Postnoon E-Paper for April 24th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013 HYDERABAD

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WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS. CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM; 32°C

32 PAGES

suit UP!

There are very few superheroes who are as charismatic and awe-inspiring as Iron Man. We take a look at the various aspects of Iron Man, his friends and enemies from the latest installment of the Iron Man series.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

CITIZENS TRAPPED

IN BEWILDERING GAME OF CARDS

Following the latest proposal to issue new PVC-based voter ID cards for citizens of Andhra Pradesh, the number of documents issued as proof of identification stands at seven. While the idea of the Aadhaar card, the supposed king among them all, was designed to eliminate all the cumbersome ID proof, there seems little possibility of that happening in the near future. Postnoon takes a look at all the documents required to guarantee one’s proof of identity and mark him or her as a citizen of India. Be prepared, it’s a maze. REPORT ON P8&9

104 crore

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!

GHMC OWES CITY LIBRARIES

Did you know that eight per cent of the property tax collected in the State is marked as library cess and supposedly directed to the Grandhalaya Samstha responsible for 83 libraries in the City? But Grandhalaya officials say that in the last quarter, they have received nothing from the GHMC. It’s time to throw the book at this pitiable situation.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

city events

LITTLE WONDERS

Children’s play Amanush will be staged by Nishumbita on Friday. The event will be organised at Lamakaan from 7 pm.

Weather for Hyderabad Morning

Afternoon

26°C

31°C

33°C

New Delhi Max 36 Min 26

Clear. Chances of thunderstorm

Sunny with cloudy periods

Sunny with cloudy periods.

Partly cloudy

Evening

Overnight

32°C Clear with cloudy periods

Mumbai Max 33 Min 27 Clear

Chennai Max 34 Min 28

Bangalore Max 33 Min 23

Thunderstorms and Rain

Clear

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Taj Deccan, Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: Till April 25 Contact: (040) 6652 3939

SHOWS

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 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4015 1925 A laugh riot "It's Not Funny! - Stop Laughing!!" by clown Shiven will be organised. Where: Muffakham Jah College Of Engineering And Technology, Banjara Hills When: April 26, 12.00 pm Contact: 2335-0443 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 26, 8:30 pm Contact: 93910-20243 Mime skit Students of Annapurna International School of Film & Media will be staging two mime skits titled Struggle to Success and Who Gets Her Boss. Where: Lamakaan, Opposite GVKOne Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: April 25, 6:30 pm Contact: 9963107235

WORKSHOPS Summer camp Tailoring training camp for children between the age group of 6 and 16 is being organised. Where: Shilparamam, Madhapur When: Till May 20, 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm Contact: 97013-83359

CAUGHT IN THE RAIN: A roadside vendor walks back home after his business got shut early due to the rain on Tuesday. ANIL KUMAR Workout session Gachibowli track workout for Hyderabad runners will be organised. Where: Athletic Stadium Gachibowli, Hyderabad When: April 25, 6 am Contact: 9502621624 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.

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

ART

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

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

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

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

DANCE A visual treat Kathak recital by Kavita Golechha and troupe will be organised by Nritaya Kala Academy. Where: Amphitheatre Shilparamam, Madhapur When: April 27, 6.30 pm

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

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

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

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

city

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL THE ROADSIDE RAINWATER HARVESTING PITS WORK? 65% 35%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL WORLD BANK SUCCEED IN REDUCING POVERTY TO 3% BY 2030? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Mobile slips, triggers spat City reports second A man and his associates allegedly attacked four youths with cricket bats and iron rods after one of the youths ‘accidentally’ bumped into him, knocking his mobile down. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

ohd Mubeen, Syed Faisal, Abdul Jabber (residents of Moin Bagh) and Mohd Salman (resident of Riyasatnagar) are all college students. Faisal was returning to his home in Old City with his friends after attending an interview at Begumpet. They took an MMTS to Uppuguda railway station and were walking home from there. One of them bumped into a man, and the latter’s mobile fell down. The latter allegedly quarrelled with them and demanded `5,000 from them to compensate for any damage to his phone and

refused to accept apologies. The man allegedly called his associates, and dozens of people gathered around them. The four youths were hit with lathis, cricket bats and iron rods. The four sustained external injuries and were then sent to the police station after the crowd dispersed. It is said that the police

refused to hear their complaint, following which AIMIM MLA Ahmed Pasha Quadri and his followers staged a dharna outside the police station, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. Inspector M Laxmi Narayana said a case has been registered. The injured have been shifted to a private hospital. Tension prevailed in the area following the incident. Armed police forces have been deployed in sensitive areas of Old City and mobile patrolling has started to prevent any untoward incident on Hanuman Jayanti. Additional deputy commissioner of police (south zone) K Babu Rao said the situation is under control but tense.

rape in three days

An eight-year-old girl was raped by her relative on Tuesday. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he victim is a Class III student in Kishan Bagh government school. She belongs to a poor family and her parents died when she was two. She has been under the guardianship of her aunt M Yadamma ever since, inspector M Thirupathanna said. In the same locality of Konda Reddy Guda in Kishan Bagh, S Arun Kumar, 20, a private water supplier, called her home to watch TV around 3pm when he saw her playing outside. He then closed the door and raped her. Hearing the girl’s

cries, her aunt and other neighbours gathered around and broke the door open. Kumar was beaten up and handed over to the Bahadurpura police on the complaint of Yadamma. The girl was sent to a government hospital for medical treatment by the police.

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

CIVIC

LAST YEAR... HERE

Mayor seeks report on tanks

Death of reservoirs ?

ast year we had reported how the drinking water bodies Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar had been polluted due to urbanisation and industrilisation. The draft report of National Environment Engineering Research Institute revealed that the two tanks contain poisonous chemical substances. However, water board ofﬁcials claimed that quality of water is withinpermissible limits

APRIL 24, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

The number of cards issued as proofs of identification stands at seven following the latest proposal to issue new PVC-based voter ID cards for the citizens of AP.

If the husband decides that he does not want to live with the wife, no matter even if the court does not grant divorce, he does not take the wife back. D Harshwardhan, advocate

See page 6

The mayor worries about encroachments along the edges of tanks in west zone after visiting them. He directed revenue officials to submit a meticulous report on illegal structures so as to take the issue to municipal administration minister’s notice

ack of co-ordination between officials of revenue, irrigation and GHMC in protecting the tanks makes way for land sharks to gobble up parts of them. Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain, along with members of the standing committee, inspected tanks in west zone on Tuesday and were surprised to see encroachments and hazy fencing around the tanks. “Several acres of land will be flooded, if incessant rains occurred during rainy season. I cannot understand as to why revenue officials did fencing in haste to the tank in summer, when water levels are low,” observed the mayor, during his visit to one of the tanks. The FTL (Full Tank Level) of the tanks in west zone was inaccurate due to encroachments along the tank shores. The mayor has directed the officials to produce details of encroachments to discuss the matter with minister for municipal adminis-

along the edges of the water body. Builders near Lanco Hills are constructing structures by flouting norms. Moreover, garbage is being dumped into the tanks. The mayor has ordered immediate suspension of construction activity in the area. The Kuncha Kunta had an FTL of 34 acres of land, of which 10 per cent was grabbed by builders. He questioned the logic of revenue officials in iden-

tration and urban development M Maheedar Reddy. He also inspected Kuncha Kunta, Yellamma Kunta, Medi Kunta, Barla Kunta, Malkam Chervu and Kothaguda Chervu. Malkam Chervu, which should have an FTL of 25 acres of land, was almost lost due to the encroachments. Khaja Guda’s Yellamma Kunta has shrunk from its actual size of 22 acres of land due to illegal constructions

INSPECTION

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY

Chairman and MD visit RTC hospital

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

Hyderabad remains unsafe for women. Yesterday, Postnoon had reported the rape of a handicapped girl. In yet another incident of crimes against women, an eight-year-old girl was raped by her relative.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

PSRTC chairman M Satyanarayana Rao, along with managing director AK Khan, visited the RTC employees’ hospital in Tarnaka. They inspected the recently commissioned colour doppler machine and other equipment.

Congress and TDP live in Jagan fear. TDP leaders feel they will not stand a chance in the elections if Jagan is released from jail. Leaders from both parties felt “threatened” by Jagan’s popularity among the public.

State’s youth-centric schemes prove a hit. A total of 10,103 unemployed youths were provided with ﬁnancial assistance by the State government in 2012-13.

GHMC doesn’t seem to care for City’s libraries. Though eight per cent of property tax is supposed to go to libraries, the GHMC refuses to pay up.

7 is the magic number for identiﬁcation in India. Want proof of ID? In India, we have seven ways of doing so, all for different purposes.

tifying the FTL during summer instead of rainy season. “What is the haste in doing this?” he asked officials. He demanded that the officials remove the encroachments. Similar was the case of Medi Kunta in Gachibowli, which had an area of 12 acres of land and has now shrunk in size due to encroachments. As this water body is close to several software companies, the mayor directed the officials to demolish illegal structures along the tank. The mayor and members of the standing committee were shocked after visiting Barla Kunta, as sewerage water was being let into the tank from residential apartments causing environmental degradation. In fact, 6.5 acres of the tank’s land had already been encroached by land sharks. Majid Hussain announced that a fast-track committee would be constituted for protecting tanks. While the committee will be headed by the GHMC, officials from irrigation department, Industrial Local Authority (ILA) and revenue officials will be members.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

They enquired with patients about their health and treatment given by the doctors. They advised the doctors to provide better health services to the employees and their families. The executive director (HRD & medical) and secretary to the corporation M Ravinder also accompanied them.

NEWS BRIEFS Woman lodges harassment complaint

Bike thefts continue in Twin Cities

RWAs to campaign for rain water harvesting

Immunisation drive by health department

he Chilkalguda police has booked a case against a person named Mohd Mushtaq, a resident of Shahbaazguda of Secunderabad, following a harassment complaint from a woman. The complainant, Farhat Sultana, alleged that he had been harassing her for the past few months. Her husband stays abroad and she lives here with her children.

wo bikes were stolen in separate incidents in Secunderabad on Tuesday. Vijay Bhaskar Reddy, a resident of Miyanpur, lodged a complaint after his bike was stolen from Regimental Bazaar. In another incident, an Air Force employee, K Satyanaryana, lodged a complaint after his bike was stolen from General Bazaar.

n observance of World Earth Day, the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS) conducted a meeting on rain water harvesting at the GHMC ofﬁce in Secunderabad. The meeting was aimed at promoting harvesting pits at every house in each Resident Welfare Association (RWA) area and to draw guidelines to promote it.

he health department will organise an immunisation drive from April 24-30. High risk areas with poor immunisation record will be covered. Children below two years and pregnant women will be immunised. The second round will be conducted from June 3 to June 8, third round from July 8 to July 13 and fourth round from August 19 to 24.

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

POLITICS

Jagan looms over Cong, TDP Despite the fact that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been in Chanchalguda central jail for the last 11 months, he continues to haunt his rivals — Congress and TDP. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

P and YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy continues to be a nightmare for his political rivals in the State. These rivals include the two key political players: Ruling Congress and opposition Telugu Desam Party. Apart from the continued electoral successes of YSRC in the consecutive by-elections held in the State after its formation, the strong wave of support that YSRC has created for itself in all these years, especially in Rayalaseema and Andhra regions, has led to the increased worries of Congress and TDP leaders. The YSRC-threat has affected

these leaders so much that they are not even ready to face another round of by-polls in the State. “We cannot face another round of bypolls as it would only enable YSR Congress to gain

GOVERNANCE

State helps over 10k unemployed youths

more strength. Both Congress and TDP can’t even imagine facing YSRC in Rayalaseema and Andhra regions at this juncture. The people of these two regions are yet to come out of the YS

Jagan magic,” a senior Congress leader from Rayalaseema region told Postnoon on Tuesday. Going a step ahead, a senior MLA from main opposition Telugu Desam Party told Postnoon that almost all districts from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions like Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur, Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari have become strong bastions of YSR Congress. He added that it would be difficult for any political party to defeat Jagan in the two regions. “The YS Jagan effect is everywhere in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions except Telangana. We cannot even face him in these regions.” He said that a series of surveys conducted by TDP found

that it would be difficult to defeat YSRC in coming days.

‘JAGAN’S RELEASE WILL DOOM PROSPECTS’

TDP strongly feels that if Jagan is released from jail, it would completely spoil the chances of TDP’s victory in the next General Elections. The party thinks that the TDP would emerge victorious if Jagan is kept in jail till the conclusion of the next General Elections. “As long as YS Jagan is in jail, the TDP does not have to worry about its victory chances in the next Assembly elections. If he comes out of jail, then it will be the end of TDP in the elections. So we are praying that he should not get bail until the next elections are over,” a TDP politburo said.

BOOKS GODOWN CATCHES FIRE

The State government successfully provided financial assistance to 10,103 youth along with a subsidy of `30.56 crore.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he youth mantra of the State government seems to be working in its favour. The success of the State-funded Rajiv Yuva Shakti scheme during the last fiscal (2012-13) is evidence of this. The objective of this scheme is to generate self-employment opportunities for all unemployed youth by providing them with the required financial assistance. The scheme, which is run by the youth services department of the State, created a record by surpassing its own set target. As against the target of providing financial assistance to 9,000 unemployed youths of the State during the 2012-13 financial year with a subsidy of `27 crore, the State government successfully provided financial assistance to 10,103 youth along with a subsidy of `30.56 crore. The total cost incurred by the State government is `98.57 crore. The efforts of the youth services department led to a progress of 112 per cent as compared to

last year. The beneficiaries of the scheme have become selfemployed by setting up units like photocopy centers, DTP offices, photo studios, tent houses and beauty parlours. Interestingly, 20 districts of the State out of a total 23 districts surpassed their targets by achieving more than 100 per cent progress. Even the extremely backward Adilabad district topped the list by achieving 126 per cent progress as against its target in the implementation of the scheme. Recognising the power and importance of youth in the State, the ruling Congress government had launched the Rajiv Yuva Shakti programme immediately after coming to power in 2004-05. Under the scheme, financial assistance will be provided through institutional finance from nationalised banks to the beneficiaries of the scheme. On its part, the State government will provide a specific amount of subsidy to the beneficiaries of the scheme on the loan secured by them through banks under the scheme.

Alarming the entire locality of Boggulakunta in Abids, a fire broke out in a books godown and gutted the entire building this morning. Eyewitnesses told Postnoon that the fire reduced the huge batches of books and stationery items to ashes within minutes. Fire department officials are trying to find out the cause. N SHIVA KUMAR

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

LEGAL

Mental illness breaking up

marriages Many people are opting for divorce on discovering that their spouse suffers from a mental disorder, even if the illness can be managed. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

n any given year, one out of every 10 adults is diagnosed with a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Not surprisingly, the issue of mental health plays an important role in the decision of couples who are considering divorce. According to Section 13 (1) (iii) a and b of the Hindu Marriage Act, a divorce can be granted to a couple on basis of mental illness only when the mental illness is incurable and or causing harm to the other spouse. Advocates see many couples approaching the courts for divorce, taking advantage of this clause in this section. In some cases, husbands have been using mental illness subjected with cruelty against their wives and vice versa. “There are situations when the condition of the spouse gets out of hand completely and the spouse takes use of this law,” says advocate P Vishwa Janani. Citing an example of a case she dealt with recently, she says, “Dimple (name changed) a well-educated woman who is married to Rishi (name changed) a software engineer, would appear as a happy and healthy woman, to anyone who did not know her. However, her husband, who has been married to her for five years, has a different experience. After two years of marriage, Rishi noticed Dimple behaving abnormally. She would suddenly get aggressive and suspicious. Dimple would threaten to commit suicide; she would blame Rishi and his family for plotting to kill her. There were many occasions when Dimple ill-treated Rishi in front of his friends and once, in a fit of anger, pushed him down the staircase, due to which he fractured his right arm “Later, it came to light that Dimple was suffering from schizophrenia and was taking treatment prior to her marriage. However, her parents did not inform Rishi about the disease. Rishi tried putting up with Dimple’s illness for some time. However, when her symptoms got aggravated and she was not responding to treatment, Rishi decided that ending the marriage

would be the best for them. He then approached the court and the court had granted divorce in favour of Rishi.” According to advocates, many times, such cases of divorce come to the court because most parents do not inform the fiance about the condition of their child’s mental health. “Sometimes, parents think that marriage will cure a person and instead of taking him or her to a psychiatrist, the parents get them married, not realising that not just their child but even the spouse is made to suffer in the process,” she adds.

He or she approaches a psychiatrist and explains the mental condition of their spouse, takes the report and approaches the court to file for divorce. Even if the reports says that the condition can be treated , they are not willing to adjust. P Vishwa Janani Advocate However, in majority of cases, a spouse suffering from mental illness is a major reason if the husband wants to get rid of the wife. The underlying reason in most such cases is dowry, say advocates. “When they cannot prove the mental illness directly, most of them attribute it to schizophrenia, since this is one serious illness that is difficult to treat. Though the court does not grant divorce unless and until the facts are established that there is danger to the life of the spouse because of the mental illness of his/her partner, many times it is only a paper victory,” says senior advocate D Harshwardhan. “If the husband decides that he does

not want to live with the wife, no matter even if the court does not grant divorce, he does not take the wife back. In such instances, the wife will have no place to go but her parent’s house,” he adds. Advocate Janani says, “Couples these days lack patience to take care of their spouse in bad times, and make it a ground for divorce. Sometimes, if a spouse is suffering from a metal illness that can be managed, the

other spouse does not want to deal with it and thinks divorce is the only solution. So he or she approaches a psychiatrist and explains the mental condition of their spouse and takes the report after the psychiatrist observes the client and approaches the court to file for divorce. Even if the reports says that the condition can be treated with medication, they are not willing to adjust and think divorce is the ultimate solution.”

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

COMMUNITY

GHMC lends no help to libraries Eight per cent of the property tax collected is marked as library cess and supposedly directed to the Grandhalaya Samstha. But officials say that in the last quarter, they have received nothing from the GHMC. N SHIVA KUMAR

Library officials reveal that payment of the cess has always been at the mercy of the administration. In the early 2000s, the state of affairs became so tenuous that GHMC offered it 53 of its properties in lieu of the `70 crore it owed them.

Ashok Nagar library

PADMINI C padmini.c@postnoon.com

he Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) made headlines earlier this month when it set a record for having collected an unprecedented `780 crore in property tax for the last financial year ending March 31. The increased revenues, the mayor and GHMC commissioner assured, will go to improving developmental efforts in the State in areas such as roads, sanitation and infrastructure. What was conspicuous by absence was any mention of libraries. Andhra Pradesh Public Libraries Act deems eight per cent of the property tax collected in the State to be marked as library cess and directed to the City Grandhalaya Samstha, responsible for 83 libraries in the City. But Grandhalaya officials say that in the last quarter, they have received nothing from the GHMC, not the `62 crore from this year’s collections, nor the `42 crore that the GHMC

already owes the Samstha for defaulting on payments since 2005-2006, leading to their own developmental activities being hampered. “Usually, the cess is levied

Himayat Nagar library

automatically on the property tax collected at Mee-seva centres. But in the last quarter, that was stopped entirely. Except for our salaries, which we get from a separate grant, everything

else, including the budget for new books, upkeep of existing and upcoming libraries and other developmental activities, is dependant on the cess. If it stays like this, things will start

Ashok Nagar library

to suffer,” says Jaganmohan Reddy, secretary of the Samstha. The City Grandhalaya, set up in 1962 and which houses over 2.14 lakh books, is no stranger to being ignored by the civic authorities. Library officials who have worked there for 25 years reveal that payment of the cess has always been at the mercy of the administration. In the early 2000s, the state of affairs became so tenuous that GHMC offered the Grandhalaya 53 of its properties in lieu of the `70-something crore it owed them until then. “More than half of those buildings are in bad shape. Now, we are spending a majority of our funds again to make them functional. Also, with every year, our patronage is increasing and therefore our expenses. Students giving competitive exams are increasingly depending on us. We are already being stretched beyond our capacity. So, it’s now that we need the cess the most,” explained Srinivas A, a librarian in the Samstha. The CGS officials say that they spent an estimated `4.5 crore last year on the construction, refurbishment and modernisation of nine (out of the 53) libraries in the City. They had planned to take up the work of 15 more this year but with the uncertainty of the cess funds now hanging over their heads, they might be forced to put their plans on hold. “My aim is to make libraries across the City habitable and accessible to everyone. But for that, we need funds to improve the state of the buildings, furniture, stationery, books, and more, which we might not be able to do due to the complete stoppage of funds,” said Sama Krishna Reddy, chairman of the CGS. GHMC officials declined to comment.

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

CIVIC Driving Licence

Following the latest proposal to issue new PVC-based voter ID cards for the citizens of Andhra Pradesh, the number of cards issued as proofs of identification stands at seven. While the idea of the Aadhaar card, the supposed king among them all, was designed to eliminate all the cumbersome proofs of identification, there seems little possibility of that happening in the near future. Postnoon takes a look at all the documents required to mark a person as a citizen of India.

hile several police and transport officials themselves admit that getting a driver’s licence is far easier than buying tickets for a movie, the importance of a driving licence is nonetheless underestimated. As it contains all details of age, residence and identity, the driver’s licence is the primary choice of proof of identification. The driver’s license is issued by the Road Transport Authority of AP after one passes a driving test. According to statistics from

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

the AP Transport Department, there are roughly over 10,85,000 driving licence holders in AP, with 19,41,000 in transport and 89,09,000 in non transport categories. Drawbacks: Thanks to the lack of stringent norms, getting a driver’s licence is easy and in most cases, is the first proof of identification a citizen applies for after turning 18. According to official estimates, over 3,000 driver’s licences are churned out per day at all the six RTA centres in Hyderabad!

rahul.r@postnoon.com

PAN Card

Ration Card

he PAN card is a Permanent Account Number issued by the income tax department of the Central government of India. It was conceived to bring universal identification to all financial transactions and prevent tax evasion through finance monitoring. The PAN card is used for filing income tax returns,

for opening bank accounts with over `50,000 deposit, or availing TDS tax grants. Application for the PAN card has now become an online process and is delivered within two months. Currently, the number of PAN card holders in the State stands at 46.17 lakh out of the total eight crore population.

Drawbacks

In 2010, the Central IT department stumbled upon a `14 crore fraud committed using loopholes in the PAN card application process.

he ration card is issued as a citizen’s right to civil supplies. The ration card has by far recorded the most number of discrepancies and scams, many of which point directly towards political presence and corruption. Since the ration card is directly mixed with economic policies of a state’s budget, it has often been used as a carrot on a

stick to gather a vote bank. The ration card contains all demographics of not just an individual but also his/her family and thereby makes it a necessary proof of identification and residence. However, the history of scams that have stumbled out of the civil supplies department’s closet in the last 20 years have shown that procurement of a ration card is

a simple process that lacks monitoring. As per the census records of Andhra Pradesh and records available with the civil supplies department, there are four categories of ration card holders based on the citizen or his/her family’s economic status: White, AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana), Annapurna and pink ration cards.

2,13,89,674

Total number of ration card holders in the State

1,79,96,243

Total number of white ration card holders

15,57,800

Total number of AAY card holders

93,200

Total number of Annapurna card holders

29,94,431

Total number of pink card holders

city WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

It’s time to play your

CARDS RIGHT Voter ID card

Passport

his card enables a citizen to take part in electing representatives to the world’s largest democracy. Since a voter ID card carries all registered electoral details which include identity, residence proof, and age, the voter ID card is used for applying for a passport, opening a bank account, and so on. Following the

guidelines of the CEC, Andhra Pradesh will be the first state to implement the printing and distribution of new PVC-based colour voter ID cards. Currently, there are about 5,70,000 registered voter ID cards in the State and enrolment figures for the new cards stands at 30 lakh by 2014.

passport is issued by the government of India as a proof of nationality. After several decades of dysfunction within an administration that could not guarantee the delivery of its citizen’s passports, things have looked up in the recent times, when enrolment for passports has been moved to the internet. The passport, apart from a proof of nationality, is also used as residential and identity proof as it contains all details of age, residence, name and family lineage.

Aadhaar

he UIDAI project to clear away the usage of too many ID cards and bring all details under the single banner of the Aadhaar card is admitably noble, but has failed right in its initial planning and execution stages. The Aadhaar was India’s version of a social security number, although the current pace and functioning of this project has questioned its need and validity. What Aadhaar set out to do was that it was to be used as a proof of residence, age; for electoral rolls, financial transactions, insurance coverage, government subsidies on civil supplies, nationality and voter eligibility. However, the disorganised state of the Aadhaar project allowed many scams to

creep into the project. Currently, there are over 3.8 crore enrolments for the Aadhaar card following its linkup with gas subsidies in the State. Hyderabad alone has recorded 49,48,263 enrolments in the past two months. Since Aadhaar card is deemed important as all government and civil services are likely to be slowly linked to this card, the card has become the need of the hour. Drawbacks: As the process of enrolment was handed out to agencies, errors and manipulations made their way into the project. Recently, over three lakh Aadhaar enrolment users’ data was lost owing to technical negligence of the authorities involved in the project.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Business

NOVARTIS SUED

The US government has sued Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp, claiming it gave kickbacks to pharmacies to switch kidney transplant patients from competitors' drugs to its own. US Attorney Preet Bharara said Novartis is a repeat offender, having settled similar charges less than three years ago.

TRADE

Grim outlook for copper

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

opper may not be an attractive metal for retail buying as compared to gold but it gets actively traded in Indian commodity exchange (MCX). Investors who bet on this metal buy it as a stock and can trade in the exchange. Its price affects various manufacturing industries like electric and electronic, construction and transport. The consumption of metal can also be seen as a growth parameter of an economy. However, recent downfall of the metal is worrying the investors and buyers of this metal. Explaining the factors that effect the value of copper, Tapan Trivedi, senior research analyst, Inditrade derivatives and commodities, says, “Major economies and active consumers of copper still did not fully recover from the slump. There is still uncertainty about the global economy. The growth of manufacturing sector in China is also slow and not pushing further need of this metal. HSBC's China flash manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) declined to 50.5 from 51.6 in the last month. Neither has the manufacturing index shown any hope in the last few months. “The growth of Chinese manufacturing sector plays a crucial role in determining the value of the metal. Around 40 per cent of the globally produced copper is being consumed in China. Not only copper, the entire base metals registered a sharp drop during the last week. Copper for three months’ delivery at the LME marked its biggest weekly drop in nearly 16 months inflicted by continued batch of weak economic data from the US, Europe and Chinese economy and concerns that increasing supply would hurt trading sentiment.” Further adding to the supply, he says, “Any metal value is strongly determined by the demand-supply ratio. The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) forecast that the supply would increase this year with labour issues getting sorted and mining back in

CUTTING MEDICAL COSTS

Uncertainty about the global economy has caused the downfall of the base metal. More than half of the households in recession-hit Italy are regularly buying food at discount stores and slashing their medical expenses, the central statistics ofﬁce Istat said. Istat said 63.3 per cent of families now shop regularly at discount supermarkets that continue to spring up in local neighbourhoods across Italy, buying cheaper brands that cost a fraction of the price of quality ones. In Italy's poorer, less economically developed south, 73 per cent of families regularly shop at discount stores. Families have virtually eliminated routine medical checkups and scans and are limiting their spending to essential drugs.

NUMEROLOGY

$17.87

The consumption of copper can also be seen as a growth parameter of an economy. However, recent downfall of the metal is worrying the investors and buyers of this metal. track. Higher mine supply is expected to reverse the three year deficit in copper to a surplus of more than 450,000 MT globally. Over the few years, the supply is low due to various issues in Chile and Peru and the moderate demand helped to increase the value of the metal. However, recent forecasts about the increase in supply without any huge growth in consumption due to economic slump are lowering the value of the metal.” Copper for three months contract at the LME slipped 5.6 per cent in the week ending April 18 to close below the psychologically important $7000/MT mark and also recording its worst weekly loss since December 2011. Copper inventories at the LME have been gaining consistently, another gauge depicting weak demand for the metal.

COPPER PRICES OVER THE YEARS QUARTERLY

28/3/2013 31/12/2012 28/9/2012 7540 7540 8205 -4.93% -3.34% 6.77% 2012 6878 4%

29/6/2012 30/3/2012 7685 8445 -9.00% 11.12%

YEARLY 2011 2010 2009 7600 9600 7375 -21% 30% 140% Current Price: $6878 per MT

Explaining the prospects of this base metal, Tapan says “While a moderate pull-back in prices cannot be ruled out post the sharp drop last week and considering the fact that copper is down by more than 12 per cent since the start of this year; broad outlook for the metal continues to be down. Immediate support for the metal for 3M contract at LME is seen at $6800 levels, wherein break below can push it to $6600-$6500/MT levels (3-6 months). Similar drop in local markets can push prices down to `345-350/kg levels at the MCX. However, in the long term, with the improvement in the economy, it may reach $7200-$7500 (2-3 years). Industrial buyers can start procuring the metal but for larger quantity buying, it is better to wait, as the value is grim in the near term.”

is the amount a Russian state firm got after auctioning 572 large raw diamonds.

DIAMONDS SOLD

2008 3070 -54%

Any metal value is strongly determined by the demand-supply ratio. The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) forecast that the supply would increase this year with labour issues getting sorted and mining back in track. Tapan Trivedi Senior research analyst

Russia's State Precious Metals and Gems Repository has auctioned 572 large raw diamonds for $17.87 million, a finance ministry official said. The open domestic auction included a total of 709 diamonds weighing over 10.8 carats (2.16 gm) and attracted 38 diamond-cutting firms. “It was the first auction this year, with 709 individual lots offered (with total weight of 11,592 carats or 2.32 kg),” an official said. “If all participants of the auction pay the bidding price, we will fulfill our sales plan for this year by 250 per cent,” he said. At a similar auction in March 2012, the repository sold 525 raw diamonds.

THUS SPAKE There have been expression of interest in setting up of multi-brand retail stores..the ﬁrst step has been taken by Tesco, by Sainsbury's. There has also been an expression of interest but not a formal proposal, from Carrefour, H&M. So they all are coming ANAND SHARMA, COMMERCE MINISTER

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

nation

AKHILESH OFF TO HARVARD

Accompanied by a battery of officials and two ministers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday left for the US to deliver a lecture at the Harvard Business School on organising the Maha Kumbh Mela and the challenges faced by the administration.

DELHI MINOR GIRL’S RAPE

NEED TO STRENGTHEN PANCHAYAT: PM

‘Manoj tried to kill her’ Pradeep Ram, 19, who was nabbed Monday, told police that despite the girl bleeding heavily after being raped by Manoj, Pradeep also raped her.

Schoolgirls, their mouths bound with black cloth, hold placards during a silent demonstration.

NEW DELHI: Panic gripped the two accused when the five-year-old girl started bleeding after they raped her, and one of them inserted a small glass bottle and bits of candle into her vagina to stem the flow of blood, police said Tuesday. One of the accused, Manoj Kumar, 22, allegedly tried to slit her throat with a blade, a police officer told IANS. Pradeep Ram, 19, who was nabbed Monday from Bihar, told police that despite the girl bleeding heavily after being raped by Manoj, Pradeep also raped her. Pradeep told police when the girl started crying they decided to kill her to hush up the crime. "Seeing the girl bleeding and cry-

Devils for fathers n

A man was arrested here Wednesday for allegedly raping his stepdaughters, aged 7 and 14, police said. Sachin, 26, had raped the older girl three months ago while staying in Gurgaon, adjoining the national capital. "After some time he sexually assaulted his sevenyear-old daughter,” cops said. A man in Odisha, who had been released from jail six months ago and faces several criminal cases, has been arrested for allegedly molesting his 14-year-old daughter over several months.

ing, they decided to kill her. Pradeep tried to strangulate her but he was inebriated and could not kill her. After that Manoj tried to slit her throat with a razor blade," said the police official. Manoj and Pradeep will be brought face to face after police conduct a test identification parade of the former. Pradeep told police that Manoj had come to his rented accommodation in Ghaziabad around 3 pm on April 15 where they ate chicken and consumed alcohol. "They both returned to Manoj's house in Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi. On their way they again bought alcohol and consumed it at Manoj's room," said the police official.

here was need to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system to ensure inclusive development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Wednesday. "We must try that Panchayati Raj does not become just a slogan, it becomes a reality in our lifetime," Manmohan Singh said while addressing a conference to commemorate National Panchayat Day. "We must always remember the aim of panchayat is to decentralise administration so that people get the right to run administration themselves... We promise that centre will help state governments in every way for this so that the development process becomes more inclusive and sustainable," he said. The prime minister added that budget allocation for this had been increased nearly 10 times in the 12th Plan to Rs.6,437 crore as compared to Rs.668 crore in the 11th Plan.

ARUSHI MURDER: GOLFCLUB MISSING

CBI investigator told a court here Tuesday that they could not recover the blood-stained clothes of teenager Aarushi's father and suspect Rajesh Talwar and a golf club which he allegedly used for killing her and their help Hemraj. Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) investigating ofﬁcer (IO) A.G.L Kaul, during his cross-examination, hinted that Talwar disposed off the blood-stained clothes and the golf club to destroying evidence against himself. The IO told Special Judge S Lal that Talwar after allegedly hitting them with the golf club used a surgical instrument to inﬂict cuts on the necks of his daughter and domestic help to make it doubly sure that the injured victims bled to death. Earlier April 16, the IO had said that on the basis of the circumstancial evidence he was convinced that Talwar and his wife Nupur, both dentists, killed their daughter.

OBITUARY

Shamshad Begum is no more MUMBAI: Renowned playback singer Shamshad Begum, who gave voice to classics like "Mere piya gaye rangoon" and "Kabhi aar kabhi paar", has died here, family sources said Wednesday. She was 94. Shamshad Begum, who had been ailing for the past few months, died Tuesday evening. A widow since 1955, she lived with her daughter Usha Ratra. The funeral ceremonies were conducted Tuesday night at a small, private affair with a few friends and admirers in Andheri east. Amongst the first woman playback singers in the Hindi film industry, Shamshad Begum was born in April 14, 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab. Interested in singing from a young

Begum leaves behind a rich legacy of her soulful tunes.

age, she got her first break with Peshawar Radio, Lahore, in December 1947. Later, her voice with a nasal tinge became a hit and she sang for top heroines of the era, leaving behind a rich legacy of her soulful tunes. Some of her famous songs include "Kajra mohabbat wala", "Leke pehla pehla pyar", "Kahinpe nigahen, kahinpe nishaana", "Chhod babul ka ghar", "Saiyan dilme Aana re" and "Teri mehfil me kismat ajmaa kar hum bhi dekhenge". She was a favourite of music directors like Naushad Ali and O.P. Nayyar. Besides Hindi, Shamshad Begum also sang in Punjabi, Bengali and other Indian languages.

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

World

JURY CHOSEN IN JACKSON FAMILY TRIAL AGAINST AEG Jury selection finished Tuesday for a trial in which Michael Jackson’s family is suing tour promoter AEG Live, arguing it is responsible for the singer’s death since it hired his doctor. With the 12 jurors — six men and six women — and their alternates picked, opening arguments are expected to start Monday, officials said.

BOSTON BLASTS

NAVALNY TRIAL RESUMES

Brothers were ‘Inspired’ by Qaeda to make bombs Dzhokhar said he and his brother learned to make homemade pressure-cooker bombs from al-Qaeda’s online magazine.

oston suspects learned to make bombs from Qaeda magazine Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators that he and his brother learned to make homemade pressurecooker bombs from an online magazine published by the Al Qaeda, US media reported. The brothers read the instructions in ‘Inspire’, an online, English-language magazine that terror monitoring groups say Al Qaeda began publishing in 2010, Tsarnaev told investigators from his hospital bed in Boston, according to NBC News. The magazine has twice included articles on building bombs with kitchen pressure cookers, the method investigators say Dzhokhar and his brother, Tamerlan, used in the Boston attack, NBC added. The Tsarnaev brothers are accused of planting the homemade bombs that exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon April 15, killing three people and injuring 180. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed during a shootout with police in the Boston suburb of Watertown. Dzhokhar, 19, was apprehended after eluding a massive manhunt that saw the city of Boston and many of its suburbs shut down. Fox News said a US official told it that the brothers built the bombs with instructions from

Alexei Navalny, the crowd-rousing Russian protest leader, goes back on trial today on embezzlement charges that he claims were ordered by President Vladimir Putin to foil a dangerous political rival. Navalny faces up to a decade in a prison camp if found guilty in the trial which Putin’s opponents slam as yet another overtly political show trial after the jailing of anti-Kremlin tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and punk band Pussy Riot.

NUMEROLOGY

million

Six million people are now tracking Pope Francis on his Twitter account @pontifex. The Spanish version is reported to be the fastest-growing of the account’s nine languages, with 2.046 million followers.

FALSE TWEET Killer magazine n The brothers read the instructions in Inspire, an online, English-language magazine that terror monitoring groups say Al Qaeda began publishing in 2010. n The magazine has twice included articles on building bombs with kitchen pressure cookers, the method investigators say Dzhokhar and his brother, Tamerlan, used in the

Boston attack. n Inspire is said to have published a special section titled How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom, in which the simple steps to make pipe bombs and pressure cooker bombs were spelled out. n The online magazine is reported to have said in that posting that the pressurized cooker is the most effective method.

Inspire magazine while CBS News said former New York Police Department bomb technician Kevin Barry told the network that the components used in the Boston marathon bombings were a mirror image of what was printed on Inspire’s pages. Inspire is said to have published a special section titled How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom, in which the simple steps to make pipe bombs and pressure cooker bombs were spelled out, CBS said.

NEWS BRIEFS Hush up mass killings: Two abducted bishops Russian leader to media released in Syria

3 nuclear subs to join Bangla building Russian navy by year end collapses, 3 dead

MOSCOW: Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the nationalist LDPR party, has called on the media to stop covering mass killings in order to avoid sparking copycat incidents. Zhirinovsky’s appeal came a day after an armed man in the southwest city of Belgorod shot at least six people dead.

MOSCOW: The Russian Navy will take delivery of two Project 955 Borey-class ballistic-missile submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, and one Yasen-class attack submarine, the Severodvinsk, by the end of the year, a defence ministry ofﬁcial said, adding everything is going as per plan and there will be no delays.

BEIRUT: Two Orthodox bishops who were kidnapped by gunmen in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo have been freed. A number of senior diplomats and international ofﬁcials were involved in negotiations to release the two bishops, including the Greek ambassador to Syria, UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and the Russian Orthodox Church.

DHAKA: At least three people were killed and many more are feared dead after an eight-storey building housing a market collapsed Wednesday on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, rescue ofﬁcials said. Only the ground ﬂoor of the Rana Plaza in the Savar district, which also housed a garment factory, remained intact.

President Barack Obama was said to be fine after a tweet by the Associated Press, America’s largest news agency, about blasts athe White House and injuries to the president was shot down as false within seconds. he president was fine Press Secretary Jay Carney assured the media at the daily White House briefing. I was just with him, Carney added. Carney made the comment as the AP tweet came reading, Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured.

Though this practice is in vogue in developed countries, Mian Nawaz Sharif will not accept my challenge because his vision is limited to increase his wealth, property and business at the cost of the country. Imran Khan about a debate with Sharif

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Technology THE ILLS OF THE HIGH LIFE

How to save £1 billion by staying down to

EARTH ROCKET £1.1 Billion One spacecraft doubles as your home and your car and it’ll only set you back a mere billion. However, you will need to be cough up another £3 million every time you want to launch it. Fuel and launch teams cost money you know and you thought petrol prices were astronomical.

Living in space might sound expensive, but maybe you can negotiate better deals with the local extra-terrestrials. Don’t forget, up there you’re the alien!

ROVER £4.4 million Think of it as a second car. Rovers let you roam the surface of celestial bodies so you won’t have to refuel the rocket -- comes in handy when the spaceship launch team is on holiday.

TWITTER IS SAFER NOW Twitter has a working two-step security solution undergoing internal testing before incrementally rolling it out to users, something it hopes to begin doing shortly. Such a system will drastically reduce the risk of Twitter users having their accounts hacked, something that has been experienced by everyday users and major companies like the Associated Press, the BBC and 60 Minutes. This means that when logging in from a new location, it requires users to enter a password and a randomly generated code sent to a device, typically via a text message or smartphone application.

FANCY A FIREFOX PHONE? The developer test phones for Firefox OS are now on sale. They’re being produced by Geeksphone, a small Spanish outﬁt that used to make Android handsets for true open-source cognoscenti and that is now backing Mozilla’s operating system as the way forward. eeksphone is far from the only company pushing Firefox OS – operators seem especially keen, largely because they want to shake up the Google/Apple smartphone duopoly. However, it is the only ﬁrm thus far to start selling devices using the operating system.

Apple’s not done yet COULD YOU AFFORD TO LIVE IN OUTER SPACE?

FOOD £15/Day You know it’s all freezedried, right? Outer space doesn’t have a plentiful supply of fruits and veggies on hand, so you’ll have to bring your own meals from Earth. Hope you like Tang.

Let’s be real -- probably not. But look on the bright side, by keeping your feet on the ground with the rest of us humble Earthlings, your savings will be out of this world!

Fashionable and functional, a spacesuit is your ticket to fresh air, liveable temperatures and the ability to move about on other planets. If you don’t have that kind of cash after the billion pounds you spent on the rocket, then here’s a money-saving tip: Skip the suit and stay inside the ship.

SPACESUIT

£7.9 million

During Apple’s Q2 investor call, CEO Tim Cook teased “the potential of exciting new product categories,” and suggested that the company will announce new products in the fall. “We’ve got a lot more surprises in the works,” Cook said. “Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services that we can’t wait to introduce in the fall and into 2014. We continue to be very conﬁdent in our future product plans.” Cook said that there will be “really great stuff coming in the fall and across all of 2014.”

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Comment Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money. Virginia Woolf English Author

Tracking ‘lone wolves’ MATHIEU RABECHAULT Agence France-Presse

he Boston bombings have highlighted the practically impossible task US law enforcement faces in preventing terror attacks by determined radicals acting in isolation, security experts say. Despite evidence that one of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, had popped up on the radar of US authorities prior to last week’s twin blasts, analysts warn attempting to thwart similar attacks in future may prove futile. Tsarnaev, 26, is suspected of carrying out the April 15 attacks with his brother Dzhokhar, 19, which left three people dead and 264 injured. Tamerlan was killed during a bloody gun battle with police Thursday as the net closed on the two siblings of Chechen descent. Dzhokhar, who remains under guard in a Boston hospital, has reportedly told investigators that his elder brother was the driving force behind the attacks and “wanted to defend Islam from attack.” The teenager, who faces life imprisonment or even the death penalty after being charged for his role in the attack, has also told investigators the brothers received no financial support or assistance from any foreign group. According to counter-terrorism experts, the mounting probability that the Tsarnaevs may have been radicalized via militant Islamic sources on the Internet is more alarming than the possibility they were part of a wider plot orchestrated by a group such as Al-Qaeda. Tamerlan Tsarnaev had showed increased signs of radical behavior at the mosque he attended in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he had been quizzed by the FBI at the request of Russian authorities in 2011.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Dhoni says he is glad that he made the right choices in life. The most right one was becoming a wicketkeeper instead of a bowler, so that he does not face the nightmare of bowling to Gayle. This is cricket, my friend, and that you rule out cannot be ruled out.

THE ART OF TROOP LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN

INTO DARKNESS

KABUL DAIRIES Amy Coopes

atching the solemn parade of special forces soldiers climb into their trucks, blessed by a priest, and drive into the grey Afghan night, Australian artist Ben Quilty wondered if they would ever return. Quilty, winner of Australia’s prestigious Archibald portrait prize, spent 24 days embedded with troops in Kandahar and Tarinkot as the nation’s official war artist, sketching, photographing and filming life as a modern soldier. It is an “often very mundane existence, spiked with these extremely horrific, terrifying moments all the time —much more than we hear in the press, they’re all engaged constantly,” he told AFP. “People say ‘So tell me what it was like’, and it’s an impossible question to answer. (For the soldiers) after eight months of driving out there into the desert and being engaged by an enemy, being involved in deaths so directly, there’s no answer.” The embed in 2011 led to a collection of works titled “After Afghanistan” that is currently touring Australia after being exhibited in Sydney’s National Art School this month. The portraits —huge, thickly textured canvases of visceral flesh and dark tones —show the

human face behind the headlines about shootings, helicopter crashes and IED (improvised explosive device) strikes in Afghanistan. Quilty said his journey to Afghanistan took him to the extremes of human experience, continuing his work’s exploration of masculinity and what he described as its “self-indulgent” rites of passage. He was invited on very short notice, given three days to accept the assignment and deployed six weeks later. The pre-deployment training, which he described as “emotional preparation” for some of the worst possible outcomes, was in itself an inspiration. “(It’s) quite (a) confronting and very moving experience to sit in this big theatre in Sydney with all these quite often really young people who are listening to this stuff with very real reason—they’re going to Afghanistan.” Once deployed, Quilty said he tried to remain in the background, feeling out of place and way out of his depth as rockets sailed into Kandahar base at night and he lay “shit-scared” on a cot in an armoured shipping container. The troops were intrigued by his presence, a welcome break from the monotony and adrenaline of their lives, and Quilty said he met “quiet, sensitive and normal” people. The major question for Quilty, who shirks simplistic labels like “pacifist” or “antiwar” but was terrified as a

young man about the prospect of conscription, was “why”. “They’re 18 and they look like they can’t even shave, (you want to ask) ‘does your mum know what you’re doing? What are you doing here?’”. Some were following the family tradition, others were attracted to the emphasis on fitness, physicality and hierarchy, or had flunked school and saw military service as more respected and better paid than learning a trade. It was a sensitive topic — they spoke freely about the sounds a wounded man made, about watching a comrade die or suffer horrific injuries, but the why was something they couldn’t, or wouldn’t explain. “They’ve just got to get through this experience,” he said. “A lot of them wanted to get out, but they don’t talk about that, there’s no way they want their friends to hear that. It’s

destructive, you’ve got to keep your shit together for everyone.” The pressure can boil over —once Quilty saw an all-in brawl break out over a hockey game in Kandahar and he was warned to stay away from the American quarters, where women walked around “wearing bra tops with M16s slung across their shoulders, the guys have tattoos and big chains and M16s and sidearms”. There were also profound moments: special forces soldiers doing a yoga class, farewelling a patrol with a priest’s blessing of the trucks at 3 am. “It’s one of the most moving things I’ve seen, the men climb in very quiet, very concentrated, and drive off into the desert,” he said. “Every time you see someone drive through those gates you wonder if they’re going to come back.” AFP

EDITORIALS Illegally blonde

o you know my name? Do you know who I am? These phrases assume a nauseating aspect when famous people spew them in anger or disdain when they fall foul of the law. Now how in the world does it matter how powerful they are and how famous they are when they break the law, only that it makes matters worse that they are what they are when they become law offenders. Reese Witherspoon recently found out that her Oscar charm and ‘sexy’ jaw won’t work on upright ofﬁcers when she was caught along with her husband, who was driving under the inﬂuence of alcohol. When they were stopped and questioned, she reportedly shot out if they knew her and then threatened

READERS’ VIEWS

them, hollering out that the issue is going on National TV. She must get credit more than she deserves for her prediction, because the incident went global and showed what lay beneath that cute face of hers. Now let her not share all the glory for this, because many before her are famous for the same thing. And this won’t be the last. Many more will become famous, rich and powerful and do something egregiously crazy and still expect to roll out of it without a scratch, as they are what they are. So next you fawn over some superstar thinking they are extraordinary and out-of-the-world cool, know that they too are normal people with a propensity for abnormal ways of reacting to situations.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Cinema

NAOMI WATTS’ NEW FILM Naomi Watts is negotiating to join St. Vincent De Van Nuys, the Bill Murray-starring feature debut from Black List honoree Ted Melfi. Watts would play a Russian prostitute who becomes close with Murray's cantankerous, all-around not-great guy who finds himself taking care of Melissa McCarthy's character's 12-year-old son.

WHERE HAVE THEY GONE?

Vanishing Villains

NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

here was a time when Hindi movies were unimaginable without an antagonist. Things didn’t seem right unless there was a Gabbar-like element who the heroine had to dance for, for the sake of her lover — our oldschool hero — who was always good, righteous and macho enough to fight a rather large group of goons. Today, when people prefer characters they can easily relate to and don’t bother with unrealistic cinema as such, the antagonist has changed. The villain in Hindi movies is no longer the roughstubbled guy with a whip in his hand or one who’s got crazy one-liners like Tera Kya Hoga Kaaliya? or Mogambo, Khush Hua. With shades of grey replacing the once-upon-a-time clearly defined black and white protagonist and antagonist in a film, there is hardly any room left for a villain. The oldest, evergreen villain in Bollywood has to be Gabbar Singh, played by Amjad Khan in Sholay (1975). In the ‘70s, it was Gabbar’s character who redefined the Hindi film antagonist. Unlike earlier films, Gabbar the baddie was not only a lecherous bastard going around town raping women —he was just a lot more. For Amjad Khan, Gabbar Singh’s role set the tone for his acting career — he then donned the villain’s hat in Muqadar Ka Sikander (1978), Satte Pe Satta (1982) and Kaaliya (1997). The ‘70s also saw another kind of antagonist rising — the hero/villain kind. Amitabh Bachchan set this trend with Deewaar (1975), Don (1978) and Shakti (1982). So, it was the ‘70s wherein the lines between the good and bad had started to blur. It was corruption, strained relationships and politics that mattered in the ‘80s. The trend is obvious with the kind of releases in that decade. However, Mr India’s (1987) Mogambo was an exception. In the ‘90s, the villain was reborn. With films like Beta (1992) and Aaina (1993), the era of the vamp had set in. While Aruna Irani played an evil mother in the former, Amrita Singh played a jealous sister in the latter. The ‘90s was even

There was a hero, a heroine and a villain. For decades, Bollywood has rested on these three elements for success. But now that lines between bad and good are slowly blurring, the Hindi movie villain is on the road to extinction. Postnoon charts the changing definitions of the antagonist as a tribute to Pran — one of Bollywood’s greatest villains who was recently honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke award.

more special because it was then that stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt followed suit playing the hero/villain. Shah Rukh changed the perception of a hero and a villain with his roles in Baazigar (1993), Darr (1993) and Anjaam (1994). Dutt followed with Khalnayak (1993). Like Bachchan in the ‘70s, even the villain of this decade had become bad because of circumstances. Whether it was bad company or lack of motherly love, the villain was not all bad. With the ‘90s we are introduced to another villain — terrorism. With films like Roja (1992), Bombay (1995) and Dil Se (1998), all released in the same decade, the trend is pretty clear. Also, it was in the ‘90s that the biggest negative element was not a hairy villain but merely bad timing, love triangles and more and more family members. Films like Dilwale

Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Hum Apke Hain Kaun (1994), Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) are proof enough. Coming to the 2000s, apart from Salman Khan and remakes of old Hindi movies like Agneepath, no one seems to be keeping the standard formula villain alive. 3 Idiots (2009), Rang De Basanti (2006), Munnabhai MBBS (2003) and other biggies of the millennium were mostly movies based on issues where it was the education or the political system that played the bad guy role. Even in movies like Dhoom (2004), the villain is far from what he used to be in old Hindi films. With upcoming movies like Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Ramleela and Go Goa Gone, the standard Hindi film villain seems to be fading slowly and steadily.

SCREEN POOPERS

Too soon to talk After doing only one hit movie, how can an actress call herself successful? Huma Qureshi's latest interview in which she thanked Anurag Kashyap for her 'success' is laughable to say the least. The ﬁrst why is because Gangs of Wasseypur doesn't rest on the actress's shoulders at all, in fact, she is a small part of a very big picture and the second reason is her latest Ek Thi Daayan, which bombed at the box ofﬁce. So much for calling one successful already!

Kaun Banega Crorepati? The expressionless 'actor' John Abraham is apparently in demand. If Bollywood gossip is something one can trust, the beefcake is being offered `15 crore for the sequel of mindnumbing Welcome. If a crooked smile and muscles is all that sells in Bollywood, it's not a bad career option at all. If John can do it, we say, anyone can! At least gym instructors have something to look forward to.

TRENDING...

When most girls were wallpapering their bedrooms with Titanic posters, Gwyneth Paltrow was getting diet advice from Jack Dawson himself. Yes, back in the day, Leonardo DiCaprio taught the ultimate foodie a thing or two about the potential health hazards of red meat.

Michael Bay is not necessarily known as Hollywood’s most self-deprecating director. Hell, he might be the least. But in a recent proﬁle in the Miami Herald, he actually admitted failure, stating, “I will apologise for Armageddon."

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

spotlight

DIVA STATION

10 Downing Street is dedicating the night to the ladies in the house. For ladies, drinks are on the house. So, head to the pub to have a blast.

SRINIVAS SETTY

BRIGHT AND VIVID 1

The winner takes it all

Members of Kakatiya Ladies Club made a beeline to ITC Kakatiya to take part in grand tambola competition. Spotted were Bina Mehta, Namita, Anu and others.

SRINIVAS SETTY

Fashion’s finest

Customers of Shilpa Reddy Studio took part in the celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of the store. Seen at the do were Manjula Narsa, Madhavi and others.

1 Reema, Isha 2 Bina Mehta 3 Namita, Anu

1 Manjula Narsa

3 Sahitya Reddy

5 Shilpa Reddy

7 Supriya

2 Arthi Badruka

4 Madhavi

6 Neeta

8 Preeti

PRETTY LADIES ALL

Neeru’s unveiled its new half saree collection at Neeru’s Emporio on Tuesday. Tollywood star Sanjana launched the collection.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

health

CHINESE ‘BE SAFE’ CONDOMS FOUND UNSAFE IN GHANA China has again hit the news in Ghana for all the wrong reasons. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has uncovered a large quantity of poor quality and substandard condoms that were imported from a Chinese company. So far, about 110 million condoms have been seized. IANS

GASTROENTERITIS

Inflammation of the bowel, or intestines is called gastroenteritis. A problem which affects the gastrointestinal tract, it rears its head especially during summers. We find out more.

What ails the

TUMMY FLEME VARKEY

fleme.v@postnoon.com

t has been a week since Sankalp Saha attended school. He also missed out on a few unit tests all because of stomach flu. But it

seems it has been the case with a few of his other classmates as well. Viral gastroenteritis is also called “stomach flu.” It is extremely common in children and is highly contagious. Bacterial gastroenteritis or food poisoning is caused by food that has been prepared or stored improperly.

CAUSES

astroenteritis (stomach flu) has many causes. Viruses and bacteria are the most common. Dr Ketki Shah, a general physician says, mainly viruses like noroviruses lead to infants and children contracting gastroenteritis. They are spread by contaminated faeces. “From the faeces, viruses find their way into food or water or from insects (flies, cockroaches) or people who later touch and contaminate food. Sometimes despite all sanitary measures the viruses find their way into the human body. However

rotavirus is a major cause of stomach flu in children. A rotavirus is an infection of the stomach and bowel. It is spread when a child who is infected does not wash their hands properly after going to the toilet.” Travellers to foreign countries may experience “traveller’s diarrhoea” from contaminated food and unclean water. Gastroenteritis caused by viruses may last one to two days. However, some bacterial cases can continue for a longer period of time.

KEEP IN MIND

Drink plenty of fluids. Choose water and other caffeine-free clear liquids until you feel better. If you have kidney, heart, or liver disease and have to limit fluids, talk with your doctor before you increase how much fluid you drink. n Electrolytes should also be replaced, especially if vomiting or diarrhoea last longer than 24 hours. Electrolytes are minerals in your blood that keep many systems in your body working smoothly. n When you feel like eating, start with mild foods, such as dry toast, yogurt, bananas, and rice. Avoid spicy, hot, or high-fat foods, and do not drink alcohol or caffeine for a day or two. Do not drink milk or eat ice cream or other dairy foods until you are feeling better. n

SOURCE: http://www.webmd.com

SYMPTOMS

ymptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea. Bowel movements are usually loose and watery, but there is typically no mucus or blood. Low fever, abdominal cramps, aching muscles, and headache are also possible.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF YOGA Free: 250 Poses & Yoga Classes This app has 250 yoga poses with instructions and photos, plus a special yoga tune for maximally effective sessions. It also has a readymade program with video and male voice guidance, compiled by an experienced yoga professional. You can create your own programs. itunes.apple.com

HOUSECALL Hypochondria Health anxiety (hypochondria) is obsessive worrying about your health, usually to the point where it causes great distress and affects your ability to function properly. Some people with health anxiety have unexplained physical symptoms, such as chest pain or headaches, which they assume are a sign of serious disease despite the doctor’s reassurance. Others may just be permanently anxious about their future health.

Young children with rotavirus may have severe watery diarrhoea lasting about a week, which can lead to dehydration. Rotavirus also causes vomiting and fever. Symptoms of food poisoning often include nausea,

DID YOU KNOW? You should use soap, not handwash Scientists have warned that expensive antibacterial washes are no better at cleaning hands than ordinary soap and they may even encourage superbugs. Research has found that the main active ingredient in them can cause bacteria to become resistant to common antibiotics. bodyandsoul.com.au

weakness, exhaustion, headache, abdominal pain and cramps with abrupt vomiting, and diarrhoea. If symptoms last more than 48 hours, your doctor may want to obtain a blood and stool sample as well as to test the food in question.

PIONEERS Fidel Pagés Fidel Pagés Miravé was a Spanish military surgeon, known for developing the technique of epidural anaesthesia. He practised a wide range of traumatological and surgical techniques. Due to his early accidental death, his pioneering work in epidural anesthesia went unnoticed for many years outside of Spanish speaking countries until he was ﬁnally given full credit by the medical community in the 1930s and 40s. en.wikipedia.org

health WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

RESEARCH

lab experiment that rode to space two years ago has offered new clues about why astronauts’ immune systems struggle to perform in zero gravity, US military researchers said on Monday. Researchers sent cells found on the inside of blood vessels to the International Space Station and let them rest for six days. Then, astronauts introduced the cells to a potent endotoxin lipopolysaccharide, or LPS, that can cause widespread blood infection known as sepsis. After six days of simply being in space, the cells began to show genetic changes that are typical of

STUDY FINDING lowered immunity in zerogravity, a condition often seen in astronauts. “When we added the agonist, they didn’t respond very well,” said Marti Jett, director of the Integrative Systems Biology Programme at the US Army Medical Command, who presented the research at the Experimental Biology 2013 conference in Boston. Scientists replicated the experiment on Earth to see how the infections progressed under normal gravity conditions compared to those in space. The experiment has offered new clues in hunt for treatments for sepsis, which researchers said

tors are keen to learn more about the way space and stress affects the immune system so that they can keep astronauts healthy on longterm missions. “Space is a wonderful environment for these microbes to flourish, it is almost like they are coming home in a way,” she told AFP. “Then you have got this other issue where your immune system is becoming impaired, and that is a very difficult equation. It can set you up for increased infection,” she added. “Is it the impact of microgravity? Is it the impact of radiation on the immune system? We are looking at all those parameters to see how the body is adapting.” AFP

strikes about 7,50,000 Americans every year and can be deadly if left untreated. Sepsis is a leading cause of death after surgery. Previous research has shown how being in space can take a toll on astronauts, ranging from loss of bone density and muscle to raising the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And the military researchers realised, in the course of the study, that they had seen similar effects in Army Rangers who saw their immunity dip while under the stress of an intensive training regimen. According to Saralyn Mark, a medical consultant to NASA who was not involved in the study, doc-

After six days of simply being in space, cells began to show genetic changes that are typical of lowered immunity in zero gravity, a condition often seen in astronauts.

SPACE EXPERIMENT sheds light on immunity in zero gravity

Grapes protect organs from damage

onsuming grapes may help protect against organ damage associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, a new study has claimed. Natural components found in grapes, known as polyphenols, are thought to be responsible for its beneficial effects against metabolic syndrome, researchers found. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together — increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist or low HDL (the good cholesterol) and increased blood triglycerides — significantly increasing the risk for heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. The new study, led by investigator E Mitchell Seymour, of the University of Michigan Health System, studied the effects of a high fat, Americanstyle diet both with added grapes and without grapes (the control diet) on the heart, liver, kidneys, and fat tissue in obesityprone rats. The grapes — a blend of red, green and black varieties — were provided as a freezedried grape powder and integrated into the animals’ diets for 90 days. The results showed that three months of a grape-enriched diet significantly reduced inflammatory markers throughout the body, but most significantly in the liver and in abdominal fat tissue. Consuming grapes also reduced liver, kidney and abdominal fat weight, compared with those consuming the control diet. Additionally, grape intake increased markers of antioxidant defence, particularly in the liver and kidneys. PTI

VISION

Video game may treat lazy eye disorder in adults

cientists have found that a popular puzzle video game may help improve vision in adult amblyopia, commonly known as ‘lazy eye’. A research team led by Dr Robert Hess from McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RIMUHC) in Canada examined the potential of treating ambly-

opic adults using the video game Tetris, which involves connecting different shaped blocks as they fall to the ground. They found that by distributing

information between the two eyes in a complementary fashion, the video game trains both eyes to work together, which is counter to previous treatments for the disorder. This p ro v i d e s

direct evidence that alleviating suppression of the weaker eye, by forcing both eyes to co-operate, increases the level of plasticity in the brain and allows the amblyopic brain to relearn, researchers said. Amblyopia is caused by poor processing in the brain, which results in suppression of the weaker eye by the stronger eye. Previous treatments for the

disorder, which have focused largely on covering the stronger eye to force the weaker eye to work, have proven only partially successful in children and have been ineffective in adults. “The key to improving vision for adults was to set up conditions that would enable the two eyes to co-operate for the first time in a given task,” said Hess, senior author of the paper. PTI

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Entertainment LOOKING GOOD

SHADOW is a stylish revenge drama:

MEHER RAMESH

eher Ramesh is extremely confident that his upcoming film Shadow is going to be a new chapter in Venkatesh’s career. It’s been a long time since Venkatesh has done a full-fledged action film and for the past few weeks Meher Ramesh, who has directed the film, has been hinting that Shadow is going to be one of the best films in Venkatesh’s career. In an earlier interview, Venkatesh said, “I’m not playing a mafia don in the film. Shadow is a pure revenge-based drama, but there’s also a lot of entertainment quotient. I was really impressed with Meher Ramesh’s sincerity when he narrated me the script and he was eager to project me in a different style.” Meher Ramesh’s previous film Shakti was a huge flop and it’s been a while since he tasted success at the box office. The success of Shadow will definitely make a whole lot of difference to his career and we hear that he has even set his eyes on Bollywood. “Shadow is a stylish revenge drama. The feedback that I have got from well wishers and the censor board has been quite encouraging and they all said that Venkatesh has never looked this good in his career,” Meher Ramesh said. Shadow is also the first Telugu film which is going to release with Auro 11.1 3D sound in Prasads Multiplex in Hyderabad. “The background score by SS Thaman is outstanding and when you hear it with Auro 3D surround sound, it’s a different experience altogether.” The film also stars Taapsee, Srikanth and it’ll hit the screens on April 26.

CINE BYTES Iddarammayilatho’s audio launch April 28

Gouravam goes online

he audio of Allu Arjun’s upcoming film Iddarammayilatho is going to be launched on April 28 in Hyderabad. Puri Jagannadh is directing the film and currently a song is being shot in Allu Arjun and Catherine Tresa. Amala Paul is the lead actress in the film.

ess than a week after its theatrical release, Gouravam is available for instant streaming on Prakash Raj’s ofﬁcial website. Gouravam’s Tamil version can now be viewed in any county apart from Australia, Canada, France, Singapore, Malaysia and UK on a pay per view basis.

Kaalicharan to release in May

haitanya Krishna, Chandini and Pankaj Kesari starrer Kaalicharan is gearing up for release in May. Prawin Sri has directed and produced the ﬁlm. Kaalicharan is based on a real incident which happened in the early 80s in Palamoor in Mahaboobnagar district. Nandan Raj has scored the music.

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

DREAM COME TRUE

HUMA delighted to work with Madhuri

nce she was a big fan of Madhuri Dixit and now Huma Qureshi is her co-star in Dedh Ishqiya and her happiness knows no bounds. Known for her bold role in Gangs of Wasseypur, Huma praised her co-star. “Madhuri is so beautiful. I never thought I will be part of Dedh Ishqiya.” “It’s a pleasure to be part of such an ensemble cast. I am very excited to work with Madhuri,” the actress told IANS. Director Abhishek Chaubey and Dedh Ishqiya team is currently shooting at Mira Road. “I can’t reveal much about my look or my role. All I can say is Abhishek is a wonderful director. I was an admirer of Ishqiya. I never thought I will be part of the sequel. For me, it’s like a dream come true,” said Huma. A sequel to 2010 black comedy Ishqiya, the film also stars Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi who were in the original. IANS

CINE BYTES

Prithviraj not banking on physicality in Aurangzeb

outhern superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran, who debuted with Aiyyaa in Bollywood, wants people to appreciate his acting skills in Aurangzeb, not his physical appearance, which was in focus in his first Hindi movie. “Unlike Aiyyaa, I am not banking on my physicality with Aurangzeb’ It’s something else. I would love it if people would say you are good at what you do,” the actor said. IANS.

Bombay Talkies tribute to cinema

ibakar Banerjee describes himself as a loner who was never part of any club and thanks Bombay Talkies for helping him enter an exclusive club. He says the film is a “tribute” to Indian cinema as it is today. A compilation of four short films celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, Bombay Talkies has three more segments.

INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF MELBOURNE

he Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is taking place from May 3 – 15 in the centenary year of Indian cinema. This year’s festival celebrates the rich history of Indian cinema, pays tribute to one of its masters, and presents its biggest ever program of films across five Melbourne screens including new screen partner, ACMI. IFFM opens on May 3 with a screening of the silent film Raja Harishchandra.

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

not dating Ready For Love contestant

ctress Eva Longoria has denied rumours that she is romancing one of the contestants from her axed reality TV show Ready For Love. The 38-year-old was reported to have fallen for Ernesto Arguello, one of the three contestants searching for romance on the programme. They were recently spotted leaving Los Angeles International Airport together, reports contactmusic.com. "Yes, they are dating but it is very new. She enjoys his company and thinks he is a great guy. Ernesto treats her so well and she thinks he is sexy. It works for now," a source told intouchweekly.com. However, Longoria, who has produced Ready For Love, denied the speculation about her personal life through her tweet. "Sorry Ernesto Arguello is not dating me, but you can see who he is dating on Ready For Love Tuesday night on NBC after The Voice! (sic)," she tweeted Monday. Longoria faced shock last week after NBC network bosses announced her dating show had been cancelled after just two episodes due to poor ratings. The third instalment will air as scheduled Tuesday, but it is not yet known whether the final five episodes in the series will be broadcast at a later date or not. IANS

CINE BYTES

Jack Black took 15 years to ask out wife

s a teenager, Jack Black was very shy, and that is the reason why he couldn't ask out Tanya Haden for a date for several years. She is now his wife. "I wish I'd had more courage to ask out Tanya Haden, the woman who eventually became my wife. We met at school at 18 and I wasted 15 years waiting for my chance,"The Sun newspaper quoted Black as saying. IANS

Lovelace directors on The Girl Who Conned...

ovelace directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will re-team with Amanda Seyfried on the drama The Girl Who Conned the Ivy League. Seyfried has been attached for several years to the Ivy League project.McG and Wonderland prexy of production Mary Viola are producing alongside Michael Nardelli.

Friends angry with Gomez for reuniting with Bieber

ctress-singer Selena Gomez's decision to reconcile with pop star Justin Bieber hasn't gone down well with her friends. Gomez, 20, ďŹ&#x201A;ew to Norway last week to spend time with Bieber, 19, after their reported split and her friends are now trying to persuade her not to give him another chance. "Selena's friends are furious that she's giving Justin another chance," radaronline.com quoted a source as saying. IANS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Ugly. Is irrelevant. It is an immeasurable insult to a woman, and then supposedly the worst crime you can commit as a woman. But ugly, as beautiful, is an illusion. Margaret Cho

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Target of a Lara Croft raid 5 Flimflam 10 Place for chickens 14 State point-blank 15 Loan shark's offense 16 Either of two Henry VIII wives 17 Horne of ‘The Lady and Her Music’ 18 With 37-Across, a place to clown around 20 Songwriter Clapton 21 Hawaiian Islands offering 22 Execute, old-style 23 ‘Not a chance!’ 25 Word before 22-Across, often 27 ‘Running ___’ (1986 movie) 29 Bond poster 33 What FedEx won't deliver to 34 ___ and beans 35 Dublin's isle 36 ‘Who am ___ judge?’ 37 More than a couple 38 Blues hero Stagger 39 List shortener, for short 41 Without, in France 42 Devilish one 44 Record collection? 46 Female vampires 47 Days of old 48 Twists out of shape 49 Early Japanese immigrant 52 ‘I ___ afraid of that!’ 53 ___ Bator (Mongolia's capital) 56 With 37-Across, porcine builders 59 Kilauea flow 60 Make bootees, say 61 Children of 49-Across 62 Tizzy 63 Dried up 64 Hissing honkers 65 Edible root

DOWN

1 Tall story 2 Kaput 3 With 37-Across, Jerome K Jerome account 4 Mexican labourer working in America 5 Did a salon job 6 Basketry twig 7 New Mexico native 8 Foot-pound subdivision 9 B'way locale 10 Paint the town red 11 It may be enough 12 Unpleasant task 13 Unwelcome greenhouse guest 19 Heathen's figurine 24 Exasperate 25 Empty shipping container weights 26 Cost increase 27 Went undercover 28 Terra- ___ 29 Carried, as by the wind 30 With 37-Across, famous catastrophe site 31 Rock concert venue 32 Base negotiating amounts 34 The terrible twos, eg 37 Peter I, for one 40 Nursery set 42 Where successful people go? 43 Sudden desire 45 Bring to 212 degrees 46 Timmy's four-legged pal 48 People work for them 49 Varieties or types 50 Trig ratio 51 Mix, as paint 52 Far from foolish 54 All fired up 55 Warsaw Pact counterpart, once 57 Chang's famous twin 58 All-American dessert

Chai Time WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 25-4-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You might face a dilemmatic situation in certain issues but they resolve within a short span of time. Avoid unwanted arguments or disputes with anyone, especially with the spouse as it might bring you a bad name. Pregnant women to be careful.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Maternal relatives extend help and support, which will keep you cheerful. Changes likely in a preplanned journey. Those who are deprived of a child since long might get favourable news soon. Artists likely to perform well and earn a name.

Those working abroad will get a chance to visit their native place. Ego clashes between couples will be over and they will start leading a happy life. Though income is good expenses too will increase, which will upset you no end.

Real estate deals likely to bring good gains. Drastic changes likely to take place and meeting with VIP friends will be beneficial. Those in a depression feel cheerful as the situation slowly changes in their favour. Expenses are likely to go up.

Both expenses and happiness through children likely. Delayed marriage talks will resume and finalise soon. Employees will be overburdened with work, which will result in more travel and exhaustion. Businessmen need to be careful of partners.

You sell old property at the expected price, which will let you relax. Good news from your child is on the cards. Influx of close relatives and wellwishers will keep you and the family members cheerful. Long-time confusions will get cleared.

Self-confidence and willpower levels are at their high, with which you will achieve your goals. Couples will be more affectionate towards each other and a happy atmosphere will prevail at home. Loan to purchase property gets sanctioned.

Good and constructive thoughts come to you and by implementing them you reap benefits. Employees get recognition and rewards at workplace for their sincere and hard work. Unwanted apprehensions and worries will get cleared.

Employees feel happy as atmosphere at workplace changes as per expectation. Increased expenses towards fulfilling children’s demands likely. Friends and wellwishers extend support. Some are likely to undertake pilgrimage with family.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Temperance – You get unnecessarily stressed over small details. It’s just the way you function, and it’s not always a bad thing. People make fun of you for this.

LEO:

The Hermit – A surprise gift is in store. It’s not so much the gift but the packaging, timing and the surprise element that make you feel so wonderful and wanted.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Seven of Pentacles – You know how you have struggled for long to get a foothold in an industry that doesn’t easily welcome strangers. Money has stopped motivating.

SAGITTARIUS:

Queen of Cups – You will be surprised by the kind gesture of someone you thought was very rude or harsh or insensitive. There are all kinds of people.

TAURUS:

Page of Pentacles – You are focusing on finishing off long-pending tasks. No point putting it off if you can work extra days and remove them from your to-do list.

CANCER:

King of Cups – A conviction in your ideas will take you the distance. You will be excited to share details of a new project with someone but you should wait a while.

VIRGO:

Page of Swords – Circumstances force you into making a more daring choice despite your heart not being fully into it. Don’t worry about what people will think.

SCORPIO:

Knight of Pentacles – You look up to those who achieve success despite the odds. You’re in a position to achieve something on your own. Make full use of it.

CAPRICORN:

Eight of Wands – It’s tempting to take a peek into the world of material wealth. As long as your roots remain intact and you know what you’re getting into.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

The Lovers – Forgiveness and love are key themes. You will experience these emotions or be in a vantage point where you’ll see these play out in someone’s life.

NUMBER GAME

Cups – You do not tolerate discrimination of any kind – even if it is a VIP cutting the queue to get special treatment. Keep a tab on your anger.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Seven of

POOCH CAFE

Drastic and favourable changes likely to take place, which will keep you in good spirit. Plan to purchase land or house will materialise soon. Court verdict pending since long is likely to go in your favour. Work resumes and gets completed.

for 25-4-2013

Ace of Cups – Your skills have been underrated for long now. Times are changing and the same skills will help bag some good projects, and turn your fortune.

NON SEQUITUR

You maintain a cool and get all work done with patience and without taking hurried or emotional decisions. Vehicle maintenance expenses go up. Travel, expenses and tension inevitable. News from daughter about arrival of offspring cheers you.

SUDUKO

Hurdles in finalising your child’s marriage will clear. Your attitude will change and clearcut decisions will be taken by you rather unlike in the previous days. You have to raise new debts on an urgent basis as requirement of funds goes up.

Boggle LION LYNX PUMA TIGER PANTHER Vol: 2, No 278 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

MARRIAGE ON THE CARDS

CINE BYTES

Backstreet Boys get a star on the Walk of Fame

ackstreet's back, all right, and after selling more than 130 million albums worldwide, they've been immortalised in Hollywood. The five members of the Backstreet Boys received the 2,485th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame recently, located between Boyz II Men and The Osmonds, and with screaming fans continuing to support the boys-turned-men during this special occasion.

Dodgeball 2 is in the works

KIM

Kardashian wants to get married again S ocialite Kim Kardashian has expressed her desire to marry again, now that her divorce with estranged husband, footballer Kris Humphries, is settled. Kim is currently dating rapper Kanye West, and the couple is expecting their first child. She does not wish to waste anymore time, reports hellomagazine.com.

“I do think I would get married again. That's what I've always wanted. And just because you think you find it and you realise that's not it, I think I was brave enough to realise that quickly and not waste time,” Kim, 32, said on a chat show. “I found what I really wanted. So I think I definitely do want that,” she added. IANS

ox has commissioned a Dodgeball sequel now being written by Clay Tarver, the man behind a 2001 non-Fast and the Furious Paul Walker film called Joy Ride. The follow-up to the 2004 film which gave us the proverb "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" will feature Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller "forced to team up to fight. an even

My daughter is a tough audience: Robbie

inger-songwriter Robbie Williams has revealed his seven-month-old daughter doesn't find him funny. The 39year-old and his wife Ayda Field named their first child Theodora Rose and affectionately call her Teddy. She's not interested in peek-aboo. She's a tough audience these days," dailystar.co.uk quoted Williams as saying.IANS

sports

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

ARMSTRONG DOPING CASE

NBA

US files formal complaint The US Justice Department filed a formal complaint against Lance, saying he and team owners defrauded the US Postal Service of sponsorship money.

WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department filed a formal complaint Tuesday against Lance Armstrong, saying the dopingdisgraced cyclist and team owners defrauded the US Postal Service of sponsorship money. The government, which said in February that it would join a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis in 2010, says the USPS spent about $40 million in sponsor money and gave Armstrong $17 million. Armstrong admitted last January that he took performance-enhancing drugs when he won the Tour de France seven times after having been stripped of the crowns based upon a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigation. That prompted the US government’s involvement in the fraud case, and it now seeks triple damages in a jury trial, according to the complaint as detailed by NBC News and the Austin American-Statesman,

The government, which said in February that it would join a whistleblower lawsuit, says the USPS spent about $40 million in sponsor money and gave Lance Armstrong $17 million. Armstrong’s hometown newspaper. That could mean a total $150 million hit for Armstrong. “Because the defendants’ misconduct undermined the value of the sponsorship to the USPS, the United States suffered damages in that it did not receive the value of the services for which it bargained,” the newspaper quoted the complaint as saying. The elaborate scheme to

evade doping detection uncovered by USADA was cited in the complaint, which said Armstrong team manager Johan Bruyneel knowingly took part in a doping program in violation of their sponsorship contract. “Riders on the USPS-sponsored team, including Armstrong, knowingly caused material violations of the sponsorship agreements by regularly and systematically employing

banned substances and methods to enhance their performance,” the complaint claimed according to NBC. “Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly.” Elliot Peters, Armstrong’s attorney, disputed whether the USPS suffered any damage as a result of its 1998-2004 sponsorship of the team. “The DOJ’s complaint against Lance Armstrong is opportunistic and insincere,” Peters said in a statement sent to AFP. “The US Postal Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship of the cycling team. Its own studies repeatedly and conclusively prove this. The USPS was never the victim of fraud.” “Lance Armstrong rode his heart out for the USPS team and gave the brand tremendous exposure during the sponsorship years.” AFP

Knicks, Heat seize 2-0 leads in playoff series NEW YORK: New York’s Carmelo Anthony and Miami stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sparked their teams to NBA playoff triumphs on Tuesday that gave the Knicks and Heat 2-0 Eastern Conference series leads. Anthony, who shot 3-for11 in the first half, scored a game-high 34 points to power the host Knicks over Boston 8771, giving New York a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven opening round playoff series. “It was just a tale of two halves,” Anthony said. “We just had to find a rhythm, find some shots. In the third quarter we came out very aggressively. We got some stops, and that opened up our offense.” And at Miami, Wade scored 21 points while James 19, eight rebounds and six assists to spark Heat over Milwaukee 98-86 for a 2-0 lead in their best-ofseven first-round matchup. The Bucks stayed within reach until a 12-0 Miami run opened the fourth quarter and brought Heat an 80-65 lead and ended Milwaukee’s hopes of an upset of the top overall playoff seeds.

ASHES SERIES

Haddin made Australian vice-captain for Ashes SYDNEY: Brad Haddin was recalled to the Australian squad Wednesday and made vice-captain for their upcoming Ashes tour to England with Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris also making the grade. Haddin replaces Shane Watson as Michael Clarke’s deputy in a 16-man squad for the five-Test series starting in England in July. Watson stood down from his role as vice-captain over the weekend to concentrate on improving his batting and bowling following his controversial axing in India last month. Selector John Inverarity made clear that Haddin was now

CORPORATE T20 SEW and NET CRACKER enter Finals BRIEF SCORES: COGNIZANT 82/All out in 16 over’s (Srinivas 31/Ravi Patil 4/14) lost to SEW 83/1 in 7 over’s (Ravi Patil 51) CAPGEMINI 122/8 in 20 over’s (Raj 49/Rachit 3/11) lost to NET CRACKER 123/3 in 18 over’s (Rohit 48, Jahar 41)

his first choice wicketkeeper, although Matthew Wade is also in the squad and could play as a specialist batsman. “In regards to the vice-captaincy, we feel it’s important to have a senior, seasoned player support Michael at this time,” said Inverarity, with Australia lacking a vacuum of other obvious candidates. When Shane Watson advised of his decision to stand down, the selectors viewed Brad as the exceptional candidate to step into this leadership void. Rogers will also be on the plane, five years after he played his one and only Test against India.

The selectors opted for six pacemen. But they are only taking one spinner in Nathan Lyon, . “This squad will be very competitive and fight hard every inch of the way. We have high expectations of this team, and if they play to their potential we feel we can mount a very strong challenge,” said Inverarity.

SQUAD:

Australian Test cricket captain Michael Clarke (2nd-R), vice-captain Brad Haddin (2nd-L), with former Australian Test captains Steve Waugh (L) and Mark Taylor (R) pose for a photograph following the announcement of the squad for the upcoming Ashes tour to England on Tuesday. AFP/GREG WOOD

Michael Clarke (c), Brad Haddin (vc), D. Warner, Ed Cowan, Chris Rogers, P. Hughes, S. Watson, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Wade, J. Faulkner, Peter Siddle, M. Starc, J. Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon AFP

SPORTS BRIEFS Marquez to fight Bradley next, not Pacquiao: report

Brown set to return as Cavs coach

LOS ANGELES: Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and unbeaten US boxer Tim Bradley, who each beat Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao last year, will fight each other in September, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. Promoter Bob Arum told the newspaper that Marquez would take on Bradley in Las Vegas on September 14 for the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown that Bradley took from Pacquiao by split decision last June.”Marquez wanted to fight Bradley and Bradley wanted to fight Marquez,” Arum told the Times. The deal pushes back plans for a possible fifth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez, who knocked out the Asian star last year after suffering a draw and two narrow defeats in early fights against “Pac-Man.” AFP

CLEVELAND, OHIO: Mike Brown is set to return as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers after reaching a deal with the NBA club, the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer newspapers reported on Tuesday. The reports indicated that official confirmation of the deal could come as soon as Wednesday, reuniting Brown with the club he coached for five seasons from 2005 through 2010. With superstar LeBron James playing for his home region club, the Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history under Brown, only to lose the 2007 championship series in a sweep to the San Antonio Spurs.

sports

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SACHIN

Sachin Factfile

Tendulkar turns 40

Full name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Right-hand batsman, right-arm spinner Major teams: India, Mumbai, Yorkshire Height: 5 feet, 5 inches (165.1 centimetres)

CAREER

Sachin who turned 40 today has no plans to retire despite media speculation and his recent form.

KOLKATA: Sachin Tendulkar turned 40 today with cricket administrators and his fans lining up a series of events to celebrate the senior Indian batsman, who will also appear in an IPL match here. The Mumbai Indians batsman, who happens to here for his IPL team’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, will begin the day with a customary cake-cutting ceremony at the team hotel. Earlier, the Cricket Association of Bengal celebrated Tendulkar’s birthday a day in advance by cutting a 10-pound cake in the pres-

STUTTGART’S WTA

Ivanovic eases past Petkovic

STUTTGART, GERMANY: Former world number one Ana Ivanovic needed just 72 minutes to see off Germany’s Andrea Petkovic on Tuesday in the first round of Stuttgart’s WTA tournament. The 25-year-old enjoyed a 6-3, 6-2 first-round win against wild-card Petkovic who is on her way back after a series of injuries. Petkovic was playing her first match since withdrawing mid-tournament in Charleston earlier this month due to a calf injury - and that was just her third tournament back from a knee injury earlier in the year. The only seeded player in action on Tuesday, Nadia Petrova won a straight-setter against Germany’s match in Dinah Pfizenmaier. The Russian won 76(7/2), 6-4 winner against the 21-year-old qualifier. Both Maria Sharapova, the reigning French Open champion, and China’s Li Na, second seed here, start on Thursday having been given byes for the claycourt event which serves as a warm-up for May’s French Open. AFP

ence of 100 blind students. The blind students from Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Blind School and Light House for the Blind cut the cake in the evening. “We are overwhelmed with joy. We want Tendulkar to live 100 years,” a message from the CAB read. Today’s 40-pound cake cutting ceremony will be a private affair near the dressing room. Tendulkar’s wife Anjali joined him last night along with team owner Nita Ambani for more celebrations.

The chocolate cake will be made up from special cocoa from Ghana and Madagascar. It will have an image of Tendulkar and it could be that of the World Cupwinning moment of April 2, 2011. In a career spanning 24 years, Tendulkar has got almost all the batting record to his name other than Brian Lara’s Test highest of 400 not out. Tendulkar, who has called it quits from the ODI format to prolong his Test career, has a colossal 18426 runs from 463 matches with 49 hundreds at an average of 44.83. PTI

Tests: Matches 198, Runs 15,837, Highest 248 not out, Average 53.86, Centuries 51, Half-centuries 67 One-dayers: Matches 463, Runs 18,426, Highest 200 not out, Average 44.83, Centuries 49, Half-centuries 96 Twenty20: Match 1, Runs 10, Average 10.00 World Records: n Most Test runs and centuries n Most one-day runs and centuries n Only batsman to score 100 international centuries n Most World Cup runs (2,278) n Most appearances in Tests and one-day internationals n 1,000 or more Test runs in a calendar year six times: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2010 n 1,000 or more one-day runs in a calendar year seven times: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007

KEY DATES

Apr 24, 1973: Born in Mumbai Dec 11, 1988: Marks first-class debut aged 15 with a century Nov 15, 1989: Test debut v Pakistan, Karachi Dec 18, 1989: One-day debut v Pakistan, Gujranwala Aug 14, 1990: Maiden Test century v England, Old Trafford aged 17 Dec 10, 2005: Overtakes Sunil Gavaskar’s world record of 34 Test tons Oct 17, 2008: Overtakes Brian Lara as highest run-getter in Tests Feb 24, 2010: First batsman to score 200 in one-day cricket Apr 2, 2011: World Cup winner with India Mar 16, 2012: Becomes first batsman to score 100 international tons

BANGLADESH’S TOUR OF ZIMBABWE

Visitors seek redemption

TRISTAN HOLME Agence France-Presse

HARARE: Chastened by a heavy defeat that has once again highlighted their lack of progress, Bangladesh begin the second and final Test against Zimbabwe on Thursday looking to prove they can adapt to foreign conditions and match their fellow Test strugglers. The Asian side came into the series as hot favourites after improved performances in Sri Lanka, only to be bowled out for 134 and 147 as they lost the first Test to Zimbabwe by 335 runs at Harare Sports Club. With the second Test being played on the same ground

Zimbabwe players celebrate their victory over Bangladesh during the first Test on April 20 at the Harare Sports Club. AFP/JEKESAI NJIKIZANA.

another green-tinged pitch is expected, and Bangladesh will need to show far greater durability against Zimbabwe’s talented but inexperienced pace attack if they are to come away

from the series with some dignity. “We didn’t play with any patience and we need to improve that,” Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen said on

Tuesday. “We just have to bat for longer. “When the game starts we have to be very disciplined in our approach to every ball, and do our basics well, which we probably didn’t do in the first game.” The Tigers will also need to find a way to dismiss Brendan Taylor cheaply, after he became just the third Zimbabwean to score back-toback centuries in a Test match. Taylor was dropped once on his way to 171 in the first innings, but did not offer a chance as he breezed to 102 not out in the second. “We have certainly been working towards the best way that we can address that situation,” said Jurgensen.

NO MAN’S LAND

Rory should play for Ireland: Dawson ST ANDREWS, UK: Two-time Major winner Rory McIlroy should be allowed to represent Ireland at the 2016 Games and not have to make his own mind up about who he plays for, Peter Dawson, CEO of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews said. Dawson, who played a key role in golf regaining its’ place at the Olympics when it was voted

back in four years ago, said it was unfair placing the pressure on the 23-year-old Northern Ireland-born golfer to make up his mind. McIlroy could play for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympics — where golf last featured in 1904 — as being from Northern Ireland he is also eligible for the British team. While Northern Ireland no

longer suffers from deadly sectarian attacks, religious tensions still run high and, were McIlroy to choose to represent Ireland, he could face a backlash from the Loyalist community, who are predominantly Protestant. However, opting for GB would see him become the possible target of abuse from Republicans, who are mainly Roman Catholic. AFP

IPL 6

BATTLE OF THE TITANS

METRE

6 247 S

Chris Gayle (RCB)

34 4S 851

Michael Hussey (CRK) Chris Gayle(RCB)

HIGHEST SCORE

175*

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013 Chris Gayle (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

4-13

Sunil Narine (KKR)

Must win tie for both sides We are not consistent enough to compete. This wicket was probably a 140150 wicket, we needed to get that par score. Mahela Jayawardene DD skipper

Chris Gayle (RCB) 432 runs

Vinay Kumar (RCB) 13 wickets

‘Delighted Chris broke my record’

hortly after his record highest T20 score was eclipsed by Chris Gayle, Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum said he was delighted to see his record being bettered by a batsman as "destructive" as Gayle. Chris Gayle smashed the most breathtaking knock in the history of T20 cricket, blasting an incredible 175 off 66 balls, as Royal Challengers Bangalore crushed Pune Warriors by a record 130 runs in the IPL in Bangalore. Gayle hit the fastest century, off just 30 balls, and the highestever individual score in a T20 game, surpassing McCullum, who had hit 158 off 73 balls against RCB at this very Chinnaswamy Stadium in the inaugural edition in 2008. PTI P

T PT

RCB

12 +1.254

CSK

10 +0.648

SRH

10 -0.104

8 +0.588

KXIP

8 +0.343

6 -0.194

KKR

4 +0.021

PWI

4 -1.467

2 -0.954

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

G APARNA SAI

aparna.s@postnoon.com

he teams placed sixth and seventh on the points table, i.e Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, are set to clash today at the Eden Gardens. Mumbai Indians, who look like a formidable side on the paper, have not lived upto the expectations of the team and their fans. Skipper Ricky Ponting is yet to play a match winning innings while the others like Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Mitchell Johnson have performed well but only on certain instances. Indian master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who celebrates his 40th birthday today, has failed to threaten any of his opponents. Harbhajan Singh is another player from whom a lot was expected by could not live up

MI VS KKR AT 8PM ON SET MAX to the hype that was created. Mumbai Indians, who seem to have lost their form in the recent past would look to regain their winning touch when they take on KKR tonight. Meanwhile, Kolkata, who also happen to be the defend-

SCORECARD RCB VS PWI

ing champions, have managed to win only two of the six matches that they have played. Kolkata, who played their last match against Chennai Super Kings on the former’s home turf, failed miserably, having posted a paltry 119 in their 20 overs. CSK, struggled a bit in the run chase but eventually reached the target with four wickets to spare.

The two sides will not only be eyeing a victory but they would also look to improve their net run rate. A good net run rate could prove to be the turning point for qualifying for the play-offs as many teams are going neck to neck and there could come a time when they are tied on points and hence the net run rate would come into play.

THE FUNNY SIDE

DD V KXIP

Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (20 overs maximum) CH Gayle not out 175 Dilshan c Murtaza b Wright 33 V Kohli* run out (Dinda) 11 de Villiers c Manhas b Marsh 31 SS Tiwary c Marsh b Dinda 2 R Rampaul c Marsh b Dinda 0 Extras (lb 3, w 6, nb 2) 11 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 263 Bowling O M R W Econ B Kumar 4 0 23 0 5.75 IC Pandey 2 0 33 0 16.50 AB Dinda 4 0 48 2 12.00 MR Marsh 3 0 56 1 18.66 AG Murtaza 2 0 45 0 22.50 AJ Finch 1 0 29 0 29.00 LJ Wright 4 0 26 1 6.50 Pune Warriors innings (target: 264 runs from 20 overs) RV Uthappa† c Singh b Kartik 0 AJ Finch* c Kartik b Rampaul 18 Yuvraj c Kohli b Unadkat 16 Wright c de Villiers b Unadkat 7 Smith c Dilshan b Rampaul 41 MR Marsh b Vinay Kumar 25 M Manhas not out 11 B Kumar c †A Karthik b Singh 6 AG Murtaza st †A Karthik b Gayle 5 IC Pandey b Gayle 0 AB Dinda not out 1 Extras (w 3) 3 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 133 Bowling O M R W Econ M Kartik 3 0 25 1 8.33 RP Singh 4 0 20 1 5.00 R Rampaul 4 0 21 2 5.25 JD Unadkat 4 0 38 2 9.50 R Vinay Kumar 4 0 24 1 6.00 CH Gayle 1 0 5 2 5.00

Delhi Daredevils innings (20 overs maximum) Jayawardene* c Hussey b Kumar 4 V Sehwag c M Singh b H Singh 23 van der Merwe c M Singh b Awana 8 DA Warner b Kumar 40 MC Juneja c Awana b H Singh 14 KM Jadhav† c M Singh b H Singh 0 J Botha c Miller b Bhatt 1 IK Pathan not out 14 AB Agarkar not out 9 Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs)120 Bowling O M R W Econ P Kumar 4 0 29 2 7.25 P Awana 4 1 21 1 5.25 Harmeet Singh 4 0 24 3 6.00 DJ Hussey 4 0 14 0 3.50 PP Chawla 2 0 17 0 8.50 BA Bhatt 2 0 11 1 5.50 Kings XI Punjab innings (target: 121 runs from 20 overs) AC Gilchrist*† c Botha b Pathan 6 M Singh run out (Warner) 24 LA Pomersbach b van der Merwe 18 DA Miller not out 34 M Vohra c & b Botha 8 DJ Hussey c Botha b Nehra 20 PP Chawla not out 5 Extras (b 4, w 2) 6 Total (5 wickets; 17 overs) 121 Bowling O M R W Econ IK Pathan 2 0 26 1 13.00 A Nehra 3 0 28 1 9.33 J Botha 4 0 23 1 5.75 van der Merwe 4 1 17 1 4.25 UT Yadav 3 0 19 0 6.33 AB Agarkar 1 0 4 0 4.00

RCB won by 130 runs

Kings XI Punjab won by 5 wickets

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle and Pune Warriors’ Yuvraj Singh share a light moment as they leave the field after the match was stopped due to rain in Bengaluru on Tuesday. PTI/SHAILENDRA BHOJAK

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2013

sports

SUAREZ ACCEPTS FA BITE CHARGE

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has accepted a violent conduct charge from the FA after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Anfield. However, the Uruguayan is ready to contest the length of any ban imposed by the FA.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST SEMI-FINAL REVIEW

THOMAS the Tank steamrolls Barça The Bayern winger scored twice and played a part in the other two goals as the German champions crushed Barcelona 4-0 in Munich. RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse MUNICH: Bayern Munich are on the verge of their third Champions League final in four years after routing Barcelona 4-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final, first leg at the Allianz Arena. It was the Spanish giants’ worst Champions League defeat since the 4-0 loss to Dynamo Kiev in the group stage in 1997. Germany star Thomas Mueller (above) was Barca’s chief tormentor with a goal in each half while striker Mario Gomez and Dutch winger Arjen Robben also netted to give Bayern a huge advantage for the return leg at the Camp Nou on May 1.

Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura admitted his team would need a near miracle to now reach their third Champions League final since 2009. “Miracles are always hard to make real, 4-0 is a huge deficit to make up,” said Roura. “I don’t know if anyone has come back from a score like that in the history of the Champions League, but we’ll do what we can. “This is a big defeat which hurts us a lot.” “They thrashed us,” admitted Barca defender Gerard Pique. “It is almost impossible, but we have to show face in the return leg.” In contrast, Bayern, who are

bidding to become the first German team to win a treble of European as well as domestic league and cup titles, were buoyant. “That’s crazy, hard to believe,” said Robben. “They’ve dominated Europe in the last few years and and then we go and win 4-0. The key was we fought and defended together.” But Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes warned the job is only half done. “Of course, we’re all very happy about the win, especially the size of the margin. We were first-class,” he said. “But we know we still have 90 minutes ahead of us in Spain. “We want to enjoy tonight, but nothing more.”

An exceptional day for Bayern got off to an unusual start when it was announced they had signed young Germany star Mario Goetze from arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund for a reported 37 million euros ($48.1m). Then it was reported that, in March, club president Uli Hoeness, caught up in a tax evasion scandal, was arrested and released on bail after a police raid on his home, but he was at the Allianz Arena to witness an incredible night. Barcelona’s Argentine superstar Lionel Messi started, despite struggling with a hamstring injury since the start of the month, but the World Player of the Year was a shadow of his usual self.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SECOND SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW

Jose reveals starting line-up Casillas and Benzema to start on the bench, but both Ozil and Khedira will start. DORTMUND: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho on Tuesday took the unusual step of revealing his starting line-up for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final, first leg at Borussia Dortmund with both Iker Casillas and Karim Benzema on the bench. “Diego Lopez, Sergio Ramos, (Raphael) Varane, Pepe, (Fabio) Coentrao, (Sami) Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Mesut (Ozil), Higuain, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and hopefully Di Maria,” Mourinho told

Mourinho played down any problem between Real’s captain Casillas, who has failed to regain his place since breaking a bone in his hand. reporters in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. Mourinho, 50, played down any problem between him and

Real’s captain Casillas, a World Cup winner and Madrid stalwart, who has failed to regain his place in goal since breaking a bone in his hand earlier this year. Casillas is reported to have said he will leave at the end of the season if he does not get more game time. “My relationship with Iker Casillas is very professional, between two people who understand and work together,” said the coach when a Spanish reporter asked about his choice,

having noted Lopez is carrying a slight injury. Mourinho also preferred Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain over France’s Benzema, who scored in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Real Betis in La Liga. “The only player who raises questions is (Angel) Di Maria because he just had a daughter and it’s not an easy situation,” the coach added. “He went through a lot of emotions, we’ll see if it is fit for tomorrow (Wednesday).”

EUROPA LEAGUE Chelsea head to English graveyard

Chelsea will play Basel on Thursday with the Blues wary of the threat posed by the Swiss. ANDY SCOTT Agence France-Presse PARIS: If Chelsea are to salvage a trophy from their difficult campaign, they will have to succeed where their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have already failed and beat Switzerland’s FC Basel in their Europa League semifinal tie. The two sides meet at the St. Jakob-Park in Thursday’s first leg, with Chelsea wary of the threat posed by a side that eliminated Spurs on penalties in the quarter-finals. After starting the season as European champions, Chelsea never even wanted to be in this competition, but now the focus is on going all the way and lifting a trophy they have never won before. The desire to do so is made even more acute by their recent FA Cup semifinal loss to Manchester City. “The competition is helping the team a lot, because it is giving us a lot of satisfaction - not like in the Premier League this season, and we lost the semi-final of the FA Cup, so we were also close,” Fernando Torres, who could start the game on the bench if interim manager Rafael Benitez again chooses to rotate his squad, told UEFA.com. “But the Europa League is keeping us in a good mood and thinking it could be a good season.” No English club has won this competition — which was re-branded from its traditional title of the UEFA Cup in 2009 — since Liverpool in 2001, although Middlesbrough and Fulham have both been runners-up since.