GUNNERS DASH CITY’S HOPES P32
HEIDI KLUM
WATSON’S THE NEW MASTER
Man City's lingering title hopes all but disappeared after Mikel Arteta's strike secured a 1-0 victory for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
American Bubba Watson parred the second sudden-death playoff hole to defeat South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and capture the Masters.
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RECIPE FOR DISASTER Intelligence sources working on the causes behind yesterday’s rioting in the Old City have realised that there are numerous factors at play. REPORT ON PG 4 & 5
TRIBUTE TO A LIVING LEGEND
P16&17
It’s been 75 years since Akkineni Nageswara Rao, one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema, began his acting career. We pay tribute to a supreme talent.
M ANILKUMAR
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YUVRAJ RETURNS TO WARM WELCOME Sporting a red sports cap, red Tshirt and khaki pants and flashing a victory sign, Yuvraj Singh, who underwent chemotherapy in the US, returned to the country today to a rousing reception.
WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY SPELLS; 33°C
FLASH
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012 HYDERABAD
32 PAGES
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CHARGED ATMOSPHERE MIGHT SPELL RELIEF The CM is holding a meeting with APTransco and Genco seeking possible relief in electricity tariff to priority sectors and consumers. An announcement is likely by evening.
Page Two
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
HERE WE COME
Angkor Wat
M ANIL KUMAR
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
Goan food festival The Momo Cafe at Hyderabad Marriot and Convention Centre is hosting a Goan festival. Where: Hyderabad Marriott and Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999
Hard rock and games The IPL T20 games are on. Head to Hard rock Cafe to enjoy some great matches, great food and interesting drinks all through the IPL season. Where: IHard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 14pm-8pm Contact: (040) 4476 7900
Every Rupee counts Syn at Taj Deccan is offering an interesting meal options. The concept behind Calorie for a Rupee is to enjoy a great meal priced according to it’s calorie content Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939
Combo platters Deli 9 is offering Combo Platters in it’s lunch and dinner menu. Choose from 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
Unique buffet Yellow Chilli is offering a lunch buffet which is truly different. The Buffet which costs `199 (Monday to-Friday) and `249 (Saturday and Sunday). The dinner buffet costs
CINEMAS
`299 and `349. Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2338 3838
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
Being ’together’ Together, an exhibition of paintings by Shravan Kumar GK will be on display from April 6 onwards. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: March 6 onwards Contact: 98499 6879
Go Splash Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to 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
Parenting discussion On the occasion of completing 15 years of it’s inception, Gitanjali Devshala is conducting a panel discussion on good parenting with various eminent personalities on April 11. Where: Fortune Katriya, Somajiguda When: April 11, 5.15 pm
Water colours Iconart is hosting Aquarelle as a part of it’s Buy Art initiative. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 6879
Crepes and waffles Lover of waffles and crepes? Deli9 is offering a crepe and waffle festival. Taste a variety of waffles such as fruit waffle and the classic waffle or a variety of exotic crepes such as
caramel apple. The festival is on from April 7-April 21. Where: Delhi 9, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: April 7 onwards, 8am to 8pm Contact: (040) 6550 6662
IPL special Truffles Cafe is offering a great way to catch the live telecast of IPL season 5. Head to Truffles Cafe for IPL special mocktails, beverages & starters and various other foodie delights Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubillee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 8am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105
Show and tell Books n more presents Show and Tell, an activity to promote good expression and communication for 3-8 year olds. The activity aims to improve your child’s ability to communicate well. Where: Books n more, Sivaramkrishna Colony, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 5pm to 6pm Contact: 98859 56728
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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Hyper Local
Bouncing out GHMC Some cheques issued by realtors has the corporation seeing red after they bounced
GHMC Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
M
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
uch to the chagrin of GHMC officials some of the cheques issued to them by City realtors, towards payment of impact fees, have bounced and left them red-faced. Some of the high profile realtors from the City have been named in the list of cheaters, who deceived the corporation. The issue came to light when officials
of the town planning department tried to assess the total income they had earned during the last fiscal year through its services. The officials found that the impact fee paid by some of the realtors through cheques had bounced later. Among the accused, is GS Gupta, against whom a criminal case was recently filed by real estate major DLF. Prajay properties is also one of the prominent organisations that is facing cheque bouncing charges. According to sources, Prajay properties had issued a cheque of `2.43 crore and GS Gupta had given a cheque of `43 lakh towards payment of impact to the town planning officials for real estate ventures. Shocked at the cheque bouncing, officials of the corporation are now planning to initiate criminal proceedings against realtors who resorted to the malpractice. “We will take action against those who tried to deceive us. We have already served notices to these people. We are awaiting their response now. Once they respond, we will initiate criminal proceedings against them,” GHMC additional commissioner (planning), K Dhanunjay Reddy told Postnoon. According to a rough estimate, it received a total of over `5 crore through cheques from real estate biggies for necessary approvals to undertake their ventures.
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Congress lands into a greater mess Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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here is as yet no sign of the Congress going in for an analysis of the political defeat in the last by-elections. The government that has been struggling to put up a façade of unity is now in greater mess with the unceremonious transfer of
ACB joint director K Srinivas Reddy. It only served as fodder to the Opposition. Observers say that the raids by ACB are to dispel the belief that the government was trying to please the liquor lobby that has in its grip some 40 MLAs and several senior leaders. The central leaders of the party are now taking turns to discuss the messy affairs.
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I was travelling towards Chanchalguda by bus when I heard people screaming. Rocks broke the bus windshield and shards flew from all sides. People were running and shouting.
My father is sick and is in hospital. I had to visit him but the police barricades stopped me from going there. I waited for more than three hours but there was no change in the situation.
As soon as people came running down the road, I realised there was trouble. I shut my shop and four hours later, the situation was still volatile. I was getting frantic calls from my family.
Gopal, a resident of Koti
Munshaf Ali, store owner
Raju Goud, a resident of Balapur
I was taking pictures of the mob when 10-15 men pounced on me, asking who I was. Despite police presence around me, they damaged my camera and rained blows on me. Syed Abid Hussain, cameraman
A cocktail of factors triggered the riots Sangareddy effect, strained relations between MIM and Congress, hoodlums creating trouble are responsible Postnoon News
T
oo many factors have played in the unnecessary violence that broke out in the Old City yesterday, intelligence sources have begun to realise. It would take time and efforts to thresh chaff from the truth. The obvious indication is that the trouble was planned for Hanuman Jayanthi but was postponed due to the strict bandobast arranged by police commissioner AK Khan. His absence yesterday (he was on leave), the Sangareddy
effect, strained relationship between the MIM and Congress, the right wing win in Mehbubnagar, hoodlums seeking new assignments are all factors that led to the violence in Madanapet and Saidabad. The intelligence chief Mahendar Reddy is camping in Old City and they are scanning video footage from trouble-hit areas. Police and intelligence sleuths have been posted at the residences of BJP chief Kishan
Reddy and MIM chief Akbaruddin Owaisi. Expectedly, BJP senior leader and former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya charged the MIM with fanning the communal disturbances. He said that the ISI and MIM together have done this by provoking the sentiment of the Hindus. The followers of Vikaruddin, the suspected ISI agent, were behind these communal clashes. Dattatreya named Rauf and Naseeruddin behind the clashes and wanted the government to arrest them. But the MIM is keeping its counsel to itself. It does not want to make public statement when the investigation is going on. The trouble political leaders create is clear from the stance that the police commissioner has asked his force not to allow political leaders to visit troubled areas. The areas are under curfew. Meanwhile, the senior BJP leader Dr K Lakshman said that the government and the police had not taken the intelligence report seriously. All indicated to trouble in Hanuman Jayanthi but they forgot that trouble could break out after the festival too, he said. Lakshman said the ruling MIM had a greater responsibility than other parties to ensure peace but “it played villain.� Home minister who toured the sensitive areas including the Charminar police station announced that the case will be further investigated by the Special Investigation Team. With inputs from U Srinivas, Mohd Subhan, Inkeshaf Ahmed and Rahul Ramakrishna
RUFFLED FEATHERS, GRUDGES FUELLED OLD CITY VIOLENCE
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
When the mob turns violent, it is difficult for us to tackle them and ensure everyone’s safety. You should take care. You should not get into a lion’s den, don’t you know? A Anjaneyulu, sub inspector
I appeal to people to remain calm and not resort to violence. Any person found trying to instigate violence will be dealt with severely. We have issued orders for a 48-hour curfew. AK Khan, Police commissioner
The autorickshaw driver and a passenger were stabbed. The condition of the autorickshaw driver is critical. The passenger has also suffered serious injuries.
Don't give credence to rumours. Anyone who sends provocative SMSes will be punished. Those who post offensive messages on social networking sites will also be bought to book.
S Sai Krishna, Santoshnagar ACP
M ANIL KUMAR & SRINIVAS SETTY
Stephen Ravindra, DCP West Zone
Applying balm to calm bruised hearts Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com
W
Postnoon team fanned out in to the trouble-hit areas of Old City soon after the communal violence broke out. We found out that the attack was premeditated. However, mob fury can’t happen without the involvement of religious and political leaders. That the hooligans step in on such occasions is a plain fact but they would not dare if the leaders did not spur them on.
4&5
hile many furtively or otherwise fan a communal trouble, Help Hyderabad, a voluntary organisation led by a retired Army Major, takes up the onerous task of calming down the ruffled features on both sides. As sudden violence gripped parts of Old City on Sunday morning, the founding members of the Help Hyderabad who numbered nearly 30 were eagerly waiting for the situation to calm a bit to begin their work of applying balm on of the wounds of the collective psyche. “A communal situation is dangerous. We begin with calling on the elders of both communities in the area. With them we go around telling people that it is neither of the religious groups that indulges in the criminal mischief but it’s always either politically motivated or triggered by a sickly third-party that wants turbulance,” said Zahid Quadri, founding member, Help Hyderabad. The NGO also distributes food if the marginalised people among the victims of violence are likely to go hungry. But their work cannot start if the situation remains violent and curfew is imposed. The team is
waiting for the curfew to be lifted to start work. Bringing communities together is not the sole aim of Help Hyderabad. It does render help to people in trouble for varied reasons. But the toughest task of all is to mend the hearts scarred by communal clashes, Zahid says. “There are always heated arguments and cuss words thrown at each other. We point out that a lot of innocent blood is spilt following the clashes. Once the elders are convinced, we counsel the youth of the both the communities,” observed Zahid. He pointed out that it is vital to calm the youth down as they are hot-blooded and get involved in fracas at the slightest of instigation. The organisation also requests the police not to arrest the boys from either community. This year too, with tension on the rise, Help Hyderabad plans to tackle the situation the same way. They intend to go to the volatile area of Saidabad (where the riots started) and speak to the public and calm them down. Help Hyderabad is born of the efforts of Major SGM Quadri. There are in all 29 founding members from different faiths. Their guiding motto is Gandhi’s, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Taking toll: Monday’s riots in numbers Suspects held so far
100
Injured
12
Severe injuries
3
Buses damaged
15
Other vehicles
20
Shops, houses damaged
20
Cases booked
17
Additonal forces deployed (all forces)
2,000
Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
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Exams conducted smoothly Despite the curfew and tight security across the City, in light of the communal violence, the last SSC board exam was conducted smoothly, with students facing no problems M ANIL KUMAR
EDUCATION Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com
S Contract teachers’ fastunto-death
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emanding regularisation of their services, the State Residential Schools contract teachers have gone on “fastunto-death” from today. Speaking to the media, State Residential Schools Contract Teachers Association convener Balaswamy said the teachers, who were appointed on the basis of merit, have been working for the last 12 years in these schools. Though they were discharging functions on par with regular teachers, the contract teachers were tensed due to lack of job security. Balaswamy alleged that the State government was meting out step-motherly treatment to contract teachers on regularisation of their posts. Stating that the government issued a GO on April 2 to hand over 45 BC residential schools to BC Welfare Department, Balaswamy questioned the government about the fate of contract teachers of 45 residential schools. If their services were terminated they would be let in a lurch.
peculations were rife on Sunday evening about the last Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam, scheduled to be conducted on Monday morning, being postponed. However, there was no official response or intimation from the Board. The examination was conducted, and there were no reported problems and even students who had to come from curfew-imposed areas of Old City, did not face any problems. “I was getting calls till late last night from concerned parents enquiring about the status of the examination. They were worried about how their kids were going to make it to the exam centre with the curfew, especially those living in Old City. When I gave them a follow up call, they told me that apart from being stopped by the police at major checkposts, they did not face any problems,” said Ayesha Rubina, director, Genesis High School. The residents of Saidabad approached the ACP last night and requested him to provide security to the schools in the vicinity. This morning there was tight security provided and candidates were allowed to go through upon showing their hall tickets. Faiza Khan, a student who lives in Ghode Ki Khabar area, was worried as to how she was going to make it to her centre in AC Guards with the curfew in place. “My father and I left half-an-hour earlier than
usual to avoid any problem. While passing through a few areas, we were asked to show my hall ticket as proof. Upon doing that, we were allowed to pass through. The police are doing a good job,” she said. But these checkposts and bandobast did make the trip to the exam centre longer. With the police checking the hall tickets at regular distances especially in volatile areas, for a few people, it took almost twice the time to reach the exam centre. “My son’s centre was in Moghalpura and I live in Masab Tank. It usually takes us 20 minutes to get to his exam centre. But today, it took me nearly 40 minutes because of police barricading the area as well as checking the passing traffic,” point-
ed out Nayeem Hussain.
Exams come to a close As the SSC exams came to a close on Monday across the State, students and teachers are satisfied with the way the examinations were conducted. According to the students the questions set for them were relatively easy and for the most part the examinations were conducted smoothly. “This year the examinations were easy is what my students told me. They said the questions were the same as they had anticipated. They are very happy and all of them told me that they have written the examinations well. Even the teachers are happy about it,” said Sadhna
Thakur, principal, Government School, Mangalhat. Echoed Nadir Shujath, who wrote his exams at Holy Mary School, AC Guards, “We did not face any problem, either with the electricity or with the quality of classrooms. The exams were easy and I am now awaiting my results.” However, Rhicha Singh, who wrote the examinations at Government Girls High School in Hyderguda, pointed out that the biology exam was unexpected. “Some of the long answer questions were unexpected. Usually, such long answers questions are never asked. If one studied from the all-in-one guide, they wouldn’t have anticipated them,” she said.
ICONIC CITY Bade Miyan Kebabs, Lower Tank Bund
H
yderabad is a non-vegetarian’s paradise — no doubt. With our mutton and chicken biryanis, haleem and kebabs, there’s no dearth of good food. Several eateries in the City serve these lip smacking delicacies. But one place that takes the cake for its awesome location, prices and taste is Bade Miyan Kebabs located at lower Tank Bund. It’s a treat in itself as you take in the breeze eating, the piping hot, succulent kebabs and enjoy a relaxing evening
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
with your friends. Die hard Bade Miyan Kebab loyalists come here over and over again not just because of the delicious food on offer but also because it is highly affordable. On an average one plate of kebabs will cost you `120 and the quantity served is pretty large. Regulars recommend trying the seekh kebab, boti and chicken kebabs. But the best they say is pather ka ghosht that is available only on Sundays. So next Sunday you know where to head.
DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Hyper Local
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
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Baisakhi — vibrant and joyful Baisakhi is as much a harvest festival as the founding day of the Khalsa. Punjabis celebrate this day together which also happens to be their New Year day
FESTIVAL Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
C
ommunities in India have been celebrating since the month of March with Bihu, Ugadi, Gudi Padua, Ram Navami and Easter celebrations and now it’s time for Baisakhi celebrations in the City. As communities ring in the New Year, it’s time for the people to come together and join the celebrations. Like Sankranti and Bihu, the Punjabi festival Baisakhi too deals with harvest. Farmers in the village celebrate the year’s first crop with a lot of pomp and splendour. Punjabis are known for the dhol, dance, food, drink and vivacity. “It’s a four-day celebrations. The City’s Baisakhi is no less colourful than in Punjab. All men in the community wear the kurta and the chadra (short lungi) and pagdi on the day. Meetha halwa,
sweetened syrup and lassi are served throughout the procession route,” said, Ranjeeth Sethi, a businessman from City”. The day is also known as Khalsa Saajna Divas (Khalsa Panth Foundation Day, Baisakhi). The prabhandak committee Gurudwara Saheb, Ameerpet and the Sadh Sangat of Ameerpet is geared up to organise the celebrations on a grand and mammoth scale. There will be many events from April 11 to 14. Amrit Sanchaar or Amrit Paan ( holy baptism) will be held on April 12 at 11 am at Gurudwara Saheb Ameerpet. Two major events Vishaal Deewan (Mass Congregation) and Nagar Keertan (holy procession) will be held on April 13 and Rein Sabai Keertan Darbar on April 14. Nearly 25,000 to 30,000 people are expected to take part in the celebrations at the Khalsa Sajna Divas on April 13 and will be held at Sri Guru Gobind Singhji playgrounds, Ameerpet, from 11 am. “The event will be marked by
the recitations of gurubani keertans (holy hymns) by the reputed ragi jathas (religious preachers) who are being specially invited from various parts of the country to render shabad keertans”, said prabhandak committee, president S Amarjeet Singh.
After the culmination of the congregation guru ka langar (free community kitchen) will be held. On the same evening (April 13), a colourful Nagar Keertan, (holy procession) will be taken out at around 5 pm from Gurudwara Saheb Ameerpet and will pass
through the main corridors of Greenlands, Begumpet, Panjagutta and return back to Gurudwara Sahib in the evening. The Guru Granth Sahebji will be carried on a beautifully decorated vehicle along with nishaan sahebans (religious flags). The procession will be marked by the rendering of shabad keertans (holy hymns) by the jatha tera jatha and keerthani jathas of men, women and youths. Besides that, panj pyaras (five beloved ones) in their traditional attire will be one of the attractions. The major attraction will be the display of gatka a famous Sikh martial art form and other breathtaking sword exercises by Dashmesh Kalgidhar Jatha and Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Akhada. On the last day the main festival, Baisakhi keertan darbar (night congregation) will be held from on April 14 in which reputed ragi jathas will render shabad keertan and throw lights on teachings of the Guru.
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A child gets his caricature made as a part of the Grand Easter Feaster event DEEPAK DESHPANDE held at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre.
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Nose-dive into colour SRINIVAS SETTY
Vaijayanthi Kari feedback@postnoon.com
B
orn in 1978 in the town of Regivada, near Eluru, Satyavolu Rambabu always had a keen interest in art. Unfortunately, due to lack of facilities and encouragement he could not nurture the natural talent that he possessed. As a child, he used to turn the walls of his house into a canvas and often adorn them with temple drawings. In class VIII, he sat in his first real art class and learned the technical methods of art under the guidance of his guru — Nejuri Israel garu. He was greatly inspired by the drawings of ‘Baapu’ that used to appear in newspapers and wanted to develop his skills further. While exploring various forms of art and seeing new methods such as nail drawing and finger painting, he came up with the idea of nose painting 10 years ago. He specialises in making portraits with his nose and says, “It is very difficult to get a painting right when your vision gets blurred. And even a layman can see the tiniest of errors in a portrait. I like the challenge when I’m painting.” So far, he has made more than 170 paintings with his nose and won the Global World Record in 2011 for this accomplishment. He also won the Rajiv Gandhi National Award in 2005 and the Chitrakalaratna award in 2006 for nose painting.
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His work has been displayed across Indian in places like Delhi, Kerala, Gujarat, Lucknow, Kolkata, Kanuku, Vijayawada and Hyderabad. “As a child, I never had help or support to pursue my interests. Hence, I would like to teach as many as possible and expand the scope of art. I would like to introduce people to this beautiful form of expression,” he says. Today, he has his own art school called Sadguru School of Arts where he nurtures raw talent and provides help to anyone interested in art.
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BEIJING: China is now the world’s largest food and grocery market, having overtaken the US in terms of sales in 2011, a market research firm said. British food industry analysts IGD also noted that BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China — will make up four of the top five grocery markets by 2015. China’s supermarket sector was worth $970 billion at the end of 2011, surpassing the US market, valued at $913.5 billion. The rapid expansion is driven by China’s growing economy, rising wealth, and inflationary food prices, the firm said. China’s grocery market is forecast to expand to $1.46 trillion by the end of 2014, three times its worth in 2006, the China Daily reported. AFP
Chinese inflation rate rises to 3.6% in March BEIJING: China’s inflation rate edged up in March from the previous month, official data showed on Monday, but analysts said they expect it to continue its downward trend. The consumer price index (CPI) rose to 3.6 per cent in March from 3.2 per cent in February, slightly higher than analysts’ expectations, as bad weather pushed up food prices and authorities raised the price of fuel. Inflation — one of China’s biggest economic concerns because of the potential for rising prices to trigger social unrest — hit a high of 6.5 percent last July, but has gradually slowed since. AFP
Mfg industry battles to stay competitive Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
measure of factory production is declining month after month. The PMI which stood at 57.5 in January is fallen to 56.6 in February and 54.7 in March. It also stated power cuts as the prime reason for the decline in factory production. However, the power situation did not get better even after the promise made by the government to wave of power holidays to small scale industries. The manufacturing industry is still facing two day-power cut (holidays) and unofficial power cuts which can count to halt of manufacturing for 12-15 days. The government gave another hit to the industry by increasing the power tariff by 30 per cent. This resulted in almost paying full month power charges even for 18 days pro-
Positive trends on hiring Postnoon News
he first quarter of 2012 has exhibited positive hiring trends in the City, despite global economic uncertainty and turmoil. The hiring activity in March 2012 is 12 per cent higher to corresponding month of previous year, according to Naukri Job Speak Index. However, the Job Speak Index for March-2012 at 1176 as compared to 1203 in previous month shows a minor dip in the hiring activity owing to the ongoing appraisal season. The
construction sector had a major hit in terms of hiring activity by seven per cent dip in March, compared to previous month. However, it is managed to maintain steady hiring levels, compared hiring levels with corresponding month of previous year. The hiring levels in all the other sectors have been stable or seen positive movement. “Hiring tends to slowdown by the end of first quarter every year because of the appraisal cycle. We expect hiring to pick up again by June or July this year,” said Hitesh Oberoi, CEO
POUND MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012 9 NUMEROLOGY
$635
billion
is the estimated value of China’s IT industry, projected to grow annually at 24 per cent, by 2015.
THUS SPAKE
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ntrepreneurs are holding or postponing their investments to expand the manufacturing units due to heavy interest rates and inflation. The interest rates were increased 12 times last year to control the inflation and this has serious repercussions on the manufacturing industry, said Ramesh Datla, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), MSME Council. Inflation also gave rise to heavy input costs. Due to heavy competition in the industry, and there is an ongoing challenge to offer the product at cheaper prices. Manufacturing companies are bearing the costs by themselves and are not in any position to pass the increasing input costs to the customer, he said. The overall investor confidence is very low due to various reasons like 2G scam, power project agitations. There is policy paralysis in the country and recent instances proved that government decisions can immensely affect any established business at any point of time. This killed the morale of the entrepreneurs who want to expand not only manufacturing but all businesses, said Datla. The report released by HSBC said Indian manufacturers reported a marked rise in new business received during March. However, the rate of expansion was the weakest in three months. It also stated the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — a
`81.35
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Matters of saving and spending
China becomes world’s largest food market
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SILVER
`51.27
and MD, Info Edge India. IT, ITES, Auto and Banking witnessed stable hiring levels during March. Oil and gas and telecom sector witnessed maximum movement in the employment front with the index moving up six per cent and four per cent respectively in March,2012, compared to February 2012. The growth rate of these sectors hiring is by 10 per cent and 19 per cent, compared to the same time a year ago. The demand for professionals in sales and business development picked up by three per
duction, Rajesh, CEO, Om Sai Andhra Paints. The property tax was increased by almost 500 per cent last year to certain units, and the low input credit is also resulting in paying heavy tax for the raw material purchased. This is hindering the growth of industry, he said. If the domestic manufacturing units did not expand according to the needs, the imports of the country will increase, giving further rise to the inflation. This inflation may push the interest rates up further worsening the situation for the investors. The confidence is needed to build up in entrepreneurs through many steps that include strong policies, quality and adequate power supply and affordable interest rates, said Datla. cent in March, 2012, compared to previous month. Professionals in software services and BPO saw steady hiring levels, while the demand for professionals in HR, accounts and production dipped within the range of three per cent and five per cent respectively in March, 2012, compared to previous month. Kolkata and Pune witnessed nine per cent and five per cent upward movement in index in March, 2012 over February 2012. On the contrary, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi saw dips within the range of two per cent and six per cent respectively in March over February while Chennai maintained steady hiring levels.
“In a globalised world, our officers face the challenge of unearthing tax avoidance than evasion. They have to evolve a new method of sophisticated tax planning to protect the interests of the government by realising its due share,” Pranab Mukherjee Union finance minister
RISING SUN Japan posted a current account surplus in February thanks to a stronger US economy, official data said, reversing a record deficit in January although the figure was still down 30.7 per cent on-year. The latest reading, the broadest measure of Japan’s trade with the rest of the world, was largely due to rising shipments to the key US market, particularly vehicles, a positive sign for the world’s third-biggest economy. “Figures in January and February tend to swing for seasonal factors, such as the Chinese New Year (holiday). But a recovery from the Thai floods also helped Japan’s current account to swing back to a surplus,” a finance ministry release said. Several Japanese majors have manufacturing plants in Thailand. In February, Japan’s current account stood at $14.48 billion. The figure was 30.7 per cent lower than the same month a year earlier but largely in line with a surplus tipped in a poll of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei business daily. The current account measures the value of a country’s imports and foreign investments against the value of its overseas income such as exports of goods and services.
India‑View
10
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
India unveiled
Trimming Marxism triggers argument Mithun Dasgupta
KOLKATA: Statues of Karl Marx and his lifelong friend Friedrich Engels still stand proudly in a main park of the 300-year-old capital city of Bengal. No ‘poribartan’ there till now. But a ‘poribartan ‘(change) is in the offing in the state’s history text books in the Mamata Banerjee regime, a stern opponent of Marxists. The students now will not have to read heady doses of Marxism, founded by the two stalwarts of the 19th century, to get marks in the examinations. They will instead be reading issues related to globalisation, history of Latin America and former South African president Nelson Mandela. They will also get to read about contemporary women’s movements. But the attempt of a syllabus review committee to trim the ‘over presence’ of Marxism in history text books for the Higher Secondary students to give space to the new topics has sparked a major controversy. After Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress ended the 34-year rule of the Marxists in last year’s assembly polls, the school education syllabus committee appointed by her government has decided to cut to size the over dose of Marxism in the new history syllabi for classes 11 and 12. The 19-member committee will submit its recommendations to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education next week. During the Left Front rule, some political observers and educationists had protested that the history syllabus was “overloaded” with Marx, Engels and the Bolshevik revolution to brainwash students with Marxist ideologies. While the committee says it has tried to draft a new “balanced, unbiased and pluralistic” history syllabus by cutting out “excesses” on Marxism, the move has upset the Left. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
leaders, who had been engaged in brain storming sessions over Marxist ideology at the party’s 20th Congress in Kozhikode, took a dig at the government over the matter. CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat warned that students and parents would “give a befitting reply” to the state government’s move. Veteran Marxist and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee also slammed the move, dubbing it “wrong and a controversial decision”. Even the Congress, a constituent of the 10month-old state government but currently having estranged relations with the Trinamool, did not let go the chance to lash out at the syllabus review committee. “The decision of the committee to trim Marxism in the syllabus reveals their (committee members’) ignorance. Either they should get rid of the whole topic, or they should let it remain as it was originally,” state Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya observed. Avik Majumdar, head of the syllabus review committee, strongly defended the move. “If one goes through the present history text books, she or he will feel there are only three countries in the world — India, China and Soviet Union (which no more exists). But we have decided to present an unbiased and pluralistic history to the students,” Majumdar told IANS. “Thus, we have suggested that movements of Latin America, history of Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, be read,” he informed. He clarified that Marxism would be there, but where it had relevance. “We are not at all allergic to Marxist theories. But it will be there where it has relevance,” Majumdar said. “Text books are not a tool to brainwash students with a particular political ideology,” he added. The Trinamool Congress has backed the committee’s recommendations.
This boy loves to go to school, nonstop Mohit Dubey
KANPUR: In a country where bunking classes is common, a 17year-old boy stands out in stark contrast. He has not missed a single class in 14 years of school life. Meet Mohammed Omar, student of St Aloysius School who took his class XII exams last month. Teachers say Omar has not been absent even a single day. Omar told that he did not do this intentionally initially but was simply interested in going to school regularly. But at a later stage when he came to class X, he began to ensure that he did not skip a single day at school. Son of businessman Mohammed Ikram, who supplies salt to tanneries in Kanpur, Omar says he would attend school even when his locality was flooded after rains
or when he had high fever. “If I was unwell, I would pop a pill and go school,” he said. Once his home on Nayi Sadak in Kanpur’s Techbagh area was under knee-deep water, and his
father’s scooter got stalled. He borrowed a cycle from a labourer to reach the school. What made him maintain such attendance so religiously? Omar gives the credit to his
doting mother Noor Hashmi, who he says has always prodded him not to skip school. “She has always been an inspiration,” the boy said, pointing out that his younger brother — now in class X — too has not missed a single day at school. A cricket fan and a music lover, Omar has applied to the Guinness Book of World Records for his unbroken school attendance of 14 years. While Omar prefers calling his achievement “Allah ka karam” (grace of God), his teachers at the school are full of praise for it. Pradeep Gupta, one such teacher who helped him fill the online form for entry into the Guinness book, says he marvels at the boy. “Hundred per cent attendance for fourteen years in school is no mean an achievement,” Gupta told IANS.
Teachers run students close in absenteeism A study conducted by the Research, Evaluation and Studies Unit of Educational Consultants India Limited in major states of the country revealed that the average attendance of students was 72 per cent, while the attendance of teachers was 81. The main reasons for children absenting from schools were: n Lack of facilities in school n Teacher shortage and overcrowded classrooms n Children being required for household work or sibling care at home to help parents in income generating activity n Parents’ indifference or lack of interest in child’s education 300–400 schools in each state was selected for this study.
India‑View
11
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
India unveiled
Bilawal strikes a chord with open body language NEW DELHI: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari and slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has touched a chord in India’s youth, endearing himself to his admirers with his good looks, easy laughter, self-effacing manner and a down-to-earth body language. The 24-year-old has stirred hope of an able future leadership in Pakistan among his Indian fans in the social media, who want him “to fill the cracks which have occurred in the last few years in the India-Pakistan relationship”. “The people want peace,” the messages on the social media said, “welcoming Bilawal to India as the country’s most loved and favourable friend”. Bilawal responded with a message, “Peace be with India” on the twitter. The political scion who stood quietly by his father Asif Ali Zardari’s side and sometime behind him during the day, depending on protocol and the nature of the occasion, was clad in a black and white pathani — the traditional Pathan attire of loose white pants and black kurta. At the shrine of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Bilawal did not bother to change clothes
Lanka may raise objection to Indian n-plants COLOMBO: Concerned over nuclear power plants located in south India, the Sri Lankan government plans to raise the issue before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to Sri Lankan minister for power and energy Champika Ranawaka, the issue would be raised at the next IAEA confabulation scheduled in September, Xinhua reported on Sunday. Sri Lankan is concerned over the impact a nuclear disaster in one of the plants located in southern India could have on Sri Lanka, he said. Ranawaka said that his ministry has already raised the issue with India and called for talks on reaching a disaster mitigating process in the event of a disaster in one of the nuclear plants. Sri Lanka is seeking an agreement with India on nuclear disaster management and India had responded positively, he said.
despite the blistering heat. As a mark of respect to the saint, Bilawal draped an “embroidered scarf around his shoulders and tied a pink turban”. Bilwal in a message on the social media said, “he had found Ajmer spiritual and peaceful”. His body language changed once he left the capital for Ajmer, a source close at the airport said. “He began to laugh dropping his official silence. He carries striking shades of mother, when he laughs,” the source said. Born on Sept 21, 1988, he spent his childhood in Dubai and London during his family’s “self-exile”. He later attended the Rashid School for Boys in Dubai. A black belt in taekwondo, Bilwal studied history at Oxford in London and returned to Pakistan after his mother, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated. IANS
NEW DELHI: A political push and removal of barriers can see trade between India and Pakistan boom, experts maintain even as Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari made a whistle stop visit to India Sunday. Over the past year, the experts added, the
GLOBE AT A GLANCE 2 killed as crude bombs explode in Kolkota KOLKATA: Two persons, including a woman, were killed and seven injured when several crude bombs went off at a house at Metiabruz area, police said. The bombs exploded around 9pm in the ground floor of a three-storied building of Masjidtala locality when about 15 embroidery workers were on work there. Rajia Khatun and Shamir Khan, both 30-yearold, died in the explosion.
IIT-M student from UP commits suicide CHENNAI: A 19-year-old student of IIT Madras allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room today, police said. Kuldeep Yadav, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was a second year civil engineering student. Other students in the hostel noticed that Yadav’s room had remained closed since morning. On suspicion, they broke open the door and found his body hanging from the ceiling, police said. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The boy’s father Yasodhar Singh, an agriculturist, has been informed about the incident, police said.
Trade needs push two sides have been working hard to normalise trade relations, which is expected to get a further push with the opening of a new integrated check post along the Attari-Wagah border. The new check-post is expected to be opened
this month. Vikramjit Singh Sahney, president of Saarc Chamber said normalisation of diplomatic ties will also boost overall regional trade and lead to greater economic integration of the eightmember South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) grouping. “Once Pakistan grants most-favoured nation status to India, it will pave the way for full implementation of the Saarc Trade Area,” Sahney told IANS. India had extended mostfavoured nation status to Pakistan in 1996.
EASTER JOY
Uncertainty over Orissa hostages’ release BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s efforts to secure the release of an Italian tour operator and a state legislator kidnapped by the Maoists last month plunged into uncertainty on Sunday with the rebels failing to budge from their demands. Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, whose group has been holding hostage tour operator Bosusco Paolo since March 14 said the government must clarify whether it was facilitating the release of all the seven people the Maoists wanted. Besides, the rebel leader in an audio message which was received by some local television channels here, also asked the government to make its stand clear on the 13 demands the rebels had made earlier.
Storm kills 3, damages houses in Tripura AGARTALA: At least three people,
Sailors of the US Navy celebrate Easter with Children of an orphanage in Chennai on Sunday, USS Bunker Hill, along with USS Carl Vinson and USS Halsey will take part in the Malabar 2012 Exercise. PTI/R Senthil Kumar
including a child and a government school teacher, were killed and two injured as a cyclonic storm accompanied by rains lashing several parts of Tripura since Friday left behind a trail of destruction, officials said here on Sunday. “Three people, including a child and a government school teacher, were killed in separate incidents of electrocution and lightning in western, southern and northern Tripura,” a senior official told reporters. Government school teacher Keshab Basu, 43 was struck by lightning when he was returning home at Belonia in southern Tripura while a labourer Joymoni Orang, 55, was hit by thunder and lightning when he was working at a paddy field at Katlamara in western Tripura. A six-year-old boy was electrocuted when live electrical wires snapped by the cyclonic storm struck him at Dharmanagar in northern Tripura. Three more people, including a woman, were wounded and have been shifted to hospitals.
Around the World
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Beyond Borders
12
Aping man: Tabs and apps fascinate apes AFP/MIRA OBERMAN
MILWAUKEE:
No more panda porn in Scotland Iva Roze Skoch
I
t wasn’t quite the level of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, but there was definitely chemistry between the two giant pandas in the Edinburgh Zoo this week. For those of you following their lives on pandacam, I’m sure you’ll agree: Sunshine and Sweetie were meant for each other. Talk about pressure, though. As Global Post reported before, female pandas only get sexually active once a year. And then only for a 36-hour period. That doesn’t allow much room for bad pick up lines or other mating mistakes on the part of the male. In short, if you are a male panda, you better have some serious game ready.
And, honestly, Yang Guang kind of did. Sparks were flying, cuddles were had, bamboo sticks were munched. For a while there, it was like watching panda porn. Some British journalists even wrote their own panda porn scripts. Except — very much unlike real porn — what kept everyone engaged in the panda affair was the answer to the question: “Will they, or won’t they?” After two days of strenuous attempts by the giant male panda Yang Guang (Sunshine) to get Tian Tian (Sweetie) in the sack, he ended up not closing the deal. Though, on the bright side, his testicles apparently enlarged by a third. The Edinburgh Zoo announced on its website Thursday “It was close, but no cigar.” GLOBALPOST
The young orangutan reaches his hand through the cage and rubs his knuckles over an iPad, drawing wide colours across the screen with his favourite app. A few minutes later, Mahal presses his face up against the mesh, stretches out his long tongue and taps the screen to make it light up and play his favourite song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Soon Mahal and the two other orangutans at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin county zoo will be able to use their iPad for something even more exciting – “play dates” with orangutans at other zoos and wildlife preserves. They’re already fascinated by videos of orangutans they’ve watched on the tablet. Their keepers are hoping a live video feed will be even more engaging. “We’re excited to see where that goes,” said Trish Kahn, the zoo’s primate coordinator. “It could be they don’t care at all, but, from what I understand of them, I think they’re definitely going to be able to understand this is real time and they’re looking at another orangutan.” Nearly a year after the zoo introduced iPads as a form of enrichment, the primate building is being rewired for wifi so the orangutans can have their play dates and the public can watch them on a webcam. Several other zoos have also
Orangutans MJ (L) and Mahal (R) watch a video on an iPad held up to the glass of their enclosure at the Milwaukee County Zoo. introduced tablets to primates with the help of the non-profit Orangutan Outreach, which launched the ‘Apps for Apes’ campaign after seeing how much the Milwaukee orangutans enjoyed playing with the iPads. The goal is twofold: to bring a powerful new enrichment activity to the orangutans and to get zoo visitors engaged in the fight to protect an endangered species. “It’s really important for the public to connect with these animals because we’re losing them in the wild — they’re facing extinction,” Kahn told AFP. “For me the most important thing is for people
to recognize these are sentient beings that are so incredible, that have all these wonderful adaptations and a profound brain.” So in addition to the playtime in their private feeding area, the zoo also offers iPad enrichment in the public viewing area, where volunteer Scott Engel shows them videos through the thick glass. Crowds of people are drawn to Engel and pepper him with questions about the orangutans and the iPad. They laugh when he tells them that Mahal likes to watch penguin videos while his adoptive mother MJ hankers for BBC nature shows by David Attenborough. AFP
US Goat to land in Chinese clutches A
s US animation titans such as DreamWorks set up business in China, a local studio is hoping the fortunes of a plucky goat will take the battle for box office supremacy straight to its big rivals. Imagi — a company that almost went bankrupt after the dismal failure of its take on the Japanese TV series Astro Boy in 2009 — is home to the champion of China’s animation industry: Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. Based on the antics of a goat called Pleasant and his valiant bid to thwart a scheming wolf, the franchise has produced four films in the past four years taking a combined domestic box office haul of 548 million yuan ($87 million). In terms of animated films screening in China, that amount has only been bettered by DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda franchise, whose two films have com-
AFP
Soh Szu Wei, Imagi International Holdings Ltd’s executive director, posing with soft toys ‘Pleasant Goat’ (R) and ‘Big Big Wolf’ (L).
manded takings of 744 million yuan since the original’s release in 2008. “We welcome competition, we are looking forward to it,” said Soh Szu Wei, executive director of Hong Kong-based Imagi International Holdings Limited that owns the Pleasant Goat franchise, which has also been spun-off into a television series. “We have broken away from the locals. We are now competing with the internationals.” The Chinese box office expanded by around 30 per cent last year, meaning it accounted for an estimated RMB13 billion in takings, third in the world behind Japan and the first-placed United States and closing fast. That potential has encouraged DreamWorks to set up its very own Chinese operations. In February, the company announced it was forming a Shanghai-based partnership with
China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment. The venture will “engage in the development and production of high-quality original Chinese animated and live action content,” according to a DreamWorks statement. It hopes to get its Shanghai studio up and running by the final quarter this year, with the first productions slated for release in 2016. The Hollywood giant could not have chosen a better setting for its operations in China, said Hong Kong-based film historian Jacob Wong. “China has a glorious history of animation, especially the Shanghai film studios in the 1960s, but it has been a while since they have had a major success,” said Wong, who programmed the Animation Unlimited segment of this year’s Hong Kong International Film festival. AFP
Around the World Police arrest 2 in Oklahoma shooting WASHINGTON:
Police on Sunday arrested two white men who they believe are responsible for a shooting spree that claimed three lives and injured two people in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. A police department official told AFP that the suspects taken into custody in a neighbourhood just north of Tulsa were identified as Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32. The two suspects were found together in a neighbourhood near where the shootings occurred after police received several anonymous tips that England was the shooter, The Tulsa World newspaper reported. All three fatalities — identified as Dannaer Fields, 49, Bobby Clark, 54 and William Allen, 31 — were black men. Two other men were wounded, but are expected to survive, the paper noted. They have not been identified. “It is way too early to call this a hate crime,” Federal Bureau of Investigation agent James Finch said on Sunday at a news conference. “We have yet to analySe all the information to understand the motivations in this case. But while some community leaders insisted the shootings had been racially-motivated, Jordan said there was no evidence of that yet. Court records showed that the two men have been charged with three counts each of first degree murder, along with weapons charges. The Tulsa shooting came amid another racially-charged case that involves an unarmed black teen shot dead by a neighbourhood watch guard in February. AFP
13
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Beyond Borders
N KOREA ROCKET
GLOBE AT A GLANCE Syrian rebels reject regime’s fresh demands
TONGCHANG-RI SPACE CENTRE: North Korea’s long-
DAMASCUS: A peace plan for Syria was in jeopardy on Monday after a rebel commander rejected fresh conditions from the government for a pullout of regime troops from protest hubs amid a new spike in violence. Under a peace deal brokered by Kofi Annan, the former UN chief, the Syrian army was scheduled to withdraw from protest cities on Tuesday, with a complete end to fighting set for 48 hours later.
installed on launch pad range rocket is on its launch platform, AFP reporters said on Sunday, as the regime again insisted it was to send a peaceful satellite and not a missile. The usually secretive North organised an unprecedented visit for foreign reporters to Tongchang-ri space centre in an effort to show its Unha-3 rocket is not a disguised ballistic missile, as claimed by the US and its allies. Communist North Korea says it will launch the satellite for peaceful scientific research between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-Sung. His birthday was on April 15. “To say this is a missile test is really nonsense,” said Jang Myong-Jin, head of the space centre. The rocket would propel the Kwangmyongsong-3 (Shining Star) satellite into orbit to observe the earth and collect data on forests and natural resources in impoverished but nuclear-armed North Korea, officials said. A successful mission would burnish the image of young Kim Jong-Un as he seeks to establish his credentials as a strong leader after taking over from his father Kim Jong-Il, who died last December. Washington, Japan and South Korea have all condemned the move, saying any missile
Mali’s prez resigns in deal with coup leaders BAMAKO: President Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali has formally resigned as part of a deal with coup leaders to end the crisis gripping the West African state. The resignation paves the way for the coup leaders to step aside and the parliamentary speaker to take over. Mali has been grappling with a separatist uprising in the north.
N Korean Unha-3 rocket is pictured at Tangachai -ri space center on Sunday. AFP/ PEDRO UGARTE would contravene United Nations sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s missile programme. China, the North’s major ally, has urged restraint. There are also heightened fears that the novice administration of the young Kim could be readying for a third nuclear weapons test. On Saturday in response to the imminent launch, Japan deployed missile batteries in central Tokyo, and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has given the green light to shoot down the rocket if it threatens Japan’s territory. “We will not tolerate any violation of our national sovereignty. We did not shoot down satellite launches from Japan or South Korea. Why are th-
ey threatening us?” Jang said. But the head of the space centre sought to appease the worries of neighbouring countries. “We can press the button to destroy the rocket and there is also a device in the launching vehicle which can judge whether it is out of the range and destroy itself if it deviates,” he said. It is the first time North Korea has allowed foreign journalists to go to the new space centre. The rocket is 30 metres high and with a diameter of 2.5 metres. Reporters were also able to see close-up what officials said was the satellite: a 100-kilo (220 pounds) box with five antennae, covered by solar panels to supply it with electricity. AFP
Peru miners rescue delayed ICA: It could take two or three more days to rescue nine miners trapped since Thursday in a mine in southern Peru, a top official said on Sunday, as one of the miners begged “please, get us out of here.” Oscar Valdes, cabinet chief to Peru’s President Ollanta Humala, told journalists that an engineer working on the rescue operation said it could be delayed for “two to three more days” due to fresh collapses inside the Cabeza de Negro mine, about 325 kilometres south of Lima. The miners have been trapped 250 metres underground in a horizontal tunnel since Thursday when a shaft collapsed. The nine, aged 22 to 59 and including a father and son, were not injured and remain togeth-
Rescue workers sharpen a tool in a makeshift hut during the rescue operation of nine miners who have been trapped. AFP er. They were being supplied with oxygen, water and soup through a metal tube that they also use to communicate with
rescue workers. Some were able to speak with relatives who are staying near the mine at an improvised
camp of about 80 people that also includes police, firefighters and other miners. While their health was generally sound, some of the miners were suffering from anxiety, not unusual for the emergency situation and its risks. “We are depressed. Please, get us out of here,” begged Jacinto Pariona in a trembling voice from the back of the area where he was trapped with his colleagues. Authorities seemed to be cautious about taking a happy ending for granted. Outside the tunnel, a group of rescuers cut wood beams to reinforce the tunnel walls. Workers were using buckets to remove the debris obstructing the shaft by hand, then pushing it out of the mine in a small mining car. AFP
Revellers gather in their holiday finery along Fifth Avenue during the annual Easter Parade on Sunday in New York City. AFP
Günter Grass barred from entering Israel ISRAEL: Israel has declared the German author Guenter Grass “persona non grata” and barred him from entering the country. Grass recently criticised Israel in a poem. In it, Grass condemned German arms sales to Israel, and said the Jewish state must not be allowed to launch military strikes against Iran. he has been blamed of inflaming hatred against the State.
Bahrain refuses to send prisoner to Denmark DUBAI: Bahrain turned down a request to transfer to Denmark a jailed Shiite activist who has been on hunger strike for two months and also holds Danish nationality. “The handover of accused and convicted persons to foreign countries takes place under specific conditions... This does not apply in Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s case,” a Supreme Judiciary Council official said.
Security personnel inspect the remains of bomb-laden car that exploded on Sunday, in Kaduna, Nigeria, killing 20 people. AFP
Comment Editorials
N KOREA NEEDS handling with care
WHY WE LOVE Atticus Finch n Saturday, Barack Obama used Atticus Finch to remind the American public of what he stands for. Finch, the simmering pragmatist, with a moral spine of admantium went against the grain. Will Obama?
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Hang death penalty
A
s a defiant North Korea has begun pairing its controversial rocket for launching a satellite, Japan and South Korea has readied unprecedented level of antimissile countermeasures to shoot it down if it overflies their airspace. The North has warned its regional rivals that it will consider any attempt at sabotaging the rocket or intercepting it mid-air will be considered as an act of aggression and will result in disastrous consequences. The fact that the launch will mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the Communist state, has made it a matter of prestige for the country and its newly anointed head Kim Jong Un. China, North Korea’s biggest supporter and supplier/trade partner, too has expressed wariness about purpose of the launch. With one of the largest militaries in the world and possessing thousands of pieces of artillery that can wreak havoc in South Korea’s civilian-populated areas, the North is not a force that can be ignored. Unless the regional players, the UN and the United States act with utmost caution, it is only a matter of time before the neighbourhood erupts in conflict.
O
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
The Human Angle Babu Gogineni
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handigarh Sessions Court’s instruction to the SP of Patiala Central Jail to implement the scheduled execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana on 31 March has revived the debate on the death penalty in India. Rajoana was the back-up human bomb when Punjab CM Beant Singh was assassinated in 1995. Rajoana never appealed for mercy, but clemency petitions filed by the Punjab government and by Sikh groups who consider the unrepentant Rajoana a living martyr to the cause of the Sikh nation have led to a further postponement of the execution. While some political groups bay for the blood of convicts they dislike (Afzal Guru and Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab), and others ask for clemency for those they support (Sri Lankan assassins of Rajiv Gandhi — Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan), on 29 March the Supreme Court of India took notice of death row politics in the country and asked some uncomfortable questions as regards clemency petitions and procedures. This is of great significance as there are currently 18 clemency petitions with the President’s office and over 300 people are on death row in the country. In India, the crimes of murder, gang robbery with murder, abetting the suicide of a child or insane person, waging war against the nation, abetting mutiny by a member of the armed forces and large scale narcotics trafficking are eligible for the death penalty. The SC which in 1983 instructed that the death penalty should be imposed only in the ‘rarest of rare’ cases has recently recommended the death penalty for police officials who stage false encounter killings and for those who commit honor killings. Is the death penalty a moral abomination or an effective deterrent of violent crime? Is it better for society to incarcerate a dangerous criminal forever, or is the ultimate punishment more justified for heinous crimes? How safe are death penalty convictions? Providing a backdrop to the death penalty debate in India was Amnesty International’s latest report on the global use of the death penalty in 2011. The report recorded the positive trend that only 20 of the world’s 198 countries carried out an execution in 2011; 96
countries did away with it while 34 countries have been abolitionist in practice by observing official or unofficial moratoria. India has been abolitionist — the last execution took place in 2004. From a distance, it appears that the world is slowly moving towards a more civilised system of criminal justice. In 1971 the UN General Assembly called for a restriction on the number of offences for which the death penalty could be imposed, with a view to abolishing it altogether. This will of the global community was reiterated in 1977 and again in 2010 in UN Resolutions with ever growing support from member nations. Today, no country can become a member of the Council of Europe or of the European Union unless they abandon the death penalty. Some African countries like Angola, Djibouti, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa have abolished capital punishment. Gabon is the latest to join their ranks. From close, the picture is less attractive. India, along with the US, Saudi Arabia and China, did not support the UN resolutions and more than 60 per cent of the world’s population today lives in regimes where the death penalty is still legal — 18,750 people remain under sentence of death worldwide, and at least 676 people were executed in the year. These figures exclude the statistics for China which keeps executions secret, but is believed to execute thousands of people every year. A
sharp rise in the use of the death penalty was noted specially in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, who along with the US and China are the world’s top executioners. Despite its wide spread use, can the death penalty ever be justified? Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that moral Magna Carta which sets universal standards for the global civilisation and in whose formulation India played an important role, affirms: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The infliction of death as punishment is indeed a cruel and unusual form of punishment. It is in the spirit of retribution, not rehabilitation and militates against modern standards of justice. From flaying alive to boiling in oil to the executioner’s axe, from the hangman’s noose to the lethal injection, the death penalty has seen many barbarous refinements, but has only inflicted pointless pain where a less severe punishment could have achieved the same purpose. As Victor Hugo pointed out, it is irrevocable, irreparable and indissoluble and hence has no place in human law. In Franz Kafka’s nameless Penal Colony the death machine kills the guard himself in the name of justice, in the same way that every death penalty kills our humanity and brutalises our society. The time has come to hang the death penalty, not humans.
TALK BACK
Why the Super Hornet can’t replace the CF-18A/B fleet?
Readers’ views
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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
t is because the performance envelope of a true air superiority fighter. The Super Hornets will be outclassed by the Su27/30 Flanker family of fighters by most regional nations in all key performance parameters, aerodynamic, bigger armament, range, radar and sensor performance by widely available fighters. The Dassault Rafale share many qualities with the Typhoon, but is smaller, and much the same comparisons apply to the Su35BM/Su-35-1. Lockheed Martin’s F-16C/D Block 50/52 or F-16E/F Block 60/62 subtype with AESA and conformal fuel tanks is not competitive against the Su-30MK, Su-35BM/Su-35-1 on any parameter, the Sukhoi will cleanly outclasses the F-16 across the board. It has a
single engine that is totally unsuited for Canadian’s artic which explains the accident history of the CF-104 Starfighter fleet. SAAB JAS-39 Gripen NG shares many qualities with the F-16, but its smaller, the aircraft will not be competitive against the Su-30MK, Su-35BM/Su-35-1 on any parameter, the Sukhoi cleanly outclasses the Gripen across the board, in terms of lack of range, small weapons load and less powerful radar and sensor performance and is of course single engine too. Small airframes with single engine and short range are not the right choice for Canada to replace the CF-18A/B fleet. It is
because the Canadians had a fleet of 112 CF-104G/D Starfighters. At the time there was on-going controversy over the Starfighter’s safety record, which still persists. To date they’ve had 37 fatalities from the fleet of 238 aircraft operated, which is an extremely high ratio. The Spanish Air Force never lost an F-104 or pilot. They maintained 21 aircraft for 7 years as a high-altitude interceptors, from one base with predominately excellent weather and an extensive bird hazard control programme, with very experienced fighter pilots and medium utilisation. The CF-104 on the other hand, is heavily utilised, operated at
extremely low altitude in foul European (and until recently Canadian) weather, in saturated airspace infested with low flying birds, rolling hills, antennas, and many other high-speed aircraft. To place the F-16V Viper or Gripen NG in the exact environmental circumstances as any of the CF-104 accidents, it too would have as high an attrition rate. If you place the twin-engine aircraft in the same situation, the rate would be at least halved. So the reason why the F-15 should be looked at for Canada is to give their nation a hefty firepower and as mentioned before the F-15 has a fantastic longrange endurance, bigger weapons payload and speed capabilities than its competitors. Powen, Australia By email
Campus
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
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The art of travel and living With tourism and hospitality emerging among the fastest growing sectors globally, courses in the field too have grown in popularity. We go to NITHM at Gachibowli to find out more Students Speak Coolest hangout on campus: The lake side – popularly known as the khopcha
Coolest hangout outside college Inorbit mall
The song on your iPod Anarkali disco chali, Housefull 2
Fashion trends in college We have a uniform but on weekends we’re open to anything. Girls wear casuals like jeans, skirts, and shorts. Guys can be sporting shorts.
One thing about your college that you would like to change The curfew time in the hostel is 9 pm, we think it should be moved to 11 pm. And we want to have a cafeteria on the lakeside!
Vaijayanthi Kari feedback@postnoon.com
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stablished in 2004, the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) is an institute for education, management, consultancy, and training in these fields. In fact NITHM is considered as one of the leading institutes in India for tourism and hospitality courses.What sets this place apart is that unlike most colleges which offer only selected courses, NITHM offers both BBA and MBA courses in Tourism and Hospitality. Harshita Rathore, a 1st year MBA students tells us, “Our classes are very interactive and there is a lot of practical work. We have a lot of educational trips to hotels. The academic module design is very good. Lecturers are
quite professional and they train you to be one too. The teacherstudent interaction is great. They are accessible anytime.” NITHM boasts of a 30 acre campus, with an academic block,
the library, a hospitality block, the hostel, a play ground and even its own lake. This is the ‘chilling spot’ for all the students on a hot summer day. They also have a number of
labs – front office, a basic training kitchen, a quantity training kitchen, an advanced training kitchen, bakery and confectionery, training restraint and housekeeping – so that every student can get practical as well as theoretical knowledge. The college offers a very interesting mix of subjects like front office, food production, food and beverage service and housekeeping. An internship of four and a half months followed by a report and presentation on the same is mandatory in their curriculum. The students studying hospitality intern with reputed hotels like Marriott, Novotel and the Taj group. For tourism, they intern with travel agencies like Thomas Cook, SOTC and Cox and Kings. “There isn’t a dearth in this industry as far as jobs and career opportunities are concerned. We
have some of the biggest hotels like Marriott, the Taj Group, Novotel, ITC Kakatiya and Greenpark coming to our college for campus placements” says Mr. Anand Banda, Asst. Professor Hospitality and Placement Officer. The college is also very cosmopolitan in its student base. There are students from overseas from countries like Laos, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Bhutan. “People come from many different places and they mingle well with each other. There are no regional disparities amongst students and we live like a really big family” says Venkatesh, another 1st year MBA student. With a lot of co- curricular activities like cultural weeks, conferences, sports days etc, NITHM successfully provides all round development to its students.
Lecturer Talk How serious are the students about your subject? It’s just like anywhere else. You'll find half of them take it seriously while half of them don't. But we managed to motivate them by telling them about the growth in the industry. At the end of the day they have to fend for themselves. What are the prospects of the subject you teach? I teach event management, food
and beverage service and management and other subjects related to hospitality. There are lot of avenues and a lot of new hotels coming up. Employment opportunity in the industry is great. It is a tough industry to work in, the first 2 years. But after that you stabilise and growth is guaranteed. Is there a dearth of good teachers in this field? Sometimes we do face the problem.
But usually, in the hospitality sector we often get good teachers who can train the students really well. Is the subject gaining popularity? It’s a very interesting subject. The students seem to like it and they do a lot of part time work. Many of the students have opted for event and facility management. The industry has gained popularity recently, soon there will be many
who want to take it up as a specialization. Your message to students There is no short cut to success. They have to work to achieve something. All the achievers in history have worked hard. There is high competition everywhere. And to be better than others, hard work is the only way. K. Vasudevan Associate Professor (hospitality)
H‑Factor
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
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FIGHTING THE WARRIORS Leukaemia, a debilitating illness can often leave its victim feeling like it’s the end of the road. But if detected early, there’s every possibility of beating the cancer Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com
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is team mates are rallying around him, wearing T-shirts supporting him, even as he faces the toughest phase of his life. Being diagnosed with leukaemia is no joke. And for Stiliyan Petrov, captain of the Aston Villa football team, it was his worst nightmare when he was diagnosed with blood cancer last week. The 32-year-old footballer lead a full life, managing his game and family. But this sudden diagnosis, following tests the whole team underwent after Fabrice Muama suddenly collapsed on field, has come as a blow. However, Petrov is determined to tackle the illness head on and emerge a winner according to reports. Leukaemia, or blood cancer in other words, occurs when the bone marrow stem cells transform into leukaemic cells. According to reports, Petrov is suffering from acute leukaemia, a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer. “Leukaemia is broadly classified into two types – acute (AL) and chronic (CL),” says Dr K Samasivaiah, consultant medical oncologist and clinical haematologist at KIMS. “Acute leukaemia is fast, deadly and unpredictable. If a person is not treated for it, they could die within weeks. Chronic leukaemia however, is silent, slow growing and seldom presents any problems. Even if the patient is not treated he/she can live for years,” he adds. There are further classifications of leukaemia depending on the different shapes and sizes of cells. When it is a cancer of the neutrophilic cells leukaemia is classified as either acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). In case of lymphocytic cells it is classified as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and chronic lymphoblastic leukaemia (CML).
infections, bleeding (from gums, nose and skin), black spots that appear and disappear, blood in stools and urine and easy fatigue are some of the symptoms of blood cancer,” says Dr Sambasivaiah.
Treatment There are different types of treatments for AL and CL. Chemotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment for all types of leukaemia. There is no need for any radiation or surgery. While 30 to 40 per cent of AML
patients can be cured, treatment takes around three months. On the other hand, ALL which usually affects children has 80 per cent chances of being cured with chemotherapy. Treatment could last around three years,” says Dr Sambasivaiah. “In case of CML we use targeted chemotherapy. This is because there is one genetic mutation that is not seen in any other form of cancer. Targeted chemo is more effective. For CLL too the chemotherapy is
different,” he adds. It is however, important to remember that while CL can be controlled with treatment, it cannot be cured.
Stem Cell Therapy “Stem cell therapy is not an absolute requirement. Bone marrow transplant is indicated and used in patients with acute leukaemia and they have a poor prognosis. When chemo does not work for them, bone marrow transplant is suggested,” explains Dr Sambasivaiah. Dr P Raghu Ram and Dr S Vyjayanthi
How safe is pregnancy after treatment for breast cancer? Large observational studies evaluating the safety of pregnancy after breast cancer have shown reassuring results showing that women who become pregnant are no more likely to suffer from a recurrence or die of the disease than women who do not. How long one should wait after treatment of breast cancer before getting pregnant? It is ideal to wait at least two to three years to get through the early risk of recurrence and to complete endocrine therapy. The possibility of the cancer coming back can lessen over time so that the first two years after diagnosis is when one is at the greatest risk. Many breast cancer therapies affect a woman’s chances of having a child in the future. How can doctors help their patients to make the right choices? Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are overwhelmed to deal with all issues related to therapy and fertility issues are not always addressed adequately. It is important to try to address fertility issues with patients. Some choose to go through treatment of cancer first whereas others prefer to go through fertility preservation procedures first. The hope that fertility preservation offers can also serve as a strong impetus for a lady to deal with the diagnosis and treatment better. It is important for the patient to be referred to a fertility specialist early for assistance in implementing fertility preservation procedures.
Symptoms Blood cancer occurs when the white blood cells begin to mutate. “Frequent bouts of fever that don’t respond to normal antibiotics is one of the first signs of leukaemia. Unusual
Pregnancy after breast cancer?
Footballer Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukaemia
(This column will continue next week. Dr Vyjayanthi is the HOD and consultant fertility specialist at KIMS Fertility Centre. Dr Raghu Ram is director and consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases)
H‑Factor
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
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PREGNANCY SIMPLIFIED
Some weird pregnancy facts no one tells you about
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Hand-held ‘flashlight’ zaps dangerous germs PARIS: A hand-held torch-like device can swiftly kill dangerous bacteria, offering a potential boon for emergency workers battling infection risks in wars or disaster zones, scientists reported on Thursday. The “plasma flashlight” delivers a charged, or ionised, jet of gas to zap germs, a team of researchers in China, Australia and Hong Kong said in a specialised journal. Hot plasma sterilisers are already used to disinfect surgical instruments, but they are expensive, refrigerator-sized devices that operate at high temperatures. Sterilisers that operate at cooler temperatures require external power such as a wall
electrical supply or a generator, as well as a gas feed, in order to keep working. But the new device is driven by a 12-volt battery and does not need a gas feed, according to the study, which appears in a British publication, the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. Its inventors said they tested it on a thick mat of Enterococcus faecalis, a germ that is resistant to heat treatment and antibiotics, sometimes causing infections in dental surgery. “In this study, we chose an extreme example to demonstrate that the plasma flashlight can be very effective even at room temperature,” said Ken Ostrikov, from the Plasma
Nanoscience Centre in Australia. “For individual bacteria, the inactivation time could be just tens of seconds.” The goal is a simple gadget that can kill surface bacteria in settings where clean water and medications are scarce. With technical modifications and economies of scale, the device could be made for less than $100, Ostrikov said. The plasma in the experiments was measured at between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius (68-73 degrees Fahrenheit), which means it is close to room temperature and does not burn the skin. Why the jet has an anti-bacterial effect is unclear, Britain’s Institute of Physics, which pub-
lishes the journal, said in a press release. It could be that there is a reaction between the plasma and the surrounding area which creates types of oxygen molecules to which E. faecalis germs are especially vulnerable. The invention is one of several prototypes aimed at placing easy-to-use cold-plasma sterilisers in the hands of medical workers and even consumers. Last year, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany said a similar flashlight-shaped device, tested in a laboratory, destroyed samples of a notorious food bug — the O104:H4 strain of Escherichia coli. AFP
‘Remove TV from kids’ rooms to tackle obesity’ LONDON: British experts have advised parents to remove televisions from children’s bedrooms in a bid to combat record obesity rates being observed among youngsters. According to academics involved in an EC-funded project, nurseries need to ban toddlers from watching programmes in a bid to prevent a growing number of children from starting school dangerously overweight, the Daily Mail reported. Obesity among European pre-schoolers is at record levels, the ToyBox survey found. Yannis Manios, assistant professor at Harokopio University, Athens, who is co-ordinating the project, said: “We need a new
approach to prevent obesity... We found that many countries are lacking clear guidelines on healthy eating and active play. “However, there is good evidence linking sedentary behaviour, such as television watching, with subsequent obesity.” In Britain, over a fifth are overweight or obese by the time they start school, according to official figures. Academics have found nearly 40 per cent of pre-school girls in Spain are now classified as overweight or obese. The four-year study also found from more than one in eight children being overweight in northern Europe rising to over 25 per cent in parts of southern Europe. IANS
hether you’re a woman who hasn’t yet been pregnant or a man who wants to understand what an expectant mother really goes through, some of these things that occur during pregnancy are all strange. These are the weird things that happen during pregnancy that people probably won’t tell you about. n Pregnant for over a year: Most pregnancies last for about nine months and doctors are likely to induce labour if the pregnancy goes on too long. That being said, it is possible to be pregnant for a whole year. The world’s longest pregnancy lasted 375 days, strangely, the baby was only a little under seven pounds. n A male foetus gets erections: Most mothers don’t like to think about their baby boys getting erections, even when they are teenagers, but the fact is that many baby boys get boners while they’re still in the womb. In fact, babies of both sexes are known to masturbate in utero, but boys are the only ones who can be caught while aroused on the sonogram. n Your undercarriage might need stitches: Many mothers have to get that area closed up surgically. Nine out of 10 women have some type of vaginal tearing after birth. Some tears only require a little care or a few stitches, but the really bad cases go from the vagina all the way to the anus. Some can even affect the muscles beyond your anus. On the upside, tearing that reaches the anus is rare and only affects one in one hundred mothers. Massaging the area prior to child birth can reduce tearing. n You may just poop yourself: During childbirth, it is common for a woman to accidentally expel the contents of her bowels. There is a good reason for this – the muscles used to push the baby are the same ones you use during a bowel movement. Also the baby directly pushes on the rectum as it makes its exit. These days, your doctors and nurses will be ready to help clean up the mess. In most cases, they won’t even say anything so you won’t know the difference. n You really will glow: Glowing skin is a very real thing for pregnant women. While you’re pregnant, the amount of blood in your body will increase by 50 per cent. The extra blood ends up showing through the skin in many areas, particularly the cheeks. Hormones also cause oil glands to become more active, resulting in a softer, shinier appearance. (This column will continue ext week) Source: www.oddee.com
Spotlight
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
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SRINIVAS SETTY
Setting new trends Actor Supriya on Sunday inaugurated ‘Trenz’, a summer shopping festival at the Kalinga function hall. The festival will close on April 10.
Supriya
Party rockers
In the lap of luxury
Kismet calling! Then you have got to go. These youngsters were spotted having a gala time at the Kismet pub. DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Jeremy Hocking, vice president Asia-Pacific launched Herman Miller, an international seating brand at Seating World on Sunday.
Shaila & Neha
Heer and Saloni
Anup & Koyal
Srija
Pooja
Ritu & Sania
Deeptha & Shika
Sneha
Ahmed & Afreen
Zainab and Nivadita
Magic Screen
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
ENDUKANTA PREMANTA
GRAND LOGO LAUNCH TODAY T he logo of the most awaited romantic film of this summer, Endukante Premanta will be unveiled today evening at a grand ceremony in Hyderabad. The film is being directed by Karunakaran and has actors Ram and Tammannah in the lead. Music is being composed by GV Prakash. The film has been generating a lot of interest among fans and music lovers alike. The film will be rich in technicalities and is slated for release on May 11.
NTR’S ROYAL LOOK A
royal-looking NTR in the film. “NTR’s character will be superb and you will see him in a very new and royal way. This is a complete package for movie lovers and NTR’s performance will be a massive asset for the movie,” said Boyapati.
ction entertainer, Dhammu starring Jr NTR is all set to hit screens on April 27. The date was confirmed by the film’s director, Boyapati Seenu at a press conference. He also added that the audience will be able to see a new, powerful and a much
The producer of the film KS Rama Rao was quite happy and expressed his confidence regarding the film. “Director Boyapati has done a superb job and I must express my gratitude to NTR for extending his full co-operation to the movie.”
Gabriela Bertante in Billa 2 B
razilian hottie, Gabriela Bertante who will make her appearance in Puri Jagannadh’s Devudu Chesina Manushulu, has got another big offer in the South. It was soon after she was in the news for her item number in Jagannadh’s film when she received a call about another item number. This time it was Ajith’s upcoming film titled Billa 2. Apparently the sultry damsel had met director
Chakri Tholeti sometime back and expressed her interest to do films in the South. The item number has already been shot and it looks quite good. Coincidentally, another Brazilian actress Bruna Abdullah will be playing the lead role in the film along with Parvathy Omanakuttan. Yuvan Shankar Raja, we hear, is composing the music for the film which is going to be dubbed in Telugu as well and will be released later this year.
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T-TOWN TWEETIES
@sneha_ullal Good Morning Sunshine..my birds singing seems to be my alarm clock every morning..what a life♥
@Actor_Siddharth Spent some time yesterday with ace spinner Ashwin and his lovely wife Preethi. Very warm, friendly & intelligent couple...
@richyricha Happy (ouch, belated?) birthday to one of my closest friends since college @_dimple_! Hope sum1 made u brownayzzz! Lots of luv dimpz
@shraddhadas43 Thank u for the comments on the interview! For the 1st time I let my fears go n spoke little in telugu... will try speaking more in public now
@Isumanth Do follow Hyderabad’s first and only compact daily @Postnoonhyd. Progressive, informative, and entertaining
@pnavdeep26 Just discovered that a particular traffic signal at Sagar society hyd shows up green for 3 seconds exactly... like a drag race signal... lmao
@actressanjjanaa So all set took me 2.5 hours almost packed my entire room into my suitcases,al geared u for shooting in america :-) excited :-)
@sundeepkishan Off to Rajamundry now for my second schedule of #GundelloGodari, A long one at that,excited... Godari Amma Thalli Vadilo 25 rojulu :)
Magic Screen
The glamour behind the glitz
Priyanka markets Ishaqzaade A
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
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B-TOWN TWEETIES
@bipsluvurself Good day fr Pune:) The opening of the Subrata roy stadium was fab and now Pune warriors win!
@imarshadwarsi Had a packed day... Cooked Easter lunch, worked on AKAD, played with Zeke n Zene then went dancing with Maria at the Sunburn Festival...
ctress Priyanka Chopra is excited about her cousin Parineeti’s forthcoming movie Ishaqzaade and urges fans to watch the flick. When Parineeti tweeted about Priyanka’s upcoming movie Teri Meri Kahaani saying, “Teri Meri Kahani looks super fun!! Go mimi didi (Priyanka),” Priyanka replied saying, “Thank you Tishu!!! So does Ishaqzaade! Yay! I’m so excited! May 11th coming up! Watch out world for my sister(sic)!! Yash Raj Films’ (YRF) Ishaqzaade, which also marks the debut of filmmaker Boney Kapoor’s son Arjun will release May 11, tells the story of two fiery characters and their fight for power and supremacy. On the other hand, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka starrer Teri Meri Kahaani is being described as “a timeless love story”. The film is set between 1910 to 2012. Directed by Kunal Kohli, it is expected to release in June. IANS
@SrBachchan T 707 — A long day but one that does not end yet .. there is much to write, and listen... music and thoughts that go with it... bliss !!
@TheShilpaShetty Yipppppeeeeeeeee A proud ROYAL today!thanku to all the RR fans fr their good wishes, support and prayers.
Won’t work with her husband, says Shruti Seth S
hruti Seth, known for her role in TV shows Shararat and Ristha.com, says it is unlikely that she will work in her director husband Danish Khan’s films. The actress also clarified that she would not do daily soaps. “I don’t think my husband and I will ever work together. We are happily married and I don’t want work to come between us,” Shruti replied when asked about whether she will do a lead role in her husband’s film. The actress, who is active both, on small screen and big screen, was seen in movies like Fanaa, Raajneeti and Slumdog Millionaire. Talking about daily soap operas, she said: “You’ll never see me in a soap. I don’t particularly like the content of Indian dramas (Soap Opera). But if it would change with the time or something interesting would come up in future, then may be I would work in them. But not in the regular soap operas.” “I find them a bit unrealistic because I don’t find people who cry all the time in reality and most of the shows are based on this. I don’t relate this to real life,” added the actress, who started her career as a model,” Shruti will be seen in the family comedy show, The Suite life of Karan and Kabir, which goes on air Sunday on Disney. The multi-tasking actress also worked as a VJ for the show Junglee Jukebox on Channel V. The actress is also hosting “Comedy Circus” on Sony. IANS
@AnupamPkher So the Heads of two countries are meeting today and pretend All is Well while people remain clueless. An observation, not a complaint.:)
@deespeak NOTHING compares to performing for a live audience in a stadium!!! What euphoria at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium! Thank you PUNE!!!
@priyankachopra Driving back home... kinda love long drives... gives me time to catch up on sleep! Haha! My pillow n blankie in tow! Off to Agra Tom morning!!
@shreyaghoshal Back home to mom, ribs, and my baby Sherlock:) missed them so much. Sherlock had become my mom’s baby. And he had missed me n dad a lot!
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The glamour behind the glitz
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Klum files for divorce S
upermodel Heidi Klum has filed for divorce from estranged husband Seal two months after shocking the world by confirming reports the couple had split. Klum has cited irreconcilable differences for the breakdown of the relationship in court papers filed in Los Angeles on Friday by top divorce lawyer Laura Wasser and obtained by TMZ.com. A post-nuptial agreement the couple signed suggests the divorce will be straightforward, as there is no community property to be divided. Klum has requested joint
legal custody of the couple’s four kids and primary physical custody. And she has also asked that her maiden name of Klum be restored privately. Reports suggest the beauty has already moved on from Seal after she was photographed on the set of her hit European TV show Germany’s Next Top Model with rumoured new boyfriend Thomas Hayo, the creative director of the programme. In the candid shots obtained by WENN, the cute couple appears to be more than just friends. In one snap, Hayo feeds Klum from a snack table.
Kim’s new arm candy
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s the relationship between reality star Kim Kardashian and Kanye West a marketing move or something real? Typically the Wall Street Journal wouldn’t be concerned about the intimate personal lives of celebrities or Kardashians, but when the line between dating and marketing gets blurred we get interested. Music mogul Russell Simmons, who knows both Kim and Kanye decided to weigh in on the relationship in an online essay that seemed totally unnecessary. So is it love or salesmanship? “No scripture, no prophet, no religious or spiritual practice will ever say that money will make you happy (calm the noise). It took me thirty years of being in the public spotlight to get to where I am today in my understanding of this,” Simmons writes. Wait, so it’s not about dollars? Excerpts from Simmons’s essay: –”I know Kim and Kanye.
They are both hopeful people, but cautious. Everything they do is under the microscope. Every public move they make is dissected.” –”Both Kanye and Kim have met many people throughout their lives. Most people who date Kim Kardashian or Kanye West become instantly famous. We know that if Kim and Kanye are dating, they may become more famous, but they won’t make each other famous. They won’t make each other rich. Kim who is still making so much money being Kim, is not looking at Kanye’s money as a reason to date him… So we know Kanye aint’ saying she’s a golddigger! They are both on a journey to quiet the noise and hopefully this is it.”
JACK BLACK
SUBCONSCIOUSLY INSPIRED BY ROGER MOORE J
ack Black has revealed that he may have been ‘subconsciously’ be influenced by Sir Roger Moore during his career. The Kung Fu Panda actor and James Bond star are both known for quizzically raising their eyebrows in several movie roles. “I could have been influenced subconsciously because one of my first movie-going experiences was The Spy Who Loved Me,” he told Bang Showbiz. “Maybe I pulled my whole persona from Roger Moore.” Black added that Moore was his favourite Bond, adding: “Although no-one picks him as their favourite Bond, his stock is now rising.” The actor also revealed that he likes to impersonate Jack Nicholson’s role of Jack Torrance in The Shining when on his own. “I love the old Jack Nicholson movies. He is such a good actor. I like The Shining because that is the one I end up imitating when I am alone,” he added. Jack Black is currently
developing a half-hour ghostthemed comedy for Syfy. Black’s comedy band Tenacious D recently confirmed details for their third studio LP Rize of the Fenix.
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
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
26
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Arm or leg, eg 5 Bitter ill will 10 Fireside yarn 14 Ill-fated Biblical brother 15 Worrier'shealth problem, sometimes 16 Assert 17 Bill killer 18 Some toy dogs, for short 19 Rip 20 If you make this, there can be no possible change 23 More than moist 24 Continue downhill without pedaling 28 Yours is a safe place in a boxing ring 32 Rogaine user's hope 35 Waxeloquent 36 You may make it walk the dog 37 A vote for 38 A constitutional guarantee 42 Cribbage board insert 43 State flower of Tennessee 44 Blast from the past 45 Free from binding 48 Long-billed wading birds 49 Back on the high seas? 50 Lennon's wife 51 Grammarian's concern, at times 59 An older one may be beaten 62 Social creme de la creme 63 One incompetition 64 Plane geometry calculation 65 Apple gadget 66 Dividing word 67 Ball-___ hammer 68 ‘Keep it in’ notations 69 Diminished DOWN 1 Use soap 2 Animal with twisted horns 3 ‘... I ___ man with seven wives’
4 Group of like-minded voters 5 Evening meal 6 Feature of some trousers or skirts 7 Disgusting 8 Really pour 9 Scot'slanguage 10 Red heart on skin, eg 11 Road map abbr 12 Pastoral place 13 ‘To ___ is human’ 21 Utilise Twitter 22 Big ATM manufacturer 25 Oscar and Tony 26 Thwart 27 Martin Luther posted 95 of them 28 ___ Christi, Texas 29 Far East 30 ___-taggle (motley) 31 Utmost in degree 32 Batpole user
33 Places for contacts 34 Make a little ___ long way’ 36 Time long past 39 ‘___ better to have loved ...’ 40 Bomb-defusing worker 41 Noted Olympic torch lighter of 1996 46 Foster child, maybe 47 ___-horse town 48 Takes grave action? 50 Musical group 52 What weight lifters count 53 Staff symbol 54 Ireland's Irish name
SUDOKU
55 Diabolical doings 56 WXYZ, on a phone 57 Theater scenery 58 Winged god of love 59 Baby food 60 Hundred squaremeters 61 Driving range aid PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human. – Alan Turing
Chai Time STAR POWER
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
FOR 10-4-2012
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
Never force your decisions on your kids. Give enough freedom so that they can perform on their own. Pregnant women need to be very cautious; never lift more weights or do very harsh work.
Govt work will end favourably. Unexpe‑ cted expenses and sudden journey like‑ ly. Ancestral property related issues will come to the fore but get resolved soon. You might change your lawyer.
Some of your friends and relatives will be jealous of you, seeing the growth y‑ ou are attaining. Never take them in yo‑ ur mind and go ahead with your work. Some have bright chances to go abroad.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Financial situation will be more than sa‑ tisfactory. Some will plan to buy a new house and some are forced to shift their residence. Father will be under tension and worries. However, health is fine.
Those trying for a job will see that their efforts give desired result. Self‑ confidence will increase to a good level. Recently married couples can now get ready to welcome their offspring.
You will be active and complete long‑ pending work too with great speed. Differences with friends and relatives will go. Sudden trips will benefit you. Govt work might get delayed.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Govt contracts will bring profits. Court case will end in your favour that makes you happy and feel relaxed. A portion of old debt will be cleared. Father's health need to be taken good care of.
Some of you will be entrusted with powerful posts. Help from brother's side will come in time and make you relax. Friends or relatives from abroad will extend help. Debt upset you.
Money from expected sources will come. Housing loan will get sanctioned. Ance‑ stral property will come to you. You will put an end to pending issues. VIPs will help you. Mother will extend support.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Foreign trip will materialise. Inferiority complex in you will vanish. Strained relationship will resume. Old issues might create tension but will be man‑ aged. Brother might put you in a spot.
Family will remain peaceful. You will be respected well in the functions you go to. Politicians will succeed by smashing opposition's actions. Businessmen will be happy as their profit increase.
Sudden fortune possible and financially a very strong position likely. Your influ‑ ence is set to increase. Brothers will put you in a fix. You will come out of cer‑ tain major problems, by selling assets.
SUMAA TEKUR
FOR 10-4-2012
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Justice – What is due to you will defi‑ nitely come your way. You need to be patient. Think of all the wonderful peo‑ ple around you will‑ ing to help.
Page of Swords – Yo‑ uʼre feeling adventur‑ ous and are in the mood to try out som‑ ething new. Share this time with loved ones. Youʼll enjoy the time even more.
The Lovers – You need to take a tough call regarding a prop‑ erty or real estate deal. Weigh your options and think with the head, not heart.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
The Magician – Eve‑ rything is clicking like clockwork. You are in the right place at the right time, and you have the confidence that the New Year is starting with success.
The Wheel of Fortune – Times are not going to be the same all the time. If theyʼre bad now, things will look up. This card urges you to keep your chin up.
The High Priest – Int‑ uition has the answe‑ rs to all your ques‑ tions. Look within, introspect and you will find what you need at this point. Meditate for answers.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Death – There is goi‑ ng to be a big change in your work, rela‑ tionship and living situations. Itʼs change that you cannot real‑ ly avoid. So might as well go with the flow.
Two of Swords – You have to do the jug‑ gling act and it might seem overwhelming at the moment. Take a deep breath and work to a plan. You can manage well.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
The Fool – Youʼre jumping in with both feet not quite think‑ ing of the conse‑ quences or knowing what to expect. It might be a good experience after all.
King of Swords – Youʼre very cut and dried and this might work best in the office space where people may be trying to take advantage of you. It wonʼt work at home.
The Devil – Youʼre tempted to go all the way when it comes to the money. Hold back, especially when it comes to big ticket investments, like real estate.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
Five of Wands – Someone may be plotting against you. But how it goes will depend on how you react to it. You feel terrible about being left out.
SOLUTIONS
Boggle FOOT YARD MILE INCH METER
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
27
Vol: 1, No 267 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
28
MONDAY APRIL 9, 2012
METRE
We gave away 30 runs too many and ten minutes of madness toward the end of our bowling and bad calls towards the start of our batting cost us the game. Adam Gilchrist, KXIP Captain
Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 98 runs
Kevon Cooper (RR) 7 wickets
BRIEF SCORES: RR VS KKR
S
6 70
Dwayne Bravo (CSK)
5 4S177
Ajinkya Rahane (RR)
16
HIGHEST SCORE
98
Ajinkya Rahane (RR)
BEST BOWLER
5-16
Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
Injured Bulls take on MI
NOAH SEELAM / AFP
Rajesh Ravindran rajesh.r@postnoon.com
D
eccan Chargers take on Mumbai Indians today. For the Chargers’ fans there’s good news and bad. The good news is that Kumar Sangakkara returns from a Test series against England to take over the reins of the team from Cameroon White. The bad news is the series was a tough one and one’s not sure how well will a mentally and physically stretched Sangakarra (two golden ducks and 35 runs in total) switch from the Test mode to T20 mode. Amit Mishra, who is recovering from shin and shoulder injuries and a hernia operation, is also expected to join. The Chargers will be looking to reverse their luck and win their first match at Vizag against an edgy Mumbai. But it will be some effort, as it’s Mumbai who has the arsenal that features names that can deliver. Not a day ago, at the same venue, the chinks in the Chargers’ armour
were exposed when CSK powered by the costliest player routed them. But Mumbai Indians seem a bit shaken after their loss to Pune Warriors. If Warriors can do it, so can the Chargers. Sachin Tendulkar, whose fingers were bruised in the opener, is doubtful for today’s match. But if Richard Levi continues his form, Mumbai will have to sweat less. Should Ambati Rayadu and Kieron
DC VS MI AT 8 PM ON SET MAX Pollard do well, then their batting woes could come to an end. Another interesting aspect of today’s match is that two players who were with the Chargers in the previous seasons are with the opponents. RP Singh was instrumental in helping Chargers lift the trophy in 2009 with him becoming the highest wicket taker. Pragyan Ojha too was with the chargers till last season. It will be interesting to see how these two perform against their former team.
RR 164/5 IN 20 OVERS (BRAD HODGE 44, BRETT LEE 2/29) BEAT KKR 142 IN 20 OVERS (MANISH TIWARY 59, KEVON COOPER 3/28).
PUNE STADIUM INAUGURATED
P
une IPL franchisee owner Sahara India Pariwar on Sunday hosted a grand opening ceremony of its Pune Warriors team ahead of their first match at home against Kings XI Punjab at the new Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. Bollywood divas, including Preity Zinta, Jacqueline Fernandes, Dia Mirza, Neha Dhupia, Prachi Desai, Sameera Reddy, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra performed at this ceremony. The inauguration was conducted by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and 'Saharasri' Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker and Chairman Sahara India Pariwar. Bachchan said, "the stadium is not just a cricket stadium but a world class hi-tech stadium build with a unique blend of art, technology, human mind and machine, dream, reality, passion and dedication. In this stadium the warriors of today will show their might and the warriors of future will get trained." Roy said, "I’m not worthy for these words nor that a stadium's name is kept on my name. It was my helplessness that I had to do this. Pune is my city and I love the people of Pune. I dedicate the stadium to the people of Pune and the citizen of our nation." PTI
BRIEF SCORES: PWI VS KXIP
PWI 166/6 IN 20 OVERS (MARLON SAMUELS 46, HARMEET SINGH 3/24) BEAT KXIP 144/8 IN 20 OVERS (BIPUL SHARMA 35, RAHUL SHARMA 2/34)
PLAYER OF THE DAY P W L T PT NR RR 2 2 0 0 4 1.325 PWI 2 2 0 0 4 1.250 CSK 2 1 1 0 2 1.272 RCB 1 1 0 0 2 1.0 MI 2 1 1 0 2 -0.16 DD 2 1 1 0 2 -0.33 KKR 2 0 2 0 0 -1.002 KXIP 2 0 2 0 0 -1.325 DC 1 0 1 0 0 -3.7 P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points
Kolkata Knight Riders team owner Shah Rukh Khan waves to the crowd during the match between Rajasthan Royals and KKR in Jaipur on Sunday. AFP/SAJJAD HUSSAIN
MARLON SAMUELS: The Pune Warriors India player’s superb 46 runs of 39 balls which included four fours and two sixes and his one for 23 in his quota of four overs, saw him clinch the man of the match award in the match between Pune Warriors and Kings XI Punjab. The 31-year-old player came after the fall of the first wicket when PWI’s skipper Sourav Ganguly was caught by Paul Valthaty of Dimitri Mascarenhas. The West Indian player along with team-mate Robin Uthappa (who chipped in with 40 off just 33 deliveries) held the Pune innings together. Samuels would have caused more trouble to trouble to Kings XI Punjab team but a brilliant ball from Harmeet Singh saw him being dismissed four short of his half century.
Playing Field
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
The games people play
29
Watson’s the new Master T
American Bubba Watson parred the second sudden-death playoff hole to defeat South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and capture the 76th Masters on Sunday for his first major golf championship.
he 33-year-old US lefthander became the eighth first-time major winner in a row and only the third southpaw to claim the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy after three-time winner Phil Mickelson and Canada’s Mike Weir. “I never got this far in my dreams, to talk,” Watson said when asked to put his emotions into words. “It’s a blessing for sure.” Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, and big-hitting playing partner Watson battled down the final holes of the back nine at Augusta National, each finishing with a four-round total of 10-under par 278. After both parred the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, the tension-filled scene moved to the par-4 10th. Watson hit his tee shot way right into trees and Oosthuizen hooked his right into short rough. Oosthuizen hit his approach to an upslope just short of the green. Watson followed off pine straw through a gap in the pines with an astounding lob shot onto the green that rolled to a stop 10 feet from the hole. “I was down there before. Had a good lie,” Watson said. “Had a gap where I had to hook it. I’m pretty good at hooking it and I put it up there 40 yards and it rolled up their close.” Oosthuizen rolled his third shot to the back edge of the green and missed a curling 20-foot par putt, then tapped in for bogey to
BUBBA WATSON (USA) Born
: November 5, 1978 Age : 33 Birthplace : Baghdad, Florida Home : Scottsdale, Arizona College : University of Georgia Height : 6’3” Weight : 180 lbs Turned pro : 2000 Joine PGA Tour : 2006 PGA Tour Victories : 4 Major wins : 1 (2012 Masters)
Charl Schwartzel of South Africa awards the green jacket to Bubba Watson of the United States during the green jacket presentation after Watson’s winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday. AFP/GETTY IMAGES/DAVID CANNON leave Watson two putts to win the title. “I had an opportunity at 10. I should have put one down the middle,” said Oosthuizen. “Great stuff to him. He deserves it. It was a great day. We had a lot of fun.” Watson rolled the first inches past the hole then tapped in to win the title, sharing a tearful hug on the 10th green with mother Molly moments later.
For Sergio, the strain starts to show
Oosthuizen lost despite making an amazing albatross from the second fairway, only the fourth “double eagle” in Masters history and the first ever fired at the par-5 second hole, with a 4iron from 253 yards. The ball bounced onto the green, then rolled down a slope to the left and into the cup as the crowd roared in delight as “Oosty” leaped into the lead and
Watson, having watched history, began working to make up a fourshot gap. “I just kept my head down, knowing there were birdies to be had down the back nine,” Watson said. “I just kept grinding it out.” After the albatross, Oosthuizen stumbled with bogeys at the par-3 fourth and par-4 10th but bounced back with birdies at the par-5 13th and
Lee title bid comes up short again
MAMA MIA: Bubba Watson of the US hugs his mother Molly Watson after sinking his putt in a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa to win the 76th Masters golf tournament on Sunday. AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY
Triple bogey kills Phil’s chances
AUGUSTA: That’s 0-54 and counting in golf’s four majors for Sergio Garcia and the strain is beginning to show. The Spaniard was in a black mood all week at Augusta National, where Bubba Watson won the Masters at his fourth attempt and a closing one-under 71 did little to lift his spirits. Once again he had failed to win a major. Asked to confirm comments he made to Spanish reporters after his 75 in the third round on Saturday to the tune that he was no longer capable of winning a major title, Garcia barked back: “Do you think I lie when I talk? “Everything I say, I say it because I feel it. If I didn’t mean it, I couldn’t stand here and lie like a lot of the guys do. “If I felt like I could win, I would do it. Unfortunately at the moment, unless I get really lucky in one of the weeks, I can’t really play much better than I played this week.”
AUGUSTA: A triple-bogey nightmare for Phil Mickelson at
AUGUSTA: Lee Westwood was down but not out after another attempt to win a major came up agonisingly short at the Masters on Sunday. The 38-year-old Englishman covered the back nine at Augusta National in 32 for a four-under par total of 280, but that turned out to be two shots too many to get into the sudden-death playoff that saw Bubba Watson beat Louis Oosthuizen. That now makes it six top-three finishes in his last 10 majors for Westwood, who has risen to the world No. 1 ranking, won tournaments around the world and starred in the Ryder Cup, but never, so far in his career, won one of the four major championships.
the par-3 fourth hole in Sunday’s final round of the 76th Masters doomed the 41-year-old American left-hander’s bid for a fourth green jacket. Mickelson fired a par-72 to finish in a share of third on eight-under par 280 at Augusta National, two strokes behind another US southpaw, champion Bubba Watson, and playoff loser Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa. “It’s disappointing that I didn’t grab that fourth green jacket,” Mickelson said. Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, hit an albatross from the second fairway to seize the lead at 10-under and Mickelson was two strokes back when he hooked his No. 4 tee shot off a grandstand railing and left into the trees. Disdaining the notion of taking a penalty stroke and going back to the tee, Mickelson turned his club upside down to blast out of the tangle in two shots, then plopped a lob into a greenside bunker before getting up and down for six. “The pin was the hardest par on the golf course,” Mickelson said. “You can’t be in that bunker. And you can’t be too far to the right and make par. I took the risk of trying to hit it a few times.” Mickelson rejected returning to the tee for the problems the pin offered.
Playing Field
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
The games people play
Serena bags 40th career title Fifth seeded Serena Williams captured her 40th career WTA title by overpowering ninth seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 6-0, 6-1 at the Charleston claycourt tournament on Sunday. Slam winner needed just 58 minutes to dispatch Safarova in her first final appearance since last year’s US Open when she lost to Samantha Stosur. “I definitely want to continue this,” said Williams who will move from 10 to nine when the new world rankings come out. “I’ve never played consistently at such a high level with low errors like this, and the scary thing is I could have served so much better.” This marked Williams’ first WTA title since turning 30 in September and she is the first 30-year-old to win on the green clay in Charleston since Martina Navratilova in 1990. Williams, who did not drop a set in Charleston, improved to a perfect 5-0 against world number 26 Safarova. She won her quarter-final match when German Sabine Lisicki retired after 40 minutes in the first set with a foot injury. Williams hammered five aces, 27 winners and had just eight unforced errors. She won 20 of 25 first serve points and saved four of four break point chances on Sunday. “I did pretty well in (last) summer, but
Advani bags fifth Asian title India’s six-time world billiards champion Pankaj Advani won his fifth ONGC Asian Billiards title here yesterday. In the final, the Indian cueist defeated Thawat Sujaritthurakarn of Thailand 6-3 to clinch the crown. After initial setback, he went on scoring at will and recorded another century break to pocket the sixth game too. In the face of Advani’s aggression, Thawat failed to put up a semblance of a fight in the seventh game.
Billiards
finally the day has come ! i am going home tomorrow ! cant wait, excited to see my friends and family ..see you india!! mera bharat mahan! Yuvraj Singh’s tweet
Saha beats Hu in Asia Cup Table tennis Subajit Saha caused yet
then I dropped off again until this tournament. So I really am like a floating bird,” Williams said. “It’s motivating for me to go home and work harder, because I know Lucie and Sam (Stosur) and everyone is going to work hard, too. Now they know what to expect even more when they play me. This is a battle, and I want to continue to win.” She now needs one more title to tie Kim Clijsters (41) for 13th place on the
WTA all-time list. This marked Williams’ fourth career claycourt title and the second at Charleston to go with her 2008 victory. Safarova was a heavy underdog against Williams, despite her one-sided 60, 6-0 win over Polona Hercog in the semifinals. Williams said the next time she plays will be in another claycourt tournament in Madrid, Spain.
Chanderpaul ton puts WI in charge BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: Veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit his 25th Test century as West Indies piledup 449 for nine declared to take a firm grip on the first Test against Australia on Sunday. At stumps on the second day at Kensington Oval, Australia had reached 44 without loss in reply with openers Ed Cowan on 27 and David Warner also unbeaten on 13. Chanderpaul batted for 386 minutes for his unbeaten 103, becoming the leading run scorer in Tests at the Kensington Oval while skipper Darren Sammy thrilled
NATIONAL SPORT
“
CHARLESTON: The 13-time Grand
30
West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul kisses the pitch to celebrate after scoring his century (100 runs) during the second day of the first-of-three Test matches between Australia and West Indies. AFP/JEWEL SAMAD
the crowd with a quickfire 41. “I never expected to be the person who had the most runs at Kensington. To have the most runs is a hell of an achievement,” said Chanderpaul. “Against an opposition like Australia if you’re doing well against them you know the world is watching. When you go against them you have to bring your ‘A’ game. In the morning, Australia took the new ball as soon as it became available but it didn’t seem to provide any more movement than the old one. AFP
another upset by beating world number 38 Li Hu of Singapore 4-1 to finish ninth in the second stage of the Asia Cup Table Tennis Championships in Guangzhou today. Earlier, he had beaten world No. 18 Jiang Tian Yi of Hong Kong 3-2 in the first stage to make the top players sit up and take notice of his class. Saha, ranked 259 in the world, dominated right from the start undaunted by his opponent.
O Mahindra Racing on Monday won the Italian Championship motorcycle race for the second time in a row with Riccardo Moretti winning the P1 at Imola. Moretti's team-mate Indian rider, Sarath Kumar finished ninth.
Bhullar finishes sixth Gaganjeet Bhullar shot a sixunder 64, the best card in the third and final round of the weather-hit ISPS Handa Singapore Classic, and finished sixth here today. Bhullar was the best Indian finisher, even as Australia's Scott Hend also closed with a six-under-par 64 to win the tournament. The $400,000 full field Asian Tour event was reduced to 54 holes after inclement weather caused almost 10 hours of play to be lost over the first three days.
Golf
Playing Field Spain’s 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo, riding a Yamaha, won the season-opening Qatar MotoGP under the Losail floodlights on Sunday to record his first elite class victory at the desert venue.
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
The games people play
WORLD SPORT Arab wrestler chases glory With legs resembling tree trunks and packing the body weight of two average-sized men, sumo wrestling's "Great Sandstorm" would seem a good fit for the wildly popular Japanese sport. But Egypt's Abdelrahman Ahmed Shaalan, the first professional sumo wrestler from both the African continent and Arab world, faces some mighty challenges as he embarks on a quest to become a yokozuna, or grand champion.
Sumo
Yamaha Factory Racing's MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo celebrates after winning the final race at the Losail International Circuit in Doha on Sunday. AFP /KARIM JAAFAR
Lorenzo wins Qatar MotoGP DOHA: Lorenzo finished ahead of Honda duo, Spain’s Dani Pedrosa and world champion Casey Stoner of Australia, after a roller-coaster of a race. The Spaniard had started from pole position but lost the lead after three laps to Stoner who looked on course for a fifth victory in the MotoGP class in Qatar. Stoner maintained his lead until the closing stages of the 22-lap race, but his advantage began to be eaten into by the charging Spanish duo as the Australian’s decision not to test over a full race distance in the winter began to prove costly. With just over three laps left, Lorenzo snatched the
lead and kept his advantage to win by 0.832sec from Pedrosa with Stoner finishing almost three seconds off the pace. “I put everything I had into attack and I won,” said Lorenzo. “This victory is because I never gave up, kept pushing and trying. Casey was very strong at the beginning and opened a gap. “Fortunately for us he struggled at the end and dropped his pace where I could keep mine so I managed to pass him. I am very grateful to Yamaha because they have made a big step this winter.” Stoner said his pace slowed after he began to suf-
fer from ‘arm pump’, a crippling condition caused by struggling to cope with braking pressure and which causes spasms in the forearm. “We were by far the fastest out there but after four laps I was started to get real arm pump, my arms were shaking off the bars and I was holding on with two fingers,” said Stoner who had been two seconds ahead at one stage. “I couldn’t grip and I couldn’t use the brakes. Without that there was no problem to win, we’re really happy with the speed of the bike. I’ve got two weeks to go away and train and we can come back again.” He added: “I felt like a
backmarker at the end, but I couldn’t hold onto the bike, I couldn’t do anything. But if we sort it out, we will be OK.” Lorenzo was the third Spanish winner of the night. Maverick Vinales, on a FTR Honda, won the Moto3 race ahead of Italy’s Romano Fenati, also on a FTR Honda, and Germany’s Sandro Cortese, on a KTM. Compatriot Marc Marquez, on a Suter, won the Moto2 race with Italy’s Andrea Iannone, of the Speed Up team, in second with Spaniard Pol Espargaro, of Kalex, in third. The second round of the championship takes place at Jerez on April 29. AFP
Real’s La Liga lead cut
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the match against Valencia on Sunday. AFP/DOMINIQUE FAGET
31
MADRID: Stuttering Real Madrid have Barcelona breathing down their necks after their La Liga lead was cut to just four points following a 0-0 draw with third-placed Valencia on Sunday. Real started well with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the post early on, but they were unable to maintain the impetus and Valencia also hit the woodwork in both halves through Ricardo Costa and Tino Costa. Karim Benzema was denied by a double save
from keeper Vicente Guaita as Real pressed late on but Valencia also had their chances with Jordi Alba denied in a one-on-one with keeper Iker Casillas. Real have now drawn three of their last five games in the league and face a crunch few weeks ahead. “It was a game where we had chances to score right to the end, we had the support of the fans and now we continue forward with our four-point lead,” said Real’s assistant coach
Aitor Karanka. “We are happy with the way we are playing and are looking forward to the next game. We are confident in the project and that has not changed.” Valencia coach Unai Emery felt that his side could have got more from the game. “It is difficult to play at the Bernabeu with Real Madrid playing well and very strong so we knew that we had to follow our strategy of keeping the ball and counter-attacking,” he said. AFP
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I am really tired and the results here are so disappointing. I don't know what's wrong with my performance. It was supposed to be much better. Zhang Lin, swimmer
Knicks edge out Bulls Carmelo Anthony scored the game winning three pointer with 8.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the New York Knicks to a 100-99 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.Anthony finished with a season-high 43 points for the Knicks who blew a 21-point first quarter lead then had to rally from a 10-point deficit late in the game at Madison Square Garden."It was a great atmosphere. That's how the Garden is supposed to be," said Anthony.
NBA
NMP The number or runs Veteran batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpual made against Australia on his way to scoring his 25th Test century. This score helped him become the leading run scorer in Test at the Kensington Oval ground.
Boonen believes he is best Tom Boonen believes that he will go down as the best rider in the history of the cobbled classics after storming to a record-equalling triumph at Sunday's Paris-Roubaix. Having already won the Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders on home turf in Belgium this year, Boonen was in unstoppable form in the 110th Paris-Roubaix, breaking away 55km from the finish and winning by a margin of 1min 39sec from Sebastien Turgot.
Cycling
Playing Field
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012
The games people play
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Ferguson salutes Scholes MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Paul Scholes after his team closed in on a 20th English title. Scholes, 37, scored a third goal since coming out of retirement in January as United secured an 11th win in 12 Premier League matches with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford. AFP
Arsenal’s Spanish player Mikel Arteta celebrates scoring a goal during an English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at The Emirates Stadium in London, England on Sunday. AFP/IAN KINGTON
Gunners dash City’s hopes Manchester City’s lingering title hopes all but disappeared after Mikel Arteta’s 87th minute strike secured a 1-0 victory for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium here on Sunday that left Roberto Mancini’s side eight points adrift of leaders Manchester United with six games remaining.
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eeding victory to match reigning Premier League champions United’s efforts in beating QPR earlier on Sunday, City were always second best and a miserable afternoon was capped by the dismissal of Mario Balotelli. The Italy forward was sent off in the 89th minute after collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Bacary Sagna although the player was fortunate to have avoided a straight red in the 20th minute for a horrible challenge on Alex Song. Mancini’s handling of compatriot Balotelli will figure prominently in the inquest into City’s failure to sustain their title challenge. And the striker — the subject of fresh Sunday newspaper reports about his private life - provided more evidence for those who believe his temperament makes him a liability with a reckless performance. Balotelli somehow escaped punishment for the challenge on Song but with referee Martin Atkinson having failed to spot the incident, the way is now open for the Football Association to take retrospective action. That wasn’t the last time the striker attracted controversy in the first half and while he was eventually booked for a high challenge on Sagna, he could have been cautioned on at least two other occasions. Balotelli’s behaviour summed up
a painful match for Mancini, but for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger there was satisfaction as his side moved two points clear of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for third place. Arteta produced an exceptional right-footed strike after dispossessing David Pizarro three minutes from time but the Gunners could have been well in control before then after striking the woodwork three times. Arsenal repeatedly stretched City’s defence, particularly down the right hand side where Sagna and Theo Walcott tested their former team-mate Gael Clichy. But despite controlling the early part of the game, the Gunners were unable to translate their superiority into goals. They came close in the 14th minute when Robin van Persie met Arteta’s corner with a powerful header that was heading into the goal before it struck the back of teammate Thomas Vermaelen and deflected against the crossbar. City had been disrupted by an early injury to key midfielder Yaya Toure, who was forced off after just 18 minutes with a knee problem sustained when he was fouled by Song. Slowly, though, the visitors gained a foothold in the game and Balotelli should have done better when he fired a tame shot that was cleared to safety by Vermaelen. AFP
GROUND REALITY Man Utd leads City by 8 points
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he race for the Premier League title appeared to be all but over on Sunday as reigning champions Manchester United opened up an eight-point gap over second-placed Manchester City with just six games left.
Balotelli may have played last game
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oberto Mancini suggested on Sunday that Mario Balotelli has played his last game for Manchester City after their 1–0 defeat at Arsenal left his side eight points from the top of the Premier League and effectively curtailed the club’s pursuit of a first league title in 44 years.
Arsenal sense third place up for grabs
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his was a hugely significant victory for Arsenal in their pursuit of the third place and Champions League football. Tottenham Hotspur had actually edged back ahead of them in the table some 24 hours earlier, and Chelsea and Newcastle United were breathing down their necks.