Postnoon E-Paper for April 23rd 2013

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS; 31°C

32 PAGES

`3

ARISE SIR ALEX...

FOR THE 20TH TIME Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United claimed an unprecedented 20th English Premier League title after winning 3-0 at home to Aston Villa on Monday with Robin van Persie scoring a hat-trick.

P31&32

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

3 held in Bangalore blast case Chennai police have arrested three persons in connection with last week's blast near the BJP office in Bangalore that left 16 persons injured. Karnataka police were assisted by their Tamil Nadu counterparts in a late-night operation, in which two persons — Peer Mohideen and Basheer hailing from Tirunelveli were arrested from a Chennai lodge. The third person was arrested from Madurai.

P11

ANOTHER

CLOUDY DAY

FOR HYDERABAD

REPORT ON P3 & 7

M ANIL KUMAR

Due to low pressure along west Madhya Pradesh, south Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh, there were brief but strong spells of rain throughout the State yesterday.

Anti-rape law panel head passes away Justice JS Verma, who headed the panel on antirape laws in the aftermath of the Dec 16 gang-rape, died due to liver failure and bleeding in the stomach on Monday. He was 80. He died at Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital at 9.30 last night.

One more card you’ll need to have Andhra Pradesh will be the first state to provide Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)-based new format voter identity cards as per the Central Election Commission (CEC) guidelines. AP’s chief electoral officer Bhanwar Lal has called for tenders and discussion on these PVC voter ID cards, which will carry a bar code containing the voter’s electoral roll data and his or her high definition colour picture.

P5

P11

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

city events

STAGE DRAMA

Students of Annapurna International School of Film & Media are staging two mime skits titled Struggle to Success and Who Gets Her Boss on April 26 from 8.30 pm. Entry is free for all.

Weather for Hyderabad Morning

Afternoon

25°C

30°C

36°C

New Delhi Max 36 Min 27

Clear sky with chances of shower.

A mix of cloud and sun

Sunny with cloudy periods.

Mostly cloudy

Evening

Overnight

31°C Cloudy with showers likely.

Mumbai Max 33 Min 26

Chennai Max 33 Min 28

Clear

Bangalore Max 33 Min 24

Partly cloudy

Chance of storm

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Banjara Hills, When: On till May 3.

11.30 am to 7pm

MOVIE SCREENING

Contact: www.iconart.in

Film Festival Bangladeshi film Meherjaan will be screened as part of Bangladeshi Film festival organised by Hyderabad Film Club.

Where: Sarathi Studio, 8-3-321, Ameerpet, When: April 25, 6:30 pm Contact: 93910-20243

MISCELLANEOUS

WORKSHOPS Interactive Reading A two-day interactive reading workshop for children between the age group of 8 and 12 years is being organised.

Where: Lamakaan, Opposite GVKOne Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 10 am to 12 noon Pop art Summer Jam A craft designing session for all age groups on the subject of Hyderabadi pop art will be organised.

Where: Lamakaan, Opposite GVKOne Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: April 26, Contact: 98661 63899 Summer camp Oakridge is conducting a camp for children in which they can learn story telling, clay modelling and more.

Where: Oakridge International School, Nanakramguda Road, When: Ongoing

9 am onwards Contact: (040) 20042460 Filmmaking workshop for children Yavanika Films will conduct a unique filmmaking workshop this summer vacation for children.

Where: Begumpet When: From April 24, 2pm to 7pm, Daily classes except on weekends Contact: 94901 00404

DINING Malvani cuisine Taj Deccan is hosting Malvani Food Festival at Spice Junxion. Enjoy a scrumptious spread of classic dishes.

Where: Spice Junxion,

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

LIGHTS IN THE DAY: Street lights on the Jubilee Hills main road near the TRS office were found still glowing even in mid-afternoon on Monday.

SRINIVAS SETTY

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

Taj Deccan, Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: Till April 25 Contact: (040) 6652 3939 IPL Fervor You can order any four or six items from the menu and get the chaat of the day for free.

Where: Kailash Parbat, Above Ebony Gautier, 2nd floor, Road No 36, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2355 8856 Mega mugs TGI Friday's announced TGI Friday’s mega mugs offer to coincide with the start of the IPL..

Where: Thank God Its Friday RK Cineplex

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

When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4015 1925

ART Recent works of artist Dr Snehalatha Prasad (Phd in Arts) is on display.

Where: Muse Art Gallery, Located in Marriott & Convention Centre, Tank Bund Road When: Ongoing event until April 26.

11 am to 7 pm Contact: (040) 27522203

Kuchipudi Dance A Kuchipudi dance ballet will be performed by Dr Padmasri Sobha Naidu.

Where: Ravindra Bharati, Public Gardens, Saifabad.

When: April 23, 6:00 pm onwards.

Contact: (040) 23233672 Hindi play Nishumbita to stage Amanush Where: Lamakaan, Opposite GVKOne Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: April 26, 7.30 pm onwards

The Deviant Digital art on canvas by Aekka Yadagiri Rao. Where: ICON Art Gallery, Road no 12

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

Three for two Taj Safaris offers guests the option of extending their two-day trip. It gives you a third day complementary stay.

Where: Taj Safaris When: Offer is valid from April 15 to June 30 Contact: (022) 6601 1825

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings.

For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

city

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

SHOULD INFRA PROGRESS COME ATTHE ENVIRONMENT’S EXPENSE? 19% 81%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL THE ROADSIDE RAINWATER HARVESTING PITS WORK? A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

WEATHER

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Another cloudy day for Hyderabad The Met department says more thunderstorms are on the cards for AP. M ANIL KUMAR

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

Atmospheric instability due to high land temperatures has caused cloud cover, especially cumulus cloud cover, in the State, which causes thunderstorms.

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low pressure situation along west Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu and then finally, to AP, has resulted in brief, but strong spells of rain throughout the State.

Hyderabad experienced heavy rainfall yesterday even as the Met department forecasts another cloudy spell today.

The untimely rain in the last few days has brought down the temperature across the State, much to the relief of the people.

According to the Met department officials, atmospheric instability due to extremely high land temperatures has caused cloud cover, especially cumulus cloud cover, in the State, leading to thunderstorms.

This phenomenon is generally referred to as thunderstorm activity. This trend is noticed only in summers, especially in the afternoon to night as the life of each cumu-

lus cloud is two to three hours.

The entire State is under a rain spell due to thunderstorm activity, officials say.

“The brief but strong spells of rain are because of continuous

high temperatures and high levels of humidity. This precipitation causes cloud cover and brief but strong spells of rain. There are many chances of these thundershowers repeating in the next

CRIME

CRIME

Woman thieves nabbed

The police arrested two of the four-member gang, and suspect that they have been involved in dozens of thefts in the area.

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

T

wo notorious female thieves have been apprehended by the Bahadurpura police from Nehru Zoological Park on Sunday.

The two were attempting to commit a crime at the park, located near Miralam Tank in Old City, when the police nabbed them.

Two other gang members managed to flee, said police sources.

The arrested have been identified as Hemlata, 35, and Premlata, 40. Both are from Mangoor Basti in Habeebnagar area, which is commonly also known as ‘chor basti’. The women hail from Karnataka originally. They came to the City a few years ago, where they met some relatives and moved to Mangoor Basti. The two soon started committing thefts at different parts of the City, the police said.

When the police started their

few days due to the said conditions,” Narasimham, a senior meteorologist from the Met department said.

The maximum temperature expected today is 36 degrees C

and the minimum temperature expected is 25 degrees C. This has come down in the last two days, compared to Saturday when the maximum temperatures hovered around 37.1 degrees C. Officials predict 61 per cent humidity and winds with speeds up to 19 kmph today.

Thundershowers are likely to be expected in a lot of places in the City. “This is a normal situation and happens during every summer. These thundershowers are expected to continue until Thursday,” officials from the Met department say.

(Pictures on Pg 7)

investigation, the modus operandi of the thieves emerged. The gang usually targeted women and youngsters who were visiting the park. They would lure the victims and make away with their mobiles, wallets, purses and gold chains.

This, the police said, continued for a few months. On Sunday, the gang targeted Roja, a resident of Sainikpuri in S e c u n derabad and Parmesh and Nagarani, residents of Allampura, said police officials.

The women had reportedly stolen `5,000 and three mobiles from these victims. The victims kicked up a hue and cry, which alerted security personnel who caught the two

women. The Bahadurpura police has formed a team to nab the remaining gang members. Police suspect that the gang has been involved in dozens of thefts in the area. So far, no complaints have been filed, but the police expects to recover a lot of stolen property from the women.

Man who raped handicapped teen held POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

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Falaknuma police team has arrested a man who raped a physically handicapped minor in her home two days ago.

The accused, Mohammed Shareef Pasha, aka Ghouse, was produced before the court on Monday and was sent to prison on the court’s orders, said Falaknuma inspector M Hussaini Naidu.

According to the police, the victim is a 15-year-old speech impaired girl who also suffers from a birth-defect which affects her legs. She lives in the deaf and dumb colony at Nawabsaheb Kunta in Old City with her parents, who work as labourers.

The accused, 32-year-old Ghouse, is a mason who lives in Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Nawabsahab Kunta. He hails from Cheengemal Village in

Tandur Mandal of Ranga Reddy district, and he came to the City four years ago with his family. He is married with four children.

Both the families know each other well. Two days ago, Ghouse went for some construction work in the victim’s basti. After finishing his work, he went to the victim’s house.

She was alone at home as her parents had gone for work.

Ghouse took advantage of the situation and raped the girl.

When her parents returned in the evening, they found her crying. She explained to them what had happened, after which they went to Falaknuma police station and filed a complaint against Ghouse.

The police sent the victim to the government hospital where she is undergoing treatment. The police recorded her statement and began investigations. On Sunday, they arrested Ghouse.

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city TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

CIVIC

LAST YEAR... HERE No ATM, no cry

GHMC to dig pits to harvest rainwater

L

ast year we had reported how Old City residents were having a tough time because there are very few automated teller machines in the area.

People are forced to wait to withdraw cash, that too in the hot sun. On their part, banks claim that communal issues and congestion are the reasons why they choose not to set up more ATM kiosks in the area.

APRIL 23, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

5,73,000 is the number of registered voters in the State. The State’s Election Commission plans to roll out Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) based new format voter identity cards soon.

There have been many occasions when I had to go back, without my case being heard.

Then my case gets rescheduled for another working day.

Madhusudan, litigant See page 6

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

1

Here’s another card to add to your arsenal.

The State has now decided to come up with a new voter ID card, complete with colour photo and barcode. All this is fine, but can you tell us how many cards we need in this country?

2

Holiday courts are of no help, say litigants.

Weekend courts were set up for the convenience of the public, but poor amenities and the skeletal staff mean that litigants gain little from these holiday courts.

3

In a recently held face-to-face programme, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu revealed that the corporation would be countering the problem of waterlogging on City roads through rainwater harvesting.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

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sudden change in climatic conditions and showers in parts of the City were a grim reminder of how the Pearl City is unable to cope with incidents of waterlogging. Interestingly, the GHMC has a solution for the next rainy season, in the form of ‘rainwater harvesting structures’ along the roadside.

In a recently held face-toface programme, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu revealed that the corporation would be countering the problem of waterlogging on City roads by constructing rainwater harvesting structures.

It has been more than two weeks since the announcement was made, but the engineering wing of the GHMC is not sure about how or when this would be done. “We are in the process of identifying the roads where the waterlogging problems are,” said chief engineer Suresh.

According to the engineers, the process of constructing these rainwater harvesting pits does not need a definitive plan, as they have been doing the same in parks and other open spaces. A superintending engineer (SE) who spoke to Postnoon was unsure as to how this would be constructed on roads. “What is in the construction of these pits? It is done whenever we feel like doing it. We do not make any kind of blueprints for these,” he explained.

However, the SE was not sure if other cities in India have

Civil society groups feel the proposal would only add to the troubles of pedestrians and commuters.

They also question if the GHMC engineers have the necessary know-how. done this. “We might have come to know if we were sent on a study tour to other cities,” he quipped.

The engineering department has been constructing rainwater

harvesting pits for more than a decade now. Last year, they claim to have constructed 2,571 structures at a cost of `3.2 crore (150 in east zone, 569 in central zone, 953 in west zone, 493 in south and 436 in north; at a cost of `15.10 lakh, `59.31 lakh, `134.94 lakh, `46.45 lakh and `65.15 lakh respectively).

Civil society groups fighting for pure drinking water in the City are not able to digest the fact that the GHMC is coming up with such a proposal. “I do not think it would be a feasible option to control waterlogging,” said D Narsimha Reddy of Joint Action for Water (JAW).

According to him, it would add to the problems faced by pedestrians and commuters on the roads. Moreover, he feels that the GHMC engineers do not have the know-how to construct these structures. “I doubt they have the expertise on it.

They would end up constructing structures like elsewhere, which do not support the entire process of rainwater harvesting,” he points out.

Moreover, he questioned the logic of spending crores of rupees on these structures each year. “Each rainwater harvesting pit does not exceed more than `50,000 – `60,000,” he said.

NEWS BRIEFS

Should we bring back the dodo?

Scientists are convinced that they can resurrect extinct species like the dodo and the Tasmanian devil.

The question is, should they?

Slaughterhouses to remain shut on Wed

30-year-old man commits suicide

Cycle track planned on Necklace Road

Youth drowns in Narkoda village tank

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Brace for more thundershowers across the State.

Carry an umbrella when you leave home, because the Met department predicts a repeat of Monday’s downpour.

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Rainwater harvesting pits now along the roadside.

The GHMC wants to solve waterlogging and save water in one shot.

ll beef and sheep slaughterhouses within the GHMC limits will remain closed on April 24, according to a notice issued by GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu in view of Mahavir Jayanti.

The order applies to all slaughterhouses at Chengicherla and the few others within the GHMC limits.

30-year-old resident of Brindavan Colony of Meerpet area committed suicide by dousing himself with kerosene and setting himself ablaze. V Mohan died on the spot. The deceased, who worked in a BDL company, was upset because his wife had gone to her parents’ house six months ago and refused to return.

n exclusive cycle track built to international standards, meant exclusively for promotion and awareness campaign of the Clean Hussain Sagar project, is being planned along the railway wall on Necklace Road. The project is an undertaking of HMDA and Hyderabad Bicycling Club and will provide amenities for cyclists in the City.

youth, Mohd Younus, 27, drowned while swimming in a tank in Narkoda village. The deceased went to the tank with his friends for a swim, but drowned accidentally. His body was fished out after a few hours. The Shamshabad police have registered a case and have started investigations.

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city TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

VOTER ID CARDS

One more card you will need soon “It is a cost effective usage of technology which will hopefully make AP the first state to implement the order. The voter card made of PVC will be durable and eases identity process RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

F

ollowing the guidelines issued by the Central Election Commission, Andhra Pradesh will be the first state to provide Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) based new format voter identity cards.

According to the orders issued by the CEC, AP’s Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal has called for tenders and discussion on this new form of voter ID cards which, unlike the previous one, will be made of PVC and will carry a bar code containing the voter’s electoral roll data in addition to high definition colour pictures of the voter. Speaking to the Postnoon, Bhanwar Lal said the idea was to make identification of the voter easier, a problem that has been noticed with the previous black and white paper laminated voter ID cards.

“It is a cost effective usage of technology which will hopefully make AP the first state to implement the order. The new voter card will be more durable and will ensure voter identification easier because of colour pictures

Cost of voter ID cards issued to new applicants s in the new PVC format will be borne by the state government or the Election Commission. and a bar code,” Bhanwar Lal said. However, this project is still in its latent stages and the process of inviting tenders from manufacturing units has just begun.

According to electoral roll data from the Election Commission, AP has 5,73,000 registered voters. “Under the new revision for 2014, we expect at least 30 per cent of the population that is about 30 lakh voters to sign up for the new format cards. Old voter ID cards will also be applicable for voting but if the voter chooses to obtain a new one, voter may do so at cost suggested by the government,” Bhanwar Lal. Cost of voter ID cards issued to new applicants in the new PVC format will be borne by the state government or the Election Commission.

“Under the first trial run, we have manufactured about 20 cards to check for design and durability. So far, according to my estimates, the new card’s cost will come up to 30 rupees but after the government’s subsidy the final price is tentatively set at 15 rupees,” the CEO says. The central election commission has agreed for a 50 per cent subsidy on the new format voter ID cards.

Some among the voter populace feel that with the Aadhaar provision, a better idea would be to make the Aadhaar card a substitute for the voter ID card, thereby effectively removing all problems.

However, there is a glitch here. “The Aadhaar card does not necessarily contain electoral roll information unlike the new voter ID card, as during registration people have applied for it through various proofs of identity and residence.

The voter ID card, however, contains all demographics of the voter’s electoral roll data and therefore, we have decided that the Aadhaar cards cannot be used for this purpose,” Bhanwar Lal said.

POLITICS

Currently, the state Election Commission has a tie up with 3,800 Mee-seva centres all over the state with 15 per cent of them being located in rural areas.

A special door-to-door visit drive by the booth level officers is being planned from May 16th to 15th June to corroborate electoral rolls throughout the state. The

purpose of this is to make sure no discrepancies or data errors creep into voter ID cards of the illiterate and poor.

“We are doing everything for the upcoming general elections, which are most likely to occur by the first or mid quarter of 2014.

The idea is to hold free and fair elections, which is the big challenge,” Bhanwar Lal added.

CIVIC

Opposition MLAs cry foul over ‘State’s partisan attitude’ INKESAHAF AHMED Ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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ith a series of elections round the corner, the turf war between ruling and Opposition party MLAs is stepping up with each passing day.

Apart from the recently concluded primary agriculturecooperative society elections, the State is going to witness a series elections for gram panchayats, mandal and zilla parishads, municipalities and municipal corporations in the ensuing days.

These elections will eventually lead to general elections due to be held in 2014. The stark differences among these leaders pertain to development works in their respective Assembly constituencies ahead of these crucial elections.

Most of the Opposition party MLAs are alleging that the Congress led State government is only giving priority to the constituencies

ALL SET FOR 2014 POLL

being represented by its MLAs and ignoring the constituencies represented by opposition party MLAs. “I can tell you that the state government is ignoring the Opposition party MLAs when it came to development. Majority of our proposals pertaining to various development activities are lying pending with the State government. This is in clear contrast to what is being given to Congress MLAs,” CPI leader and the youngest woman MLA of the state Assembly Dr. Banoth Chandravathi told the Postnoon on Monday. She said that the proposals submitted by her to the tune of Rs 150 crore for devel-

opment in her Wyra constituency in Khammam district were still pending due to negligent attitude of the State government. “I have submitted these proposals immediately after becoming the MLA way back in 2009. But even after four years, these proposals are lying pending as I am an opposition party MLA. If I would have been a ruling party MLA, my constituency would have become the symbol of development,” she said with a sense of pain in her voice. The main opposition Telugu Desam Party senior MLA KE Krishna Murthy also expressed similar views while speaking to the Postnoon. He said that many of the development proposals relating to his constituency are yet to be approved by the state government. “I am not the luckiest person to get the funds from the state to undertake development programmes in my constituency.

JNNURM housing at a snail’s pace

MD NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

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rom the 51,340 sanctioned houses in 114 colonies under JNNURM, only 27,370 are completed. Only 11,057 have been handed over to the beneficiaries.

This was revealed in a review meeting held by Mayor, Mohammed Majid Hussain with the officials of GHMC supervising the project. According to officials, the entire project was worth `1185.76 crore.

Amongst which construction of 16,765 are in progress and 7,205 houses are in tender stage.

The mayor, who is concerned about time-bound JNNURM funds, has asked the engineer-in-chief and the concerned superintending engineers concerned to give a detailed report of each and every unit by April 27, 2013. He demanded details, such as when was the tender finalised

when it has to be completed and reasons for the delay, total number of grants released so far by the government and total amount spent by the GHMC on Housing. He has insisted the officials to give particulars of the houses occupied since the GHMC has taken up Housing scheme at a very large scale for the benefit of the poor people and he was furious about the overall working of the Housing scheme which is not up to the expectations. He was also furious about the legal cases which are pending since long time and directed the officials to dissolve all the court cases within 15 days failing which severe action will be initiated against the officials. The mayor instructed to take up housing schemes on priority in Old City since a lot of Housing schemes which have been completed long ago as per the schedule but due to various reasons the wo-rk is being delayed.

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city TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

LEGAL

Poor amenities in court worry plaintiffs With no basic facilities provided by the court authorities, litigants have to wait for long hours in the scorching heat until their case is called on.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

T

he holiday family court, which was inaugurated last year with an objective to speed up cases pertaining to family disputes, are turning out to be a burden for most of the litigants now.

Couples who could not attend the court hearings during their work hours were given the option of attending the hearings on holidays.

Initially, the court brought relief to the litigants. However, they allege now that attending a court hearing on a holiday was a torture.

With no basic facilities provided by the court authorities, litigants have to wait for hours in the scorching heat until their case is called on. "Since the court functions on holidays including Sundays, there is no adequate staff.

“The court has two to three rooms. We have to wait in the corridor. Women find it very difficult as there are no toilets. Even drinking water is not provided on the court premises," says L

Geeta, a litigant.

Litigants say that there are times when their case was not dealt with despite the fact that they stood in queues for hours at the court.

GREEN PROTEST

Two Peta activists went all green in Kachiguda on Monday, exhorting people to adopt a vegan lifestyle to save the planet .

N SHIVA KUMAR

"There have been many occasions when I had to go back without my case being heard for various reasons. Then my case gets rescheduled for another working day. I don't see the point of functioning of family court during holidays," says Madhusudan, who is contesting a divorce case.

"Most of the women litigants come along with their aged parents to the court, it is a very sorry sight to see how they wait in queues without shade and drinking water," adds advocate Gopal Krishna Kalanidhi.

"Our clients keep complaining that they were made to wait for long hours. But we really cannot help it. I often advise my clients to come to the court half an hour before their hearing is scheduled. However, the hearing takes place only after the call work is completed. And usually starts after 2 pm. There are situations where clients, who come in

There have been many occasions when cases got rescheduled for another working day. the morning, have to wait till evening for the hearing of their case. But as advocates, we are helpless," says advocate D Vishwanath.

Meanwhile, there are advocates who say that holiday family courts are leaving them with no personal space. "It is very unfortunate to see that such matters are coming up even on Sundays.

After working for six days, even working on a Sunday is getting very difficult. We have no break from the hectic schedule," says advocate C Aravind.

This is the case with holiday family court, which seems to be working without much support of the staff and advocates.

city TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

WEATHER

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SKYFALL

Unexpected rains had Hyderabadis scrambling for cover yesterday. Though the downpour brought some welcome relief from the heat, many places got flooded, causing trouble for motorists and pedestrians.

PICS: N SHIVA KUMAR & M ANIL KUMAR

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science TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

COMING BACK TO LIFE? MARIETTE LE ROUX Agence France-Presse

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oolly mammoths stomp through the Siberian tundra as the giant moa strides the forest floor of New Zealand and Tasmania’s dog-like “tigers” stalk their prey under the cover of night.

This is not a snapshot of times past, nor next year’s sequel to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

Instead, it is a scenario that some biogeneticists see as plausible in our own lifetimes: The resurrection of species driven to extinction, sometimes thousands of years ago.

Next Thursday will be 60 years since Francis Crick and James Watson published their paper unveiling the structure of DNA, the double-helix genetic code for life.

Today, some experts believe that by harnessing this breakthrough knowledge, the first extinct species could be revived within years.

They could be cloned from genetic material teased from preserved tissues, with the reprogrammed egg implanted in a cousin species.

Farther down the road, other species could live again through artificiallyreconstituted sequences of their DNA, goes the argument.

“For the gastric frog it would take maybe a year or two years. For a mammoth maybe 20, 30 years, maybe sooner,” evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar of Canada’s McMaster University told AFP of ongoing “de-extinction” efforts.

In 2009, researchers announced they had cloned a bucardo, also called a Pyrenean Ibex, using DNA taken from the last member of this family of Spanish mountain goats before she died in 2000.

This was the first cloned animal born from an extinct subspecies, but the success was mixed — the kid, borne by a domestic goat, died within 10 minutes from a lung abnormality.

Just last month, a team at Australia’s University of New South Wales said they had cloned embryos of the gastric-brooding frog which died out in 1983 and was named for its weird reproductive technique of swallowing its eggs,

REVERSE EXTINCTION: SHOULD WE REDO THE DODO? It is a scenario that some biogeneticists see as plausible in our own lifetimes: The resurrection of species driven to extinction, sometimes thousands of years ago.

brooding them in its stomach and then spitting out the offspring.

The cloned embryos all died within a few days.

Australian teams are also working on reviving the Tasmanian tiger with DNA obtained from an ethanol-preserved pup of the dog-like, marsupial predator that died out in the 1930s.

In Japan, geneticists said in 2011 they planned to use DNA from frozen carcasses to resurrect within six years the woolly mammoth which died out during the last Ice Age. And in Britain, Oxford University scientists have obtained genetic data from museum-held remains of the dodo, the flightless Indian Ocean island bird hunted to extinction by 1680. Scientists believe reconstruction would be feasible for most animals for which DNA has survived, possibly going back 2,00,000 years — a limit that would exclude a Jurassic Park-like revival of the dinosaurs.

The DNA sample would have to be well preserved and techniques would have to improve to reduce the risk of deformity, miscarriage and premature death, a characteristic of animal cloning today.

“The way it is going now, I can see why people would imagine it (deextinction) is possible,” said Poinar. “I could envision that if there were no laws preventing it and the ethics had been worked, out, swathes of land in Siberia repopulated with mammoths and cave lions.

“The discussion is really: ‘Should we?’”

HOW DOES A DODO LEARN TO BE A DODO?

London School of Economics sociologist Carrie Friese fears that ethics have been left by the wayside in the rush to resurrect. “My concern is that the focus is too much on: ‘Can we do this?’ rather than what we do with the living being that is the result,” she said.

Many animals went extinct exactly because their natural habitats were destroyed, said Friese.

Lacking a broad gene pool to adapt to the wild, their cloned progeny could find themselves doomed to life as museum exhibits.

Nor would they have authentic parents to socialise them or teach

My concern is that the focus is too much on: ‘Can we do this?’ rather than what we do with the living being that is the result. An animal is more than its genome.

Carrie Friese LSE sociologist them to how to fly, forage or hunt.

“An animal is more than its genome,” said Friese. “How does a dodo learn to be a dodo?”

Stanford University bioethicist Hank Greely is one of those who enthusiastically favour species resurrection. “I think the strongest reason to do it is just that it would be awesome,” he said. “It would be seriously cool.”

But he also cautioned against inflicting inappropriate, excessive pain and suffering in the scientific quest. For this and other reasons, Neanderthal cloning, which would most likely involve a human surrogate, remains off limits — even though high-quality genetic data is available.

Others say de-extinction efforts divert time and money from preserving endangered species.

“Reconstitution of extinct species is of limited conservation value and could even be a distraction,” said Colman O Criodain of conservation group WWF. But there are also potential benefits: A harvest of knowledge from studying living versions of extinct animals, and potential environment spinoffs. Some believe returning mammoths to Siberia could turn the barren, mossy tundra back into the fertile grasslands it was thousands of years ago. Technology may help us develop methods to add genetic diversity for species on the brink today.

Transparent debate, not scientific stealth or hubris, offers the only path through this ethical minefield, said Poinar. “What it really comes down to is having a very poignant and honest discussion about what really are the reasons, what are the pros and what are the cons of it,” he said.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

focus

FIERCE FIGHTERS

Unlike their Arab counterparts, Kurdish women have a long tradition of combat roles. The PKK's fierce women fighters grabbed worldwide attention in the mid1990s with their frightening zeal in launching suicide bombings.

WOMEN WARRIORS

9

Kurdish women on warpath

Unveiled and barking orders at fierce-looking Kurdish men nearly twice her size, commander Engizek is a shocking sight within Syria’s male-dominated rebel ranks.

AFP PHOTO/MIGUEL MEDINA

ANUJ CHOPRA Agence France-Presse

Women can shoot machineguns, Kalashnikovs and even tanks — just as well as men.

A

short, diminutive woman flanked by gun-toting loyalists, Engizek leads dozens of Kurdish combatants in Aleppo city’s embattled district of Sheikh Maqsud, large parts of which were seized late last month from regime fighters.

“Women can shoot machineguns, Kalashnikovs and even tanks — just as well as men,” said Engizek, 28, wearing trousers and a sleeveless beige jacket, her dark hair bound tightly behind her head. “Women are an integral part of our rebellion,” she told AFP in a deserted alleyway squashed between bulletriddled and blasted buildings amid the sporadic crackle of sniper fire.

Fighters like Engizek, whose Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG) brigade is 20 per cent women,- are the hidden face of Syria’s armed rebellion against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, now in its third year.

The YPG, which recently joined forces with

Engizek

Syrian opposition rebels, is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), widely considered the Syrian offshoot of Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Unlike their Arab counterparts, K u r d i s h women have a long tradition of combat roles.

The PKK’s fierce

women fighters grabbed worldwide attention in the mid-1990s with their frightening zeal in launching suicide bombings. But women combatants, no matter what their ethnicity, still stand out as a striking anomaly in Syria’s male-dominated rebellion. Some media reports indicate that women are part of both proand anti-regime armed forces, but their presence is far less visible on the front lines compared to Kurdish fighters. Engizek, who

goes by a single name, says the YPG’s women fighters undergo the same rigorous training as men and fight alongside each other as well as eat together and share cooking and cleaning duties. Standing on top of a bed and taking aim at a regime sniper from a pigeon-sized hole in a shrapnel-scarred wall, 18-yearold Mumtaz says joining the rebellion more than a year ago was a ‘liberating experience’.

The only fighter in her family of four, she says she morphed overnight from an unknown high school girl to a warrior after she joined a YPG training camp in her hometown of Afrin, a largely Kurdish town north of Aleppo.

“Picking up the gun was a personal choice,” said the sinewy bandana-clad fighter, a choice that bestowed freedom from rigid social mores that deem marriage the only culturally appropriate rite of passage for women.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN

As she spoke, her comrades, both men and women, took a

Engizek

break from duty in a nearby room in the desolate building, smoking, chatting and eating flatbread, cheese and fresh olives. While the fighters mingle freely, the women live separately from male fighters and relationships are strictly forbidden.

Engizek did not reveal what punishment awaits fighters who break that code. Joining the struggle has exacted a heavy price — most of the female fighters have given up all hopes of having families of their own some day. Engizek, for one, is staunchly opposed to marriage.

“Marriage is enslavement. I don’t want to be a slave, my girls don’t want to be slaves,” she said. The presence of women fighters in conservative Syrian society inspires both awe and shock.

“They are not women, they are men,” said one Free Syrian Army soldier with a bulbous beard. “A real woman is more feminine.” He said he was particularly opposed to women on the front line because their presence can “seriously distract male fighters”. It is a view that resonates strongly with Noor ulHaq, a primary school teacher in Aleppo whose husband is a fighter with the Liwa-al-Tawhid Brigade, one of the largest rebel groups. Syrian women of varied social and ethnic backgrounds, she says, have contributed to the anti-Assad revolution in other meaningful ways, from taking part in demonstrations to delivering food and ammunition. “There’s no need for women to pick up the gun,” she said. “There are so many men out there.” However, Engizek’s comrades dismissed such a view as “retarded”.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Business

JAPANESE FIRM MAKES NATURAL GAS MARINE ENGINE

Japan’s Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in cooperation with Mitsui OSK Lines has demonstrated running an electronically-controlled engine for marine use, burning natural gas.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

10

BA’S BIG DEAL

How to invest smart

Real estate investors who have sufficient market knowledge or worked with experienced real estate consultants will see lucrative returns on their investments.

ANUJ PURI feedback@postnoon.com

W

ith gold prices currently on the descent, many investors are asking themselves if residential real estate prices will follow. Gold and real estate are the two primary investment routes for retail investors in India, so this is definitely a valid question to ask. The performance of residential real estate as an asset class is doubtlessly dependent on the macro-economic factors that also dictate the performance of other asset classes, including gold. Nevertheless, the correlation between gold and real estate prices is not as distinct as one may at first assume.

Price movements in the real estate sector are the result of supply and demand. This is true for gold as well, but the demand drivers for real estate are not the same as for precious metals.

Though, in investment terms, they technically fall under the category of asset classes, the demand for residential property stems from the desire for home ownership that is hard-wired into the Indian psyche. It is demand from end-users that dictates investors’ appetite for residential property.

In India, precious metals are an investment class that most people will consider after this basic desire is satisfied.

Moreover, the prices of precious metals are not location-specific: they rise and fall uniformly. This is hardly the case with real estate, which performs differently at different times in different cities and micro-locations. In a vast country like India, it stands to reason that various markets will display varying pricing dynamics. Real estate

valuations also range from rational to irrational in different areas within the same cities, depending on the levels of supply, demand and investor activity. At the same time, other cities continue to remain uniformly rational because they are largely end-user driven.

HOW GOOD IS RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE FOR INVESTMENT TODAY? There is no one-size-fits-all formula for the viability of residential real estate as an asset class for investment.

Different investors have different levels of expertise, experience, market knowledge and risk appetites when it comes to different asset classes. Those with insufficient expertise in stock trading are not likely to see satisfactory ROI from their activities on the stock market. Likewise, investors who lack the requisite knowledge and research to make winning real estate investment decisions will not meet with much success in this vertical. Real Estate investors who have sufficient

market knowledge or worked with experienced real estate consultants will not fail to see lucrative returns on their investments.

Three parameters for successful investment in any asset class are when to invest, how much to invest and when to exit.

In real estate, three additional variables are where to invest, into which size and configuration, and in which location.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT - SHORT-TERM & LONG-TERM OUTLOOK In the short term, residential real estate prices in different cities will either remain steady see minor upward or downward fluctuations. In the long term, they will rise again. The fundamentals of the India real estate story are extremely strong. Even in this turbulent economic environment, India remains the cynosure of interest for global MNCs and investors who see the

limitless potential of a young, growing economy, a wealth of highly trained workforces across the manufacturing, IT/ITeS and services industries. All this translates into assured job creation, and therefore demand on the residential real estate market.

However, Indian residential real estate is definitely not the best route for short-term investors. When it comes to opportunistic trading, gold is doubtlessly a far more suitable asset class – not least of all because one can purchase it in small or large amounts and liquefy it quickly. Turning a profit with gold is really only a matter of timing the market.

Of course, this applies for residential real estate, as well.

However, thanks to a conservative banking system that makes ‘flipping’ extremely unattractive, residential real estate as an investment class is a very different ballgame in India. More and more regulations are being brought in to subdue the appetite for speculation in this sector.

Also, the lowest entry point is definitely much higher than for gold. Finally, it requires a minimum ‘incubation’ period in order to bring ‘appreciable’ returns.

Even after one has satisfied all the basic investment criteria good location, right size and configuration, right entry point and right entry price - one needs to stay invested for the mid-tolong term in order to garner the best possible returns. As a general yardstick, an investment horizon of 3-5 years is ideal.

The writer is Chairman & Country Head, Jones Lang LaSalle India

GOLD `26,700 10g SILVER `43,700 1kg

24C

for

for

DOLLAR `54.33 POUND `82.96

British Airways on Monday announced a deal to buy up to 36 long-haul Airbus A350 passenger planes worth almost $12.0 billion at list prices. BA said parent group IAG, which owns also Spanish carrier Iberia, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft with an option to purchase 18 more. Each plane has a catalogue price of $332.1 million, according to European planemaker Airbus’ website, though airlines tend to receive significant discounts on bulk orders. “After a thorough selection process, International Airlines Group (IAG), and British Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to buy 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft plus 18 options,” a statement said.

NUMEROLOGY

$1.6

mn

Ralph Lauren will pay $1.6 million in penalties and returned profits stemming from bribes paid by its Argentina unit for improper customs clearance, US officials said Monday.

BEACH BUMMING For couples who love the Goa monsoon, the tourism authorities here have now offered a “beach-bumming” experience in the rain. A new off-season package specifically targetting tourist couples offers a much subsidied three-day-four nights package at hotels operated by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) in the state for a little more than Rs 7,000. “The state is actively promoting its beaches to couples and families who are looking to take a break during this summer holidays,” a tourism department spokesperson said Monday.

THUS SPAKE By partnering with Tiger Airways, we can use our local expertise to build a sustainable budget carrier, which will offer great value airfares and benefit jobs and tourism in Australia.

JOHN BORGHETTI VIRGIN CHIEF EXECUTIVE

BSE NSE

19112.18 57.65

5812.95 21.45

11

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

nation

BANERJEE DEFLECTS ATTACK TO THE LEFT With her government drawing flak after the Saradha Group downed shutters, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday blamed the erstwhile Left Front regime for the mushrooming of chit funds, alleging it had not even acted on presidential advice for a strong legislation to contain the menace.

BEHIND BARS

FATHER FLINGS SON TO DEATH

Three people arrested in Bangalore blast case While two suspects were arrested at a Chennai lodge, the third was caught in Madurai, say top police sources.

NEW DELHI: A man fatally flung his one-and-a-half year old child from the third floor balcony of a house in east Delhi after a violent quarrel with his wife, police said yesterday. The father, a casual worker, has been arrested. According to police, Hari Om, a resident of Gujarat, had come to his in-law's house in New Usmanpur area in east Delhi to take his wife and son back to his home. His unwilling wife resisted and a quarrel ensued between the two. Om then flung his son from the balcony to "teach his wife a lesson". The child was taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital Hospital but was declared died on arrival, said an officer. IANS

FOUR MINOR RAPES IN A DAY

LUCKNOW: As the national spotlight swivels to cases of child sexual abuse following the brutal rape of a five-year-old in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh reported four rape cases yesterday. In Pratapgarh, a madrassa teacher and his accomplice were arrested for raping a 15year-old student for two days. In another case, a teacher was arrested for allegedly raping his 11-year-old relative. In yet another case, a minor girl was found dumped in the Pathra area of Siddharthanagar district, she was allegedly raped by two youths for three days.

In Sitapur district, another minor was abducted, repeatedly raped at gunpoint and then dumped. On Sunday, a girl was raped by three youths in Ghaziabad. The assailants are yet to be arrested.

IANS A file picture showing an investigator looking for evidence inside a charred vehicle following a blast near the BJP office in Bangalore on April 17.

AFP

CHENNAI: Chennai Police have arrested three persons in connection with last week's blast near the BJP office in Bangalore that left 16 persons injured.

According to top police sources, Karnataka Police were assisted by their Tamil Nadu counterparts in a late night operation, in which two

persons — Peer Mohideen and Basheer hailing from Tirunelveli were arrested from a lodge here.

The third person was arrested from Madurai, they said, adding the trio facilitated the blast while the main culprits were still at large.

Four men were recently detained in Kerala for their alleged involve-

ment in the case.

The arrested are being taken to Bangalore for further investigation, sources said.

The Karnataka government had announced a reward of Rs five lakh to those who provide information on the culprits responsible for the April 17 blast.

PTI

LOSS TO THE NATION

Former CJI Justice Verma dies

NEW DELHI: Justice JS Verma, who headed the panel on anti-rape laws in the aftermath of the Dec 16 gangrape, died due to liver failure and bleeding in the stomach last night.

He was 80. He died at Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital at 9.30pm.

“Justice Verma was admitted to the hospital on Friday with complaint of liver failure,” Yatin Mehta, head of the Institute of Critical Care Medanta said.

Justice Verma was the 27th Chief Justice of India from March 25, 1997 to Jan 18, 1998. He headed the threemember panel set up by the government following the nationwide outrage post the Dec 16 gang-rape to suggest amendments to anti-rape laws. The panel submitted its recommendations on Jan 23 in a 630-page report, suggesting amendment of criminal laws to provide for stringent punishment for rapists, including those belonging to police and public servants.

Among the recommendations of

Justice JS Verma

the Verma panel are life imprisonment for gang-rape, speedy justice for the victims, review of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act’s working, and community policing.

The committee stopped short of recommending death penalty for gang-rape. The report was submitted to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

IANS

BJP leaders condole death of Justice Verma

Will miss his generous advice, says PM

B

C

haratiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi yesterday condoled the death of Justice JS Verma. Narendra Modi tweeted: “Justice JS Verma will be remembered for his immense contribution to the field of law.”

ondoling the death of Justice Verma, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as “a man of vast understanding and knowledge of law”.

In a tweet, the PMO posted: "I will miss him very much for his generous advice and guidance on matters of public importance."

JAIL RIOT: 3 OFFICIALS INJURED

CHANDIGARH: Three officials of Punjab's Faridkot town jail were injured in a clash with inmates following the death of a prisoner yesterday, police said. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered a magisterial enquiry. The inmates went on a rampage and damaged property inside the prison, police officials in Faridkot said. Police reinforcements and fire brigade had to be rushed into the jail complex to control the situation.

The deputy jail superintendent and two other jail officials were injured in the clash. The inmates even set some property on fire inside the jail complex.The prison inmates were protesting the death of a prisoner under mysterious circumstances on Sunday night. IANS

PICK YOUR

@

Across Stores

ities Twin C

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

World PAKISTAN

Mush in dock over Bhutto murder R A W A L P I N D I , PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf appeared before an antiterrorism court on Tuesday over the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, officials said.

Musharraf was driven to the court in Rawalpindi from his plush villa on the outskirts of Islamabad where he is serving a twoweek arrest order for other charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

Musharraf faces charges of conspiracy to murder Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in 2007, one of three cases he is fighting in the courts since returning home last month after four years in self-imposed exile.

On Monday, Pakistan’s caretaker government refused to put Musharraf on a separate trial for treason, telling the Supreme Court that it was beyond its mandate. Security at the court was tight with journalists barred from entering. Armed police and paramilitary rangers stood alert and blocked all approaches, an AFP reporter said. About 150 lawyers opposed to Musharraf shouted “dog, dog, Musharraf dog” while about two dozen of Musharraf’s supporters chanted “Long live Musharraf." He has been threatened with death by the Taliban and barred from running in next month’s general election.

BILL GATES’ CASUAL STYLE RAISES EYEBROWS IN S KOREA Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ casual style was the subject of criticism in some South Korean media Tuesday after he shook hands with President Park GeunHye, with one hand in his pocket.

BOSTON BLASTS

Suspect blames bro

12

HAVENS PASSES AWAY

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said his brother Tamerlan wanted to defend Islam from attack.

Richie Havens, the folk singer and guitarist who was the first performer at Woodstock has died, his family said. He was 72. Havens died of a heart attack yesterday, the family said in a statement.

Further details on his death were not immediately disclosed.

Havens was known for his crafty guitar work and cover songs, including his well-received impersonation of Bob Dylan’s Just Like a Woman.

Moment of silence held for Boston victims WASHINGTON: The United States President joined the residents of Boston and lawmakers in observing a moment of silence in honour of the victims of the twin bomb blasts a week ago that killed three people and injured nearly 200 others. Obama observed a moment of silence in honour of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in the White House at 2.50 pm yesterday, exactly a week after the twin bombs went off. The event was held in Boston and was attended by the city Mayor Thomas Menino, and the Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The moments of silence were followed by the ringing of bells throughout the city.

BOSTON: Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators his brother was the leader in last week’s deadly attacks, and that no international terrorist groups were behind them, CNN reported.

The network cited an unnamed US government source as saying that “preliminary interviews with Tsarnaev indicate the two brothers fit the classification of self-radicalised jihadists."

“Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, wounded and held in a Boston hospital, has said his brother (Tamerlan, 26) — who was killed early Friday — wanted to defend Islam from attack," CNN quoted the source as saying.

But the surviving suspect indicated that international groups were not part of the brothers’ acts, the report said.

NUMEROLOGY

23

Dzhokhar’s hearing on May 30 LALIT K JHA

WASHINGTON: A US court has fixed May 30 for the first hearing of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the lone surviving Boston bombings suspect, during his initial court appearance from the hospital room. The first court hearing would be held in a Massachusetts District court on May 30, the judge ruled yesterday. The 19-year-old Chechenorigin suspect is charged with conspiring to use “weapon of mass destruction", faces death penalty if convicted by the court. He appeared alert, mentally competent, and lucid, the judge said. Dzhokhar was arrested on Friday from a boat parked in the backyard of a house in a Boston neighbourhood ending days of massive manhunt to find the culprits of the Boston bombing attack.

The younger Tsarnaev, 19, could face the death penalty after being charged Monday for his alleged role in the attacks that left three people dead and 200 wounded.

Dzhokar Tsarnaev was arraigned in his hospital bed on charges of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, and malicious destruction of property by means of deadly explosives, the US Department of Justice said.

The charges Monday, a week on from the twin marathon bombings, as Americans marked the time the bombs went off with a moment of silence observed across the nation, from the White House to the New York Stock Exchange.

If Tsarnaev, a naturalized US citizen of Chechen descent, is convicted of the federal charges, he faces time behind bars — or even the death penalty.

NEWS BRIEFS 8 Chinese ships in Japan France to approve gay waters near ‘isles’ marriage bill

N Korea missile launch Topless protester makes will not be a surprise: US peace with family

TOKYO: Eight Chinese government ships entered Japanese territorial waters near disputed islands today, the most in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the archipelago, the Japanese government said. Japan’s coastguard confirmed the vessels had entered waters near the East China Sea island chain.

WASHINGTON: A missile launch by North Korea would not be a surprise, the White House said adding it is closely monitoring the situation in the Korean peninsula.

“We have said for some time that we would not be surprised if there was a missile launch," the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, told reporters yesterday.

PARIS: France’s parliament will finally approve a bill to legalise gay marriage today after months of protests that have shown no sign of abating in the run-up to the historic vote. The bill is expected to be comfortably carried given the comfortable majority enjoyed by the ruling Socialists and their allies in the lower house National Assembly.

TUNIS: The young woman who scandalized Tunisia by posting topless photos of herself as a form of feminist protest, says she has reconciled with her family. Amina Tyler, 19, posted Facebook photos with the words “my body belongs to me” scrawled across her naked chest and was later spirited to a small village after she got death threats.

million

Australia’s population is set to touch an estimated 23 million people tonight, according to a report.

THE MOST-WANTED HELD Police in Nicaragua have detained one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives, child-porn suspect Eric Justin Toth. The head of detectives for Nicaragua’s National Police force said Toth was detained near the Honduran border. Glenda Zavala said that Toth had been detained Saturday. The former Washington DC elementary school teacher faces accusations he possessed and produced child pornography. He lost his teaching job in 2008 after another teacher found images of child pornography on a school camera in Toth’s possession. The FBI had offered a $100,000 reward for information of the 31-year-old Toth.

Dear Chrissie, The last time I saw you was in the (Sydney) Botanic Gardens, loving life and reciting verse. That’s how I’ll remember you, your boy, R. Russell Crowe’s tweet led tributes to Australia’s “Queen of Rock” Chrissy Amphlett who died after a long battle with cancer.

13

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Technology ‘POISON APPLE’

iDon’t care anymore Apple’s dimming lustre roils suppliers, investors

SPAM CENTRAL China has been identified as the nation from which the most data breaches were conducted from, according to a new Verizon study.

One company executive, however, says this could be due to lax domestic regulations rather than China being the most active source of online attacks.

According to Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigation Report released on Tuesday, China was the only Asian country on the top 10 threat origins list. In fact, out of the 40 threat origins identified, China emerged top with 30 per cent of all data breaches.

Romania came in second at 28 per cent and the US third with 18 per cent, the report added.

‘GLASSY’ MOVE GOOGLE!

A

pple marketing chief Phil Schiller let slip during last August’s courtroom battle with Samsung that when setting forecasts for new iPhones, the inside joke was that people should assume sales would equal all previous versions combined.

That quip, uttered in front of Samsung’s trial lawyers and the media, no longer rings true as Apple appears to be losing a once vice-like grip on its supply chain and Wall Street.

Suppliers and investors are struggling to gauge demand for the iconic smartphone as Samsung and up-and-coming rivals grab market share.

Indications of reduced shipments now send shares in Apple and its component-makers into a tailspin. And criticism that innovation has stalled after the death of its legendary cofounder Steve Jobs 18 months ago is hurting sentiment in a stock that closed the week below $400 for the first time since December 2011.

Sources at several Asian suppliers, which for years basked in the glow of Apple’s success and enjoyed stock gains even on rumours they might be among the select group of companies to sell components to Apple, told Reuters this week

about ever-moving deadlines and said they were trying to reduce their reliance on the company.

An Apple supply chain source in Japan said those in the industry often jokingly refer to the company as “Poison Apple” because of its hard-to-meet high standards and low price expectations. “‘Apple can do no wrong’ can only work until Apple does wrong," said Roger Kay, presi-

Suppliers are struggling to gauge demand for the iconic smartphone as Samsung and up-andcoming rivals grab market share. dent of researcher and consultancy Endpoint Technologies Associates. “It’s like the rubber band effect. The more you stretch it, the more snap you get coming back."

Apple reports quarterly results on Tuesday and declined to comment for this story. It has consistently said it focuses on making the best products — its iPhones remain the industry gold standard — and avoids

discussing product strategy.

CEO Tim Cook stressed on the last quarterly earnings conference call that it’s difficult to paint a complete picture of its production process from “a few data points".

Supplier sources in Japan and Taiwan, home to dozens of Apple suppliers, said they initially expected mass-production of the next iPhone to begin in June.

That date may have begun to slip beyond June, the sources said. The phone, widely referred to as the iPhone 5S, is expected to include new features such as a fingerprint sensor. A supply chain source in Taiwan said Apple was trying to find a coating material that did not interfere with the fingerprint sensor, and this may be causing a delay.

In addition to the 5S, suppliers say Apple is also developing a cheaper model, which can appeal to lower-income buyers in growth markets such as China and India. A supplier source in Japan said that smallscale production of display panels will begin in May, ramping up to mass production in June.

Both phones will use the same 4-inch screen, but the cheaper version will probably not include the new fingerprint technology and sport a cheaper

plastic casing, the sources said.

SPECULATE AT WILL

Wild rumors plague every new iPhone launch. But this year much of the blogger and industry speculation has centered on whether demand for the iPhone is waning as an increasing number of consumers choose alternatives, including phones from Samsung — now the world’s biggest seller of cell phones — and those produced by other adopters of Google Inc’s Android software.

Apple, the former darling of Main and Wall Street, rode a seven-fold increase in its stock price in the four years to September 2012. So Apple fans watched with increasing consternation as the shares fell 44 percent since then, shedding some $280 billion in market value along the way.

That fall was mirrored in the smartphone arena. In 2012, Samsung became No.1 in the global market with a 30.3 percent share, knocking off Apple which had a 19.1 percent share partly by flooding the market with cheaper devices. For the fourth quarter, Apple’s share of the global smartphone market fell to 21.8 percent from 23 percent a year earlier, according to research firm IDC. AGENCIES

During an interview this weekend with British radio host Martha Kearney on BBC Radio 4, Google’s Eric Schmidt revealed that Google Glass will probably not be made available to the general public until next year. Responding to the question, “How soon is Glass likely to come onto the market?" Schmidt said, “There will be thousands of Google Glass in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback, we’ll make some product changes, and it’s probably a year-ish away."

WebP the new JPEG? Facebook has begun using a Google image format called WebP that could lower its network costs and speed up its web site. But the move has angered some. When people upload JPEG photos, the social-networking juggernaut converts them into the WebP format. And now it also has begun delivering those images to people with Chrome and Opera browsers. Even if it’s just a limited test, FB’s scale means that’s a major endorsement of Google’s image format. But problems arise when it’s time for people to do something with those images beside gaze upon them as Windows, OS X, Photoshop, and most other software can’t handle WebP.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Comment Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

William Shakespeare Playwright

Syria rebels for new leadership RANA MOUSSAOUI Agence France-Presse

S

yria’s divided opposition is seeking a new leader after Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib’s resignation, eyeing a candidate who can mediate internal disputes and rivalries between key backers Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Khatib, a popular figure both inside and outside Syria, has thrown in the towel twice in the space of a month, ostensibly to protest the international community’s failure to stop a conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people. His initial resignation, in late March, was never officially accepted by the National Coalition grouping, but he insisted on stepping down and an interim replacement is now actively being sought, according to opposition sources.

On his Facebook page, he described feeling “powerless” and “trapped in a cage” in the face of the ongoing violence in his country, with no apparent military or diplomatic solution on the horizon.

Despite signs of support, including a US pledge to double nonlethal aid to the opposition, rebel forces have been disappointed by a Western refusal to supply them weapons.

Five months after being elected, “Khatib realised that there was no real engagement by the international community, despite all their promises,” said Khatter Abou Diab, international relations professor at the University of Paris-Sud. International support for the opposition “is not comparable to that of the allies of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” he said. Russia has continued to arm Damascus throughout the conflict, while Iran provides key economic aid.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

The Boston blast suspect blames his borther for the crime against humanity perpetrated by them. The least expected now is a blame game. Perhaps if he can what he did, he better show the stomach to admit what he did.

BOSTON BLASTS

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The tale of two brothers THE INSIDE STORY Stuart WILLIAMS

T

heir grandparents were deported by Stalin’s police in the mass expulsion of Chechens in World War II. Their parents went to the United States from Dagestan in search of a better life. And they became adherents of radical Islam.

The family history of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects has shown how the turbulence of the Caucasus region reverberates far beyond Russia’s own borders.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, had lived in the United States for over a decade but their origins shed light on the experiences that turned the young men into suspected murderers.

Much has been made of their ethnic origins in Russia’s Caucasus region of Chechnya, but their father Anzor was in fact born in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan where Tamerlan and Dzhokhar spent much of their youth.

Their grandparents were deported to Kyrgyzstan under the mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Chechens from their homeland in the Caucasus in 1944 after the Soviet authorities accused the entire people of mass collaboration with the Nazis.

In a lightning operation, the entire Chechen people were herded on to trains and shifted

thousands of kilometres away to Central Asia, mostly to Kazakhstan but some, like the parents of Anzor Tsarnaev, to Kyrgyzstan. Tens of thousands died on the way in freezing conditions and the Chechens were only allowed to return to their homeland in the late 1950s after Stalin’s death.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Anzor left Kyrgyzstan with his family and went back to the Caucasus, an official with Kyrgyzstan’s state security service GKNB told AFP in Bishkek. But with the first Chechen war between separatists and the Kremlin under way, the family left the Caucasus and returned to Kyrgyzstan in 1995, living in the town of Tokmok where Tamerlan started attending school number two in 1998, the Kyrgyz official said.

According to Kyrgyz sources, Dzhokhar was born in Kyrgyzstan and had Kyrgyz citizenship. Tamerlan however was born in Kalmykia in southern

Russia and had Russian citizenship.

The youngest son may have been named after Dzhokhar Dudayev, the leader of Chechen separatist rebels, who was killed by a Russian air strike in 1996.

According to the Kyrgyz government, the family in 2001 went back to Dagestan, the home region of the brothers’ mother Zubeidat. US-based Chechen surgeon and prominent diaspora figure Khassan Baiev, who knew the family, told the New Times weekly from the United States that they moved as ethnic tensions were by then also flaring in Kyrgyzstan.

Dagestan, then as now, was one of the poorest regions of Russia beset by unemployment and also an Islamist insurgency that spread from Chechnya.

The family did not stay long and in 2002 moved to the United States where they filed for refugee status and settled.

“Dagestan today, is the acutest hotspot in Russia,”

Grigory Shvedov, chief editor of specialist Internet newspaper Caucasian Knot (www.caucasianknot.info) told AFP. “This development of terrorism and dissent is due to the high level of religiousness, the high level of corruption and the low level of control on the part of the federal centre. All these factors flourished in post-Soviet times” In recent years Tamerlan apparently posted militant videos on a YouTube page bearing his name, and travelled to Dagestan and Chechnya for six months in 2012.

In the years after the second post-Soviet Chechnya war, the insurgency against the Kremlin began to be increasingly rooted in Islamic radicalism rather than separatism. Whether he was linked in anyway to Chechen Islamist insurgents — who want to create an “emirate” ruled by Sharia law across the Northern Caucasus - remains unclear.

The Vilayat Dagestan rebel group — an offshoot of the Caucasus Emirate organisation of wanted militant leader Doku Umarov — denied having any link to the Boston bombings.

According to Shvedov, the attraction of militancy could have been motivated by “the parents’ recollection of the Chechen war, the memory of relatives of the Stalin deportation” as well as current issues like Syria and the Iraq war.

But the most powerful element is usually propaganda, based on idea of US domination and perceived attempts to destroy Islam, he said.

EDITORIALS Ulysses of today

H

e’s seen it all, done it all, and there are similar phrases and accolades galore when one speaks about Sachin Tendulkar, but the fact is that he endures. Whether he excels as he used to is something open to debate, but it’s something that the pintsize powerhouse is standing and up for it yet even as he turns 40, with a body that has matched his will and suffered on occasions in the process of upsetting, setting and resetting records. Some of the milestones he set have fallen, but a lion’s share of them will remain till another like him comes and it will be a long time then.

Many may grumble and murmur about why he is carrying on despite seeming a shadow of his former self. The thing is there

READERS’ VIEWS

are not many like him, even younger ones who can do his deeds and think his thoughts. Maybe a Gayle stands out, and for us, Virat Kohli shows promise to be a stalwart, but there is no other like Sachin. One may say Jacques Kallis, still going strong at 37, bowling, batting and fielding, but nowhere near the heights the son of our soil has reached. Sachin is the modern day Ulysses, who cannot stop batting, and must drink life on the pitch to the lees. And in this world where innovation seems to overshadow experience, the little master stands tall, a manifestation of both.

He may get beaten or bowled, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.

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.

Editor: Dean Williams

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

workplace BODY TALK

1 A LITTLE SPACE: When looking at a smartphone, there’s a tendency to lean away from others. The technology is out of the natural sight line, leading to a strained posture.

2 HUNCHBACKED: Stands for ‘stretched out hunch’, and is very common with laptops.

Long periods in the position put people at risk for discomfort and eventual injury to the back, arm, wrist, neck, and shoulder.

3 THE EASY CHAIR: People

Tough, not so tough

S

1

3

it up straight! Don’t slouch.

Keep your elbows off the table. You’d probably be thinking that these are lessons from some finishing school. No, this is advice that one must take care to follow while sitting at one’s desk in office. The report, based on a survey of 2,000 people in 11 countries, also points out the stresses we impose on our bodies by sitting in unfamiliar postures. These days, we do a lot more in our chairs than sit and type or scroll. With smartphones and tablets taking an increased role in our work schedule — think of how many times a day you’re interrupted by texts or the Facebook updates you’ve checked out — we’re leaning back, shifting, and fiddling with devices that aren’t part of the work surface.

4

5

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HERE’S THE DOPE

STOOP NOT

A study by furniture maker Steelcase (SCS) has just identified nine common ways that modern workers sit, mainly to use all those gadgets on their desks. We list a few.

2

BLOW FOR FEMALE SCIENTISTS

Female scientists already have many hurdles to cross, and now new research from Ohio State University has found that not only are scientific articles written by men thought to be of higher quality than those written by women, but also that people are more interested in collaborating with male scientists than female ones..

with larger displays will lean back to take in information. This is healthy, as long as the chair has lumbar support.

4 TWO HANDS: People frequently use more than one device at a time, which can lead to a hunched position, especially when a laptop's being used.

5 LOOK RIGHT THROUGH: This will be familiar to anyone who's had a long day at work. Over time, you lean towards the screen, putting strain on the neck and back.

KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

W

hen the world decides to let loose, chill and have fun, I have to gear up to work. I hop into my black attire, and stand at the door of these funky pubs as a well-dressed bunch of youngsters tries to push in using fake ID proofs.

I know I come across as intimidating, what with the muscles, the bald head and the absence of a ready smile, which the publicist of the pub cannot dare to be without, but these are vital parts of my job. For some reason, everyone decides to get drunk and let their darkest fears, desires and emotions reign over them.

Our eyes are always looking for the like of you and we know just when you will engage in a pointless brawl. And just when you begin to raise your voice a little, we use our strength to place you outside the pub. And hey, just so you know, we are here to maintain peace. So don’t fight with us. We are just doing our job.

It’s nothing personal, ever. Even though you have hit us with bottles, made us get 14 stitches, and frustrated us to the core of our being, you be glad we are so patient that we don’t hit you back but try to drill some sense into your drunk mind instead.

Oh. And if you think I made the ridiculous decision of not letting you be close to the celebrity you die for so much, uh-hun, it wasn’t me. The big star you were going ga-ga over made it clear that he wanted to keep out of your reach. While he was being a celebrity, I was doing my job. I come across as a villain while you still worship him as your god.

I look like I could pick a fight any time but every morning, around 4am, I go to sleep knowing I did my bit to keep peace here.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

spotlight A NEIGHBOURLY VISIT

DANCE EXPLOSION`

It's a night of music explosion with DJ A-Sen from Mumbai. All house music lovers get ready for "Pink Stiletto Nite", ladies drinks are on the house. So be there at Cuba Libre to enjoy the fun tonight.

S BALAKRISHNA

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SRINIVAS SETTY

A ROYAL TREAT

1

Radisson Blu opened its doors to a very special foreign visitor — the Prince of Bhutan Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.

He was hosted at the hotel for brunch.

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4

5

A lot of talk on theatre

1 Jasmne Pillai 2 Karishma

3 Dasho Jigyel Ugyen

Wangchuck, Amba

CELEBRATION OVERSEAS

Ugadi 2013 was celebrated in a grand style in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by ‘Vedika’ – Ethiopia Telugu Association recently. A lot of Telugu families attended the gathering.The chief guest Bhagwanth Singh Bishnoi, the Ambassador to Ethiopia & Djibouti also launched the Ethiopia Telugu Association website www.etavedika.com on the occasion.

4 Amit, Sweta 5 Raninder Singh

MORE YEARS OF SERVICE The State Bank of Hyderabad completed 71 years of existence and entered into 72nd year this month.The managing director M Bhagavantha Rao inaugurated the celebrations by lighting the lamp at the 71st Bank Day at Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony.

As part of the ‘Celebrating theatre’ series, renowned theatre and film director Dr Jabbar Patel engaged in an on-stage conversation with Mohammed Ali Baig.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

health

CHINA HAS 102 BIRD FLU CASES, 20 DEAD Bird flu has claimed 20 lives while causing 102 cases of the avian influenza — H7N9 — in China, with six fresh cases being reported from coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu Sunday, Xinhua reported. China officially confirmed the human cases infected with the H7N9 virus late last month.

IANS

ACID REFLUX AND HEART BURN

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PUT OUT THE FIRE! DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

R

adha has to pop an antacid at least thrice a day; life would have been unimaginable without this magic pill. Eating out is tempting, but the aftermath a nightmare. It only gets worse when she’s stressed out or over worked. The burning sensation

in the chest becomes unbearable at times, especially when she has citrus fruit juices.

Acidity is a household term today. Almost all of us can relate to the numerous advertisements promising instant relief. The overthe-counter pills and powders are nothing less than a miracle.

Almost 50 per cent of the population experiences acid reflux and heart burn at some point in their lives, said Dr Pramati Reddy, internal medicine consultant at Apollo Hospitals.

Doctors say nearly 50 per cent of the population suffers from acid reflux, a condition that can even lead to ulcers that bleed if left untreated.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS

D

r Reddy spoke to Postnoon about the various causes for acid reflux and heart burn.

“The lower oesophageal sphincter (between the stomach and food pipe) may be weak, letting the stomach acids enter the oesophagus. Secondly, certain kinds of food and stress can also cause this. Another reason could be excess consumption of citrus, oily food, alcohol and smoking,” said Dr Reddy. “Obesity is also a cause. When you put on excess weight, it puts more pressure on

the stomach. It happens during pregnancy as well.”

It can lead to peptic ulcer formation and the food pipe can get inflamed in severe cases, said Dr Aftab Ahmed, general physician at Apollo Hospitals.

“These ulcers can bleed and perforate,” he said. health.com (Health Media Ventures) lists some other symptoms like chest pain, sore throat, cough, nausea, and excessive saliva.

TREATMENT

T

he symptoms manifest themselves mostly at night, said Dr Reddy. While sitting up, there are lesser chances of acid reflux to occur than when lying down. She recommends raising the head end of the bed by three to four inches.

Here are a few things she recommends for treating this condition. Lifestyle modification, like losing excess weight, avoiding certain types of foods, eating early, at least two and a

half hours before bedtime, cuts down on reflux. After that, medications are prescribed.

“In severe cases, surgery is required. But that is very unusual,” she said, adding that it is also common in those who are under certain medications that induce acidity. For them, medicines which counter the effect are prescribed.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

HOUSECALL

Om Finder

Pasteurellosis

Use this yoga finder app

by Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc wherever you are in the world to find yoga near you. This application was created so that you can discover new teachers, classes, and studios, get the trusted scoop from local yogis, connect with your local community, and schedule your yoga life. itunes.apple.com

Pasteurellosis is an infection caused by bacteria of the Pasteurella group. It’s usually contracted from bites or scratches by domestic animals such as cats or dogs. However, it has also been reported following contact with other animals such as rabbits and cows. Pasteurella multocida, the commonest of the Pasteurella bacteria to cause problems, is found in the mouth and upper respiratory tract of most mammals. bbc.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW? You can retune the radio to lose weight Doing something different every day, even switching radio stations, shakes us out of our routine and can help us kick bad habits, according to Professor Ben Fletcher, a psychologist at Hertfordshire University.

He said we can make our lives better with small changes.bodyandsoul.com.au

PIONEERS Michael E DeBakey Michael Ellis DeBakey was a world-renowned American cardiac surgeon, innovator, scientist, medical educator, and international medical statesman. DeBakey was the chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, director of The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, and senior attending surgeon of The Methodist Hospital in Houston. en.wikipedia.org

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health TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

BREAKTHROUGH

RESEARCH

Scientists mapped the relationship between cell types in a family tree.

The outcomes may help in development of cell replacement therapies.

Biggest family tree of

HUMAN CELLS CREATED

LONDON: Scientists have created the biggest family tree of human cells yet, mapping unique factors for an incredible 166 different cell types that exist in an individual's body.

Cells are the basic unit of a living organism. The human body consists of a vast array of highly specialised cells, such as blood cells, skin cells and neurons.

In total, more than 250 different cell types exist. In the study, scientists tried to answer how the different types are related to each other, which factors are unique for each cell type, and what determines the development of a certain cell.

Biologists at the Universities of Eastern Finland, Tampere and Luxembourg, Tampere University of Technology and the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, US, designed a computer-based method that used already existing biological data from research groups all over the

world and analysed them in an entirely new way.

This led to the identifications of unique factors for 166 different human cell types.

These factor, or master regulators, determine the development and distinguish different cell types from each other.

With this information, they could map the relationship between the cell types in a family tree. These outcomes may serve as basis for the development of cell replacement therapies.

"Many diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes, or extensive burns result in the loss or altered functionality of cells," said Dr Merja Heinaniemi, first author of the study.

"Ideally one would like to replace those sick or lost cells again by healthy ones to cure the patients. This study forms an important step towards the development of such therapies," Heinaniemi, from the University of Eastern Finland, said.

"The next goal is to better understand the differentiation of cells into other cell types with the help of master regulators on a genome-wide basis in order to find ways to enhance cell differentiation for medical applications," Heinaniemi.

"This study illustrates the importance of computational biology for medicine. Such large amounts of biological data can only be analysed with computer-based methods," said Professor Matti Nykter of the University of Tampere.

The study was published in the journal Nature Methods. PTI

Memory, learning in mice restored WASHINGTON: Scientists have for the first time transformed human embryonic stem cells into nerve cells to help mice regain the ability to learn and remember.

The study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in US is the first to show that human stem cells can successfully implant themselves in the brain and then heal neurological deficits.

Once inside the mouse brain, the implanted stem cells formed two common, vital types of neurons, which communicate with the chemicals GABA or acetylcholine.

"These two neuron types are involved in many kinds of human behaviour, emotions, learning, memory, addiction and many other psychiatric issues," said senior author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience and neurology.

The human embryonic stem cells were cultured in the lab, using chemicals that are known to promote development into nerve cells. The mice were a special strain that do not reject transplants from other species.

After the transplant, the mice scored significantly better on common tests of learning and memory in mice. For example, they were more adept in the water maze test, which challenged them to remember the location of a hidden platform in a pool.

The study began with deliberate damage to a part of the brain that is involved in learning and memory.

"Developing brain cells get their signals from the tissue that they reside in, and the location in the brain we chose directed these cells to form both GABA and cholinergic neurons," Zhang said.

The initial destruction was in an area called the medial septum, which connects to the hippocampus by GABA and cholinergic neurons. "This circuitry is fundamental to our ability to learn and remember," Zhang said.

PTI

STUDY

Scientists see genetic link to rare liver disorder LONDON: Scientists have found specific genes associated with a rare liver disease that could provide a valuable tool for therapy, says a study.

The large-scale genetic study defines the relationship between primary sclerosing cholangitis and other autoimmune diseases.

Researchers have newly associated nine genetic regions with a rare autoimmune disease of the liver known as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

This brings the total number of genetic regions associated with the disease to 16.

Approximately 70 per cent of people who suffer from PSC

also suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The team showed that only half of the newly associated genetic regions were shared with IBD. For the first time, this definitively proves that PSC, although genetically related to IBD, is a distinct disease.

PSC is a chronic, progressive disease of the bile ducts that channels bile from the liver into the intestines. It can cause inflammation of the bile ducts (cholangitis) and liver scarring that leads to liver cirrhosis and liver failure. There are no effective treatments available.

Although PSC affects only

one in 10,000 people, it is a leading cause of liver transplant surgery, reports Science Daily.

"Before our study, it was never quite clear whether PSC was a complication of IBD or a distinct disease in its own right," says Carl Anderson, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

IANS

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

BUSY BEE

I’m not in love with anyone: PKC to release on May 11

S

udheer Babu, Nandita-starrer Prema Katha Chitram is all set to hit the screens on May 11. The film’s audio, which was launched recently, has become a hit and Maruthi, who has written the script, is confident that the film will be big hit. “Prema Katha Chitram will be quite different from Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop,” Maruthi said. J Prabhakar Reddy has directed the film.

Shriya Saran set to make a splash

S

hriya Saran’s upcoming film Pavitra is reportedly inspired from a real incident. “I had once read that in some country, a state’s governor insulted a prostitute and later on she contested the elections and became the governor.

Pavitra is inspired from this incident,” Janardhan Maharshi, the director, said.

Action 3D’s audio launched

T

he audio of Allari Naresh, Vaibhav Reddy, Shaam and Raju Sundaram-starrer Action 3D was launched last night in Prasads Multiplex in Hyderabad.

The film also stars Neelam Upadhayaya, Sneha Ullal, Kamna Jethmalani and Ritu Barmecha in lead roles. Anil Sunkara has directed the film. Bappa-Bappi Lahari have scored the music.

HANSIKA

H

ansika is a busy bee these days. Her career is going great guns in both Tamil and Telugu cinema and at the same time, she has been in news of late, thanks to her alleged love affair with a top actor in Tamil. Rumours are abuzz that the two have been seeing each other for several months and we hear that the actor has often been spotted at various shooting locations along with Hansika.

Interestingly, the two have already acted in a couple of films which will hit the screens soon. Hansika had kept it under wraps for a long time; however, she has finally broken her silence over the issue and categorically denied all rumours about her love life. “Been hearing a lot of news about my link up .. All I can do is laugh it off. Because I love reading stuff about me which I myself dnt know. Bt stil let me clear the air.There is no truth 2any rumors,wen Im in love I wil openly tel d media. Please stop the fake rumors as I request. I understand its a Part n parcel of celebrity life bt stil dnt wana gve my fans ny wrng information:)n I knw my media family wil support me (sic),” Hansika posted on Twitter. Hansika is currently shooting for Sundar C’s upcoming film Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru. Siddharth is her co-star in the film and it was recently shot in Japan.

The film is also being made in Telugu and it has been titled Something...Something. Apart from this film, Hansika will also be seen in Singham 2, Vaalu, Vettai Mannan, Biriyani. In Telugu, she has been roped in to play one of the lead roles in a multi-starrer film which has Mohan Babu, Vishnu Manchu and Manoj Manchu in lead roles.

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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013 CINE BYTES When Shabana gets nervous, directors help

A

ctress and social activist Shabana Azmi confesses that she gets jittery before any shoot, but her directors have always bailed her out. The 61year-old, who recently gave a stage performance for the play Broken Images, faced the same problem before the curtain went up. It was the director who came to her rescue. IANS

Hema Malini gets PC Chandra Award

Y

esteryear’s Bollywood ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini was Sunday conferred the PC Chandra award for her contribution to Indian cinema. The award was presented to her by PC. Chandra Group managing director Prashant Chandra at a glittering function in the Science City auditorium. IANS

Prithviraj to offer a script to Big B

S

outhern superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran, who debuted in Bollywood with Aiyyaa, has bought the rights of his hit Malayalam film Ayalum Njanum Thammil. He plans to make it in Hindi and approach Amitabh Bachchan with the script.

IANS

ALL FOR AN IMAGE

A s

d i o l v a a n n a a o i r s Em imen cters d a i r n u cha

ctor Emraan Hashmi might have played the role of a lover boy in several Bollywood movies in the past, but he won’t opt for roles that don’t have “any depth” or “logic”. The 34-year-old, who started his career with the 2003 movie Footpath, went on to do commercial films like Zeher, Kalyug, Jannat and Raaz The Mystery Continues....

“I have always liked very clear characters. I don’t like unidimensional ‘hero characters’

because they don’t have any depth, background or logic behind them.

Characters are flesh and blood, living people, who you can relate to,” Emraan said.

“I can’t do the stuff that other people do.

Some commercial people might do unidimensional roles, which are okay for them, but don’t work for me,” he added. The actor earned the tag of a ‘serial kisser’ after locking lips with his co-stars in Murder, Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride, Good Boy Bad Boy and Crook.

But later he shifted towards character-driven roles with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, The Dirty Picture and Ek Thi

Daayan.

When asked if it was an intentional move to get an image makeover, Emraan said: “There is no strong need to do that. My perspective of things is just to do different characters. There is no desperation to do anything other than better my image. But for my own good, I want to do different characters and roles.”

In his latest release Ek Thi Daayan, Emraan is seen playing a magician.

He will soon be seen in director Rajkumar Gupta’s movie Ghanchakkar, in which he plays a guy who has come up in life the hard way. His co-star in the film is Vidya Balan. The movie is slated to release June 28.

IANS

Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

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Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

THE BIG MOVE

NEIL PATRICK, DAVID TO MOVE TO NEW YORK

T

he popular TV show How I Met Your Mother actor Neil Patrick Harris will relocate to New York after he finishes shooting the TV show's final season.

Harris, who is engaged to David Burtka, told US Weekly about the relocation and marriage.

“It would be great to move the ring from my right hand to my left, but Prop 8 won't allow us to do that,” he said referring to California's ban on same-sex marriage.

“Our plan is to reroute ourselves and have our kids start to go to school here,” usmagazine.com quoted him as saying.

“We’re at that age where we need to figure out where our kids are going to be educated.

Then we hope that work finds us.”

Harris and Burtka are parents to two-year-old twins Gideon and Harper.

IANS

CINE BYTES

Zac Efron fancies supermodel Tyra Banks

A

ctor-singer Zac Efron says supermodel Tyra Banks is the only girl he fancied as a teenager.

The 25-year-old, who was dating Vanessa Hudgens until December 2010, wants to hang out with the 39 year-old. "I had a poster of Tyra Banks in my bedroom. She was the only girl I really had a crush on. Other than her, the rest of my posters were skateboards, BMX bikes, and Tony Hawk," said Efron.

IANS

Kylie Minogue 'very much in love'

A

ctress-singer Kylie Minogue is 'very much in love' with Spanish model Andres Velencoso, says her friend Mathew Horne. The All the Lovers hitmaker is compassionate about the model with whom she has spent almost five years, and her friend thinks they would love to have a family together, says a source.

IANS

Gerard Butler: Terrified of losing mother

S

cottish actor Gerard Butler says he was so dependent on his mother that he used to have nightmares about losing her.

The 43-year-old was brought up by his mother after his father walked out on them when he was a child. Though his father later reunited with them, he says not knowing his dad for 14 years had a big impact on his life, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

IANS

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.

Bill Shankly

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

26

SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Postgame summary 6 Not kosher 10 2012 Ben Affleck thriller 14 Tempting smell 15 Fabled fast starter 16 Arabian craft 17 Where social graces are taught 20 Gumshoe, for short 21 Put in alphabetical order 22 Some leathers 23 Court hearings 25 Horse-drawn vehicle 26 Stranger than fiction?

28 Bin use 32 Blood carrier 34T heater box 35 ___ up a good fight 38 It teaches commerce 42 Observe 43 Sister of Urania 44 Many Punjabi gurus 45 Pale lager 48 Rain forest haze 49 Barbershop symbol 51 Statesman of old Athens 53 Gofer's task 55 NFL legend Graham 56 Shoot the breeze 59 Where officers may be trained 62 Little desktop graphic 63 Topic of many a New Year's resolution 64 Money hoarder 65 Apartment payment 66 Emulate the Blob 67 Pay out

DOWN

1 Inflatable floatable 2 U.S.-Canada border lake

3 Wide hallway in a building 4 ‘Who ___ to judge?’

5 No longer in fashion 6 Parchment?

7 Companion of rave 8 Metric work unit 9 Concede (with ‘up’) 10 Stick 11 Valerie Harper role 12 Like hot fudge 13 Big-eyed birds 18 ___ d'oeuvres (appetizers) 19 Blackjack's cousins 24 Legendary Himalayan humanoid 26 They're picked up in bars 27 Bounder 29 ‘Maximus to Gloucester ‘ poet Charles 30 Enormous bird of myth 31 Have ___ at (try) 33 Prehistoric 35 Chinese dog breed 36 Sounds of disgust 37 Exam 39 Right-angle wing 40 Bro's sib 41 It's a stretch 45 Sorrowful sound 46 Impressive property 47 College marching org 49 Research before buying 50 DuPont's acrylic fiber 52 Rich soils 53 Chief in a burnoose 54 Groove cut into a board 55 ‘Hear ye’ 57 Service closer 58 Polar explorer Admiral Richard 60 2016 Olympics host 61 Party staple

Chai Time TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 24-4-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Held-up marriage talks resume and progress well. Businessmen advised to put on hold new plans. Son gets a career opportunity. Minor ego clashes likely between couples; be cordial, avoid magnifying issues. Good events to take place at home.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Abroad trips could be postponed for a while. Though plenty of marriage proposals likely, taking a decision will be difficult. Never take a decision in a hurry as it might go wrong.

Court issues might get delayed and man not go in favour.

Businessmen face a slowdown and new efforts may not progress as expected; stay cool.

Marriage talks might hit a roadblock. Better put them on hold for some time. Employees might face certain incidents at workplace that irk them.

Son or daughter might go abroad for higher studies. An old and important plan will now become reality. Stay away from women as they could land you in trouble. Those confused will get a clearcut route and go ahead without further hesitation.

Recent graduates get a good career opening. Delayed work resumes progressing exceedingly well and gets completed.

Businessmen come out of the dull phase and brisk business will start taking place now. Old debts issues will get over.

Debt issues might resurface but you will manage them. A delayed court issue will go in your favour and bring a major relief.

Major problem between couples will come to a happy end and they will start life afresh.

Financial assistance will come.

Employees working on a temporary basis are likely to get confirmed with a revision in pay scale. Those who were lazy and inactive will become brisk and work with a speed. Troubles faced from indirect enemies will come to a happy end.

Businessmen will get expected govt sops. Tension and worries likely. Debt issues bothering you recently will come to an end. Money inflow is good enough but also are expenses.

Employees will be comfortable as colleagues co-operate.

Some have a bright chance to buy a house or land. Bondage between couples will improve leading to a happy life. You undertake a jolly trip with family and close relatives. New efforts undertaken by businessmen will yield desired results.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

King of Pentacles – Someone in your close circle of friends is likely to play spoiler, ruining your chances of doing something creative and different. Listen to the heart.

LEO:

The World – Marriage is on the cards. You have waited a long time and this new phase will also bring you good luck and charm.

Continue what you’re doing, though.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Star – Delay in planning could be costly and even throw crucial areas of your life out of gear. Plan well and make sure to put everything down on pen and paper.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Wheel of Fortune – To be safe, prepare for a downside. Capricorns are practical and careful. This is a reminder to stay that way in these turbulent times.

TAURUS:

King of Swords – You may notice a threat from a peer or colleague who may be feeling insecure about his/her position in the office. Don’t react to anything yet.

CANCER:

Eight of Pentacles – Concerted efforts to avoid a situation may not work. There are some things that are not going to be in your control. Take it as an experience.

VIRGO:

The Emperor – This is the phase of life when loans should be repaid at the earliest. Take help from a financial advisor and plan your repayment so as to ease the burden.

SCORPIO:

Ace of Pentacles – There are aspirational needs that need fulfilling so you can feel more confident about yourself. Be open to new changes and you will be alright.

CAPRICORN:

Two of Cups – You are able to cope financially because of excellent planning skills.

You have foreseen a situation where you might have to be without a job.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Knight of Swords – The focus is on your child’s higher education. Plan savings in a practical way and make sure everything’s taken care of earlier rather than later.

NUMBER GAME

Two of Swords – You have an advantage in your current situation and should be smart enough to utilise it. Don’t allow ego to come in the way and ruin the chances.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS:

POOCH CAFE

Be careful in expressing opinions as you might be misunderstood. You might be upset as money from expected sources will get delayed, which hampers good events at home.

Do not worry as situation will change for the better soon.

for 24-4-2013

Nine of Cups – Time to take mission to the next level. A project you’re working on will reach the next stage and will need more attention from you now than before.

NON SEQUITUR

You march ahead with full confidence as delays and hurdles will be over. Businessmen will be successful in procuring new machines and equipments.

Also their business and profits jump manifold. Debt issues will come under control.

SUDUKO

Colleagues extend co-operation to employees, which will ease their work. You get upset due to spouse’s adamancy in certain issues. Though inflow of money is good, you might run short of funds for a project, which might disappoint you.

Boggle RED TAN BEIGE GREEN BLUE Vol: 2, No 277 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

28

Entertainment TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

FAN FOLLOWING

CINE BYTES ras ta er w d fan h s U star a craze ging n &B y b g si d e. gete e tapin he Voic o T l i w , wh s wh y sho t nger i reali r-old si n on th ta e c e e a y r r G 34 att The Cee Lo panel, ention t g d t e n a i c in a repl n's judg wanted woman d o e n s d k sea ome u entifie as kic y s tl d w i n n a d o t e n u e, wh r cons dly a m c e u ft o fro udien , nd l dio a a the f the stu name a at him s i o e t l h t u s g o whi min st. ed screa ing a York Po lly ask y a i it w w t r i e o u l n c N b ted n was i t a se r he o p re m t fa bu The down her fro rbank, Bu d to alm ved e to c d r e m o o i n efus r i r a gu stud ter she ing NBC ornia af blow er's s f i a l w sh Ca . ng U eople man stop he wo nd yelli p a "T ," a ity istle ecur he street s h w e ot her . Th e out t nt in nam ted her cide tinn r i o . c id he w con es ok t e ce sa sour sher to the sho d of th t "U e and he en h g ri trid at t day, was e his s It was ing f th ued. half o , so tap . d h t c e s n d of fir it ad nel re lu befo elayed," on's pa Adam s not d his sea cludes ounin T o d c s l s a kira an Blake e g d a h ju star ne,S Levi music try on. PTI t Shel

R

Oblivion obliterates the box office

T

om Cruise and Morgan Freeman sent all other films into oblivion this weekend with a reported $38.2 million at the box office for their science-fiction film's opening weekend. The futuristic film, which also stars Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko, topped the secondhighest grossing film, Jackie Robinson biopic 42, by over $20 million.

Jason Biggs ready to have family

A

R E n a H f S y b d U e t e g r ta

merican Pie star Jason Biggs and his wife are eager to start a family after five years of marriage. The 34-year-old actor is whisking Jenny Mollen to Hawaii to mark their fifth anniversary and he says they are finally thinking about kids, reported Us magazine. PTI

Viola in talks to star in new Mann thriller

T

he Help star Viola Davis is all set to star in a new Michael Mann thriller. The 47-year-old actress is in talks to play the female lead in the untitled project, reported Deadline. Directed

by Mann, the thriller is about a cyber crime and will begin shooting in China in May. PTI

sports

29

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

KANERIA CASE

ALSO IN NEWS

Mervyn to appear for hearing Disgraced pace bowler Mervyn Westfield said that he had been forced to attend the appeal hearing of Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria or face arrest.

LONDON: Disgraced pace bowler Mervyn Westfield on Monday said that he had been forced to attend the appeal hearing of Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria or face arrest.

The case in London began on Monday and is due to last until Thursday, with Kaneria hoping to overturn a life ban imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last year for inducing Westfield to under-perform in a 2009 county match.

The 32-year-old Kaneria is effectively banned from all cricket worldwide, as all boards under the jurisdiction of the International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body have agreed to uphold punishments made by member countries in such cases. On the eve of the hearing, though, it was unclear whether Westfield would attend but the 24-yearold said he had only reluctant-

BALLANTINE Event gets go ahead despite unrest

SEOUL: Ballantine’s Championship organisers have given assurances that the event will go ahead after two of its biggest stars withdrew over fears of conflict with North Korea.

America’s Zach Johnson and Dustin Johnson pulled out over “perceived unrest on the Korean peninsula” following weeks of military tensions.

“Ballantine’s is disappointed to announce that Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson have informed us they will no longer be attending the Ballantine’s Championship." a statement said. AFP

ly agreed.

“I have made it abundantly clear to the ECB that I have no desire to participate in this hearing or to provide any further evidence to that which I had previously done in June 2012," he said in a statement.

“The ECB has this time decided to take the hostile

route in seeking the help of a High Court judge, who has signed a court summons in order to secure my attendance.

“As I understand, by not attending today, the ECB would return to the High Court and a warrant for my arrest would be requested."

Both Westfield and

Kaneria were arrested in 2010 but while no action was taken against the Pakistan leg spinner, the former Essex quick was prosecuted and found guilty of taking £6,000 off a bookmaker he had been introduced to

by Kaneria to bowl below par.

He served two months of a four-month prison sentence and was also banned from firstclass cricket for five years.

Kaneria — Pakistan’s most successful Test spinner with 261 wickets in 61 matches — has maintained his innocence throughout the saga.

Westfield went on to accuse the ECB, Essex, as well as the Professional Cricketers’ Association of failing in their duty of care to support and protect him as he faced trial.

He added that he was hoping to bring an end to the “pain and suffering” that he and his family had gone through.

AFP

NBA

Bulls beat Nets to level playoff series NEW YORK: Determined defense and a gritty performance from injured Joakim Noah helped the Chicago Bulls notch a 90-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday that evened their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series. The Bulls bounced back from a disappointing gameone defeat to knot the best-ofseven first-round series at one game apiece, with game three back in Chicago on Thursday.

Noah, playing through painful right foot injury, scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and finished with 10 rebounds, and two blocks as the Bulls bounced back from a 10689 loss in game one on Saturday.

Bulls forward Luol Deng added 15 points, 10 rebounds and

Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls blocks a shot by Joe Johnson #7 of the Brooklyn Nets during theEastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs on Monday.

AFP/BRUCE BENNETT

two blocks, while Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich chipped in 13 points apiece. Boozer also pulled down 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who connected on 48.1 percent of their shots from the field.

Brook Lopez scored 21 points with Joe Johnson adding 17 and C.J. Watson contributing 10.

But the Bulls, who displayed an uncharacteristically porous defense in game one, limited Brooklyn to just 35.4 percent shooting from the floor.

The Nets, in the playoffs in their first season since moving to the New York City borough of Brooklyn, were trying for their first 2-0 lead in a post-season series since the first round in 2004 — when they swept the New York Knicks.

AFP

SPORTS BRIEFS Li Na welcomes home interest

Chess tourney from April 29

McCullum drops legal threat

STUTTGART, GERMANY: Australian Open finalist Li Na said Monday she is pleased her on-court success has triggered a tennis boom in her native China as she prepares to launch her clay-court season at Stuttgart’s WTA tournament. “Now so many kids want to be professionals, they see the games broadcast on television. When I was little, it was quite different," admitted the 31-year-old, who is the second seed in Stuttgart behind Maria Sharapova.

AFP

HYDERABAD: The Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy Memorial All India Fide Rating Chess Tournament (below 2000 rating) will be conducted from April 29 to May 2 at the R.B.V.R.REDDY Women’s College, Narayanaguda, Players below 2000 rating are eligible to participate. The last date for entries is April 25. For further details, contact Anand Naik on 92479 79886 or Subba Raju on 98667 02431.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum on Tuesday scrapped plans to sue former skipper John Parker after receiving an apology over claims he said attacked his integrity. Parker alleged earlier this month that McCullum, was aware his predecessor Ross Taylor was going to be axed as skipper, despite McCullum’s insistence he knew nothing about the decision. He said that he would sue Parker for defamation unless the latter retracted the claims.

UHG Corporate T20 Champions Trophy Kony Labs 165-7 (Anil Kareti 37, Sudheer Kondapalli 321) bt JHT 151-7 (Gopal Krishna K 70, Ramaraju K 220) by 14 runs Team Oxford 107-3 (Riyaz Ali 44) bt UHG 106 (Muni Raj Kiran 41, Chandrakanth R 4-14) by 7 wickets Nisum 173-8 (Raja Harsha D 59, Damodhar Reddy C 3-14) bt E-11 138 (Sohail Khan 49, Sriram M 327) by 35 runs V-Soft 157-9 (Sandeep C 56, Dharma Teja 3-43) bt MyHome 149-7 (Ankur V 49, Jagdish N 2-26) by 8 runs Corporate Thunder 1054 (Srikanth S 35) bt DE Shaw 127-9 (Akshay Kargwal 25, Srikanth S 3-9) by 6 Wickets Cox & Kings 191-5 (Rafif K 68, Seshagiri S 2/15) bt Victory Hunters 163-9 (Shane 49, Rajendra Prasad 4-22) by 28 runs

Academies join hands to improve game POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Around 20 cricket academies in the city have joined hands to come under one banner — the Federation of Cricket Academies (FCA) — which was announced at a lavish city hotel on Monday.

The FCA president, Arshad Ayub said that this step had been taken in their bid to improve the coaching levels of the game in the city.

The FCA are currently conducting tournaments in the under-14 and under-16 categories from Wednesday and will eventually extend this the same to other age groups also. The under-14 teams will have 20 teams battling it out while the under-16 will witness 16 teams participating. The FCA also aims at sending their wards to participate in international tournaments But there was speculation rife that this kind of a venture could prove to be against the functioning of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), to which Ayub said “we are not trying to go against the HCA. Our tournaments will not be clashing with those of the HCA as we would conduct ours at another time.”

But with the HCA not being informed of such a collaboration, it remains to be seen how successful this collaboration of cricket academies does.

IPL 6

30

BATTLE OF THE TITANS

METRE

6 S 220

17 4S 790

Chris Gayle (RCB)

35

Michael Hussey (CRK)

HIGHEST SCORE

101

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013 Shane Watson (RR)

BEST BOWLER

4-13

Sunil Narine (KKR)

Wounded PWI run into RCB Honestly I have never been part of Super Over. So it is interesting for me to see how it goes and you can’t plan anything.

Zaheer Khan RCB player

Virat Kohli (RCB) 322 runs Vinay Kumar (RCB), Dwayne Bravo (CSK) 12 wickets

Dilshan wishes Sachin ahead of his 40th birthday

W

ishing Sachin Tendulkar ahead of his 40th birthday on Wednesday, Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan on Monday said the Indian cricketer should play more IPL and international matches to inspire youngsters.

“I watched Sachin bat yesterday [on Sunday] against Delhi Daredevils and he got a half century. He looks to have returned to form. I only wish him that he plays more IPL and international matches, which will be good for youngsters,” Dilshan said.

“He is a fantastic player and I have always enjoyed Sachin (bat),” he told reporters.

PTI P

W

L

T PT

CSK

7

5

2

0

10 +0.648

RCB

7

5

2

0

10 +0.470

SRH

7

5

2

0

10 -0.104

RR

7

4

3

0

8 +0.588

KXIP

6

3

3

0

6 +0.204

MI

6

3

3

0

6 -0.194

KKR

6

2

4

0

4 +0.021

PWI

7

2

5

0

4 -0.706

DD

7

1

6

0

2 -0.913

P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points

NR

SYED SHOAIB

shoaib.s@postnoon.com

S

marting, as they are, after two consecutive defeats, Pune Warriors India have a difficult job on hand today: That of tacking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, and that too in the RCB’s happy hunting ground, the MA Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB will want to win this badly because they obviously are stronger at home and have played five out of their seven matches in Bangalore, meaning that they will be playing more away matches in the tournament from here on. The more points they garner before hitting the road, the better for them.

In their last outing, after running up a seemingly matchwinning 185 runs batting first, the PWI were done in by a fantastic partnership between

RCB VS PWI AT 4PM ON SET MAX Mandeep Singh and David Miller for the fourth wicket after the Kings XI Punjab were two wickets down for five and then three down for 58.

Not in the least bit comforting to them is the fact that RCB’s mainstay Chris Gayle is

back at his best, which he displayed in their previous game by anchoring them to a fine victory against Rajasthan Royals.

It is not too difficult to understand where the Warriors have failed that has resulted in their poor performance this far in the tournament. It is the bowling department of theirs that has left a lot wanting, and that too in this season in which

bowlers have had an upper hand.

Whatever little difference Bhuvneshwar Kumar has managed to make to the team’s fortunes will further reduce, less effective as he is likely to be on a batsmen-friendly track.

RCB are likely to regain the top slot on the points table with this one, which means that PWI will slide further down.

Renewed DD take on KXIP

SCORECARD CHENNAI SUPER KINGS VS RAJASTHAN ROYALS Rajasthan Royals innings (20 overs maximum)

Chennai Super Kings innings (target: 186 runs from 20 overs)

SR Watson c Hussey b Bravo AM Rahane b Ashwin

101 16

DH Yagnik† c & b Ashwin

7

R Dravid* c †Dhoni b Bravo

6

STR Binny not out BJ Hodge

36

not out

9

Extras (lb 3, w 6, nb 1)

10

Total (4 wickets; 20 overs)

185

M Vijay c & b Chandila

3

MEK Hussey run out (Dravid)

88

SK Raina lbw b Faulkner

51

MS Dhoni*† c Binny b Faulkner

21

RA Jadeja b Faulkner

0

DJ Bravo not out

15

CH Morris not out

1

Extras (lb 4, w 3)

7

Total (5 wickets; 19.5 overs)

Bowling

O

M R

W Econ

Bowling

O

M R

W Econ

MM Sharma

2

0 19

0

9.50

A Chandila

3

0 16

1

JO Holder

4

0 30

0

7.50

R Shukla

2

0 24

0 12.00

4

0 20

3

5.33

CH Morris

3

0 32

0 10.66

JP Faulkner

R Ashwin

4

0 20

2

K Cooper

4

0 49

0 12.25

RA Jadeja

3

0 45

0 15.00

SK Trivedi

3

0 32

0 10.66

DJ Bravo

4

0 36

2

SR Watson

1.5

0 21

0 11.45

STR Binny

2

0 20

0 10.00

5.00 9.00

Chennai Super Kings won by 5 wickets

DD VS KXIP AT 8PM ON SET MAX

186

5.00

APARNA G SAI aparna.s@postnoon.com

D

elhi Daredevils, after a six-streak defeat, finally won their first match in the sixth edition of the IPL after they beat Mumbai Indians by nine wickets on Sunday.

Delhi, now rejunavated, need to carry forward the mometum when they clash with Kings XI Punjab today at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, in Delhi.

But the Kings who also tasted victory in their previous match against Pune Warriors, when the two sides clashed on Sunday, could prove to be a problem for Delhi.

While the Daredevils have managed to get their first

points, they are still lagging way behind all the other teams as they are staggering at the bottom rung of the table.

Kings on the other hand, with six points in their kitty, are at the fifth position on the points table.

KXIP’s skipper, Adam Gilchrist, who had not performed well in any of the matches that his side has played so far, has said that his place in the team is under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, with nearly half the tournament being completed, both, the Delhi Daredevils and the Kings will look to garner the two points they can from this match, as every match from now on would make a difference to their chances of making it to the play-offs stage.

31

sports TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

PREMIER LEAGUE 5 matches that won United the title 5 key players in their success story STEVEN GRIFFITHS MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester United were crowned champions of England for the 20th time on Monday

after they beat Aston Villa 3-0.

Here, we looks back at five matches that played a key role in Manchester United's latest title triumph:

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 Alex Ferguson's team kept pace with early leaders Chelsea after surviving a trip to Anfield. In Liverpool's first game since the publication of a report absolving their fans of blame over the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, the hosts, who had midfielder Jonjo Shelvey sent off in the first half, raised the roof when Steven Gerrard put them ahead.

TOM WILLIAMS MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester United succeeded Manchester City as Premier League champions on Monday

after winning 3-0 at home to Aston Villa.

Here, AFP Sports selects five players who played pivotal roles in United's 13th Premier League title victory.

DAVID DE GEA (ESP; GOALKEEPER)

A

fter a difficult debut season at Old Trafford, De Gea has established himself as United's firstchoice goalkeeper. The 22-year-old Spaniard has made occasional high-profile mistakes, notably in the 3-2 win at home to Fulham in August and the 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in January, but he has also produced some outstanding performances.

RAFAEL DA SILVA (BRA; RIGHT-BACK)

OCTOBER 28, 2012

H

aving inherited Gary Neville's number two shirt in pre-season, Rafael has demonstrated that he is capable of becoming the long-term successor to the former England full-back on the right flank of the United defence. A doggedly tenacious defender, the Brazilian scored a fine goal in a 2-1 win at Liverpool in September and produced a goal-ofthe-season contender at QPR in February.

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 3 nited closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to one point after Javier Hernandez's late goal secured a dramatic win over the nine-man European champions at Stamford Bridge.

David Luiz's own goal and van Persie's clinical finish gave United a two-goal lead early on, but Chelsea fought back superbly to level the score.

U

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

Aston Villa 2 Manchester United 3 hile this may not be a vintage United team, no-one can question the character of Alex Ferguson's current crop. And that never-say-die spirit was on full display as they stunned Villa Park with a stirring fightback after two goals from Andreas Weimann had put the hosts in the ascendancy.

W

MICHAEL CARRICK (ENG; CENTRAL MIDFIELDER)

O

ften overlooked by fans and pundits, Carrick has enjoyed his most accomplished season in a red shirt since his 2006 transfer from Tottenham. The 31-year-old has proved an unflappable presence in front of the United defence and his composed displays have enabled him to force his way into Roy Hodgson's England team.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE (NED; STRIKER)

DECEMBER 9, 2012

A

ÂŁ24 million ($37 million, 28 million euros) capture from Arsenal last year, van Persie took to life at United like a duck to water. After scoring within 10 minutes of his home debut against Fulham in August, he claimed a hat-trick at Southampton and went on to net crucial winners against Liverpool and Manchester City.

Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3 an Persie sparked chaotic scenes as the United striker's injury-time winner capped a heated Manchester derby at Eastlands and put his side six points clear of their bitter rivals. United had raced into a two-goal lead as Wayne Rooney struck in the 16th and 29th minutes.

V

DECEMBER 26, 2012

Manchester United 4 Newcastle United 3 nited seized control of the title race as they extended their Premier League lead to seven points with another example of their remarkable resilience. A Boxing Day cracker at Old Trafford saw Newcastle lead three times through James Perch, a Jonny Evans own goal and Papiss Cisse.

U

W

DANNY WELBECK (ENG; STRIKER)

elbeck may have only scored once in the league this season, but his industriousness and versatility have made him a key element of Ferguson's squad. He created a sensation in March when he was preferred to Wayne Rooney in the starting line-up for the Champions League home game with Real Madrid, sparking speculation about Rooney's future at Old Trafford.

Ferguson sees echoes of greatness in RVP rocket TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson claimed Robin van Persie's breathtaking second goal in their title-clinching 3-0 win over Aston Villa proved his side deserve a place in history.

Van Persie lashed home a stunning first-time volley from 20 yards in the 13th minute of Monday's game at Old Trafford as United sank Villa to secure an unprecedented 20th English league title.

The Dutch striker had already opened the scoring after

ALEX FERGUSON'S MANAGERIAL HONOURS MANCHESTER, UK: A list of the 48 titles won by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, after his side secured the 201213 Premier League crown on Monday: Aberdeen (1978-86) Scottish Premier Division (3): 1979-80, 1983-84, 1984-85 Scottish Cup (4): 1981-82, 198283, 1983-84, 1985-86 Scottish League Cup (1): 1985-86 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1982-83 UEFA Super Cup (1): 1983

Manchester United (1986-date) Premier League (13): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08,

2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13 FA Cup (5): 1989-90, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04 League Cup (4): 1991-92, 200506, 2008-09, 2009-10 Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 UEFA Champions League (2): 1998-99, 2007-08 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990-91 UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991 Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999 FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

just 83 seconds and he completed his hat-trick before half-time with a composed finish from Ryan Giggs' pass.

Victory gave United an unassailable 16-point lead over second-place Manchester City with four games of the season to spare and brought Ferguson his 13th league title since he joined the club in 1986.

United have sparkled only intermittently this season, prompting accusations they do not merit comparison with some of Ferguson's previous title-winners, but he said goals like van Persie's showed that was not the case.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

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Man Utd win record 20th title

Van Persie scored a first-half hat-trick to leave Alex Ferguson’s side 16 points clear of Man City.

TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse

LEADING SCORERS 24: Robin van Persie (Manchester United) 23: Suarez (Liverpool) 18: Bale (Tottenham) 17: Michu (Swansea City) 15: Ba (Newcastle/Chelsea), Benteke (Aston Villa) 14: Lambert (Southampton) 13: Berbatov (Fulham), Lukaku (West Bromwich) 12: Cazorla (Arsenal), Dzeko (Manchester City), Lampard (Chelsea), Rooney (Manchester United) 11: Defoe (Tottenham), Fellaini (Everton), Fletcher (Sunderland), Giroud (Arsenal), Tevez (Manchester City), Walcott (Arsenal) 10: Aguero (Manchester City), Gerrard (Liverpool), Kone (Wigan), Le Fondre (Reading), Mata (Chelsea)

MANCHESTER, UK: Robin van Persie hit a first-half hat-trick as Manchester United cantered to an unprecedented 20th English league title with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa on Monday.

Manchester City’s 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur a day earlier had handed United a chance to regain the title and Alex Ferguson’s men needed no second invitation, swamping Villa to claim the championship with four games to spare.

Van Persie, United’s number

Van Persie, United’s number 20, was the man who brought them their 20th top-flight crown, netting inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breath-taking volley before completing his hat-trick.

Manchester United’s Dutch striker Robin van Persie (R) scores his team’s third goal against Aston Villa during their EPL match at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Monday.

AFP/ PAUL ELLIS

20, was the man who brought United their 20th top-flight crown, netting inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breath-taking volley before completing his hattrick 12 minutes before half-time.

“I am very happy, but it is weird. I had to wait so long for my first title. It is a great feeling," van Persie told Sky Sports.

“This is our 20th title. It is deserved."

With 13 Premier League titles, United manager Ferguson and veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, creator of two of van Persie’s goals, have now each won as many English league crowns as Arsenal.

Eternal rivals Liverpool, meanwhile, now trail United by two championships on the alltime honours board.

“I’m delighted for all the

players, for myself, the staff and the supporters," said Ferguson.

“You can go on and on about losing the title (last season), but at the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years is unbelievable.

“The focus of the team was good, they focused on the challenge of City and came up trumps."

Wayne Rooney, who was

making his 400th appearance for United, said the achievement partially atoned for the pain of losing last year’s title to City on the season’s final day.

“When you lose the title, it is hard to take," he said.

“It wasn’t a nice feeling last time. We have all dug in deep and done fantastic to put ourselves in this position.

“You can never take anything

for granted in football and thankfully it is now done."

Villa never threatened to poop the party and remain under threat from third-bottom Wigan Athletic, who could suck Paul Lambert’s side into the relegation zone if they win their game in hand.

“I am proud that my lads kept on going and credit to them, especially against the best team in the country," said the Villa manager.

Champion club’s climb to the top of the heap STEVEN GRIFFITHS Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, UK: Twists and turns in the battle for the crown over the last nine months:

AUGUST Robin van Persie gets the club up and running with a goal on his Old Trafford debut in a 3-2 win over Fulham.

SEPTEMBER Van Persie makes the decisive intervention at Liverpool as well, his late penalty earning a 2-1 victory.

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

FEBRUARY

There is an ominous look to United as they thrash Newcastle United 3-0 at St James’ Park and then hit four against Stoke, before Javier Hernandez’s late strike snatches a dramatic 3-2 win at nine-man Chelsea.

United’s leaky defence gives out plenty of gifts in the run up to Christmas, but a glut of goals from van Persie and Wayne Rooney secure five wins from six matches.

United brush Fulham, Everton and Queens Park Rangers aside without conceding a goal to turn the screw on erratic City.

Mancini’s team are held to a 2-2 draw by Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium and even more damaging is the 3-1 defeat that follows at Southampton.

City bounce back to beat Chelsea 2-0, but the gap to United is now 13 points.

NOVEMBER Van Persie takes just three minutes to score against his old club as Arsenal are beaten 2-1 at Old Trafford and the following weekend, Hernandez steals the spotlight with a double as United come from two goals down to win 3-2 at Aston Villa.

JANUARY Only Clint Dempsey’s last-gasp equaliser for Tottenham in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane robs United of five successive wins to start the new year.

A 2-1 home victory against Liverpool is the pick of the bunch for United, while City win three of their four matches.

MARCH Japan’s Shinji Kagawa scores a hat-trick in United’s 4-0 rout of Norwich and although narrow

1-0 wins over Reading and Sunderland do not win many style points, they ensure City have no chance to get back in the hunt.

City’s lack of hunger to retain the title is clear for all to see as they slip to a damaging 20 defeat at Everton.

APRIL With one hand on the trophy, United have no need to fret and they can even afford a 2-2 draw at West Ham as City crash to a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham -- a that allows Ferguson’s team to get the title celebrations started.