Postnoon E-Paper for February 27th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: CLEAR; 28°C

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WRONG

SIDE OF THE TRACK

NASCAR’S biggest race, the Daytona 500, earned some bad press after 33 fans and a driver were injured in a speedway crash recently. It brings to mind the amount of danger motorsports involve. Postnoon takes a look at some of the most fateful crashes in motorsport history.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

S=vb^op=lkI=_i^pq= VICTIMS STILL

SHUNNED BY GOVT

The scars of the 2007 Macca Masjid blasts will probably never heal for the families of the victims. The State government’s balm in the form of new homes has been long overdue for two families.

REPORT ON P3 IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE

MEN AT WORK

Following the roaring success of its first bike station at Sanjeevaiah Park, the Hyderabad Bicycle Club is now gearing up to launch a state-of-the-art facility in the Hitec City area.

The visceral fun in watching badass men in movies who come to the rescue is quite simply beyond words. Here are five such action heroes whom we loved to watch.

P15

32 PAGES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

city events

FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

Alliance Francaise along with Yavanika Films is conducting a film appreciation course over two weekends and a filmmaking workshop over four weekends for adults. It starts at 11am. For further details on the venue and workshop structure, contact 94901 00404.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

28°C

20°C

26°C

34°C

Clear.

A mix of clear and cloudy skies.

A mix of sun and cloud.

Mostly sunny..

New Delhi Mumbai Max 25 Max 32 Min 12 Min 24 Clear.

Chennai Max 35 Min 28

Clear.

Bangalore Max 33 Min 19

Partly cloudy.

Clear.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES available in all existent flavours and at no extra cost. Where: All Papa John’s outlets. When: February.

SHOWS ANANTA Opus 195 Concerto for Sarod electronic and symphonic orchestra by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Pierre Thilloy. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika When: March 1 Contact: (040) 2355 4486

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

Imany World music- jazz and soul. Where: Hyderabad International Convention Centre Novotel & HICC complex Near Hitec City Cyberabad Post Ofﬁce When: March 15, Contact: (040) 2355 4486

Sushi Food Festival There is a Feng Sushi food festival. Where: Deccan Pavilion, Begumpet When: Up to March 3, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2340 0132

MISCELLANEOUS

The First Cut A festival of short films and documentaries, where amateurs can showcase their talents. Where: St Francis College for Women, Uma Nagar, Begumpet When: March 4, 10.30am onwards

DIRT RIDER: Mechanical engineering students of Osmania University make a vehicle called ‘dirt rider.’

ConfiDance 2013 Shiamak Davar’s ConfiDance show is a display of dance styles from different parts of the world. These are performed by hand-picked students who get advanced training. When: March 3 Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika

ART Return Of Innocence Sculptural paintings by Lester Paul

will be on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 2, 11.30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

Plot no. 21, Road no. 8, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, Contact: (040) 2335 5118 www.treasurehouse.in

Solo art show Display of works by Saraswathi L. Where: Muse, Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre When: Up to March 2

For the love of fauna ‘For the love of fauna’ is a group art exhibition by G Jagadeesh, Jaya Prakash and Maddileti Gaddam. Where: : Residence Inn, Opp SBH Bank, Kavuri Hills, When: Up to March 6 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Art for children Open-ended sessions to expose children to art and simultaneously refine their fine-motor skills. It is for children between two and 10 years of age. Where: Treasure House, Saptaparni building,

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

DINING Double the love Papa John’s offers heart shaped thin crust pizza for an entire month. It is

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

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

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

M ANIL KUMAR

Saree Draping Workshop Topics covered will include styles of sari draping (regular, gujrati, cocktail, ghaGRA) and tips. It will also cover the use of scarves and stoles. Where: Panache, The Finishing School, Road no. 7, Banjara Hills When: February 28 Contact: (040) 6673 3451 Urban Stampede The run is aimed at encouraging amateurs and seasoned runners alike to take part in a sport that is enjoyable and beneficial. Where: CBIT, Gandipet When: March 3 Contact: urban-stampede.com

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THERE SHOULD BE STRICTER LAWS AGAINST DOWRY? 86% 14%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE GOVT TAKES MATTERS LIKE EX-GRATIA TOO LIGHTLY? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

INJUSTICE

Bereaved families cheated?

Despite being promised pukka houses by the government after they lost their sons in the 2007 blasts, two families continue to run from pillar to post as the collectorate asks them to cough up hefty sums. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

he scars of the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts will probably never heal for the family of the victims. The State government’s balm in the form of announcing replacement of their homes with pukka houses has been long overdue for two families. “The government hasn’t fulfilled its promise. The announcement of ex-gratia was just cheap publicity. It has been almost six years. How much longer must we wait?” quipped Mohammed Mahbub (aka Arif), whose son Mohammed Sameer (right) was killed in the blast that occurred

during Friday prayers. Just 20 days before the blasts Arif went to Riyadh in search of a job. He had spent several lakhs on the trip and was forced to rush back after reports of the blasts. He has four other children apart from Sameer. Belonging to a middle class family he was having trouble meeting ends. When he approached authorities and demanded cash for allotting houses under the Rajiv Gruhakalapa Scheme in Kukatpally, he was in for a rude shock as he was asked to cough up `96,000 as an instalment. “Why must we pay when the

government had announced the ex-gratia in the form of pukka houses for us? Due to our financial crisis, my family recently had to vacate our home in Khilwat and we now live in Chandrayangutta,” said

Aleem claims that the collectorate employees have not paid much heed to this and have misguided and cheated him at every step.

Arif. Arif is not alone in his struggle. Mohammed Aleem, who lost his younger brother Mohammed Azeem (above) in the attack, faced a similar apathy from authorities. But unlike Arif, Aleem sent a demand draft of `10,300 for the first instalment to the collectorate. It was only once they demanded more money

that he gave up on the idea. Former Rajya Sabha MP P Madhu has come to the aid of both the families and has written several letters to the chief minister in this regard. But Aleem claims that the collectorate employees have not paid much heed to this and have misguided and cheated him at every step.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE A roof over their heads

ast year we had reported how the homeless in the City were offered a roof over their heads at the GHMC run night shelters. Although not many, the ones that do exist, helped people stay off the streets. The night shelter at Bible House can accommodate up to 50 people at a time and the residents are provided mattresses, lockers, electricity and water.

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

`96,000 is how much the collectorate demanded families of 2007 blast victims pay up to get a house, that had been promised to them as ex-gratia.

I went to the prosthetics people and asked them if I could cycle. They said that no one had tried before and since it was in warranty anyway, I should try (laughs). Aditya Mehta, cyclist See page 7

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

Don’t count on govt compensations. Ever! Bereaved families of the 2007 blast victims are being asked to cough up a hefty sum to get the pukka house that had been promised as ex-gratia to them. Some compensation this is.

Been suspended on graft charges? Job is still yours. At least that is how things seem to work at the GHMC. Despite suspending an EE on graft and alleged sexual harassment charges, he has now been reinducted.

Cong going all out to induct leaders in every state. The ruling party would like to retain its seat of power is clear. They are going all out to recruit leaders before the next polls.

AP not ignored after all in the railway budget. The state is set to get eight new trains and services.

Get peddling Hyderabad. It helps. After the success of the bike station at Necklace Road, there will be one more at Hitec City.

CIVIC

GHMC rehires one more tainted offender

Being accused of serious charges such as harassment and accepting bribes does not seem to be a deterrent in the GHMC. Sadly this is not an isolated case; the government body has a history of reabsorbing tainted officials.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

ow secure is the workplace for women, particularly the government offices? This is the question being raised in the GHMC after authorities reinstated G Chinna Reddy, an executive engineer, with serious allegations of sexual harassment. Making matters worse, the same official was caught red-handed accepting bribe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) two years ago. “Where is the justice when a person with such serious charges is reinducted within a year or two?” asked one employee who followed the case of the executive engineer.

The tainted executive engineer (EE), who was working for the building maintenance wing, has a history of wrongdoings, including allegations of sexual harassment. Suspended during the tenure of former Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, the EE was trapped in the ACB net while accepting bribe of `1 lakh at his residence. This was the second time that he was caught accepting a bribe. The allegation was so severe that it had got the notice of the then chief minister as well. Widely covered in the media, the case is still fresh in minds of women employees in the GHMC, who now fear for their safety. Many doubt that such a man can change his ways, which only augments the inefficiencies

There are scores of GHMC officials who were caught accepting bribes by the ACB — many on camera — but were reinstated later on. of government departments. “He has been reinstated but is yet to get a posting,” confirmed one employee. According to the officials attached to the administration wing, this is not the first such case that the GHMC has seen in recent years. There are scores of officials who were caught accepting bribes by the ACB — many on camera — but were

reinstated. “One of the reasons for early reinstatement is the fact that government departments like the GHMC have few employees. Moreover, once they are removed, the officials are entitled to 75 per cent of their salary. This is one of the main reasons why they are reinducted,” said the official. Town planning and engineering are the two wings with the most cases of corruption. The officials that are removed are reabsorbed by simply bribing their higher-ups or by using political influence. “Earlier such cases took at least years in trial. But the unofficial process and further dilution of the prosecuting agency gives a chance to the accused to take advantage of the loopholes,” laments the official.

NEWS BRIEFS Sale of tickets for Test match at Hyd begins

Textile traders observe bandh

Two chain snatching incidents on Tuesday

Jilted lover commits suicide

eeseva Centres have started selling tickets for the second Test match between India and Australia. For the match that will be played between March 2 and 6 at Uppal stadium, the ticket prices range between `3,000 (80 tickets) for special enclosures near players pavilion and `100 (18,245 chairs) in eastern and western stands.

extile traders in the State have decided to observe a bandh today to protest the government's decision of bringing textiles under 'sensitive commodities' category. They resolved not to procure textiles from other states starting from Thursday until a uniform VAT was implemented in AP.

wo women were robbed in separate incidents on Tuesday evening in Secunderabad. In the ﬁrst incident, Rani, 50, of Kukatpally was travelling to Secunderabad by an RTC bus, when someone stole her gold chain. In the other incident 24-year-old Sandhya was returning home when two bike-borne men snatched her gold chain.

24-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Moosapet, Kukatpally on Tuesday. Veeren Dutt, a native of Gujarat, had been working in a City hotel for the last few years. He had fallen in love with a girl, but she got married to somebody else. Depressed, Dutt took the extreme step. Police have registered a case.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

POLITICS

SECRETARIAT ELECTIONS

Polls heat up

Rahul wants leaders with ‘mass and class’ Congress has decided to nurture 10-20 leaders in every state, a decision which sources say was triggered by the post-YSR political scenario in AP. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he Congress high command has realised the importance of nurturing multiple leaders in various states, instead of encouraging individuals to lead the party. The party, especially the newly appointed vice-president of AICC and scion of NehruGandhi family, Rahul Gandhi, has decided to nurture at least 10-20 leaders in every state, who are capable of leading the party during crisis, and more importantly, taking up the CM’s role. The trigger for this decision has its roots in Andhra Pradesh. The elevation of former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy as the numero uno leader of the Congress and the subsequent political developments like fallout of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of YSR, and formation of a separate political outfit in his father’s name, are the prime reasons for

Congress’s radical decision. Party leader and AP Youth Congress president Dr Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy (pictured) confirmed the news and said that Rahul Gandhi, popularly called RG by his followers, has decided to nurture leaders with multiple abilities in all the states. “Yes, Rahul Gandhi has decided to nurture at least 10-20 leaders in every state. The idea of the party high command is to avoid individual-centric leadership in states, as it would lead to

PROTEST

Hunger strike against terrorism A

dependency of the party on an individual leader,” he said. “RG wants leaders who are a combination of both mass and class. The two important skills are crowd pulling and policy making abilities. It is hard to find leaders with these abilities in today’s politics. You can either find intellectuals, who can only be part of board rooms in developing policies, or mass leaders, who keep themselves busy with the public. RG wants to nurture new generation leaders who have both these skills,” he said. Another party leader and MLC R Padma Raju also confirmed the news. "The party had a bitter experience after the death of YSR in the State. His stature as the undisputed leader of the party in the State led to us to suffer a lot of political damage following his death. “The party high command has decided to put a full stop to this in future," he said.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

he election campaign for the post of president of the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat Employees Association (APSA) reached its peak as contesting candidates left no stone unturned to attract the voters. The election is scheduled to be held tomorrow. A total of six candidates are contesting for the post. A Prasad, section officer in the revenue department of the Secretariat, emerged as the favourite candidate. Prasad’s achievements as the president of AP Secretariat Co-operative Society during the last five years worked in his favour. Speaking to Postnoon,

Prasad said that if he wins, his priority would be to bring similar reforms in the association like the ones he brought about in the society. “When I became the president of the co-operative society in 2007, it had zero deposits. But after six years, I was able to achieve `230 crore and succeeded in making it a vibrant society.” Issues like constitution of pay revision commission, issuance of health cards, allocation of land sites to all employees and reservation for women employees are playing a crucial role in these elections. A total of 2,446 voters are expected to cast their votes during the election. The polling, counting and declaration of results will be held on the same day.

NEEDS OF INDUSTRIES A Classified Display Feature

P Youth Congress’s hunger strike, protesting against terrorism, started at 9am at Gandhi Bhavan today and will go on till evening. PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana started the camp by paying condolences to the bomb blast victims. Home minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, former PCC chief D Srinivas, and several ministers participated in the programme. Youth Congress president Dr Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy said they will also be conducting a ‘blood group detection camp’. NSS N SHIVA KUMAR

To advertise on this page, contact:

040-40672222

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

RAILWAY BUDGET

8 new trains, services for AP

Postnoon takes a look at Andhra Pradesh’s share in the Railway Budget, which was granted to states based on socio-economic factors and governments’ participation. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

outhern Central Railway received a mixed bag in its share of the Indian Railway Budget 2013-14. While AP failed to get any big projects, quite a number of new services and extensions were granted. The budget, hailed as “austere” failed to resonate well with the political parties here, but is projected to fight the severe cash crunch the Indian railways is undergoing. The most important thing in the Budget was the stress on participation of States in all major projects. The four projects include inter-state lines between Chikkaballapur (Karnataka) and Puttaparthy Satya Sai Nilayam (Anantapur district), and between Cumbum (Tamil Nadu) and Proddatur (Kadapa district). The other two projects are pro-

posed between Kondapalli and Kothagudem, and between Manuguru and Ramagundam in AP. The new lines are expected to help increase connectivity in the colliery areas. Other major announcements were the plan to set up a Coach Mid-Life Rehabilitation (MLR) workshop at Kurnool in collaboration with the State Government, setting up of an exclusive centralised institute for finance officers at the Secunderabad Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management (IRIFM), setting up of a ‘Rail Neer Bottling’ plant at Vijayawada and imparting skills related to trade to the youth in the railway department at Kazipet, under the National Skill Development programme. Eight new trains have been introduced in the State: Chennai– Nagarsol (for Sai Nagar Shirdi) Express (weekly) via Renigunta,

Dhone, Kacheguda, Kakinada– Mumbai Express (bi-weekly), Kurnool Town–Secunderabad Express (daily), Mangalore– Kacheguda Express (weekly) via Dhone, Gooty, Renigunta, Coimbatore, Nizamabad–

DANGEROUS HYDERABAD

M ANIL KUMAR

COP ON DUTY?

ith the traffic signal not functioning and the onduty officer busy talking on his cell phone, vehicles were seen pouring in from all directions near the Mahatma Gandhi Central Bus Stop. Pedestrians were crossing the

roads without proper guidance. The picture was taken between 4.30pm and 5pm, when the junction sees a heavy flow of traffic. Signals on both sides of the junction were dysfunctional. Many hawkers were seen along the roads, adding to the congestion.

Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express (weekly), Tirupati–Puducherry Express (weekly), Tirupati– Bhubaneswar Express (weekly) via Visakhapatnam and Una/ Nangaldam–Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express (weekly)via

Anandpur Saheb, Morinda, Chandigarh, Ambala. In addition to this, three originating trains, Nandyal–Kurnool Town Passenger (Daily), PurnaParli Vaijnath Passenger (Daily) and Chennai-Tirupati MEMU Service, eight pass through services and extension of six originating trains have been granted to Andhra Pradesh. Surveys between Dornakal and Miryalaguda, and between Manchiryal and Adilabad towns in the Telangana region were promised. However, the four new lines, the new services, and the electrification required for these services were granted based on socio-economic factors and participation of the state governments. Opposition parties expressed dissatisfaction over this at the parliament, when Pawan Kumar Bhansal was announcing the highlights of the Railway Budget.

city WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

COMMUNITY

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE

SRINIVAS SETTY

Following the roaring success of its first bike station at Sanjeevaiah Park, the Hyderabad Bicycle Club is now gearing up to launch a state-of-the-art facility in the Hitec City area.

ven one year ago, the idea of Hyderabad taking to cycling seemed like a hopelessly utopian dream. But no longer. More and more people are succumbing to the obvious appeal of the healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. “Hyderabad was originally a cycling city. People gave cycles in dowry, once upon a time! But then came the scooters and motorcycles before it finally became car crazy. But now slowly, I think, there seems to be a reverse trend

‘Show We Care’

n March 3, 2013, the Sunday before the International Women’s Day, HBC, in association with the 10k foundation, are inviting women to take part in a ‘Show We Care’ walk/jog/ride for five km on Necklace Road. Interested parties should register in advance at the HBC Bike station opposite Sanjeevaiah Park.

in action,” says ace photographer and avid cyclist Arvind Chenji. A recent convert, Radha Sindhiya, a commercial tax officer, started riding a few months ago and is hooked. “Not only is it a great workout, but also a whole lot of fun and a great way to make friends. It’s no surprise that there are so many people, including women, who are taking to cycling in the City now.” But if there need be any further proof, this is it. Following the

roaring success of its first bike station at Sanjeevaiah Park, the Hyderabad Bicycle Club (HBC) is now gearing up to launch a stateof-the-art facility in the Hitec City area. With an estimated investment of `1.5 crore, the new facility is expected to be a significant upgrade from the existing one. Apart from being fully equipped with a sizeable number of bikes, it will also have swipe machines, pre-paid cards and amenities such as a food court, rest-rooms and more. “Our aim is to make Hyderabad the most cycle-friendly city in the country. And we’re doing everything we can to promote the idea. We expect the second one, to open in Hitec City in the coming months, to become an eco-friendly and healthy alternative transit system for residents and employees in the area. We are looking at opening half a dozen stations in the City within the next year,” says DV Manohar, president of the HBC. With the aid of a valid ID proof, anyone can rent a bike for a nominal price, to be returned to the station at the stipulated time. Currently, the Sanjeevaiah Park bike station allows only for a twohour window (from 5-7am and 57pm) for cyclists to rent the bikes. Once the Hitec facility comes up, the bikes will be available throughout the day, promises HBC. All these plans are at the mercy of the GHMC, which has the responsibility of building 23km of cycle tracks. “They were supposed to be completed last year, around the time of CoP-11. But that didn’t happen. Only around 10-15 per cent of the work is done. Hopefully, it will finish in the next couple of months,” he adds.

BORN TO RIDE

n ace cyclist and an emerging star on the Hyderabad bicycling circuit, Aditya Mehta is a fighter like no other. When you hear him speak excitedly about his plans to take part in the extremely challenging Paris-London cycle challenge this May, and then ride from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in December, it’s almost easy to forget that he has to make do with a prosthetic for his right leg. Already a Limca book record holder, he will now have the unique distinction of representing India at the 2013 Asian Para Games. Aditya talks to Postnoon about his love for cycling and what keeps him going. How did cycling happen? Seven years ago, I met with an accident in which I lost my right leg. I was completely devastated but from day one, my parents were extremely supportive. My dad told me that I should see this as my second life and pushed me to fight back. So I got a prosthetic and even though it was painful and irritating, I started walking 67km every day. Then one day, I saw a hoarding featuring the Hyderabad Bicycling Club and I knew I wanted to cycle again. How difficult was it to begin with? I took my brother’s bike and started riding. It cut my thigh

belief. But it was also exhilarating. I want to now ride 3,800km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and talk to amputees and tell them, “You can do whatever you want if you just try.”

and I fell off many times. It was very inconvenient so I went to the prosthetics people and asked them if I could cycle with the leg. They said that no one had tried before and since it was in warranty anyway, I should try (laughs). I started off PIC: SRINIVAS MANTHRIPRAGADA

PADMINI C padmini.c@postnoon.com

Aditya Mehta

riding 10km and eventually progressed to 30km a day. I won the Limca record for completing 100km in five hours, but now I can do it in three. What is the thought that keeps you going? My toughest journey so far was in December when I cycled 540km, from Hyderabad to Bangalore, in three days. My hands were swollen, I was saddle sore and exhausted beyond

Tell us about the Asian Para Games and the London-Paris cycling challenge? It’s said to be very tough. I’ve started training professionally only for six months, but I still want to try for a medal. But in 2016, I’ll definitely get India a gold. London-Paris, I think is going to be very easy. It’s all in your head. If you think it’s tough, it’s going to be tough. Otherwise, it’s not. People think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I’m greedy. I want to push my body to the maximum and experience the pain. There’s much satisfaction to be found in that. So would you encourage people to join HBC, take up cycling? Absolutely. I’m extremely thankful to HBC, I think that it was made just for me. I have received so much encouragement and support from everybody there. And I have made so many friends that I don’t have time for my family now (laughs). And cycling, it is ecofriendly and good for your health and fitness. I think everyone should cycle! If I can, so can you.

AGE OF WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

A PAGE DEDICATED TO THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF GEN Z

Getting ‘smarter’ Having difficulty downloading apps on your new Android phone? Try asking Generation Z for help and you’d be in for a surprise. Born in 1990s and 2000s, today’s generation is way ahead of us when it comes to technology — it’s in the air they breathe and they speak its language without any hiccups. Postnoon observes. NIDHI BHUSHAN

nidhi.b@postnoon.com

eople who share a similar age and lifestyle that have shaped them during their formative years through similar conditions and technologies form a generation. For Generation Z — children growing up in the 21st century — fast growing technology plays an important role. Whether it’s schoolwork, college assignments or even socialising, technology is ubiquitous for them. Just five years ago, conversations about latest laptops, tweets, status messages or phones were limited to nerds and geeks. Today, the world of geeks seems to have taken over — such is the speed of technological change. This ever-growing dependency on technology has its pluses in the form of information and becoming more global — in fact, the present generation is believed to be a truly global one. Not only are music, movies and celebrities global for them, but through technology, globalisation and our

culturally diverse times, fashion, food, online entertainment, social trends, communication and even the “must-watch YouTube videos and memes”, are global as never before. Whether it’s an iPad or the latest Android that hits the market, Generation Zeds are the first in the know. Even my niece — all of six years old — can navigate her way through all those apps much better than her parents. While we grew up looking forward to that one hour of TV time every day, the young today crave that touchscreen feel of a phone, iPad, tablet and everything gadgety. Boasting his exposure to technology, City-based techie Pranav Reddy, who falls in Generation Z, says: “I own a Samsung Focus mobile phone and a Dell Studio laptop. I had an Orange San Francisco phone before this, it is also known as the ZTE blade.” He adds: “My first gadget — a smartphone — was the Orange San Francisco. I bought it in 2010 after spending hours bidding for it on ebay, UK. I used Aramex Shop & Ship, which takes goods from UK stores and ships it to India after we pay the Customs, and waited

Tech facts

esearch in March 2012 by Ofcom, UK’s communications regulator, found that 61 per cent of parents think their children know more about the internet than they do, while three-quarters of children aged five to 15 use the internet at home. At 4.7 billion searches per day, Google is the number one search engine, but with four billion YouTube searches a day, YouTube is a close second. We have an emerging generation, many of whom are opting to watch a video summarising an issue rather than read an article discussing it. In an era of information overload, messages have increasingly become image-based.

for the gadget to arrive. It was in my hands in 15 days!” Reddy’s father, a fossil in the world of technology according to him, used to constantly tell him what a waste it was to buy the phone. “Initially, he used the maps on my phone to find places he would never have reached without them. Now, he pays his bills online — I had to convince him about the safety of using cards online — he reads books and recharges stuff online. I still remember how he used to be sceptical about feeding his card details online and say that he has a lot of money in the account!” says a slightly proud Reddy. Another member of Generation Z, 17-year-old Natasha Aggarwal says that she can’t go more than a day without her Blackberry. “If I have to, I can survive a day. But, more than that, I cannot imagine.” Aggarwal, who bought her first smartphone — a Blackberry — when she was 15, was pulled to the device because of the many features it comes with. “I can chat, check and send emails and know what’s going on in my friends’ lives through BBM sta-

tus updates and Facebook. Moreover, a smartphone helps you stay connected with everyone wherever you go. For instance, if I have to meet my friends, we can all co-ordinate on BBM chat groups as it’s easy and quick,” says Aggarwal. “Even when it comes to school assignments, I depend on the Internet for information,” says Aggarwal, adding that she could even communicate with her teachers via email when she studied in the US for a year. “However, teachers in India don’t prefer that medium of communication — at least, not yet.” Members of the present generation also depend on their phones to find the time. In fact, a recent study in Australia showed that more than half the youngsters there don’t wear a wristwatch because the smartphone has become the primary device used to tell the time (in addition to being the primary device for getting directions, checking the weather and taking a photo. “How will I ever wake up for class without the alarm on my phone?”Aggarwal asks. And yes, she doesn’t wear a watch either!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

focus

WHAT IS GRAFFITI?

Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Stickers and other adhesives are not considered graffiti. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

A CRITIC’S TAKE

PIC: ELIZABETH SOUMYA

SWAPPING STUDIOS FOR STREETS ELIZABETH SOUMYA elizabeth.s@postnoon.com

ontemporary art curator and cultural critic Lene ter Haar’s interest in art lies outside art galleries, in the streets. Part of the Urban Avantgarde Project that inspired art in public space in Bangalore, she tells us about street art, the graffiti industry and more... You mentioned being fascinated by ‘unsolicited art practices’, what do these practices include? It’s just art that isn’t solicited. It describes a gamut of street art and there is more than graffiti to it. It also includes street performances, maybe much more than graffiti. Staged photography, videos and any other art form that uses public space as a context to it is part of it. It’s where the artists have really exchanged the studio space for the street space. The complexity of public space itself adds a dimension to art that makes it interesting. In a public performance spontaneous reactions of public could also be part of it.

How are people able to connect so well with street art? When there is art in a physical space in public it becomes part of a collective memory. You are not only acting on this wall, but also on everyone who passes by and sees the wall. It is this link to a symbolic space that probably makes it so strong.

About Lene ter Haar:

utch German contemporary art curator and cultural critic Lene ter Haar is interested in urban culture and its institutional representation. She has also served on the advisory board commission of Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture. She curated Achtung: Asphaltkultur — German Graffiti Avantgarde in Bangalore last year.

Today many of the world’s leading graffiti artists are also represented in art galleries. When did graffiti of the streets enter the gallery? The first wave of graffiti art that was born in New York entered the galleries very fast. There were several private art collectors and in Holland there were two museums that bought these art works. After a while it was quite clear that the graffiti artists translated what they did on trains onto canvas and this being displayed inside a gallery wasn’t that interesting anymore. What is the economic value of the graffiti industry? It’s very hard to tell. While it could be

PIC: GOETHE-INSTITUT/MAX MUELLER BHAVAN

When there is art in a physical space in public it becomes part of a collective memory, says art curator and cultural critic Lene ter Haar. showing a presence in the mainstream art market, it also continues to be a sub culture simultaneously. Every time the art industry tries to get a grip on it, it moves away. Most artists themselves resist doing graffiti for commercial purposes. They are the ones who act against private property, so if they show in a gallery they definitely change sides a bit. Even the industry around it, like the spray can industry, while it continues to expand, it will also not raise its price so youngsters can afford it. With graffiti there is a secondary market, like collectors buying art and selling it later. I heard that the city of Berlin sold a piece of wall by Banksy on the condition that the collector rebuilds the wall. How are you able to contact graffiti writers who usually go by pseudonyms making their real identities obscure? Graffiti writers are anonymous, they have a code system. But there is a back entry where you can contact the artist and get a piece. Mostly it’s through asking people. I also see art booklets or look up on the internet.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Business

S&P SAYS AUSTRALIA'S AAA RATING SAFE

Australia's top triple-A rating appears secure despite high household debt and banks' high reliance on foreign funding, Standard & Poor's said Wednesday. S&P said Australia had some robust credit fundamentals which supported its top-notch rating.

BUDGET 2013: INDUSTRY VOICES

BUCK UP, BOOST GROWTH

Industry stalwarts voice their demands in the run-up to the Union Budget 2013-14.

V LAXMIKANTH, managing director, Broadridge Financial Solutions

weak the taxation policy including Rent Allowance, Capital Gain Scheme, Rebate for Senior Citizens, Leave Travel Assistance, Gift Tax, Goods and Service Tax and Financial Exemption Limits. Utilize Cash Reserves in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). More infrastructure investment support is needed. Export revival should be focused on — Current Account Deficit (CAD as a percentage of GDP has witnessed a significant rise in recent years.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

his year's budget has paramount importance in shaping the course of the country. Brand India is losing foreign investors due to repetitive scams and red-tapism. Inflation is on rise with increased interest rates, power tariff charges and other raw material costs going up for every industry. The growth of the country has suffered a setback with GDP expectations falling drastically — putting growth momentum at stake, especially in manufacturing and agriculture sectors. Adding to that, country is increasingly depending on imports and is struggling to raise its exports, which is leading to increase in trade deficit year after year. Business leaders want a framework that can revive the country's GDP growth by creating an environment that can bring foreign investments, increase exports and control inflation. Many industry leaders are also requesting the government to concentrate on key sectors like infrastructure and manufacturing and come up with measures that can promote these industries.

One of the key factors is the continued deceleration in exports growth. While imports have not declined at the same pace due to high oil and gold imports. India's wide CAD is prolonging the weakness in the Rupee against the US dollar inclusiveness — the government has implemented several measures for state specific targets — gender and related issues, but much more needs to be done across other sectors of the society to decrease this deficit.

Education and Skill Development — a quarter of the population is still illiterate and the progress made is slow, this needs to be accelerated to yield results. Healthcare — The sector is yet to develop fully and become more favourable. Today, 70 per cent of Indians spend out of their pockets to meet healthcare expenses. Based on the demand it is prudent that the government needs to assist making this further favourable.

PRADEEP CHOWDHRY,

DEBASIS CHATTERJI, CEO, Netxcell

managing director, GEF India

n a recent announcement, the government of India imposed an import duty of 2.5 per cent on crude edible oil, while the duty on refined edible oil being the same 7.5 per cent, while importing from foreign countries Edible oils associations have represented this issue for changing the imports duty to 10 per cent and 20 per cent on crude and refined oils respectively to enable Indian farmers getting right prices to their produce. If this is not done, Indian oils seed farmers may lose interest in cultivating oils seeds in future. The investments for setting up manufacturing capacities for the edible oil refineries in India may turn out to be nonperforming. If the duty differential of at least 10 per cent is not maintained, some industry players will prefer to import refined oil instead of crude oil. This will have an adverse impact on the domestic refineries.

elecom has been the poster boy of reforms and liberalisation as it has brought a lot of efficiency into the system through connectivity apart from creating millions of jobs, both directly and indirectly. However, the industry is currently not growing, as it was few years back due to various reasons. The finance minister should bring back cheer for this industry through some tax incentives apart from requesting his cabinet to reduce the burden of regulations. Once healthy, telecom industry could immensely contribute to the overall growth of the economy.

J NAGESWARA RAO, secretary, Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small Industries Associations (FAPSIA).

overnment should initiate and facilitate measures that can reduce the power scarcity. The small-scale industries could not get accesses to the finances. Although, the government showcases Credit Guarantee Scheme as a facilitator, the reali-

exemption from existing `1 crore to `3 crore. With inflation, the costs of raw materials have gone up, pushing the revenues of small-scale industries. This has enabled even a micro or small industry to go beyond the target of `1 crore. The government

ty is different with no bank coming forward to offer loans with out collateral security. Serious instructions should be given to bankers to follow the rules and offer CGS loans to the sector. We also request the government to increase central excise

10g GOLD `30,200 10g GOLD`31,100 1kg `60,100 1kg SILVER `54,500

24C 24C

for for

DOLLAR `53.79 `53.87 `81.37 POUND `85.15

should also increase the allotments to promote MSMEs. Exchange of technology, communication between the MSMEs of different countries can only take place if government subsidises travel and facilitate frequent interactions among them.

BSE 6,057.70 5,772.65 NSE

20,025.67 19,069.48 44.10 54.34 9.20 11.30

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

nation

VILLAGE HEAD’S HUSBAND SHOT DEAD A 55-year-old man, husband of a village head, was shot dead by unidentified persons in Haldhaerpur area following which the locals blocked a highway and pelted stones on police vehicle, police said here. Shyam Karan Yadav was shot dead in Gulauri village while he was going with his nephew on a motorcycle last evening, they said.

TRAGEDY

Kolkata market inferno kills 18

People could not escape the blaze in time as most of the gates of the complex were locked. KOLKATA: At least 18 people were killed and over a dozen critically injured Wednesday when a major fire broke out at an illegally-constructed multistorey market complex here, authorities said. “At least 18 persons have been killed in the fire so far,” an officer manning the city police control said. Over a dozen critically injured people have been taken to hospitals. The fire was detected at 3.50am when the victims were fast asleep, police said. Twentysix fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames. Fire brigade personnel scrambled to rescue people as many are feared trapped inside the market, which houses shops and paper godowns. The cause of the fire and the extent of damage were under investigation, police said. State Fire Services Minister Javed Khan said the complex in which the fire broke out was illegally constructed during the term of the previous Left Front government and most of the

entry and exit gates were locked, resulting in people being trapped inside. “We will take action against the market authorities for not having any fire safety arrangement”, the minister said. Locals said the toll could go up as many people are still trapped inside. Leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly Surjya

Kanta Mishra demanded a probe into the incident. “This is not the time to play the blame game. An immediate and impartial probe must be initiated into the matter and the administration must seriously look into how many buildings are there which are vulnerable to fires and must take immediate action,” said Mishra who visited the site. PTI/IANS

POLITICAL DRAMA

NCP-MNS clashes rock Maharashtra

NCP activists target Raj Thackeray’s convoy over remarks he made against its national and state leaders. MUMBAI: Tension erupted between NCP and MNS activists in Mumbai and other parts of the state on Wednesday following a Tuesday rally addressed by Raj Thackeray in Ahmednagar. Angry NCP activists pelted stones at vehicles in Raj Thackeray’s convoy early Wednesday in Mumbai and waved black flags at the MNS chief when his vehicle passed by last night. In retaliation, activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) targeted Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) offices in south Mumbai and suburbs, as well as Ahmednagar, Nanded, Akola, Yavatmal, Parbhani, Thane and damaged private and public vehicles. The provocation behind the violence is believed to be Thackeray’s political rallies in which he has targeted NCP and its top leaders like Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar and home minister RR Patil. “In democratic politics, anybody is free to criticise anybody. But, how will activists digest the kind of abusive language used by him (Raj Thackeray)? This is absolutely deplorable,” an agitated NCP spokesperson Nawab

Malik told IANS Wednesday. “If anybody takes the law in their hands, the police and government shall deal with them appropriately,” Malik warned, adding that details of attacks on NCP offices, workers and other places were being collected. According to reports, stones were pelted at NCP offices in Thane, Mumbai, Bandra, Ahmednagar, Parbhani while public buses were attacked in Yavatmal, Akola and Nanded early Tuesday. Police have tightened security and the situation is stated to be under control. Virtually shifting into poll mode for next year’s Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections, Thackeray has been attacking top NCP leaders at wellattended rallies as part of his ongoing state tour. IANS

NEWS BRIEFS Poppy plants worth `1.90 cr destroyed

IMPHAL: Poppy plants worth `1.90 crore were destroyed by Manipur narcotics officials aided by state police and Assam Rifles personnel in interior Chandel district bordering Myanmar. On a tip off, the inspector of Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) RK Bikramjit on February 24 rushed to Sajik Tampak area near IndoMyanmar border and found large cultivation of poppy plants. Officials said the team destroyed poppy cultivation spread over 49 acres of land. Poppy plant is the main ingredient for manufacturing narcotics drug popularly known as ‘number four’. This is one of the biggest hauls in recent times. PTI

6 kidnapped sailors, including Indians, 3 militants, arms released in Nigeria dealer arrested ABUJA: Six sailors, including two Indians, kidnapped from an oil service ship off the coast of Nigeria have been released unharmed by armed pirates, police said. The sailors were kidnapped 40 nautical miles off oil-rich southern Nigeria on February 17. No ransom was paid before the security agencies regained freedom of the sailors, police commissioner for the state of Bayelsa Kingsley Omire yesterday said without giving details. The pirate had kidnapped the six sailors, also including Ukrainians and Russians, after storming oil service ship

Armada Tuah in southern Nigeria and demanded a ransom of $1.3 million, ofﬁcials said. Last month, ﬁve Indians kidnapped in a similar manner in December were released but no mention was made of any ransom payment. Piracy is common off Nigeria’s coast especially in the oil-rich Delta region and across the Gulf of Guinea region. Attackers would go for oil-laden cargo or kidnap ship crews for ransom. At least 17 Indians are being held captive by pirates in Somalia and efforts are on to secure PTI their release.

IMPHAL: An arms dealer was arrested after a large number of weapons were allegedly found in his possession during a massive search operation in Imphal east district of Manipur. During the operation, an arms dealer identiﬁed as Khetrimayum Umakanta (44) was arrested. A single barrel countrymade riﬂe, two country-made pistols, one country-made air pistol and large number of ammunition were recovered from his possession. In another incident, Imphal east district police commandos yesterday arrested three militants of Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Task Force) during search operation at Wangkhei Ayang Palli area in the district, police said. PTI

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

World SCOURGE OF THE SEAS?

Anti-whalers are pirates: US judge LOS ANGELES: A US appeals court has labeled militant conservationist group Sea Shepherd as pirates, and cleared the way for Japanese whalers to pursue legal action against them. “You don’t need a peg leg or an eye patch” to be a pirate, declared chief judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals, overturning a lower court’s ruling against Japanese whalers, who he said were “researchers.” “When you ram ships, hurl glass containers of acid, drag metal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers and rudders, launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks; and point high-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, a pirate,” he said.This was true “no matter how high-minded you believe your purpose to be,” he added in a ruling that dubbed Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson “ eccentric.”

When you ram ships, hurl glass containers of acid, launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks; and point high-powered lasers at other ships, you are, without a doubt, a pirate. Alex Kozinski US judge

OBAMA WARNS OF DOOM President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of potential devastation from looming spending cuts, but the bickering in Washington suggested lawmakers are too far apart to strike a timely compromise. Even as the Federal Reserve chairman sounded the alarm 72 hours before $85 billion in sequester cuts begin to bite, the president’s top Senate ally said he would prefer the budget ax to a deal that did not raise new tax revenues.

IRAN NUKE TALKS

Day 1 gives hope Parties swapped offers that could ease some sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on its N-plan. DMITRY ZAKS Agence France-Presse ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN: World powers and Iran were due Wednesday to respond to offers presented by both sides in a final day of talks aimed at breaking a decade of deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear drive. The first day of gruelling negotiations in a swank hotel in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital Almaty concluded Tuesday with both sides relieved to have pushed the talks along for another day. They swapped offers that could ease some sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on its disputed nuclear programme — proposals that had been discussed in various forms at three previous meetings in the past year. The big power’s official spokesman measured his words carefully as he laid out what the world expected Iran to do next to convince nations it was not in hot pursuit of a nuclear bomb. “We hope very much that the Iranian side comes back (on

We will not accept anything beyond our obligations and will not accept anything less than our rights. Saeed Jalili Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator

Wednesday) showing flexibility and a willingness to negotiate,” added the spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton. “The ball is very much in their court,” Michael Mann stressed. On the table is an offer for the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany to ease sanctions on Iran’s gold and precious metals trade while simultaneously lifting some restrictions on the Islamic republic’s banking operations.

CHINA

Pollution level is a state secret

BEIJING: A Chinese lawyer has appealed against an official refusal to release the results of a national soil pollution survey on the grounds that it was a “state secret”, he told AFP on Wednesday. China’s environmental protection ministry said the survey results were a state secret after

Cancer villages

he environmental protection ministry recently acknowledged the existence of “cancer villages”, years after Chinese media first reported on more than 100 polluted rural areas with a higher incidence of the disease.

Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei applied for them to be released, the Legal Daily newspaper reported. Dong blasted the ministry’s refusal, calling it a “clear denial of the public’s right to know and right to monitor”, saying the appeal was on the basis of China’s freedom of information regulations.

NEWS BRIEFS Suicide bomber blows himself up in Kabul

New Zealander, 47, killed in shark attack

Six killed in suicide attack in Mali

China’s aircraft carrier docks at military port

KABUL: A suicide attacker blew himself up next to a bus carrying army personnel in the Afghan capital Wednesday, leaving several people injured, the defence ministry said. The situation remains unclear but no deaths have been reported, the ministry’s spokesman Dawlat Waziri said after the attack, which was conﬁrmed by security sources.

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand man was killed in a shark attack on Wednesday at a beach near Auckland, ambulance ofﬁcers said. The attack took place at Muriwai Beach, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Auckland at about 2:00 pm (0100 GMT), a St John Ambulance spokeswoman said. The deceased is a 47-year-old male.

GAO: A suicide bomber killed at least six people after ramming his explosives-laden vehicle into a checkpoint in the northern Malian city of Kidal on Tuesday, military and hospital sources said. The attacker struck a checkpost manned by Tuareg separatists supporting the French-led military offensive against Islamist insurgents.

SYDNEY: China ﬁrst aircraft carrier ‘Liaoning’ was today docked at a military port in Qingado in eastern China, signifying its operational readiness in the midst of tension with Japan over disputed islands. The aircraft carrier, Liaoning, was built following a four-year construction, a Chinese military statement said.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Aides to top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voiced outrage Tuesday after a left-leaning group suggested he supported China over the United States due to his Taiwan-born wife. McConnell, who faces re-election next year, is married to former labor secretary Elaine Chao. She was born in Taiwan to parents who ﬂed mainland China and immigrated to the United States as a child. Progress Kentucky, posted a message on Twitter that noted that the Senate Republican leader was married to Chao and quipped: “May explain why your job moved to China!”

NUMEROLOGY

125k

lethal doses of cyanide leaked from a factory in Japan after a snowplough accident, a plant operator said Wednesday. At least five tonnes of liquid waste containing sodium cyanide spewed out of a tank.

ABC SITE HACKED The personal details of thousands of Australians were leaked Wednesday after a hacking attack on public broadcaster ABC in protest at an interview with far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said it was investigating “reports of a security breach on an ABC site”, with a Twitter user named @Phr0zenM claiming it was part of a hacking mission named #OpWilders. “ABC hacked for giving a platform for Geert Wilders to spread hatred #OpWilders - database leaked!”

He is a president in power and he has a team of men and women who are loyal, around him, with a knee on the ground. Nicolas Maduro Venezuelan VicePresident dispelling rumours about Hugo Chavez’s health.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Technology INNOVATION

POWER UP TRANSPARENT FILM USES LIGHT TO POWER PHONE BATTERIES

GOODBYE SWEDEN Following threats of legal action in its traditional home of Sweden, The Pirate Bay set sail for new pastures. Sweden’s Pirate Party had been providing bandwidth to the site for the last three years but came under intense pressure last week when a local anti-piracy group threatened to sue. The Swedish pirates have now stepped aside and handed the responsibilities to pirate parties in Norway and Spain. The Pirate Bay has been hosted in many countries over the years, hopping across borders when one country or another became intolerant. As legal and political pressure mounted on the site its options narrowed further, with the threat of raids eventually forcing even more drastic countermeasures.

SMALLER THE BETTER

BARCELONA: A transparent film that costs just one euro ($1.30) to make could bring an end to the anguish of mobile phone users facing the dreaded dead-battery message. Wysips, a startup based in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, has developed a photovoltaic film which can be built seamlessly into a mobile phone screen and deliver the joy of life to a flat battery. At the world’s biggest mobile fair in Barcelona, Spain, the gadget was luring interest from handset manufacturers and its inventors said they hoped the first mobiles equipped with the Wysips film will be in stores by the end of this year. Wysips chief executive Ludovic Deblois showed off a prototype of a smartphone equipped with the film at the Mobile World Congress. By just shining a torch on its screen, the mobile’s battery icon showed that it had started to recharge. “With 10 minutes in the sun you will be able to communicate for two minutes. To

recharge completely you will have to expose it for six hours, so our technology is not necessarily for a full recharge but rather for an energy boost for specific applications,” Deblois said. “For example, for security if you have to make an emergency call. So if you arrive at the airport and you have your

ticket. But in developing regions it could be even more important, Deblois said. “The African continent interests us in terms of market because there are more than 500 million people with a mobile telephone but it is a continent that is only 40 percent electrified, which means

Wysips plans to license the technology to handset manufacturers, who would decide the final price to be paid by consumers. boarding pass on the mobile you can’t have a telephone that runs out of battery so you can just put it in the light and recharge it.” Similarly, the film can get mobile phone users out of a fix when batteries go flat just when the time comes to pay a restaurant bill, or buy a train

people need energy to recharge their telephones,” he said. “And the usage is not the same so the telephone is exposed much more to the sun, so you could even get to complete autonomy of the telephone in that region.” Wysips plans to license

the technology to handset manufacturers, who would decide the final price to be paid by consumers. The cost of the film, however, is only about one euro per unit, Deblois said. After three years of research and development, the prototype is complete and a manufacturing line with a capacity of eight million units is being prepared in Aix-en-Provence to start output in April, he said. The factory is aimed only at proving that the product can be mass produced, however. Wysips expects handset manufacturers to produce the screens themselves, and it hopes the first such phones will be on the market by the end of 2013. Later, the new factory will be used to produce similar films for other products. “We are in the midst of developing applications for watches, electronic price tags in supermarkets, and home thermostats,” the company chief said. “There are plenty of other applications.”

Freescale Semiconductor has created the world’s smallest ARM-powered chip, designed to push the world of connected devices into surprising places. The Kinetis KL02 measures just 1.9x2 mm. It’s a full microcontroller unit (MCU), meaning the chip sports a processor, RAM, ROM, clock and I/O control unit — everything for a basic tiny computer. The KL02 has 32k of ﬂash memory, 4k of RAM, a 32 bit processor, and peripherals like a 12bit analog to digital converter and a built-in low-power UART.

One ID to rule them Hitting a milestone in its efforts to go digital, Electronic Arts has completed a major software engineering project to enable gamers to use a single identity across game platforms, even if those platforms are operated by different companies. If a player buys an EA game, the company will be able to follow that player across platforms such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, the iPhone, Facebook, and EA’s own Origin online gaming service, said Rajat Taneja, the chief technology ofﬁcer. The move will enable EA to follow gamers wherever they want to play and still track their activity, and that could help EA embrace new business models and better marketing pitches.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Comment As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress.

SETHUSAMUDRAM PROJECT

MIRA OBERMAN Agence France-Presse

esidents of Detroit, a US city which has long been a poster child for urban decay, may lose the ability to govern themselves if their city council is replaced by a stateappointed technocrat. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is expected to name an emergency manager in the coming days in an effort to stave off the bankruptcy of the Motor City. The move by a white, Republican governor to take control of a predominantly black and Democratic city has drawn intense criticism and charges of racism. "Has Michigan become the new Mississippi of our day?" said Reverend Wendell Anthony, invoking the history of attacks on black voting rights in the South. Detroit needs a partner, not an "overseer," Anthony, head the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told a press conference Tuesday. A state takeover would also be fundamentally unAmerican, said John Philo, director of the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, which has challenged the emergency management laws in court. "Democracy does take time, but we do think that in the long run that's the process that can enact lasting change without social and civil unrest and comes to better solutions," Philo told AFP. Emergency managers have the power to eliminate entire departments, change labor contracts, sell city assets and rewrite laws without any public review or input.

REASON SHOULD REIGN OVER RELIGION FUSILLADE

Marcel Proust French novelist

Can Detroit no longer govern itself?

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Messi said that Barcelona must improve before El Clasico despite a slew of stunning victories and superb contributions from him. Now the man who was infamous for scoring an own goal being spot on with his targets, what could Messi be saying now? “I told you.”

Arun Koshy Phillip

he proposed Sethusamudram project is back in the eye of the storm after its opponents have gone ballistic in their objection, with the issue rocking the Parliament. The BJP is leading the charge on behalf of various Hindu groups who claim that the submerged land formation is what’s left of the bridge built under the supervision of Lord Ram to facilitate his invasion of Lanka. The saffron brigade is stubborn in its stand that damage to the ‘holy’ bridge is unacceptable, and their credo has backers in legal luminaries like Subramanian Swami — who are capable of keeping the project tangled in judicial knots forever. The project faces stiff opposition from local fishing community, who say the present alignment would destroy marine life and corals. There are also concerns raised by some experts about creating an artificial breach in a natural barrier capable of buffering tsunami waves, thereby preventing extensive damage to the entire southern coast. A government-appointed committee headed by Rajendra K Pachauri recently released its

report terming the proposed project unviable from ecological and economic aspects — but the Centre has decided to reject it and go ahead. Some say Sethusamudram Canal will provide India with the benefits akin to those provided by Panama Canal or Suez Canal — though the reality is that neither the distance reduced, amount of traffic, nor time saved is anywhere in that scale. It must also be noted that the 12 metre-deep channel cannot be used by ships above 30,000 tonnes. This would rule out most big container ships, let alone massive crude carriers. And when one considers the

massive dredging costs, part of which will be recurring, things look less promising. However, some are of the opinion that the advantage of reduced distance is dwarfed by strategic concerns. It would ensure better security for cargo and more effective monitoring by security agencies. The added benefit would be that smaller ports in Kerala and Tamil Nadu will see more business, and in turn, revenues. In 2007, after filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) came under heavy criticism for questioning the authenticity of Ram-built-it-theory. The

officials, rather candidly, pointed out that mythology cannot be the basis of government policy. All hell broke loose in the land of the holy cow: the officials were suspended, ‘objectionable’ passages removed and the then law minister HR Bharadwaj smoothened ruffled feathers by accepting the historical and cultural relevance of Ram. We have the dubious distinction of the highest level of judiciary entertaining cases where God is made a party... such periods in Europe are now known as Dark Ages. Since we are a nation where people take offence at the drop of the hat, the mythological angle should be left out in the case of Sethusamudram project. Hardly any opinion can be made on any topic under the sun without offending someone or the other. And soon cases will follow for “offending the sentiments” of X community, Y caste, Z interest group and XYZ people who want their 15 minutes of fame by getting their names published in news reports for filing cases. Allowing development issues to be hijacked by political and communal elements with vested interests would not only create divisions, but also open floodgates of questionable methods to stall anything and everything. Reason, and not religion, alone should decide public policy.

EDITORIALS

For once, the Reps were right

ell, for once the Republicans were right. When Barack Obama had named Chuck Hagel for the post of defence secretary, the men of the Grand Old Party had raised concerns over the man’s eligibility. Now, for different reasons, that is in question now. Hagel says India is sponsoring terrorist activities in Pakistan using Afghanistan as proxy. Now, now, whether this he said to show that he knows his stuff, or to reassure US life-long ally in the Asia is not certain, but one thing is: Hagel does not know what he is talking about. First off, India would be the last nation to want Pakistan rocked and made unstable by terrorist activities because that jeopardises its own peace and stability. Second India itself has been the victim of terrorism many a time and still is, as is proved by the recent twin blasts in Hyderabad, reportedly ordered and

READERS’ VIEWS

perpetrated by one of the several terrorist organisation that Pakistan has been a safe haven and head quarters to. Speaking of safe havens, Pakistan had been lying to your nation’s face every time queries rose about the whereabouts of the one and only Osama Bin Laden when all the while he had been leading a life of peace and tranquillity in the facility your “bum chum” built for him right under the nose of a police training academy. And on top of that, where else do you think Haﬁz Saeed, leader of Jama'at-udDa'wah, an organisation banned by the US and the UK is holed up in? So dear Chuck, before you get busy, take some time off and study about the affairs of the world and the current situation. Because the nature of your job is a serious one and shooting your mouth off is not an option.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Cinema

TAXING TIME FOR LOHAN Troubled star Lindsay Lohan is accused of owing the state of California $56,717 in unpaid income taxes from 2011. The 26-year-old actress was recently able to clear her 2009 tax debt after her Scary Movie 5 co-star Charlie Sheen handed her a cheque for USD 100,000, but she still owes the IRS $ 140,203 for federal income taxes stemming from 2010, reported TMZ.

STRIKINGLY GOOD

SCREEN POOPERS

MEL GIBSON

BRUCE WILLIS

here was a time, back in the 80s, when Mel Gibson was extremely popular with the critics and the audience alike. In Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson plays a LAPD Narcotics Sergeant Martin Riggs who must strike an alliance with a homicide sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) to bust a drug racket. Mel Gibson became a heartthrob with Lethal Weapon series and he went on to do more action films like Braveheart and Conspiracy Theory.

SYLVESTER STALLONE

ambo was undeniably one of the most memorable roles in Sylvester Stallone’s career. The film, which revolves around a misunderstood Vietnam War veteran who finds himself on the wrong side of law, was an instant hit. From the hinterlands of US, the film series traversed Afghanistan and Burma which are ravaged by trouble all the time. Hand to hand combats and guerrilla warfare are a common theme in Rambo series and Sylvester Stallone fits into his role perfectly.

ruce Willis was still taking baby steps in Hollywood when he signed up to play John McClane, a New York Police Detective, in John McTiernan’s Die Hard in 1988. The unprecedented success of the film spawned four more sequels in the past twenty five years; the latest one being A Good Day to Die Hard, which released recently. Bruce Willis was perfect as the cop who takes on a group of terrorists single-handedly and we have gotten so used to seeing him pulling off seemingly impossible stunts that the Die Hard franchise wouldn’t be the same without him.

who e s e i mov Here a r n i men words. s s a bad beyond atch. g n i tch si mply ved to w a w e lo n i n s q uite u w f l cera resc ue i es whom s i v The to the ion hero come uch ac t s five

n e M

k r o W t A

Challenging act If Sunny Deol has to say that both comedy and action is a challenging thing to do, then can we accept this as a declaration of his acting prowess? Tragedy is written all over his innings in Bollywood so, we might as well stay away from that part. He keeps saying he wants to do different things, but unfortunately each new attempt only proves, he’s lost the acting spirit.

by piled UMAR com K com NTH stnoon. A M o HE h.k@p nt ema

Self-obsessed star Well, John Abraham certainly has things looking up for him. His production venture was a hit. And now he is playing himself in I, Me aur Main. Since the topic is on you we would like to tell you to stop hamming every dialogue and stop behaving like a wonderstruck boy for every line you speak and yes the dimples are cute but will not count for any sort of acting.

TRENDING...

AKSHAY KUMAR

kshay Kumar, for the longest time in his career was known for his action roles in the Khiladi series in the 90s. Although none of the film were linked to the other, there have been eight films so far in Akshay Kumar’s career which are counted among the Khiladi series. While Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan experimented with family dramas and romantic entertainers in the 90s, Akshay Kumar quickly filled in the void in the action genre. Arguably one of the best looking men in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, after a string of comedies, has found his mojo with Rowdy Rathore in 2012.

CLINT EASTWOOD

lint Eastwood, soon after rising to fame with spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone in 60s, played Harry Callahan, a NY city cop in Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry which released in 1971. Harry Callahan is an extremely blunt and cynical cop whose unorthodox ways always get him in trouble, but the character became a signature style of the Dirty Harry series and many other films in future.

Variety reports Cotillard will play the leading role in Two Days, One Night , the acclaimed awardwinning brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The ﬁlm will follow Cotillard as Sandra, a wife who has only a single weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she may keep her job.

Stoker marks the latest in a long line of risky independent pictures for the enduringly talented and ageless Nicole Kidman. In Stoker, Kidman costars as Evelyn, the neglectful mother to India, a weird and troubled girl. Evelyn doesn’t know what to make of her daughter – her own ﬂesh and blood.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

spotlight SILVER YEARS

MUSICAL WEDNESDAY

Get ready to enjoy some live music this Wednesday. The music at News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, will keep your spirits high and will surely take you to a trip down memory lane. Be there at 8pm.

S BALAKRISHNA

RELIVING THE PAST

Namita Kanodia was all smiles as she greeted family and friends who turned up to wish her on her 25th wedding anniversary. The event was held at Taj Banjara on Tuesday.

4 5

1 Sarita Gupta

3 Sunita

5 Archana

7 Savita

2 Namita, Sujata

4 Varsha

6 Sandhya

8 Namita

9 Trishna

Pulling some strings

S BALAKRISHNA

The Azure at Hotel Radisson Blu, on Tuesday was filled with excited music lovers as they gathered for a performance by Grammy nominee Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya on his lap-slide guitar. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.

1 Madhavi, Vanaja

4 Shobana, Prashanth

6 Prashanth, Rekha

2 Manisha, Vandana 3 Pandit Debashish

Mehata 5 Ramakanth, Ananda

7 Ajay, Nita Gandhi

Lahoti

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

health

HEALTHY EATING HEAVY ON THE POCKET

Healthy eating as a mantra may have gained popularity but it could be a little too heavy on the pockets of those from low income groups, Australian research says. The comparatively higher cost of eating a nutritious and balanced diet could actually drive such groups towards cheaper, processed foodstuffs with high fat, salt and sugar content.

REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN deepashri.v@postnoon.com

eflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is characterised by a “burning” pain. It is considered one of the most painful diseases known. According to rhdhope.org, on McGill’s pain index (on a scale of 0 to 50), where higher the pain, greater the index number, RSD ranks 42. RSD was initially thought to be a disorder of the nervous system. But later, as its many, complex factors emerged, it was termed “complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS),” said Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad. He sees two to three patients every week with this syndrome, most of whom have been coming for long. “There is no proven cause. Pain is the main disabling factor,” said Dr Balarajasekahar, consultant neurosurgeon at Kamineni Hospitals. “Even if you touch the area, they will experience immense pain.” Patients have redness, excess sweating, increased or decreased hair growth and local temperature fluctuations in the area. “Many people report some kind of injury. But in these patients, even after the injury heals, there is pain, burning, tingling sensation, or (sensation of) electric shock in the area,” he said. The severe pain dibbles daily activities. Patients feel that there is immense swelling in the area, but upon examination you many only find a minor swelling, Dr Kumar said. Why people suffer from this or seem to be more prone to this is something no one knows. Doctors say it is more

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

Pain that burns, tingles, cripples

What some describe as ‘being on fire,’ this chronic disease, whose cause is still a mystery, is ranked as one of the most painful ailments known. common in women. Studies are underway to examine hormonal effects. While immense pain for a day or two can wear us out psychologically, these patients go through this pain for months or years. “There is a psychological element also. Counseling is required. Whenever there is pain, it leads to anxiety,” Dr Kumar said. “Treatment should start early. After that it becomes chronic and spreads to a larger area, like the entire limb.” He said while it may not be a life-long syndrome, it may go on for three to five years. “Neuropathic pain medication is given. For short term relief, strong pain killers are prescribed. Physiotherapy is also important. IFT or ultrasound therapy is given to patients.” “There are no specific tests,” said Dr Balarajasekhar. “It is symptomatic and I have to keep the clinical picture of the patient in mind.” He too stressed on early recognition, adding that while some may need surgery, some won’t respond even to that. “It is a very difficult disease to treat. Some say when it progresses to fibrosis level, the joints get inflamed, and treatment fails."

HOUSECALL

DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

Carb Counter

Osteoarthritis

It’s a powerful pump!

Renato Dulbecco

This is a free carb counting application that is based around the Atkins nutritional approach. Ever wondered how many carbs there are in the food you're about to eat? The free Carb Tracker can help you ﬁnd that information and keep a diary of your daily carb intake and weight loss on the move. The app is fast and accurate.

Osteoarthritis normally affects older people: it is the disease where joints wear out. As the joint surface wears away, it sheds particles which stimulate the joint lining to produce ﬂuid. This causes the knee to swell. When the joint cartilage wears away, the core of the bone becomes exposed. The exposed bone rubs against other exposed bone.

As a pump the heart produces enough pressure to shoot a stream 30 feet, produce enough energy in an hour to lift 2000 lb. In one year, the average human heart circulates from 770,000 to 1.6 million gallons of blood through the body. This is enough ﬂuid to ﬁll 200 tank cars, each with a capacity of 8,000 gallons.

Born in Italy in 1914, Renato Dulbecco was an Italian virologist best known winning the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Howard M Temin and David Baltimore. The three men pioneered the growing of viruses in culture in the 1950s, lending insight into cell growth. The research helped pave the way for studying cancer cells so scientists might better ﬁght cancer. Dulbecco died in 2012 in La Jolla, California.

health WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

STUDY

FINDING

MEDITERRANEAN DIET cuts heart attack risk: Study

WASHINGTON: Higher levels of toxic metals were found in the blood and urine of children with autism as compared to other children, according to an American study. The study, led by James Adams, professor of materials science and engineering, Arizona State University, involved 55 autistic children aged between five and 16 years, as compared to 44 non-autistic children of similar age and gender. The autism group had significantly higher levels of lead in their red blood cells (more than 41 per cent) and significantly higher urinary levels of lead (74 per cent), thallium (77 per cent), tin (115 per cent) and tungsten (44 per cent), the journal Biological Trace Element Research reports. Lead, thallium, tin and tungsten are toxic metals that can impair brain development and function, and also interfere with the normal functioning of other body organs and systems, according to an Arizona statement. A statistical analysis to determine levels of toxic metals in autism found that 38-47 percent of the variation of its severity was tied to the level of several toxic metals, with cadmium and mercury being the most strongly associated. “We hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help ameliorate symptoms of autism, and treatment to remove toxic metals may reduce symptoms of autism; these hypotheses need further exploration as there is a growing body of research to support it,” says Adams. Adams’s previous study on DMSA) for removing toxic metals found that the drug was generally safe and effective at removing some toxic metals

Researchers found those assigned to follow the Mediterranean diet saw an overall 30 per cent drop in risk of heart attacks, strokes. LONDON: A diet rich in olive oil, nuts and other Mediterranean foods reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease by up to 30 percent, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “We observed that an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, resulted in a substantial reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events among high-risk persons,” the study stated. Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, described the findings of the study as “really impressive”. “They looked at heart attacks and strokes and death. At the end of the day, that is what really matters,” Johnson told The New York Times. The Mediterranean diet includes olive oil, fruits, nuts, vegetables, fish and poultry, along with at least one glass of wine with daily meals, and reduced amounts of dairy products, red meat and sweets.

Too much toxic metals in autistic children

Researchers have long observed that people from Mediterranean countries tend to have lower levels of heart disease, but it was not clear if that was hereditary, linked to lifestyle or due to the difference in diet. The study published Monday was conducted through the University of Barcelona, and involved roughly 7,500 patients at risk for heart disease but without any symptoms of it when the study began. Some were assigned to the Mediterranean diet, and others were counselled to follow a low-fat diet. The study found those on the low-fat diet struggled to be compliant, and did not reduce their fat intake by a notable amount. Researchers found those assigned to follow the Mediterranean diet stuck to their eating plan and saw an overall 30 per cent drop in risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease. The results were much bigger than researchers expected, and enough to convince many of them to change their own diets, said Ramon Estruch, who led the study. IANS

IANS

RESEARCH

OTTAWA: Volunteer work has long been touted as good for the soul, but the practice is also good for your heart, according to a study out Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver wanted to ﬁnd out how volunteering might impact one’s physical condition, and discovered that it improves cardiovascular health, said study author Hannah Schreier. And “the volunteers who reported the greatest increases in

Volunteering good for the heart: study empathy, altruistic behaviour and mental health were the ones who also saw the greatest improvements in their cardiovascular health,” said Schreier. Previous studies had shown that psychosocial factors, such as stress, depression and well being, play a role in cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of death in North America.

Schreier noted that the ﬁrst signs of the disease can begin to appear during adolescence, which is why she recruited young volunteers for her study. She and her team measured the body mass index, inﬂammation and cholesterol levels of 53 Vancouver high school students who spent an hour a week working with elementary school children in after-school pro-

grams in their neighbourhood. They compared the results with a group of 53 students who were waitlisted for the volunteering program. The researchers also assessed the teenagers’ selfesteem, mental health, mood. After 10 weeks the volunteers had lower levels of inﬂammation and cholesterol and less body fat than those on the waitlist. AFP

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

SO NOT TRUE

Gopichand gets busy

opichand has signed yet another new film in Telugu, just days after producer Thandra Ramesh announced that B Gopal will direct a film with the actor. This untitled film will be directed by Srinivasa Raju, who had recently made Dandupalyam. More details will be announced soon. The same film will be simultaneously shot in Kannada with Upendra in lead role.

Sidhika Sharma gets noticed

idhika Sharma, who made her debut in J D Chakravarthy’s All the Best last year, is eagerly awaiting the release of Krishna Vamsi’s Paisa. She’s playing one of the three lead roles in the film which also stars Nani and Catherine Tresa. “I have also signed P Sunil Kumar Reddy’s upcoming film titled Pattudhala. Ramanaidu is producing the film,” Sidhika says.

Greekuveerudu’s teaser unveiled

he first teaser of Nagarjuna’s upcoming film Greekuveerudu was unveiled recently and the response has been phenomenal. Nagarjuna’s brand new look is grabbing quite a few eye balls in particular. Dasarath has directed the film and Nayanthara is playing the lead role opposite Nagarjuna. The film is expected to release on April 19

ver since SS Rajamouli unveiled his plans of making a period drama titled Baahubali, there have been several rumours floating around about its cast and crew. For now, Prabhas, Rana and Anushka have been signed up to play the lead roles in the film and for the longest time there was a big question over who’s going to be the second actress in the film, apart from Anushka. Recently, a section of media reported that SS Rajamouli is in talks with Shruti Haasan for one of the lead roles in the film. However, both Shruti Haasan and SS Rajamouli have categorically denied these rumours. “shruthi hassan being roped in to act in baahubali is false news.We haven’t approached her for any role.(sic),” SS Rajamouli posted on Twitter. Even Shruti Haasan is amused hearing these reports about her signing Baahubali. “I’m not part of Baahubali. I don’t know how these rumours started even though I’m currently busy with five films,” Shruti Haasan told Postnoon. She’s currently in Hyderabad where she’s shooting for her upcoming film Balupu. Ravi Teja is the lead actor in Balupu and Anjali is the other actress. After wrapping up the ongoing schedule of Balupu, Shruti Haasan will join the shoot of Ram Charan starrer Yevadu. Apart from these two films, Shruti Haasan will also be seen in Prabhu Deva’s Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya, Nikhil Advani’s D Day and NTR’s upcoming film under Harish Shankar’s direction.

I’m not part of Baahubali

SHRUTI HAASAN

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

NACH LE WITH THE DANCING QUEEN

Want to take the passion of dancing to everyone:

CINE BYTES

Not scared of being a vamp on small screen

adhuri Dixit has her hands full with two films, a reality show, endorsements and now an all new online dance academy, which she wants to use as a platform to reach out to those who want to learn to shake a leg. It was in October 2011 that she shifted her base back to Mumbai along with her family. And since then, the veteran actress has been a busy bee. “Right now I am busy... I have two films (Dedh Ishqiya and Gulabi Gang), I have Jhalak Dikhla Jaa coming up, I have this online dance academy. I think I need to take a breather now,” Madhuri said. The 45-year-old is not only known for her acting skills, but also for her fabulous dancing skills. She recently announced the launch of Dance With Madhuri, an online dance academy, where you can pick up the moves from the dancing diva herself. “It is the passion towards dancing that got me into this. I love dancing. I have been dancing since I was three. I want to take the passion of dancing to every household, make people dance and enjoy dancing,” Madhuri said. “Also my fans have loved me, my dancing, lot of people told me they wished they could learn dance from me. So I felt this was a good opportunity to give back all the love and affection that I have got from people,” she said. Dance with Madhuri is a revolutionary product, which allows dance enthusiasts to enrol into the programme through their Facebook, Gmail or Yahoo id. “The main thing for me is you reach out to a lot of people... Time is no barrier whenever you want you can go online and dance. As time is becoming a commodity today, it’s very rare... you can learn it anytime you want,” she added. Initially, Madhuri would be giving lessons and for this, she has chosen two of her popular songs Maye Ni Maye from Hum Aapke Hai Kaun and Ek Do Teen from Tezaab. Later, she will rope in choreographers as well. PTI

ctress Monica Bedi, who plays a vamp in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut TV show Saraswatichandra, was not sceptical about doing a negative role and says she does not fear being typecast on the small screen. “I don’t fear getting typecast. I am not scared of being called the vamp of small screen. As this is not the typical vamp character. It is a grey shade... It is not negative completely,” Monica said. PTI

Not aiming at `100cr mark for Kai Po Che

irector Abhishek Kapoor, who is basking in the success of Kai Po Che, says he is not aiming to make `100 crore at the box ofﬁce. Starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav in lead roles, the movie, , witnessed a good response on its opening weekend and has reportedly earned `18 crore till now. PTI

Entertainment should reflect society: Irrfan

ntertainment is not just time pass; it should “reflect the society that we live in”, says seasoned actor Irrfan Khan. “I am just trying to find entertainment, which is not the regular definition of entertainment. It has to keep evolving and it should also reflect the society that we live in. I am constantly challenging the definition of entertainment. Entertainment has to do something more than just time pass.” IANS

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

NEW VENTURE

CINE BYTES

Angelina Jolie J

oel and Ethan Coen have signed on to work on Angelina Jolie’s next project, EW confirmed Monday. The Oscar-winning screenwriters (Adapted for No Country For Old Men, and Original for Fargo), have agreed to rewrite the script for a film about Lou Zamperini, a former Olympian who was captured by the Japanese Navy while serving as an Air Force pilot in World War II. Jolie will direct. The script will be based on Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling 2010 novel Unbroken, but the idea of a Zamperini project has been in the works for decades, with versions by screenwriters such as William Nicholson (Gladiator) and Richard LaGravanese (The Bridges of Madison County). After Zamperini’s B-24 crashed in the Pacific, he and two crew mates (one died at sea) survived on a tiny raft for 47 days, only to be taken prisoner and held in a Japanese internment camp for two and a half years. Assumed to be dead, Zamperini received a hero’s welcome upon his return to the United States and later returned to Japan to carry the Olympic torch at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, not far from where he had been imprisoned during WWII. This will be Jolie’s first narrative feature since In The Land of Blood And Honey, her directorial debut. The Coen brothers, meanwhile, are best known for their success writing and directing their own projects — though they have written scripts for other directors, including Michael Hoffman’s Gambit, with Alan Rickman and Cameron Diaz, which should be released in the United States sometime in 2013.

Prince Jackson to make acting debut on 90210

n his acting debut, Prince Michael Jackson will play a trauma victim on the CW's 90210. The news comes seven days after Michael Jackson's 16-year-old son joined Entertainment Tonight as a correspondent. At this rate, we can expect Jackson to announce his ﬁrst feature ﬁlm role next week, imminently followed by his directorial debut.

Elvis Presley's notes up for grabs

collection of personal notes and poetry written by rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley is set to go under the hammer. The handwritten messages include a poem in which the Elvis describes smashing a robin perched on his windowsill, reports contactmusic.com. Presley's copy of Kahlil Gibran's book The Prophet will also go under the hammer.

French actor Depardieu to make movie on Chechnya

rench actor Gerard Depardieu plans to make a movie about Chechnya, the regional government said. "I want to ﬁlm a movie here to show that one can make a movie in Grozny, a big movie," said Depardieu, who received Russian citizenship in January from President Vladimir Putin. "I can't disclose any details about the movie, but I know we will come back here, and it's only the beginning," the actor said. IANS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? Douglas Adams, English writer.

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 Teen dreamboat 5 Hauls before a judge 9 Small-eyed burrowers 14 Wolfe on the trail 15 Unattractive fruit? 16 The creme de la creme 17 Quartet with a defection 18 Weekly service 19 High school social event 20 Is super heroic 23 Commotion, to old poets 24 Source of some strange visions 25 Nay opposer 26 KGB figure 29 Gossipy sort 31 From Japan 33 Bartender Szyslak on “The Simpsons” 34 Five before six? 36 Use one of the five Ws 37 Get all breathless 38 Strain the brain 42 Has fun with bubble wrap 43 League named for a plant 44 Thieves' retreat 45 Artist Jean 46 Apply with might 48 Everyday disinfectant 52 Neighbor of Virgo 53 Simple melody 54 Homage in verse 56 Airline of yore 57 “You bought it, you own it” 61 Unbroken work period 63 The Pineapple King 64 Copied someone else 65 Towing appendage at the rear 66 It can be measured in square yards 67 Spelling of Hollywood 68 Swords used in an Olympic event 69 Prison rec area

70 It's heard in the Highlands

DOWN

1 Where work accumulates, for many 2 Scorn and mock 3 Devout petition 4 “Check that out!” 5 Large Japanese wrestlers 6 Lake George locale 7 “What ___can I say?” 8 Not even close to macho 9 Middle of the road 10 Patron saint of Norway 11 One involved in a face-off 12 Abbr. for those who didn't make the list 13 Have a vision 21 Argot 22 Disclosed, as secret data 27 Pollywog's home 28 “But on the other hand …” 30 Clothing, slangily 32 Woodland reveler of myth 35 Cure-all potion 37 Like a Maine forest 38 Use an auger 39 Directly across from 40 Commonplace 41 Messy fight 42 Best bud 46 “At the ___ Core” (Edgar Rice Burroughs novel) 47 Stonemason's chisel (Var.) 49 Intoxicated state 50 One side in NFL negotiations 51 Young Scotsman 55 Pre-tax-audit feeling 58 Storybook beginning 59 “... ___ lender be” 60 Destiny 61 Seller of sea shells 62 Jar drop-in

Chai Time WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 28-2-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Businessmen will see a flourishing time and profits jump beyond expectations. Self employed also will do well and achieve their planned destiny. Women will ensure and keep the family away from unwanted tensions.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

You will get a chance to meet your close relatives after a long gap in a marriage or any other get together celebration. Businessmen will be successful in attracting new customers with their innovative schemes.

A happy atmosphere will prevail at home. Those recently married will be blessed with an offspring soon. Some will exchange their old vehicle for a new one. Those in business will enjoy a boom time and earn good profits.

You will be taking bold decisions which will yield desired results. Businessmen will be upset as there are chances of misunderstanding with partners. Sudden journey is likely to be undertaken. Mother’s health needs proper attention.

You will get a good opportunity to expose your skills. Superiors will share their personal matters with you and extend full support. Avoid murmuring when other opportunities are given to you as you will have future gains in a good way.

A peaceful atmosphere will remain at home. Your expenses are set to go up for fulfilling the wishes of your children. Minor misunderstandings are likely between couple; try and be cordial and avoid such situations.

Those deprived of a child for long time will get favourable news. Your mind will become crystal clear and hence take decisions easily without any hesitation. Comforts will increase and you will take steps to improve your income.

Avoid giving guarantee or commitments to anyone as you might not be able to fulfill them easily as expected by you. Avoid anger and emotional outbursts so that your goals can be achieved easily. Deficit financial situation is likely.

Tension and work burden are likely to make you upset but keep your cool and proceed with slow and steady. Avoid getting emotional under any circumstances. Never be negligent in government-related issues.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Six of Pentacles Partnerships are in focus. You will take help from or give help to someone at work. That makes difficult assignments easier to deal with.

LEO:

The High Priestess You’re in an intuitive frame of mind. You feel strongly about a social issue and want to help. Volunteer work will help you see the world differently.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Page of Pentacles You get news about a financial investment you’ve made. The profits are more than what you expected. Now, make a wise choice: re-invest.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Empress - Love life is in focus. You realize the potential of positive thinking. The one you’ve been in love with the longest time, will soon be yours.

TAURUS:

Knight of Pentacles - There’s a spring in your step today and you wonder where you got this renewed energy from. It could be the waxing moon.

CANCER:

Three of Swords - High expectations, when not met, are bound to disappoint. Don’t hold anyone responsible, not even you, for what’s not working.

VIRGO:

Ten of Pentacles Money is in focus. You have recently made a number of choices that involve making more money. Ensure the tradeoff is worth it.

SCORPIO:

Six of Swords A foreign trip is in the offing. Don’t keep very high expectations from it, though. You might find that it’s not such a big deal, after all.

CAPRICORN:

The Moon Headaches and other minor health irritants will make you restless and moody. Be patient and treat any health problems.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Judgement - You need to release the past and refresh your life. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming or judging others for your life’s path.

NUMBER GAME

- Whether you’re single, in a relationship or married, you’re bored. Take action to make your love life more exciting.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Ten of Wands

POOCH CAFE

Politicians will gain upper hand and get appreciation from the high command too. Businessmen will get profits as per their expectations and hence look cheerful. Be polite while trying to collect long pending dues.

for 28-2-2013

Five of Cups Keep your temper in check in the meeting room. You may be instigated to say something that might trigger an unnecessary conflict.

NON SEQUITUR

Businessmen need to be extra careful, as some of the staff might cheat them and share company’s secrets with third persons. Identify such culprits and chuck them out. Your straight forwardness will earn you a good name.

SUDUKO

Good effects to take place which will keep you happy. Employees will get proper recognition after a long expectation, which make them cheerful. Artists will get promising opportunities and will earn name and fame.

Boggle CAAN DUVALL BRANDO PACINO Vol: 2, No 222 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, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

A DIFFERENT HONOUR

SCHERZINGER

CINE BYTES

honoured by Harvard University

op singer Nicole Scherzinger has been honoured with artist of the year prize by Harvard University. The former Pussycat Dolls singer was selected for the honour in recognition of her music career and philanthropic efforts for women and those with special needs, reports dailystar.co.uk. “Her contributions to the performing arts, as well as her support for breast cancer research and initiatives for adults and children with special needs, are commendable and set an excellent example for our students,” said S Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation. Scherzinger took to her Twitter.com page to share snaps from the event, including a photo of herself with a student band member and another with US Treasurer Rosa Gumataotao Rios. She tweeted, “What an inspiration for women!” IANS

Senate panel drops probe into Bin Laden raid film

ne day after Zero Dark Thirty failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said on Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the ﬁlmmakers’ contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency. The intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA and will not take further action, according to the aide, who requested anonymity.

MacFarlane bumps up Oscar ratings

eth MacFarlane joked that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be asked to be Oscar hosts next year, but based on the ratings, the Academy might want the Family Guy boss back again! The 2013 Oscars brought in 40.3 million viewers, up from the 2012 Oscars’ 39.3 million. The broadcast hasn’t broke 40 million viewers since 2010.

Mark Wahlberg turned down Star Trek part

onsidering his level of fame, it’s noteworthy that Mark Wahlberg has pretty much avoided the science-ﬁction genre entirely (Planet of the Apes aside). Apparently, JJ Abrams offered Wahlberg the role of Captain Kirk’s dad in his ﬁrst Star Trek movie, but Wahlberg turned it down. His reasoning: “I tried to read the script, but I couldn’t understand the words or dialogue or anything, and I said, I couldn’t do this.”

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

DUBAI OPEN

OLYMPICS

Djoker beats his ‘friend’

Russian wrestler returns gold medal

RICHARD EATON Agence France-Presse

Russian freestyle wrestling Olympic champion Sagid Murtazaliev will give back his gold medal in protest at the exclusion of wrestling from the Olympics.

Djokovic’s attempt to win back the Dubai Open title began with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Viktor Troicki, the fellow Davis Cup player with whom he grew up.

DUBAI: World number one Novak Djokovic did not let friendship prevent him from carrying on where he left off last month when he made a successful defence of his Australian Open title at the Dubai Open here on Tuesday. Djokovic’s attempt to win back the Dubai Open title began with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Viktor Troicki, the fellow Davis Cup player with whom he grew up and shared tennis courts many times in the city of Belgrade. The top-seeded Serbian moved so swiftly and turned defence into attack so suddenly that it was hard to believe four weeks had passed since he last played singles on the ATP tour. The only blemish in Djokovic’s performance was letting slip an early break of serve in the second set, when he delivered a moderate second serve and missed with a backhand drive to allow Troicki back to 4-4. But he intensified his focus and broke again immediately, with some resilient containing and counter-attacking, and then closed out the match without fuss. “Because I have not played for a while I was extremely focussed and committed to starting well,” Djokovic said. “I played really, really well in the first set. I read his serve well, and I was aggressive in the court. “So altogether I am satisfied with my performance and I

hope I can continue,” he concluded. That will be against Roberto Bautista Agut, the world number 55 from Spain. Earlier Djokovic was asked if he might be starting on another long unbeaten streak, as he had the season before last. “Yes I am definitely am (on a streak),” he said. “But I am not thinking about it or trying to better the one I had in 2011, because it’s really hard to ask from myself something which may be impossible. “But knowing that I have done it gives me that mental edge and confidence I need in to approach every tournament with self-belief.”

Nadal to miss big ATP events MADRID: Rafael Nadal will miss next month’s ATP World Tour Masters Series events in Miami and Indian Wells, the Madrid sports daily Marca reported. However, a PR company acting for the 11-time Grand Slam champion claimed the report is nothing but speculation and that Nadal still hopes to take part in both events. “The speculation in Marca is just that,” said a statement from the BIPR group.

Djokovic should have a semi-final against Juan Martin Del Potro, the former US Open champion, although the Argentinian nearly did not survive beyond the first round. Del Potro had to save four match points to beat Marcos Baghdatis, the former Australian Open finalist from Cyprus, by 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Baghdatis, ranked 36, got his chances as Del Potro was serving at 4-5 in the final set, when the seeded player went 15-40 and then advantage point down. On the first two match points Baghdatis was a little passive, allowing Del Potro to work his way out of difficulty.

MOSCOW: Russian freestyle wrestling Olympic champion Sagid Murtazaliev announced Tuesday he was giving back his gold medal in protest at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board guidelines to exclude wrestling from the Olympic programme. “The decision to return my Olympic medal was very hard for me,” the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted 2000 Sydney Games Olympic champion Murtazaliev as telling IOC president Jacques Rogge in a letter. “But after some deep thinking I decided to follow the steps of Bulgarian wrestling federation president Valentin Iordanov. “I made this move in protest against the IOC executive committee guidelines to exclude wrestling from the Games’ programme.” The IOC executive panel agreed their recommendation to exclude wrestling from the 2020 Games programme at its meeting on February 11. Earlier this month 1996 Atlanta Games Olympic champion Iordanov announced his decision to return his gold medal in protest against the decision.

TSHWANE OPEN

Stars to shine at Tshwane

The European Tour-Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned event will be played over the par-72, 7,791-yard Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate designed by leading South African golfer Ernie Els. DAVID LEGGE Agence France-Presse JOHANNESBURG: Major champions Jose Maria Olazabal, Darren Clarke and Michael Campbell are the leading drawcards at the maiden Tshwane Open golf championship near Pretoria, which starts on Thursday. The European Tour-Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned event will be played over the par-72, 7,791-

yard (7,124-metre) Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate designed by leading South African golfer Ernie Els. It is the last of six 2013 European Tour season tournaments to be staged in South Africa and the race for the 237,750-euro ($310,690) first prize appears open as many big names are absent. With the Accenture World Match Play Championship just completed and the Cadillac

Championship coming next week, South African and European stars like Els have opted to remain in the US. That offers professionals like 1994 and 1999 US Masters winner Olazabal, 2011 British Open champion Clarke and 2005 US Open title-holder Campbell a chance of victory, along with rising local and overseas stars. The altitude will see shots fly further and take some sting from one of the longest layouts.

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

ZIMBABWE IN THE WEST INDIES

Bravo helps Windies sweep series Darren Bravo's unbeaten 72 piloted the home team to victory, the left-hander earning both the man-of-the-match and man-of-the-series awards. ST GEORGE'S, GRENADA: West Indies swept their one-day international series against Zimbabwe 3-0 on Tuesday after making comparatively heavy weather of what should have been a leisurely pursuit of 212 before reaching their target for

the loss of five wickets. Darren Bravo's unbeaten 72 piloted the home team to victory, the left-hander earning both the man-of-the-match and manof-the-series awards following on his maiden ODI hundred in the first match on Friday.

Kieran Powell contributed 42 at the top of the order while the effort of young wrist-spinners Natsai M'Shangwe and debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi offered some encouragement for the Zimbabweans ahead of the two

NBA

MAYNARD DEATH

West helps Pacers win

ECB clamps down on drugs Surrey batsman Tom Maynard was electrocuted on a railway line and struck by a train as he attempted to flee police.

Indiana had four players in double-figure scoring Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: The Indiana Pacers won their fifth-consecutive game Tuesday by beating the Golden State Warriors 108-97 behind a 28point effort by David West. Paul George finished with 21 points and 11 boards and George Hill had 23 points and six assists for the Pacers, who halted Golden State's modest win streak at three National Basketball Association games. Roy Hibbert finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for the Pacers, who have won 10 of their last 12 games and

have posted five-straight wins in a row twice this month. Indiana had four players in double-figure scoring Tuesday including Hibbert, who was ejected in the fourth quarter after getting into a pushing match with David Lee. Pacers forward Danny Granger, who is still trying to shake off the rust of a long layoff, made his home debut on Tuesday, scoring five points on one-for-seven shooting. Granger had been sidelined all season with a knee problem and made his anticipated season

debut Saturday in a 90-72 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 38 points, but also had a half dozen of Golden States' 20 turnovers at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse arena. Lee finished with 12 points and 12 boards in the loss. Indiana has won four straight in a row at home and is an impressive 24-5 as host. Golden State is in the midst of a five-game road trip. The Warriors are 15-17 away, and will also visit New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

FORMULA 1

F1 test driver Villota recovering Villota lost her right eye in a crash last year while testing for Marussia. MADRID: Former Formula 1 test driver Maria de Villota, who lost her right eye in a crash last July, says her recuperation has gone as well as she could have expected. The Spanish driver suffered serious head and facial injuries after the accident when testing for the Marussia team for the first time at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire. "I feel very good. The doctors told me that it helps that I have never drank alcohol or smoked and that I was a

T20 fixtures to be played at the weekend in Antigua. Mutombodzi removed Ramnaresh Sarwan caught-andbowled with just his third delivery in senior international cricket and also accounted for Powell to a catch at long-on.

sportswoman," the daughter of former Spanish F1 driver Emilio De Villota said. "I still feel a little weak and have headaches, but I am getting on well. Very busy days take their toll, but I am calm because I know everything is going well. "To start with it was difficult just to do day-to-day things. Catching keys in flight or getting a glass of water was a problem, but now things are much better."

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pledged to take all "reasonable steps" to stop players using recreational drugs following an inquest into the death of one the game's rising stars on Tuesday. Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, tipped as a future England international, was electrocuted on a railway line and struck by a train as he attempted to flee police while on drink and drugs. Before he died in June last year, Maynard, the 23-yearold son of former Glamorgan and England batsman Matthew Maynard, had been stopped by police nearby after his black Mercedes was seen driving erratically but he then fled the vehicle, leaving the keys in the ignition. A post-mortem examination revealed alcohol levels in his body nearly four times above the legal driving limit and that he

had taken cocaine and ecstasy in the form of MDMA after a night out. Surrey have since introduced an anti-drugs policy which all players and management must abide by. And following a verdict of accidental death reached Tuesday by the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court, the ECB and Surrey issued a join statement announcing plans to test for recreational drugs. "In the light of today's (Tuesday's) verdict, ECB and Surrey CCC would like to reiterate that this incident was a terrible human tragedy and again extend our condolences to the Maynard family and to Tom Maynard's many friends and colleagues within the professional game. "While the ECB accepts that recreational drug use is a part of modern society, we do not condone it and will take all reasonable steps to prevent its use within the game. The statement added: "The ECB board has recently agreed to develop an out-ofcompetition testing programme to encompass recreational drugs, in co-operation with the PCA (Professional Cricketers' Association). "These measures will supplement ECB's existing antidoping programme which involves in and out of competition testing through UK AntiDoping in compliance with the WADA.â&#x20AC;?

sports

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

KING’S CUP

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Meet the Real McCoys

Ronaldo hit a first-half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks to beat Barcelona 3-1.

TIM HANLON Agence France-Presse BARCELONA: Cristiano Ronaldo continued his fine goal scoring record at the Nou Camp with a brace as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 to go through to the final of the King’s Cup 4-2 on aggregate. The Portuguese hit a first half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks. Raphael Varane headed the third after 68 minutes while Jordi Alba got a late consolation. Real Madrid will now take on the winners of Sevilla and

Atletico Madrid who play on Wednesday, the capital side enjoying a 2-1 lead from their first leg. Ronaldo has now scored in his last six visits to the Catalan capital and came out on top in his personal battle with Lionel Messi, who was largely anonymous in the game. The Argentine, however, has the chance to respond when the pair meet again in the league at the weekend. This was the vital game though for Real who trail leaders Barcelona by 16 points in La Liga after a poor campaign and it is their best chance of picking up some silverware outside of

the Champions League, in which they are evenly poised against Manchester United after a 1-1 first leg draw at the Bernabeu. “We knew how to play Barcelona and tactically we came out on top,” said Real ‘keeper Iker Casillas. “We were well positioned on the pitch and in all areas we were in control. “It was a very strong performance and in defence we were superb. Cristiano was phenomenal. It was a 10 out of 10 performance and we deserve to be in the final. “Cristiano is a vital player for us but while he had an excellent performance so did the

whole team. He is a reference for us and has showed his capabililty not just in this game but in other Clasicos. “Hopefully this result can now be a turning point for the side because this is a difficult stadium to play in. Now we are looking to do well in the Champions League and La Liga.” There were no surprises in the Barcelona lineup with Andres Iniesta preferred in attack to David Villa which allowed space for Cesc Fabregas in midfield. Jose Mourinho chose Varane, who did so well in the first leg, ahead of Pepe to partner Sergio Ramos.

Laudrup wants to stay with Swans Laudrup has enjoyed an excellent debut season at the Swansea helm. LONDON: Michael Laudrup intends to stay on as Swansea City manager next season and is in discussions over a new contract, chairman Huw Jenkins revealed on Tuesday. Laudrup has enjoyed an excellent debut season at the Swansea helm and on Sunday led the south Wales club to the first major title in their history after a 5-0 thrashing of fourth-tier Bradford City in the League Cup final. Players and staff celebrated the achievement on a bus parade through Swansea city centre on Tuesday and Jenkins used the occasion to ward off potential suitors for Laudrup, whose current contract expires in 2014. “Personally, I have no issue about the thought of him not being here next season,” Jenkins said. “I think he will be here and he’s stated he would honour his contract. “Michael has stated before he wants to be here next season. If you look at his career before he came here, he needed to find the right club and stability in himself as a manager. “He needed the time to show he could work in an environment for a period of years and be successful, which is what top managers are about. We felt before he joined this was the right place for that.”

FA CUP

Everton end Oldham’s Cup dreams

Third-tier Oldham held Everton to a 2-2 draw in their initial meeting 10 days ago, but their cup heroics were ended in the replay at Goodison Park.

LIVERPOOL: Everton succeeded where Merseyside rivals Liverpool had failed by beating Oldham Athletic (pictured right) 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals. Third-tier Oldham eliminated Liverpool in round four and held Everton to a 2-2 draw in their initial fifth-round meeting 10 days ago, but their cup heroics were ended in the replay at Goodison Park.

Goals from Kevin Mirallas, Leighton Baines and Leon Osman took David Moyes’ side into the last eight, where they will face Wigan Athletic, with Oldham’s cup talisman Matt Smith replying for the visitors. “We’ve been close a couple of times and that whets your appetite. We want to go further, but we’ve got a tough tie next,” Baines told ITV. “We’re at home so we’ll be

favourites, but we’ve had tough games against them the last couple of seasons and they’re coming off the back of a good win (over Reading) at the weekend, so they’ll be confident.” Beaten semi-finalists in last season’s competition, Everton were without the injured Marouane Fellaini but made a purposeful start and took the lead in the 15th minute.