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SUMMER OF CRICKET Summer has arrived and with it the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League. Nine teams will vie for glory during the two months starting tomorrow as the cricket-crazy country and the world wonder — will the Chennai Super Kings continue their reign, or be usurped? Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 HYDERABAD
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WATER LOOT
AUTHORITIES JOLTED INTO ACTION IMPACT Nine private well owners have been slapped with notices for illegally drawing groundwater and selling it, after a Postnoon exposé brought the plunder to light on March 29. The wells are likely to be seized and sealed. REPORT ON PG 6
FLASH
TRS LEGISLATORS ARRESTED A large crowd of activists from TRS and YSRC under the leadership of MLAs E Rajender and Pocharam Srinivas gathered at the Vidyut Saudha today to protest the electricity hike. They were taken into custody. The incident generated tension and created a traffic jam for over an hour.
TAYLOR SWIFT WINS ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD P25
T-MEN ALLEGE UNHOLY NAME GAMES AT SECRETARIAT SHRINE v
A major controversy is brewing in the name of region and religion in the State Secretariat. The newly constructed temple is in news again for a different reason after a constable shot himself in the temple on Monday. P4
WHEN SEX LEAVES THE MARRIAGE Various factors could lead to lack of intimacy in a relationship. But what do you do once it begins to take a toll on the couple? P18
SONAKSHI IN ONCE UPON A TIME ... P22
Page Two
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
RELIGIOUS CALL
Angkor Wat
SRINIVAS SETTY
A painting exhibition based on the Angkor Wat in Columbia is being presented by Kalakrithi Art Gallery and ITC Kakatiya. Where: Hyder Mahal, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 11am- 7pm Contact: (040) 2340 0132
Miniature traditions
Show and tell
Miniature Traditions — An Artistic Endeavor, will be held at Alankritha Art Gallery. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur When: March 24 - April 4, 11 am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709
Books n more presents Show and Tell, an activity to promote good expression and communication fro 3-8 year olds. The activity aims to improve the childrens ability to communicate well in English. Where: Books n more, Sivaramkrishna Colony, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 5pm to 6pm Contact: 98859 56728
Womanhood A painting exhibition by Priyanka Poogalia is being held at Beyond Coffee. Where: Beyond Coffee, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing 11 am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 5359
Silk expo The National Silk Expo is being held at Sri Sathya Sai Nigmagamam from March 31- April 6. Catch an exclusive collection of traditional and designer materials and sarees with fabrics such as Tussar, Chanderi, Kotha, Jamdani etc. Where: Sri Sathya Sai Nigmagamam, Sri Nagar Colony When: Ongoing Contact: 93688 82225
Salt of the earth An exhibition of paintings by Tailor Srinivas titled Salt of the Earth is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on till March 5. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 6879
Senior citizens exhibition The Siri Institute of Painting is hosting a painting exhibition for senior citizens. 50 per cent of the amount collected from the exhibition will be donated to the poor and old handloom museums. Where: Hotel Marriott, Tank Bund When: March 31- April 4, 10am to 8pm
In a doubt? A Pulitzer Prize winning drama written by John Patrick Shanley — doubt is set in 1960s at St. Nicholas Church School, New York. The play is being held at Lamakaan. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: April 3, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 96427 31329
New conceptualist Catch an exhibition of paintings by Sujatha Basu at Muse Art Gallery. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999
Unique buffet Yellow Chilli is offering a lunch buffet which is truly different. The
CINEMAS
unwind. There is also great music, martinis and aperitifs. Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828
Combo platters
Buffet which costs `199 (Monday to-Friday) and `249 (Saturday and Sunday). The dinner buffet costs `299 and `349. Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2338 3838
Acting workshop Samahaara — an acting and dancing workshop is being held to help you hone your acting skills. The workshop focusses on theatre. Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pm Contact: 98854 04784
A suitable lunch Syn at Taj Deccan is offering Syn-to-suit you lunches. Various lunch offers for various requirements from the quick 15 minute lunch to the healthy and long lunches. Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1
When: Ongoing, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939
Wraps and rolls Rolls — boring did you say? Head to Promenade at Ameerpet for a wide variety of rolls that will suit everyone’s taste. Where: The Promenade, Ameerpet When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6678 8888
Water colours Iconart is hosting Aquarelle as a part of it’s Buy Art initiative. It features water colour paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 6879
Go Splash Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to
Deli 9 is offering Combo Platters in it’s lunch and dinner menu. Taste various salad and sandwich combos also. Where: Deli 9, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing, 11am to 8pm Contact: (040) 6550 6662
Asian barbeque The Square, Novotel, Madhapur plays host to an Asian barbeque. Sample grilled specialities from around the world — from Lebanese to Japanese. Where: The Square, Novotel, Madhapur When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422
Dowry trouble Manthan presents — What should we do about dowry, a discussion on Dowry by Manthan along with Kalpana Sharma. Where: Vidyaranya High School, Saifabad When: April 3, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 7789
Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973
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4 injured as car rams into market CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com
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orning walkers and fruit vendors in the Kottapet market today screamed and ran for cover as a speeding car lost its track and rammed into the market. Four push-cart vendors suffered minor to severe injuries. Many shops were damaged. The incident made the whole area astir with screams for help. Fruits and vegetables were strewn around and were crushed under the wheels. For 15 minutes the area was in turmoil. The car is owned by 24- yearold Varun Kumar, who is a resident of Padmaja Residency apartments in the telephone colony of LB Nagar. He is a software engineer with a transnational software giant located in Gachibowli. Preliminary inquiry by the police inspector Srinivas Shivram Naidu of Chaitanyapuri police station said Kumar was driving home after night duty. He seemed to to be pretty tired and drowsy and lost control of his
vehicle near the market. Kumar was alone in the car. Some passersby who escaped being hit told police the vehicle behaved like a drunk man. It zigzagged for a while and then
crashed into the market which is usually congested and the mornings are the busiest time as vendors and people are present in the area. The injured have been shifted to Osmania hospital and
Snatchers get free run in City: 3 more victims CRIME Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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hree women lost their gold ornaments worth `3.5 lakh to snatchers in the City since yesterday. Two bikeborne men whizzed past Anjamma of Gollakhidki locality in the Old City under Kamatipura police station limits this morning. Before she had time to react she saw her gold chain in the hands of the pillion-rider. Anjamma was standing at the gate of her house when this happened,
police said. Another incident took place in Srigaytri Nagar, Jillalguda under the LB Nagar police station limits, where the 55year-old Achamma was feeding her granddaughter standing at the gate when two men came and asked the way to some place. As she was trying to speak, one of them snatched the gold chain on her neck and disappeared in a jiffy. In the third incident, it was again bikeborne men who took away four tolas of gold ornaments from, Ramadevi of Falaknuma, who was on her morning walk on Monday. In all these incidents, fairly young men were involved, the victims say.
Love story meets tragic end Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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Lavanya, 21, of Prakasam Pantalu Nagar, who had fallen in love with a youth, K Rajesh, 22, and drank poison on Sunday after he refused to marry her died in hospital, today. Rajesh has been taken into custody on charge of abetting suicide. The sad end of the girl happened after Rajesh asked for two more years for marriage, but Lavanya’s parents were insisting that she get married. Sub-inspector of Jeedimetla police
station Yousuf Jani said that a diary recovered from Lavanya’s room revealed how she was being forced by her poor parents to get married quickly. But she could not suffer the thought of a life without her lover, Rajesh. The diary written in Telugu throws light on the haplessness of a poor girl who dreamed of a life with the man of her choice. Lavanya’s father, B Narsinh Rao, is a labourer and her mother is a homemaker. Poverty made her quit studies after intermediate. K Rajesh lives in Maqdoom Nagar, Jagathgirigutta and is working with a private company.
Anuradha Orthopaedic hospital, Naidu said. Three of the four injured have been identified as Hanumantu, Mohd Rafi, and Tulsiram. A case has been
booked against Varun Kumar for rash and negligent driving. He has been taken into custody. Kumar is said to have pleaded that it was unintentional and he had been feeling sleepy.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
T-men allege unholy name games at Secretariat shrine
M ANIL KUMAR
POLITICS U Srinivas
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NEWS BRIEFS ‘CBI probe is much ado about nothing’
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PI(M) State secretary BV Raghavulu has said that the CBI investigation is like the proverbial ‘much ado about nothing’. Talking to the media, he said that apart from higher officials and ministers, who could be responsible for irregularities, names of private companies were mentioned in the CBI chargesheet. Even the supplementary sheet, does not name public representatives.
srinivas.u@postnoon.com
Vijaya Sai applies for bail again
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major controversy is brewing in the name of region and religion in the State Secretariat. The newly constructed temple is in news again for a different reason after a constable shot himself in the temple on Monday. The Telangana employees association leader Srinivas Goud along with some employees on Monday created a ruckus outside the temple. He found fault with the government for allowing the temple to be renamed as ‘Jayadurga Temple.’ He alleged that it was a conspiracy by the Andhra people. According to him, they want to grab the Nallapochamma temple from the Telangana people. It is an attack on the Telangana culture in the State secretariat, he said. He gave the government an ultimatum, saying that in five days time the temple’s original name must be restored. Currently, the board reads ‘Sri Sri Sri Jayadurga temple’ and ‘Nalla Pochamma temple.’ The temple was originally called Nalla Pochamma temple and only a few employees used to visit the temple. Now the temple has been
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uditor Vijaya Sai Reddy, who was arrested in the illegal assets case against YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has applied for bail. In the petition filed in the CBI Special Court in Nampally, Vijaya Sai has stated that the CBI had made false allegations against him and claimed to be innocent. He alleged that MLA P Shankar Rao’s petition was politically motivated and there was no base for those allegations. He argued that the allegation against him was totally false.
DL seeks debate on land allotments expanded and Brahmins were appointed to perform poojas on a regular basis. A homam was also performed when the new temple was thrown open to the public. According to sources, all the past Chief Ministers had visited the Nalla Pochamma temple before they took over the gaddi at the State Secretariat. But when Kiran Kumar Reddy came into power, he renovated and had the temple expanded. Now a huge controversy is
brewing in the name of a Telangana temple being converted into an Andhra temple. Controversy however, continues to shroud this place of worship. Only yesterday, an SPF constable on night duty, shot himself in the temple premises in the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, the bullet only grazed his shoulder and he is now recuperating in hospital. Syamala, one of the Telangana employees working in
the Secretariat, found fault with the authorities for allowing a temple, masjid and a church within the Secretariat premises. She said, “Why do they first issue permission and then create confusion later on? We come to work at the Secretariat and not fight in the name of religion.” We do not know where this controversy will lead us, she added. The issue has been brought to the notice of chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi it is learnt.
D Srinivas meets Sonia, Kiran to follow soon POLITICS Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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n a sudden development senior Congress leader and former PCC president D Srinivas met AICC chief Sonia
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Gandhi in New Delhi today. The meeting has assumed importance in the wake of severe drubbing of the party in the recent by-polls held in six seats of Telangana and one seat of Andhra region. Srinivas, who was nominated to the Upper House of AP last year after stepping down from the PCC leader-
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ship has reportedly appraised the party president about the current situation of the party in the State. He is said to have informed her of the goings-on in the State party and sought her intervention to solve many tangled issues. He has also impressed upon her on the urgent need to
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 Hospitals, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital,
resolve the Telangana issue as the irresolution has been debilitating for the party in electoral harvests. Srinivas is also scheduled to meet Gulam Nabi Azad and Pranab Mukherjee. On the other hand, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy is also visiting New Delhi tomorrow to meet the party’s top brass including Sonia Gandhi.
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H
ealth minister DL Ravindra Reddy has demanded that the State government allow a discussion in the Assembly on land allotments since 1995. He also demanded that the State government order a comprehensive inquiry into the liquor shops and ration cards in Chittoor and Kadapa districts. He felt that the party’s winning chances were remote in the forthcoming by-elections.
Panchayat secretary posts to be filled soon
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he State government has accorded permission for filling of vacancies of panchayat secretaries (Grade IV) under Direct Recruitment. According to a GO issued on Monday, the government has accorded permission to all the district collectors for filling the 2,677 posts of panchayat secretaries by direct recruitment with the District Selection Committee following the selection proces as per the existing selection rules.
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
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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
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Garib Rath for City poor soon APSRTC has big plans for the comfort of IT professionals. It also has a brilliant scheme to raise connectivity to 5,000 villages where the Maoist menace is acute
TRANSPORT Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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ndhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), one of the largest public sector corporation in the country, will soon introduce Garib Rath along the lines of Indian Railways for poor and low income group people, who cannot afford expensive travel in air-conditioned buses. In an exclusive interview, the vice chairman and managing director of APSRTC B Prasada Rao said, “This year our motto will be to reach out to more people and provide them better facilities. We have chalked out ambitious plans to achieve this aim. One of the plans is to provide high class service at affordable prices to help
low-income segment in the City. We will introduce air-conditioned buses for them at cheaper rates.” The corporation had recently introduced Indira buses targeting the middle-income groups. Rao said that he has conceived a novel plan to create transportation facilities to over 5,000 villages where the corporation presently does not have proper services. He also has a proposal to make the SHGs run by women partners in progress. “My goal this year will be to introduce our services to more than 5,000 villages where we don’t have regular connectivity. To achieve this goal, we are planning to procure 1,000 buses with the assistance of Self Help Group members and operate under their supervision. This will not only make them self-reliant, as there is scope for regular income for these women, but also provide them concession travel in our services,”
Rao said. Most of these villages the APSRTC plans to link are affected by Maoist problem. The officials of the corporation are of the view
that making SHGs part of their effort will also help in reducing Maoist problems. “Our idea behind introducing this scheme, apart from gaining commercial benefits, is to generate employment. This will help them avail cheap transport instead of depending on unsafe trasnport like autorickshaws and other means of transport. I think it will help in curbing the extremist problem as well,” he said. Prasada Rao informed that he had already held discussions with the MD of Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) for their novel initiative. The MD beamed at his achievement of procuring 4,000 buses, which includes all categories of buses during the last Financial Year. “I am very happy that we have realised 4,000 buses. The corporation desperately needed this as more than 7,000 buses have already crossed 15
State fails in computer education EDUCATION
lakh km limits. If we did not avail this, the corporation would have plunged into a big problem,” he explained.
Special buses for IT professionals The corporation is also planning to introduce special buses for IT professionals and International Airport bound passengers in Hyderabad. The special buses will operate as per the requirements of IT employees and will have pickup and drop facility. The MD said that they will also introduce night services for IT professionals from various locations in Hyderabad. “We will operate special services for IT professionals and for people who want to go to the airport. These services will also include AC buses. Apart from this, we will also run night buses for IT employees to take them to their destinations,” he said.
ACB sleuths arrest liquor kingpin
U Srinivas
Postnoon News
srinivas.u@postnoon.com
feedback@postnoon.com
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B
hen the Central government launched the Information and communication Technology (ICT) policy, it’s main objective was to impart computer training to students early on in a bid to bridge the digital divide in the country. It also wanted to prepare the youth for greater participation in the socio-economic development for the creation of a knowledge based society. However, this objective sadly remained unfulfilled. According to the latest CAG report tabled in the Assembly, the initiative of imparting computer education to school children failed due to poor planning, lack of compliance with tendering procedures, non-synchronisation of implementation schedule with academic years, failure to ensure continued computer education after closure of the project and poor monitoring. The State government has not addressed the concerns raised in the earlier CAG report it was pointed out. Some of the problems the project faced were also listed out in the latest report. The project commenced in December 2009 and computers were installed in schools till August 2010. Of the
Figures Project cost Funds released Funds spent ICT-5000 `335 crore centre-141, state 34.50 136.22 centre, 14.27 state ICT-1300 `87.10crore centre-15, state-5.00 9.75 centre, NIL Note: Both the Centre and State were tardy in releasing funds for the programme 1,975 computers installed in 184 schools as many as 690 computers were non functional. Furthermore, out of the 1,840 teachers meant for teaching in 184 schools, only 219 were trained in the subject. Nearly 85 schools out of 184 had no Internet connections and it was non-functional in some schools. In some schools, where computers were stolen, there were no replacements sent. There is no penal clause and a lot of deficiencies exist in the current agreement.
Recommendations
n Specific milestones should be fixed and incorporated in the agreements in respect of each component of the project duly entailing penalties for non performance by vendors. n State government should ensure strict compliance with the goals of centres the ICT policy and formulate a comprehensive plan to continue computer education in schools. n Feedback on the implementation of the project should be obtained through an indepen-
dent agency not associated with the project.
Response Minister for IT Ponnala Lakshmaiah, while accepting the audit observation, stated that action would be taken for modification of the agreement to impose penalty for no provision of all the services mentioned in the agreement. He also stated that component wise cost details and services would also be incorporated in the MOU with the contracting agencies.
alraj Goud, one of the kingpins in the liquor syndicates, was arrested by the ACB sleuths last night at Renigunta near Tirupathi while he was travelling in a train. According to reports, Balraj will be produced in the ACB court today. The police is yet to confirm the news of Balraj’s arrest. According to sources, Balraj had been absconding ever since his name figured in the liquor scam. He called up the ACB sleuths several times saying that he would surrender in the ACB court. But he had been shuttling from one place to another to avoid surrender, causing the ACB some anxious moments. Excise officials told Postnoon that Balraj, who started as a toddy seller, slowly expanded his liquor syndicate with shops in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda district. Apart from his share in 100 liquor shops, Balraj invested in about 60 shops. He even contested on a PRP ticket recently and lost miserably. Now political circles are worried that some more names, especially from the ruling party, will emerge in the liquor scam if Balraj gets talking. Taking the threat perception also into account the police and ACB are keeping Balraj’s movements a secret.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
Notices issued against water exploitation While hundreds of parched throats have been begging for water, a handful of people continue to exploit precious groundwater
SRINIVAS SETTY
I MPACT Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com
‘Regret being in politics’
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CC chief Botsa Satyanarayana has said that the way the ACB has acted in the liquor syndicates affair with regard to his Vizianagaram district caused him mental agony and he was beginning to regret being in politics. It is being said that Botsa Satyanarayana was expressing his anguish with his close associates. He is also believed to be expressing his doubts that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was behind the ACB raids. He is said to be telling his friends that he has done nothing wrong. Referring to the controversy, the PCC chief reportedly told his friends that he was stunned at the way he was being targeted. It may be mentioned here that Ganesh, the ACB CI, has issued a legal notice to the SIT chief, for abusing him in public for not implicating Botsa and his family. It was also said that Botsa went to New Delhi and complained to AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad that the Chief Minister was trying to tarnish his image. However, Botsa denies making a complaint to the AICC general secretary.
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R Raja Bose, Tahsildar of the Amberpet mandal, has served notice to the private well owners, G Laxma Reddy at Tilak Nagar and eight others who have been drawing massive amount of groundwater and selling it for profit. This had led to depletion of groundwater table in the nearby areas. Postnoon had, in its edition of March 29, exposed the scandal. The Tahsildar has the authority to seize and seal the well if it is used for commercial purposes. “After being informed about this particular issue in Tilak Nagar, I have issued notices to G Laxma Reddy and others for pumping out groundwater and selling it commercially. It is only a matter of time before such bore- wells are shut down permanently and he will be fined a heavy penalty as per the WALTA Act,” he said. Laxma Reddy, it is alleged has been operating this well for the past eight years with impunity. The reason why no authority touched him till now is because of his proximity to a cabinet minister, it is reported. People in the neighbourhood had
been complaining of their wells going dry. Furthermore, eight more people involved in similar cases are also being issued notices. “Although many of these people involved may have political backing or support, there will be no leniency against any of them. Strict action will ensue against any individual regardless of their background, if they are found to be involved in such scams,” he said. G Laxma Reddy, the prime accused, was unavailable to comment on his involvement in the issue. (With inputs from Md Inkeshaf Ahmed)
ICONIC CITY Nehru Zoological Park
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o trip to the City is complete without a trip to the Nehru Zoological Park. It is easy to understand why our zoo is the City’s pride — it houses over a 100 species of animals from tigers, crocodiles, panthers and deers to many others. The 380 acre property is located near Mir Alam Tank in Bahadurpura. It would be foolish to regard a trip to the zoo as a activity just for children as anyone can spend an enjoyable day in the zoo. Bring along a camera and a bottle of water as
Aishwarya Yerra Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We take a look at the various places that make this City so special
your companions. At the zoo you can see every enclosure, observe animals and how they live in in a simulated habitat. The star attractions in the zoo are the white tigers, the elephants, the reptile enclosure (it houses many exotic varieties of snakes) and the safari. Recently four cheetahs were added to the endless list of attractions. You can also take a train ride across the zoo to see the various sights. We suggest that you pay a visit to the zoo in the cooler months.
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Saibaba takes charge as NFC chief N
Saibaba took charge as chief executive of the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) on Sunday in place of R N Jayaraj, who retired on March 31 on completion of twoyear extended period of service. Saibaba was holding the post of additional chief executive. Saibaba has vast experience in the field of manufacturing of zirconium alloy fabrication and structure for the Indian Nuclear Programme, which are used in boiling water reactors (BWR) at Tarapur (TAPS 1&2) and in several pioneering contributions in the manufacture of critical core components of pressured heavy water reactors, development of seamless calandria tubes for pressured heavy water reactors and specially shaped pressure tubes for advanced heavy water reactors. He had developed hexagonal channels for prototype fast breeder reactors and square channels for boiling water reactors through pilger route. He led the team in the development a new process for manufacture of double clad tubes with zirconium lining. He made invaluable contributions in the field of nuclear science and technology. After obtaining a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering in the year 1975 from Andhra University, he joined the 1975-76 batch of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Mumbai’s training school for a one year re-orientation course in nuclear engineering and topped his batch. On successful completion of training, he was posted to the Nuclear Fuel Complex from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai.
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Gold stores conduct business on sly M ANIL KUMAR
STRIKE Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com
D
espite the soaring gold prices, City shoppers have had no qualms investing in the precious metal. But for those of who’ve had to put gold shopping on hold thanks to the jewellers’ strike, there’s good news. Several jewellery stores, while outwardly complying with the strike, offered their customers backdoor entries. More than 2,000 stores that fall under several associations have been on a strike since the last 16 days to protest against the proposed increase in import duty on gold and imposition of excise duty on unbranded jewellery. However, this two week long strike has left jewellers incurring heavy losses. It’s probably this that drove several gold stores in the City to conduct backdoor business. “I had to buy something urgently last Friday and went to one of the jewellery stores in Basheerbagh. While one of them was open with half shutter, three others let us inside from the backdoor. These stores had watchmen stationed outside,
who escorted customers into the store through a smaller side or back door. Much to my surprise and relief these stores were conducting business as usual and I could buy whatever I needed,” says Rajitha M, an IT professional. While shoppers heaved a sigh of relief, this secret trade has landed a few jewellerss into trouble. A leading store in Basheerbagh was fined a penalty of `1 lakh by the associations for conducting business during the strike period.
No of shops 2000 plus Losses incurred `6,75,000 Loss to the government More than `1.5 lakhs Total employees 4 lakhs “Until Sunday, most of the shops in this area conducted business on the sly but after the penalty everybody is now scared. Today (Monday) everybody has
completely shut business. The employees of the stores even took out a rally to put pressure on the government,” says Balu, watchman at M Gopal Das store, who has been witness to all the happenings since the last two weeks. “Our shop has been closed since the last 16 days. But despite the strike we have to come to the store and give our attendance. We sit here the whole day doing nothing. I wonder when the strike will end. It’s a very difficult for a man like me who is
the only earning member in the family,” says Srinivas K, employee, Sri Krishna jewellers. This is the first time that gold shops have been shut for so long. Compliance with the strike is hitting the jewellers where it hurts. In the last 15 days stores have incurred losses to the tune of `6,75,000. “We are going through a very rough time. The government fails to understand that it’s a loss for them and us,” complains P Krishna, manager P Satyanarayana jewellers.
Save us, Pranab is out to kill us, say jewellers Compelling us to collect extra tax from our customers will make them hostile and we will lose their goodwill, complain City jewellers
TAXES Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
T
he Finance Minister’s budget on 1 per cent excise duty on unbranded jewellery is taking its toll on the jeweller’s business in the City. As the strike enters the 17th day, the loss in trade is said to be gigantic. The shops under the Twin City Jewellers Association, Sarafa Association Chaar Kaman , Top Market Jewellers Association, Hyderabad Jewellery Manufacturers Association, Ameerpet Jewellers Association, Siddiamber Bazar Association are closed since March 17 after the budget announced duty hike. Curiously, some branded shops keep operating and smaller shops keeping their business closed in reverence to their associations’ call has generated friction and tension in the fraternity. Smaller shops too had been compelled to do backdoor business surreptitiously. However, all have
been ordered to fall in line from today, it is learnt. “Yes, in between there were some shops open but they were granted per-
mission as they had their own commitments to fulfill. Many jewellers were allowed to perform puja on Ugadi day as it was an
auspicious day and new year too” said, Praveen Kumar, General Secretary, Twin City Jewellers Association.
Kumar also clarified a technical point to deny any chasm between the big and small merchants. “Excluding the branded showrooms, all the local gold stores in the City had complied with the national bandh. The branded shops work according to the directions of their central wings located in Mumbai and Dubai. We have requested them to keep their branches closed,” Kumar said. “Our two main issues are: one per cent of the sale amount towards tax collected at source (TCS) and the 1 per cent excise duty which will only give rise to smuggling be scrapped,” said the Association leader. It’s not the tax hike alone that is bothering the jewellers. There is the fear of the law. For example, if you buy gold jewellery worth `2 lakh and pay in cash your jeweller is expected to collect `2,000 from you and remit it to government. The jewellers are fuming over the collection of tax and why make them responsible for remittance when the government can do it themselves.
Hyper Local
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
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N SHIVA KUMAR
SPINNING A DIFFERENT TALE Behind the yards of bright, colourful, delicate and intricate fabric is the days of effort by the weavers. It comes to you through a long process that includes spinning the yarn and dyeing it before being woven into various designs. The beauty of the final product has always been admired but the art by the skilled and dedicated hands behind it somehow goes unnoticed.
17,633.82 155.80
5,365.05 47.15
BSE
NSE
Business
10g= `28,200
GOLD
`50.55
1kg= `57,700
SILVER
DOLLAR
POUND TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 9
Matters of saving and spending
GBB eyes big byte from the cloud pie Fresco to grow vegetables sans soil F
resco, a branded fresh vegetables division of AR Agro Fields, a city-based company, has commenced operations of India’s first and largest commercial hydroponic growing venture — Fresco Centre for Precision Farming (Fresco CPF) with the first planting of vegetables at Shabad near City. Hydroponics is the technique of growing without soil. It provides a plant precisely what it needs and when it needs it, said Ranjit Sirigiri, director, AR Agro Fields. “Hydroponics allows us to provide consumers with the freshest vegetables all year round with consistency in quality,” said Rohit Sirigiri, director. Coriander, Mint and Iceberg Lettuce are the first crop grown hydroponically at Fresco CPF. In a City where water scarcity is felt round the year, such innovations may be the way out. Whether it works or not, the success of the project alone will tell, opine industry experts.
N SHIVA KUMAR
Prudhvi Raju K Prudhvi.r@postnoon.com
Subbaram Gowra, founder and managing partner, GBB vice different needs of the clients” he said. Talking about the future plans, he said that the future of storage will be on cloud. It will be the next emerging technology. GBB is already offering on premise server solutions and is preparing to offer cloud services for small and medium businesses in the future. “We are ramping up the centre of excellence which will give perspective to the industry to learn the best practices on IBM blades and IBM storage,” he adds. GBB is growing at 18-20 per cent every year. Its clientele
includes industry majors from education, pharma, telecom and banking. It is aiming to grow at least 20-25 per cent in coming years by expanding its services to the government and to IT industry. The company also expanded to software, by developing CRM (customer relationship management) software. It has sold 100 licences in first three months of launch for various hardware vendors in different cities and is aiming to sell 1,000 licences. It is also planning to replicate this software and create tool for other industries like electronics.
Banks to have interface with treasury U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
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anks will have automated interface with state Government. This followed the Central Government asking the State level Bankers committee (SLBC) to give a report on the state of automation of treasury operations in the AP. However, the processes of treasuries have not yet been fully automated to reap the benefits. The State Governments all over have undertaken the exercise to fully automate the treasury operations including the interface with the banks and they are at various stages of implementation.
Benefits of automation n Elimination of risks associated with human interference. n Cost and time efficient transactions. n Quick settlement of claims. n Automatic instant reconciliation of transactions. n Reduced paper work. n Efficient fund management. n Effective budgeting exercise. n Easy and perfect record keeping in digital form Traditionally the treasuries have been sending bills and authorisations in physical form for effecting credits. This is time
NUMEROLOGY
49 NextGen Park Inns by Radisson hotels are to open across northern and central India by 2024.
THUS SPAKE "The industry is unable to meet the minimum production demands due to frequent power cuts and power holidays. The hike in the power tariff will further lead to greater burden for the industry," Suchitra Ella, chairperson, CII, Andhra Pradesh
T
echnology keeps changing. Any company which is operating in the technology space has to transform itself often to survive and to grow in the industry. Gowra Bits and Bytes (GBB) started in 2000 associating components and building up the computers. The company has evolved with time as IT solution provider and marked `20.5 crore in 2010-2011. “We were assembling different components and building and selling computers till 2005. We realised there is no value addition in the business and want to add evolving new systems to our portfolio. That pushed us to have tie-up with IBM to sell their branded personal computers and servers,” said Subbaram Gowra, founder and managing partner. GBB started offering server consolidation in 2006 to further expand its portfolio and adapt to the new opportunities. It has deployed 40 smart data centres since the inception of service and emerged as one of the prominent business partner of IBM, he said. “We want GBB to offer a wide variety of solutions and project as a complete IT consultant than mere hardware seller. We are providing internet, security, virtualisation, networking and data leak prevention services and ser-
`81.05
consuming. The banks and the officials of the State government have agreed that full automation will further the interface between the government treasuries and the banks. It will effect instant fund transfer and quick credits to all beneficiaries. The Banks have already taken up the issue with the principal secretary finance and other officials. The government of India has suggested to the SLBC to discuss the issue with the State government as a standing agenda and the same was informed to the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. The Minister for Finance
Anam Ramnarayan Reddy and other officials told the chief minister that the work was in progress. On the other hand the Reserve Bank of India has formulated a model scheme for opening financial literacy and credit counseling centers by all the lead banks in the lead districts. These centers will be established at block level, district level, town level and city level. The State level Bankers Committee will co-ordinate for these centres both in public and private sector. Presently 13 centers are functioning in the state in the nine districts and some more are in the pipeline.
CHARGES ON RBC US regulators on Monday announced charges against Royal Bank of Canada, accusing the major Canadian bank of "washing" hundreds of millions of dollars through fraudulent trading. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said it had filed a complaint in federal district court in New York accusing RBC of "conducting a multi-hundred million-dollar wash sale scheme in connection with exchange-traded stock futures contracts." The Canadian bank and financial services company does business in New York.
STALEMATE A federal judge in the heart of Silicon Valley said Monday that Google and Oracle have failed to settle a patent dispute out of court and that the case will head to civil trial. The suit is on track to start on April 16. Oracle last week spurned a proposal that Google pay about $3 million in damages and potentially cut the company in for less than a percent of Android revenue. Oracle rejected the offer as too low. Oracle is accusing Google's Android software of infringing on Java computer programming language patents held by it.
India‑View
10
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
India unveiled
Now one out of 100 Fear of plague haunting Americans an Indian Himachal villages WASHINGTON: People of Indian origin are close to making one per cent of America’s population of 308.7 million with their numbers shooting up by a whopping 69.37 per cent over the last decade. Indians are now the largest Asian subgroup in 25 states in America, mainly in the South and Midwest, making them the main driver in population growth of Asian Americans, according to an analysis of US 2010 Census data by the California based IndiaWest newspaper. The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metro area had 5,26,133 Indian Americans in 2010, about 18.5 per cent of the nation’s total of 28,43,391 with a dramatic increase in their numbers from 16,78,765 in 2000. While California had the most Indian American residents at 528,176, and New York was second at 313,620. Indians have a higher percentage as a ratio of a state’s total population in New Jersey. There are now 2,92,256 Asian Indians, as the Census Bureau Indian Americans are the largest Asian group in six of the 10 largest metro areas in the US. These with their national rankings by population size listed in brackets were: Chicago (3), Dallas (4), Philadelphia (5), Washington, D.C. (7) Miami (8) and Atlanta (9)
terms Indian Americans, in New Jersey, 3.3 per cent of the state’s total population. Indian Americans in New Jersey numbered just 1,69,180 in 2000, so their number has increased almost 73 percent. The next states after the top three with the largest numbers of Indian Americans in 2010 were: Texas, 24,5,981; Illinois, 188,328, Florida, 128,735; Virginia, 103,916, Pennsylvania, 103,026; Georgia, 96,116; Maryland, 79,051; Massachusetts, 77,177; Michigan, 77,132; Ohio, 64,187; Washington, 61,124; and North Carolina, 57,400. The Indian American population increased due to several factors, including the influx of a large number of professionals, particularly those coming on H-1Bs, according to the India-West analysis. India was also a leading source of foreign students from 2000-10. Many have stayed to continue their studies or to work in the country. Many others who immigrated to the US in the 1980s and 1990s have sponsored relatives under the family visas. IANS
SHIMLA: Residents of the Rohru rural belt in Himachal Pradesh are living in fear of the ‘wrath of god'. The cause of the scare is actually pneumonic plague caused by rats, but many of them believe that every 10 to 15 years supernatural forces cause the disease outbreak. By their calculation, these residents of Rohru division in Shimla district believe, the ‘wrath of god’ will strike them some time this year. Rohru and its nearby areas are home to around 20,000 people. These are the observations of an ongoing study by the Department of Community Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) sanctioned the study for two years to investigate socio-epidemiological factors related to the 2002 plague outbreak in Rohru that claimed four lives. Simultaneously, it’s trying to elucidate the sylvatic cycle of plague bacilli transmission in areas around Rohru. “Some of the locals interviewed do know that plague is spread by rats, through the bite of fleas living on the rats’ body. A majority of them, however, consider it a wrath of god and supernatural forces," Sonu Goel, prin-
cipal investigator and assistant professor at PGIMER said. He said local people believe environment plays a major role in the spread of the plague. “Most respondents who participated in functional group discussions and in-depth interviews are of the opinion that the plague repeats itself after every 10 to 15
years and an outbreak could recur again some time this year when heavy snowfall is predicted by ‘devtas’ or local deities.” The group has interviewed over 150 locals, including families of the 2002 plague victims and the medical officers posted there at the time of the disease outbreak. IANS
Indian TV gets melodious once more NEW DELHI: Television music channels in India were long ago taken over by adventure, love and fashion-based reality shows. But melody is slowly making a comeback on the small screen thanks to new channels that are offering Bollywood numbers from different eras 24X7. Sony MIX, 9XM and the newly-launched 9X Jalwa are among those bringing back music to Indian television while focussing on film numbers. The 9X network, which was already playing latest Hindi music on 9XM, non-stop Punjabi music channel on 9X Tashan and Marathi music on 9X Jhakaas, has launched 9X Jalwa, dedicated to music from the 1960s to early 2000. There was a “huge demand among viewers for melodious Bollywood music”, Amar Tidke, head (programming) and senior vice president, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd, told IANS. “But then there was no channel that played these timeless Bollywood hits
through the day.” In the 1990s, youth would tune into MTV and Channel V to satiate their music thirst. But over time these channels went beyond music with shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla and Dare 2 Date, forcing youth to turn to the radio for music.
It is this music space that the new channels are hoping to tap on TV. “Television puts the context to a song; it’s a medium used by viewers to discover a song. Also, viewers first like to see the visuals and the elements that make the song familiar and this is pos-
sible on the television medium. “Radio, on the other hand, is the medium that creates the immediate connect of the listener to the song after it has been played on television,” he added. Other existing music channels include Sony MIX, B4U Music, Mastii and MTunes. Some pep it up with animated characters, while some offer time bands catering to different age groups. Explaining the rationale behind launching Sony MIX, a pure music channel, Neeraj Vyas, its executive vice president and business head, said “At the network level, music was a natural extension for MSM India. We have amazing brands in the genres of general entertainment, movies and comedy. Hence, with music we found our fourth pillar.” So while some channels play old classics at night, some play latest hits, and others play evergreen numbers throughout the day, one wonders what’s a heady
mix for a good music channel? “A good music channel is one where everyone finds their favourites at their own suitable time,” said Vyas. “So we selected the best of music from across all eras and scheduled it as per the genre’s audience profile. We did extensive research to identify the audience profiles, which indicated that while youth was big on music channels during the daylight hours, it was the senior target group of 25-44 years that sought music in the night,” he added, elucidating on the channel’s content strategy. According to Pritika Majumdar, 25, it is extremely relaxing to tune into a music channel at night, especially after a hard day at work. “Who has the patience to watch all the drama and crying on TV after a working day? It’s best to put on some music on TV. It also helps me remain updated on the latest songs in upcoming films,” said Majumdar. IANS
India‑View
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TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
India unveiled
Prize for best reared cattle CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has come up with a novel idea to keep beneficiaries of a government scheme, under which milch cows, sheep and goats are distributed for free to landless poor, motivated in rearing the animals by announcing prizes worth thousands of rupees for best maintenance. In a recent order, the state Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi referred to a director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences’ report which observed that most beneficiaries of were first time animal owners and skills on animal rearing were imparted to them to maximise production and productivity. DAHVS has recommended these awards to encourage the beneficiaries to follow good management practices to rear the goats/sheep and milch cows, Bedi said. Ten prizes for best main-
tained milch cows in each district, 15 prizes for best maintained goats/sheep in each district and merit certificates to five committed veterinary assistant surgeons in each districts who have taken special efforts at motivating owners under the schemes will be awarded, he said.
US announces $10m bounty on LeT founder NEW DELHI: The US has announced a bounty of $10 million on outlawed Pakistanbased Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. This was stated by US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman while addressing a gathering at the American Centre here. She was replying to a question on what the US was doing to bring to justice those involved in terror attacks against India.
Saeed, the founder of terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba, is on India’s most wanted list. After the 26/11 attacks that left 166 people dead, India has asked Pakistan to hand him over. Sherman, on a four-day visit to the country, met Indian officials including Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai during which a host of key issues pertaining to Indo-US ties were discussed. Sherman is leaving for Patna today, the first visit by such a high-ranking US official to Bihar. PTI
A total estimated cost of `3.99 lakh and `6.045 lakh for
prizes in milch cows and sheep/goats categories respectively will be realised from the available contingency fund under the scheme. Milch cow owners who stand first, second and third will get prizes worth `5,000,
`4,000 and `3,000 respectively,
MELBOURNE: Two Indians drowned at
while seven others will get a consolation prize worth `1,000. However, to make the idea realise its intention to the fullest, prizes will be given in the form of concentrate feed procured from the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation under the brand of ‘Aavin.’ Funds for the same will be transferred to respective District Milk Producers Unions and Aavin will adjust the funds towards supply of concentrate feed on a daily basis, he said. The scheme of distributing these animals was launched by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on September 15 last year. The state government had earlier issued orders for distributing goats/sheep to over seven lakh landless poor families and milch cows to over 60,000 needy families living in the rural areas over a period of five years.
a northern New South Wales beach in Australia while swimming with a group of friends. The two men, aged 24 and 25, were swimming with friends at Belongil Beach, Byron Bay, when they got into difficulty on Sunday noon, Australian news agency APP reported today. Police said the men, who were not identified, were underwater for up to 10 minutes before they were taken ashore, where rescuers and paramedics tried in vain to revive them. The men got caught in a rip and people on the beach raised the alarm. Lifesavers plunged into the water and found them on the ocean floor just beyond the surf break.
PTI
COOL KITCHENS
NEW DELHI: Strains in their relationship due to their childless state could have led a defence ministry official to strangle to death his wife in a fit of rage and then kill himself, police said Monday evening, three days after the bodies were discovered in their south Delhi home. According to police, Kumar Yashkar Sinha, 42, may have killed his wife, Archana Sharma, 32, because she was unable to conceive even after seven years of their marriage. The bodies of Sinha and his wife were found Friday at their
Hudco Place residence, flat number SB-101, in south Delhi. “Even after seven years of marriage the couple was childless. Archana was undergoing treatment for the last four months and that might have led to a dispute between them on March 30,” Station House Officer Defence Colony police station,
VIP treatment to Jagir Kaur questioned AMRITSAR: Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa on Sunday took a dig at the Punjab government for allegedly extending VIP treatment to former minister Jagir Kaur, who is in jail for conspiring in forcible abortion and abduction in the killing of her daughter 12 years ago. “Punjab government is violating the Constitution by extending VIP treatment to Bibi Jagir Kaur lodged in Kapurthala jail, party’s secretary for human rights Pritpal Singh said. Blaming the jail ministry for flouting the norms, he said it happens only in India, where political bigwigs and rich are considered above the law.
J&K informs Centre of taking back projects JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir gov-
Fishermen prepare their meal on their boats on the river Ganga in Kolkata on Monday.
PTI
Did he kill wife over childless state? Rajnish Singh
NATION AT A GLANCE Two Indians drown in Australia
Vijay Singh told IANS. Singh added that Archana’s post-mortem report, released Monday evening, and police investigations revealed that she was strangled by Sinha, who later immolated himself. “However, the remaining doubts in the case will be cleared after Sinha’s postmortem report, which is likely to come late Monday night,” Singh said. The post-mortem report also revealed that Archana was strangled by her own dupatta around 12 to 18 hours before her body was recovered following a police call at 1.44pm on Friday. Investigators suspect that
the deaths took place between 11pm on Thursday, when Sinha had a telephonic chat with one of his relatives, and 7am on Friday as Sinha had not picked up the newspapers which were delivered at that time, said the official. Singh did not ruled out other causes, including financial crisis, sudden provocation or work related stress as Sinha had mentioned some seniors of pressurising him in his personal diary. Sinha was a Deputy Director at the Directorate General of Medical Services while his wife was a classical dancer and they got married in 2005.
ernment has informed the Centre of its decision to take back hydel power projects from NHPC in the state, the Assembly was informed today. “The state government has projected its case (taking back of hydel projects from NHPC) to the Central government and the matter is under the discussion,” Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Taj Mohi-ud-Din said. The minister said this while replying during the discussion on a private member’s resolution in the House here. He further said that the state government is making concerted efforts to get back all the NHPCowned power projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jewellers clash with police during a protest at Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai on Monday against the budget proposal to bring unbranded precious jewellery under the Excise duty net.
Around the World
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Beyond Borders
America to wake up to Palin’s Today
T
he Today/Good Morning America ratings battle intensifies with Palin up against guest host Katie Couric The former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice-president nominee, Sarah Palin, will guest co-host on NBC’s Today program this week. Palin, who is also a contributor to Fox News Channel, will join Matt Lauer and Ann Curry at the news desk, according to the weekend Today program. “No, this is not an April Fools joke,” Business Insider writes, pointing out that Palin’s appearance will coincide with that of Katie Couric, who is guest-hosting ABC’s rival Good Morning America program all week. Forbes speculates that NBC is “flipping out” that Couric, who has hosted its Today program in the
past, will steal away valuable viewers. The publication’s contributor explains that Couric is best know for the CBS Evening News with Palin, in which she couldn’t name a newspaper she read for information. Speaking about her up-coming television appearance, Palin told the Breitbart News. “I see this as a good opportunity to bring an independent, common-sense conservative perspective to NBC. We’re going rogue and infiltrating some turf for a day.” And when asked about the fact she would be pitted against Couric she replied “Game on.” “Set your alarm clocks for 6.59am, America,” The New York Times advises, reporting that Good Morning America had been expected to out-rate Today for a whole week for the first time since 1995.
12
IN HIS SHOES?
A senior employee (L) of Japanese shoe cream maker Columbus polishes shoes of a newly recruited employee during an entrance ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo on Monday. Nine newly hired employees learned how to use the company’s shoe polishing cream from senior staff by having their shoes polished by them and practicing their freshly learned skills AFP/YOSHIKAZU TSUNO by returning the favour polishing the senior employees’ shoes.
Granny ballerinas all set to win A faceless BURANOVO: Valentina Pyatchenko, 74, pulled on her dancing shoes — a pair of slippers woven from lime tree bark with several holes in the soles — and prepared to perform. Pyatchenko is one of the Buranovskiye Babushki (the Buranovo Grannies), a group of elderly village women who were chosen to represent Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest, despite a lack of obvious showbusiness attributes. Their performance of their song, “Party for Everybody”, with simple dance moves in the bark slippers, charmed viewers in Russia and is now one of the favourites to win the contest in Baku in May. “We don’t know how old these shoes are. They’ve been repaired so many times, but I danced in them anyway, and they’ve already got holes,” Pyatchenko told AFP as she got ready to go on stage. Aged from 43 to 76, the women live in a village of wooden houses in the Udmurtia region in the foothills of the Ural
T
he Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each country submits their song to be performed live on TV and viewers vote for the most popular song.
Seven of the eight members of the singing group “Buranovskiye Babushki” (Buranovo Grannies), sing during a rehearsal at the local club in the village of Buranovo. AFP/NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA mountains. Most worked in farming and still spend their time tending animals and garden plots. But the Eurovision sparkle has now reached their village of Buranovo around 30 kilometres
(18 miles) from the nearest town, Izhevsk. In the village hall where they rehearse, their diploma as Eurovision contestants hung proudly next to a notice about a Saturday-night disco.
On stage, the women recorded video messages for television channels in Ukraine, Cyprus and Armenia, singing and waving on cue, even if some gently shook out tired legs. The next day they were due to get up at 5am to fly to Moscow to perform for a foundation headed by the president-elect’s wife Lyudmila Putina. But they insisted that fame had not changed them. “We don’t see ourselves as stars. We are just normal grannies from Buranovo. Everyone says ‘stars, stars’, and we find it funny,” said Yekaterina Shklyayeva, 74. Two of the women worked as milk maids, one was a teacher, another worked at a kindergarten and one was a bookkeeper. AFP
win
SYDNEY: A painting of a faceless man by Tim Storrier on Friday won Australia’s most prestigious portraiture prize, the Archibald, along with a cheque for Aus$75,000 (US$78,000). The work, entitled The Histrionic Wayfarer (After Bosch), features a pith-helmeted figure carrying a backpack with his dog Smudge perched on top. The figure has glasses but no face.
T
he Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from JF Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919. Storrier, who beat 40 other finalists, said it was a self-portrait. “It is based on a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, called the Wayfarer, painted in 1510 where the figure is believed to be choosing a path or possibly the prodigal son returning,” he said. Smudge was present at the awards ceremony in Sydney. AFP
Around the World
13
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Beyond Borders
Seven killed in US college shooting Suspect of Korean origin opens fire in religious college campus
Hungary’s President Pal Schmitt after filing his resignation. AFP
Scandal forces Hungarian prez to quit BUDAPEST: Hungary’s President Pal Schmitt, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, caved in Monday to mounting pressure to quit after he was stripped of his 1992 doctorate title for plagiarism. Rumours he might resign first arose on Friday, a day after Budapest’s Semmelweis University stripped him of his PhD, but Schmitt clung on, insisting that he could “see no link” between the plagiarism affair and a need for his resignation. The university found last week that Schmitt copied “word-forword” large passages of other writers’ work in his thesis on the history of the Olympic Games. In parliament Monday, Schmitt insisted he had done “honest work” and claimed the university had “no right” to strip him of his doctorate. AFP
OAKLAND: Seven people were killed and three injured on Monday when a gunman went on a shooting rampage at a private California religious college near San Francisco, police said. The suspect — a local ethnic Korean resident who surrendered soon after the attacks — stood up in a classroom at Oikos University in East Oakland and shot one person at point blank range in the chest, then sprayed the room with bullets, a witness recounted. The gunman, described as looking “crazy,” then allegedly went on a shooting spree through the Christian college, where victims were found in a number of locations when officers arrived after being alerted by a string of 911 calls. Police did not immediately say what type of firearm the shooter used, or if he used multiple weapons. Some 35 people were in or near the building at the time. Of those, 10 were hit and five were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others died later in hospital. Survivors were later found hiding in locked classrooms and offices. “There are seven (families) now that are having to deal with this horrendous act,” Oakland City Council president Larry Reid told CNN.
GLOBE AT A GLANCE Syria accepts April 10 peace deadline: Annan UNITED NATIONS: UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Monday said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had accepted an April 10 deadline to start implementing a peace plan, as more than 30 people died in new clashes. Annan said Syria had agreed to “immediately” start pulling troops out of protest cities and complete a troop and heavy weapon withdrawal by April 10.
Myanmar, N Korea in focus at ASEAN summit PHNOM PENH: Southeast Asian lead-
SWAT officers walk near the area where the shootings took place at a private college in Oakland. AFP/KIMIHIRO HOSHINO The gunman was detained near a Safeway supermarket in the neighbouring city of Alameda, where he had fled after the massacre, said Oakland police chief Howard Jordan. Jordan said the suspect was believed to be a former student at the college with no previous criminal record. “He is a Korean national,” Jordan said, without specifying if he was from South or North Korea, and gave his name as One Goh, age 43. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing officials at the South Korean consulate in San Francisco, identified the shooter as Ko Won-Il. Lisa Resler, 41, said she was leaving the Safeway supermarket in Alameda with her daughter when she saw a young Asian
man wearing a hat being confronted by store security. She described him as looking “very sedated” as he was handcuffed. Within minutes of the midmorning shooting, SWAT teams took up position around the building, some smashing glass with sledgehammers and rushing inside as officers helped students evacuate the campus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. A wounded woman said the shooter was a man in her nursing class who rose up and shot one person in the chest, then began firing wildly in the classroom. City Council president Reid said the motive for the killings was unclear. “That information will come out during the legal process that he now finds himself in,” he said. AFP
30 YEARS ON THE PAIN REMAINS
ers met on Tuesday for an annual summit set to be dominated by Myanmar’s historic reforms, North Korea’s planned rocket launch and strategic maritime disputes with China. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened in the Cambodian capital. AFP
Former FARC hostages are seen in Bogota, Colombia, following their release by the FARC rebels who held them hostage for 10-12 years.
West Africa leaders hit Mali with sanctions DAKAR: West African leaders slapped crippling sanctions on Mali’s new junta ahead of emergency UN talks on Tuesday on the troubled nation, half of which is now held by Tuareg rebels and Islamist fighters. As Mali slid further into chaos under military rulers who seized power on March 22, France called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Parents of Travyon seek US federal probe MIAMI: The family of Travyon Martin who shot dead by a neighbourhood watch guard asked US federal officials to probe “suspicious” actions by Florida officials on the night of the shooting. The attorney for the family sent a letter to the US Justice Department urging it to review the role of Florida State Attorney Norm Wolfinger, who has since recused himself from the case.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner throws flowers to the sea paying homage to the war veterans and the fallen of the Falklands conflict. AFP
Wife of a British serviceman, who was killed in the Falklands war looks at his name in the memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in England. AFP
Senegal’s new president Macky Sall (L) receives a decoration after the swearing-in ceremony in Dakar on Monday. AFP
Comment
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
Editorials STOP BEING UNFAIR to the fairer sex
Net-worth, you & me
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edia is abuzz with stories of women being harassed, tortured and murdered for failing to bear male children. The latest case in the media limelight is from Rajasthan, where a newborn girl has been rejected by the biological mother and the state High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of the issue. Barely a month back, this paper had reported the story of a woman murdered by her husband in Hyderabad for failing to bear him a male heir. These barbaric incidents point to the hypocrisy that is deeply entrenched in our culture, which we flaunt to the rest of the world as exemplary in its treatment of women. In towns and cities across the country, thousands of selective abortions are carried out after sonography tests — shocking statistics reveal that the ‘educated and aware’ urban folk butcher unborn girls many times more than their rural counterparts. If we have anything left of conscience and dignity, we should clean up our Augean Stables before decrying the ‘moral degradation’ being brought about by influence of Western culture.
WHY WE LOVE... the IPL
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oads are less congested, easing early return home where a happy family sits together and watches one channel, whether understood by all members or not, after a consensus — that is the power of the Indian Premier League for you. And not the least, the cheerleaders who provide the visual treat.
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Hard Talk PK Surendran
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f you’re a social-public network addict, especially of Facebook, this piece is for you.
No technology is an unmixed blessing. If it is human invention, it is bound to be a double-edged sword. So is the popular social network to which our kids are hopelessly glued. Facebook could usher in Arab Spring, banish governments. It helps people connect from any part of the globe; a lot of noble works get support, yeah, yeah, yeah... but listen... We all know what happened to Shashi Tharoor after he twittered! But do you also know several eyes that we hate are throwing a sideway glance at the social networks for clues? Read this news TIME reported some time back. “A Quebec woman is claiming her insurance company revoked her health benefits after discovering photos on the social networking site that showed her having fun. Nathalie Blanchard, who had been on paid sick leave after getting a diagnosis of depression, says insurer Manulife stopped sending monthly checks saying her Facebook photos illustrated she was well and enjoying.” (ha... ha) And, for your information, other unpopular eyes — income tax, detectives, police, your detractors — too take a peep into your entries. Don’t say they can’t because you have the password and you have the power to deny friendship. Bah, a fat lot of help. It is like the chap who lost his trunk to a thief consoled himself saying, “That fool of a thief has to bring my trunk back to me for its key is with me!” Read this scribbling by a technologist in indianpulse.in. “Normally, the data on web pass through several special computers called ‘routers’, which are controlled by different entities and it is quite possible someone may be reading the data which is sent to or received by facebook.com. There is a bigger risk when someone is using Facebook over a public/shared network like free WIFI or in an office, school, or cyber cafe, airports, etc. Since these networks are shared by many people, others who are in the same sub-network can easily spy on data.” ‘Netologists say nothing that goes on the cyber slate is safe enough. Maybe the good old letter still remains a safer bet but we can’t
Catchy page
Football fantastic
I read your Knowledge Central column titled 'What are the chances?' I really liked that one. The facts of other interesting and unusual things were quite amazing. The page is attractive and catchy, but what I felt was that information about the mega million lottery jackpot should have been more and some background story with other records related to that could have added value to the article. Nevertheless, you do publish things of extreme interest. Keep the good work going, and thank you for making me a more knowledgable person.
The way football is covered in Postnoon is really nice. Read the article about chances of various Top Teams entering into Champion’s League semi-final. Being a Barcelona supporter, I always look up for the latest news as I usually miss the telecast. Felt really good to learn that they still have a great chance of making it to the semi-finals. Also loved the centre spread with all the funny pictures and amazing statistics about probability of various unusual happenings, winning jackpot being the highest.
Aradhana Agarwal, Journalist's Colony
Sailaja Reddy, Banjara Hills
go back to pen and ink. So, what we can do is exercise restraint and be temperate. There is a grain of truth in what Union minister Kapil Sibal said about the need to lasso the Net but damned he knew how to do it. For example, under the news of Kapil’s outburst on a TV channel website, the first comment was, “Kapil sleeps with … ..” Tailend: An IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, after retirement, thought of getting into Facebook. He was captivated by its charm and began to tom-tom the nobility of his charac-
TALK BACK 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
ter. He portrayed the self as an ideal husband, a doting father and great friend. His son who happened to read this told his close friend, “You know, he is the biggest liar god has ever sent down the pike. If I write his biography, it will instantly get an ‘A’ tag and will sell like hot pizza! But being his son, I can’t. I wish somebody exposed him!” I wish the son himself exposed his dad because it will be darned authentic. The writer works for Postnoon.
Must-see movie
Be sensitive to all life
The centre-spread of March 27 was of great interest to me. The movies that were listed were some of the best in modern cinema and together are the vortex of fiction for audience of every age group. ‘Hunger Games’ is fast paced and creates an adrenaline rush in the viewer and has indeed outdone most other fiction based movies. The character of Katniss Everdeen inspires the value of loyalty and perseverance among young teenage girls. The movie indeed conveys a message of pride and honour to the young audience. Swathi Reddy Ameerpet
The article regarding 'Fighter' on March 26 addresses an issue that has long prevailed not only in Hyderabad but in our whole nation where the show of wealth is more important than the safety of another being. There is no reason behind bringing home an animal that cannot survive the atmospheric conditions of India. It is pure torture for the animal and as a precautionary measure the ARPF or any animal welfare organisation should put a ban on the sale of species that cannot endure extreme climatics. PL Shastri Banjara Hills
At the workplace
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
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For the interview HR consultant Supretha Amancherla
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Play it with confidence Last week, we provided some tips as to how you could send your resumes to companies through recruitment agencies. This week we help you ace an interview Sana Mirza sana.m@postnoon.com
CONGRATULATIONS! Your months of waiting, looking for the right job is finally over and you have been asked to come in for an interview. Just thinking about it makes you feel extremely jittery and you ponder over how to sell your experiences, attitude and skills to the employer. There will be a lot of people telling you what you need to be doing and not be doing and all of this may seem extremely overwhelming but if you just keep a few of these pointers in mind, your interview will be a cakewalk.
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RESEARCH Do your research about the company that you would like to work for. Read up about the company online or speak to people who work there. Apart from researching about the company, find out more about the position you are applying for, so that when you appear for the interview, you have a clear idea. Make notes of what you want more information on and be sure to ask the employer a few questions. Doing research regarding the company and the position you are applying for makes a good impression.
PRACTICE Remember how you practised your speeches out loud during elocution competitions back in school? Well, practising out loud for an interview is some-
thing similar. When you do that standing in front of a mirror, it helps you to mentally highlight all your skills that you would like to put across to your employer during your interview. You will definitely sound more polished, concise and less nervous.
APPEARANCE One of the key factors of having a lasting impression is to dress appropriately for the interview. Wearing dark coloured, conservative, crisp suits (for both men and women) makes for a good choice. If you are applying for a job where the dress code is more casual, men could opt for a buttoned down, coloured shirt with a tie and women could choose to wear a nice dress or a skirt which is not too high with a pleasant blouse
which isn’t too revealing. Avoid wearing excess perfume, jewellery or make-up. Keep it to the minimum. Personal hygiene is also extremely important.
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LANGUAGE Do not try to sound too cocky or cool by using inappropriate slang words as they could send you out of the door rather quickly. Make sure to use professional language. It’s an endless list that dictates as to how one should appear for an interview. While some people may already know these things, there are a few pointers on etiquette that one mustn’t forget. They are: n Be punctual — Have enough time to get to the interview so that you won’t arrive panting and sweating. Aim to arrive at
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least 15 minutes before the interview. If you are running late, make sure to notify the recruiter and extend an apology and let them know of your estimated time of arrival. Be aware of your body language — while shaking hands, make sure your grip is firm and confident. Keep your posture straight but avoid looking like a cardboard cut-out. No negative remarks — Be very positive. Avoid making any negative remarks about your previous employers or colleagues because your future employer is more likely to call and inquire about you in your previous organisation. Be confident — Avoid tapping your feet or shifting in your seat. It will only reflect that you are nervous and apprehensive. Be confident and be sure about what you want to say. Answer questions promptly — Your recruiter/interviewer has a lot of other people to interview so whenever a question is asked, make sure to answer to the point and not beat around the bush. Keep your emotions in check — Don’t sound overly desperate for work. Maintain the three c’s during the interview — cool, calm and confident. You know you can do the job, make sure that the interviewer believes that too.
ervousness is a common feeling before any interview but at this stage smart work is needed more than hardwork. The interviewer will take in all the tiny details into account. Apart from having the right paper work, the attitude of the job seeker will also play a vital role. The job seeker should keep his cool while attending such interviews. The interviewer is not the enemy, and also not your friend. Your behaviour towards the interviewer should be appropriate. Preparation for an interview will always be helpful. A candidate will be called for the interview for possessing the qualities that the company is looking for. Understanding this would help the job seeker relax before the interview as their body language is also taken into account. A smartly dressed, confident candidate has more chances of being hired than a nervous job seeker. But over confidence in a job seeker is a letdown and the person will have limited chances of getting the job. Being honest and speaking onep s mind will help both the interviewer and the interviewee. Make sure to dress appropriately. Keep in mind your clothes should not be shabby or stained. The job seeker must also do his ground work about the company before his interview. Having said all the above, getting a job will depend completely ones luck and charming abilities. So putting on a confident attitude and a smile will never let a jobseeker down. All the best. (The author is head of creative department at Purple Haze projekts)
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul AHERMIN
When sex leaves the marriage Various factors could lead to lack of intimacy in a relationship. But what do you do once it begins to take a toll on the couple? Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com
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nita and George had a perfectly happy marriage. For most of their friends, theirs was an ideal relationship. But when George was caught romancing another woman, all such notions came crashing down. When Anita demanded an explanation for this betrayal, pat came George’s reply: “It was all about the sex, honey. While I still love you, in bed it’s a big letdown. We hardly ever get any action these days.” How many times have you heard of such a situation rocking an otherwise happy marriage? Couples with incompatible libidos are gradually becoming all too common these days. More often than not this lack of action in bed can also drive a wedge in a relationship. In fact,
according to marriage counsellors, lack of sex is one of the reasons for the increase in marriages falling apart. While couples may not address this factor directly, and first approach a counsellor with other problems, in due course lack of sex emerges as the actual bone of contention. “We see a lot of cases where one of the two partners begins to show a drop in libido, thus affecting the frequency of sex,” says Dr Savita Date Menon,
Signs to watch out for n Incompatible libidos n Lack of interest in meeting each other half way when working on differences n When one role becomes predominant (that of father or mother) and they forget how to be a wife or husband n Begin to feel interested in other people outside the marriage
clinical psychologist. “For a while the couple may choose to ignore it, but as time passes, the lack of physical intimacy starts to strain their relationship. Marriage is not all about sex, but there’s no denying that sex plays a big role. So just like how a financial crisis can cause problems in a marriage, so can lack of or withholding sex.” Earlier, it was thought that women had a lower libido than men due to various physiological reasons. “These days, however, we notice that even men suffer from low libido causing his partner to suspect him without reason,” says Dr Savita. “She begins to think that she is not desirable enough, or suspect that something is wrong with their relationship.” Given the fact that most couples work extremely long hours, have different shifts and meet less frequently or are simply too exhausted, sex would be the last thing on their minds. Mostly, couples try to sort out issues. However, if one of them
is in the mood and the other is not and is denied sex often, he/she can end up feeling angry and rejected. This frustration can gradually build up and lead to the deprived having an affair or opting for a divorce. A case in study is of the man who filed for divorce, as his wife had been denying him sex. “One of the reasons women show a low libido could be that they have been taught to suppress their feelings,” Dr Savita. “Hormonally and socio-culturally men may have a higher sex drive.” Dr Savita adds, “The current lifestyles and schedules leave most couples with little time to spend with each other, let alone for comfort time or romance. When they do get time, it is spent worrying about pending chores or other such things.” Hence, it is important for couples to set aside some ‘us’ time and work on keeping that spark alive. After all, every marriage does take some amount of work to keep it going.
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Rest can undo damage to heart cells LONDON: The damage to cardiac cells after a heart failure can be undone by allowing the heart to rest, according to new study. Findings from an Imperial College London study in rats show that the condition’s effects on heart muscle cells are not permanent, as has generally been thought. The discovery could open the door to new treatment strategies. Heart failure means the heart muscle is too weak or stiff to pump blood as effectively as it needs to, and it is commonly the result of a heart attack. Around 750,000 people in the UK alone are living with heart failure. Severe heart failure carries a risk of death within one year which is worse than most cancers, and new heart failure treatments are badly needed, the European Journal of Heart Failure reported. Patients with advanced heart failure are sometimes fitted with a left ventricle assist device (LVAD). The LVAD is a small pump that boosts the function of the heart and reduces strain on the left ventricle, the biggest chamber of the heart, which pumps blood around the body’s main circulation. In 2006, researchers at Imperial led by professor Magdi Yacoub, showed that resting the heart using an LVAD fitted for a limited time can help the heart muscle recover, according to a university statement. The Imperial researchers studied the changes that occur in heart muscle cells during heart failure in rats, and whether “unloading” the heart can reverse these changes. “If you injure a muscle in your leg, you rest it and this allows it to recover,” said Cesare Terracciano, from the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial, who supervised the study. “The heart can’t afford to rest - it has to keep beating continuously. LVADs reduce the load on the heart while maintaining the supply of blood to the body, and this seems to help the heart recover,” said Terracciano. IANS
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
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“Parents need to be motivated” Coping with autism is never an easy task. But these kids need special care. On the occasion of World Autism Week, we take a look Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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or a parent his/her child means the world to them. They weave their dreams and hopes around their child’s future. But what happens when a parent discovers that his/her child is autistic? Dr Praveen Saxena, a radiologist at Dr Saxena’s Centre for Progressive Medicine experienced it with his son who was born in 1996. By the time he turned 16 months, he was diagnosed with autism. To start off with Dr Saxena’s son seemed to be just like any other normal child, till the doting parents noticed that he had begun to become strangely detached. When they checked with the boy’s paediatrician, they were told that it was normal for a boy to develop slowly. Dissatisfied with the response, the Saxenas finally visited a child psychiatrist who conducted a few tests and confirmed their worst fears – their son was autistic. The news came as a shocker for the Saxenas and their initial reaction was denial. “I did not have much idea about autism,” Dr Saxena says.
Understandably, this was a difficult phase for the Saxenas. In fact, it is so for several parents whose children are diagnosed with autism. Adding to their despair is the fact that most people are still not aware of this condition. Interestingly, early intervention can work wonders. “Autism when detected early can be treated much more effectively. Between the ages of 1.5 and 5 is the golden period of treatment,” says Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy, child psychiatrist at Rainbow Hospital. Early signs are n Children fail to interact with their parents, they seem aloof n They don’t begin talking like other children their age and avoid eye contact n They seem to focus on inanimate objects like pens, keychains or leaves n They can’t express themselves or follow commands or instructions n They respond to noises from inanimate objects rather than to human voices n Their behaviour maybe repetitive n They lack imaginative play and what interests them fails to interest other children their age “While autistic children may have
an above average IQ, they have a problem with their attention span. They usually excel at one particular thing and should be encouraged to do so,” says Dr Chakravarthy. When it comes to coping with autism, both the child and the parents need to be prepared. Talking about dealing with an autistic child Dr Saxena says, “Treatment does not end with treating the child. The parents need to be prepared. Parents may react differently to the situation in the sense that some may be sensitive to such an issue while some others may not be so.” Dr Saxena mentions that it is important that parents be proactive. Motivation he highlights is another element which is important for parents whose children are autistic. He says, “Earlier we had joint families but now with the growing number of nuclear families, motivation needs to be there.” Motivation helps the parents face the situation and in turn help their children cope with the situation. Dr Saxena mentions that improvement is there but for anything it takes time, today his son is better than before but for him too it took 1- 2 years. “Everything takes time,” he says.
Awareness for Autistic people Rahul Vaishnav
NEW DELHI: Whether an unreasonable airline denies them a seat or an inconsiderate doctor refuses to examine them, autistic people have for long faced unnecessary discrimination for no fault of theirs. Experts nonetheless believe that awareness and a little empathy are the only solutions to improve the situation. Worldwide, April 2 is celebrated as the World Autistic Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults with Autism. Autism is an incurable complex neurobiological condition that impacts communication, behaviour and social relationships and affects 1 in 110 people. It is the fastest growing global disorder. “Autism is an invisible condition, that is, an autistic person may not necessarily be on a wheel chair or on crutches, so people don’t accommodate for the person,” Merry Barua, founder of NGO Action for Autism (AFA) said. “People tend to relate autism with rude behaviour and this is all because of lack of awareness,” she added. “I have had parents who complained that how some dentists refused to check their autistic kids because they won’t sit still. The doctors neither had the time nor the patience,” said Barua. For 36-year-old Abha Singh, it was a harrowing experience when she decided to fly with her autistic daughter.”She was sitting on her seat and just flapping her arms. The next thing we were asked to get off the flight as my child was a potential risk to the passengers,” an infuriated Singh said. The parents further agreed that raising an autistic child can be quite draining. However, at the end of the day the smile and cheers on their kid’s faces is all that matters. “Raising an autistic child is tiring. But I know that my child is doing the best he can and is very happy in his school with his friends so that satiates me,” said Indrani Basu about his 19-year-old autistic son. However, according to Barua, the one question that every parent with an autistic child fears is what will happen to their children after them. Agreed Basu: “It’s the worst nightmare. But what we can do is to focus on today and work for their better tomorrow.” Basu, who is also the parents training coordinator with AFA, said the NGO along with several other organisations have plans to set up residences for autistic people soon. According to psychiatrist Samir Parikh, chief of mental health and behavioural sciences department of Max Healthcare, apart from the awareness and empathy, it’s the parents who need to stop blaming themselves. “The best solution is to be well informed about the condition and your childs’ abilities and have realistic expectation,” he added. IANS
Spotlight
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 SRINIVAS SETTY
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SRINIVAS SETTY
Design dreams Tollywood actor Raja, Amir Jawed, Sanjay and Rekha Malpani were spotted at the launch of A POR Contradictions, a designer store by Abhiram Agarwal in Jubilee Hills on Monday.
Cambodian wonder Art lovers gathered on Monday for a preview of the exhibition titled Angkor Wat — an Indian perspective. The paintings are being exhibited at the ITC Kakatiya in collaboration with the Kalakriti Art Gallery.
Sanjay & Rekha Malpani
Shaaron & Rashid Visitors admire a painting
Raja
Rukhaiya Khan
Amir Baig & Sana Khan
Musical hungama
Abhiram Agarwal & Rohit Reddy
Neha Agarwal
Sohail & Mehboob
The 14th Annual Day celebrations of JB Educational Institutions, Yankapally, Moinabad was held on Saturday. There was enthusiastic participation by the students and teachers in the day-long event. G Sudhir, special chief secretary, Government of AP and J Bhaskar Rao, president, JB Education Society, inaugurated the event. A performance by Indian Idol Sreeram Chandra was the highlight of the event.
Parvati & Anil
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
KOCHADAIYAAN
marketing campaign begins
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he marketing campaign of Rajinikanth’s upcoming magnum opus Kochadaiyaan has already begun. Couple of days ago, Eros International, one of the producers of the film, unveiled the behind the scenes footage of the film. The video showcases the film’s cast and crew talking about their experience so far. Kochadiayaan is the first Indian film which is being made with performance capture technology and currently the film unit is shooting in a studio in London. This technology was extensively
used in films like Avatar and Tintin. Talking about making of the film, Rajinikanth said, “Kochadaiyaan is one of the most challenging films of my career. Since we are using performance capture technology, we have to imagine everything as there are no sets around us.” The film also stars Deepika Padukone, Sarath Kumar, Shobana, Nazar and Rukmini. Soundarya Rajinikanth is directing the film and KS Ravikumar has written the film’s script. AR Rahman is composing the music.
Dil Raju to be conferred with Nagireddy Award
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rominent producer Dil Raju is going to be conferred with the prestigious Nagireddy Award for producing Prabhas, Kajal starrer Mr.Perfect. B Venkatrami Reddy, son of veteran director Late B Nagireddy, has instituted this award which will be award to a prominent film personality and the first award is being presented to Dil Raju. “This award will be presented to producers who make quality films which promote family values. The award committee constitutes of veteran actors and directors like Gollapudi Maruthirao and Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao and this year, the committee has
GABBAR SINGH’S audio launch on April 15 T he audio of Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan starrer Gabbar Singh is going to be launched on April 15. We hear that the producer Ganesh Babu has decided to go all out to promote the film and the campaign is going to start from the day of the audio launch itself. Sources say that, the principal cast and crew will fly to Tirupati on April 15 and unveil a song there and from there they’ll fly to Vizag to unveil another song. The same evening, the entire cast and crew will assemble in Hyderabad for the official audio launch which is touted to be the biggest ever event in recent times. Rumours are abuzz that Chiranjeevi might attend the event along with Ram Charan Tej, although there has been no official confirmation so far. Harish Shankar has directed the film and Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music. The film is slated to release on May 9.
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T-TOWN TWEETIES
@sneha_ullal For #lld we shot 16 hours a day and for the water shot I was in water for 7hrs at a stretch... got sick n @sarathshetty was feeling so bad LOL.
@Actor_Siddharth Actor Rob Lowe’s memoir Stories I only tell my friends is at once familiar and refreshing... breezy read. Really enjoyed it...
@shraddhadas43 Have become a lil roly-poly n chubby girl for a few days, being called laddu papa by my telugu frds! Hehe... hav to stop junkkkk food!
@Isumanth Check out Campfire graphic novels. Just done with Ravana — roar of the demon king. Dark, engaging, and educating visual feast decided to confer Dil Raju with this prestigious award for producing Mr.Perfect,” B Venkatrami Reddy said. The award ceremony will be held on April 22 and several bigwigs from the industry are expected to attend it.
@actressanjjanaa Starting work on 2 brand new projects, both d films r as diffrent as chalk n cheeze, 1 Telugu + 1 Kannada, wil surprize u all :-)
@sundeepkishan 25 male dancers + 15 female dancers +50 juniors +one litup street+ Ashok Raja Master= One song with a new comer like me in #YaarudaMahesh #blessed :)
@actor_Nikhil Going for dinner to a friends place. Excited to meet up after a long time. By the ways DISCO movie songs are out on radio channels now :)
@tashu_02 Enjoying an evn cup of tea n feeling a lot better... 2 days break from my workout n yes the recovery is fast... nothing to worry abt guys. :-)
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
Sonakshi in Once Upon A Time . . .
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B-TOWN TWEETIES
@ajaydevgn Thank u for the lovely Birthday wishes!:) and thanks to the fans that surprised me with a huge cake on #SOS sets, the whole unit enjoyed it!
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ctor Sonakshi Sinha is all set to essay the role of a gangster's moll in the sequel to Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai opposite Akshay Kumar. “Its official! @sonakshisinha is part of one of the films I'm looking forward to watching the most. ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI..AGAIN," Sonakshi Sinha's brother Luv said on Twitter. Earlier Kareena Kapoor and Kangna Ranaut were reportedly approached for this role. This will be Sonakshi's third outing with Akshay. She has teamed up with the actor in Shirish Kunder's Joker and Prabhu Deva's Rowdy Rathore. Both the films are slated to release this year. The sequel to Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, which also stars Imran Khan, is be directed by Milan Luthria. Akshay will be playing Shoaib, a character modelled on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in the movie. PTI
@NeilNMukesh Shooting at the race course in Chennai. Ran four rounds already ! Not sure how many more ! Eventually it’ll be a 2 min sequence in the film.
@bipsluvurself Looking fwd 2 watching Titanic in 3D! When I first saw Titanic I cried so much, I must have finished a whole tissue box! Ready to do it again:)
@SrBachchan T 701 — The pain not so bad today, but still there... spoke to doc, recommends some tablets for relief... hope it lasts till tomorrow night !
@udaychopra Ok i’m back... I found my Balance... kinda! Actually a precursor to balance, called Falling. Apparently you can’t find balance without falling!
Deepika and Imran get worst actor awards
I
f Hollywood has the Razzies, Bollywood has their very own annual Golden Kela Awards. The award-winners might be dreamgirls and chocolate boys but in Bollywood talent is also necessary. This was proved right when actor Deepika Padukone and choco-boy actor Imran Khan were named as the worst actress and worst actor at the fourth annual Golden Kela Awards. The next winner should be no surprise as Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One was named as the worst film and it's director Anubhav Sinha, the worst filmmaker. The song Teri Meri from Salman Khan's Bodyguard, that was liked many, was named the Most irritating Song. Prateik Babbar fetched the Worst Supporting Actor award for Dum Maaro Dum and Aarakshan, while Chirag Paswan was named the Worst Debutante for Miley Na Miley Hum.
@bomanirani
Jism 2 a marketing genius: Arunoday A
ctor Arunoday Singh, who has been tapped to play one of the two male leads in Jism 2, says the film is a marketing genius. Be it producer Mahesh Bhatt’s entry into the Bigg Boss house to offer the lead role to adult film star Sunny Leone or the nude promotional pictures, ever since its announcement the film has been grabbing eyeballs. And Arunoday says it will work in the favour of the film. “The film is a marketing genius. Every move by the makers is very smart and that is the reason the film was
being talked about so much even before it went on floors. Now, it is up to us to pull it off," Arunoday. The 28-yearold actor, who alongwith actor Randeep Hooda will play Leone’s love interest in the sequel to the JohnBipasha starrer, was all praises for his female co-star. “She (Sunny) is very beautiful. I don’t judge anyone by the work the person has done in the past. She may be a porn star but Jism 2 is not a porn film. People should keep that in mind," said the actor. PTI
Lost my sleep again! Dont know why... Nothings really bothering me... except for the fact that I am losing my sleep!!!!
@juniorbachchan Exactly a year ago the country went CRAZY!!! What a match, what a team... WHAT A NIGHT! Memories still so fresh. #bleedblue #worldchamps
@sonamakapoor Can’t figure out who is sexier @NoReservations or Hugh laurie. Watching House and No reservations is my fav past time ever.
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The glamour behind the glitz
JUSTIN BIEBER,
Michael Buble win big at Canada’s Juno Awards
C
anadian pop sensation Justin Bieber on Sunday night grabbed the Fan Choice Award at the Juno Awards, Canada’s music kudosfest. “As we all know, I have the best fans in the world …this is for you,” Stratford, Ontario-born Bieber said while thanking his fans at home via a pre-taped segment that aired during the Juno Awards on the CTV network Sunday night. Bieber last year also won the 2011 Fan Choice trophy, which is voted on by local Canadians. On the juried front, a Christmas album won the Juno for Best Canadian Album of the Year, but not Bieber’s Misletoe. The evening’s top honour went to Michael Buble’s latest best-selling holiday album, titled Christmas.
Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs? I
n what appears not to be an April Fool’s Day joke, Variety reports that Ashton Kutcher is set to play Steve Jobs in an upcoming indie pic from Swing Vote director Joshua Michael Stern. The film, titled Jobs, will be written by Matt Whiteley and chronicle the late Jobs’ journey “from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple,” according to the report. He is said to start filming in May after Two and a Half Men wraps its current season. (It is worth noting, as well, that Kutcher is not yet officially set to return for another season of the CBS hit.) Jobs died in October after a battle with cancer. An email to Kutcher’s rep was not immediately returned.
SWIFT wins Entertainer of the Year Award
T
aylor Swift won her second consecutive entertainer of the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, just 24 hours after she was saluted by first lady Michelle Obama for her charity work on The Kids’ Choice Awards. Even by Swift’s lofty standards, it was an outstanding weekend — though tempered with a little melancholy. After hugging her way to the stage, she took a moment to say hello to Kevin McGuire and his family. McGuire, a high school football player and Swift fan who has cancer, was to have been Swift’s
date to the awards, but he was hospitalised and couldn’t make it. “He’s not here but I promised him I would give him a shout out,” Swift said of the Somerdale, NJ, resident. The 22-year-old Swift becomes the second woman to win the award twice after Carrie Underwood accomplished that feat before Swift. She beat out an all-male field that included Kenny Chesney, who was shut out at the awards after leading all nine nominees . Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson were the night’s top winners with two awards each.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
25
Chai Time
KAKURO
How to play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column 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.
SCRIBBLING PAD
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
26
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Spot of light on a radar screen 5 A considerable distance 9 Hard-twisted cotton thread 14 Verdi opera 15 Throw down the gauntlet 16 ‘... old lady who lived in ___ ...’ 17 Monkey in a noted trio 19 ‘That's ___ your head!’ 20 Stevedores' grp 21 Miles of film 22 Malaria symptom 23 ‘People might be listening’ 25 Shakespeare tragedy 28 Use foul language 29 After-dinner scraps 30 Hydroelectricity structure 31 Out of the ordinary 34 Parcel (with ‘out’) 35 It may involve raised voices 38 Separator of continents 39 Arabian Peninsula port 40 Cheat on a test, in a way 41 A big, swinging party 43 Baseball arbiter, for short 44 ‘Got two fives for ___?’ 45 Postal map divisions 49 In up to one's neck 51 Falls in New York 53 ‘... lived happily ___ after’ 54 ‘___ move on!’ 55 Weapon for a gangster 56 Become ready to pluck 58 Hangout during prohibition 60 ‘Sacro’ adherent 61 Boys in kilts 62 Cabinet dept formed after the 1970s oil crisis 63 Flowery verse 64 Largest continent 65 Agrees nonverbally DOWN 1 Washbowls 2 Stay out of sight 3 Form a conception 4 Forty-niner's tool
5 ‘Like ___ in the headlights’ 6 Ex-quarterback Brett 7 Opera diva's solo 8 Brother or brother-in-law: Abbr 9 Music to a comedian's ears 10 Magazine copy 11 Harbored, as from danger 12 Chaney of horror 13 Brain test (Abbr) 18 Plain as day 22 Be present at 24 Overly quick 25 Church instrument 26 After curfew 27 Writing on the wall 29 ‘There's ___ every crowd!’ 32 List ofplayers 33 Needed a good rubdown 34 Evil nation in the Bible
35 Gulf War missile 36 Fleshy fruit, as a pear 37 Stereotypical American dessert 42 ‘The Compleat Angler’ author Walton 44 The ‘A’ of CIA 46 1988 Winter Olympic Games site 47 Cleared the slate 48 Merry woodland creatures of myth 50 Pigmented parts of eyes 51 ‘___ say more?’ 52 ‘Take ___ compliment!’ 54 Figs on school transcripts
SUDOKU
56 Mr Van Winkle 57 UN workers' rights grp 58 Hearst's kidnappers, for short 59 Suffix for ‘velvet’
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Small minds discuss persons. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas. Really great minds discuss mathematics. – Anon
Chai Time STAR POWER
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
FOR 4-4-2012
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
Expected good news will arrive. Discus‑ sion regarding performing spiritual eve‑ nts at home will take place. Employees will get favours at work place. Business‑ men will have consistent growth.
Mixed events will take place. Be careful before undertaking any work. Minor te‑ nsions likely. Employees might be upset with turn of events at workplace. Busi‑ nessmen need to be alert and clever.
Minor tensions taking place frequently might upset you. Nothing but patience can help you come out from such a sit‑ uation. Keep cool and manage tactfully. Employees get name with difficulty.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Your wish to meet a VIP since long, gets fulfilled now. Distanced friend will come searching for you again to continue friendship. Employees have a good time and their wishes might get fulfilled.
Certain problems will be over on their own and keep you relaxed. Good news through telephone is set to arrive. A long‑time problem will be soon resol‑ ved. Brothers will be of great help.
Avoid unwanted discussions and argu‑ ments. Those involved in social service, need to be careful as chances of getti‑ ng blamed, likely. Employees will have to remain content with happenings.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Employees are in a comfortable situation. Some have bright chances to get desired transfer. Though savings increase, expe‑ nses will compete with them. Politicians need to keep cool and low profile.
You may be forced to spend by getting involved in new efforts. Be slow and steady to avoid unwanted trouble and wasteful expenditure. Minor accidents likely, hence be careful while driving.
Unexpected financial fortunes likely for some. Old debts will get cleared. You will sell a house or plot for expected price. Employees get recognition from superiors for their hard work.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Unwanted discussion might bring humiliation to you. Try to avoid it. Some have bright chances to go for a pilgrim‑ age. Employees might get special favours as superiors extend support.
Long standing dues get collected which make you financially strong. Enmity be‑ tween close relatives will go. Plan to do a big project will materialise. Some have bright chance to buy a vehicle.
Certain issues might create a tension. Working with calm and quiet is need of the present situation. Misunderstanding likely between close relatives. Employ‑ ees need to work as per instructions.
SUMAA TEKUR
FOR 4-4-2012
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Nine of Pentacles – Youʼve created a co‑ mfort zone which yo‑ u donʼt want to get o‑ ut of. There are times when you donʼt even want to know whatʼs happening around.
Eight of Swords – You feel restless and on the edge. You havenʼt been sleep‑ ing well and itʼs showing on your health. Take time off and rest well.
Ace of Pentacles – Probe an opportunity fully before you com‑ mit to anything. Those in the field of communication and research will get a new job offer.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Nine of Swords – Nightmares, restless sleep and anxiety are taking a toll on your health. Take time off and get away for a few days. Rejuvenate and refresh.
Three of Cups – Celebration time! Bring out the bubbly and celebrate your success. Itʼs impor‑ tant to do so to attract more positive energy into your life.
The Empress – Love is in the air. You plan a string of par‑ ties in this happy holiday season and in one of those gath‑ erings you meet the love of your life.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
The Moon – Pay att‑ ention to what your mother is saying. She may seem con‑ fused and may not be making sense. But there are subtle mes‑ sages that help you.
Ten of Wands – Donʼt believe everything yo‑ u see or read. Exer‑ cise restraint when asked for your opin‑ ion about something. Be skeptical and mea‑ sure your words.
Judgment – You will eventually get what is due to you. You may not need to do much to get it. Just go with the flow of life and it will come your way.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Five of Cups – Youʼve lost something valu‑ able and cannot get it back. Your willpower and strength is put to the test. You emerge from this experience stronger.
Knight of Pentacles – Youʼre feeling adven‑ turous and in the mood to charge ahead with your ideas. Whatʼs more, they all seem to work well, too.
Five of Swords – Avoid fights, argu‑ ments and disagree‑ ments. Youʼre likely to feel unsure and not in the mood for company. Keep a low profile. Itʼll settle.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle BED DESK SOFA CHAIR DRESSER
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
27
Vol: 1, No 261 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
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The games people play
28
Veteran Akiko saves Japan’s pride Veteran Japanese figure skater Akiko Suzuki has high hopes for the future after making her international breakthrough on the world stage at the age of 27 years with a bronze.
D
SNIPPETS
ays after turning 27, Suzuki saved what would have been a disappointing world championship week on the French Riveria for the Japanese women, who had won four of the five titles prior to Nice. Two-time world champion Mao Asada slumped to sixth and 17-year-old Kanako Murakami dropped from second after the short programme to fifth overall. But up stepped Suzuki skating to “Die Fledermaus” to surge unexpectly from fifth onto the podium behind winner Carolina Kostner of Italy and Russia’s Alena Leonova. “I want to put this medal on my coach’s neck,” said Suzuki, whose early career had been
blighted with her struggle with anorexia. Suzuki had been one of the rising stars of Japanese women’s figure skating before her battle with the eating disorder almost ended her promising career at the age of just 16. She missed the entire 2003-2004 season. The skater from Aichi, who trains in Nagoya, finished just 11th in her only previous world appearance in 2010, after making her Olympic debut earlier that year with an eighth place in Vancouver. She now hopes to focus on next season and her bid to compete in the 2014 Sochi Games. “I think missing last year’s world team gave a lot of motivation to train harder. This is my
I think missing last year’s world team gave a lot of motivation to train harder. This is my first world medal and I am 27 years old. first world medal and I am 27 years old. “So after one year I have my first medal. This is the first present I got after turning 27,” said Suzuki. She added: “I am very, very happy to have won a medal. But I wanted to give a clean performance and get a medal with it. So
I have a few regrets about that. “In my free skating the last triple Lutz is something I always work on. I really wanted to nail it, but couldn’t. I still need to work on it.” The medal capped a successful season for Suzuki who beat Olympic silver medallist Asada to win the NHK Trophy and finished runner-up to the 2008 and 2010 world champion at nationals and second to Kostner at the Grand Prix final. Her bronze brought Japan’s final tally to four medals with Daisuke Takahashi and Yuzuru Hanyu winning silver and bronze in the men’s event and Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran Japan’s first pairs medal with bronze.
Miller named for Hall of Fame fete
Bucks boost playoff hopes
Pedrosa held for fake boat licence
BASKETBALL: Reggie Miller, who played his entire 17-
BASKETBALL:The Milwaukee Bucks gave their play-
MOTORCYCLING: Spanish motorcycling star Dani
year career with the Indiana Pacers, was named to the American Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday. Miller is the Pacers all-time leading scorer and a five-time National Basketball Association all-star. "It's a humbling experience, obviously," Miller said. "To be part of this exclusive club is special. It's a proud day for me."
off hopes a boost by routing the Washington Wizards 11298 Monday behind an attack led by Monta Ellis and Mike Dunleavy, who scored 17 points each. Brandon Jennings finished with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee.
Pedrosa was arrested over holding a false boat licence his lawyers announced on Monday. The 26-year-old, a two-time 250cc world champion and also once in the 125cc category, was arrested and then later released on Saturday along with 20 others in Valencia the local justice authorities revealed. Pedrosa admitted to making a mistake.
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The games people play
How long will the zing last?
NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League faces a test of its popularity as the fifth edition of the money-spinning Twenty20 event gets under way this week amid concern about cricket fatigue among viewers. The IPL, which began in 2008 as a high-octane mix of glamour, entertainment, rich purses for players and the excitement of slam-bang cricket, has had a difficult ride over the past four years. It has been hit by infighting, problems with teams, criminal investigations and corruption allegations. Fresh doubts have been raised after a fall in viewership figures last year and a reported decline in sponsor interest, with the tournament coming soon after the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and India’s tour of Australia.
“By the time this one ends, all doubts will be put to rest,” IPL chief Rajiv Shukla told AFP. “The excitement is building up nicely. We in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) are not worried at all.” The IPL, which features world stars playing for rich franchise owners, is being investigated by government agencies for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations. Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended from the league in 2010, is holed up in London as he faces Indian government and BCCI charges of misappropriation of funds. Among the 10 IPL teams, Kochi have been thrown out for non-payment of fees, while the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab face arbitration in cases filed by the BCCI. The owners too are feeling the pinch. Pune, owned by the
Sahara group, want their franchise fees of a whopping $370 million reduced. The Rajasthan Royals are in talks to sell a majority stake. As viewership declined last year, when the event started just after India won the World Cup at home, some sponsors chose to turn their back on what was once considered a safe bet for advertisers. Business newspapers have reported that at least three regular advertisers — Parle, LG Electronics and Godrej have backed out from the IPL this year. “Advertisers are starting to look at other options,” said Alok Bharadwaj of Japanese electronics group Canon, which has decided to cut down its advertising spend in the tournament by 80 percent. “Each year the rates have gone up by 15-20 percent and the returns are not directly
proportionate,” Bharadwaj told the Times of India. The Champions League Twenty20, an offshoot of the IPL that involves leading domestic teams from around the world, lost its title sponsors, AirTel, after just one year due to lack of interest among fans. Former first-class cricketer Shishir Hattangadi, who once worked on the team management of Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians, said the IPL was suffering from a poor long-term development plan. “It was inevitable,” he said. “Team compositions change every year which has confused the loyal fan. There is also the fatigue factor of watching too much cricket.” The 76-match tournament from April 4 to May 27 has the nine teams playing each other on a home and away basis before a four-game play-off. The International Cricket Council has refused to carve out a window for the IPL in its calendar, so bilateral tours will restrict the top world stars from playing in the entire tournament. England’s Kevin Pietersen will not be available for more than a month, and leading Australians will be available only after their tour of the West Indies ends on April 27. Pakistani players, who are usually a major draw in India, have been kept out of the tournament since the second edition, reportedly due to security fears. AFP
29
Rodionova of Oz sinks Czink
A
ustralia’s Anastasia Rodionova has set up a second-round clash with Spanish tenth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues at the WTA Tour’s Charleston tournament after a hardfought victory in the opening round on Monday, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Rodionova beat qualifier Melanie Czink 6-2 2-6 6-1 to advance while world No.27 Medina Garrigues defeated qualifier Melanie Oudin 6-4 4-6 6-0 as the main draw action got underway at the clay court event. The 98th-ranked Rodionova will have her work cut out for her when she faces clay court specialist Medina Garrigues, who has won 10 WTA titles on the surface - more than any other active player. Medina Garrigues finished with one ace, one double fault and won 62 per cent of her first serve points in the two hour, 29 minute match. Former US Open quarterfinalist Oudin had two double faults and won 54 per cent of her second-serve points. Rodionova was the only Australian to post a victory on Monday with 16th seed Jarmila Gajdosova bowing out to Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-4 2-6 6-4. Jelena Dokic meanwhile was forced to withdraw from her first-round match due to injury, down 4-3 in the first set to Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan. It is the second time in a month Dokic has succumbed to the same wrist injury after lasting just nine minutes in her opening-round match at Indian Wells in March before withdrawing. Unseeded Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak outlasted American 11th seed Christina McHale 7-5 5-7 6-4 in a two hour, 48 minute marathon match. Wozniak, a former world No.21, fired three aces and won 70 per cent of her first-serve points. In other matches on Monday, 14th seed Polona Hercog cruised past Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-4 6-3; Argentine up-andcomer Paula Ormaechea surprised No.15 seed Chanelle Scheepers 6-1 1-6 6-4. Australian world No.5 Samantha Stosur begins play on Tuesday against Jamie Hampton who defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens 7-5 7-6 (7-1).
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The games people play
30
Lin on road to recovery NEW YORK: Jeremy Lin was in good
NEW ORLEANS: The Kentucky Wildcats won its eighth national championship on Monday, holding off the Kansas Jayhawks with a 67-59 victory to capture its first NCAA division one title since 1998. Guard Doron Lamb scored 22 points for Kentucky which led by as many as 18 points in the first half of the American collegiate showdown at the Superdome in New Orleans. Kentucky improved to 11146 overall in the NCAA tournament, and has now won the national titles in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998 and 2012. Top-seeded Kentucky stormed to a huge first half lead and then led by as many as 15 points with just over five minutes remaining before Kansas rallied to close the gap. Kentucky led 41-27 at halftime. The Jayhawks narrowed the Wildcats’ lead to 62-57 with 1:37 left in the game but Kentucky made five of seven free throws down the stretch to clinch the title. Kentucky’s star freshman Anthony Davis finished with 16 rebounds and six blocked shots. But Davis struggled in
Wildcats are NCAA champs
Eloy Vargas #30, Darius Miller #1, Anthony Davis #23 and Twany Beckham #10 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament.
the shooting department going one-of-10 for just six points. Guard Tyshawn Taylor finished with 19 points and forward Thomas Robinson had 18 points and 17 rebounds for second seeded Kansas. Kentucky posted victories over Western Kentucky (81-66), Iowa State (87-71), Indiana (102-90) and Baylor (82-70) to reach its second consecutive Final Four tournament. This was the second meeting of the year between the two with Kentucky also winning back in November 75-65. The Wildcats have a 21-6 all-time record over the Jayhawks, who were playing in their eighth national championship game.
JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES/AFP
AFP
spirits following surgery to repair a damaged left knee, joking with his followers and posting photos of himself in his hospital bed as he recovered on Monday. The New York Knicks point guard tweeted that the minor surgery performed by team orthopedist Answorth Allen was a success. The operation was to repair a small tear in the meniscus of the left knee. Lin tweeted: “Praise God for a successful surgery...road to recovery! Lets goo. Much love to the fans for your support and kind words.” Lin also thanked the doctors and nurses and joked about connecting with his fan base via his social networking Facebook page. “Be on the lookout...gonna have a random Q&A with the fans tonight on http://facebook.com/jeremylin7 when the painkiller drugs wear off lol.” Lin is expected to miss about six weeks while he recovers. That would have him likely missing the rest of the NBA regular season, which ends on April 26. Lin, who was born in California to parents from Taiwan, became an international sensation as the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. He said last week that he’d felt pain in his knee after the Knicks played a stretch of four games in five nights and had missed three games before Saturday’s announcement. Lin, who graduated from academically oriented Harvard University, rather than one of America’s college basketball powerhouses, was cut by two NBA clubs before getting his chance with the Knicks.
Jeremy Lin
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The games people play
31
Real look to finish off APOEL MADRID: Real Madrid go into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday knowing that the hard work has already been done, but full of respect for their opponents according to Brazilian full-back Marcelo. After the 3-0 victory in Nicosia last week Madrid can, barring a miracle, almost certainly look forward to a semi-final place against the winner of the tie between Bayern Munich and Marseille. Bayern are set to defend a 2-0 lead over the French side in Munich and look to be favourites to meet Madrid in the semi-final. “I think for APOEL to reach the quarter-finals they can’t be a weak team, they have beaten Lyon to get this far and we have great respect for them,” Marcelo said. “All players want to win the Champions League and I am no different, but there are many games ahead of us still. “Madrid is always favourite to win any competition in which it competes, but we still have a lot of work if we are to be champions this season. “We have to go into the game on Wednesday with our heads right and we’ll do all we can to make sure we go through,” he added. Marcelo has been joined by team mates Xabi Alonso and compatriot Kaka in stating what the
Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) in action against Apoel during their UEFA Champions League first leg quarter-final football match at the GSP Stadium in the Cypriot capital Nicosia on March 27, 2012. Real Madrid won 3-0. AFP/JACK GUEZ
‘We won’t take Benfica for granted’ LONDON: Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo has warned his players that Benfica still pose a serious threat to their dreams of reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Di Matteo’s side are firm favourites to advance to a last four clash against Barcelona or AC Milan after Salomon Kalou’s second half strike clinched a 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg last week. Benfica posed little threat to the Blues in Portugal, but Di Matteo is adamant the Lisbon club are capable of upsetting the odds at Stamford Bridge, especially if Chelsea produce the kind of sloppy defending that almost gifted
BENFICA POSED LITTLE THREAT TO THE BLUES IN PORTUGAL, BUT DI MATTEO IS ADAMANT THE LISBON CLUB ARE CAPABLE OF UPSETTING THE ODDS AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
Aston Villa a draw on Saturday. Di Matteo’s men conceded twice in three minutes late in the match before eventually running out 4-2 winners at Villa Park and the Italian is determined to stamp out that kind of complacency
ahead of the Benfica showdown. “We won’t switch off. Only 50 percent of the job has been done because qualification is over two games,” Di Matteo said. “We have put ourselves in a good position but Benfica away from home are a very strong side and they are capable of scoring as well so there will be no complacency from our side at all. “I think we’ve been battling very well in the last three weeks, we have shown that on several occasions. “The reaction after Villa drew (level) was fantastic from the team because we could have capitulated, but we went the other way and had this strong desire to win the
game.” Di Matteo’s calm and understated leadership has helped Chelsea get back on track with six wins in the eight matches since he took over from Andre Villas-Boas. While Villas-Boas became embroiled in power struggles with several senior players in a bid to stamp his authority on the dressing room, Di Matteo has managed to keep those stars onside to such an extent that some are calling for him to be given the job on a permanent basis. Even difficult decisions like leaving Frank Lampard on the bench for the first leg against Benfica — the kind of gamble that proved so costly for VillasBoas.
goals are for what remains of the season. “The objective is to win both the league and the Champions League,” agreed both players. Madrid are certainly still on course for the first half of that double. An important 5-1 victory on Saturday away to Osasuna, a problematic trip for Madrid in the past, means ‘Los Blancos’ remain 6 points ahead of Barca at the top of La Liga with 8 games remaining. Cristiano Ronaldo was key on Saturday, scoring a double and creating two more for his side, in a stadium in which he had failed to win or score on his previous two visits. The Portuguese star has also spoken of the club being on the right track for a Champions and La Liga double. Another player hitting form at just the right stage of the season is Karim Benzema who scored two in the first leg in Cyprus and also grabbed a brace against Osasuna including a stunning volley that has been likened to Dutch legend Marco Van Basten’s most spectacular efforts. APOEL, the first Cypriot team to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League, started this season’s journey back in July in the second qualifying round with a 2-0 victory at Albanian side Skenderbeu, and since then have produced some incredible performances.
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
The games people play
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There’s no stopping Man Utd BLACKBURN:
Manchester United went five points clear at the top of the Premier League after late goals by Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young sealed a 2-0 win at struggling Blackburn on Monday. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side looked set for an evening of frustration at Ewood Park as an entertaining game appeared to be heading towards a goalless draw. But Valencia broke the deadlock in the 81st minute with a sublime finish from an acute angle before Young sealed United’s 10th win in 11 top-flight games five minutes later from the edge of the area. The result leaves United clear favourites to secure a fifth title in six seasons. They will go eight points clear at the summit if they defeat QPR at Old Trafford in their next match as nearest rivals Manchester City are not in action until late Sunday afternoon. “It was a long night we had to persevere and we got our rewards for it,” said Ferguson. “We weren’t making clear cut chances, we put in a lot of great crosses but didn’t finish them off. “We had them under the cosh but they were dangerous on the break. The goals came so late which typifies the history of the club.” His Rovers counterpart Steve Kean remained positive that they could avoid relegation - the result saw them drop into the bottom three virtue of a worse goal difference to QPR. “It will go to the wire, if we take the positives from tonight and set that standard for the next seven games,” he said. “If we play like that we will pick up plenty of points.” With the title race at a critical stage, Ferguson had attempted to ease the pressure on his players
Manchester United’s English forward Ashley Young (R) scores his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, Blackburn, north-west England on Monday. AFP/ANDREW YATES by taking them on a golfing weekend to St Andrews. And it looked like the trip to Scotland had the desired affect as the visitors dominated the opening exchanges at a ground where they had won just twice in their previous 11 top-flight visits. Blackburn had already survived a narrow escape after Hernandez spurned a fine chance from close range following a delightful Wayne Rooney pass when the Mexican hit the post five minutes later after connecting with Valencia’s low cross at the near post. Hernandez wheeled away
believing he had scored but was left holding his hands on his head after realising his shot had come back off the post and hit Paul Robinson, the Blackburn keeper reacting quickly to prevent the ball crossing the line. It was the closest United came to scoring in a goalless firsthalf. United keeper David de Gea, who was dropped after Blackburn’s shock 3-2 win at Old Trafford at the end of December, saved his side with an excellent save in denying Junior Hoilett from 25-yards in the 18th minute. Phil Jones helped save Rovers
Pep warns his wards
BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola believes it is crucial his forward line is on song against AC Milan as he fully expects the Serie A leaders to score at the Camp Nou in their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash on Tuesday. The defending champions cruised through the last round with a 7-1 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg at
home with Lionel Messi scoring a record five goals in the process, but this tie is evenly balanced after a 0-0 draw at the San Siro last week. Milan defended solidly and were able to break up Barcelona’s quick passing through the midfield. They now know that a score draw will see them through to the semi-finals. Guardiola realises that the onus is on his players to break down the Italian side’s solid defence. “I’m pretty sure that they are going to get a goal and so it is down to us to try and find the way to create chances because if they have to defend with eight players in the penalty then they will do,” said Guardiola. “We are now in the latter stages of the competition and this is a key match which we have to win. We need to find a way to score goals and so we will have to with strong rhythm, press forward.”
from relegation last season. But the England international let his former club off the hook on his first return to Ewood Park since joining United last summer when he headed wastefully wide following another excellent cross from the tireless Valencia. Former England goalkeeper Robinson was at his best in the second-half to frustrate Rafael da Silva’s rasping diagonal strike before de Gea almost allowed Blackburn to make a 61st minute breakthrough. Morten Gamst Pedersen did find the net for Rovers with an excellent finish from the edge of
the are but the goal was ruled out after the ball was adjudged to have gone out of play before Steven Nzonzi crossed for the Norwegian international. But United sealed victory with two goals in the closing stages. Rovers keeper Robinson will feel he should have done better for Valencia’s goal, a powerful ambitious effort nine minutes from time after Rafael’s pass. Substitute Young made sure with a well-executed finish from the edge of the area to give United what could prove to be a priceless five point lead. AFP