Postnoon E-Paper for February 20th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS; 27°C

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32 PAGES

INTO THE

WILD

With 70,000 Olive Ridley turtles swarming the coasts of Odisha. We take a look at other animals that make great journeys.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

CHESS TO BRAIN TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN SOON There’s good news for chess aficionados. With the visit of FIDE vice-president Ali Nihat Yazici to the City, the promise that chess will be made a subject in AP’s academic curriculum could be realised, soon. P6

UDAY KUMAR TAKES OATH, AND HOW!

TOO MUCH TV CAN SPUR

AGGRESSIVENESS Research has found that children who watch TV excessively are more likely to display criminal behaviour.

P20

BEYONCE, JAY-Z

TO BUY NEVERLAND RANCH? Singer Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z are reportedly looking to buy late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch.

A Postnoon enquiry has revealed that the corporation has done something it never has before. It has considered Kumar’s oath to be on record as it was on the agenda. The Langer House BJP corporator claims he took the oath ‘by himself’ on February 2. This, civic observers say, is an unprecedented act. REPORT ON P4

P25

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

city events

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL

Auchan India has announced ‘The Imported Food Festival’ across their 13 hypermarkets in India from February 8-28. I has nearly 10,000 food items sourced globally. It is at Ashoka Metropolitan, Banajara Hills, and Auchan Oasis centre, Begumpet, from 10am to 10pm.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

27°C

20°C

25°C

32°C

Clear with cloudy periods.

Clear.

Mostly sunny. Chances of storm.

Sunny with cloudy periods.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 24 Max 33 Min 14 Min 21 Partly cloudy.

Chennai Max 29 Min 23

Clear.

Bangalore Max 30 Min 17

Partly cloudy.

Clear.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES SHOWS

ead City’s down to #1 Syn at spot the Taj Deccan where a Korean feast of flavour awaits you. Korean cuisine is unfortunately the step child of Asian cuisine in Hyderabad, but Syn will change that view, charged with flavour and spicy enough to tantalise even the most spice-damaged Indian taste buds. The festival runs for dinners only till February 28, so be there to experience the Seoul of food (see what we did there!). You can read the full review by The Foodist this Sunday.

French Film Festival Six French films will be screened with English subtitles. The opening film is Populaire, followed by In the House (Dans la maison) and Hand in Hand (Main dans la main). Where: Prasads IMAX When: February 19-21 Contact: hyderabad.afindia.org The Linguists On the eve of international ‘Mother Language Day’, Lamakaan is organising a humorous and riveting journey through a film screening, followed by interaction with the linguist experts from Telugu and Urdu. Where: Lamakaan, Lane Adjacent to C-Bay Banjara Hills When: February 20 7pm onwards

TAPAS food will be served. Where: SKY Lounge, Hotel Avasa, Madhapur When: February 23, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 6728 2828

Main Rahi Masoom Main Rahi Masoom is a play. It is a biographical sketch of the writer Dr Rahi Masoom Raza. .Where: Lamakaan, Lane Adjacent to C-Bay Banjara Hills When: February 22 Contact: 96427 31329

Double the love Papa John’s offers heart shaped thin crust pizza for an entire month. It is available in all existent flavours and at no extra cost. Where: All Papa John’s outlets When: February

ART Return Of Innocence Sculptural paintings by Lester Paul will be on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 2,

STRINGS ATTACHED: A man selling balloons at Exhibition Grounds. ANIL KUMAR

11.30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

When: Up to March 2

Solo art show Display of works by Saraswathi L. Where: Muse, Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

DINING Music and dining Anish Sood will get the guests grooving with his signature numbers.

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

Korean Promotion Flavours of authentic family style Korean cuisine prepared by native chefs from Hyatt Regency Incheon. Where: Oriental Bar & Kitchen When: Lunch: 12.30pm to 15.30pm Dinner: 19.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 4949 1204

Theatre workshop The workshop will cover body-mind integration, acting and character and text. No prior experience in theatre is required. Where: Sri Sathya Sai Nigmagamam, Sri Nagar Colony When: weekends, starting February 16, from 12pm to 6pm Contact: 94904 40986 The Landmark sale Landmark announces its sale of Up to 70 per cent off. Bestselling books starting at `49, 3 for 2 on the top 500 new releases are just some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: Up to February 25 Filmmaking workshop Alliance Francaise along with Yavanika Films is conducting a film appreciation course over two weekends and a filmmaking workshop over four weekends for adults. Where: Weekends starting from February 23, 11am onwards Contact: 94901 00404

MISCELLANEOUS Samahaara workshop Samahaara is organising ‘Samahaara

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

Weekend Theatre Workshops.’ Apart from acting, it includes outdoor theatre activities, readings, analysis and discussions. It is for people above 14 years of age. Where: Lamakaan, Off Road no. 1, Lane Adjacent to C-Bay Banjara Hills When: Weekends, Up to February 24 Contact: 96427 31329

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

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK CONG’S NEW FORMULA WILL HELP THEM IN 2014? 23% 77%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DOES THE EMPHATIC WIN IN CO-OP POLLS INDICATE KIRAN’S SUCCESS AS A CM? A)

CRIME

lertness of the Cyberabad police helped tracking a ‘kidnap’ bid of a young woman by an auto driver and his friend last night. The woman was saved and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital after she suffered injuries when the panicked kidnappers pushed her out of the vehicle. Cyberabad commissioner Ch Dwaraka Tirumal Rao told Postnoon today that Akhila, a software employee, had emerged from a beauty parlour in Ayyapa society of Madhapur around

CRIME

Kidnap bid in City caught on CCTV Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

Criminals should be wary now. The police have installed CCTV cameras at several vantage points.

10pm. She tried to contact her friend to pick her up. When she couldn’t get through, she engaged an auto which happens to have one man beside the driver. Unsuspecting she got in and realised that they had other ideas. Panicked, she rang her home. But they snatched it. As she struggled, the vehicle reached Madhapur. By the time the alert from her home had gone through the City police and they began checking vehicles. Seeing they are in trouble, the duo pushed her out but the criminals hardly knew that they were caught by the camera. A special team has been formed to trace the auto as the vehicle number is to be traced.

5 held for murder of cable man Police have arrested 5 of an 11-member gang that killed Nawaz.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

murder committed two months ago on a petty personal grudge remained unsolved for want of five suspects (pictured). The police have now picked up the five and claimed to have solved the case. Golconda police have arrested five men for murdering Nawaz of Bada bazaar in December. It is said that one Ilyas had a grudge against Nawaz and got a few people to do away with Nawaz. On December 24, while Nawaz was on his way home, a gang of 11 allegedly led by Ilyas

attacked and killed him. The police had rounded up six men earlier, while five were absconding. They are: Adnan bin Khalid, 29, his brother, Mohd Bin Khalid, 23, Fahed Bin Mohammed, 25, Khalid Bin Mohammed Bakulka, 24, and Mohd Amjad, 39, all residents of Golconda.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

GHMC

LAST YEAR... HERE Retail scores over locals

Uday Kumar takes oath?

ast year we had reported how more and more people were giving the local mandis a miss for the convenience of shopping at retail stores. The reasons cited by most was that the local mandis were unhygienic, crowds and distance from residential areas. Most people now prefer shopping at the neighbourhood supermarket that offers fresh and a variety of supplies.

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

`16,000

is all that is paid to lecturers, who are hired on a contract basis, as starting salary. Meanwhile permanent lecturers `38,000 as starting salary.

Since Gujarat has surplus reserves, the Kiran Kumar government can request the Gujarat government to spare some gas for Andhra Pradesh. Jyothiraditya Scindia See page 5

THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY

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

Contract teachers get a raw deal at OU. Despite putting in the same effort and hours as permanent lecturers, contract teachers get paid much less and get fewer leaves at OU. This isn’t the case at other universities, complain the lecturers.

The game of kings, now in AP schools? While the vice-president of the World Chess Federation was in town, he promised to approach the ministry to make chess a compulsory subject in schools.

Given the controversy surrounding Uday Kumar’s appointment, the govt has made the oath he took in private on Feb 2 the ‘valid’ one. has, in its memo, stated that if the oath was on record, it was valid. While what was considered to be on record was not clear (oath taking was listed on the agenda but the council meeting was adjourned on the pretext of MIM raising an uproar over MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. Now, Postnoon’s enquiry revealed that the corporation has done an unprecedented thing. It considered the oath on record since it was on agenda. And, Uday Kumar said he had taken the oath ‘by himself’ on February 2 itself. This, civic observers say, is an unprecedented act. According, to MSS Somaraju, municipal secretary, the government has made the oath taken by C Uday Kumar himself on February 2 as ‘valid’. Most corporators including the floor leader of Congress Diddi Rambabu came to know of it after many days! Many evinced surprise when told that Kumar has taken oath by himself.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

as the Langer House corporator of BJP, Uday Kumar (pictured), who was ordered by the AP High Court to replace the MIM corporator, B Ravi Yadav, who was disqualified last year, taken oath? The issue that created a flutter in the civic body and was later dragged to Supreme Court by the MIM was relegated to the background till yesterday. Nobody knew if Kumar has taken oath or not as Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain had ducked the task of administering oath twice and the BJP staged a sit-in dharna on February 2 when the mayor announced adjournment of the general body for the second time. Later the municipal commissioner Krishna Babu wrote to the MA and UD ministry seeking legal advice. The ministry

CIVIC

GHMC turns blind eye to some POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he revised budget estimate (RBE) that was approaved at the budget meeting of the GHMC on Monday has turned a blind eye to some important schemes — slum development being one of them. Urban poverty alleviation, which was estimated to be `335 crore was revised at the end of the financial year to `237.5 crores (the CoP project worth `125 crore is included in the same head). Under JNNURM GoI (Central scheme) the GHMC will be spending only `52.97 crore in 2012-13 RBE, as against the projected estimate of `125 crore. While it spent `104.93 crores in 2011-12. The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) grant remained largely untouched. While the estimate

`237.5

The Rajiv Awas Yojana remained untouched. While the estimate was `308 crore, the GHMC will spend only `3 crore at the end of the financial year. at the time of budget approval was `308 crore, the Corporation will be spending only `3 crore at the end of the financial year. Even the funds under JNNURM GoAP (State Government) has remained under utilised. While in the year 2011-12, the Corporation spent `36.66 crore, it will be spending only `24.25 crore at the end of the financial year, as against the estimate of `35 crore. Benificiary contributions under the slum development

crore, while it was `903 crore at the time of budget approval.

is the revised amount for Urban Poverty Alleviation

`24.25

is how much the Corporation will be spending towards JNNURM

`107

was allotted to XIII Finance Commission from the projected `89 crore

head remains `25 crore as against the estimate of `100 crore, at the time of budget proposal. The capital receipts total for slum development is `467.8

PUBLIC WORKS Public Works (general) is another head, where the funds were not utilised as planned. Under JNNURM GoI the projected budget estimate was `40 crore, but was revised at the end of the financial year 2012-13 to `7.51 crore. For the year 2013-14, it will be `20 crore. Under JNNURM GoAP, it was `15 crore, but revised to `1.79 crore (2012-13 RBE). While XIII Finance Commission and MP/MLA local area development are the only two heads, which exceeded estimation. It was revised to `107 crore under the XIII Finance Commission from the projected `89 crore. While for MP/MLA LAD, it was revised to `5 crore as against the previous `1 crore.

NEWS BRIEFS

State Congress might have to appeal to Modi. Though the Congress opposes Narendra Modi, the CM might have to approach the Gujarat CM for natural gas.

SCR opens its official facebook page

AP High Court refuses to stay interviews

APERC to hold hearing on tariff hikes

2 women robbed by unidentified bikers

Is the issue of oath-taking ﬁnally resolved? Uday Kumar’s self-administered oath on February 2 is ‘valid’, ruled the civic body.

One source for all resources on child protection. Activists have released a directory of resources on child protection to enable citizens to help.

he SCR has opened its ofﬁcial zonal Facebook page. One can access information through a link provided on the SCR ofﬁcial website - www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in, or through the account name of ‘South Central Railway-S.C.R’ on Facebook. However, it is not meant for complaint redressal mechanism, which can be through the website.

division of the Andhra Pradesh High Court declined to stay the order on interviews of Group 1 candidates, who were selected in Andhra Pradesh. The High Court however, directed the APPSC to not ﬁnalise the process till the disposal of the plea that has been lodged in the High Court.

he APERC is all set to hold a hearing to discuss tariff hike proposals on February 26. This will be among a series of meetings to be conducted by APERC on the 20132014 power tariff proposals. Recently at Vijayawada, the APERC meeting was disrupted by Left parties and TDP over the proposals submitted by DISCOMs.

wo women were robbed by bikers in separate incidents in the City on Tuesday. In the ﬁrst, the bikers snatched a four tola gold chain from Manjula, 45, near her residence in Boiguda. In the second incident, the bikers robbed a six tola mangal sutra from 48-year-old Laxmi, a resident of Krishna Nagar, when she was returning home.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

POLITICS

CM needs Modi’s help! Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh is forced not only to follow BJP-ruled Gujarat in political sagacity, but in power generation too. PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

t’s a curious quirk of fate. The man who was portrayed a villain by the Congress is in a position to help it. Recently, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy proposed a call centre for farmers wherein any power complaint could be tackled swiftly. This was a leaf out of Narendra Modi’s farm policy. Now, fate has put Kiran in another embarrassing situation with regard to gas for power. The CM has to seek Modi’s magnanimity for additional supply of gas from the KrishnaGodavari basin. This was revealed by the Union energy minister

SC makes AP Congress happy

The party leaders look forward to the announced local body elections. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

T The Union energy minister said that since Gujarat has surplus natural gas reserves in the KG Basin, AP can request the Gujarat government for help. Jyothiraditya Scindia to the State government on Tuesday. The minister’s revelation was a sequel to the AP CM writing to the Centre seeking supply of additional natural gas from the KG basin. “We are helpless,” Scindia said, “Because there is a heavy demand from other states as

CIVIC

City ignores trade bandh

well. We cannot provide additional gas supplies to any particular state, including AP. It has to look for alternative sources of gas,” he said. However, he gave one suggestion to Kiran Kumar Reddy. “The Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation has been taking natural gas from its reserves in KG basin to Gujarat. Since it has surplus reserves, the Kiran government can request the Gujarat government to spare some gas to Andhra Pradesh. “If Modi agrees for the same, it can be allotted to Andhra Pradesh,” Scindia said. Now, say political observers, it is up to Kiran if he wants to swallow his pride and seek Modi’s help for AP.

he timing of getting a goahead from the apex court of the country for holding the long pending local body elections across the State appears to have got the ruling Congress leaders in a state of joy. These leaders could not have asked for more. Even as the happiness of making a virtual clean sweep (Congress won 16 out of 20 DCCBs where elections were held) is yet to sink in, the announcement of holding local body elections for filling up zilla parishad, mandal parishad and village sarpanch posts made them happy, reports say. The rank and file of the Congress are now getting ready to sweep these polls too. Commenting on the issue, APCC official spokesperson Dr N Tulasi Reddy, said he hoped the Congress would repeat the results of co-operative elections in the local body elections too. "This is a befitting lesson to all

our rival parties who have been telling lies about our party and government and have been trying to mislead the public. But the people of the State had confidence in us and ensured the victory of our party in the cooperative elections. We will repeat the same in local body and municipal elections." Another Congress leader and APCC general secretary Abid Rasool Khan gave credit to CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy for the thumping victory of the party in the just concluded cooperative elections. "The people of the State have retained their confidence in CM Kiran Kumar Reddy's rule. The party will also win majority number of seats in local body elections.” Khan advised rival party leaders to stop levelling baseless allegations against the CM and extend their co-operation as a constructive opposition. The State election commission has already announced that it is ready to hold the elections. A notification to this effect is expected very soon.

NEEDS OF INDUSTRIES A Classified Display Feature

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he two-day national trade bandh announced by trade unions from today had little impact in Hyderabad. Barring banks, wholesale markets, and a section of autorickshaws, all else functioned normally. Shops, establishments, transport and communication worked as usual. But employees of the GHMC bunked work in deference to their unions’ call. Autorickshaws that were running allegedly fleeced the travelling public. Early morning rumours of the APSRTC not operating turned out to be false. City transport buses ran all schedules. N SHIVA KUMAR

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city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

EDUCATION

Chess to brain train children

Good news for chess aficionados. With the visit of world chess federation FIDE’s vice president Ali Nihat Yazici to the City, chess may soon be made a subject in AP’s academic curriculum. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

s part of the Chess Curriculum Commission’s work with over 200 countries in the world, India too will hopefully make chess a part of the academic curriculum in schools. The sport might also be made mandatory in AP, following Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Karnataka might implement the move in its State-run schools. Speaking to parents, students and chess players at Suchitra Academy, the first school in Hyderabad to make chess a part of its academic structure, Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) vice president Ali Nihat Yazici expressed confidence at lobbying with the education ministry to implement the rule. Speaking to Postnoon, Yazici said, “The decision had already been implemented in Turkey and

M ANIL KUMAR

we see a lot more potential in India to take advantage of this (opportunity). Over three and a half million students in Turkey have learnt chess in the last four years after the sport has been inducted into the academic structure.” Yazici expressed joy over the contribution of Indian players to

the chess scene, especially the unrecognised players waiting in the wings. “Everybody loves Vishwanathan Anand all over the world. He is like an angel who has made some of the greatest contributions to the game. However, I assure you, India is waiting to see some of the best gem players in the coming few

DANGER

years,” said Ali Yazici. The efforts to induct chess and promote the board game in the State and the City must be credited to the local chess clubs, especially the Cyber Chess Academy initiative. “We all know that chess is a game that taps the brains’ potential and we must take this game back to the youngest generation where it can be put to maximum use,” Lanka Ravi, Andhra Pradesh’s first FIDE rated international master said. After the intense dry spell that this City has seen over the past few years, the decision and

the initiative by FIDE and the State government might give the forgotten game the much needed support and patronage. “This is going to be a pilot project which is expected to take off by the end of 2013 in the City, and if all goes well, entire AP and other cities, including Mumbai and Pune, might follow suit in 2014,” Yazici said. While the current happenings are noteworthy, some continue to criticise the Sports Authority of AP for its apathy towards the game. “If the game receives all said support and recognition from the State government and FIDE, well and good. But at the same time, I would like the SAAP and the sports ministry to explain why not a single rupee was allocated in its budget for sport in the State,” said Lakshimnarayana, chess player and teacher. Vice chairman of SAAP TRK Rao was unavailable for comments.

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classifieds WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

CIVIC

‘Your staff is lazy, commissioner’ FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he popular ‘Prajavani’ (people’s voice) programme that seeks to redress grievances was a hot topic of discussion in the general body meeting yesterday. ‘Prajavani’ takes place on all working Mondays at circle, zonal and head office from 10am to 1pm. Corporators, particularly of the MIM, asked officials to conduct the programme

in the presence of the public representatives. “How can an important programme be conducted without the presence of the

mayor?” asked Abdul Haq Nazeer of MIM. Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri, MLC, also supported this and said that corporators should be given due consideration. GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, who had formally launched the programme, said the officers on all working days usually remain busy with their meetings and inspections and are unable to meet the citizens to address their grievances at circle and zonal levels. Unmindful of the official explanation,

CHILD RIGHTS

CLASSIFIEDS HEALTH

CLOTHING

corporator Mir Zulfiqar Ali cried, “Your staff is lazy.” Another corporator, MA Gaffar, demanded that this kind of programme should be conducted in ‘each ward’ in the presence of the respective corporator. Corporator Saleem Baig, later speaking to Postnoon, expressed his displeasure on the issue of ‘Prajavani’. “We work hard to convince each and every employee and streamline the workforce. But at the end of the day, we may not get the credit of the hard work we did for at least a week,” said Baig.

HEALTH

SALON

One source for all resources

Activists have compiled a directory of resources for child protection in Andhra Pradesh. KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

s its next step towards child protection, Terre des hommes foundation, in collaboration with HELP and Lausanne, organised a book launch of a resource directory on child protection in AP. The resource directory on child protection contains

HOTEL

The database consists of addresses and numbers of child rights organisations so that cases of child abuse can be immediately addressed.

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a compiled database of all organisations working towards various aspects of child welfare. The database, categorised according to districts, consists of addresses and telephone numbers of these organisations so that cases of child abuse, child trafficking and child begging can be immediately addressed. The chief guests spoke about the relevance of the directory and the responsibility it endows upon citizens. This is the third book in the series, the first two having been made for West Bengal and Delhi. Chief guests present at the launch were Chiranjiv Choudhury, IFS commissioner, commi-

sionerate of women development and child welfare; AL Kismat Kumar, director of juvenile welfare, correctional services and welfare of street children; Dr Hans Van Vilet, first counsellor, head of development co-operation, delegation to the European Union to India; Sonykutty George, officer in-charge and child protection specialist UNICEF for AP and Karnataka; and activist and actor Nandana Sen. Nandana Sen pointed out that as common practice, we distance ourselves from a child who is in a hazardous position. Many of us assume that problems such as child trafficking are so huge that a common man can hardly do anything about it. “Protecting children is not an act of kindness but our moral responsibility. All of us are accountable for a child’s safety,” she said. Sonykutty George extended congratulations on the making of the directory. Noting that the book speaks for about 6,000 people who are working in the direction of child welfare, he raised the vital question — was this number sufficient? With the example of a movement against trafficking in Bangalore which brought to surface 189 victims, he said Hyderabad is three times worse in statistics. “The directory enables people to reach out. We cannot make a difference alone. But together, we can make lives of children better,” he said.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

EDUCATION

Contract lecturers at OU cry foul over lower pay

Despite putting in the same hours as their permanent counterparts, the lecturers say they are being shortchanged, both in terms of pay and leave. N SHIVA KUMAR

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

ven though the State government is stressing on quality education and promising equal pay for equal work, Osmania University is in the news for the wrong reasons again. Nearly 600 contract lecturers at the university had staged a protest at the campus demanding the authorities raise their salaries and pay them according to the UGC norms. The strike has been called off after the tenth day as on Wednesday. Despite the fact that contract lecturers have been working on par with permanent lecturers, the university has not hiked the salary or given any extra benefits to contract lecturers. Most of the contract lecturers at the university are PhD holders as per UGC norm. Currently, the starting salary for contract lecturers given by the university is `16,000 per month and goes up to `20,000 per month depending on the seniority. However, the contract lecturers are demanding that the minimum salary should start at `25,000 and be increased according to their seniority in compliance with the salary of the permanent staff. “Our pay has not been increased since 2010 as per the UGC norms. We are being underpaid compared to the permanent staff in spite of putting in more work. The permanent lecturers start off with `38,000. What kind of justice is this,” they questioned. Pointing out the clause given in the UGC norms, OU Contract Teachers’ Association president M Tirupathi said, “The UGC recommendations clearly state ‘the fixed emoluments to be paid per month to a teacher on contract basis should not be less than the monthly gross salary of a

regular appointed teacher. Every other university is going by the recommendations of the UGC other than OU, despite the fact that OU is one of the prestigious universities in the State.” Though the university has an allotted strength of 1,200 permanent lecturers, it has only 563 permanent faculty and 567 contract lecturers. “For 30 years, the university had 1,200 permanent faculty. However, slowly, as the faculty has been getting reduced, they are not filling the posts. Nor is it giving the senior contract lecturers a chance to become permanent faculty. Instead, they are running the show by hiring more contract lecturers and not even increasing our salary. The university has been receiving grants

“Despite putting in hard work, the university has not been recognising our job. We are treated worse than bonded slaves. Nearly 50 per cent of the faculty are women; however, the contract lecturers are not even given maternity leave on humanitarian grounds. We have to work with meagre income and in case we have to take leave for emergency, it’s a loss of pay for us.” Prof KSN Jyothi

Money Talks Starting pay scale at universities for contract lecturers Andhra University `32,000 per month Rajiv Gandhi IIIT `36,000 per month Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad University `25,000 per month Nagarjuna University `29,000 per month Osmania University `16,000 per month

for the 1,200 permanent lecturers from the government; however they have only 500 permanent staff. So it is clear that the university is pocketing the money for

the rest of the permanent staff and running the show with the contract lecturers,” the striking lecturers alleged. Apart from increasing the

“The cost of living has been skyrocketing with each passing day. The rent itself for a two-bedroom house in Hyderabad is not less than `7,000. How can we run our families with an income of `16,000? Our pay has not increased in commensuration with the inflation. It is becoming very difficult for us to make ends meet with this salary.” Asst Prof Rameshwar

salary, the contract lecturers also demanded that leaves should be regularised like the permanent staff. So far, except for 10 emergency leaves, contract lecturers have not been getting leaves. That apart, they also demanded for an employee provident fund to be granted and a 30 per cent increment in the salary every year, according to the recommendations of the UGC. Though vice chancellor Dr S Satyanarayana was not available for comment, an aide said, “The matter has been with the State government and very soon, a decision will be taken. A committee has been appointed to address the problem. Since it is related to finance, the vice chancellor cannot take a decision of his own.”

“When compared to a daily wage worker, who is paid `650 per day and earns `19,500 per month, we (contract lecturers) are paid only `16,000. The meagre salary has been affecting our family lives. Nor are we getting our recognised designation here ion the university. The university authorities should take our demands seriously. Prof Jayashree

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

focus

BIG BUCKS

The national government is spending 10 billion pesos ($240 million) a year to transform the waterway and its 47 tributaries. Half the money is being spent on trying to relocate about 300,000 squatters who live directly along the banks of the river and tributaries, known locally as esteros.

ENVIRONMENT

CPR FOR A TOXIC RIVER’S HEART

KARL MALAKUNAS feedback@postnoon.com

oys shout in delight as they flip backwards off a bridge. Fishermen quietly cast rods out. They are joyful acts that should belong to an earlier era, before the Philippines’ Pasig River turned toxic. Yet some slum dwellers in Manila whose shanty homes choke the river and its tributaries have little choice but to live as if the national capital’s most important waterway is clean. “It’s hot. We have no other place to swim and escape the heat," 16-year-old Christian Ivanes said as he took a break from jumping off a bridge near the mouth of the river with his friends. Ivanes, his seven siblings and a few hundred other illegal squatters live under the bridge in stilt houses made of junk wood and plastic, their existence as desperate as any in an Asian megacity infamous for its brutal poverty. Shopping from the community stall at high tide requires wading ankle-deep through plastic wrappers and other garbage that is floating in black wa-

ter. A thick stench rises with strong hints of untreated sewage and industrial waste. “There have been people who have gone into this with an open wound and died," said Gina Lopez, a prominent environment campaigner who is leading the latest government drive to clean up the Pasig. The national government is spending 10 billion pesos ($240 million) a year to transform the waterway and its 47 tributaries, according to Lopez, chairperson of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission. Half the money is being spent on trying to relocate about 300,000 squatters who live directly along the banks of the river and tributaries, known locally as esteros. “As long as there are illegal dwellers living along the estero, using the place as their toilets and dumping garbage, there’s no clean-up that can happen. So that’s the beginning," Lopez said. The commission has cleared and rehabilitated four esteros since 2010, when President Benigno Aquino took power and implemented the programme, according to Lopez. It is aiming to start work on

16 more this year, then have all the esteros as well as the Pasig transformed by the time Aquino ends his term in 2016. At Estero de Paco, a 2.9-kilometre (1.8-mile) tributary that a few years ago was one of the most polluted in the city, shanty homes have been replaced with tree-lined boardwalks while water-treatment machines now nestle amid plants. The more than 1,300 families, or roughly 6,500 squatters, who lived within three metres (10 feet) of the channel have been relocated, while vendors at a nearby market have stopped dumping garbage into the water. Programmes with local water companies to improve sewage facilities have also been implemented. Flooding that regular-

We can now jog here along the footpath and our children don’t have to go somewhere else to play.

ly hits the area has lessened because drains are not blocked by garbage, according to Lopez, and the residents who have remained beyond the threemetre clearance zone appear much happier. Estero de Paco is being used as a template for cleaning up the entire Pasig river system. Nevertheless, while the estero may look better, the water remains badly polluted, according to Javier Coloma Brotons, an urban development specialist at the Asian Development Bank who is involved in cleaning up the tributary. And although the rehabilitation commission is aiming for a major transformation of the entire water system within just three years, Coloma Brotons cautioned the project could take decades to complete. He said many of the city’s more than 12 million residents polluted the waters in some way. Among the myriad of problems he cited were the lack of sewage treatment plants and trained people to maintain them, countless small businesses that dump waste into the water, and polluting industries upstream.

Coloma Brotons also pointed out that the 27-kilometre Pasig River — which connects Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, with Manila Bay — is tidal. This means pollution from the vast Manila Bay, including waste from huge ports, washes back up the river. Adding to the complexity is the general chaos of the Philippine political system, which makes it extremely difficult for a co-ordinated approach from many government branches and vested interests. Such issues have led to repeated and costly failures to transform the Pasig. The national government launched its first project to rehabilitate the Pasig in 1989, and the rehabilitation commission was formed 10 years later with a mandate to completely transform the waterway by 2014. Even now, few people expect the government to be able to relocate 300,000 slum dwellers by 2016, as similar programmes for other shanty towns across Manila have repeatedly failed over recent years. AFP

Evelyn Quitala local esident

In this picture taken on Monday, a boy stands along a bridge next to stilt AFP /TED ALJIBE houses, one of the many areas along waterways in Manila.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Business

KLOPPERS STEPS DOWN AFTER PROFITS PLUNGE

Marius Kloppers is stepping down as BHP Billiton's chief executive officer on May 10, the world's biggest miner said in a surprise announcement Wednesday, as half-year profits plunged by 58 percent to $4.2 billion.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

That stitch in time PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

s a student, Kusum Sharma dreamt of being a self-made woman and creating a niche for herself in the business world. She has come long way and crossed many barriers to realise her dream. Her success in the field of vocational education (Sewing school) proves that there is no age barrier for learning or for setting up a business. The business, which started in 2003, with mere `10,000 investments has acheived more than 50 per cent growth in revenues year-onyear. This growth has not only made her a sucessful entrepreneur but also played a key role in influencing many young people to become talented professionals. About her education, she says, “After my graduation, I wanted to do a BEd to take up teaching. But living in a village and being far from the college did not let me to do that. However, my passion towards stitching took birth when my mother forced me to join an embroidery course. She never attended school and always wanted to see my sister and myself to be educated and be successful. Whatever I am today can be attributed to her vision and hard work.” Like many other women, Kusum too got married and got busy with personal life and

therefore put her dreams on hold. “It is only after sending my children to school that I decided to rebuild my career. With my husband’s support, I joined for a diploma course in fashion designing at SETWIN as I already have stitching knowl-

Google shares top $800 NEW YORK: Internet search king Google's shares pushed past $800 for the first time despite a tough new challenge from Microsoft and looming EU action over alleged privacy violations. Google's closed at $806.85 on the Nasdaq exchange, up 1.8 per-

cent from Friday's close, after having hit $807 during the day. That pushed the company's market valuation to $266 billion. The shares were up 14 percent from the beginning of 2013 and 33 percent over the past 52 weeks. AFP

edge. I also did an EDP program, which was jointly conducted by SISI and NIFT — both in the City. “However, even after gaining relevant expertise in the field, I did not have sufficient funds to start a boutique. This

has pushed me to start a sewing school in 2003 with `10,000 as my intial investment. I bought three sewing machines and later got the school accredited to Singer (Now by Usha) for acknowledging the students with certificates. “Although I had relevant expertise in the field, I did not know the art of teaching then. In terms of marketing, I used to visit my neighbours and tell them about my school and ask them if anybody is interested to join. “Many challenges were put across to me by my students during their learning process. This taught me new things — to learn and to teach. My students also inspired me to write a book on stitching — Sewing Made Easy. On marketing front, online presence and word-of-mouth publicity from students play a crucial role in getting new admissions. Many students with their sheer interest enrol in longterm courses once they finish short-term courses. About the industry trends, she says, “Retails shops have mushroomed and there is a trend towards ready-made clothes, particularly in menswear. However, tailoring has its importance especially in exclusive designer wear or even in getting right fit especially for girls and women. Many housewives and girls learn this as a hobby to try new trendy designs for their family.”

France clears bank reforms

PARIS: French parliament passed a bank reform Bill on Tuesday despite criticism that the measures fall short of campaign promises by President Francois Hollande to get tough on bankers. Finance minister Pierre Moscovici has said the reform was inspired by reforms cur-

rently being pushed through by the EU and was above all meant to "protect the deposits of savers." But critics contend the measures either put too big a strain on banks already saddled with new regulations, or failed to free the heavily indebted state from the fate of the country's lending giants.

10g GOLD `30,300 10g GOLD`31,100 1kg `60,100 1kg SILVER `55,300

24C 24C

for for for for

DOLLAR `54.05 `53.79 `85.15 POUND `83.44

HACKERS HIT APPLE

The malicious software, or malware, took advantage of a vulnerability in a Java program used as a "plug-in" for Web-browsing programs. A "small number" of computer systems at Apple were infected but they were isolated from the main network, according the Silicon Valley-based company. "There is no evidence that any data left Apple," Apple said. Apple released a Macintosh computer operating system update that disables Java software that hasn't been used for 35 days or longer, as well as a tool for ﬁnding and removing the malware. Word of hackers hitting Apple came just days after leading social network Facebook said it was "targeted in a sophisticated attack" last month, but that it found no evidence any user data was compromised. Facebook said Friday that the malware came from an infected website of a mobile developer. It was unclear whether it was the same website blamed for the attack on Apple.

NUMEROLOGY

$17.4

is the trade deficit of Japan in January due mainly to heavier fuel import bills, official data showed Wednesday.

HEINZ UNDER FBI LENS The FBI is examining possible insider trading in Heinz shares ahead of last week's buyout announcement, after US regulators identiﬁed suspicious trades from a Swiss account, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. "We're aware of the trading anomalies the day before the announcement," said Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kelly Langmesser. "And we're consulting with the SEC to see if a crime was committed." The Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday it had identiﬁed highly suspicious Heinz trades made one day before Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital announced they were acquiring the condiment giant in a $28 billion deal.

BSE 5,954.75 6,057.70 NSE

20,025.67 19,678.10 44.10 42.38 9.20 15.05

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

nation

SC EXTENDS STAY ON VEERAPPAN AIDES EXECUTION The Supreme Court has extended the stay on execution of death sentence of four Veerappan aides till further orders. Bench headed by Chief Justice of India says it will wait for the judgement of the other bench which also heard a plea for commutation of death sentence. The court will hear their pleas after six months.

CORRECTING WRONGS

NATIONAL STRIKE

‘Jallianwala Bagh shameful’ However, Cameron did not offer any apology for the massacre. AMRITSAR: British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday termed as “shameful” the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of innocent Indians by British troops. “This was a deeply shameful act in British history. One that Winston Churchill rightly described at that time as monstrous. We must never forget what happened here and we must ensure that the United Kin stands up for the right of peaceful protests,” Cameron wrote in the visitors’ book of the memorial. However, Cameron, who is the first

POLITICS

British prime minister to visit the Jallianwala Bagh, did not offer any apology for the massacre. The British prime minister earlier paid homage at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, the site of the massacre of hundreds of men, women and children by British troops April 13, 1919. Queen Elizabeth too had visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in October 1997 and paid homage to those killed in the massacre of unarmed Indians by British forces led by Brigadier General Reginald Dyer. IANS

TUNES FROM THE EAST

Jaya blows poll bugle AMRITSAR: Reflecting yet again her ambition for a larger role in national politics, AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today asked party cadres to work for securing all 40 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 elections. “Instead of celebrating my birthday in a grand manner, work for the welfare of the people, secure a place in their hearts and convert them into votes,” Jayalalithaa, who will turn 65 on February 24, said in a message to party cadres. PTI

Folk artists from Japan perform at City Palace in Jaipur on Tuesday.

PTI

Trade union leader crushed to death AMBALA: A trade union leader, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot as part of the two-day nationwide strike call, today died when he was hit by a bus in his bid to stop it from plying, a senior Roadways ofﬁcial said here. “The incident took place around 4 am this morning when Narender Singh, a bus driver by profession, tried to stop the vehicle which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike,” district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union’s, Inder Singh Bhadana told reporters here. After the incident, the other workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala’s Deputy Commissioner of Police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said. Meanwhile, Bhadana demanded a case to be lodged against the General Manager of the Roadways, failing which they will not allow the body to be cremated. In view of the tense situation, heavy police force had been deployed at the bus depot and its surrounding areas. Earlier, however, AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told PTI that the victim was allegedly stabbed to death by some miscreants. PTI

NEWS BRIEFS Goa renews mine leases for stamp duty PANAJI: Even as the mining activity remains suspended due

to the Supreme Court order, the Goa Government has begun the process to collect stamp duty by renewing the mining leases in areas not falling under forest cover. This is to make up for the ﬁnancial losses caused to the state exchequer in the absence of royalty. Directorate of Mines and Geology has issued notices to around seven mining lease holders, which will give a revenue of Rs 161 crore to the state treasury in the form of stamp duty. The notices maintain that their leases which were supposed to be renewed in 2007, would now be renewed for 20years till 2027.

Himachal revokes land lease of Ramdev SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government Tuesday

revoked the land lease of yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the state. The cabinet at its meeting, presided over by CMVirbhadra Singh, took decision to cancel the allotment of 28 acres of land in Solan district to Baba Ramdev for setting up a herbal garden and a branch of his Patanjali Yogpeeth, a government ofﬁcial told IANS. He said the land, valued around `35-40 crore, was allotted by the previous BJP government in 2010 on a 99-year lease at a token amount of just `1 by violating land norms. The prime piece of land is located mid-way between Kandaghat town and the hill resort of Chail, 50 km from here.

Pick

at the

ATS gets 40 calls to inform about IM men MUMBAI: Maharashtra ATS, which had announced Rs 10 lakh reward each on Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal and his three aides allegedly involved in terror cases, received as many as 40 phone calls in a week’s time to provide them clues, but yielded no results so far. According to police, the callers claimed that they had spotted persons resembling the wanted accused either in a public transport bus or at places like bus stops and railway stations. However, as of now nothing concrete has emerged during the veriﬁcation by the ATS men. Besides these 40 calls, about 60 missed calls were received at the numbers provided by the ATS as the callers wanted to verify if they were correct, police said.

airport,

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

World

N KOREA VIDEO SHOWS OBAMA IN FLAMES North Korea has released a new propaganda video showing US soldiers and President Barack Obama burning in the flames of a nuclear blast. The footage was uploaded on YouTube on Monday, two weeks after a separate video that showed New York city in flames after an apparent missile attack.

THE JASMINE WITHERS?

Tunisian PM quits

‘BLACKLIST BALDWIN’

Hamadi Jebali said he was standing down to ‘fulfill a promise made to the people’.

TUNIS: Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on Tuesday after failing to form a non-partisan government to end a political crisis exacerbated by the assassination of a senior opposition figure. Jebali, who had warned of chaos if his plan fell through, made a last-ditch effort to push for “another solution” to the long-running crisis in a meeting with President Moncef Marzouki. “I promised and assured that, in the event that my initiative failed, I would resign as head of the government, and that is what I have done,” Jebali said on television. Jebali, whose efforts to form a government of technocrats was rebuffed on Monday by his own ruling Islamist party Ennahda, said he was standing down to “fulfill a promise made to the people.” “This is a big disappointment,” he said. “Our people are disillusioned by the

The story so far n

n n

Dec 2010: Trader Mohammad Bouazizi sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid, sparking anti-government protests, and later dies Jan 2011: Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali stands down as president after escalating protests and clashes March 2011: New technocratic government announced by interim president Oct 2011: Tunisians vote in first elections of Arab Spring Dec 2011: Ex-dissident Moncef Marzouki chosen as president, with Ennahda’s Hamadi Jebali as PM May 2012: Salafi Islamists clash with police amid a row over alcohol sales

political class. We must restore confidence. “The failure of my initiative does not mean the failure of

GUN VIOLENCE 3 killed in US shooting spree CALIFORNIA: A gunman killed three people in California on Tuesday, including at least one execution-style, in a series of shootings and carjackings before taking his own life, police said. At least two other people were injured as the gunman fired randomly on other vehicles on a freeway, before he shot and killed himself near the city of Orange. The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Ali Syed, who was unemployed, had no criminal record, and was living at home with his parents and taking a class at a local college. In all there were three murders and five attempted murders.

June 2012: Mr Ben Ali is sentenced to life in prison over the killing of protesters in the 2011 revolution. Saudi Arabia refuses extradition Feb 2013: Opposition politician Chokri Belaid shot dead; PM announces plans for technocratic government, a move rejected by Ennahda.

Tunisia or the failure of the revolution,” he added, referring to the country’s uprising two years ago to oust a long-time dictator

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.The 63year-old said he was convinced a non-political team “is the best way to save the country from wandering off track.” While other candidates might emerge to fill the job, it is possible Marzouki will ask Jebali to try again. But Jebali said he would not sign on again with “any initiative that does not fix a date for new elections. What about the constitution? What about elections?” As well as the row over the new government, there is deadlock over the drafting of a constitution, with parliament divided over the nature of Tunisia’s future political system 15 months after it was elected. The prospect of Jebali carrying on is “on the table, but we still have to discuss it, and there are several competent people in the event he refuses,” said Ennahda parliamentary bloc chief Sahbi Attig. AFP

PETRAEUS SCANDAL

General Allen calls it a day G eneral John Allen, who till recently was the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has decided to retire instead of accepting NATO’s top job citing health issues within the family, President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday. Obama himself made this announcement after he met Gen Allen at the White House this morning. For the past days, the US media had been reporting that Gen Allen has been asked by the White House to retire following the allegation of his links and voluminous emails with a socialite from Florida. AGENCIES

NEWS BRIEFS Rocket attack claim 19 lives in Syria

Earth quake hits China; 8 injured

Castro meets US lawmakers

N Korea N experts get the greatest privileges

BEIRUT: Syrian antigovernment activists said on Tuesday that an army rocket had leveled several buildings in a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo, killing at least 19 people and possibly leaving dozens more buried under rubble, reported the NYT. The attack appeared to have caused one of the worst civilian tolls in the embattled city.

BEIJING: Eight people were injured in an earthquake near the border area of China’s southwestern Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, local authorities said today. The 4.9-magnitude quake, which occurred at 10.46 am. Yesterday with an epicenter 6 km deep, toppled 72 houses and damaged 949 others in Yunnan’s Qiaojia County.

HAVANA: President Raul Castro on Tuesday welcomed a delegation of US lawmakers, the ﬁrst to come to Communist Cuba since US President Barack Obama’s re-election, state media reported. “Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla took part in the meeting, and issues of interest to both countries were addressed,” a statement said.

SEOUL: North Korea is rewarding the scientists and workers behind its recent nuclear test with a funpacked visit to Pyongyang to enjoy “the greatest privileges,” state media said Wednesday. Scientists, technicians, workers and ofﬁcials behind the February 12 test will visit the capital as the guests of the ruling Workers’ Part.

Malcolm Smith, a New York Senator, has called on Hollywood’s producers and directors to blacklist actor Alec Baldwin until he gets help for an alleged anger management problem. A reporter and photographer have ﬁled a harassment claim against the ‘30 Rock’ star, accusing Baldwin of hurling a racial slur at them during an altercation outside his home in the Big Apple on Sunday, reported TMZ.

NUMEROLOGY

200

impact zone has been found in the Australian outback which experts say must have been casued by an asteroid which smashed into earth more than 300 million years ago.

CHAVEZ STAYS SILENT A day after President Hugo Chavez surprised Venezuelans by returning home, after a two-month absence in Cuba for cancer treatment, the once-omnipresent leader stayed out of the public eye on Tuesday. It was also unclear whether Chavez, who has been admitted to the military hospital in Caracas, had seen Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, who made a stopover in the capital to visit his close ally on his way to the US. Venezuelans had neither seen nor heard from their usually ubiquitous leader since he left for Cuba on December 10 for another round of cancer surgery.

In my view, the time has come for an international cyber agreement and for strong legislation that can improve information sharing and protect the critical infrastructure of this country. Diana Feinstein American Senator

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Technology v

2 4

TECHNOLOGY

VOICE Voice or speech recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation, or to understand and carry out spoken commands.

GESTURE

THE FUTURE OF INPUT

The most common form of communication between humans and computers.

Determines the locations and sizes of human faces in digital images with the use of cameras.

A slew of technologies are emerging that will revolutionise user experience.

KEYBOARD & MOUSE

THERMAL IMAGING

A method of improving visibility of objects in a dark environment by creating an image based on infrared radiation. 9

The method of computers recognising human body language through cameras or sensors.

FACIAL DETECTION

A display screen that detects the presence of touch when it comes into contact with the display area.

TOUCHSCREEN

TECH NEXT

USER IDENTIFICATION

A way of identifying which specific user is interacting with the technology, through a unique feature such as a thumbprint.

EYE TRACKING A measurement of eye activity through light sources and cameras to provide eye behaviour analysis as an alternative to cursors’.

ONE UBUNTU TAB PLEASE Here it is: the fourth and final piece of the Ubuntu puzzle. We’ve seen the OS on smartphones, on TVs and of course on desktops, but the tablet version has spent a little longer in its dressing room. Fortunately, Canonical feels that the last stage in its four-screen strategy is now ready for the limelight and has released a video of the software in action. The clip details the preview code coming to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 this Thursday. Starting with the preview, the tablet OS will be made available to devs and enthusiasts as the smartphone preview on February 21.

MS SINGS THE BLUES The Windows team at Microsoft just completed the first milestone build (M1) of Windows Blue, the first full-fledged update to Windows 8, according to a couple of sources. The M1 marks the halfway point in the Blue development schedule. The last and final milestone build of Windows Blue will be M2, the contact told Zdnet. It’s hard to know what will come next, given Windows Blue is the first Windows release to be on an accelerated schedule. Will Microsoft deliver a developer preview of Blue? A consumer preview? Or just go straight from internal milestone builds to final?

Fancy an Apple TV? 7

PEN DEVICE

An input device to capture realistic information, such as handwriting or brush strokes, which will then be turned into digital data.

SPATIAL CAPTURE

The process by which data is collected in order to give a thorough understanding of what is contained in a geographic location.

Apple has quietly rolled out its media streaming device, Apple TV, in India at a starting price of Rs. 8,295. With the launch of Apple TV, the company’s full portfolio of Apple products are ﬁnally available in India. Not to be confused with the company’s rumoured television set, Apple TV allows consumers to wirelessly stream media content from their iTunes account to their television. An Apple spokesperson, who conﬁrmed the development, said that the device would be out in retail stores over the next week. You can also push content from your iOS devices on to the TV using Apple TV.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Comment If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

CORRUPTION

THE HUMAN CONDITION Dean Williams

atching Oscar Pistorius sobbing in court cut a pathetic figure. His alleged crime, if proved, is a heinous one; killing a person in the prime of her life. But like OJ Simpson before him, Pistorius’s life has now been irrevocably altered whatever the outcome of his trial. Pistorius has been the inspirational poster boy for those looking to overcome physical handicaps. His drive to succeed in a world that far too often overlooks the disabled was a feat few would have had the courage to take on. But Oscar did. The world was his oyster, but then the shell snapped shut. If Pistorius did indeed kill his girlfriend, and that’s still a big IF at the moment, then he will pay a high price. There will be no more running in arenas with thousands screaming his name. There will be no more adulation, merely nervous glances reserved for a killer. The Blade Runner will have been retired like Ridley Scott’s Replicant. Shamed sportsmen seems to be the flavour of 2013, what with Lance Armstrong going from hero to zero at the speed of light. But Armstrong’s crime is forgettable though not forgivable at some screwed up level. Pistorius, however, is now running the risk of being mentioned in the same sentence as Simpson, a scar that is permanent. Even if he is proved innocent Pistorius will never truly be vindicated in the eyes of the public. This is his legacy from now on, and he will have to deal with it. The writer is the editor of Postnoon.

Coffins to choppers: No end to scam plague Unless there is conviction and policy decision that national interests will come first, these investigations will take the usual long and winding road to nowhere.

FUSILLADE

Antoine de Saint-Exupery French writer, aviator

Dismantling Oscar’s legacy

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Strange but true, Andhra Pradesh, starving for power, has huge gas reserves in its bowl—Krishna Kaveri — and yet unable to get access to it because the portfolio comes under the Centre and it had allocated the gas reserves to various firms of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Now when AP wants it the Centre says sorry! It is a matter for legal experts to ponder over.

Arun Koshy Philip

Even as an Italian investigation is bringing out damning information on the VVIP helicopter deal, the Indian response has been divided. Defence minister and patron saint of clean politics ‘St Antony’ has realised (though a few years late) that “something happened somewhere”, which also threatens the image he has painstakingly built for himself — thereby meriting cancellation of the deal. However, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid is not keen to “overreact” because it would affect our “defence preparedness”. But the venerable mantri doesn’t elaborate what role helicopters transporting VVIPs are going to contribute to defence preparedness. Khurshid has stressed that Letters Rogatory, which request a foreign government’s or government institution’s cooperation for an investigation, will allow India to get to the bottom of the alleged scam. However, the charade of investigation into the Bofors scam has amply demonstrated to us how the government can sabotage such processes from within.

Though Khurshid vouches for the capabilities of Augusta Westland helicopters, the claim is difficult to stomach when it has emerged that performance requirements were tweaked to benefit the company. AK Antony is clean and honest, but has always demonstrated to be spineless when it comes to dealing with filth in his team. His terms as chief minister of Kerala saw some of the biggest scams and criminal activities of party leaders, coalition partners and ministers (of course, all alleged and never proven). Even when a senior Cabinet colleague was under investigation for sexual misconduct (Ice cream Parlour Sex Scandal), Antony would not ask him to stay out of ministry till

he is cleared. The minister has been acquitted by all trial courts and the Supreme Court. There are plenty more, but this one is the crown jewel. The inevitable presence of middlemen and ‘consultant’ companies (where many top military officials find employment after their service) in defence deals is a clear demonstration of the lack of willingness of the government to put national interests first. From coffins to choppers, rations to munitions, those tasked with protecting the country (service personnel, bureaucrats and political leaders) are looting it or facilitating the plunder. The anger and tirade of the defence minister will play to domestic galleries but need not

translate into actions of consequence, especially when the investigations involve other countries. Their judicial process follows due procedure of law and usually does not cater to requirements of “public conscience”. Unless there is conviction and policy decision that national interests will come first, these investigations will take the usual long and winding road to nowhere, bleed the exchequer and finally peter out. There was a time when military had a good standing in the public eye, but it is no longer the case. There are stains that need to be removed and creases that have to be smoothened before the uniform can return to its former glory.

EDITORIALS Well done, Kerala kutty

t’s ridiculous that the Kerala police have slapped a case against a college student who bashed up a man for passing lewd comments to her. The johnny thought she was a typical kerala kutty who would at the most run off sobbing at the insult she suffered by his uncouthness. But Amrutha Mohan, a third-year degree student, did not. A black belt holder in karate, she gave it back to him in chops and kicks (the report does not specify, but we hope to God that it was more than a slap: more the chops, more the kicks, the better). Now any Indian irate about the recent spurt in rape cases and instances of violence against women would be pleased with Amrutha and would have said, “Well done!” Now the twist in the story is that Kerala

READERS’ VIEWS

police do not share that view. Not only have they booked a case against the brave kutty for roughing the foul-mouthed clown (they have also booked a case against her father, perhaps for getting her enrolled for training in a lethal martial art and making her a dangerous entity, thus posing a great threat to a society mainly male-dominated, or because she robbed them of a chance of roughing up the fool themselves, which many a cop take as a birthright, but rarely exercise it with discretion) but taken pity on the victim in this case and spared him any charges. Amrutha is unshaken that she may have to stand in the dock for something she did not start. That’s even more interesting. Becasue that shows she has full faith that she did the right thing.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Cinema

CHANGING TRACKS In taking over as President of Lucasfilms last year, Kathleen Kennedy got both the privilege and the stress of heading one the most lucrative and imaginative film franchises ever. Now Ms Kennedy has moved onto Star Wars series and will not be producing Jurassic Park.

RUNGS OF THE LADDER

SCREEN POOPERS

RK: The Raj of Bollywood or the King of the Hindi film industry today, Shah Rukh Khan has come a long way from his small screen world. Commando Abhimanyu Rai in his critically-acclaimed debut TV series Fauji, who knew SRK would become the superstar of Bollywood someday. He gained mass recognition for his role and later starred in Aziz Mirza’s Circus, also a TV series. Soon after, SRK kickstarted his film career with Dil Ashna Hai and Deewana. The then young, scrawny TV actor with a prominent Adam’s apple, SRK has not looked back since. Upcoming movie: Chennai Express

idya Balan: The lady with balls as magazines like to call her today, Vidya Balan has successfully carved a top spot for herself in Bollywood. Her affair with acting started on TV with Hum Paanch in 1995 – she was just 16. Post the comedy series, Balan appeared in a number of music videos before she walked into Bengali cinema. Ten years later, her first break in Bollywood was Parineeta. Even though Balan is a media favourite for her bad fashion sense, movie offers poured in post her debut success. She gained massive popularity for The Dirty Picture, Paa, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Ishqiya. Upcoming movie: Ghanchakkar

ajeev Khandelwal: The modernday angry young man in the industry, Rajeev is well known for his television performances and deserves a pat on his back for the movie scripts he chooses. The angry Sujal in Ekta Kapoor’s Kahin Toh Hoga, Rajeev made his mark on TV and proved that even a soap actor could in fact act. The man with the raw appeal made his Bollywood debut in Aamir (2008). Unlike movies today, Aamir comprised a brilliant script and a surprisingly good soundtrack. His role as Inspector Arvind Mathur in Shaitan too deserves praise. Upcoming movies: Ishq Actually, Fever

am Kapoor: Winner of numerous television awards, Ram Kapoor has time and again proved that he is a promising actor with a smile to die for. Even though he has been expanding — literally — since his TV debut in Sudhir Mishra’s Nyay (1997), Kapoor gained recognition for his role in Ghar Ek Mandir (2000) opposite wife Gautami Gadgil. The actor’s tryst with Bollywood started in 2005 with – Devaki, Kal and Missed Call. However, Kapoor’s first commercial break was Karthik Calling Karthik and he gained critical appreciation for his roles in Udaan and Student of the Year. Upcoming movie: Mere Dad Ki Maruti

BOLLYWOOD CALLING From our living rooms to the big screen, these actors have come a long way in the world of glamour. While the returns on the big screen are much bigger, so is the hard work. Postnoon gives you a list of six TV celebs who left the TRP worries behind just to make waves at the box office.

yushmann Khurrana: The MTV star took the industry by storm with his titular role in Vicky Donor last year. A commercial and critical success, the movie and its cast was one of a kind. Khurrana, who became a TV icon with his Roadies Season 2 win, seems to be climbing Bollywood’s superstar ladder quickly too. Playing a spoilt Punjabi boy in his debut film, Khurrana was definitely the right choice for the laugh riot. Upcoming movie: Nautanki Saala

Don’t speak And…he does it again! Vivek Oberoi, who kickstarted his Bollywood career with a promise to deliver the best, has yet again tried his luck with an accent. He was last heard rolling his Rs in Kurbaan, and now playing the titular role in Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story Vivek has messed up his supposed ‘Hyderabadi’ accent too. Though he ‘looks’ convincing as a tapori, he is bad news the moment he opens his mouth.

It’s a good time to Die It’s time the makers of the Die Hard series realise that it is time the ﬁlm died a good death. A Good Day to Die Hard, Bruce Willis reprises his role a ﬁfth time. Willis plays the role of Detective John McClane yet again and this time it’s more sleep-inducing than ever. Seriously, Mr Willis, you think playing macho, repeating previous series’ stuff will get you anywhere?

TRENDING...

rachi Desai: This damsel, who has mostly been distressed on Indian television, now has something to be happy about. With films like Rock On, Bol Bachchan and Once Upon A Time In Mumbai in her kitty, Prachi is slowly climbing her way to the top. She kicked off her TV career as Bani in Zee TV’s Kasamh Se and gained instant success. Desai gained overnight popularity after her first film performance as Farhan Akhtar’s wife in Rock On. Film critic Taran Adarsh said: “Prachi brings in a lot of freshness and poise. Plus, she's a competent actor.” Upcoming movie: I, Me Aur Main

Zero Dark Thirty and Argo won the top movie awards from the Writers Guild, where rock & roll documentary Searching for Sugar Man won its category and Breaking Bad took a top television award. Argo, another Oscar contender, won Best Adapted Screenplay for Chris Terrio for his ﬁctionalised account of the US and Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis.

Entertainment Weekly has the ﬁrst shot of Ashley Greene in director Olly Blackburn’s horror-thriller Random, in which Greene plays Violet, the heavily pierced leader of a violent gang who chooses to terrorise a college student (Haley Bennett) who stays on campus during holiday break. Greene is best known for her role in Twilight ﬁlms.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

spotlight CREATIVE LEARNING

FRENCH CINEMA

Benjour India: French Film Festival (FFF 2013) is being organised by Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad. The French Film Festival consists of six recent films with English subtitles. Head to Prasads IMAX for the show at 7pm. S BALAKRISHNA

PLAY TIME

Kidihou — India's first childrens’ Museum was inaugurated on Tuesday by Nadendla Manohar, speaker of the AP State Legislative Assembly and fashion designer Shilpa Reddy at Whitefields, Kondapur.

TREASURE THAT SMILE

Bollywood actress Prachi Desai and Tollywood actor Sundeep Kishan, have teamed up to be Smile Ofﬁcers of the Oral B Smile India Movement along with dentists across the country. The movement’s mission is to spread the message of oral hygiene.

Appealing to the intellect Delhi-based Bharatanatyam dancer Savitha Sastry, was in the City to perform her multi-city dance show titled Yudh: Three Perspectives. It is based on a short story by her husband AK Srikanth. The performance was held at Ravindra Bharathi on Tuesday.

SRINIVAS SETTY

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

In order to mark International Women’s Day this year, there will be a special walk/run in the City organised by the Hyderabad 10k run foundation on March 3. The event aims to be a celebration of womanhood. A press conference was held on Tuesday to spread the word.

GLOBAL REACH

DSK Group of companies have tied up with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Grand Hainaut, France to bring to India the expertise, experience of the French Institution Supinfocom.They are launching a school that will cater to education in Animation, video games and industrial design

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

health

A NEW METHOD TO TREAT KIDNEY FAILURE Patients undergoing dialysis can now benefit from a new procedure that removes additional toxins and may increase their longevity, says a study. A technique that removes additional toxins during dialysis may prolong kidney failure patients' lives, said a clinical trial appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

MENTAL HEALTH RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

hen 10-year-old Aditya was kidnapped, his family went out of its mind with worry. After a lot of negotiation and police intervention they were able to get their son back. However, the first thing they noticed was that their son was strangely attached to his captor. He seemed to have forged a bond with his abductor in his 70 days of captivity and was now finding it hard to live with his parents. Known as Stockholm

Syndrome, there have been several cases of people, who’ve been held captive, to form a bond with the criminal. Under normal circumstances, an individual would either be terrified of or hate the captor. “In Stockholm Syndrome, the person who was taken hostage becomes attached to the enemy. This identifying with the aggressor is the individual’s way of reducing internal distress,” says Dr Ashok Alimchandani, senior consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. According to Dr Alimchandani, the mind has several layers, which were discovered by Freud. “When

there is a clash between the super ego and anxiety, the individual needs to find a way to relieve the anxiety. They then adopt an ego defence mechanism and Stockholm Syndrome is a form of this. So in such situations the individual tries to overcome his/her fear by getting attached to the person violating their rights,” he explains. Usually people suffering from this syndrome come to identify with and even care for their captors in a desperate act of self-preservation. This usually occurs in the most psychologically traumatising situations like abductions, hostage situations etc. In such

cases, it has been seen that the person continues to stay attached to his/her abductor long after they’ve been rescued or released. Stockholm Syndrome has also been observed in slave-master relationships and bad marriages. The logic behind this being that when the person develops an attachment for his/her tormentor, the latter somehow seems less threatening and this makes survival easier for the victim. Some of the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome include showing admiration for the abductors, resisting attempts to be rescued, trying hard to please the abductors, defending the tormentor, refusal to

testify against the criminal and refusal to run away from the tormentor. Experts suggest that the Stockholm Syndrome develops from extreme stress and fear. Hence, the most effective cure they say is counselling by psychiatrists and support from family members. “We don’t really see cases of Stockholm Syndrome in everyday clinical practice, but we do see cases of victims identifying with the aggressor. Usually once the victim has been separated from his/her tormentor, he/she takes some time to limp back to normalcy. But they gradually come back to normal with time,” says Dr Alimchandani.

Can you fall for your abductor? Traditionally, a kidnapper would be a person who poses a threat. However, people with Stockholm Syndrome, develop positive feelings towards their captor. We find out why. Naming a syndrome The term takes its name from a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1973. The robber took four employees of the bank into the vault with him and kept them hostage for 131 hours. After the employees were finally released, they appeared to have formed a paradoxical emotional bond with their captor; they told reporters that they saw the police as their enemy rather than the

bank robber, and that they had positive feelings toward him. The syndrome was first named by Nils Bejerot, a medical professor who specialised in addiction research and served as a psychiatric consultant to the Swedish police during the standoff at the bank. Stockholm syndrome is also known as Survival Identification Syndrome. Source: www.encylcopedia.com

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF Ease into 5K This app will get you off the couch and change your life. It's the easiest way to start running. It is is a runnin coach in your iPhone – pushing you as you sprint and slowing you to a walk based on a proven interval training plan. You can still listen to your workout tunes. This app works alongside your music.

HOUSECALL

DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

Myasthenia gravis

You Have Two Brains

Paul Ehrlich

Myasthenia gravis is a rare condition affecting the nerves that supply the muscles around the body, which leaves them weakened. Its precise cause is unknown. MG is one of the autoimmune diseases where, for an unknown reason, the body attacks itself. In MG the body makes antibodies that destroy some of our muscle receptors. When this happens the muscle contractions are weak.

Just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons in your gut — including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is also found in your brain and intimately affects your mood. Your gut literally serves as your second brain, and even produces more serotonin than your brain does.

Paul Ehrlich is a German Jewish medical scientist best known for discovering the ﬁrst effective treatment for syphilis for which he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1908 with his partner Élie Metchnikoff. Ehrlich was also a pioneer in the in the ﬁelds of chemotherapy, hematology and immunology. He made great strides for the advancement of medicine during his lifetime.

health WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

RESEARCH

BREAKTHROUGH

Too much TV can spur AGGRESSIVENESS WELLINGTON: Children who watch excessive amounts of television are more likely to have criminal convictions and show aggressive personality traits as adults, a New Zealand study has found. The University of Otago study tracked the viewing habits of about 1,000 children born in the early 1970s from when they were aged five to 15, then followed up when the subjects were 26 years old to assess potential impacts. The research, published in the US journal Pediatrics this week, found a strong correlation between childhood exposure to television and anti-social behaviour in young adults. “The risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increased by about 30 per cent with every hour that children spent watching television on an average weeknight,” coauthor Bob Hancox said. The study also found excessive TV viewing was linked to aggressive personality traits and an increased tendency to experience negative emotions. It said the links remained statistically significant even when issues such as intelligence, social status and parental control were factored in. “While we’re not saying that television causes all anti-social behaviour, our findings do suggest that reducing television viewing could go some way towards

reducing rates of anti-social behaviour in society,” Hancox said. He said the findings supported the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that children should watch no more than one to two hours of quality television programming a day. The study said it was possible that children learned anti-social behaviour by watching it on TV, leading to emotional desensitisation and the development of aggressive behaviour. But it said the content of what children were viewing was not the only factor, highlighting the social isolation experienced by those who spent hours watching the box. “It is plausible that excessive television viewing contributes to anti-social behaviour in ways unrelated to violent content,” it said. “These mechanisms could include reduced social interaction with peers and parents, poorer educational achievement, and increased risk of unemployment.” Hancox said the study concentrated on children’s viewing habits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, before the advent of personal computers. “If you’re playing a computer game that not only exposes you to a lot of violence but actually simulates shooting people then that may be even worse, but I don’t have any data on that,” he told Radio New Zealand. AFP

Research has found that children who watch TV excessively are more likely to display criminal behaviour.

Super PCs to keep age-related ailments away SYDNEY: Supercomputers are helping tweak antioxidants to stave off age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, shows a study. The research team, led by Leo Radom and Amir Karton from the Universities of Sydney and Western Australia, respectively, has used sophisticated quantum chemistry and supercomputers to design more powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants work by scavenging free radicals and other oxidative species, preventing them from damaging the body’s tissues and organs, the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Nature Chemistry reports. “The supercomputer modelling allows us to probe deeply into the molecular structure and helps us to understand just why carnosine (found in meat, fish and eggs) is such an effective antioxidant. Armed with this understanding, we are then able to design even better antioxidants,” said Radom, according to a Sydney and Western Australia statement. The research team, working alongside Michael Davies, and David Pattison from the Heart Research Institute, investigated carnosine’s effectiveness in scavenging the oxidant, hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorous acid benefit the body when it is used as part of our immune system to fight off invading pathogens. However, in excessive levels it has been linked to the development of heart disease. “While most people consume wine, berries and chocolate for an antioxidant boost, we turned on our computers! We were able to use supercomputers to improve the power of natural antioxidants and this may provide future benefit to the health industry,” said Karton. IANS

DEVELOPMENT

Marine enzyme can decongest sinusitis LONDON: A new nasal spray from a marine microbe will help clear chronic sinusitis, which causes nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing, pain and swelling around your eyes and cheeks. A team of scientists and surgeons from Newcastle University are developing the

spray with an enzyme isolated from a marine bug Bacillus licheniformis, found on the surface of seaweed. Lab experiments showed that the enzyme, called NucB, dispersed 58 per cent of biofilms in chronic sinusitis formed by the marine bug. The biofilm acts as a slimy barrier to protect bugs

from sprays or antibiotics, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports. Nicholas Jakubovics of Newcastle, said: “In effect, the enzyme breaks down the extracellular DNA, which is acting like a glue to hold the cells to the surface of the sinuses. In the lab, NucB cleared over half of the

organisms we tested.” Mohamed Reda Elbadawey, consultant, otolaryngology head and neck surgery, Freeman Hospital, was prompted to contact Newcastle researchers after a student patient mentioned a lecture on the discovery of NucB and they are now working together to explore its medical

potential, according to a Newcastle statement. Elbadawey said: “While steroid nasal sprays and antibiotics can help some people, for the patients I see, they have not been effective. “If we can develop an alternative we could benefit thousands of patients a year.” IANS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Gopichand to team up with B Gopal?

opichand has reportedly agreed to act in an upcoming Telugu film to be directed by B Gopal. The film will go on the floors shortly. Bhavya Creations will produce this film. Apart from Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s action adventure film, Gopichand has no other film lined up for release this year.

Priyamani to shake a leg with SRK!

riyamani is all set to shake a leg in a song in Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express. The song’s shooting began earlier today in Wai in Maharashtra. Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone are playing the lead roles in this film.

TOO SOON TO SAY

I’m not in a rat race :

PRABHAS P

rabhas, who’s basking in the glory of his recent hit Mirchi, categorically denies that he’s in a race for the numero uno position in Telugu cinema. “I’m not in a rat race. Someone who can stay at the top and rule the industry for 10-20 years irrespective of hits or flops can call himself a numero uno star in the industry. If I or for that matter some other hero gets two or three hits continuously, it doesn’t mean that the actor is in number one position. I don’t see myself there now,” he said. Mirchi’s box office success has come as a big surprise to trade pundits since no Telugu film in recent years has registered such record collections in February. The film is poised to be the biggest hit in Prabhas’ career so far and in Nizam alone, the film might collect close to `15 crore in the long run. Prabhas is now gearing up to play the lead role in Rajamouli’s upcoming period drama Baahubali. “I am sporting a very muscular look in Baahubali and for the past few months, I have been training very hard for it. You’ll see me in a completely different avatar by the time the film goes on the floors,” Prabhas said commenting on his new look which has been making quite a lot of buzz of late. After the likes of NTR, Allu Arjun and Ram Charan got married in the past couple of years, all eyes are on Prabhas, who’s one of the most eligible bachelors in tinsel town. But he evades the question quite succinctly. “There’s too much peer pressure,” he grins, adding, “Maybe I’ll think about marriage next year. Right now, I am concentrating only on my career.”

Mahesh Babu set to shoot in London

ahesh Babu’s upcoming film under Sukumar’s direction will soon be shot in London for nearly 40 days. Kriti Sanon is playing the lead role opposite Mahesh Babu in this film. Some part of the film has already been shot in Hyderabad and Goa in the past few months.

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

LOOKING FORWARD

CINE BYTES

Sohail pushes Salman-starrer to March

he curiosity over who will play Salman Khan’s romantic interest in Sohail Khan’s ﬁlm, is getting hotter by the day. The project is now said to have been pushed to March, enabling Sohail to select the female lead. After rumours of model and former Bigg Boss 6 contestant Karishma Kotak being in the ﬁlm died down, now one hears that Daisy Shah, a professional dancer, is being considered for the role. IANS

‘Bombay Talkies’ a result of passion: KJo

ALI ZAFAR

FEELS HE IS NOT YET TYPECAST IN THE INDUSTRY

akistani actor-singer Ali Zafar, known for his comedy roles, believes he has not been typecast in the industry and so he is also trying his hand at different things — like action film Kill Dil. “They can typecast (anyone), but the industry has also got the capability to look through that. I don’t think I was (ever) typecast. People think that comedy is easy, but it is the most difficult genre. If one can do comedy, then he can do anything. “That is why I think Aditya Chopra offered me Kill Dil, which is an action film. So, I think one should not get type-cast,” Ali said. Direced by Shaad Ali, Kill Dil also features Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra. The film will go on floors in September as Ali finishes shooting for Aman ki Asha. He will start shooting for the film in March. “It might release on August 15. It is a comedy film. I am playing a Pakistani boy in it,” he added. IANS

ilmmaker Karan Johar, who has shot a 20minute film Bombay Talkies along with three other directors, says the “different” project is a result of passion for Indian cinema. The film releases May 3, the day on which Raja Harishchandra the country’s first full-length feature film, released in 1913. IANS

Second chance tough in Bollywood: Neha Sharma

eha Sharma, seen in Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story, says it is difficult to get a second chance in Bollywood when an actor’s debut film fails to work at the box office. The actress believes one needs to have a lot of patience to wait for good work to come his or her way. “A lot depends on whether your first film does well or not, because people don’t give you second chances. You need to struggle for every film, until you make a mark for yourself,” Neha said. IANS

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 CINE BYTES

COMEDY CENTRAL

Fergie and Josh Duhamel confirm pregnancy

fter dodging pregnancy rumours earlier this month, Fergie and Josh Duhamel have conﬁrmed they are expecting their ﬁrst child together. “Josh & Me & Baby makes three!!! #mylovelybabybump,” Fergie tweeted Monday, along with a photo of herself and Duhamel as children. Her 40-year-old Safe Haven star hubby also announced the news on his Facebook page.

Michael Jackson’s son has a new gig

ichael Jackson’s 16year-old has landed a job as a special correspondent on Et, the CBS show announced Monday. The entertainment news programme conﬁrms that Prince Jackson has traded roles from in-front-of to behind the camera for his ﬁrst-ever interviews.

Beyonce, Jay-Z to buy Neverland ranch?

inger Beyonce Knowles and her rapper husband Jay-Z are reportedly looking to buy late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch. The couple were given a tour of the ranch in Santa Barbara, California, by owner Thomas Barack Jr, reports thesun.co.uk. The 3,000-acre ranch has largely been abandoned since the singer's death in 2009.

ive months later and Jon Cryer still can’t believe that he won the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award for his role on Two and a Half Men at the Emmys last September. During a visit to LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Cryer told the duo that due to painkillers from a bike accident (and a little liquid courage) he was more relaxed at the Emmys than he’d ever been, “because I knew I wasn’t going to win.” Cryer went on to say “It’s almost your worst nightmare when they say your name,” because he was convinced that the announcer had made a mistake — especially when he saw other stars in the audience looking as shocked as he was. The humble star admitted that he was expecting The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons to take home the gong, but clearly, the winning the accolade hasn't inflated his ego at all.

JON CRYER STILL SHOCKED ABOUT 2012 EMMY WIN FOR

TWO AND A HALF MEN

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Chai Time

Play & Win

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

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

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

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

Play & Win

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ACROSS

SCRIBBLING PAD

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SUDOKU

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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1 Does a thespian's turn 5 Rifleman's aim improver 10 Short-lived rages 14 Indian Ocean vessel 15 Firefighters' equipment 16 Youngstown's state 17 Spanish lady 18 Open, as a jar 19 ‘I haven't a thing to ___!’ 20 Bargain at a luxury hotel? 22 Leveling tool 23 Used to own 24 Mend metal connections 26 Informal informant 30 ___ polloi 31 Eggs in labs 32 Regretful sadness 38 Islamic declaration 41 Right-angle wing 42 Asian goat antelope 43 So unexpected as to have not been imagined 46 Place to be pampered 47 Part of the genetic code 48 Rolling in dough 51 Corporate reorganisations 56 Eb's wife?

57 Toyota alternative 58 Korean menu listing? 63 Olympian Korbut 64 Completely inoperative 65 Tip for a blackjack dealer 66 ‘OK, OK, I hear you’ 67 Typewriter type size 68 Cornell of Cornell University 69 Shipwreck locale 70 Gather, as a fortune 71 Two of a kind

DOWN 1 Totals 2 ___ En-lai (Chinese premier) 3 ‘Beloved’ novelist Morrison 4 Wide strips 5 Shiver from fear 6 Driving-course marker 7 ‘Sesame Street’ curmudgeon 8 Positive thinker Norman Vincent 9 Mentalist's claim 10 Where Perdue shoots baskets from? 11 In the lead 12 Journalist Sawyer 13 More black-and-blue 21 End a fast 22 Swimming spots

25 Mu ___ pork 26 Vegan's staple 27 Tennis great Lendl 28 Word with ‘bicycle’ or ‘beaten’ 29 Was sorry about 33 Toymaker for Santa 34 Circulate, as blood 35 Prefix for ‘while’ 36 Second-year student, for short 37 Persuade 39 When stunned employees earn their pay? 40 Breathing anomaly 44 ___ de cologne 45 Disproves 49 Word with ‘pro’ or ‘purpose’ 50 Sent high in the air 51 Japanese room divider 52 Targets of golf greens 53 Stained glass figure, perhaps 54 One of 150 in the Old Testament 55 Photo pigment 59 Baseball threesome 60 Tending to seep slowly 61 Fried Cajun veggie 62 Beyond recharging 64 Hawaii's Mauna ___

Chai Time WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 21-2-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You implement new business plans with the help of partners and also expand business as per plans. Politicians likely to be entrusted with the new responsibilities. Businessmen advised not to extend credit to customers for improving business.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Relatives and wellwishers will support you. Businessmen might face hurdles but will be successful at last. A strong financial position likely. You focus and successfully implement plans. Minor health problems likely; take good care.

You feel cheerful as planned work will be completed successfully. Blood relatives will be of great help but avoid any misunderstanding with them. Sudden and unexpected fortune will surprise you. A long-pending work will end successfully.

You plan to increase income in multiple ways. Transfer to an unwanted destination is on the cards for employees. Court verdict will go in favour. Work burden, travel and confusion await you. Children make you proud. Spouse will co-operate.

Employees might face minor tensions due to superiors but they will manage well and come out of the same wisely. Businessmen need to fulfill wishes of their customers to retain them. A journey will be undertaken to expand business.

Employees will get support and help of colleagues with which their work burden will reduce considerably and let them relax. Financial position will improve. Close friends and relatives will visit you because of which the family feels cheerful.

You execute all work successfully with experience, proper planning and skill. Avoid friendship with bad elements as they might drag you into problems. Income likely to improve drastically, which will make you comfortable financially.

Thought there are hurdles in the way of completing old work, with determination they will get completed successfully, albeit with a delay. Businessmen look cheerful as their profits are set to rise. Employees will earn a name by completing all tasks.

Politicians earn a name and appreciation for social work towards a cause. High command encourages and appreciates their good intention. Expected transfer is likely to be effected for employees soon. Strong financial position is likely.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Ace of Swords – You take an extreme stand on a crucial issue. Declare that it’s either your way or nothing. Explore other options and keen an open mind.

LEO:

Five of Swords – Do not get into petty fights that take you nowhere. You do not feel like you won even if you did. Steer clear of mischief mongers.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Queen of Cups – You’re thinking with your heart and are not doing well hiding your true feelings. This may not be a good idea in a professional environment.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Hermit – You need to be left alone to think and plan ahead. Tell loved ones and close friends you need time away and they will respect your need.

TAURUS:

King of Cups – Love is in the air. Romantic partner is wooing you with flowers, candlelight dinners and all things nice. Go with the flow and have a good time.

CANCER:

The High Priest – Dip into your intuition to make decisions. Logic might say one thing and you might feel another. You have to live through that conflict.

VIRGO:

Eight of Cups – You have everything that you’ve always wanted but still feel a void, an emptiness. Remember happiness has little to do with material comforts.

SCORPIO:

Four of Pentacles – You feel a strong need to achieve a financial goal, and you need to make compromises to reach there. Don’t be afraid to change.

CAPRICORN:

The Hanged Man – You achieve higher spiritual awareness and are able to control your emotions. You suddenly begin to see the world differently.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Justice – You need to take charge of your own happiness and work towards attaining goals. Take up a hobby or relaxation activity that keeps you centred.

NUMBER GAME

Wands – You’re in a lucky phase and will infuse fun and creativity into an otherwise staid project. Romance is in the air, and keeps you on your toes.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Eight of

POOCH CAFE

Persons of high esteem and powerful posts might be caught in controversies but they will come out of the same with wise handling. Artists will perform well in their recent project and earn appreciation. Employees need to work with a focus.

for 21-2-2013

Eight of Pentacles – You need to enhance your skills and make the most of bookish knowledge, applying it to the daily job routine. It will take you a long way.

NON SEQUITUR

Politicians advised to stay away from unwanted arguments and internal politics. Employees advised to complete entrusted responsibilities perfectly. Businessmen fulfill wishes of their customers with which they earn trust and more customers.

SUDUKO

You will complete all work with involvement and in the stipulated time. Friends will seek suggestions on certain important issues. Your influence is on the rise. Court issue will come to a favourable end. Apprehensions in your mind will disappear.

Boggle RAFT KAYAK FERRY BARGE CANOE Vol: 2, No 215 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

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Quintessentially Quentin Apart from the brickbats it’s important to understand that Django Unchained is a towering success. After the sizzling Reservoir Dogs, this is Tarantino’s best film to date. DEAN WILLIAMS dean@postnoon.com

n one scene from Django Unchained where Dr King Schulz is trying to buy a Mandingo fighter from Calvin Candie and makes him a ridiculously high offer, Calvin turns, smiles a big toothy grin and says: “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity. But now, you have my attention.” And if there’s one thing Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece does, it grabs your attention. Django Unchained has suffered a hail of vitriol by people in Hollywood and out of it. It has been slammed for what historians call its inaccurate account of slavery in America; it has been blasted by the Black community for its use of the word ‘nigger’ (in this film the word rears its head 110 times); and has been flayed for its ultraviolence. The first point is pretty ridiculous because Tarantino never said he was making a historically accurate film. This is hardly Roots with bad language. Second, Tarantino has always had a strange relationship with the word ‘nigger’, it has been a bedfellow of his scripts from Pulp Fiction through to Jackie Brown. On the third allegation the film has to be watched before one realises that the violence, replete with gallons of bright red blood, is so over-the-top and detached from reality that it’s more hilarious than grisly. Apart from the brickbats it’s important to understand that Django Unchained is a towering success. After the sizzling Reservoir Dogs, this is Tarantino’s best film to date. Where the Dogs snapped and crackled, Django charges headlong into the Western genre with all the poise of a drunken clown, and the film is all the better for it. The film revolves around Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave, and his mentor, the German bounty hunter Dr King Schulz (Christoph Waltz) as they knock-off white people and hope to rescue Django’s wife from the maniacal plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). But that is a mere skeleton, the sinew and skin is provided by some superb acting, a quintessential Tarantino script, and some hefty farce. This should have been Foxx’s film, but it isn’t. The film squarely belongs to Waltz, DiCaprio and Samuel L Jackson (who plays Candie’s ‘butler’ Stephen). Waltz’s clipped German accent, aided and abetted by some truly fine dialogue is powerful and his performance superbly ironic. Jackson once again summons the power to deliver a malice-laden character: Imagine Jules Winnfield, 30 years older and more pissed-off than ever before. And then we come to DiCaprio. DiCaprio was recently referred to as our generation’s Robert Redford, but to do that would be to do Leo a great injustice. DiCaprio is a far better actor than Redford ever was. If you need proof just watch him deconstruct Calvin Candie. Calvin could easily have turned into a caricature

of evil, but in the arms of DiCaprio, Calvin soars demonlike above the rest of the cast. This may not be DiCaprio’s finest performance of his career (that remains Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road) but it is right up there. Yes, Django Unchained is violent. Yes, it spouts more profanity than an irate octogenarian. Yes, it’s a gore fest with a body count that Pol Pot

could only dream of. But it’s also a damn good film that has the innate ability to surprise you. Take for instance the scene where a lynch mob gets into a heated debate about whether the eyeholes of their cloth masks are too small. The scene, led superbly by Don Johnson and Jonah Hill, is a sublime nod to Mel Brooks’ hilarious classic Blazing Saddles.

SPOILER ALERT

Or take the farcical end when Django and his horse conduct a dressage to celebrate the destruction of Candieland while his wife Broomhilda (played superbly by Kerry Washington) claps like a child applauding a rather daring trapeze act. It’s bizarre, but brilliantly so. Whatever the critics say about Django and its alleged underlying message, one thing’s for sure, it certainly is the best movie of 2012. Let’s hope the Academy notices it.

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

HYDERABAD TRACK WORK

Staying The Best excels Staying The Best, Home Town Hero, Black Bolt, Natalia and Fastest Finger Impressed when the horses excercised here this morning.

Sand Track 800 Metres: Crown Castle (K.Alam) 56, 600/42 Pleased. Catalina (rb) 1-2, 600/47 Easy. Magical Punch (N. S.Parmar) 1-1, 600/46 Easy. Dandelion (N. Rawal) 1-2, 600/46 Moved freely. Cristiano (Chary) 58, 600/44 Unextrended. Great Guns (rb) Aware (rb) 1-2.5, 600/46 Former finished in front. Dusty Lady (rb) 57, 600/42 Pleased. Ek Ek Ek (rb 57, 600/42.5 Moved well. 1000 Metres: Al Sarraah (Kiran Naidu) 118.5, 800/1-2.5, 600/47.5 Easy. Secret Angel (Harinder Singh) Rocking Racer (Trainer) 1-14, 800/58.5, 600/44 They moved together. Young Sapper (app) 1-11, 800/57, 600/42 Pleased. 1200 Metres: True Friend (app) 1-32.5, 1200/400 in 58 Easy. Surya Lakshmi (Sai Vamshi) 1-28,1 000/1-12, 800/56, 600/43 Moved well. 1400 Metres: Anagalekha (rb) 1-49, 1200/134, 1000/1-17, 800/1-2, 600/48 Easy. Winter Outer Race Grass 800 Metres: Olympic Whisper (Trainer) Ranjah (Deep Shanker) Whats Up (Harinder Singh) 58, 600/44 They moved freely. 1000 Metres: Styish Chieftan (Harinder

Singh) Ray Of Light (Trainer) 116, 800/1-0, 600/44 They moved very easy. Black Bolt (Trainer) Natalia (Harinder Singh) 1-2, 800/48, 600/37 They moved well and finished together. 1200 Metres: Staying The Best (N Rawal) Days Of Thunder (Sai Kumar) 1-21, 1000/1-5, 800/50, 600/36 Former impressed while finishing a length in front. Commanding Heights (Sai Kumar) Home Town Hero (N.Rawal) 1-23, 1000/1-5.5, 800/50, 600/36.5 They impresed and finished together. Anacostia (S Nayak) 1-25, 1000/1-9, 800/52, 600/38 Moved well. Mr.Khoashteep (app) 1-19, 1000/1-6, 800/51, 600/39 Moved attractively. Gate Practice 1200 Metres: Power Drive (Sai Vamshi) Princess Cruise (Kiran Naidu) Aryan (Harinder Singh) Vijays Grandeur (Deep Shanker) Sweet Candy (Anil) Aryan slowlyoff and Sweet Candy most slowlyoff. Spendid Knock (app) Merry Maid (app) Cannon Ten (N.Rawal) Cannon One (Sai Kumar) 1-22, 1000/19, 800/54, 600/40 They jumped out well. Major Luck (M.Mark) Aventus (N S Parmar) Bel Ami (K Alam) Galaxy Princess (app) Speedtosucceed (Henrique) 117, 1000/1-2.5, 800/50, 600/39

They took a good jump. Fastest Finger (Anil) Pacific Star (app) 1-14, 1000/1-1, 800/50, 600/38 They jumped out well and former finished in front. Euphonic (Kiran Naidu) Dazzlig Empress (app) Yet Again (Harinder Singh) Macintosh (app) U Step Ahead (app) 118.5, 1000/1-3, 800/50.5, 600/38.5 They jumped out well and finished in the same order. Star Sensation (Sai Vamshi) Rio Rojo (N.Rawal) Go For Gold (Sai Kumar) 1-21.5,1000/1-5.5, 800/52.5, 600/39.5 Star Sensation slowly off. Young Soldier (app) Shamrock Lady (Deep Shanker) Machine Gun (Anil) 1-17.5,1000/1-4, 800/52.5, 600/40 last two slowly off. Noted on 19/02/2013. Sand Track 800 Metres: Hidden Power (app) 56 600/41 Moved attractively. Fighting Fit (Parmar) Garibaldi (S.Nayak) 59, 600/45 Bothlevel. Star Value (app) 1-2, 600/46 Easy. Shimmering Ice (Deep Shanker) 59, 600/45 Moved well. Major Luck (rb) 1-1, 600/46.5 Easy. All Pepper (Kiran Naidu) 1-2, 600/47 Easy. 1000 Metres;: Lumier Blanche (app) 1-15, 800/59, 600/44 Moved freely. 1200 Metres: Cristiano (Kiran Naidu) 1-30,

35TH JUNIOR NATIONAL ARCHERY CHAMPIONSHIP

Kontu claims silver

Andhra Pradesh’s Kontu Jyothi claimed silver in the 50m and 60m recurve rounds of the 35 National Archery Championship. HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh’s Kontu Jyothi claimed the silver medals in the 50m and 60m recurve rounds of the 35 National Archery Championship, held here on Tuesday.

RESULTS:

Recurve Boys: 90m: Pawan Xalo (Jharkhand)307, Mukesh Tamang (SSCB) 302, Swmla Boro (Assam) - 301 70m: Atul Verma (UP) - 330, Pawan Xalxo (Jharkand) - 326, Mithlesh Kumar (Jharkand) 323, 50m: Atanu Das - 332 (SPSB), Dhanram Basumatary (Assam)330, Atul Verma (UP) - 329

30 M: Raj Govind Swansi (SSCB) - 351, Swmla Boro (Assam) - 350, Indrachand Swami (SPSB)- 349 Recuve Grils: 70m: Gunjan Kumari (SPSB) 318, Padyawati Sardar (SPSB) 315, Sumita Kumari (SPSB) - 312 60m: Antara Basak (West Bengal) - 326, Kontu Jyothi (Andhra Pradesh) -322, Gunjan Kumari (SPSB) - 321 50m: Padyawati Sardar (SPSB) 315, Kontu Jyothi (Andhra Pradesh) - 311, Gunjan Kumari (SPSB) - 309 30m: Sumita Kumari (SPSB) 341, Padyawati Sardar (SPSB) 340, V. Shardha Jhar (Jharkhand) - 337

Kontu Jyothi of AP poses after winning silver in both the 50m and 60m recurve rounds of the 35th Junior National Archery Championship, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

1000/1-16, 800/1-1, 600/47 Easy. 1400 Metres: Racing Tycoon (Deep Shanker) Moghul Emperor (Trainer) /1-44, 1200/1-29, 1000/1-13, 800/58, 600/44 Both level. Noted on 18/02/2013. Sand Track 800 Metres: Melody Queen (rb) 58, 600/43 Good. Princess Cruise (rb) Jerrel (rb) 1-0, 600/46 Both level. Anacostia (Kuldeep Singh) Rio Grande (rb) 58, 600/43 Both level. 1000 Metres: Light Blue Sky (Kiran Naidu) 1-16 800/1-1, 600/45 Easy. Mock Race 1200 Metres: Nano Belle (C.Henrqiue) Kohinoor Adhira (Kunal) 1-13 , 1000/1-5, 800/49, 600/37 Both moved neck and neck. Noted on 17/02/2013. Sand Track 800 Metres: Midnight In Paris (K.Alam) 59, 600/44 Easy. Magical Punch (Parmar) 1-2, 600/47 Easy. Anacostia (S Nayak) 1-2, 600/46 Easy. Queen Of The Stars (Parmar) Ice Lolly (Kuldeep Singh) 59, 600/44 Both level. Merry Maid (rb) Splendid Knock (S.Nayak) 58, 600/44 Both moved together. 1200 Metres: The Leader (Kiran Naidu) 133, 1000/1-17, 800/1-1, 600/46 Easy.

2012 OLYMPICS

Trickett urges healing after ‘toxic’ Games SYDNEY: Australian swimmer Libby Trickett on Wednesday called for healing within the sport after reports exposed a “toxic” atmosphere at the London Olympics including drunkenness, deceit and bullying. Swimming Australia has vowed to restore its standing with the public after the country’s much vaunted swimmers disappointed at the 2012 Olympics and inquiries into its culture revealed discipline was loose and the squad lacked leadership. Trickett, who has won four gold medals at three Olympics, welcomed the news that officials would further investigate allegations against the team, including that some athletes misused prescription drugs as a prank in London. “That issue has been left unresolved and it needs to be dealt with in order for us to move on,” she told the Australian newspaper. “It probably has gone too long without being dealt with. It certainly does need to be addressed because... if we let this one go, it’s a precedent for the future.” She said all swimmers had been “under a cloud” because no individuals had so far been named. “But if names are named, we will need to support them through the difficult times that lie ahead for them — and they will be difficult,” she said, The Australian reported. AFP

BILATERAL HOCKEY SERIES

PHF wants an agreement with HI KARACHI: With a bilateral test series planned for March-April, the Pakistan Hockey Federation wants to enter into an agreement with Hockey India under which the party found to be defaulting will be liable to pay the other federation a compensation of USD 200,000 dollars. Sources in the PHF have said that the federation has sent a draft copy of the agreement to Hockey India for the series. The PHF has proposed that the Indian hockey team first tour Pakistan, before they pay a return visit in April. The PHF has, apparently, indicated that while it has confidence in HI, the same does not apply for the Indian government.

"Basically, the PHF has said that while it has confidence in any agreement with Hockey India, which wants Pakistan to first play in India, it does not feel the same way about the government. It feels the Indian government could well come up with any reason for not permitting its team to go to Pakistan," a source said. He said the PHF now wanted the International Hockey Federation to be a third party in the agreement between the two federations to ensure all clauses were met. "The PHF has proposed a clause that in case any party fails to fulfil its commitment for any reason it will pay the other party a compensation of USD 200,000," the source said.

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

ONE FOR THE PRESIDENT

NATIONAL INDOOR

Tiger tees off storm The image-savvy White House denied squelching media access after Woods unwittingly teed off a new storm between Obama’s spin team and reporters who cover him. WASHINGTON: The imagesavvy White House denied squelching media access Tuesday, after Tiger Woods unwittingly teed off a new storm between President Barack Obama’s spin team and reporters who cover him. The row erupted when Woods joined Obama for a round on Sunday, lifting the lid on a simmering dispute between journalists and a White House machine pumping out news, opinion, photos and video, bypassing traditional media. Sunday’s match-up of the most powerful man in the world, and the man still regarded by many as the planet’s greatest golfer, was by any account a big story -- but White House officials declared it off limits to the press. Grumbling White House reporters were sent into

Winning alongside Obama was pretty cool, says Woods

apoplexy when a Golf Digest writer tweeted details of the round from the swish Floridian resort and popped up on the Golf Channel to sell his scoop. Reporters and photogra-

EUROPEAN INDOOR Radcliffe slams ridiculous British side LONDON: Paula Radcliffe accused new British Athletics head coach Peter Eriksson of making “ridiculous” decisions after the Swede unveiled his first squad since taking charge on Tuesday. Eriksson, who replaced Charles van Commenee after the Dutchman stood down following the London 2012 Olympic Games, announced a squad of 29 for next month’s European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg. But what irked British stalwart Radcliffe was that Eriksson appeared to have made his selections purely on the basis of topping the eight medals the team won at the same event in Paris two years ago. That meant promising athletes were overlooked with women’s marathon world recordholder Radcliffe taking to Twitter to say it was “totally ridiculous” that not one male 1,500 metres runner had been included in Eriksson’s squad. AFP

phers in the small pool that trails Obama everywhere — be it to Kabul or on a date night with his wife — fumed about missing what was likely to be a front page story.

MARANA, ARIZONA: Tiger Woods provided a glimpse at his private weekend round of golf with US President Barack Obama, saying that it had been a “pretty cool” experience. Woods, the first AfricanAmerican golfer to win a major title from his 1997 triumph at the Masters, and Obama, the first AfricanAmerican to be elected as US President, teed off together on Sunday at a luxury golf resort in Florida. “Playing with Mr. President was pretty cool,” Woods said. “He’s just a wonderful person to be around.”

Querrey advances at Memphis

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Sam Querrey beat Alejandro Falla for the second time in less than a week, defeating the Colombian 6-3, 6-3 in a first round match at the US National Indoor Championships on Tuesday. Querrey, who won the Memphis title three years ago, hammered six aces and won 74 percent of his first-serve points as he needed just 58 minutes to eliminate Falla. Fourth seed Querrey also beat Falla in the quarter-finals of the San Jose tournament on Friday. Querrey, who is the No. 2 ranked American on the ATP Tour, advances to the second round where he will face the winner of a match between Japan’s Go Soeda and Marinko Matosevic of Australia. Defending champion Jurgen Melzer crashed out of the joint ATP and WTA tournament, losing his opening-round match in straight sets at The Racquet Club of Memphis. AFP

MARSEILLE OPEN

Gasquet blown away by Muller

MARSEILLE: Frenchman Richard Gasquet’s (right) rich vein of form came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday as he was beaten in the first round of the Marseille Open, going down 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to journeyman Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Gasquet, seeded five and one of five Top 10 players competing in Marseille, could only blame himself as he had battled back to one set all and led 5-2 in the decider, but wilted in the face of the risk-all approach of his left-handed opponent. Muller, ranked 70th in

the world, sealed victory on his first match point, putting in a brilliant return of serve before finishing it off with a volley. It brought to an end a terrific run for Gasquet, who had won 15 of his previous 17 matches this year, collecting the titles at Doha and Montpellier to boot. “I was a catastrophe from the moment I went 5-2 up,” admitted Gasquet. “It is me who committed the mistakes. I was a little tired but at the same time I was eager to do well here. This match was not to be for me.” AFP

OPERACION PUERTO

Alberto Contador not to testify for trial

MADRID: Former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador will not testify at the “Operacion Puerto” trial in defence of Manolo Sainz, his former manager at the Liberty Seguros cycling team, the defendant’s lawyer confirmed on Tuesday. Sainz is on trial along with

four others, including the principal accused Eufemiano Fuentes, for endangering public health by sanctioning blood transfusions. “Looking at how the process is developing, I will not call Alberto Contador as a witness,” Ignacio Arroyo said.

Contador was due to testify on Friday, but Arroyo claimed his decision not to call the Spaniard was a sign that the case was going well for his client. “Looking at how things are developing every day during the case, I believe that certain things are on the right path

with respect to my client.” On Monday the court heard that the doping substance Synacthen found in his residence when he was arrested along with Fuentes in 2006 was in fact given to the team by the Spanish Medical Agency.

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Bristling Bayern torment Arsenal Bayern Munich loaded fresh misery onto beleaguered Arsenal with a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday that left them with one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals. TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse LONDON: Bayern Munich loaded fresh misery onto beleaguered Arsenal with a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday that left them with one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals. Seeking a reaction after Saturday’s shock FA Cup exit at the hands of second-tier Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal were instead soundly beaten by a Bayern side desperate to atone for last season’s Champions League final heartache. Bayern, runaway leaders in the Bundesliga, bossed the first

half of the last 16 first leg, and went in 2-0 up at half-time through goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller. Lukas Podolski replied early in the second half, breaching his former club’s defence for the first time in 2013, but Mario Mandzukic struck late on to put Bayern firmly in control ahead of the second leg on March 13. “We put in an outstanding performance over a long period of time against one of the top teams in Europe,” Kroos told German television channel Sky. “We really dominated, and I didn’t see any big chances from Arsenal, but it was annoying to

Results Bayern Munich bt Arsenal Porto bt Malaga

Bayern Munich players celebrate and Arsenal players react after Bayern Munich’s Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic (R) scores their third goal during the UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday. AFP/GLYN KIRK

ENGLAND TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

concede the goal.” With defeat, Arsenal’s hopes of ending an eight-year trophy drought recede still further, and although Bayern will be without the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger in the second leg, with three away goals, they may not miss him. “In the second half, we stepped it up and it’s unfortunate we didn’t do that in the first half,” Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere told ITV.

New Constitution

Taylor ton boosts New Zealand Ross Taylor returned to form with a century as New Zealand set a challenging target of 270.

NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND, Former captain Ross Taylor returned to form with a century as New Zealand set a challenging target of 270 against England in the second one-day international at McLean Park on Wednesday. The Black Caps, within sight of a series win after a threewicket win in the opening match in Hamilton, were all out for 269 in 48.5 overs after losing the toss and being sent in to bat. The home side recovered from a slow start thanks to a century from Taylor and a quickfire 74 from 36 balls from current skipper Brendon McCullum. James Anderson was the pick of England's bowlers, claiming figures of five for 34.

3-1 1-0

Scorecard

Brendon McCullum of New Zealand slips as he plays a shot against England during their second ODI at McLean Park in Napier on Wednesday.

New Zealand B. Watling c Cook b Anderson 7 H. Rutherford c Cook b Anderson11 K. Williamson b Woakes 33 R. Taylor c Buttler b Anderson 100 G. Elliott c Bairstow (sub) b Finn 23 B. McCullum c Woakes b Broad 74 J. Franklin c Root b Woakes 1 N. McCullum c Buttler b Anderson7 T. Southee b Woakes 2 K. Mills not out 3 T. Boult c Woakes b Anderson 1 Extras: (lb 3, w 3, nb 1) 7 Total: (all out; 48.5 overs) 269 Bowling: Anderson 9.5-2-34-5, Finn 10-1-33-1, Woakes 10-0-68-3, Broad 9-0-69-1, Swann 10-0-62-0

AFP/JOHN COWPLAND

Absolute power for PCB chief

KARACHI: PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf will enjoy absolute power under the recently-amended constitution of the PCB, the country’s media has reported. The details of the amended constitution approved by chief patron Asif Zardari, are yet to be made public, but reports suggest it will give Ashraf unlimited powers. The move to amend the PCB’s constitution has been made in order to bring it in line with the ICC directives. A report says that the sitting Chairman, Ashraf will hold the post until 2017. The procedure for his selection will be that the chief patron will nominate a two-member committee to recommend Ashraf’s name, which will than be ratified by the General Council members. PTI

AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF INDIA

Geared up for Test cricket: Maxwell CHENNAI: Having created a lot of buzz after becoming the only player to command million dollar in the last ILP auction, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell on Tuesday expressed confidence about playing long innings in Tests. “I think what I have done in Shield cricket has been good for the team. Whenever I have had a long time to bat, I’ve generally batted pretty well,” Maxwell said at the open media session, two days ahead of the first Test against India here.

“I think nine half-centuries and a century in 13-14 matches, which is fine at this point in my career, because I mostly batted with the tail. When I started my career, I batted at seven or eight and soon as we lost the wickets, I was back with the ball. “A lot of the time I was battling time when I was batting in the middle. I feel I’ve done well at this stage of my career. I’d love to have more hundreds but I don’t think I’ve had opportunities to score hundreds,” he added. The 24-year-old is happy to

“I think nine half-centuries and a century in 13-14 matches, which is fine at this point in my career, because I mostly batted with the tail. be part of the Test squad. “It’s nice for Australia to earmark me as a Test player by giving me this opportunity and I

hope I’ll do the right thing for them. It’s been quite easy for me (to switch formats). My game is probably more suited to Twenty20 cricket, but my oneday cricket and longer-form cricket is quite similar. I like to play my shots. I am a middleorder player, so my game is to play my shots and be positive. “It’s not about hitting sixes every ball like in a one-day chase, but to be positive and do my job Australia, which is to be an attacking middle-order batsman.” PTI