Postnoon E-Paper for

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

CLEARING THE PATH Kanthimathi Kannan’s battle is an ongoing one. There are no big achievements to count but there are many small ones that she hopes will collectively better the City for pedestrians.

Kanchan Agarwal finds out more.

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WEATHER: MOSTLY CLEAR; 29°C

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SRK PLEDGES TO PUT ACTRESS FIRST Shah Rukh Khan says henceforth in all his films, the leading actress’ name would appear before his in the credits.

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HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

VIJENDER IN

DRUG NET?

The Punjab police have alleged that the accused in a `130-crore heroin haul in Mohali has confessed to supplying small amounts of the substance to ace boxer Vijender Singh and another pugilist Ram Singh. The police also said Vijender’s wife’s car was found outside the flat from where the drugs were seized.

REPORT ON P29

GRASS IS GREENER! Being a teenager in this fast-paced competitive world may not be the easiest thing, we understand.

However, using that as an excuse to ‘chill and relax’ is not the best thing either. Postnoon talks to a few Gen Zeds who are growing up in a time where substance abuse is the new ‘in thing’.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

city events Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

29°C

21°C

27°C

35°C

Clear.

Clear.

Sunny.

Sunny.

CROMA CELEBRATES WOMANHOOD

Croma, an electronic retailer in India, along with Concern India Foundation, a public charitable trust working towards the upliftment of girl child, will set aside a percentage of sales made at Croma stores up to March 8 for the safety, education and upliftment of women.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 31 Max 26 Min 17 Min 23 Partly cloudy.

Chennai Max 32 Min 24

Clear.

Partly cloudy.

Bangalore Max 32 Min 21 Partly cloudy.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO WOMEN’S DAY EVENTS IN THE TWIN CITIES WOMEN’S MARCH’13 It’s a girl The film tells the story of abandoned and trafficked girls, women who suffer extreme dowry related violence, and mothers who fight for their children’s lives.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum, 20 Journalist Colony, Road no. 3, Banjara Hills When: March 8, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443 The Justice Verma report To bring clarity to the public regarding Verma report on rape laws, Vasudha Nagaraj will give a lecture.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 13, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443 Women in Public Spaces About one month ago GoetheZentrum Hyderabad has called for applications for a group photography exhibition on ‘Women in Public Spaces.’ This is an exhibition of selected entries.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 15-24, 9.30am to 5.30pm Contact: (040) 2335 0443 Katharsis in Forbidden Zones Paintings, sculptures, installation and performance by Dimple B Shah, as

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

guests. The special menu will include malpua with rabdi, kesari jalebi with rabdi, strawberry halwa, apple basundi and badam bhog.

Where: All Rajdhani outlets When: March 8

MISCELLANEOUS

DocuSplash!

Barf, 1997 & Sita's Family, 2002, Delhi Mumbai Delhi, 2006 and Naach, 2008, will be screened.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: March 24, 11am onwards Contact: gothe.de/hyderabad

Listening post The listening post is about women who had to struggle in the field of music in the early years of jazz. It also takes a look at women who made it big in jazz.

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: March 10, 4pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

A body that will speak As a part of women's march, Lamakaan is showcasing films on gender activism or films made by women film makers. This film is made by Sukanya Sen and Pawas Bisht.

Where: Lamakaan, Lane Adjacent to CBay, Opposite GVKOne, Road No 1, Banjara Hills When: March 10, 7pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Girl Getaway package Tower Club at lebua is a five star executive all-suites, all-club hotel in Bangkok. ‘Lavish Luxury package’ offers a minimum of two nights at lebua’s Tower Club suite.

Where: State Tower, Bangrak, Bangkok When: Valid till March 31 Contact: www.lebua.com

DINING

Special at Kakatiya There is cocktail pairing with lunch buffet, pedicure by the pool and candle light dinner by the pool at discounted prices for Women’s Day. Where: ITC Kakatiya, Deccan Pavilion When: March 8 Contact: (040) 4008 1816

V

enkey’s Veg, a mulSpecial ticuisine menu restaurant on Public Garden Road, Nampally, has special buffet breakfast, executive meals, thalis and a Venkey’s special parcel. At `75, the buffet breakfast includes beverages, South Indian snacks, cut fruits and sandwiches. The carriage meals (`75), introduced for the first time in Hyderabad, include rice, curries, sweets, puri and phulka, among other things.

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

part of Women’s March 2013.

Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Road no 10, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 13, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 2355 4485

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

FIGHTING TERROR: Artists painting on the theme ‘Artists Against N SHIVA KUMAR Terrorism’ at Press Club in Somajiguda.

BLU celebrates women A Women’s Day special Sunday brunch.

Where: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Banjara Hills

WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills

When: March 10 Woman's Day offers Rajdhani is offering an exclusive 25 per cent discount for all its female

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

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

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE PUBLIC IS EQUALLY AT FAULT FOR THE STATE’S POWER CRISIS? 45% 55%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE COPS ARE TAKING UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF BUSINESSMEN IN BEGUM BAZAAR? A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

SECURITY

3

‘Cops denying us livelihoods’ Ever since the Dilsukhnagar blasts, security at Begum Bazaar has been stepped up with commandos frisking every visitor. This has taken a toll on businesses in the area.

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

AP Bar Council member Zakeer Javeed said that he received many complaints from residents about the harassment they are being subjected to.

“P

olice are not searching for bombs, they are searching for businessmen to make a quick buck,” says a hurt and angry businessman Abhay Singh Dahiya, whose stainless steel shop in Begum Bazaar is bereft of customers for a week since the heavy boots and guns moved in to the street.

Dilsukhnagar blasts have not just maimed many; they hit the business elsewhere too. “Our business has gone phut,” say merchants. Begum Bazaar with Ranigunj caters to the wholesale business of many things for the entire State.

Narsing R, runs a general store for the past six decades.

Nobody was coming to this shop for the past one week. He says his counter used to have a collection of `10,000 to `12,000 everyday, now it is virtually zero.

“The biggest problem is the police disallow parking in front of shops,” says another shop owner, who shied away from being identified fearing retribution from the police. “People come in some vehicle. Where will they keep things?” he won-

WHAT LAWYERS SAY

ders. People come from not just other parts of the State but from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka too. They all are staying away fearing the police.

Most merchants in Aziz Plaza say incidents of police interrogating people with cash have scared buyers away. Police even detain them and ask questions about the source of money. Which mer-

chant will come in such a situation? Asks Ashok Jain in Aziz Plaza. Jain says it would have been better if the police did some brisk job of detection rather than pitching tents in commercial space and scaring away customers. “They frisk, they search, they threaten customers, what can we do?” asks another helplessly.

“We never faced this problem earlier,” swears Shaikh Abdullah, “we are now closing shops by 4 or 5 pm while normal working hours stretched to 9 pm.

Veteran businessmen of Begum Bazaar say the market is easily losing business to the tune of `45 crore per day after the explosions and consequent heavy police presence.

Senior advocate of AP High Court Gopala Krishna Kalanidhi came down heavily on the arbitrary attitude of the police and said that frisking operations being conducted by the Hyderabad police and closing of commercial establishments is a violation of fundamental rights.

AP Bar Council member Zakeer Hussain Javeed said that he received many complaints from residents about the harassment they are being subjected to.

He said that the police can’t act arbitrarily in the name of imposing reasonable restrictions on citizens. “The restrictions imposed by the police should not be discriminatory. If they are discriminatory and arbitrary, then it is nothing but violation of fundamental rights,” he said.

With inputs from Inkeshaf Ahmed

RTI

No aadhaar for Delhi Durbar Do PM, Sonia Gandhi and Nandan Nilekani have aadhaar cards? A Hyderabadi RTI activist asked, and he got a tweak on his ear. Here is the amusing report where the ruling class shows its boorishness.

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

D

o the UIDAI chairman and MPs have Aadhar cards? Do the prime minister, Sonia Gandhi, and Motenk Singh Ahluwalia have it? Asked an RTI activist from the City to the Planning Commission.

“None of your business” is the tone of reply he received!

“The supercilious reply received reflects the secretive nature of our government,” says Rakesh Reddy, an RTI activist of Hyderabad.

The Planning Commission’s wisdom: the

UIDAI was mandated to generate and issue Aadhaar cards to all citizens of India irrespective of their race, religion, caste, creed and therefore no profiling was done. Hence, they did not have any information regarding this!

The other reply concerning the case of the political big wig’s enrolment for Aadhaar cited Section 8(j) of the RTI Act, which exempted personal details and third party information and therefore, once again, no information was provided.

Rakesh Reddy says, “As a public body using public money, our MPs and Cabinet ministers

are dutybound to tell citizens facts. This is nothing unusual.

What is unusual is that they denied information citing this very principle as no reason for segregation or profiling.”

The reason he had filed this RTI was because minister Jayaram Ramesh, before launching the cash-transfer scheme had stated that “the Aadhaar was for the beneficiaries of government schemes. I am not a beneficiary so hence, I do not require one.”

“I was curious to know if they had registered for the scheme. I didn’t want to know their UIDs,” says Reddy.

4

city FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE They start young

L

ast year we had reported how a large number of children were increasingly turning pickpocketing and thievery. Trained and monitored by ustads, many of them were turning out to be nimble-fingered, leaving their hapless victims stunned at their dexterity. Right from wallets, mobile phones, passports to expensive articles, these children stole all.

MARCH 8, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

26,492

CIVIC

GHMC BEARING BRUNT OF OUTSOURCING With contract workers outnumbering regular employees, the government body is battling with increasing cases of corruption and other wrongdoings. Being treated as a non-entity, the outsourced employees rarely feel accountable, adding to the woes of the general public.

outsourced employees are working in the GHMC, while the number of regular ones is a mere 7,969.

Parents are to blame for spoiling their kids with excess money. When I asked a parent why her son had so much money, she said she didn’t want to be hated.

Dr Vasuprada Kartic See page 8

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

1

You’re a businessman in Begum Bazaar? Be fleeced.

Or at least that is what the traders in the area claim to be suffering from. They say the cops, who are patrolling the area, are fleecing them of money and their frisking is causing businesses to suffer.

2

Want to know if PM has an Aadhaar card? You can’t.

In not so many words, did the govt tell an RTI activist that this information was none of his business.

Some RTI Act we have.

3

GHMC payroll employees lose out to outsourced ones.

With outsourced employees outnumbering payroll ones in the GHMC, the cases of corruption are increasing.

4

MNCs now work towards women’s safety.

It took the Delhi gangrape to jolt everyone awake. MNCs are now taking steps to ensure the safety of their female employees.

5

Youth Congress will now work towards women’s safety.

Youth Congress members formed a human chain today and vowed to safeguard the interests of women.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

W

ith outsourcing ruling the roost in the GHMC, employees who are not on the payroll have become a headache for the general public who seek services, and for the officials under whom they work. As these contract workers are not given a say in important matters such as elections, their nonchalant attitude is negatively affecting the department.

There are thousands of

Lack of proper training for temporary employees is the reason for their lackadaisical behaviour which leads to several mistakes. employees in the GHMC, but outsourced employees are slowly outnumbering regular employees. As more and more workers retire, the junior

employees climb up the professional ladder, leaving the important clerical posts to outsourced workers.

According to Act 2 of 1994, the appointment of a person in any public service at any post, category or grade as a daily wage employee is prohibited.

But according to officials, there are 26,492 outsourced employees working in the GHMC, while the number of regular ones is 7,969. Only regular employees are allowed to take part in the GHMC elections, reducing the outsourced

employees, who form a majority, to a non-entity. This, says retired GHMC official V Kasinath, is one of the reasons why the outsourced employees do not feel accountable while doing serious work like making election cards.

Regularisation of contract workers was one of the top demands of GHMC unions when they went on a two-day strike along with the national unions. But the government rarely takes this demand seriously as it gave way for outsourcing a long time ago.

Lack of proper training for temporary employees is the reason for their lackadaisical behaviour which leads to several mistakes. Another reason is their meagre salary, which prompts them to take bribes from those seeking services from the department. For instance, getting birth and death certificates have become a big challenge for many as they end up shelling out huge amounts of cash in the form of bribe after exhausting their efforts. “The more the red tape, the more would be their chances to earn an extra buck,” feels an NRI. Following the recent scams related to mutation of government lands, in which outsourced employees played an important role, the debate on how to deal with contract workers has once again came to the fore. When quipped, officials directly put the onus on employment exchange and pay no heed to the need to regulate of these workers.

NEWS BRIEFS Probe into Sharmila’s assets too: Yanamala

Two arrested with 10kg ganja

Cops arrest four of a betting racket

GHMC aims to collect `21cr from traders

T

T

T

T

DP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Thursday demanded that the CBI inquiry into the illegal assets of Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy be extended to the assets of late YSR’s daughter Sharmila and her husband Bro Anil Kumar. The former Speaker stated that their assets had galloped unimaginably during YSR’s rule.

he Bahadurpura police on Thursday arrested one P Padmavathy, 60, and her son, P Shyam, 40, residents of Kavelli of Nellore from an RTC bus yesterday for possessing 10 kg of ganja. They later told the police that the stuff was being taken to the Bangalore market via Hyderabad.

he police team of Bowenpally has raided Mallikarjun Colony and arrested four people identified as, D Somi, Rahul, Vijay and Janak R, and seized 15 cell phones, two communication machines, a few laptops with printer and `10,000 in cash from their possession. It is said they had organised an illegal betting on India vs Aussies cricket match.

he GHMC aims at collecting `21 crore from 35,000 professional trade licenses. GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu asked the medical officers and deputy commissioners to personally supervise collection and help revenue augment. The GHMC has now given access to business establishments to apply for trade licenses through Mee Seva.

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city FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

POLITICS

1,600 women reception centres As a goodwill gesture towards women, home minister Sabita Indra Reddy announced the setting up of women reception centres at 1,600 police stations across the State.

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

A

ndhra Pradesh Youth Congress, under the leadership of Dr Challa Vamsichand Reddy, took a pledge to protect the dignity and self-respect of women on International Women’s Day. Forming a human chain on Necklace Road this morning, the Youth Congress leaders repeated the oath administered to them by home minister Sabita Indra Reddy. The oath taking was conducted at the foot of the statue of Indira Gandhi, whom the Youth Congress leaders termed the “symbol of woman power.”

“We, the Congress workers, pledge to protect the dignity of women,” the oath read. They also rededicated themselves to the protection of the unity and integrity of the country, and condemned atrocities against women. The YC president said AP Youth Congress would keep an unblemished record in this regard and would not tol-

erate ill-treatment of women by anyone, however powerful they may be.

The oath taking was organised throughout the State. All district headquarters held it, leaders said.

Later, addressing the media, Sabita Reddy said women reception centres would be set up in 1,600 police stations in the State.

The leaders rededicated themselves to the protection of the country’s integrity and condemned atrocities against women.

The reception counter will be manned by a policewoman and it will take care of complainants from women who come to the station. “The government will do everything possible to protect the interests of women,” the minister said.

Interestingly, there were only two women Youth Congress workers among around 200 participants.

N SHIVA KUMAR

AIFWA boycotts Women’s Day celebrations

A

ll India Forgotten Women’s Association (AIFWA), a group of harassed, distraught and tortured women of India, has decided to boycott observing the International Women’s Day. AIFWA gives a face and a voice to those mothers and sisters of husbands who have been harassed by women and women-centric laws and have nowhere to go. AIFWA gives them a platform to voice their woes and seek justice for the injustice done to them.

The Problem

A lot of false cases are making their way to the courts under Section 498A (dowry law), Domestic Violence Act and various maintenance sections in order to harass the husband and his family and encash a bad marriage.

Often, the entire family of the husband including, small children, sisters of the husband and his old parents, are named in the FIR in

order to put pressure on the husband. It is ironical that, at the pretext of one woman, on average, three other women suffer, who are the husband’s relatives.

DO YOU KNOW?

1.Every year, close to 40,000 women are arrested in false dowry cases without trial or investigation on the basis of one uninvestigated complaint, according to the arrest data provided by the National Crime Record Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs.

2.Between 2004–09, close to 2,00,000 innocent women have been arrested in false dowry cases, while the British Government arrested just 20,000 women in 40 years, as per arrest data provided by the National Crime Record Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Remedy: Bring genderneutral laws instead of seemingly progressive but regressive measures.

POLITICS

Silent resistance to Lokesh entry The TDP’s second rung leadership is mortally afraid of the YSRC making inroads and weaning away more and more MLAs and MPs from the TDP. They view it as a failure of Naidu.

PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

D

espite strong opposition from other leaders, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has evidently decided to make his son Lokesh his political heir.

His formal entry into politics at Venkatagirikota on Thursday makes the intention of the TDP chief clear. However, sources in TDP point out that powerful lobbies having industrial bases are opposed to Lokesh, whom they consider a threat to their future.

“Lokesh can’t be Akhilesh,” remarked an MP, but he did not elaborate, fearing backlash from the top brass. Leaders have hinted that there has been a silent protest at Lokesh’s entry, mainly

because his being young and enthusiastic may mar their ambitions.

Lokesh’s address to party supporters at Venkatagirikota was modest. He referred to his father as “my leader” and vowed not to flash the famous Churchillian V sign till his father returns to power. Sources supporting Naidu point out that the Nandamuri family’s resistance to Lokesh entering the fray has been tackled and now the shadow boxing from others in the party will be tamed as well. But the TDP’s second rung leadership is mortally afraid of the YSRC making inroads and weaning away more and more MLAs and MPs from the TDP. They view it as a failure of Naidu.

Meanwhile, TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu has decided to push along the Padayatra, skipping the budget session of the Assembly. He has already established a record for walkathon, and with Sharmila of YSRC retracing her father’s steps in Padayatra, Naidu does not want to give up the headstart he got. This would be the first time in his political career that he skipped an Assembly session.

Babu, who had been touring the Krishna district yesterday, called the Telugu Desam Legislature Party meeting at Dakaram.

In all, 45 MLAs and 9 MLCs reportedly attended the meeting.

It is learnt that Naidu was troubled since all the MLAs had not attended the meeting. Now it is

being discussed in political circles that the TDP might not move the no-confidence motion

For the first time in his political career, Naidu skipped an Assembly session. He has decided to push along his padayatra. because of the absence of Naidu.

NO CONFIDENCE MOTION

There is no effort from the TDP to move a no-confidence motion as demanded by the YSRC, MIM. It is learnt that TDP will not do so now.

6

city FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

WOMEN AT WORK

Safety at work gets priority

Corporate companies in the City are not only stressing on the need for self-defence for their women employees but are also conducting self-defence classes. Some companies also provide them with an opportunity to study while they work.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com

shocked the entire nation, many multinational companies have been stressing on the need to teach self defence to their female employees.

On the occasion of International Women’s day various corporate bodies in the City have organised workshops in martial arts and self defence.

Microsoft India Development Centre is one such company which organised a ‘women’s self defence’ class. “Learning some sort of self defence is the need of the hour. Though Hyderabad is comparatively safer than other cities, it is essential to know some form of martial art. Getting such support from the company one works motivates us even more,” says B Sinduja, who works for an MNC in the City.

Corporate bodies have also been continuously attempting to understand specific needs of women, and implement practices and support systems to

W

omen empowerment in the corporate world has gained momentum.

Companies are increasingly recruiting women employees to enhance their gender ratio.

According to a 2012 study conducted by The Great Place to Work Institute, some of the top corporate bodies have 40 per cent or more women employees.

To encourage their women employees and to provide a safe work atmosphere, most companies have a system of picking up these employees when they come to work, as opposed to an earlier system where they were only dropped back after work.

Corporate bodies have also been stressing on a safe and secure work environment for their female employees.

After the Delhi incident that

DANGEROUS HYDERABAD

SRINIVAS SETTY

SELLING AT SIGNALS

P

eople selling goods at traffic signals in the City is not an uncommon sight. They go to every vehicle to sell their merchandise when the signal turns red.

A roadside seller was spotted in the middle of RP road when the traffic came to a halt.

When the signal turns green, they immediately run between vehicles, increasing the risk of accidents. The women were found pestering drivers and passengers to

buy their goods. Little children were seen forcing people to buy their products.

While some give in when a child approaches them, some turn a blind eye. But the children hold on to the vehicles till the motorists agree to buy.

And there is a mad rush when the signal suddenly turns green.

This is dangerous, not only for those selling the goods, but also for the commuters.

address these needs. A convenience store, Easy Day, stands within the premises of Airtel, giving employees the comfort of buying groceries from the office premises itself.

Corporate bodies are attempting to understand specific needs of women, and implement practices and support systems to address these needs.

Women employees are given the flexibility of studying while working.

For instance, McDonalds, which provides employment opportunities for women from rural and tribal areas, in addition to underprivileged groups, gives its employees a chance further their careers, while also providing them with a chance to learn on-the-job.

7

classifieds FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

REPORTERS’ DIARY

You pay, they play, we suffer W

hen our children don’t do their homework or don’t perform in public examinations to our expectations, we upbraid them. Teachers and peers quickly shift the blame on the students. But when elected representatives, all of them parents and well looked after by the State, bunk work and instead go out to play, who will tweak their ears?

Assembly/Parliament halls being nearly empty or members making noise are all passé. As we don’t blame or punish them, they take this irresponsible behaviour to the next level: Utter disregard for the law.

At the orientation programme, over 60 per cent of MLAs/ MLCs did not turn up.

Of the 40 per cent who did, 20 per cent went out to play cricket.

Recently, AP Assembly speaker N Manohar organised an orientation programme for MLAs and MLCs on how to work effectively with various standing committees formed to help budgetary allocations to various departments. Over 60 per cent of them did not turn up.

Of the 40 per cent, 20 per cent went out to play cricket. The other 20 loitered around, say reports from the venue in Medak. Only the inaugural function had a fair number of them; later, it was a jolly carnival.

Same is with laptops and internet given to the MLAs. What it has turned out to be is that barring a small portion, laptops provide amusement to their kids. Now, we hear that the MLAs and MLCs are asking for exclusive offices in their constituencies to ‘serve’ the public.

Wow! What seva! Satyameva Jayate!

(PK)

MANTRIS TOO SUFFER

We know students and sportspersons suffer jitters caused by anxiety and excitement before an important event. But we didn’t know it could happen to a politician as well. IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah was recently caught in a jam, not of his own making, though.

The minister, who is an engineer turned politician, was hospitalised for hypertension and other allied ailments. The cause is attributed to the terrific war between two of his chums in his

For our leaders, playing cricket seems like a better use of their time rather than learning how to best serve the public.

district. It is said that both wanted to head DCCB. While he was trying to pacify the two, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy pitched in, fighting on the side of one, which turned the scales and put the minister in a spot. He suffered, it is said, and had to be hospitalised. Curiously, he was also hospitalised after the sudden death of YSR. (IA)

POOR BOSS! WHAT A FLOP

It was not only the lives and limbs the terrorists blasted in Dilsukhnagar, it was the very dreams of a couple of top brass in the police that were blasted along with the explosives.

Police grapevine has it that some at the top, who were about to retire in the next five to six months, were dreaming of extension and a happy ending to their career when bloody-nosed terror punctured their hopes. Even after the blasts, the very same officers tried to snatch the investigation from the NIA so that they could put up a ‘good show’ and crow about their success to please their political bosses. But the Centre threw cold water on their ambition and the blast investigation went to NIA. What were these worthies doing before the blasts? Why did they not do anything to prevent it?

Why did they put the chief minister’s life at high risk, allowing him to rush to ground zero half an hour after the blasts? Do they

know the drill in such a situation?

There are scores of questions the smart and effective in uniform want to ask but there are no answers. Policing is not just a job, it is also a public service. When will these men realise this?

(MS)

PUTTING CART BEFORE HORSE Hyderabad police are a class apart. When blood-thirsty terrorists blasted innocent people’s lives, they were playing Chinese checkers. But when they drew a blank after struggling for two weeks, they turned their ire to the very victims (us, the people), virtually blaming them for all ills.

Look at the drill they conducted in the past two weeks.

They played a tug-of-war with NIA and withdrew with egg on their face. Then, under the pretext of threats (which the jolly old IB issues intermittently like weather reports), they began to parade up and down the centre of commercial areas in the City, scaring the customers and browbeating shop owners. There are even allegations that some in uniform snatched cash from the unwary customers coming from districts to buy goods.

Listen to some other samples of ‘work’ the cops do in countering terror. At every major junction, a police tape record blares out in three languages the following: If you meet any suspicious characters around, please inform the police station or ring 100. If you see unclaimed luggage on the road, at malls or in shops, don’t touch but inform police. In this maddeningly overcrowded City, where there is absolutely no check on anyone (for all you know, the man next to you in the bus could be from Bangladesh or Pakistan), how the hell will people do this?

This sort of exercise is done in cities of limited population policed by intelligent boots. God save us!

(PK)

IT’S ALL THE SAME, RAHUL!

A popular tweet has been doing the rounds on the Internet —

“When Rahul Gandhi announced that he had no ambition to marry or become the Prime Minister of India, it clearly says one thing and one thing only. In India, getting married or becoming the Prime Minister will mean that you end up taking orders from some woman! It’s all the same.”

(RR)

NOW, GUNMEN FOR UNION LEADERS! The turf war between the two unions of the GHMC has prompted the president of the TRS-affiliate union to recruit two gunmen. The union leader, who has received unwarranted attention due to his actions in the recent months, was recently attacked by some ‘anti-social’ elements. Rather than pondering over why he was attacked, the president of GHMEU, U Gopal was given an idea by his compatriots to keep gunmen to avert future attacks. The young and hot-headed president was once told by minister (MA&UD) Maheedhar Reddy that he was ‘overtly zealous without any experience’, recalls the president of another employees’ association affiliated to TRS. (MN) (Contributed by Mohd Subhan, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Md Nizamuddin, Rahul Ramakrishna, Srinivas Setty & PK Surendran)

AGE OF FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

8

A PAGE DEDICATED TO THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF GEN Z

GRASS IS GREENER! Being a teenager in this fast-paced competitive world may not be the easiest thing, we understand.

However, using that as an excuse to ‘chill and relax’ is not the best thing either.

Postnoon talks to a few Gen Zeds who are growing up in a time where substance abuse is the new ‘in thing’.

NIDHI BHUSHAN

nidhi.b@postnoon.com

‘T

hey grow up so fast’ is a phrase that parents of Generation Zeds are just too aware of. They heard it while growing up and most are now saying it as they begin the parenting chapter of their lives. With an information overload, growing competition and easy availability of money, Gen Zeds are now multitasking, growing faster and are exposed to more and more things that we did only when we turned 25 (okay, 21!).

The youth today, according to numerous surveys conducted worldwide, start young — their first drink, a first drag and even their first encounter with substances like marijuana, LSD and ecstasy. “I had my first tequila shot when I was 14 years old,” says 21-year-old Ashutosh Gupta*, who also started smoking weed when he was 19. “I was pulled into it when I was in college as I met a few people who had easy access to the stuff. I’ve even tried ecstasy.”

Though smoking marijuana clearly seems to add to the ‘cool’ quotient in colleges and schools,

members of the Gen Z community have several ‘explanations’ as to why they indulge in such vices. “Can you name even one bad effect smoking grass has on people?” 19-year-old Nimit Bhatia* asks. Other than being ignorant to its bad effects, most youngsters also think that smoking pot makes them more creative. “Smoking pot definitely helps me think more creatively.

My friends and I usually gather every night to enjoy weed.

Moreover, weed isn’t as harmful as tobacco. I don’t smoke,” says a clueless Bhatia, adding that smoking pot is a good pastime for groups as well as individuals.

Easy access to such substances is a cause for concern.

“The number of children getting pulled into addiction is on the rise. While no one knows how they can easily access these substances, the increasing incidents prove that the drugs are readily available to them,” says consultant psychotherapist at Live Life Hospital, Dr Vasuprada Kartic.

“Even parents are to blame for spoiling their kids silly with excess pocket money or monthly allowances. When I asked the parent of a child who was a drug addict why he had so much money with him, she said that she didn’t want to be hated or judged by her son. She explained

DANGER SIGNS

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

COMMON HIGHS

Teenagers might be on drugs if:

Statistics given by National Institute on Drug Use in the US

Some of the most common substances that teenagers use to get high include:

n They overlook responsibilities at school, in college. n Skip tuition or bunk school/college classes too often. n Spend a significant amount of time alone. n Snap at people who they otherwise got along well with — friends and family members. n Lose temper at the slightest of things and say nasty things. n Lose weight as a result of poor eating. n Remain unmotivated and lethargic.

that she has to give her child pocket money as other parents give their children allowances.”

Dr Kartic adds that a burst of hookah bars and pubs has only added to growing vices. “They think it’s cool to hang out at such places,” she says. Even though most hookah places demand ID proof, minors still slip in.

“Usually, hookah places check one ID per table. So, even in a group of six or seven people, having one adult with an ID proof is enough,” says 19-yearold Radhika Singh*.

n 93 per cent of teen males and 62 per cent of females have seen online pornography. n 40 per cent of teens have hacked someone’s social media profile. n 43 per cent of teenagers have accessed simulated violence online. n Young people have always, generally, aspired to be a bit older than they are, and Gen Z has aimed higher, earlier. The mostwanted Christmas present for kids in 2010 was the iPhone 4, followed by the iPod and the iPad.

Nitika Dayal, a young professional in Delhi, had studied this subject. She says: “Through my research, I found that tobacco companies take advantage of the gullibility of the youth. The irony is that they inculcate the bad habit through their no-smoking drives. Many also pay students generously for interning with them and lure them with parties and other ‘cool’ things to do.”

Dayal added that the target consumers are teenagers as they are at an impressionable age. (*Names changed…obviously!)

Marijuana: Weed, pot, grass; the same drug over generations… perhaps that’s why marijuana is the most commonly used drug today (“My parents probably did it, so why can’t I?”). But today’s marijuana is much more potent, and the fact that many kids are trying pot at a younger age means they’ll be more likely to advance to more powerful substances as they get older. It’s not a drug to be taken lightly.

Prescription drugs: An estimated 20 per cent of teens have used prescription drugs to get high.

This growing trend is so troubling because of how easy it is to obtain these drugs.

Ecstasy: This drug is very popular among the dance club scene and is now being marketed to kids, using cartoon character stamps.

With its designs and cheap prices, this stimulant has, unfortunately, become a popular pastime.

Inhalants: The presence of inhalants has become another danger in most teenage homes.

Teens and pre-teens have begun sniffing or huffing certain chemicals or household items in order to get high.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

focus

SQUARE OF SHAME

Since the revolution that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the problem has snowballed, with women now being regularly attacked by mobs of men in and around Tahrir Square. The attackers have stripped women of their clothes with knives, sexually assaulted them and penetrated them with their fingers.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

9

Egypt Eves fight sexual terror Victims refuse to be cowed down by attempts at intimidation and negative labelling. attention and treatment, and is linked to the broader social problem of endemic and daily sexual harassment and assault of women,” it said.

“We do not want to use the term ‘harassment.’ What is happening today is sexual terrorism,” said Inas Mekkawy, a women’s rights activist with the group Baheya.

Abu Islam, a controversial Islamic preacher who owns a satellite television channel described the women as “naked, non-veiled”, and said they go to Tahrir “to get raped.”

‘INDIFFERENCE AND SCORN’

INES BEL AIBA feedback@postnoon.com

F

aced with a spike in sexual violence against female protesters, Egyptian women are overcoming stigma and recounting painful testimonies to force silent authorities and a reticent society to confront “sexual terrorism.”

The victims of the attacks have been talking openly about their ordeals, insisting they will not be intimidated by a campaign they believe is aimed at shunning them from public life.

“We are not victims, we are revolutionaries. What happened to us has made us stronger and we will continue” to take to the streets, said activist Aida al-Kashef.

Harassment of women is by no means new on Egypt’s streets, where they were often the target of verbal abuse and sometimes groping.

But since the revolution that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the problem has snowballed, with women now being regularly attacked by mobs of men in and around Tahrir Square.

The attackers have stripped women of their clothes with knives, sexually assaulted them and penetrated them with their fingers.

Outraged Egyptians came together to form groups such as Operation Anti

Sexual Harassment and Tahrir Bodyguard that bring together volunteers to intervene to stop the attacks in Tahrir Square where police are largely absent.

The groups also offer medical and psychological support to the victims.

On January 25, as thousands of Egyptians marked the second anniversary of their uprising, at least 19 women were assaulted, according to Operation Anti

Sexual Harassment.

Some argue the attacks are politically motivated.

“These attacks aim to exclude women from public life and punish them for participating in political activism and demonstrations. They are also an attempt to ruin the image of Tahrir Square and demonstrators in general,” said the group.

“This phenomenon requires urgent

I felt angry, and I want justice Y

asmine al-Baramawy, who was assaulted in November, highlighted the degree of violence when during a talk show she held up the ripped trousers she wore the day she was attacked.

“They gathered around me and started ripping my clothes off with knives,” Baramawy told AFP. She was then dragged several hundred metres (yards), while being touched and groped, until residents of neighbouring area saved her from the crowd.

“I didn’t feel sad or feel that my pride had been damaged. I felt angry, and I want justice,” Baramawy said.

A large part of the problem lies in the indifference of the authorities and society’s scorn.

“They ask the victim: ‘What were you doing in Tahrir? How were you dressed?

What time did you go?” Soraya Bahgat of Tahrir Bodyguard told AFP. Another member of the group, Ahmed Shokri, who intervened in “six or seven” of such attacks, recounts one of the incidents. “Some people had belts in their hand, others had knives. You don’t know who is doing what. We try to form a cordon around the women and try to pull them (to safety) into the entrance of a building or a shop,” he told AFP. “The problem is that there are people who say they are coming to help, but we don’t know if it’s true.

“That day, five men told me: ‘I’m the brother of the girl.’ I believed the first one, but then there was a second then a third then a fourth. I understood then that these people know what they’re doing,” Shokri said.

To the fury of many activists, members of Egypt’s upper house — the Islamistdominated Shura Council — recently heaped blame on the victims because they “know they are going somewhere where there are thugs,” according to local press reports.

One senator even called for the segregation of men and women during demonstrations, while another said the tents used for the sit-ins in Tahrir Square had become a place of prostitution.

The National Council for Women said it had been tasked by the prime minister with drafting a comprehensive law against all forms of violence against women.

But activists say they are sceptical about the impact of such a law in the absence of a real will to apply it.

AFP

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Business

JAPAN OUT OF RECESSION

Japan squeaked out of recession in the last quarter. The 0.2 per cent rise in GDP on an annualised basis in the quarter to December will be welcome news for PM Shinzo Abe, whose first few months in office have seen renewed optimism over the state of the world's third largest economy.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

10

SBH SCHEME FOR WOMEN

Rainy day can be better Every financial need that is likely to occur has to be anticipated before choosing investment options or financial planning.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

M

ost people believe that having savings in a bank account will suffice any kind of financial need that occurs in life. However, financial planners say that every financial need that occurs in life has to be anticipated and must be assessed individually before choosing investment options or fi n a n c i a l planning.

“Anyone who saves money should know the goal of his savings and time left out to achieve it. He should only allocate and decide the

investment option after risk profiling, goal and time left to achieve it.

“Financial planning has to be started at the start of the professional career rather than at retiring time. Let us assume a person at age of 25-28, started his career with a salary of `25,000.

Ideally, he has to set his g o a l s based on his income and liabilities at the start of his career by looking at the needs that arise at different points of his lifetime. He

Any financial planning should start with insurance planning.

One should buy the health insurance policy to cover the eventuality in case one gets ill and needs a surgery/treatment. also need allocate considerable amount to different investment options after his monthly spending,” says Arun Joseph, product manager, Third Party products, JRG securities.

“Any financial planning should start with insurance planning. First and foremost, he should buy the health insurance policy to cover the eventuality in case one gets ill and needs a major surgery/treatment/hospitalisation.

“Secondly, he should have life insurance policy that is equal to 10 times the amount of the annual salary. This can also be determined by the liabilities towards his family that one has in the event of death or during disablement. It is up to the individual how much money he or she has to leave for the family

for their maintenance and expenditure.

“After insurance, it is savings for retirement that takes a major role in financial planning.

Choosing mutual funds will be an ideal way of doing it. An employee at the start of the career has to go through a systematic approach by saving little amounts for his financial needs,” he says.

“Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a smart financial planning tool that helps you to create wealth, by investing small sums of money every month, over a period of time. It also provides for the future by investing small amounts of money in Mutual Fund schemes of your choice.

“Although there is a risk return profile in this case, the stock markets always performed well in the long term.

Any mutual fund does not invest in one company but it shares equity among many companies.

“For instance, the financial market gave an average return of 18 per cent (YoY) in last 20 years. If the individual is left with any more money, he can also consider saving money through recurring deposits,” he says.

Investment options

Form of return

EQUITY SHARES/MF

Risk return profile

High Risk, High Returns, Highly Liquid Relatively Risky depending upon Credit Rating, average return less liquid Capital Appreciation Medium Safety, High Liquidity Capital Appreciation Medium Safety, Medium Liquidity Interest High Safety, Low Returns

Dividend, Rights, Bonus, Price Appreciation CORPORATE DEBENTURE/ Interest, Price COMPANY FD/ BONDS Appreciation

GOLD REAL ESTATE BANK DEPOSIT

10g GOLD `29,669 10g GOLD`31,100 1kg `60,100 1kg SILVER `54,872

24C 24C

for for

for for

DOLLAR `54.44 `53.79 `81.61 POUND `85.15

State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) celebrated International Women’s Day by launching a special term deposit product for women customers on March 7. The bank is offering 40 basis points (additional interest rate) over the normal card rate for 400 days deposit to all women customers. The rate of interest is 9.40 per cent for amounts up to `1 crore with a tenure of 400 days. The interest is quarterly compounded and gives annual yield of 9.89 per cent. The offer, which is valid only for three days, also gives 50 basis points additional interest rate (9.9 per cent) to senior citizens with annual yield of 10.44 per cent.

Women can jointly open the account with a male depositor and the maximum deposit acceptable under the scheme is `10 crore.

NUMEROLOGY

$15.3

bn

is China's trade surplus in February.

Exports surged more than 20 per cent in February on-year despite the Lunar New Year holiday, data showed Friday, in another sign of recovery.

FACEBOOK NEWSPAPER? Facebook began Thursday transforming the stream of updates from friends at homepages into a "personalised newspaper," with news ranging from the personal to the global. The News Feed on homepages at the leading social network was revamped to get rid of clutter and present "bright, beautiful" stories, such as insights from friends or trending news of the day.

Facebook is rolling out the new News Feed "very slowly" at its website reached by desktop or laptop, and will begin adding it to smartphone and tablet applications in the coming weeks. Each News Feed will automatically be tuned to the interests of individual Facebook users, according to technical lead Chris Struhar. Pictures in the feed will be gleaned from friends' posts or online pages people have indicated they "like."

BSE 6,057.70 5,908.25 NSE

20,025.67 19,558.62 44.10 145.08 9.20 44.95

11

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

nation

CURFEW IN SRINAGAR, OTHER TOWNS OF KASHMIR Curfew was imposed Friday in all major towns of the Kashmir Valley, including this summer capital, to prevent violent protests in view of the volatile situation following the death of a youth in police firing earlier this week.

Curfew would remain in force in the entire Srinagar city and all major towns.

SECURITY MEASURES

FAMILY MATTERS

Security tightened before Pak PM visit Four-layered security arrangements will be put in place from the helipad to the shrine, the officer added.

NEW DELHI: Sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary sitar player Pt Ravi Shankar, carries her son during presentation of the first Annual Tagore Award for Cultural harmony to her father at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday.

PTI PHOTO

US scheme for Indian urban poor The MCHIP will support the government in establishing quick response teams.

MUMBAI: The US has announced extension of two of its flagship projects on child survival in India by pledging financial support, an official said. Integrated maternal and child health project (MCHIP) and health of urban poor project (HUP) have been pledged support, said visiting US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah.

The MCHIP, with a total funding of $16.4 million, will support the Indian government in establishing quick response teams which in turn will help

states on the cusp of accelerating their efforts for child survival. The HUP programme will continue to support the government in implementing its various urban health initiatives, Shah told reporters here.

“I applaud the Government of India’s commitment to saving children’s lives by establishing an integrated approach to address reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health,” Shah said. The USAID has also announced a new effort to support diarrhoea management, one of the leading causes of child deaths.

JAIPUR: A Pakistani security team arrived in Rajasthan’s Ajmer town Friday, a day ahead of the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Prevez Ashraf to the world famous shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty in Ajmer, over 140 km from here.

A senior police officer told IANS that elaborate security arrangements were being made in consultation with the Pakistani security team.

“At least 1,000 policemen will be deputed in and around the shrine area for the security of Prime Minister Ashraf. The district administration has deputed 10 duty magistrates to oversee the security,” the officer said.

The officer added that the shrine will be vacated minutes before the arrival of the Pakistan prime minister Saturday morning.

Four-layered security arrangements will be put in place from the helipad to the shrine, the officer added.

“There will be snipers in the shrine area. Police will be deputed every fifty metres of the route the Pakistan prime minister will pass,” the officer said.

The administration has

Pick

A senior police officer said that the Ajmer shrine will be vacated minutes before the arrival of the Pakistan prime minister on Saturday morning.

ordered closure of shops here.

“The shops will remain closed until he leaves the shrine,” the police officer said.

Ajmer divisional commissioner Kiran Soni Gupta also held a meeting of senior police and administration officials Friday and asked them to remain extra vigilant as some groups have planned protests during the visit.

NEWS BRIEFS Woman’s decomposed body found in Thane

Three killed as car rams into lorry

Two arrested for killing tiger at Rajaji Park

THANE: A decomposed body of an unidentified woman was found at a secluded place here, police said today. The body, bearing wounds, was found in a valley amid trees near Balkapra bridge in Jawhar taluka of Thane district last evening after people near the area complained of foul smell, police inspector K N Avchar said.

SALEM (TN): Three persons based in Kerala were killed and another person was injured today when their car collided with a lorry near Omalur on the Dharmapuri-Salem National Highway, police said. The victims were returning to Kottayam from Bangalore when their car rammed into the lorry.

DEHRADUN: Two people were arrested for allegedly poisoning a tiger at Gohri range of Rajaji National Park on February 7, a senior park official today said. Ghani and Saddam Hussain, who belong to the Gujjar community, were arrested from Gohri range of the park last evening by a combined team of SOG and wildlife personnel.

at the

airport,

-

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

World SYRIAN SITUATION

‘Rebels firm on hostage demands’ MANILA: The Philippines said Friday that rebels who are holding 21 Filipino peacekeepers hostage in Golan Heights are insisting Syrian troops leave the area before releasing their captives.

The refusal by the Syrian rebels to compromise had dampened hopes of the UN peacekeepers being released quickly, and forced the government to step up its negotiation efforts, foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

“The demand of the rebels for the re-positioning of Syrian forces in the area of Jamla is still outstanding so this is still being worked out,” he said on ABS-CBN television.

The rebels want the Syrian troops to move 20 kilometres (12 miles) back from Jamla, an area in the Golan’s ceasefire zone, before they will free the Filipinos, he said.

“That is the main demand of the rebel group,” he told AFP, adding he did not know of any other conditions. The Philippine government had previously received information that raised hopes the 21 would be released on Friday morning, Philippine time, and the government now did not know if or when they would be freed, Hernandez said.

“We are trying to intensify our negotiations with the rebel groups,” he said.

However he said the Filipino peacekeepers were still being treated well. “(They are) being treated as guests and are unharmed,” Hernandez said.

AFP

NO DATE SET FOR CONCLAVE YET As the last of the 115 cardinal electors arrived in Rome, speculation has mounted that the cardinals would soon set a date for the start of the conclave to appoint Pope Benedict's successor. "We shall see, we shall see," Italian cardinal Crescenzio Sepe told journalists.

KOREAN CRISIS

12

OSAMA KIN FACES CHARGES

Kim vows all-out war, scraps pacts Inspects units that shelled the nearby South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in November 2010, killing four.

Soldiers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in military training at an undisclosed place in North Korea.

SEOUL: With tensions surging on the Korean peninsula, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un talked of “all-out war” as he toured a frontline unit that shelled the South in 2010, state media said Friday.

Visiting two islands close to the disputed maritime border with South Korea on Thursday, Kim said the North’s military was “fully ready to fight a Korean style all-out war,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The tour coincided with an outpouring of vitriol from Pyongyang over UN sanctions imposed for its nuclear test last month, with the North threaten-

ing pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the US and its allies, and vowing to rip up peace pacts with South Korea.

Speaking to troops, Kim said the slightest provocation would result in his immediate order for a “great advance” along the entire frontline with the South.

On Mu island, he inspected artillery units that shelled the nearby South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in November 2010, killing four and triggering an exchange of fire that sparked fears of a full-blown conflict.

State television showed Kim inspecting the craters left by South artillery shells on the island in what he described as

AFP

the “most gratifying” battle since the end of the Korean war in 1953. The footage showed him with binoculars looking across at Yeonpyeong island and apparently discussing target selection with the artillery officers.

“He reconfirmed in detail reinforced fire power strike means and targets of the enemy deployed on five islets,” including Yeonpyeong island and “defined the order of precision strikes” on those targets, KCNA said. Kim was accompanied on his tour by top members of the North Korean leadership, including political commissar Choe Ryong-Hae and Defence Minister Kim Kyok-Sik. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS 5-year-old saves siblings from fire

11 dead, dozens injured in Vietnam bus crash

Knife-wielding attackers Suu Kyi’s party holds kill four in Xinjiang landmark congress

MEXICO CITY: A five-year-old boy saved his two-year-old and sixmonth-old brothers when a fire broke out at their family’s house in Hermosillo, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sonora, the fire department said. Firefighters responded to the blaze in northwest Hermosillo Wednesday and found the three boys outside the house.

HANOI: At least 11 people died and dozens more were injured when two passenger buses crashed early Friday in central Vietnam, a policeman said. The collision happened after midnight in coastal Khanh Hoa province, leaving 49 people injured, a local traffic police official told AFP. At least 30 people are killed in road accidents in Vietnam every day.

BEIJING: Several knife-wielding attackers killed four people and wounded eight others in ethnicallydivided Xinjiang, a government official said on Friday. The attackers were members of the Uighur ethnic group. They often have tense relations with the millions of Han Chinese who have moved to the region in search of jobs.

YANGON: Aung San Suu Kyi’s party opened its first ever party conference on Friday, as it sets its sights on the challenges of power in Myanmar after years in the political wilderness. An estimated 850 representatives will attend talks that aim to redefine the NLD leadership — an event hailed by the party as unprecedented

Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law has been captured and is due to appear in court in New York on Friday on charges he plotted with the Al-Qaeda leader to stage attacks on Americans. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, reportedly a 47-yearold Kuwaiti and allegedly one of the chief propagandists of the AlQaeda network, stands accused of having “conspired, confederated, and agreed to kill nationals of the United States,” according to a Justice Department indictment.

A Turkish newspaper had reported earlier that Ghaith was seized

by US authorities at a luxury hotel in Ankara last month and was deported to Jordan, before being taken to the United States. But FBI, White House and CIA officials declined to comment on how Bin Laden’s son-in-law ended up behind bars on American soil.

Kuwait had stripped Ghaith of his citizenship a month after the 9/11 attacks.

SENATE NOD FOR BRENNAN President Barack Obama’s nominee as the next director of the CIA received Senate approval after the White House clarified its drone policy satisfying a Republican senator who had held up the vote with a 13-hour filibuster. John Brennan, Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, who is considered the top architect of the White House policy of targeting terrorism suspects with unmanned aircraft or drones, was confirmed by the Senate Thursday by a 63-34 vote that crossed party lines.

You shouldn't be afraid of your own people. What people want and expect their president to do is to restore an open, direct dialogue with them.

Mikhail Gorbachev Former Soviet leader

13

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Technology CeBIT 2013

AT WORLD’S TOP IT FAIR, FIRMS MULL DEATH OF EMAIL MARIE JULIEN feedback@postnoon.com HANOVER: “You want to get rid of email? Good luck with that,” smiles Tom Reuner, an IT analyst at British firm Ovum.

But at the CeBIT, the world’s biggest high-tech fair in the northern German city of Hanover, some firms are considering doing just that, as studies show that workers spend nearly one third of their day sorting through emails.

The French firm Atos, for example, plans to shift its internal communications onto a Facebook-style social networking platform by 2014.

Displaying its “Zero Email” system at the CeBIT, Atos, led by former French finance minister Thierry Breton, has said it wants to rid society of emails.

Breton has even compared the project to “reducing environmental pollution after the industrial revolution.”

Atos project leader Robert Shaw told AFP the firm was

“on track in moving our organisation towards a collaborative work environment not based on emails by 2014.” There are “already more than 20,000 staff” on the internal “BlueKiwi” system, explained Shaw. The most committed ones “do not use internal emails any more, since they collaborate together and get their work done in a more enjoyable and effective way,” he added.

Atos believes that by changing the way staff communicate with each other internally, a firm’s productivity could be boosted by as much as 20 percent. This chimes with a study carried out by the US consulting firm McKinsey which showed that the average office worker spent around 28 percent of their time reading, writing and sorting tens or hundreds of emails each day.

Atos is not the only firm trying to deal with what many regard as the plague of emails.

Lanvin, Deloitte and Intel

A study by McKinsey showed that the average office worker spent around 28 per cent of their time reading, writing and sorting emails. have all tried to instigate “email-free days.”

Some individuals have taken it upon themselves to do away with the flood of electronic messages, like Luis Suarez, in charge of promoting “business 2.0” at US computing giant IBM, who has scarcely used email for the past five years. “It’s not collaborative enough, it’s not open enough, it’s not transparent enough,” complained Suarez in a recent video post, acknowledging however that it would take a long process of education to wean people off email.

Dieter Kempf, head of German high-tech lobby group

BITKOM, told AFP that although he was among those irritated by the flood of daily emails, he acknowledged that they have greatly improved communication within society.

“I think we can learn a lot from social networking technology to create different communication forms within a company,” said Kempf.

Using systems similar to Facebook or Twitter, employees can share ideas, tell others what they are working on in real time, transfer documents or ask questions, without having to send emails copied to dozens of colleagues.

And as analyst Tom Reuner pointed out, reports of the death of the email may be exaggerated.

“This could only happen at an internal level (of a company),” he noted.

“You may be able to change the behaviour of your own employees but how do you deal with suppliers, the external side?”

AFP

SELLING HOT The Tablet buzz is getting louder for digital consumers in India. In the fourth quarter of 2012 (October-December) 1.09 million such devices were sold in the country, accounting for 35.3 per cent of total shipments for the entire year. Shipments for the full calendar year (CY) 2012 clocked 3.1 million units, said a report on Tablet devices by CyberMedia Research (CMR). Tablets were first launched in India in October 2010. Since then, such devices have seen rapid changes, particularly with the emergence of the ‘Phablet’ segment. In 2012, ‘Phablets’ constituted 16.5 per cent of total sales and this trend is expected to strengthen.

EA’S SCREW UP Game publisher Electronic Arts really screwed up the launch of the much awaited Sim City. Gamers need to be connected to the Internet all the time to play the game as one can share resources with actual people who will be your neighbour. However, many gamers faced difficulty connecting to the server and for many of them their cities wouldn’t open. The company states that it has added more servers for the game so that it works smoothly for everyone.

Another win Apple wins another patent battle against Samsung. This particular battle was over the Standard Essential Patent use in products, these patents have the ability to send and receive messages using at 3G-capable device. Judge Christopher Floyd ruled that Samsung was wrong and Apple didn’t infringe on their patents.

Apple’s representative has yet to make a statement regarding the matter. According to patent expert Florian Mueller, Apple has dodged 24 Standard-Essential Patents from Samsung whereas the latter only missed three patents and two of those were in Korea. Mueller added that every time Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) scores another win, Samsung’s request for 2.4 per cent of Apple’s royalties looks more pointless.

A person stands by a banner reading 'cloud' at the telecoms stand at the CeBIT 2013.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Comment In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.

REFERENDUM

CAT BARTON Agence France-Presse

W

hen Vietnam’s communist leaders asked for public comment on their plan to amend the country’s constitution they did not anticipate unleashing an unprecedented debate on the party’s monopoly on power.

What was supposed to be a ritualistic consultation has morphed into a fierce open discussion on topics like human rights and land ownership on everywhere from state television to dissident blogs.

The furore started when 72 respected academics submitted a petition in January through the National Assembly as part of the consultation process, calling for multiparty democracy, respect for human rights, private land ownership and an apolitical army that served the people not the party.

They also called for the abolition of Article 4, the clause that protects the party’s power, and for a clear separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government — revolutionary demands in the one-party state that have spread like wildfire online.

Nearly 6,000 people have signed the petition so far — the public consultation period on the reforms ends on March 31 — and it has even found support among a section of the Communist Party itself.

Unnerved by the popular outrage and criticism, the party has already hit back, with top leaders issuing stern warnings about those who seek to use the consultation process to “sabotage the party”.

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FALKLANDERS HOPE TO SEND A MESSAGE ROBIN MILLARD

Galileo Galilei Scientist

‘Nam debate irks commies

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Talk of being caught between the rock and a hard place. India faces the dilemma of choosing between local sentiment and strategic concerns when it votes on the UN resolution on Sri Lankan war crimes. With China waiting in the shadows, the super power aspirant faces a tough choice.

Agence France-Presse

T

he Falkland Islands will vote in a referendum on Sunday and Monday which residents hope will send a crystal-clear message to Argentina and the world about their strong desire to stay British. In a move instigated by residents of the barren archipelago themselves, the 1,672 eligible voters are being asked specifically whether they want the Falklands to retain their status as an internally self-governing British territory.

They hope the outcome will provide a slap in the face to an increasingly bellicose Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner, who has been ramping up the diplomatic tension with London over Buenos Aires’ long-held sovereignty claims.

Britain has held the windswept South Atlantic Ocean islands since 1833 but Buenos Aires claims they are occupied Argentinian territory.

The two countries fought a brief but bloody war over the islands in 1982.

An overwhelming “yes” result is not in any doubt but the islanders hope an emphatic verdict will be a clear statement of

their belief in the right to selfdetermination.

“We would be deluding ourselves if we thought that Argentina would change overnight, but we hope it’ll be a strong message to them and to others,” legislative assembly member Jan Cheek, a sixth generation Falkland Islander, said.

London will not discuss sovereignty issues with Buenos Aires unless the islanders expressly wish it.

On April 2, 1982, Argentina’s then-ruling junta invaded the Falklands, sparking a 74-day war with Britain which cost the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British troops.

If the invasion hardened the minds of the staunchly proBritish islanders further, Kirchner’s relentless tub-thumping has done likewise for a whole new generation.

“We are reasonable people; we are open to dialogue on a number of things,” Dick Sawle, another of the islands’ eight elected legislative assembly members, told AFP. “What we are not going to talk about is sovereignty because the people don’t want to -- and it’s as simple as that.”

Diplomatic friction between Argentina and Britain has intensified since 2010, when London authorised oil prospecting in the waters around the islands. But Falkland Islanders suspect

Kirchner’s often-emotional crusade is a ruse to divert domestic attention away from Argentina’s mounting economic problems.

Four-fifths of the rugged islands’ 2,563 residents live in the capital Stanley, with its pubs, red telephone boxes and Union Jack flags on the buildings.

However, polling stations in remote villages and even mobile voting booths will be used to make sure those in even the farthest-flung sheep farms get the chance to cast their ballots.

Several countries have sent official international observers.

“The result will demonstrate in a clear, democratic and incontestable way how the people of the Falkland Islands wish to live their lives,” the Falklands’ government said in a statement.

The referendum question reads: “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom?”

The residents hope that the result will give their views a greater platform in discussions about the islands, which often get bogged down in disputed historical minutiae dating back to the 16th century, long before Argentina came into being.

Sukey Cameron, who represents the Falklands government in London, said they expect Buenos Aires to disregard the result. However, “at least, internationally, it will bring the islanders into the forefront, rather than just an argument between Britain and Argentina.”

EDITORIALS People’s leader

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hen Kim Jong ill died the year before last, there were handout pictures of his people mourning the death of their beloved leader. Women and men alike were seen beating their chests and heads, wailing over the loss of Kim. But everyone knew that all that was mere show and beyond that ostensible grief what truly made them do it was fear for their lives.

Fast forward to March 6. A whole nation was swept by grief and loss when Hugo Chavez died.

Chavez was not a perfect man, neither was he the perfect leader, but that his people loved him is a fact. How the revolution he led has fared may be a matter of debate, but he was able to win the hearts of his people. His detractors claimed he in reality was stifling his nation with his “madcap” policies, but how does that count when he had the people’s support? And when he died his funeral procession looked like a red sea of grief and his coffin held aloft and conveyed by the waves of that sea of people. Die-hard Chavez supporters were in tears, some chanting, some screaming, that “Chavez lives” and that gives eternal life to him.

READERS’ VIEWS

Be safe, stay at home!

T

hese are the pearls of wisdom from the Delhi Police to a woman journalist who went to the thana to lodge a complaint on being molested by two bikers. If this is the help law enforcers give to a journalist, imagine the plight of thousands of ‘not-so-empowered’ women in the Capital. When cops think that locking up women is the solution to sexual assaults, they aren’t different from khaps.

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

Editor: Dean Williams

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

On International Women’s Day, we bring you excerpts from the lives of some women in our City whose courage and determination to set things right have made a difference. Here’s saluting these brave women.

CHANGING THE FABRIC OF LIFE Mamata Reddy is the woman who brought back the light to 40 artisan families. It is her efforts that changed the way Kalamkari work is perceived in the country now.

KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

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ome 40 families in Kalahasti in Tirupati lead a stable life through their traditional skills of free hand painting on fabric. It was the invasion of one woman Mamata Reddy, then 25, who was visiting her native place Tirupati. She stumbled upon a kalamkari artist selling wall hangings except that there were no takers. She stepped in, suggesting the painters to work on her ideas. Then reluctant, today those painters are a part of her Kalam Creations Artisans Society, living sustainably with so much to look forward to.

Today when designers like Sashikant Naidu and Gaurang Shah think Kalamkari, the first and probably the only name that occurs to them is of Mamata Reddy. She gleams with satisfaction that not even a day goes when her painters have no work.

For all her efforts, and there have

been many, on an average, these painters make anywhere between `25,000 and 1 lakh in a month.

The journey has been tough to get here but that’s what makes her story worth sharing.

“When I asked the painters to work on my ideas, they were very reluctant. But I started with one painter and persuaded him to try new things.” She made utility accessories like wallets, pillow cases or handbags and clothes instead of just as wall hangings.

She shifted to bright colours like royal blue, pink and experimented with black, too. Having converted them to match changing trends, the next step was to market them. A mathematics graduate as she and a few ignorant painters could only depend on trial and error. First few orders, as it usually happens, came through word of mouth. “I sent a kalamkari pillow case to my sister in Mumbai.

Her friends liked it and placed orders.” They even travelled to other cities displaying their gar-

ments, meeting people, designers and hence, gradually building a strong clientele. All her pieces are made from scratch under her guidance. She works with weavers in Andhra Pradesh, gives them the count of each fabric and instructs on what colours they have to be dyed in. Then they go for kalamkari ideas which also come from her. She strictly uses vegetable dye, is against power loom and screen printing. Her will is for our traditional artists who get their due as she encourages her painters to fix the price. “If I give them a price, they will work rigidly.

I won’t get a good piece from them.

So I let

them do their best work and decide the monetary worth of their work. I am very particular and confident about the quality of my cloth,” beams Mamata.

TREATING LIVES Growing up in a family where helping those in need was a top priority, Dr Vasuprada Kartic had her value system in place. She consciously included volunteer work as part of her professional life as a psychiatrist.

NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

S

itting in a shrink’s chair to give advice to people is what psychiatrists usually work towards. But consultant psychotherapist at Live Life Hospital Dr Vasuprada Kartic had bigger plans.

She signed up as a psychiatrist to be available, especially to women and children, for help 24/7. “Helping children generally includes helping mothers too. Both go hand in hand,” says Dr Kartic, who started as a volunteer at the Institute of Mental Health.

“It was as a volunteer that I encountered grass-root level problems for the first time. It was as a volunteer that I first dealt with a 12year-old rape victim,” says Dr Kartic with a heavy heart. “I grew up in a family where everyone was willing to help others. And, luckily I got married to somebody who has the same value system as me.” To

“There isn’t a day when I don’t feel satisfied or fulfilled about what I’m doing, especially after Deeksha was formed.”

Dr Kartic and her family, it never mattered what class or status the person in need belonged to. “Even my daughter spent a summer with orphaned children teaching them art and craft when she was just in sixth grade.” CEO and President at the Deeksha Foundation’s Centre for Psychological Consulting and Services, Dr Kartic says: “I’ve worked in special education so that I can help parents who have children with special needs. There isn’t a day when I don’t feel satisfied or fulfilled about what I’m doing, especially after Deeksha was formed.”

Dr Kartic who actively deals with battered women and children,

especially those who fall in the BPL bracket, has never turned away a person seeking help as affordability was never an issue. “Most women who hail from underprivileged backgrounds and have children with special needs are harassed from all directions. Whether it’s their husbands picking a hand on them or their in-laws blaming them for bearing an unhealthy offspring, she goes through it all. After seeing all this, I’ve made preventing disability my life’s goal,” Dr Kartic says. “I’ve even made a presentation at the state-level medical convention on preventing disability.”

One among the two certified anthroposophic psychotherapists in the country, Dr Kartic is now working towards opening a clinic that caters to having healthy children.

“The clinic will have all that it takes to have a healthy child. From awareness to medical and physical help, I want would-be mothers to have it all,” she says.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

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earless and undeterred, Jameela Nishat had her goals clearly defined. She wanted to help women be heard in the otherwise patriarchal Muslim society. Hailing from a reasonably liberal background, Nishat grew up in Sultan Shahi. She took to writing poetry after she wasn’t allowed to pursue her other interests — painting and dancing.

“My father was a painter and I grew up appreciating art for what it was — art. We were brought up in a liberal environment — something

that is rare in the Muslim community,” says Nishat. The 57-year-old feminist has dedicated her life to bridging the communal gap and helping women from the Muslim community and those belonging to the schedule caste and other backward classes. “I was socially boycotted in 2000 when I spoke against domestic violence,” she recalls.

“After working at Asmita for five years and registering my own organisation called Shaheen Women Resource and Welfare Association, I received plenty of anonymous calls in the beginning.

People threatened me as I had written against the burqa, polygamy and domestic violence. Things got uglier in 2003 when a group of men attacked Shaheen. I stood alone in front of them, without any backing or support and answered their questions for more than two hours.

They blamed me for teaching women wrong things and said that I needed to be taught religion again,” recalls Nishat.

“Shaheen was even issued a Fatwa. I tore that paper and threw it in the bin,” laughs Nishat. Citing examples of

battles won, Nishat says she cannot imagine doing something else.

“When women come to Shaheen for help, she becomes a part of the family.

We give them the space to open up about the horrors they have faced. And, every

woman who comes here has got such pathos in her life that I’m sure normal people cannot even listen to it,” says Nishat, citing the example of a seven-year-old girl who had been raped by her widowed father.

After putting in uninterrupted work for 12 years, Nishat says that mindsets are changing slowly. “More and more women are coming forward to seek help and fight against wrong. In fact, just this October, a local corporator talked about empowering women with respect to polygamy,” Nishat says.

Post Babri Masjid demolition, Jameela Nishat set out to bring communal harmony to the Old City of Hyderabad. Postnoon talks to the renowned Indian poet who also gave up her secure government job to improve the lot of voiceless Muslim women.

Nidhi Bhushan finds out more.

SHE’S GOT

WHAT IT TAKES TV anchor Jhansi Laxmi and executive producer Shital Morjaria have been relentlessly raising issues women face in the society through a TV show. Today, it has become an example for others to follow.

slf`bp=fk=qeb=a^oh N SHIVA KUMAR

HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

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he was a noted TV anchor who became a household name with shows like Talk of the Town, Sunday Sandadi. Jhansi Laxmi (in pic: R), whose name was synonymous with entertainment shows on TV, couldn’t have imagined what was in store for her despite her flourishing career as a prominent TV anchor. In early March, 2006, Jhansi met Shital Morjaria (in pic: L), an executive producer at a leading news channel and the duo were introduced to each other when the news channel decided to do a TV show named Naveena focused on women.

Soon, the tone of the show changed drastically and it became a platform to raise awareness about several issues women had been fighting for in different parts of the state.

Ask them about the journey so far, both Jhansi and Shital go into a nostalgic mode. “It’s been eight years since we started Naveena and it’s by far one of the most productive things I have done in my career,” Jhansi says, adding, “When Shital took over the show, the tone of Naveena

had completely changed. She didn’t want it to be like other TV shows which focused on cookery and entertainment. I think that’s where we connected really well.”

“We once found out that an Ayurvedic RMP doctor had performed hysterectomy illegally

on over 700 girls in Medak district. It was heartbreaking. We came across several issues and case studies like that over the years,” Shital recalls. So what has been the most gratifying moment in the past eight years?

“Every year, we give out Naveena Mahila Awards for women in rural areas. There are so many stories which are still in the dark and we have a lot more to do,” Shital says.

After dabbling with TV for more than 10 years, Shital has made her debut as a film director. Jhansi and Rekha Pappu have co-produced the film. The transition has been anything but smooth; however, she says, it was something she wanted to do for a long time. “We don’t have many films on female bonding. I think that was the genesis of my film ‘All I Want is Everything’. It’s a film about three friends, made by three friends,” Shital says.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

spotlight 1

JUST FOR THE LADIES

Kismet has exciting things in store for the ladies in the house. So head to the pub where DJ Paroma will be rocking the night.

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NUMBER GAME

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MONEYBALL Ladies turned up in hordes for a housie competition organised by AP Punjabi Sabha — Phulkari club at Fortune Katriya, Somajiguda.

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2

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10 11

1 Sumeet

4 Gurmeet, Gupriya

7 Neeta

10 Varthika

2 Nithika

5 Rachana, Ashu

8 Jasmeen

11 Guneet

3 Ruchi, Tanu

6 Jasleen

9 Harshi

N SHIVA KUMAR

JOINING FORCES

Actress Shruti Hassan joined hands with WWF-India to pledge her support to the Earth Hour — WWF’s global campaign to raise awareness and inspire individual action on climate change.

FOODIE FAD

Khana Express.com launched ‘anywhere any time food delivery’ that ensures that one can place an order from any of the restaurants listed with the company and have food delivered at your doorstep. The formal launch of the project was made at Royal Reve Hotel on Thursday.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

health

DEADLY, DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA SPREADING IN US Even the strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections, said CDC director Tom Frieden, adding that the germs called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are "nightmare bacteria," that kill up to half of the patients who get bloodstream infections from them.

MYTHS BUSTED

You can get pregnant. Period

RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

MYTH: A DOCTOR CAN TELL IF A WOMAN IS A VIRGIN. Not really. As most of us already know, the hymen is the one way most people determined whether a woman was a virgin or not. But then again, as most of us again know, the hymen can break due to various reasons. A woman could break her hymen by swimming, biking, horse riding, accidentally or even by using a tampon. So while the doctor can check and let one know whether the hymen is broken, they can’t really say what caused it to break. Even by using 10-fold magnification, the doctor cannot accurately sort virgins from the sexually active.

If you thought timing your sex life according to your menstrual cycle would prevent a pregnancy, think again. Here we bring to you some common myths associated with women’s health.

MYTH: MENOPAUSE CAUSES SEX DRIVE TO NOSEDIVE.

MYTH: WOMEN GO OFF THEIR ROCKERS AFTER MENOPAUSE.

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ot flashes, mood swings and other discomforts are typically associated with menopausal women. In fact, it has become a joke to call someone being crabby, whoever it may be, as ‘menopausal’. What an awful picture! If truth be told, then for many women the transition into menopause is not rife with these discomforts. They are relatively minor. Sometimes so minor that the woman might not even notice it, except for the fact that her period has stopped.

Even for those suffering from a higher intensity of problems, it is only temporary. So the whole notion of women going off their rockers once they reach menopause is merely a figment of imagination.

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o not true! There are several women out there who have reached menopause and are still very sexually active. The change has everything to do with the woman’s body and not with her bedroom performance. According to a survey in the US, 50 per cent of the women in their 50s had sex several times a month. Of course, the hot flashes and other discomforts might play spoilsport, but that is only temporary. According to experts, there is no direct link between menopause and libidos.

MYTH: A WOMEN CAN'T GET PREGNANT DURING HER PERIOD.

MYTH: GAINING WEIGHT IS INEVITABLE AS WOMEN GET OLDER.

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ure people put on weight as they get less active and adopt poor eating habits, but this has nothing to do with women getting older. Just look out that window and you’re sure to find scores of women in their 50s and above who are still very fit, and enviably so. Gaining weight of course is preventable. All you need to do is switch to healthy eating and find ways to remain active. At least, 30 minutes of moderate exercise of your choice, should do the trick. Studies show that strength can be maintained at any age.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

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HOUSECALL

Cures A-Z

Nosebleeds

Health conditions ranging from A to Z and their treatments are presented in easy to understand language. Backed by thousands of research studies, it’s a powerful, practical, science-based health resource. It also teaches you about nutrition, their benefits, and the recommended dose of each needed for optimal health.

A nosebleed — more formally called epistaxis — can occur without any obvious cause. The blood usually comes out through just one nostril, although it may affect both. Many nosebleeds are idiopathic, that is, there is no obvious cause, or the cause is unknown. But in children frequent colds and the drying effect of central heating can cause irritation of the delicate mucous membrane that lines the nose.

Y

ou know that whole rigmarole of “is it a safe day?’ that most couples adopt? Wouldn’t it just be easier to use a pill or a condom? There is no such thing as a ‘safe day’. If you want to wait to have a baby then you might as well use precaution and not rely on luck. Because a woman CAN get pregnant even during her period. According to experts, when a woman has intercourse during her period without protection, she still can get pregnant. The sperm, you see, is very patient and can fertilise the egg even a week later.

So just play safe.

DID YOU KNOW? Women’s tears prompt changes in men Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that sniffing women’s tears selectively reduced activity in brain substrates of sexual arousal in men. After sniffing such tears, men experienced reduced physiological measures of arousal, and reduced levels of testosterone.

PIONEERS Virginia Apgar Virginia Apgar developed a simple system (1952) for quickly evaluating the condition and viability of newborns. The Apgar Score System relies on five simple observations to be made by delivery room personnel of the infant within one minute of birth and periodically thereafter. The Apgar Score System soon came into general use throughout the United States and was adopted by several other countries.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Baadshah's audio launch called off

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he audio launch of NTR’s eagerly awaited film Baadshah has been called off amidst security concerns in Hyderabad. Apparently, the police department refused to give permission as Maha Sivarathri falls on the same day. The event has now been rescheduled to March 17.

Srinu Vaitla has directed it.

GJG's team returns from Gulf

T

he entire team of Gunde Jaari Gallanthayindhe has returned after shooting couple of songs in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Muscat. Nithin, Nithya Menen and Isha Talwar are playing the lead roles in this romantic entertainer which will release in April.

HEAPS OF PRAISE

Samantha gears up for Suriya's film

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amantha will soon join the cast of Lingusamy’s upcoming Tamil film in which she’s paired up with Suriya. This untitled film is by far her biggest project in Tamil. Although Samantha is a big star in Telugu, she’s yet to taste similar success in Tamil. The film is likely to begin in April

DASARI GOES GAGA OVER

GUNDELLO GODAARI

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akshmi Manchu, Taapsee, Sundeep Kishan and Aadhi starrer Gundello Godaari, which is being touted as a realistic drama based on the floods at Godavari region in 1986, seems to have impressed veteran director Dasari Narayana Rao a lot.

Talking about the film, he said, “I had tears in my eyes when I watched couple of reels of Gundello Godaari. I have seen a lot of floods in my life and I was quite impressed with the way the flood sequences were shot in this film. Gundello Godaari will be an answer to all those who criticise that Telugu film industry doesn’t make meaningful movies.”

The film’s platinum disc was launched recently in Hyderabad and the event was graced by Dasari Narayana Rao, K Raghavendra Rao, Mohan Babu, Manchu Manoj, Lakshmi Manchu and Sundeep Kishan. Stressing on the importance of encouraging small films, Dasari Narayana Rao said, “My initial films Thata Manavadu and Swargam Narakam were small films. Even K Raghavendra Rao’s debut film Jyoti was a small film. It’s important that we create an environment for small films to thrive in the industry. I have

stopped predicting the box-office result of films, but I can assure you that Gundello Godaari will impress you. Mohan Babu is like my own family member and I am amazed with the way he has inculcated discipline in his sons and daughter. I hope to work with all three of them soon.”

Mohan Babu praised the entire team of Gundello Godaari and said, “People of East Godavari have been very kind to me over the years and it’s quite a coincidence that my daughter (Lakshmi Manchu) has produced a film which is based on a real incident which occurred in Godavari region. She made her debut in films by playing a negative role and even managed to win an award, a feat which I haven’t been able to achieve. I hope she wins many more for this film. The entire team has delivered a very good film.”

The film’s Telugu version has released today, whereas the Tamil version is expected to release on March 22. Kumar Nagendra has directed the film and Ilayaraja has scored the music. The film is based on a book Godavari Kathalu written by BVS Rama Rao and most part of the film was shot in Rajahmundry and the adjoining areas.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

fashion

£10 MILLION WORTH OF FAKE HERMÈS BAGS SEIZED

HUNDREDS of counterfeit Hermès bags were uncovered in LA last month, with a value of almost £10 million.

US Customs and Borders Protection seized two shipments from China — and over 1,500 fake bags — at the Long Beach port in February, worth $14.1 million (£9.36 million).

M

anish Arora's Ready to Wear FallWinter collection at Paris Fashion Week was a treat to behold. His signature quirky touch was evident in each of the garment that was showcased. The designer collaborated with Amrapali yet again for this collection and had his models showcasing a wide range of trinkets and baubles. The collection represented Manish’s contemporary take on modern India and Amrapalis rich heritage. The colour palette comprised of shades of blue, black, navy blue and green as the base along with the stimulants of metallic gold. He focused on perfectly wearable designs as opposed to his last outing which was comparatively over the top. Sometimes, he explored multiple ideas on a single garment. For instance — digital prints, gold embellishments, bold punches of colour, chain detailing, fur, sequins and some radical Amrapali jewellery — were all part of a single dress that was showcased at the show.

Overall, the collection was like a breath of fresh air and the com-

^= bination of Amarapalli’s contemporary design and Manish Arora’s futuristic design worked like magic. With geometric prints, whacky head pieces and fitted skirts, his collection stood out at the show.

DAVID GANDY LAUNCHES RED NOSE DAY FASHION AUCTION

DAVID GANDY will launch an eBay auction as part of his Blue Steel Appeal, to raise money for Red Nose Day 2013. Fashion's biggest names have come together to take part, including Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Louis Vuitton, each donating rare and unique prizes or experiences.

pmf`v elj^db

22&23

‘Ready to Wear’ collection by Manish Arora at Paris Fashion Week represented his contemporary take on modern India.

AFP

Entertainment FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

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Entertainment FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

If there is anything in the world that can really be called a man's property, it is surely that which is the result of his mental activity.

Arthur Schopenhauer

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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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 ‘Dragnet’ star Jack 5 Workbench devices 11 A rival of ABC 14 Feverish chill 15 Draw back 16 Fox's prey 17 Perplexing problem 19 Sci-fi vehicle 20 Columnist Coulter 21 One of two, doesn't really matter 23 Vocally 26 ‘Scarecrow and ___ King’ 27 Cornfield measure 28 Long-winded 30 Ran 100 yards, perhaps 32 Athenian H 33 Irritating 36 Spent a restful night 41 Small cobalt-colored bird 42 Fish eggs, or a kind of deer 44 Longtime Italian ruling family 47 Equal-sided quadrilateral 50 What revenge-seekers get 51 Appropriate 53 Essential points 54 Short verse sung by a priest 57 Goof up 58 Chang's twin 59 Naval vacations 64 ‘The Murders in the ___ Morgue’ 65 Parsons' homes 66 River in Arizona 67 ‘Employ’ attachment 68 Brosnan's TV sleuth 69 ‘Gone With the Wind,’ for one

DOWN

1 Humorous fellow 2 Id counterpart 3 Prickly seed case (Var) 4 Smear over

5 Prefix in many Ocean Spray drinks 6 Dawson of football fame 7 Information booth visitor 8 Short skirts 9 Whodunit feature 10 Meyers or MacFarlane 11 Mass medium?

12 Label for many a photo 13 Nodded off noisily 18 Prefix with ‘China’ or ‘European’ 22 Art stand 23 Hail from the past 24 ‘___ not fight’ 25 Like some thermometers 26 Haggard songwriter?

29 Original position 30 Perform, to the Bard 31 Physicians' org 34 Model-maker's purchase 35 ‘Hula’ or ‘hoop’ follower 37 Black hues, in old poems 38 Work at, as a trade 39 Spheres 40 Pain in the joints 43 Suffix with ‘host’ or ‘lion’ 44 Like many reprimands 45 Madison or Pennsylvania 46 Brinks 48 Fairy tale meany 49 Desert illusion 51 Flying solo 52 By its very nature 55 Distinctive doctrines 56 Type of room in cyberspace 57 ‘What ___ can I say?’

60 Sinuous shocker 61 Bigwig, for short 62 Connecticut collegian 63 Kangaroo pouch

Chai Time FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 9-3-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You solve long-pending issues with your innovative techniques and rich experience. Success is yours in all work. Financial position will improve steadily and let you relax. Delayed marriage talks will resume and materialise in the near future.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

You take successful personalities as role models and go ahead in life and be successful.

Those in construction or purchase of house will be successful. Son will get a promising job and daughter will be successful in her higher studies.

You will be courageous and take right decisions, which will yield desired results. Tension and confusion will get over. You need to avoid anger and harsh talks that hurts others. Give maximum love to your children.

Bad friends will upset you.

Though expenses will be beyond expectations, good inflow of money will take care of the situation. You undertake challenging assignments and complete them successfully. Some change to a house of choice. You will befriend powerful persons.

You become more active and focus on work to complete them in the scheduled time. Work held up for long will resume and progress well. Your stock is set to pile up. You need to control expenses and plan properly with available resources.

Though hurdles likely in work, they will disappear like mist upon sunrise. Blood relatives will extend support and financial help. Employees will be overburdened with responsibilities. Expenses will increase; inflow keeps you comfortable.

You become bold enough to take important and wise decisions on your own, which will yield expected results. Self-confidence level will go up. Some sell old property for a good price and purchase new one. Promotion likely for employees.

You need to maintain patience now. Avoid anger and emotional outbursts. You might face failures and disappointments if proper planning is not done to execute important assignments.

While finalising match of daughter please be doubly careful.

You will not be affected by bad events but will treat both good and bad events with a seasoned mind and absorb shocks without panicking. Deficit financial position likely, help will arrive from expected sources.

Savings may have to be spent.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Two of Swords – You have to do the juggling act and it might seem overwhelming at the moment. Take a deep breath and work to a plan. You can manage well.

LEO:

The Fool – You’re jumping in with both feet not quite thinking of the consequences or knowing what to expect. It might be a good experience after all.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Devil – You’re tempted to go all the way when it comes to the money. Hold back, especially when it comes to big ticket investments, like real estate.

SAGITTARIUS:

Page of Swords – You’re feeling adventurous and are in the mood to try out something new. Share this time with loved ones. You’ll enjoy the time even more.

TAURUS:

Death – There is going to be a change in your work, relationship and living situations. It’s change that you cannot really avoid.

So might as well go with the flow.

CANCER:

Five of Wands – Someone may be plotting against you. But how it goes will depend on how you react to it. You feel terrible about being left out.

VIRGO:

King of Swords – You’re cut and dried and this might work best in the office space where people may be trying to take advantage of you. It won’t work at home.

SCORPIO:

Justice – What is due to you will definitely come your way. You need to be patient.

Think of all the wonderful people around you willing to help.

CAPRICORN:

The Lovers – You need to take a tough call regarding a property or real estate deal. Weigh your options and think with the head, not heart.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

The Wheel of Fortune – Times are not going to be the same all the time. If they’re bad now, things will look up. This card urges you to keep your chin up.

NUMBER GAME

– Everything clicks like clockwork. You are in the right place at the right time, and you have the confidence that the New Year is starting with success.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: The Magician

POOCH CAFE

Delay in completion of work might irk you. However, a very important work will be done successfully and you relax.

Benefits likely through friends.

Avoid anger and unwanted expenses else a crisis is possible Health needs attention.

for 9-3-2013

The High Priest – Intuition has the answers to all your questions. Look within, introspect and you will find what you need at this point. Meditate for answers.

NON SEQUITUR

You give importance to character rather than persons with money. Court verdict will go in your favour. Unexpected financial fortune likely, which will make you cheerful. Delayed work will get completed now successfully. Peaceful prevails.

SUDUKO

Financial inflow is very good, which will cheer you up. Those trying for a new job will get favourable news. Wherever you go, a red carpet and respect awaits you. Journey, sleeplessness and unexpected expenses likely; be alert and take care.

Boggle PIN LANE SPARE SCORE STRIKE GUTTER Vol: 2, No 231 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

28

Entertainment FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

LADIES COME FIRST

CINE BYTES

pledges to name actress’ before him in credits ‘If viewers don’t clap on Ajay’s entry, I’ll refund’

A

diehard fan of cinema of the 1980s, director Sajid Khan is attempting to recreate the magic with his Himmatwala remake that he says has all the elements of a bygone era — mother-son drama, heroism and, last but not the least, “a grand entry for (lead actor) Ajay Devgn” that will force viewers to clap. “The film is based in 1983. I have roped in Ameen Sayani saab, Mr. (Amitabh) Bachchan of radio,” Sajid said. IANS

Imran Khan’s Bangalore connect

I

mran Khan, who is shooting for Gori Tere Pyaar Mein in Bangalore, says the city will always be special for him as that is where he spent some of his childhood years. The 30-year-old studied at a boarding school in the city at a very young age. ”I have spent a lot of my childhood in Bangalore. This city will always be very special to me,” Imran said. IANS

S

hah Rukh Khan says henceforth in all his films, the leading actress’ name would appear before his in the credits. He is starting it with Chennai Express.

“I would request to all those who I am working with, starting with Chennai Express (to do it). I don’t know whether this is going to bring a change but the point needs to be raised,” said SRK who has teamed up with Deepika Padukone in director Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express.

“With the mark of 100 years of Indian cinema and Women’s Day coming up, it would be a nice combination. In Chennai Express, Deepika Padukone’s name will appear first,” he added.

When asked what was Deepika’s reaction to be the first actresses to have her name before the lead actor in the credit, he said: “She was not jumping from the roof top. She said, ‘It’s great, but I hope even others start following this.’” IANS

Salman Khan seeks quashing of charges

S

alman Khan sought the quashing of charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against him in a 2002 hit-and-run case. The sessions court, however, deferred the arguments in the case to March 8, since a magistrate had referred the case for trial. Sessions Judge AN Patil told Salman Khan’s lawyer Ashok Mundargi that the appeal for quashing the charges should be filed in the Bombay High Court. IANS

sports

29

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

VICTIM OF FAME?

Vijender Singh in drug fiasco MOHALI: Punjab police recovered heroin worth `130cr in international market, from a flat owned by an NRI businessman in Zirakpur of Mohali district.

According to media reports, the police have said that boxer Vijender Singh (right) wife’s car was found outside the flat. Boxer Vijender Singh’s brother has denied these allegations.

Police said that Anup Singh Kahlon arrested a few days back claimed links to boxers Vijender Singh and Ram Singh. The accused, according to police, claimed that he supplied a small quantity of heroin to the boxers.

The police is probing the link between the accused and Vijender Singh and Ram Singh and may call them for questioning.

Vijender Singh has denied any link with a man arrested in Punjab in the drug affair.

Vijender clarified by saying, “I meet so many people, I met this

Irfan Ghatala’s Chul Bul Pandey has prepared well and will be fancied in the Kanteerava Cup, the main attraction of Saturday afternoon races at Bangalore.

2nd Race: The Icebreaker Plate 1600 M Horses Rated 20 to 45 / 5 years old and over Selections: 1 Fantastic Strike 2 Star Scream 3 Vega 3rd Race: The Ardent Knight Trophy 1400 M Maiden Indian Horses / 3 years old only Selections: 1 Agostini 2 Whimsical 3 Peter Parker 4th Race: The Karwar Plate 1200 M Horses Rated 20 to 45 Selections: 1 Boudicca 2 Volt 3 Jeyem’s Pride 5th Race: The Kanteerva Cup 1200 M Horses Rated 80 and above Selections: 1 Chul Bul Pandey 2

LEAGUE CRICKET

Southern stars beat Gowlipura Kishan Prasad HCA One-day knockout Southern Stars 215 for 6 (Sultan 34, Sohail Khan 32, Murti 43, Aleemuddin 41, Patel 3 for 40) bt Gowlipura 187 (Srikanth 69, Rohan 55) Boys Town 213 for 8 (Md Abrar 52, Md Salam 45, Abdul Ela Al Qureshi 42, M D Ashwin Kumar 3 for 24) bt SK Blues 127 (Owais Bin Ilyas 3 for 23)

Thunder edge Knicks The Thunder have won 3 in a row; the Knicks made them work for the win.

BANGALORE WINTER RACES Chul Bul Pandey fancied

1st Race: The Mekedatu Plate 1400 M Horses Rated 00 to 25 / 5 years old and over Selections: 1 Claara 2 Mountain Storm 3 Living Fantasy

NBA

Atlantus 3 Cecil 6th Race: The Tungabhadra Plate Div-I 1400 M Horses Rated 40 to 65 / 5 years old and over Selections: 1 Ground Marshal 2 Miss Ching 3 Mi Amor 7th Race: The Manasa Sarovara Plate 1200 M Horses Rated 40 to 65 Selections: 1 Whistlejacket 2 Truman 3 Next Move 8th Race: The Tungabhadra Plate Div-II 1400 M Horses Rated 40 to 65 / 5 years old and over Selections: 1 Adonis 2 Adalwin 3 Savvy Concept

guy also through somebody but I don’t know him personally. I was in Mumbai. Maybe my friend took my car and parked it at Anup Singh’s house.”

CYCLING Goss snatches TirrenoAdriatico stage ROME: Australian Matthew Goss (below) of OricaGreenedge won the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico over 232km from San Vincenzo to Indicatore in a sprint finish on Thursday.

Mark Cavendish of OmegaPharma retained the leader’s blue jersey despite finishing only fifth on the stage.

“It was quite chaotic in the final laps because it was raining, there were a lot of risks. I feel we could have got a lot more out of that race than we did,” said Cavendish.

After the free throws, Raymond Felton turned the ball over on the Knicks’ ensuing possession. JR Smith then followed by missing a threepointer.

With the Thunder still ahead by one, Durant missed a shot with eight seconds left in the fourth and the Knicks called a timeout.

After the short break, New York worked the ball to Smith who ran down the clock then put up a 20-foot jump shot from the left side that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Guard Smith finished with a game-high 36 points, while Felton and Amare Stoudemire had 16 points each for the Knicks, who had just 13 points in the fourth.

The Knicks were missing star forward Carmelo Anthony for the secondstraight game Thursday.

Anthony hurt his knee Monday in a win at Cleveland against the Cavaliers. He left in the second quarter of that contest after he tripped over his own feet, wrenching his knee.

SULTAN AZLAN SHAH CUP

Days Best: Agostini Jackpot 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 1st Treble: 3, 4 and 5 2nd Treble: 6, 7 and 8 Tanala pool will operate on all races where there are five of more starters.

Raghu Ram 102, Sridhar Chapa 32) bt Agarwal Seniors 218 (Anwar 70, Farhan 30, Dinesh Mohan 3 for 26, BH Raj 4 for 12) United CC 120 (Abhilash 30, Khusro 4 for 15) lost to Apex CC 121 for 5 (Syed Javed Quadri 50 no) Victory 233 for 9 (Bhanu 56, Kaleem 43, Md Riazuddin 44, Sandeep 4 for 22) bt Amberpet 218 (Sandeep 108, Kaleem 3 for 34)

NEW YORK: Kevin Durant (35 in pic) hit the go-ahead free throws with 1:38 remaining to lift Oklahoma City to a 95-94 win over the New York Knicks, giving the Thunder their sixth win in their last seven games.

Durant finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and a half dozen assists for the Thunder in front of a crowd of 19,033 at Madison Square Garden.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT Hopkins eyes history in Cloud challenge NEW YORK: Bernard Hopkins will try to make history again as he aims to break his own record for being the oldest fighter to win a major world title when he faces unbeaten Tavoris Cloud for a light heavyweight crown on Saturday.

AFP

Kiwis look to repeat in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Australia are banking on their veteran players for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament while Pakistan aim to try new talent when they face defending champions New Zealand on Saturday.

The Kiwis aim to retain the trophy they won for the first time last year and enter the fray helmed by new Australian coach Colin Batch, a member of the Aussie squad who won

the World Cup in 2010.

Australia, meanwhile, will field a team of veterans, mixed with a few new faces of their own, for the tournament in the Malaysian city of Ipoh, which ends on March 17.

“We have three players from our 2012 Olympic team and we are looking to achieve the high results that this group has been accustomed to over the last five years,” coach Ric Charlesworth was quoted as saying.

PTI

sports

30

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

TIGER WOODS

grabs lead, McIlroy toils MIAMI: World No 2 Tiger Woods (in pic) fired a six-under-par 66 to seize a share of the lead on Thursday as Rory McIlroy struggled again in the first round of the $8.5 million World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship.

“They had some nice pins out for us today. If you played smart, conditions were such that you could make some birdies today,” said McDowell.

Sweden’s Peter Hanson and Americans Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker were on 67 while England’s Justin Rose and Ian Poulter and Americans Keegan Bradley, Bo Van Pelt, Dustin Johnson and Charles Howell were on 68.

Woods began off the 10th tee playing alongside England’s Luke Donald and World No. 1 McIlroy of Northern Ireland and fired nine birdies against three bogeys, show-

Masters champion Bubba Watson, Fredrik Jacobson, G McDowell and Sergio Garcia joined Woods on top of the leaderboard. ing top form in an event he has won six times before.

“Today was as easy as it gets around this place,” Woods said of the calm conditions.

“I don’t think we’re going to get all four days here where it’s this

wind. It’s got to switch sometime and start coming out of the east, and if it does, that’s when the course starts playing a little bit more difficult,” he added.

World No 3 Donald fired a 70 while McIlroy, four days after apologising from walking out on the ninth hole of his second round last week at a nearby PGA event, fired a 73 despite an eagle and three birdies.

“It was a bit of a struggle,” said McIlroy, who is tied for 50th. “This is a work in progress, and I’m working at it and I’m staying patient.”

Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, has not won a WGC event in his past 10 attempts but could snap that skid this week after a sizzling start.

Woods made back-to-back birdies at the par-4 11th and par-5 12th but then birdied the next two holes.

AFP

INDIAN WELLS ATP MASTERS Murray seeks to reverse fortunes INDIAN WELLS: Andy Murray is counting on his recent fitness training to carry him through at the Indian Wells ATP Masters, but knows his lack of matches could work against him.

Murray’s stellar 2012 campaign included a runnerup finish at Wimbledon, an Olympic singles triumph in London and a US Open victory that made him the first British man to win a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry in 1936.

He opened 2013 with a title in Brisbane, and followed up by reaching the final at the Australian Open, where he fell in four punishing sets to Novak

ALL-ENGLAND OPEN

Djokovic.

Indian Wells, the first Masters tournament of the year, is his first tournament since then. But Murray said the time away from the competition, working on his fitness, has value in both the near and long term.

“In terms of playing matches, yeah, that’s a disadvantage,” he said. “But I value my fitness block a lot.

“I think it makes a big difference throughout the course of the year, playing the grand slams. My mind tells me that if you train for three and a half weeks when no one else is training then physically you should be in better shape.”

AFP

ANTI-DOPING MEASURES IN TENNIS Federer welcomes bio passports REBECCA BRYAN Agence France-Presse INDIAN WELLS, CALIFOR NIA: Roger Federer (right) and Andy Murray, who have been outspoken in calling for more stringent anti-doping measures in tennis, welcomed the introduction of biological passports for players.

The International Tennis Federation announced the move in London on Thursday, after a meeting of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme working group that includes representatives from the ITF, ATP, WTA and grand slam tournaments.

The ITF said there was unanimous support for the introduction of the passport, which is used to detect variances in biological make-up that might indicate doping and has been introduced in cycling.

“That’s good news,” Federer said Thursday as he prepared to launch his defence of the Indian Wells ATP Masters title.

“We have to do everything to ensure our tour is as clean as it possibly can be.

“That’s what it’s about — that the cheaters think twice, that they get caught if they do cheat. I think it’s just a matter of that.”

Lee back in style, targets Olympics RICHARD EATON Agence France-Presse BIRMINGHAM, UK: Lee Chong Wei reasserting a challenge for the AllEngland Open title and confirming that he will try once more for an Olympic gold medal.

The twice former champion from Malaysia reached the quarter-finals with a straight games win over Wang Zhengming, which was

World number one Lee Chong Wei bounced back from his first day scare, reasserting a challenge for the title.

very different from the match point crises he had to survive the previous day against Hong Kong’s Wang Wing Ki. “It made me much more focussed,” Lee said after his 21-17, 21-19 win over the world number 19 from China.

“I know I am very lucky still to be in the tournament. I feel very happy now that I have got through. I feel my fitness is okay and I definitely played better than yesterday.”

Despite this Lee still had to come from 10-13 down in the first game and to fend off a Wang fight-back which cut a five-point deficit to one near the end of the second game.

Lee produced some tremendous mid-court plunges in defence, was clever and quick at the net, and changed containment into offence fluidly with his light movement.

“I am fortunate to be here and I will just enjoy it and see,” he said.

sports

31

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

ENGLAND’S TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

Kiwis on top despite Eng fightback The Black Caps were 385 for seven at tea on the third day at the University Oval, with skipper McCullum unbeaten on 35 and Martin nine not out.

Highest scores on Test debut

N DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND: James Anderson led an England fightback in the first Test against New Zealand Friday but the Black Caps still opened up a big lead thanks to a splendid 171 on debut from Hamish Rutherford (above).

Rutherford’s knock, the sev-

Scoreboard England first innings 167 New Zealand first innings (131 without loss overnight) P Fulton c Prior b Anderson 55 H Rutherford c Woakes b Anderson 171 K Williamson b Panesar 24 R Taylor c Trott b Anderson 31 D Browlie b Anderson 27 B McCullum not out 35 BJ Watling b Broad 0 T Southee b Broad 25 B Martin not out 9 Extras (lb8) 8 Total (7 wickets) 385 Fall of wickets: 1-158, 2-249, 3-267, 4-310, 5-321 , 6-326, 7-370 Bowling: Anderson 27-2-97-4, Finn 26-3-102-0, Broad 24-3-89-2, Panesar 19-1-77-1, Trott 2-0-4-0, Root 5-1-8-0

enth highest debut in Test history, put New Zealand firmly in control of the match, although there was a flurry of wickets after Anderson took the new ball and dismissed him shortly after lunch.

After 340 minutes at the crease, the 23-year-old lasted only one delivery against the new ball, mistiming his response and popping the ball up to Chris Woakes as England found some much-needed aggression after failing with the bat.

Anderson, who dismissed Peter Fulton for 55 in the morning session, almost had incoming batsman Dean Brownlie with a nick to the slips in the same over, only for Joe Root to spill an easy catch.

Jonathan Trott made no mistake when Ross Taylor (31) edged a similar delivery to second slip and the right-arm paceman snared his fourth after Browlie chopped the ball onto his stumps for 27.

BJ Watling departed without

AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF INDIA Hayden surprised by Sehwag’s axing MUMBAI: Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden (in pic) today expressed surprise at the axing of India opener Virender Sehwag for the last two Test matches of the ongoing India-Australia Test series.

“It’s a surprise to me that Virender Sehwag has been dropped. I was surprised with (the dropping of) Gautam Gambhir as well. To me they were the two dominant players for India,” said the ex-Aussie opener.

Sehwag was the only player left out by selectors when they picked the squad for the last two matches at Mohali (March 14-18) and Delhi (22-26). PTI

bothering the scorers after shouldering arms to a Stuart Broad ball which clipped his pads then clattered into the stumps to leave New Zealand on 326 for six.

McCullum, who relinquished his opening spot to come in down the order, then went on the attack with Tim Southee, notching a 44-run partnership in 38 balls to extend the lead before Southee departed on 25.

But it was Rutherford who set up the innings, exceeding England’s first innings total of 167 single-handedly after a 158run opening partnership with Fulton.

WEATHER CURTAILS PLAY Play was abandoned due to rain on the third day of the opening Test between New Zealand and England at University Oval Friday, frustrating the Black Caps’ effort to extend a first innings lead. New Zealand were 402 for seven when the umpires ordered players from the field shortly after tea.

AFP

ew Zealander Hamish Rutherford’s 171 against England in the first Test at University Oval on Friday was the seventh-highest debut score in the 136 years of Test cricket history. But Rutherford’s dismissal meant Reginald “Tip” Foster’s 287 for England against Australia in Sydney in 1903 remained unchallenged as the highest score by a Test debutant.

Mathew Sinclair remains New Zealand’s top-scoring debutant, posting 214 against the West Indies in Wellington in 1999.

Rutherford, 23, scored 22 fours and three sixes in his first Test innings before being caught off the bowling of James Anderson after 340 minutes at the crease.

n n n n n n n n n n

287 Reginald “Tip” Foster ENG Vs AUS Sydney 1903 222 no Jacques Rudolph RSA Vs BAN Chittagong 2003 214 Lawrence Rowe WIS Vs NZL Kingston 1972 214 Mathew Sinclair NZL Vs WIS Wellington 1999 201 no Brendon Kuruppu SRI Vs NZL Colombo (CCC) 1987 176 George Headley WIS Vs ENG Bridgetown 1930 171 Hamish Rutherford NZL Vs ENG Dunedin 2013 170 Yasir Hameed PAK Vs BAN Karachi 2003 168 Fawad Alam PAK Vs SRI Colombo (PSS) 2009 166 Khalid ‘Billy’ Ibadulla PAK Vs AUS Karachi 1964

(score, player, country, opposition, venue, year):

Note: CCC is Colombo Cricket Club, PSS is P Sara Stadium

Eng performance ‘one of the worst’

E

ngland great Ian Botham described the team’s first innings performance in the opening Test against New Zealand as possibly the worst he had seen Friday. England were skittled for 167 in two sessions on a tame

pitch Thursday to put New Zealand in control of the match as they cruised to 131 without loss at stumps, looking to build a bid lead on the third day Friday.

Botham was full of praise for the Kiwi captain McCullum.

‘Watch out on supple intake’

MELBOURNE: Australian cricketers touring India for the Test series have been warned to be careful about their intake of supplements in the wake of the recent drugs saga mainly affecting rugby clubs.

Michael Clarke’s team is midway through a four-match series in India and trailing 0-2 after a demoralising innings defeat in Hyderabad.

Though cricket was not being pinpointed in the Australian Crime Commission report released last month, the touring

team management was not taking any chances. The players have been asked to show the touring medico exactly what they are ingesting in India.

“I had a chat to the guys when we started the tour.

They’ve shown me anything that they were taking and it’s all absolutely fine,” Australian team doctor Peter Brukner (right) said.

“Most of them are not taking anything but a few are taking protein shakes and things like that, which are all pretty straightforward,” he was quoted. PTI

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

sports

BALLACK CONFIRMS FAREWELL GAME

Ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack confirmed Thursday he will hold a farewell game in Leipzig on June 5 with a host of stars set to attend, including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jose Mourinho. Ballack, 36, who retired last October, made the last of his 98 appearances for Germany in Feb ‘10.

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST-16

32

Spurs glide while Chelsea sink Gareth Bale, with his 21st of the season, Sigurdsson and Vertonghen were all on target in a one-sided first leg win at White Hart Lane after Chelsea were left hopping mad with a defeat at the hands of Steaua Bucharest.

PARIS: Gareth Bale boosted his sky-rocketing profile with one of the goals which helped Tottenham shock Inter Milan 3-0 on Thursday and help lift Britain’s European gloom.

The only setback for Spurs was seeing Bale booked for a fourth time this season for diving, a caution which will rule

him out of the second leg at the San Siro.

“We played well and set the tempo from the start,” said Bale, who famously grabbed a Champions League hat-trick against Inter three years ago.

“We made sure we made it difficult for them and it was a worthy result. It is nice to get a

Thursday results Anzhi Makhachkala (RUS) 0 Vs Newcastle United (ENG) 0 Viktoria Plzen (CZE) 0 Vs Fenerbahce (TUR) 1 VfB Stuttgart (GER) 0 Vs Lazio (ITA) 2 S Bucharest (ROM) 1 Vs Chelsea (ENG) 0 Benfica (POR) 1 Vs Bordeaux (FRA) 0 Spurs (ENG) 3 Vs Inter Milan (ITA) 0 Levante (ESP) 0 Vs Rubin Kazan (RUS) 0 Basel (SUI) 2 Vs ZS Petersburg (RUS) 0

Tottenham Hotspur’s Welsh footballer Gareth Bale (in white jersey) wins control over the ball against Inter Milan’s Romanian defender Christian Chivu (L) and Uruguayan midfielder Walter Gargano (R) during the match at White Hart Lane in London, on Thursday. AFP/ IAN KINGTON

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

People ‘waiting for Barça to fail’: Lionel Messi MADRID: World Player of the Year Lionel Messi (below) believes many people are hoping that Barcelona crash out of the Champions League next week so they can call an end to the Catalans’ amazing run of success in recent years.

Barca face a huge task to overturn a 2-

0 first-leg deficit against AC Milan at the Camp Nou on Tuesday but Messi said he was hoping that the occasion would lift them out of their recent slump.

“There are a lot of people that are waiting for us to lose so that, like they did last season, they can say this is the end for this Barcelona,” he was quoted as saying

by ESPN Deportes.

“It is time to turnaround this situation.

It all began in Milan and the return could be the game where we lift ourselves.”

It is not just in Europe that Barcelona have struggled of late, though, as back-toback defeats to Real Madrid have seen them eliminated from the Copa del Rey and their lead at the top of La Liga cut to 11 points. But Messi said both he and his teammates were accustomed to the pressures that come with playing and did not see the need for any sweeping changes in the playing squad.

“This club is like this. When you lose two games it is a disaster, when you win two it is normal,” he added.

AFP

goal, and we take a good lead into the away leg.”

Tottenham’s win was the only British success in Europe this week.

Earlier Thursday, Chelsea had slumped to a 1-0 loss at Steaua Bucharest while Newcastle carved out a 0-0 draw against Anzhi Makhachkala.

After a traumatic week in the Champions League which saw Manchester United and Celtic knocked out, Chelsea, who captured the continent’s top prize last season, put in a toothless display in the Romanian capital.

The only goal came in the 34th minute when Steaua’s Raul Rusescu beat Petr Cech.