the movers and shakers live. Two

massive houses have been in the making for over a year. And, the road, once lined with trees is reduced to a narrow ribbon with the contractors dump all the debris and wastes on the road-

side that kicks up dust every time vehicles pass. It is inconceivable this can happen without the knowledge of the GHMC building inspectors and other officials. Nor could police say they do not know, for right across this road, some 100 yards away lives AP Assembly Speaker N Manohar where a police posse is posted 24x7. Neighbours, afraid to touch the bigwigs, who make palatial bungalows, suffer silently. What a tragedy! (PK)

HI CHIRU, TAKE A LOOK!

Exactly opposite the Begumpet MMTS Station entrance on the flyover, if one were to carefully look around while driving, he/she might spot an oddity that the GHMC has not been able to do so far. Garbage, several big bags of garbage are neatly packed and hung under the lampposts abutting the flyover's parapet wall (left). Whether it was a vandal who wanted to prove a point, or whether this was part of the City Beautification Project, nobody will ever know. What is evident is that our City trumps all expectations when it comes to talking about cleanliness. Perhaps this was one of the considerations Chiranjeevi had when he decided to award the Best Civic Management laurel to the GHMC! (RR) (Contributed by Md Nizamuddin, Mohd Subhan, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Rahul Ramakrishna & PK Surendran. Pics Balakrishna, Shiva)

AGE OF FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

A PAGE DEDICATED TO THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF GEN Z

THE GLOBAL INDIANS

The world is a global village for Gen Z. But that, they say, doesn’t make them forget their roots.

DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

ndia held its breath as the US presidential election results were announced. We know now that what happens on the other side of the world impacts our lives and economy. We celebrated the feats of NASA and ESA, not just ISRO’s; each step was, after all, a great achievement for all of mankind. Foreign authors, TV dramas, artistes are as popular in India as they are in their respective countries. ‘The world is shrinking six degrees of separation’ is easily applicable. We are connected. “(Our) outlooks have changed. Curiosity is killing us all. We want to know what’s hap-

pening in the remotest corner of not only Africa, but space too. (Whether) this connectivity is good or bad, only time will tell,” says Komal Agrawal, 23, an employee of Schneider Electrics, Bangalore. With the world turning into a global village and boundaries are fast diminishing. Gen Z finds itself in an era of unparalleled technological growth. It has never been easier to stay connected across continents. Youngsters are ready to grab opportunities anywhere in the world. And this change is being felt everywhere. People emigrate and immigrate. Each nation has become multi-cultural. “If anyone wants to take the credit for making the world, a global village, it's the internet. Thanks to it, we now are in a position to learn and appreciate how people live in other parts of the world. And without knowing it, we begin to incorporate differ-

They follow news from every nook and corner. They can empathise, relate to and react to the happenings in different countries. ent cultures in our everyday lives. Most importantly, we begin to realise how similar we all are, beneath our layers, irrespective of race, caste, creed, location etc,” said Phalgun Lolur, 23, a resident of Hyderabad, who is currently doing his PhD in the University of Missouri, Rolla. Be it the Arab Spring, politics and economy of neighbouring countries, drought, floods or human rights issues in another part of the world, we are interested in being informed about all of it. The importance given to world news has increased

tremendously over the decades. And with technology, the way news is delivered itself has changed. There is something new happening somewhere ever second. “People are more inclined towards world news,” said Nikita Hinduja, 20, a student at St Mary’s. “People are more interested in what happens elsewhere.” But has globalism impacted patriotism in any way? While some, like Nikita, feel patriotism is dying a slow death, others say it’s more about awareness, interacting and connecting with people from all over the world. “Just because you follow what happens in Afghanistan or Uganda, it doesn’t mean you are not patriotic,” says Kavya Vinod, 23, a student of actuarial sciences. “It’s not related (globalism and patriotism). I wasn’t as crazy about the elections in India as I

was about Obama winning the elections (in the United States). It is because of the way the political system is in India. Patriotism doesn’t mean that you should follow (news related to) our political system. Supporting the Indian team doesn’t make you patriotic. It is being Indian and being proud of it. It is to respect one’s country.” Gen Z is quite clear with its distinctions. They appreciate good talent no matter which part of the world it is from. They follow news from every nook and corner. They can empathise, relate to and react to the happenings in different countries. Intercontinental politics, governance, civics, history — they want to know it all. They grab opportunities, if they know it’s best for them, and even if it’s not in their own country. But that does not, in any way, affect how they feel about their country. They are global Indians.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Business

SAMSUNG SHARES FALL AFTER S4 LAUNCH Shares in Samsung Electronics fell 1.7 per cent in early trade in Seoul on Friday, hours after the launch of the company’s latest flagship smartphone in New York. Samsung was trading around 1,494,000 won mid-morning owing to profit-taking led by foreign investors.

E-COMMERCE

DREAMLINER BACK

To discount or not to? With investors reluctant to back start-ups, offering discounts is a challenge.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

he e-commerce industry, which took off well in the country, is struggling to get investments in this phase. One of the most common reasons for this is that many investors have turned prudent before investing in and backing e-commerce start-ups. Although, many e-commerce companies are making ample revenues, none of them have turned out to be profitable so far due to deep discounts and heavy investments in inventory, warehousing and logistics. However, the challenge lies for the start-ups who cannot give deep discounts like the big players and still be in the race for sales. Even, if they try to do so, it puts their sustenance in a fix, with lack of sufficient finances.

Questions to ponder before venturing into e-commerce n Are you solving a real problem? n Which set of users are you targetting? n Are you creating natural intrinsic reason for a customer to get back to the store for buying? n Are you spending efﬁciently? n Does the deep discount support the business economics? nIs the idea capital light and scalable? n Can it be self-funded?

“Earlier, funding for e-commerce businesses was easy, but it is a challenge in the current scenario. Investors are very

sceptic before backing start-ups. However, any industry can face this phase and it is not specific to e-commerce. A lot of people invest money and help build businesses but only the ones with strong and real fundamentals will survive,” says Suchi Mukherjee, founder and CEO, Limeroad.com. “The investing phase was in 2011 and in early 2012 and it gradually eased out for e-commerce companies,” says Rama Raju R, CEO, Upto75.com. Talking about discount strategy to attract customers, Suchi says, “Deep discounts do not solve a problem. Instead business get stuck in a zone where users are not loyal to the company but to the price. There will always be a cluster of people who chase the product at lower prices and buy them. However, these discounts or coupons can-

not rope in consumer loyalty to brands. One should realise that 50 per cent of the products are sold at full price and lack of differentiation between sellers lead to such discounts.” “Discounting should be viable for the economics of the businesses. It is very difficult to have customer loyalty for the online store. Proximity to the buyer majorly drives sales in a physical retail store. Likewise, it is the discount that drives sales in an online store. Every seller guarantees service and delivery and there is no real differentiation apart from discounting price when they are selling a branded products. Online dynamics work on discounting. Giving vouchers or providing discounts on the products will be long-term play for the big players but a small player cannot afford discounts,” he says. “However, there are other factors like availability, which drive sales. Availability and offering a range of products to the customer in an e-commerce store also doesn’t come cheap. This will depend on factors like warehouse capability and investing on inventory. Again, affordability and investment support is an issue to maintain a huge inventory,” he says. Suchi recommends e-commerce ventures should not chase growth for the sake of it. Solving a problem with capital light and scalable business idea is the need of the day. “The margins are also very less for e-commerce players when selling branded products. Businesses can differentiate by exclusive sourcing or manufacturing of products, which is not easily replicable by other players and gradually turn out as brands. These brand of products can give decent margins. Start-ups should also be able to sustain with self-funding and get their economics right if they choose to discount,” adds Raju.

10g GOLD `29,700 10g GOLD`31,100 1kg `60,100 1kg SILVER `54,700

24C 24C

for for

DOLLAR `53.79 `54.10 `85.15 POUND `81.55

The grounded Dreamliner is “absolutely” safe and will be back in the air within weeks, planemaker Boeing said in Japan on Friday, as it sought to reassure airlines and passengers about its aircraft. The 50 planes grounded around the world since two lithium-ion battery malfunctions sparked a global no-fly order in midJanuary will get fixes to their systems and be operational again soon, senior executives said. Ray Connor, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said fixes the company had put in place and which were now undergoing flight testing meant the aircraft would be back in the skies soon.

NUMEROLOGY

$307

is how much the value of India’s pharmaceutical products exported to oil-rich Nigeria surged to.

JT CEOS FOR SAMSUNG Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that the heads of its consumer electronics and mobile divisions had been promoted to become joint CEOs of the South Korean giant. The reshufﬂe, announced at an annual general shareholders’ meeting, leaves the company with three joint CEOs. Boo-Keun Yoon, head of the TV unit, and mobile division chief JK Shin will become co-CEOs with Kwon OhHyun, who will also retain his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The promotions were announced as the world’s biggest technology company by revenue unveiled its latest ﬂagship Galaxy S4 smartphone.

THUS SPAKE The Italian experience shows that market pressures and public ﬁnance imperatives are a driver for overdue action — but a more comprehensive strategy is needed. MARIO MONTI, ITALIAN PREMIER

BSE 6,057.70 5,896.15 NSE

20,025.67 19,503.62 44.10 67.00 9.20 12.80

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

nation

4 HELD FOR SEX DETERMINATION RACKET Four persons, including a doctor, were arrested for allegedly running a sex determination racket from Prem Nagar area in a sting operation by police, a senior officer said here. Doctor Arun Kumar Shrama, technician Jhamanlal, tout Purushottam and Kamaljeet were arrested for running the sex determination racket.

HALL OF SHAME

MARINES ROW

Odisha minister quits after dowry charge

Italian mayor offers to sponsor fishermen’s kids

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha's Law and Urban Development Minister Raghunath Mohanty today resigned on "moral grounds" after his daughter-inlaw filed a dowry case against him and his family members. The minister rushed to Naveen Nivas, residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and tendered his resignation in the wake of registration of a case at Balasore Town Police Station against him and his family members. "I have submitted my resignation to the Chief Minister on moral grounds," Mohanty told reporters outside Naveen Nivas, while refuting the charges levelled by Barsha Sony Mohanty, his daughter-in-law. Barsha had lodged an FIR against the minister, his wife Pritilata, his son Rajasree and other members of family last night. "Allegation against me and my family is totally false and baseless. The people of Balasore know the truth. Let the law take its own course," said Mohanty, five-time MLA from Basta constituency in Balasore district. Mohanty, MLA for fifth consecutive term, had been a minister since 2000 and held important portfolios including parliamentary affairs, industries and IT.

ROME: The mayor of Taranto, home of one of the marines at the centre of a row with India over the killing of two fishermen, has invited their orphaned children to study in the port town. “Our whole city is ready to welcome the unfortunate children of the fishermen to study here,” Taranto mayor Ippazio Stefano wrote in a letter to India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “I must express my profound regret for what has happened and do not hesitate to reaffirm by personal regard - and that of the city I represent -

On the basis of the complaint lodged by Barsha, a case has been registered against the minister and others under section 498 (A), 506, 448 and 34 of IPC, police said. In her FIR, the woman said she married Rajasree on June 24, 2012. During marriage, her parents had given `10 lakh and other household articles. Barsha alleged that she was subjected to physical and mental torture for dowry. "They further demanded a Scorpio vehicle and `25 lakh

cash," she said in her FIR. Barsha said she was shocked by the attitude of her mother-inlaw and brought the matter to the notice of her husband and the father-in-law. However, both her husband and father-in-law suggested that Barsha bring more dowry as demanded by the mother-in-law, she alleged. Barsha, who has now been staying at her parents house due to alleged torture, claimed that there was an attempt to kidnap and kill her on March 13. PTI

for the Indian people.” “The friendship between our two countries has been extensive, sincere and loyal, in every area,” the letter stated. The letter, which also praised India for the role its soldiers played in liberating Italy at the end of World War II, was sent to Manmohan Singh via India’s ambassador to Italy, Debabrata Saha. It was not clear which one of the marines — Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone — hails from Taranto. IANS

Maya’s man faces CBI investigation LUCKNOW: The recommendation of Lokayukta Jutsice NK Mehrotra seeking a CBI probe into allegations of corruption against state president of the BSP Ram Achal Rajbhar, is set to foment more trouble for the party.

Rajbhar has been a close aide of former CM Mayawati, and many senior BSP leaders already face legal trouble. Mehrotra made his recommendations Thursday. The file is likely to reach CMO for approval Friday. IANS

NEWS BRIEFS Four jawans injured in bomb blast in Manipur

Goof-ups in CRPF jawan's funeral procession

Gold rush at Kozhikode airport: 7.5 kg in 12 days

IMPHAL: Four jawans of Assam Rifles were today injured when a powerful bomb exploded at Monjang area in Manipur's interior Chandel district bordering Myanmar. The blast occurred when the personnel of 9th Assam Rifles battalion were patrolling Imphal-Moreh National Highway No 39 at Hotel Point Monjang area, about 120 Kms south-east of here, at around 7.30am, officials said. According to initial reports, the bomb was exploded by using a remote controlled device, they said, adding the insurgents might have escaped to nearby thick jungles after the explosion. Four jawans, who were on footpatrol, suffered splinter injuries and were taken to a hospital at Moreh, about 5 km from the spot, they said.

MANDYA: In an embarrassing lapse, the portrait of the brother of CRPF soldier N Satish, who was killed in the militant attack in Srinagar, was taken in his funeral procession here today with relatives and district authorities blaming each other for it. According to Satish's uncle, Anand, and some other relatives, the portrait was that of the slain soldier's brother, who is also serving in the CRPF. But, the Deputy Commissioner B N Krishnaiah maintained that the portrait was provided by Satish's family only and there was no lapse on the part of the district administration. The portrait was later changed as the funeral procession proceeded. In another embarrassment, as the body of Satish was brought here from Bangalore in the wee hours, the night staff at a private hospital refused to keep it in cold storage for three hours from 3am to 6am.

KOZHIKODE: With the seizure of one kilogram of gold biscuits from a passenger arrived by a Dubai-Calicut Emirates flight on Wednesday the nearby Karippur International Airport by Air Customs Intelligence, the total seizure of gold during the last 12 days from the airport had gone to 7.5 kilogrammes. The Air Customs Intelligence officials had seized one kg worth gold biscuits valued at roughly Rs 30 lakh from one Mohammed Suhair hidden in his laptop, when he landed at the airport on March 13, Air Customs Intelligence, said. Earlier, the Air Customs Intelligence officials on March 3 had seized three kilograms of gold biscuits from a passenger and on March 8 three-and-a-half kilograms of gold biscuits from another passenger, they said.

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

World Australian casino hit by ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ MELBOURNE: Australia’s largest casino has alerted police to a betting scam in which a high-roller reportedly netted Aus$32 million (US$33 million) in an “Ocean’s Eleven” style heist. Melbourne’s Herald-Sun newspaper Friday said a foreigner staying at the Crown Casino was involved in the sting which it believes accessed the venue’s own surveillance cameras, which are constantly trained on players and croupiers.

Information gleaned from the images taken by the high-resolution cameras was apparently signalled to the high-roller as he played cards, the paper said, comparing it to Hollywood blockbuster Ocean’s Eleven”. In the 2001 comedy-crime caper Brad Pitt and George Clooney also recruit someone familiar with security to rob a series of Las Vegas casinos. Crown said a staff member from the VIP gambling area had been sacked and the patron involved banned after the scam was uncovered several weeks ago, the newspaper added. AFP

JAPAN PARLIAMENT NOD FOR BOJ TEAM Japan’s parliament Friday approved a new central bank management team that is widely expected to back government demands for more policy action. The upper house gave the green light to Haruhiko Kuroda as Bank of Japan governor, with the finance veteran and long-time BoJ critic seen as likely to launch aggressive monetary easing measures.

SYRIAN CRISIS

KEQIANG IS CHINA PM

France, Britain ready to arm Syrian rebels The US may look favourably on the French and British moves, the state department said, without explicitly backing armed support.

DAMASCUS: France has joined Britain in voicing its willingness to supply weapons to Syria’s rebels if it cannot convince its European partners to lift an arms embargo as the conflict enters its third year. “Our goal is to convince our partners at the end of May, and if possible before.... If by chance there is a blockage by one or two countries, then France will take its responsibilities,” President Francois Hollande said Thursday after talks on the first day of a EU summit in Brussels. “Political solutions have now failed (in Syria), despite every pressure.” “We must go further because for two years there has been a clear willingness by (Syrian President) Bashar alAssad to use every means to hit at his own people,” he added.

Some have also raised fears that weapons would fall into the hands of Islamist militants, who are playing an increasingly prominent role. France said earlier that Paris and London were pushing for the EU to drop the arms ban -- a move opposed by some European governments, who fear a flood of weapons into Syria will only escalate the conflict. Syrian opposition activists have called on London and Paris to provide heavy weaponry to tilt the balance in the twoyear uprising.

China’s parliament installed bureaucrat Li Keqiang as premier Friday, putting him in charge of running the world’s secondlargest economy in a ﬁnal step of a landmark power transition. Li, who is expected to be in ofﬁce for a decade, faces the challenge of steering the country towards more balanced development, with domestic consumption by a larger middle class playing a greater role. Li received 2,940 votes out of 2,949 cast, with three votes against and six abstentions.

NUMEROLOGY Syrian rebels prepare to launch a rocket towards an adjacent government held building. AFP

Assad’s government, like its key foreign ally Russia, said any such arms shipments would be a “flagrant violation” of international law. The United States may look favourably on the French and British moves to give more aid to Syrian rebel forces, the State Department said Thursday, without explicitly backing armed support. “We’re obviously not going to get in the middle of their internal discussions, but we certainly want to see as many governments as possible provide appropriate support to the Syrian opposition coalition,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in Washington. However, Berlin is known to be cool to the idea and on Thursday German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU needed to “proceed very cautiously” on lifting the embargo. “If our partners in the

European Union, in this case Britain and France, have a changed assessment of the situation, then the foreign ministers are of course ready to discuss this subject again,” she said. “But we have to be careful that the other side will not be provided with even more arms by countries that have another stance on Assad,” Merkel said. Some have also raised fears that European-supplied weapons would fall into the hands of radical Islamist militants, who are playing an increasingly prominent role in Syria’s armed uprising. Hollande said Paris had “every guarantee that the weapons supplied will be in non-fundamentalist hands”. Hollande insisted the rebels need to be armed to tip the balance against Assad’s regime, which continues to “receive arms despite sanctions”, notably from Russia. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Israel to ink govt deal ahead of Obama visit

North says South, US behind cyber attack

Gun attack inside Cancun bar kills 7

Australia shuts down large child sex ring

JERUSALEM: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is working to ink a coalition deal that would see a new government sworn in just days before a visit by US President Barack Obama. But a last-minute dispute over who would serve as deputies threw a spanner in the works, delaying an a deal which had been due to be signed earlier in the day.

SEOUL: North Korea on Friday accused the US and South Korea of carrying out a “persistent and intensive” cyber attack against its ofﬁcial websites. A number of ofﬁcial North Korean websites, including those of the Korean Central News Agency, the daily Rodong Sinmun , and Air Koryo airline became inaccessible Wednesday.

CANCUN: Authorities in the Mexican resort of Cancun say two gunmen burst into a bar in a working class neighbourhood and fatally shot seven people. Four others are wounded. Public Safety Secretary Jesus Aiza says most of the victims belonged to a taxi drivers union. He says police are still trying to determine a motive for the attack.

SYDNEY: Police said on Friday they had shut down one of the largest child sex exploitation rings seen in Australia which was dealing in “abhorrent and disgusting” images. Police arrested and charged 21 people aged between 22 and 76 but would not give any further details about them beyond saying they were from all walks of life.

$810

has been spent by the US on Iraq war so far and could go up to $3 trillion, estimates a study. At least 116,000 Iraqi civilians and more than 4,800 coalition troops died in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

REUTERS EDITOR CHARGED US authorities charged a Reuters social media editor with conspiring with the hacktivist group Anonymous to break into and alter an online Los Angeles Times article. Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted in California on three counts of felonies related to hacking before his current Reuters post. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 ﬁne. According to the federal grand jury indictment, Keys provided Anonymous members with login credentials to a computer server belonging to Tribune Co., which owns the Times, in December 2010.

Karzai’s remarks (against the US forces) could be a catalyst for some to lash out against our forces — he may also issue orders that put our forces at risk. Joseph Dunford US General

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Technology ‘FOUR’GETTABLE

Only slightly better Samsung announced Galaxy S IV earlier today and it looks like S III’s twin brother. SOPHIE ESTIENNE feedback@postnoon.com

amsung unveiled a slim, feature-rich Galaxy S4 as its new champion to take on Apple in the fiercely competitive smartphone arena. The South Korean consumer electronics giant introduced the Galaxy S4 on the stage of New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and said the smartphones would roll out in 155 countries in late April. Pricing was not disclosed. “For each of us, life is a journey,” said Samsung mobile communications division head JK Shin. “What we want is a device that can join us on that journey; a companion that helps us experience life in the fullest.” S4 features include a high-definition, five-inch (12.7-centimeter) screen, enhanced picture-taking capabilities and the capacity to translate to and from nine

Share price falls

hares in Samsung Electronics fell 1.7 percent in early trade in Seoul on Friday, hours after the launch of the company's latest flagship smartphone. Samsung was trading around 1,494,000 won mid-morning owing to profit-taking led by foreign investors, with analysts saying the release of the Galaxy S4 had already been factored in and investors were the share price had hit a ceiling. "It's not because the Galaxy S4 failed to meet expectations. It's just that investors feel technical

languages. “It is now clearly Samsung’s flagship device; jam-packed with technology,” said Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg. “The question is how many of these features will resonate with consumers.”

smartphone upgrades are flattening out," Bae SeungYoung of Hyundai Securities told AFP. The Galaxy S4, which will roll out in 155 countries in late April, has a high-definition, five-inch (12.7-centimeter) screen, enhanced picture-taking capabilities and the capacity to translate to and from nine languages. Samsung's share price has held steady this year, while rival Apple has tumbled 20 percent as disappointing sales of iPhones raised fears that its dominance may be slipping. Samsung played up its online hub for music, books, and video and the ease with which the S4 can share video with televisions made by the company. “At this point, smartphones are all about software and ecosystems; showing up with compelling

hardware is the expected starting point,” Gartenberg said. “This is about a Samsung ecosystem that happens to be built on Android.” Samsung has become the top smartphone maker worldwide with a 29 per cent market share, according to IDC, while in the US market Apple remains the king and sells more than one of every three mobile phones. The Galaxy S3 has sold more than 40 million worldwide since its launch last May and has some analysts debating which of the two firms is ahead in innovation. Samsung stressed innovation as it continues to defend itself against charges made by Apple in public and in lawsuits that the South Korean rival has copied the California company’s creations. The S4 is thinner than its predecessor and weighs just 130 grams despite having a bigger screen and battery. AFP

HASHTAGS EVERYWHERE Facebook is working on incorporating the hashtag, one of Twitter's most iconic markers, into its service by using the symbol as a way to group conversations, said people familiar with the matter. It is unclear how far along Facebook's work on the hashtag is and the feature isn't likely to be introduced imminently, these people said. On short-messaging service Twitter, the hashtag—a word preceded by the "#" pound symbol—is a way for people to collate many Twitter messages about a single news event or topic. The hashtag is closely associated with Twitter, and fans of the service use the hashtag as short-form creative expression.

‘UNFAIR MOVE’ Google’s decision to remove adblocking apps from its Play Store on grounds that they violate part of its Developer Distribution Agreement, has been termed “unilateral” by AdBlock Plus, one of the affected apps. “By unilaterally removing these apps, Google is stepping all over the checks and balances that make the Internet democratic. People should be really alarmed by this move,” said Till Faida, co-founder of Adblock Plus in the statement.

Disappointing? Microsoft has sold about 1.5 million Surface devices, people with knowledge of the company’s sales said, a slow start in its bid to crack the fast-growing tablet market to make up for slumping personal-computer demand. Microsoft has sold little more than a million of the Surface RT version and about 400,000 Surface Pros since their debuts, according to three people, who asked not to be named because sales haven’t yet been made public. The company had ordered about 3 million Surface RTs, they said. An analyst at UBS AG, had initially projected that Microsoft would sell 2 million Surface RT devices in the December alone.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Comment War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means. Karl Von Clausewitz Military theorist

The New World order THE HUMAN CONDITION Dean Williams

s Indians we constantly moan about those dastardly British and how they raped our country. But it could have been far worse. We could have been colonised by the Spanish, the Portuguese or heaven forbid, Leopold’s Belgians. Let’s for a moment look at the ‘New World’, from whence Jorge Bergoglio, henceforth to be referred to as Pope Francis, hails from. The New World with its Mesoamerican civilizations — the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans — were more advanced and wealthier, than contemporary European ones. But they lacked one thing the Europeans had, firepower. When the Spanish and Portuguese colonised the New World (South and Central America) they obliterated these civilizations, through design and the import of diseases like small pox. There are no memorials to these once great people, except those ancient pyramids and ruins that have battled against bloody colonialism and religious intolerance. Don’t expect the new Pope to chastise Europe for something that happened centuries ago. Though he may be Argentinian, Pope Francis is European to the bone, and he brings with him the baggage of a long-forgotten genocide. So when people tom-tom a papal victory for the New World, let’s not forget that there was a World before that. One that fundamentalists and tyrants raped and pillaged in the name of god. If you want to pray, pray for them. As for us Indians, let’s remember one thing every time we look at Pope Francis. It could have been a lot worse.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Rahul Gandhi is set to ruffle some feathers with his appraisal forms for party office-bearers. People who have run PCCs are definitely going to throw some kind of spanner in the works to prove their indispensability. Let’s wait and see if milk teeth can actually bite.

HUMAN RIGHTS

GHOSTS OF DIRTY WAR FOLLOW BERGOGLIO ALEXANDRE PEYRILLE Agence France-Presse

rgentine cardinal Jorge Bergoglio’s election as Pope Francis has revived a longstanding controversy over his role during the dark days of his homeland’s “Dirty War.” Francis’s elevation was widely celebrated in Argentina, but some accuse him and his country’s church of having been too close to the brutal right-wing junta in power between 1976 and 1983. In 2010, Bergoglio was questioned as a witness by judges probing the arrest and torture of two young Jesuits, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who were taken to the notorious Naval School of Mechanics in March 1976. ESMA was known as a torture center during the so-called Dirty War, in which government agents targeted suspected leftwing activists, tens of thousands of whom were “disappeared.” Yorio and Jalics were freed alive after five months. Bergoglio was alleged to have betrayed the young missionaries to the regime because they had become opposition sympathizers and he wanted to preserve the Jesuits’ political

neutrality. He was also questioned in two more investigations into alleged regime crimes, but no charges were brought and he denied any wrongdoing. Horacio Verbitsky, a leftist author and militant who has written extensively on the Dirty War, claims that he has found “five new witnesses who confirm Bergoglio’s role in the military government’s crackdown.” Verbitsky maintains that the church actively collaborated with the regime and was even complicit in the disappearance of dissident priests. For his part, Bergoglio has always denied any implication in the case of the two tortured missionaries, and even insists he intervened with the then head of the junta, Jorge Videla, to beg for their freedom. “Some clergymen stayed silent, others were complicit. There were bishops who sympathized with the dictatorship, but that’s not the case with Bergoglio, he’s a man beyond reproach,” said Jose Maria Poirier, director of the Argentine Catholic journal Criterio. And 81-year-old Argentine architect Alfredo Perez Esquivel, himself a torture victim and winner of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights advocacy, came to Bergoglio’s defence in an interview with BBC radio. A group accused of crimes

against humanity under the dictatorship appeared in court wearing Vatican rosettes in honor of Bergoglio’s new papal duties. The defendants sat in the dock wearing the Vatican insignia on the lapel of their jackets during a hearing in the northwestern city of Cordoba. The trial aims to determine the responsibility of a group of more than 40 soldiers in atrocities committed in the clandestine detention center La Perla. In 2007, former police chaplain Cristian von Vernich became the first Argentine priest to be jailed for life. He was found guilty of complicity in seven murders, 31 cases of torture and 42 kidnappings. After the fall of the regime, the Argentine bishops’ council

asked forgiveness for not having spoken out more in support of human rights. Three quarters of Argentina’s 40-million-strong population are Catholic, but the influence of the church diminished under President Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina, who succeeded him in 2007. Cristina Kirchner’s government has legalized same-sex marriage in the teeth of strong opposition from the bishops, but pressure from the church has stymied moves to legalize abortion. And Poirier argued that Francis’s elevation might “reverse the decline and strengthen the church” in Argentina by giving it a more attractive local face.

EDITORIALS We can’t bank on their honesty

he CobraPost expose of open money laundering done by three top private sector bank has caught everyone off guard. The ﬁnance minister immediately came out with a statement that two of the three bosses have ‘assured’ him that their organisations weren’t running any such operation. May be the nation should believe him and stomach the assurances on faith. However, anyone with the most miniscule of common sense would know that so many executives won’t go on maverick missions without clearance from their bosses. The extent of knowledge and expertise that has gone into creating these ‘schemes’ for money laundering show that these aren’t overnight developments. Years of planning and organisation have gone into it. Next time those private bank bosses ﬂaunt their success statistics we know where the ‘critical inputs’ come from. This is a wake up call for the government, banking sector regulators, law enforcement agencies and the nation.

READERS’ VIEWS

Yeah... We are the man

adhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said terrorist attack won’t affect India’s morale. The CM is right we wil be shot at, bombed, kidnapped, humiliated before the world, but we will NOT let it affect our morale. We will continue our inter-agency turf wars, ﬂawed policies and political blamegames. And we will talk, talk and talk hot air of decisive action and ‘can’t be business as usual’ and the next well-paced terror kick at the crown jewels will have us on our knees again.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Music

CLIVE BURR DEAD

Clive Burr, the former drummer of Iron Maiden, died on Tuesday at the age of 56. Burr had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, and he died in his sleep.

THE LINE UP

15 TALKING MUSIC

SKY IS THE LIMIT

The indie music portion of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival shifted into gear Wednesday with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds setting the tone for five days of cutting edge sounds.

The clue is in the title!

Album: We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic Artist: Foxygen

ROBERT MACPHERSON feedback@postnoon.com

ave and colleagues took the al fresco stage behind Austin’s iconic Stubb’s BBQ saloon for a visceral 10-song set — one of the most anticipated at SXSW — including numbers from the Bad Seeds’(top right pic) justreleased album Push the Sky Away. “We’re going to begin with a long song and hopefully by the end it’ll be dark,” quipped lanky frontman Cave, 55, at sunset before launching into Higgs Boson Blues, a dark goth ballad that takes its title from particle physics — but then makes an odd passing reference to pop starlet Miley Cyrus. Indeed, by the time the song was over, the stars were out in the Texas sky, as Cave and companions performed such tunes as Deanna and Stagger Lee, the Australian-born vocalist’s retelling of the classic American murder legend. Sharing the bill at Stubb’s was New York indie band The Yeah Yeah Yeahs,(right pic) with charismatic vocalist Karen O, 34,

prowling the stage at the midnight hour like a soul possessed. The band’s new album Mosquito is out in April. With the interactive portion of the 10-day SXSW festival out of the way, more than 1,300 bands — some hoping for fame, others already there — have been lined up to rock Austin, the state capital of Texas, through to Sunday. Leading the field is former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl, who is not only performing with his supergroup Sound City players, but also presenting the

iTUNES Top 10 songs 1 WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN 6 HEART ATTACK Bruno Mars Demi Lovato

2 SUIT & TIE 7 RADIOACTIVE Justin Timberlake Imagine Dragons

3 JUST GIVE ME A 8MIRRORS REASON Justin Timberlake P!nk 9 I KNEW YOU WERE 4 HARLEM SHAKE TROUBLE Baauer

5 FEEL THIS MOMENT Pitbull

Taylor Swift

10 DAYLIGHT Maroon5

George Collins

keynote SXSW music talk Thursday. Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame, John Forgerty, Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick and Australia’s Rick Springfield are expected to appear on stage with him, according to Billboard, the recording industry trade journal. Others acts lined up to perform Wednesday included Iggy and the Stooges, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, neopsychedelic band Unknown Mortal Orchestra and YouTube teen rap sensation Kitty Pryde. Coming days promise the

likes of rock-folk guitar legend Richard Thompson, 2012 SXSW breakout act Kendrick Lamar, indie bands Paramore, Vampire Weekend and The Flaming Lips, and Snoop Dogg in his new reggae incarnation as Snoop Lion. Prince is reportedly turning up to play a private party on the weekend, while music mogul and producer Clive Davis — author of a just-released autobiography — is confirmed as a panel speaker. World music is well represented at SXSW, from Beijing punk band Carsick Cars and Singapore rapper Kevin Lester to Grammy-nominated Uruguayan group Campo and Terakaft, a desert blues group forced to live in exile by conflict in Mali. Still ongoing at SXSW is the film segment of the festival, which features a rich selection of music-related documentaries. The tech-oriented SXSW Interactive dominated the first five days. AFP

Top 10 albums 1UNORTHODOX JUKE- Lewis BOX 6 ZION Bruno Mars Hillsong United

2 AMOK 7 NOW 45 Atoms for Peace Various Artists

3 BABEL 8 THE LUMINEERS Mumford & Sons The Lumineers

4 OVEREXPOSED 9. ALL THAT ECHOES Maroon 5 Josh Groban

5 THE HEIST 10. UNAPOLOGETIC Macklemore & Ryan

Rihanna

Bollywood Top 10 1. NA JAANE 6. HOOKAH BAR

I, Me aur Main Khiladi 786

2. NAINO MEIN SAPNA 7. ISHQ WALA LOVE Himmatwala Student of the Year

3. ISHQ SHAVA 8. VELE Jab Tak Hai Jaan Student of the Year

4.RADHA 9. FEVICOL SE Student of the Year Dabanng 2

5 HAAY 10. THE DISCO SONG

Mere Dad ki Maruti Student of the Year

Is it possible to avoid playing spot the inﬂuence? Evoking Highway 61 Dylan, Velvet Underground, The Beatles and everyone in between, this album swirls through the experimental spirits of the 60's. Experimental then, Nowhere, Man, now. The talent is obvious and there is some great music, particularly the vocal swerve into Robert Smith (Cure) territory, On Blue Mountain and the ecstatic sing along Shuggie. The lasting taste is very sweet. San Francisco is like snorting honey. While eating marshmallows. Nice is probably the best word, great personality!

A revelation!

Album: True North Artist: Bad Religion Turn it up and fall into the avalanche of drums that herald this, the bands sixteenth album since forming in 1979. Bass and rhythm guitars are tighter than the proverbial duck, the vocal harmonies soar. Finest original rock I've heard for years. Guitar solo's are short, as is the way of the Punk, but immaculate. Track times average around two minutes, short sharp exclamations of oozing energy. Cool classical reference to Sham 69 in Robin Hood in Reverse, Bad Religion are continuing the legacy with style, conﬁdence and freshness. No weak tracks, but check out Dept. of False Hope, superb.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

spotlight

BACK TO THE PAST

Get nostalgic tonight as DJ Rahul takes you back in time, by spinning some old classics. Sing along with your friends and have a blast.

HEALTHY LIVING

Tollywood actor Mahesh Babu inaugurated Rainbow Hospital at Cyberabad on Thursday.

FIGHTING SPIRIT

HOLD ON

A breast cancer awareness initiative by Tom Curtains, Behind the Bra — a play in two parts (Don't Edit Me and Goodbye) was staged at Taj Deccan. 1

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS Tollywood actress Samantha unveiled Forevermark collection at Kirtilals store in the City on Thursday.

1 Karuna Gopal, Sujatha,

3 Zia, Anjali

Sumalatha 2 Manjula Narsa

4 Seema, Manjula 5 Prathima, Sanju

SONGS OF DEVOTION

Kaivalya, daughter of Andhra Pradesh ﬁnance minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, unveiled the latest addition to the Spirit of India collection at Lladro Boutique on Thursday.

6 Amanda, Devi 7 Ananya 8 Sherry Zaveri 9 Kavitha

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

health

INDIA MAY GET MONITORING FRAMEWORK FOR HYPERTENSION

India is exploring the possibility of having a national monitoring framework to help check hypertension cases, a WHO official said here Thursday. The national monitoring framework will try and amalgamate suggestions of the global monitoring framework for hypertension which will be adopted next month, said a WHO official.

MYTHS BUSTED

WORKOUT THE RIGHT WAY

MYTH: YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE WATER DURING WORKOUTS Fact: There is no need for excess water intake; take two-three sips gradually during your routine, when you’re thirsty. According to fitday.com, you can hydrate yourself before, during and after the workout; when you drink water before exercising, it stores it in reserve so that you don’t get dehydrated during the workout. However, chances of dehydration depend on external factors and the amount of exercise you do.

Before you hit the gym, get familiar with the popular misconceptions surrounding fitness and exercising. DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

MYTH: CRUNCHES GIVE YOU WASHBOARD ABS

Fact: As disappointing as it may sound to many, doing crunches alone does not give us the “perfect” abs. We already have abs, but it is covered with fat. According to scoobysworkshop.com the first place the body stores fat is the belly button region. Crunches do not reduce the fat; they strengthen the muscles. A proper diet, with essential nutrients, and a workout routine with cardio exercises, is needed to burn excess fat.

MYTH: WHEN YOU SKIP MEALS YOU LOSE WEIGHT Fact: When you starve yourself, the body stores more fat in reserve. According to Life Plus Fitness, most low-fat foods have added carbohydrates and proteins to improve the texture. Though the body converts fat to calories when you cut your food intake, you regain that fat when you resume your normal diet.

MYTH: WEIGHT TRAINING MAKES WOMEN MASCULINE

Fact: As women do not produce high levels of testosterones, normal weight training will not give you muscles of a body builder. In fact, these exercises help stretch the muscles and improve flexibility. According to brianmac.co.uk, the dominant female hormone oestrogen does not contribute to muscle building. It says many women who have masculine muscles take external steroids.

MYTH: YOU’LL BECOME FAT WHEN YOU QUIT WEIGHT TRAINING

Fact: Muscles and fat are separate and one cannot be converted to the other. When you quit exercising, your muscles may become lax again and shrink. But putting on weight depends on the diet you follow after you quit exercising, and the kind of lifestyle you lead. “Muscle atrophy” is the loss of muscle tissue. This can result from prolonged periods of inactivity, and the muscles become weak.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

HOUSECALL

DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

Lose the Belly

PID

Retina covers 650mm

Patricia Bath

Want to lose weight, especially around your stomach? This app features the best videos to help you do it now. Get the best tips on food and exercise for healthy weight loss. The best nutrition advice, photos of people before and after weight loss, ﬁve ways celebrities lose weight, videos on how to tighten the abodomen etc.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (or disorder) (PID) is a term for inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with adhesions to nearby tissues and organs. This can lead to infertility. PID is a vague term and can refer to viral, fungal, parasitic, though most often bacterial infections. PID should be classified by affected organs, the stage of the infection, and the organism(s) causing it.

The retina inside the eye covers about 650 square millimeters and contains some 137 million lightsensitive cells; 130 million rod cells for black and white vision and 7 million cone cells for color vision. To focus all this the muscles of the eye move 100,000 times a day.

Patricia Era Bath is an American ophthalmologist, inventor and academic. She has broken ground for women and African Americans in a number of areas. Before Bath, no black person had served as a resident in ophthalmology at New York University. Her Laserphaco Probe is used to treat cataracts. The holder of four patents, she is also the founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in Washington.

health FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

BREAKTHROUGH

STUDY

INCOMPATIBLE TRANSPLANT

RNEW DELHI: Until recently, patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease had no other option but to die in the absence of a kidney donor having the same blood group. However, the treatment has taken a turn now and a new technique — ABO Incompatible Transplant — is fast emerging as a hope for such otherwise dying patients, who can receive kidney from their relatives, irrespective of whether their blood groups match or not. Although available only in a handful of hospitals across the country, the technique is fast gaining popularity especially among those who are ready to shell out anything between `7-8 lakh for a kidney transplant. “Introduced just around a years ago in India, and despite its high procedural cost, around 100 kidney transplants using this technique have been conducted in various hospitals across the country. The figure is the outcome of presentations recently made in a seminar by various institutions performing this technique," Dr AK Bhalla, co-chairman of department of nephrology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New

Delhi, said. “The reliance of patients on the technique can be gauged from the fact that we have conducted eight such procedures in the past six months or so and we still have a long waiting list of patients (for the procedure to be done)," added Dr AK Bhalla. Dr Bhalla said the

use of this technique is legally permissible under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), which allows organ donation only among “near relatives". Advent of ABO incompatible kidney transplant has expanded the donors’ base as

A ray of hope for kidney patients

earlier doctors had no other option but to retrieve the kidney from the donor having blood group similar to that of the recipient. Rationale was to prevent acute reaction following mixing of different blood groups in the donor’s body after transplant. However, with the

use of the new technique, blood antibodies of the recipient, which otherwise cause such reactions after mixing of blood, are either filtered out of the blood or replaced with the neutral fluid, a procedure that prevents the adverse reaction. “Earlier we had very limited options as good number of near relatives were of dissimilar blood groups,” Dr Sanjeev Jasuja, senior consultant, department of n e p h r o l o g y, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said. “Now, after the advent of this technique, kidney can be retrieved from any medically fit near relative of the patient. This has considerably expanded the donor base," he added. He said the potential to use such a technique was quite high in a country like India, where only around 6,000 patients get transplanted kidneys every year, against the annual approximate requirement of one lakh kidneys. Dr Jasuja said that although the transplant procedure was the nearly same, the cost of ABO Incompatible Transplant was higher due to expensive gadgets and equipments used in the technique. PTI

BREAKTHROUGH

Punishment can enhance performance

LONDON: Researchers from the University of Nottingham looked at how the efficiency with which we make decisions based on ambiguous sensory information — such as visual or auditory — is affected by the potential for, and severity of, anticipated punishment. They asked participants in the study to perform a simple perceptual task — asking them to judge whether a blurred shape behind a rainy window is a person or something else. They punished incorrect decisions by imposing monetary penalties. At the same time, they measured the participants’ brain activity in response to different amounts of monetary punishment. They found that participants’ performance increased systematically as the amount of punishment increased, suggesting that punishment acts as a performance enhancer in a similar way to monetary reward. At the neural level, the academics identified multiple and distinct brain activations induced by punishment and distributed throughout different areas of the brain. Crucially, the timing of these activations confirmed that the punishment does not influence the way in which the brain processes the sensory evidence but does have an impact on the brain’s decision maker responsible for decoding sensory information at a later stage in the decision-making process. Participants who showed the greatest improvements in performance also showed the biggest changes in brain activity. “This work reveals important new information about how the brain functions that could lead to new methods of diagnosing neural development disorders such as autism, ADHD and personality disorders, where decisionmaking processes have been shown to be compromised," lead researcher Dr Marios Philiastides said in a statement. PTI

Videogames may boost cognitive skills

SINGAPORE: Playing video games for an hour each day can improve your child’s performance on certain cognitive tasks, a new study has claimed. The study by Adam ChieMing Oei and Michael Donald Patterson of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore found that playing video games can improve subsequent perfor-

mance on cognitive tasks that use similar mental processes to those involved in the game. Non-gamer participants played five different games on their smartphones for an hour a day, five days of the week for one month. Each participant was assigned one

game. Some played games like Bejeweled where participants matched three identical objects or an agentbased virtual life simulation like The Sims, while others played action games or had to find hid-

den objects, as in Hidden Expedition. After this month of ‘training', the researchers found that people who had played the action game had improved their capacity to track multiple objects in a short span of time, while hidden object, match three objects and spatial memory game players improved their performance on

visual search tasks. The authors in journal PLOS ONE added that video games don’t appear to cause a general improvement in mental abilities. Rather like muscles that can be trained with repetitive actions, repeated use of certain cognitive processes in video games can improve performance on other tasks as well, they said. PTI

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

MR BUSY BEE

R Shruti Haasan in talks for Allu Arjun’s film?

hruti Haasan is on a roll these days. She’s already one of the busiest actresses in the industry today and rumours are rife that she’s in talks for Allu Arjun’s upcoming ﬁlm in Surender Reddy’s direction. Although she hasn’t signed the ﬁlm yet, the remarkable progress which she has made since Gabbar Singh’s release is noteworthy. She’ll soon be seen with NTR, Ram Charan and Ravi Teja.

First Look :Second Hand

he first look of an upcoming Telugu film titled Second Hand was launched by Puri Jagannadh recently on Twitter. The film stars Sudheer Varma, Dhanya Balakrishnan and Kireeti in lead roles. Ravi Chandra has scored the film. Second Hand is reportedly based on the theme of break-ups.

Bol Bachchan’s remake launched

he Telugu remake of Bol Bachchan was launched at Ramanaidu Studios in a low key affair couple of days ago. Venkatesh and Ram are going to play the lead roles in the film. Vijay Bhaskar is going to direct it. The film’s Telugu title hasn’t been confirmed yet and it’s likely to go on floors later this month.

am Charan is busy juggling between the sets of Apoorva Lakhia’s Zanjeer and Vamshi Paidipally’s Yevadu these days. Both the films are expected to hit the screens later this summer and we hear that the first look of Zanjeer and Yevadu might be unveiled on March 27, on the eve of Ram Charan’s birthday. Post the success of Naayak earlier this year, it’s turning out to be a crucial year in Ram Charan’s career. Not only is his Bollywood debut making heads turn, but also there are rumours that he’s in talks with few other directors in Bollywood. Recently, he met Karan Johar in Mumbai but it’s too early to contemplate about Ram Charan’s moves outside Telugu film industry. In Zanjeer, Ram Charan will share the screen with the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Srihari. For the past few days, a song is being canned on the film’s lead cast. The film is expected to release on May 10, but it maybe pushed further owing to Priyanka Chopra’s dates and Ram Charan’s other commitments. On the other hand, Yevadu is one of the eagerly awaited Telugu films of the year. Shruti Haasan, Amy Jackson, Allu Arjun and Kajal Aggarwal are part of this action thriller and Dil Raju is producing it.

SPECIAL TREAT FOR FANS

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

fashion

MARKS & SPENCER RECRUITS HILARY ALEXANDER

MARKS & SPENCER has recruited Hilary Alexander for the newly-created role of per una fashion consultant. The renowned journalist, who was previously fashion director at The Daily Telegraph, will curate special edits of key outfits under the M&S line throughout the season, which will feature online and in nationwide stores.

c^peflk= fk=cl`rp designers. She is a versatile designer. She intelligently experiments with fabrics and threadwork and truly knows what works best with the women," Preity said. Another highlight of the day was Raat Ki Rani collection by Nikasha Tawadey. The collection consisting fitted silhouettes like multi-coloured jumpsuits, mini-kurtas, choli-tanks, dhotis,

ore than a hundred renowned and young designers from across the country are celebrating the 21st edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Autumn-Winter 2013 from March 13 to 17. The first day of the fashion week witnessed actress Preity Zinta walking the ramp for designer Surily Goel. She looked gorgeous in dazzling black evening gown. "Surily is one of my favourite

shararas, saris and waistcoats represented a desi woman who is bold and beautiful and yet she is familiar with her culture. Designer Namrata Joshipura's collection had a high glamour quotient, with the colour black dominating. Sequined dresses and sheer fabrics added to the sensuous look. The designer wrapped up the first day with her collection titled Wings of Desire. IANS

JOHN GALLIANOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COURT HEARING DATE SET

JOHN GALLIANO's case against his former employers, Christian Dior Couture and John Galliano SA, will move to the Court of Appeals in Paris on October 24. Last month, Dior challenged a decision made by the Conseil de prud'hommes, which said that it was qualified to hear Galliano's claims.

22&23

afob`q=colj=^k

emperor's wardrobe

ong free-flowing multi-coloured silhouettes such as lehengas, saris, and shararas, embellished with intricate hand embroidery and sequin work reminded fashionistas on the opening day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) of the Mughal era that represented style and class. Anupama Dayal's show, titled Ishq-eDilli, not only presented a traditional modern woman who is independent and confident, but also highlighted rich Islamic art and Mughal traditions. "Though I am from Calcutta, but I have been living in Delhi for the past 10 years. Delhi's rich history and culture fascinates me. Before I started working on my collection, I read extensively about Mughal era," said Dayal who was herself looking stunning in a multicoloured ethnic attire. "I even visited several beautiful palaces across the country to know more about the people and their lifestyles," she added. Dayal has discovered that today's women prefer "lightweight silhouettes" that look pretty and are easy to carry. "Therefore, I have made sure not to use heavy embroidery and created designs that look bold yet elegant," she added.

Dayal has mostly used fabrics like pure silk, georgette and crape. "I bought the fabrics from Kolkata. We have weavers back there who create fabrics and do embroidery. My main aim always remains the same â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to help weavers," she said. The collection is perfect for the upcoming summer spring season. Lightweight fabrics and bright colours in shades of red, orange, peach and yellow will enhance the beauty and elegance of women. "My collection is perfect for destination weddings. It has both traditional and Western elements. Like short cholis, backless blouses, long slits and cuts are inspired from Western fashion while the prints, embroidery and colours are taken from the Mughal era. "Nowadays, couples prefer varied destinations like Bali, Sri Lanka, Goa to get married and therefore they prefer attires that have traditional and modern elements," said Dayal. IANS

Entertainment FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

It is not an arrogant government that chooses priorities, it’s an irresponsible government that fails to choose. Tony Blair

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 Boss on “The Dukes of Hazzard” 5 Prima donna problems 9 Newborn puppy 14 Nabisco cookie 15 Card game played against the dealer 16 Classic TV’s “The ___ Limits” 17 Where a football is snapped 20 ___ pork (Chinese dish) 21 Purse part, often 22 Samara dropper 23 Where to get a WWW address 25 It can be deadly or mortal 26 Letters on tires 29 “... as ___ on TV” 31 Feeling of fury 33 Single-masted boats 35 Double-reed instrumentalist 38 Big girder 39 American purchase? 41 Javelin or harpoon 43 Goes back to square one 44 Shanty 46 Completed a marathon 47 ___ A Sketch 51 Asian ox 52 Yuletide worker 54 Hallucinogenic drug 56 Clark or Rogers 57 Marching band drum 59 Part of a pump 61 Base to build on 65 Lessen 66 Kite eater in “Peanuts” 67 Louisiana vegetable 68 Apple beverage 69 Groundbreaking person? 70 Joe Flacco option

DOWN

1 Conan Doyle’s detective

2 Baltimore ballplayer 3 Human ___ Project 4 “What ___ up must come down” 5 Unrestrained expression of emotion 6 Car “go” liquid 7 Mythical monsters 8 Does a pre-laundry chore 9 Feminine, say 10 Quasimodo feature 11 LAX landing approximation 12 Tripod feature 13 Prefix for “eminent” 18 “___ believe in yesterday ...” (Beatles lyric) 19 “The Sea, the Sea” author Murdoch 24 Overly inquisitive one 26 Verse writer 27 Relaxing getaway spot 28 Patriot’s end? 30 Whiff king Ryan 32 “Poly” attachment 34 Far from slim 36 Drink mixer 37 Like some currents 39 Apex 40 Take under advisement 41 ___ & the Family Stone 42 Casserole spheroid 45 Count in Lemony Snicket’s books 48 Three-horse team 49 Plays with crayons 50 African carnivores 53 Cappuccino topper 55 Fingerprint’s cousin 57 Something to build on 58 Widely used currency 60 “Enough already!” 61 Cul-de-___ 62 Kimono completer 63 Irish boy 64 Michelle Obama ___ Robinson

Chai Time FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 16-3-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Those in romance will be happy as good support from both the families is likely. Businessmen might face hurdles and minor tension but they will come out of them. Your charisma is likely to increase and also the influence is set to increase.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Employees will feel comfortable but financially they will face a deficit situation. Avoid making new debts. Financial planning is a must. Businessmen will get good opportunities through new contacts and customers.

You will complete the purchase of the asset for which an advance has been paid already. Employees will have a favorable trend at the workplace. Health problems will be over. However you need to eat more fruits and vegetables rich in calcium.

Self confidence and courage levels set to increase. Avoid being headstrong and lazy. Employees likely to get elevation and pay hike. Hurdles in the way of performing happy events will be over. Take care for the health problems.

Those involved in Foreign trade will be big gainers. Media persons and artists will have good opportunities and move forward. Businessmen are likely to face minor losses if there is not adequate focus in operations. Health will be good.

Hurdles for good events will be over and you will succeed. Debt will be under control. Financial position will be very strong. Good turning points make your life very much cheerful. Avoid unwanted arguments.

Misunderstanding between couples will be over. A major debt will be cleared. Those with chronic disease will feel a major relief. Employees will get very good support from their colleagues and superior. Friendship circle will expand.

On an important issue but you need to go as per your plans and intuition only rather than taking advise from others. Else, it is also advisable to postpone the decision for the time being. Health problems cannot be ignored.

You will be generous but at the same time stubborn. You might be worry about the future also. Sudden travels are likely to be undertaken but will yield desired results. Expected money will be received and will make you financially strong.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Two of Pentacles Work-life balance will put you in a difficult spot and you’ll have to make some tough decisions. It’s not impossible if you keep an open mind.

LEO:

The Tower - Big changes are on the way. It may be related to the job and may even bring about changes in your living situation. Keen an open mind.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Three of Swords Some loss or disappointment is possible. Heartbreak is also possible. Something that you hoped for may not be panning out as you planned.

SAGITTARIUS:

Four of Pentacles - The financial stability is making it seem worth it despite the lack of challenge you feel in your current position. You’ll stick on.

TAURUS:

Five of Swords There are too many people trying to get a piece of the pie and it bothers you that you cannot even bail out. Don’t let your guard down.

CANCER:

Queen of Pentacles - Take up a hobby, such as painting or gardening, to achieve greater work-life balance. Take your mind off all the serious work.

VIRGO:

King of Cups You’re deliberately being put in a position where you need to make some tough decisions. Understand and decide carefully.

SCORPIO:

Six of Pentacles - Finances are in focus. You need to manage your money better. Help is at hand. You need to ask for it and you’ll get the right advice.

CAPRICORN:

The World The world is at your feet and all your plans are working perfectly. If there are any minor glitches, you have it in you to manage them.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Seven of Swords There’s some secrecy and conspiracy involved in a project. You’re not being told the entire truth and that is hindering your ability to judge.

NUMBER GAME

Pay attention to what your mother is saying. She may seem confused and may not be making sense. But there are subtle messages that help you.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: The Moon -

POOCH CAFE

Businessmen need to work focused and daringly. They can be sure of good profit margins. Artists will have a dull time. Politicians need to maintain low profile and maintain cordial relationship with seniors.

for 16-3-2013

Knight of Wands You’re feeling youthful, adventurous and ready to take on the world with new and creative ideas. Romance is in the air. An old flame returns.

NON SEQUITUR

Avoid unwanted anger and emotional outbursts. Be careful while driving. Newly married will be blessed with an offspring soon. Avoid interfering in anyone’s personal issue and also avoid any third person’s interference in yours.

SUDUKO

Financially a very comfortable situation is likely.Bright chance to buy new vehicle. Tensions and worries likely but keep your cool and proceed. The situation will change soon. Businessmen will gain profits with their innovative schemes.

Boggle PERU CHILE BRAZIL ARGENTINA Vol: 2, No 238 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 FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

NOT FOR THE MONEY

CINE BYTES

Success of commercial films helps us survive:

Dibakar Banerjee

Ranbir did not fit Mira Nair’s hero’s description

S-based Indian director Mira Nair, who had initially considered Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor for a role in her ﬁlm The Reluctant Fundamentalist, says she dropped him because she was looking for an experienced man. "I did speak to Ranbir for the ﬁlm. He is a wonderful boy, a great actor. But I needed someone who has actually lived in different parts of the world. I needed worldliness," said the director.IANS

Will there be a Bombay Talkies 2?

ilmmaker Karan Johar who has collaborated with three directors — Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap — for his upcoming ﬁlm Bombay Talkies says there must be a sequel, Bombay Talkies 2. He said Wednesday that he is interested in meeting the three directors after a few years to make the sequel. IANS

Akshay Kumar opens new police cancer shelter

kshay Kumar is known to have had a special bond with his father Hari Om Bhatia. Post naming his production house after his father, the latest is that Akshay has named the new Police cancer shelter that he opened as Hari Om Cancer Shelter.

f commercial films do well, studios put some of the profits into off-beat films too, says Dibakar Banerjee, the director of Shanghai and Love Sex Aur Dhoka. “It actually helps filmmakers like Anurag (Kashyap) and I when a commercial film makes `100-200 crore. This is public funding and the studios put this money into films like Love

Sex Aur Dhoka or Gangs of Wasseypur. So this helps us survive,” he said at 14th edition of FICCI-Frames, a media and entertainment industry convention, Wednesday. Directors Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap also took part in the discussion titled 100 Years of Cinema and Beyond. Dibakar also said that it was important to make the kind of films one wanted to

make. “Just because certain films are making money does not mean you should make them too. You should do what you want to do,” he said. Kashyap, whose films have a limited budget, said he knew the kind of money his films would earn. “Studios never put pressure. They know the kind of films I want to make. I have chosen a certain kind of film. I must bear the conse-

quences,” Kashyap said. Talking about the obsession of films earning `100 crore, Johar said this was something created by the media. “The audience is obsessed with (the film earning) `100 crore. This is all media-driven. We follow a set pattern. No one talks about the brilliance of the film. All we talk about is the (film) stars and `100 crore,” he said. IANS

sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

INDIAN WELLS MASTERS

Nadal ousts Federer INDIAN WELLS: Rafael Nadal took another step in his return from injury with a convincing victory over a hurting Roger Federer (left) on Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters. Nadal broke Federer three times in the second set en route to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the 17time Grand Slam champion, who has been nursing a nagging back injury. “I don’t think Roger was 100 percent tonight," said Nadal, who nevertheless said the win

SREENIDHI TENNIS Thombare loses to Wongteanchai

Results: Women singles quarters Ankita Raina (IND) (3) bt Nidhi Chilumula (IND) (5) 6-3, 6-1 Rishika Sunkara (IND) (1) bt Bhuvana Kalva (IND) 6-2, 7-5 Barbara Luz (POR) bt Prerna Bhambri (IND) (2) 6-2, 6-2 Varunya Wongteanchai (THA) bt Prarthana G. Thombare (IND) (7) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 Women doubles semifinals Sharmada Balu (IND) (4) / Sowjanya Bavisetti (IND) bt Rishika Sunkara (IND)/Varunya Wongteanchai (THA) (1) – 3-6, 63, 11-9 Michaela Frlicka (GER) / Tereza Malikova (CZE) (3) bt Sanae Ohta (JPN) / Ho Ching Wu (HKG) – 6-4, 6-3

over his great rival was a key step in his comeback from a seven-month absence rehabilitating his damaged left knee. “I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals," Nadal said. “It was an important win for me — they all are now." Nadal returned in February and notched one runner-up finish and two titles in a three-tournament Latin American claycourt swing. But Nadal hadn’t tested his knee on hard courts since pulling out of the Miami Masters

last March. Nadal improved to 19-10 against Federer in a rivalry stretching back to 2004 and including some epic clashes on the game’s biggest stages. But they hadn’t met since their semi-final meeting here last year, which Federer won en route to his fourth Indian Wells crown. Nadal didn’t face a break point in the opening set, kept the pressure on Federer’s serve and earned the only break he needed in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead. AFP

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

TAMPA BAY

Vettel tops practice session MELBOURNE: World champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull posted the fastest time in Friday’s opening practice for this weekend’s season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix. The young German, bidding for a fourth consecutive world drivers’ title, clocked a quickest lap of 1min 27.211sec around Melbourne’s Albert Park street circuit to claim the early edge over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Vettel was 0.078sec faster than Massa (1:27.289), with last season’s world championship

runner-up Alonso (1:27.547) third. It is the first indication of how the cars are faring after inconclusive pre-season testing in Spain. A second practice session is scheduled for later Friday. Vettel posted his best lap with about 25 minutes left in the 90-minute practice session. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, driving this season for Mercedes, was fourth fastest, 0.341secs down on Vettel, with Red Bull teammate, Australia’s Mark Webber, fifth quickest. Last year’s Melbourne winner Jenson Button struggled in

ninth in his McLaren. As the Pirelli tyres degraded several cars came off the circuit with Massa sliding at Turn 6 and recovering through the gravel. Britain’s Paul Di Resta, driving for Force India, lost control of his car late in the session approaching the same turn. Di Resta recovered from a stationary position deep into the gravel trap and returned to the track on his way to the pits. Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado in a Williams ran wide at Turn 5, creating a mini dust cloud but was able to continue. AFP

LEAGUE CRICKET Kisan Prasad HCA one-day Quarterfinals Victory 281/7 (Nadeem 80, Bhanu 77, Kiran 32, Karthik 36 n.o., Md Akbar 3/28) bt Lal Bahadur 143 (Jaychandra 41, Kaleem 3/28) Apex CC 179 (Javed Quadri 63, Devrath Singh 3/41) bt Lal Bahadur PG 161 (Khusro 3/40, Irfan 3/19) A institution one day BHEL 214 (Razique Khan 54, Parasuram 35, Sreenivas 44, Ramji 3/20, Narayana 3/36) bt Midhani 109 (Arun 41, P. Raju 3/22, Suri Babu 4/10).

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel takes a bend during the first practice session at the F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Friday. AFP/GREG WOOD

FOUNDERS CUP TOURNAMENT

Miyazato sets course record

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Japan’s Ai Miyazato (left) set a course record Thursday, carding a nine-under 63 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup tournament. Miyazato, who finished second last year, leads South Korea’s Jee Young Lee, who

equalled the previous course record at Wildfire Golf Club with a seven-under 65. “I hit the ball well and my putting was really good,” said Miyazato of bogey-free round. “I think I had good course management as well and I could control myself really well, too, so it was a good

day." Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum, Taiwan’s Candie Kung, and Americans Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang share third place after they shot rounds of 66. Australian Katherine HullKirk, Sandra Gal, Jiyai Shin and Lexi Thompson are one shot adrift in seventh at 67.

Stefani grabs first round lead TAMPA, FLORIDA: PGA Tour rookie Shawn Stefani fired six birdies in a flawless 65 to seize a two-shot lead after the opening round of the $5.5 million Tampa Bay Championship on Thursday. The 31-year-old American is coming off a season-best tie for 39th at the Puerto Rico Open last week. “I wasn’t really starting the day with a lot expectations," said Stefani after notching six birdies, noting that he just wanted “to go out and have fun and hit some good shots." Brian Harman posted a bogey on his final hole and is alone in second at fourunder 67 on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. Harris English shot a three-under 68 and is tied in third with two other Americans, Tag Ridings and Brendan Steele. English had been on course for second spot on the leaderboard before a double bogey on his last hole. K.J. Choi, of South Korea, and Vijay Singh both carded two-under 69s. AFP

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

FAST

March 17: Australian Grand Prix Albert Park, Melbourne First F1 GP: 1996 Grands Prix held: 17 Track length: 5.303 km Number of laps: 58 (307.574 km) Top speed: 325 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Jenson Button, 2. Sebastian Vettel, 3. Lewis Hamilton

TRACKS 30 FORMULA ONE 2013 SEASON

Nov 24: Brazilian Grand Prix Sao Paulo First F1 GP: 1973 Grands Prix held: 30 Track length: 4.309 km Number of laps: 71 (305.909 km) Top speed: 325 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Jenson Button 2. Fernando Alonso 3. Felipe Massa

Nov 17: USA Grand Prix Austin First F1 GP: 2012 Grands Prix held: 1 Track length: 5.516 km Number of laps: 56 (308.896 km) Top speed: 320 km/h Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso

Nov 3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina First F1 GP: 2009 Grands Prix held: 4 Track length: 5.554 km Number of laps: 55 (305.355 km) Top speed: 320 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Kimi Raikkondn, 2. Fernando Alonso, 3. Sebastian Vettel Oct 27: Indian Grand Prix

March 24: Malaysian Grand Prix

New Delhi First F1 GP: 2011 Grands Prix held: 2 Track length: 5.125 km Number of laps: 60 (307.249 km) Top speed: 320 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Sebastian Vettel, 2. Fernando Alonso 3. Mark Webber

Sepang First F1 GP: 1999 Grands Prix held: 14 Track length: 5.543 km Number of laps: 56 (310.408 km) Top speed: 330 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Fernando Alonso, 2. Sergio Perez, 3. Lewis Hamilton.

Oct 13: Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka First F1 GP: 1987 Grands Prix held: 24 Track length: 5.807 km Number of laps: 53 (307.471 km) Top speed: 330 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Sebastian Vettel 2. Felipe Massa 3. Kamui Kobayashi

April 15: Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai First F1 GP: 2004 Grands Prix held: 9 Track length: 5.451 km Number of laps: 56 (305.066 km) Top speed: 320 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Nico Rosberg, 2. Jenson Button, 3. Lewis Hamilton April 21: Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir First F1 GP: 2004 Grands Prix held: 8 Track length: 5.412 km Number of laps: 57 (308.238 km) Top speed: 315 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Vettel, 2. Kimi Raikkonen, 3. Romain Grosjean. May 12: Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona First F1 GP: 1991 Grands Prix held: 22 Track length: 4.655 km Number of laps: 66 (307.104 km) Top speed: 325 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Pastor Maldonado, 2. Fernando Alonso, 3. Kimi Raikkonen May 26: Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo First F1 GP: 1950 Grands Prix held: 59 Track length: 3.340 km Number of laps: 78 (260.520 km) Top speed: 305 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Webber, 2. Nico Rosberg, 3. Fernando Alonso June 10: Canadian Grand Prix Montreal, Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve First F1 GP: 1967 Grands Prix held: 43 Track length: 4.361 km Number of laps: 70 (305.270 km) Top speed: 316 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Lewis Hamilton 2. Romain Grosjean 3. Sergio Perez

LET THE RACES BEGIN

MELBOURNE: Lewis Hamilton is shaping as a wildcard challenger to Sebastian Vettel as the German embarks on his bid for a historic fourth straight Formula One title at this week's Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, and new Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg were the best performers in winter testing, giving the German marque hope as it bids to gatecrash the F1 cartel of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. The ultra-fast Briton, who quit his long-term employer McLaren for Mercedes last season, is attempting to succeed where Michael Schumacher failed in leading the Silver Arrows back to success. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who missed out on his third title by just three points last season, and McLaren's Jenson Button are Vettel's other main July 6: British Grand Prix Silverstone First F1 GP: 1950 Grands Prix held: 46 Track length: 5.891 km Number of laps: 52 (306.198 km) Top speed: 335 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Mark Webber 2. Fernando Alonso, 3. Sebastian Vettel

challengers. "The teams don't know how they compare in terms of performance and with big changes to the tyres again this year, we just don't know what will happen in the race," Hamilton said. "We had

a good, reliable car during winter testing so that's the positive we can take with us into this weekend but we know that in terms of performance, everything begins again from zero in opening practice." After the intrigue of testing, the game of cat and mouse will be over when the cars take to the Albert Park street circuit in Friday's opening practice for the first of three Asia-Pacific races ahead of Malaysia and China. Red Bull's Vettel is bidding to become the youngest driver to win four world titles in a row, a feat only achieved by Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher. He was only eighth fastest in testing at Barcelona this month, but despite the inconclusive session and the performance of the new Pirelli tyres, he was upbeat about the season ahead.

July 7: German Grand Prix Nurburgring First F1 GP: 1951 (current circuit 1984) Grands Prix held: 15 Track length: 5.148 kms Number of laps: 60 (308.623 km) Top speed: 280 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Alonso, 2. Button, 3. Kimi Raikkonn

July 28: Hungarian Grand Prix Budapest First F1 GP: 1986 Grands Prix held: 27 Track length: 4.381 km Number of laps: 70 (306.630 km) Top speed: 310 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Hamilton 2. Kimi Raikkonen, 3. Romain Grosjean

We had a good, reliable car during winter testing but we know that in terms of performance, everything begins again from zero in opening practice. Lewis Hamilton F1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ferrari Driver

Oct 6: South Korean Grand Prix Yeongam First F1 GP: 2010 Grands Prix held: 3 Track length: 5.615 km Number of laps: 55 (308.630 km) Top speed: 320 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Sebastian Vettel, 2. Mark Webber 3. Fernando Alonso Sept 22: Singapore Grand Prix Singapore First F1 GP: 2008 Grands Prix held: 5 Track length: 5.073 km Number of laps: 61 (309.316 km) Top speed: 300 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Sebastian Vettel, 2. Jenson Button, 3. Fernando Alonso Sept 8: Italian Grand Prix Monza First F1 GP: 1950 Grands Prix held: 63 Track length: 5.793 km Number of laps: 53 (306.720 km) Top speed: 368 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Lewis Hamilton, 2. Sergio Perez, 3. Fernando Alonso August 25: Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps First F1 GP: 1950 Grands Prix held: 57 Track length: 7.004 km Number of laps: 44 (308.052 km) Top speed: 330 km/h 2012 Podium: 1. Button, 2. Sebastian Vettel, 3. Kimi Raikkonen

sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF INDIA

WI VS ZIM

Openers set tone for Test Beginning with the toss, everything went well for Australia in the extended session before lunch as they scored 109 without losing a wicket. Scorecard

SYED SHOIAB

Australia 1st innings EJM Cowan not out DA Warner not out Extras (b 4, lb 5, nb 3) Total (0 wickets) Bowling O M B Kumar 6 0 I Sharma 10 4 R Ashwin 11 2 PP Ojha 5 1 RA Jadeja 4 0

In Mohali

MOHALI: The third Test between hosts India and Australia got underway on Friday morning under perfect cricketing conditions. Brilliant sunshine made one wonder if it is the same venue at which not even a ball could be bowled yesterday. Australia won the toss and decided to make first use of the pitch by batting on it. To make up for the loss of time with the first day’s play getting washed out, play began half an hour earlier than the scheduled 9.30am. The only thing obvious in its absence was spectator power. A handful of people scattered around the small stadium made for the only gloomy sight. After surviving a loud, and close, leg-before-wicket appeal in the third delivery of the first over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, David Warner cracked boundaries of the next two to both demonstrate his destructive batting style and also indicate which way the rest of the day was likely to go. Kumar got the ball to move either way off the seam, while

David Warner plays a shot on the way to an unbeaten half-century on the second day of the third Test against India in Mohali on Friday. SRINIVAS SETTY

Ishant Sharma, the faster of the two, got more bounce. Boundaries, yet, came at will from both, the aggressive Warner and the compact Ed Cowan. India made two changes in the playing eleven; Shikhar Dhawan making his debut in the place of out-of-form Virender Shehwag and Pragyan Ojha coming in for Harbhajan Singh, who

had limited success in the first two Tests. Spin, which has been instrumental in India already being 2-0 up in the 4-Test series, was introduced only in the 10th over and did not have much impact on the true surface. Ravindra Ashwin, who has had tremendous success in the first two Tests taking 18 wickets, did not get enough bite

R 27 20 17 20 16

43 54 12 109 W 0 0 0 0 0

from the wicket to trouble the batsmen, though they played him cautiously. Cowan received Ojha with a punch off the backfoot for a delectable four to the cover boundary and flicked another delivery delicately down the leg for another one as if to make it clear who called the shots. India face a daunting task in the days to come in this Test in order to retain the control they have had in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the two teams are vying for. Having scored 109 runs without loss before lunch, the Australians, with Warner unbeaten on 54 and Cowan 42no, have played into a position of strength.

ENGLAND IN NEW ZEALAND

Prior steers England to big total Scorecard England 1st innings A. Cook c Fulton b Wagner 17 N. Compton c Taylor b Martin 100 J. Trott c Watling b Boult 121 K. Pietersen c Fulton b Martin 73 I. Bell c Fulton b Martin 11 J. Root c Watling b Martin 10 M. Prior c Wagner b Williamson 82 S. Broad c Watling b Boult 6 S. Finn c McCullum b Wagner 24 J. Anderson not out 8 M. Panesar c Taylor b Williamson 0 Extras (w7, lb3, nb3) 13 Total (all out, 146.5 overs) 465 Bowling: Southee 32-9-77-0, Boult 30-4-117-2, Wagner 33-5-122-2, Martin 48-11-130-4, Williamson 3.5-0-16-2 New Zealand, first innings P. Fulton c Cook b Anderson H. Rutherford c Cook b Broad K. Williamson not out R. Taylor b Broad D. Brownlie not out Extras (nb2) Total (3 wkts, 33 overs) Bowling: Anderson 10-3-17-1, Finn 7-1-11-0, Broad 7-0-18-2, Panesar 9-3-20-0

1 23 32 0 8 2 66

England’s Matt Prior (L) bats as New Zealand’s Hamish Rutherford (R) looks on during day two of their second Test match on Friday. AFP/MARTY MELVILLE

WELLINGTON: New Zealand were 66 for three at stumps on day two of the second Test at the Basin Reserve Friday in reply to England’s first innings total of 465. Kane Williamson was unbeaten on 32 and Dean Brownlie on eight not out. England’s Stuart Broad has taken two wickets for 18 runs.

Earlier, A defiant Matt Prior helped England to an imposing first innings total of 465 Prior smashed 82 off 99 balls at Wellington’s Basin Reserve to build on the first-day foundation laid by centurions Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton. England had looked in danger of squandering their advantage after starting the day at 267

for two and being reduced to 374 for seven after lunch when spinner Bruce Martin finally found some turn on a previously docile pitch. But Prior racked up an 83-run partnership with Steve Finn to ensure they regained the ascendancy, with Finn (24) cementing his reputation as a dogged lower-order performer after scoring 56 in the drawn first Test in Dunedin. Kevin Pietersen (73) made his best score of the series after failing twice in Dunedin. New Zealand’s bowlers, who toiled for little reward on an unresponsive first-day wicket, made the perfect start when Trott departed without adding to his overnight score of 121. Trott carelessly prodded at the first ball he faced, edging Trent Boult’s delivery to keeper BJ Watling. Martin then claimed the wickets of Bell and Root, on a pitch that offered New Zealand more attacking opportunities in blustery, overcast conditions. AFP

Shillingford spins WI to victory B R I D G E T O W N , BARBADOS: Shane Shillingford destroyed an inept Zimbabwe batting line-up to set the West Indies on the way to a comprehensive nine-wicket win inside three days in the first Test on Thursday. Picking up from where he left off the previous evening when he took two wickets in two overs, the tall off-spinner added four more victims to finish with innings figures of six for 49 — and a match analysis of nine for 107 — as the visitors were routed for 107 in their second innings just before lunch. Left with the academic task of scoring 12 runs for victory, debutant seamer Tendai Chatara claimed the wicket of Kieran Powell to a catch at gully, delaying the formality of victory until after the interval when Chris Gayle hit the winning runs. This result gave the Indies five consecutive Test wins for the first time since 1988.

ASHES SERIES Successful Swann surgery boosts hopes WELLINGTON: England off-spinner Graeme Swann faces up to two months’ rehabilitation after surgery on his injured elbow, officials said Friday, raising hopes he will be fit for this year’s Ashes double-header. Swann was forced out of England’s current tour of New Zealand earlier this month after a longstanding problem with his right elbow flared, requiring surgery in the United States. The ECB said Swann had undergone “an uncomplicated operation” on the elbow, which had a build-up of excess bone after an operation four years ago. “Swann will now commence a six-to-eight week rehabilitation and back-tobowling programme before returning to competitive cricket early in the summer,” it said in a statement. Two editions of the Ashes are being played back-to-back this year to avoid a clash with the 2015 World Cup.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

sports EUROPA LEAGUE

RIO FERDINAND RECALLED BY ENGLAND

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was recalled to the England squad for the World Cup qualifying games against San Marino and Montenegro. England coach Roy Hodgson had previously stated that he wanted to “move on” from Ferdinand’s England tenure.

ENGLISH TEAMS

SHINE

ON EUROPA NIGHT Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle all go through to Europa League quarter finals.

BARNABY CHESTERMAN Agence France-Presse PARIS: Tottenham suffered a fright before sneaking past Inter Milan to reach the Europa League quarter-finals as they, Chelsea and Newcastle restored national pride following England’s Champions League misery. Fernando Torres struck the winner as Chelsea then joined their London rivals in the last eight after eliminating Steaua Bucharest whilst Papiss Cisse scored with the last touch of the match, a header, to send Newcastle through as well. With Manchester United and Arsenal beaten at the last 16 stage of Europe’s premier club competition, it was left to the Europa League participants to maintain English interest in European football this season. And although they lost 4-1 on the night, Spurs went through on away goals thanks to last week’s 3-0 success at White Hart Lane. “It’s a valuable lesson for us tonight, but we have players who can make a difference in the important moments," said Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas. “We are happy to go through. The players kept fighting in extra-time, showing they wanted it."

Without the suspended Gareth Bale, they made hard work of progressing as they needed extra-time to do so after trailing 3-0 when the 90 minutes were up. Chelsea also made hard work of their qualification despite a positive start in which Juan Mata gave them the lead. They had lost the first leg in Romania 1-0 and when Vlad Chiriches scored a crucial away goal on the stroke of half-time, Chelsea needed two more goals to go

It’s a valuable lesson for us, but we have players who can make a difference in important moments. We are happy to go through. The players kept fighting in extra-time. Andre Villas-Boas Manager, Tottenham through. Captain John Terry led the way by restoring their advantage on the night before Torres snatched the vital third. Newcastle and Anzhi Makhachkala played 180 minutes without scoring a goal but deep into injury time Senegal forward Cisse headed home a Sylvan Marveaux cross with time as good as up to send the English team through.

Spurs ‘fury’ at racist chants

MILAN: Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has demanded UEFA take action against Inter Milan after claiming Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor was subject to “monkey chants” during Thursday’s Europa League clash. Adebayor scored the crucial extra-time goal which allowed the Londoners to progress to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule despite a 4-1 defeat on the night in the second leg of their last-16 tie at the San Siro. “Chants were very, very easy to hear. It’s difficult for Inter, we have seen it before. It doesn’t mar the game but it is something to be avoided," Villas-Boas told reporters. Three weeks ago, Inter were fined and warned about their supporters’ future conduct after racist chanting was heard during the derby with city rivals AC Milan. Inter were fined 50,000 euros ($66,000) for its fans’ repeated “expressions of racial discrimination to a player of the opposing team” and the unfurling of insulting banners. Some hardcore Inter fans were seen waving inflatable bananas during the game.