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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012 HYDERABAD
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irish Kumar, general secretary, AP Junior Doctors’ Association, said, “Even Gandhiji has said if an entire village is sacrificed for a higher cause, so be it.”
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I WILL FOLLOW that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.
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Days on strike
51 30 80
Days on fast
Deaths in State REPORT ON PG 4
Iran angle to
Delhi blast In a sign of regional conflict spilling across borders, an Israeli diplomat was injured in a bomb attack in New Delhi. At the same time, an Israeli embassy employee in Tbilisi found a bomb in his car, which was defused immediately. Israel has P7 blamed Iran for the incidents.
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BUDGET SESSION: FIRST DAY, NO SHOW After decking up the House at a cost of `3.5 crore, the Assembly could not discuss any people’s issues following repeated disruption of proceedings by the TDP and the TRS on the first day of budget session.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
VALENTINE HUES
Valentine’s night
N SHIVA KUMAR
Head to Kibbeh for the perfect Valentine’s night with music by DJs Ryan Nogar, Anupam and Rakesh. Where: Kibbeh, Begumpet When: February 14, 8pm Contact: (040) 30435151
Romantic rock Hard rock cafe goes romantic this Valentine’s day. Dimmed lights, Soft, Gentle, Romantic Acoustic music- The perfect setting for a perfect evening. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills When: February 14, 7.30pm Contact: (040) 4476 7900
Valentine’s groove A valentines special workshop is being held. The workshop on salsa and theme dancing is being held by Promod Sanghi. Where: The Park Hotel, Somajiguda When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2345 6789
Romance in Cuba For a perfect Valentine’s menu head to Cuba Libre. Groove to a variety of romantic tunes with DJ Mahesh and DJ Vijay . Where: Cuba Libre, Banjara Hills When: February 14, 8pm Contact: 92461 72424
Poolside Valentine Picture this: Poolside, table for two and Goan music in the background. Firdaus at Taj Krishna is offering Where: Firdaus, Taj Krishna When: February 14, 7pm Contact: (040) 6666 2323
Exclusive treat Valentine’s Day on platter is what Arena at Taj Deccan is offering this year. Sample specialities made, especially for this day along with your Valentine. Where: Arena, Taj Krishna When: February 14, 7pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939
Group exhibition Muse Art Gallery will play host to a group exhibition titled ‘An Artful Art’. It is a contemporary painting exhibition by a group of 26 artists. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund
CINEMAS
When: Ongong, 11am Contact: 93964 44424
The Indian Mosaic An exhibition of paintings titled ‘The Indian Mosaic’ will be on display at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: 98499 68797
A suitable lunch Syn presents three lunch offers to suit your needs. There is a lunch for those in a hurry, a lunch for the calorie conscious and a lunch for those who are planning a reunion with pals. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills When: Everyday, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939
option. Where: Nautanki Galli, Madhapur When: Every day, 12.30pm onwards Contact: 78930 10000
Where: Dialogue in the Dark, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341
Cognac and Cigar
Recent bronze sculptures will be on display at Kalakriti Art Gallery. The sculptures are by artist Tapas Biswas. Where: Kalakriti, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466
The Seasons Bar opens up again as a Cigar and Cognac lounge with a wide selection of cognac, rare whiskies, single malts and cigars. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 7pm Contact: (040) 6666 2323
Lunch specials Nautanki Galli offers its expansive lunch buffet. Head to Nautanki Galli for an interesting lunch
International pizza festival Pizza lovers this is the news for you! News Cafe is host to the International Pizza Festival. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341
Martini ‘n music Enjoy winter evenings with martinis and crooner Kelly. A perfect mix for a perfect evening! Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Every Evening Contact: (040) 6666 2323
Bronze sculptures
City in pictures Eat in the dark Have you ever wondered how it feels to eat in the dark? Come and experience this. Pay `499 to enjoy a 4-course meal worth `1,000 at Dialogue in the Dark.
A pictorial essay depicting the city of Hyderabad between the years of 1975 and 2011 is on display at Salarjung Museum. Where: Salarjung Museum When: Ongoing, 10am Contact: (040) 2457 6443
Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet, Kompally, 61606060; Inox, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973
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City flooded with water woes Residents face shortage even before summer season has set in
CIVIC Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
T
he water woes of GHMC residents have begun even before the summer has earnestly set in. Colonies in different localities are already experiencing irregular drinking water supply since the last few days. Residents of LB Nagar, Kapra, Serilingampally and Uppal circles are facing severe shortage of drinking water. Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which is responsible for supply of drinking water to over 8 million residents of GHMC and its adjacent areas like Sanga Reddy Municipality, is supplying water once in eight days in these localities. This has resulted in shortage and forced the residents to procure water by shelling out ransom money. The public supply of water through tankers is also not meeting requirements of these colonies as the demand is more than supply. Champapet corporator Sama Ramana Reddy came down heavily on the officials of the water board saying that residential
Man dies in lock-up, police call it suicide
colonies of erstwhile municipalities are not getting proper water supply. “The colonies of our areas are facing a lot of problems. I have been raising this issue with water board officials. But the problem is far from solved,” he said. Many colonies in Yousufguda division like Sri Krishna Nagar and Venkatgiri are facing unscheduled water supply. Sharing their concern with Postnoon, residents of these colonies said that they are worried. “Earlier, we would get water supply every day. But since the last few days it’s been three days in a week,” Vijayalaxmi, a housewife of Sri Krishna Nagar said.
TDP, TRS stall Assembly U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com
A
48-year-old man K Brahmam died in the police lock up under suspicious circumstances last night. K Brahmam was a resident of Beeramguda of Ramchandrapuram, and he was picked up by Ramchandrapuram police on Monday in a theft case. According to sources, Brahmam was allegedly beaten up in police custody due to which he was weak and later at night he was shifted to the local government hospital where he was declared brought dead. Enraged at the cruelty, his relatives confronted the police and they accused them of murdering the man. SP Medak, PJ Victor, told Postnoon on phone, that the victim was a habitual offender and he was involved in many theft cases and attempt to murder though he was acquitted in some cases. Victor denied lock up death saying Brahmam committed suicide in the police lock up in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
T
he Andhra Pradesh Assembly was adjourned for the day without taking up discussion on any issue on the first day of the budget session as Opposition parties TDP and TRS disrupted the proceedings. Speaker N Manohar had adjourned the House twice before giving the day’s business up. The speaker wanted the members to discuss the thanksgiving to Governor’s address. The TDP and TRS members stormed the speaker’s podium as soon as the House was assembled in the morning and tried to move an adjournment motion to discuss issues like liquor scam and Telangana issue. The TDP specifically wanted to discuss the alleged involvement of the Minister for Excise and his son in liquor scam. The TDP alleged that CM, PCC chief and the minister were hand in glove in the scam. The TDP MLAs were seen vociferously demanding an adjournment motion while the TRS raised the demand for a resolution on Telangana. A few T Congress MLAs too joined the chorus and created a bedlam. Within two minutes after the proceedings began, the speaker adjourned the House for half an hour. Similar scenes were witnessed when the House re-assembled. Then it was adjourned for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the TRS leader Harish Rao said they will continue to disturb the House till the T resolution is passed.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
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‘If an entire village is sacrificed for a higher cause, so be it’ Amidst the chaos of strike and boycott of emergency services, Postnoon reporter Osama Salman spoke to Girish Kumar, general secretary, AP Junior Doctor’s Association (JUDA) and asked him why the junior doctors were adamant on continuing their strike, even as the government conceded 11 of their 13 demands. Why are you against working in rural areas? What else are your demands? We are not against working in rural areas. We want the one year tenure to complete in about a week after our results are declared so that we don’t have to waste a year. We want the government to allow us to go into our respective departments when we are working in rural areas and be paid accordingly. We want PGs or interns to be recognised as doctors after the completion of a year in rural areas. If you look at it, our payscales are only about `15,000, but the government pays doctors about `30,000. We want the pay to be according to what is set by Medical Council of India (MCI). The government is not giving us a written assurance on this. Our other demand is that doctors, who come to practice in the State, should also serve a year in the rural areas. We are fighting for an increase in basic pay. n The government says that they incur costs between `35 lakh and `50 lakhs for each medical student. Why is it then that you are asking for a raise? This is not true. How the government is calculating is that when they build something in the hospital, they are dividing the costs by the number of interns and PG students. When we are boycotting the emergency services, have the hospitals closed down? The expenditure is on public health for the people, and not for the junior doctors. The calculation is bogus. n
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Doesn’t it occur to you all that as doctors your duty is to save people’s lives? And here you are boycotting emergency services even as more people are dying due to this. Sacrifice is the essence of a movement. Even Gandhiji said that if an entire village is sacrificed for a higher cause, so be it. From
n
December 25 to January 14, we were protesting peacefully. Then we intensified the stir. Though we did not intend to boycott emergency services, we had to as it was
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the last resort. The ministers told us about 17 days back that they have 100 per cent backup, if we ever boycott the emergency wing, even before we decided to do so. How can you justify this? n But doesn’t it hurt your conscience that people are dying because of doctors staying away from emergency ser-
vices? Our motto is to serve people and we are doing it. But since a year, due to absence of drugs, medicines, equipment and the
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likes, there have been far more deaths than since the junior doctors went on strike. This says a lot. n Junior doctors go on strike unsuccessfully every two years. Knowing this, why are you going on with the strike? Not all the strikes were unsuccessful, actually. In 2009, when AP JUDA went on strike due to the disparities in stipend, they were successful. In 1989, the state-wing of JUDA went on strike to protest against the multiple out-patient cards that a patient had to buy if he had to consult different doctors. We were not asking for a stipend then, but were fighting for the people’s rights. This was recognised by the SAARC countries also. n The government says that the stipend you are getting now is the equivalent to what would be given in 2015. What is your opinion? One of the ministers said that earlier they have increased the stipend by about 200 per cent. He compared it from before 2009 when the stipend was `8,000. Why don’t I ask him to compare it from 1978? That way it will be an increase of about 10,000 per cent. There is a time-frame for everything. You should increase the salary according to the inflation or situation. But sadly, that isn’t happening. n Why are you politicising the strike? We are being used by the Opposition. I want to tell the current government to use us. Everyone is saying the issues are being politicised. My sincere
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AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332
Junior doctors’ strikes in AP n
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November, 2009: JUDA asked for an increase in stipend December, 2007: Junior doctors demand Special Protection Force for all government teaching hospitals June 2005: Government stop giving permission for new private medical colleges and improve the standards in the existing institutions July, 2004: JUDA demanded that the private medical colleges and related issues be supervised December, 2003: JUDA said that privatising medical education would lower the standard of education
appeal to the Congress is to listen to our demands and take the entire credit, and not give an opportunity to the Opposition. n People are now having a negative opinion of junior doctors. How are you trying to improve your image? People have been watching us since 50 days. When there is a good movie in the theatre, they come and applaud. But they aren’t doing anything for us and we did not find any support from them. We expect some support from them. The apathy is disturbing. n Finally, why aren’t the junior doctors even slightly budging despite the government agreeing to 11 of the 13 demands you put forth? We demanded a stipend of around `33,000 earlier and then came down to about `29,000. On the other hand, the government has said `25,000 and came down to `22,000. They have provoked us to boycott emergencies. We are not adamant, but the government definitely is.
AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999
UK Visa Office VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
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Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
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‘Power room’ awaits new master Regarded as the lucky room, Room No. 119 has a growing number of ministers waiting to occupy it PIC: N SHIVA KUMAR
POLITICS Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
R
oom No.119 D block of Secretariat. This is from where the high priest of Andhra Pradesh, KVP Ramachandra Rao ruled the State for his idol YS Rajasekhara Reddy. For six years, from 2004 till the end of 2010 all roads led to Room No. 119. Everyone who had anything to do with government or chief minister knew how the poojari was more important than the moorthi and paid their obeisance here. If the room had ears it would tell a thousand stories. Today, this royal room, spacious and more secure than the chief minister’s is kept locked because too many ministers are asking for it. A whispered reason for this high demand has much to do with superstition. An official of the GAD confided that many believe that the occupant of the room will become too powerful for comfort. “YSR want-
ed the occupant of 119 to be powerful because he called KVP his soul but Kiran did not like that kind of set up,” he said. After the 2009 general elections for a second term KVP was given promotion and appointed as
Chairman of Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Security on June 30, 2009. This post was largely seen as a shadow home minister that virtually worked the government. Even after the death of YSR,
KVP continued in the post during Rosaiah's stint as CM of the State. But when N Kiran Kumar Reddy became CM in November 2010, he discontinued the advisory committee. The chamber came into news again after the recent cabinet expansion. Newly inducted ministers like Arogyasree and health education minister K Murali and textile minister G Prasad Kumar reportedly asked the CM to allot this chamber for them. An orderly said Prasad Kumar had even visited room no. 119, giving out the message he may inherit the room. Ministers D Prasada Rao, D Nagender and former minister P Shankar Rao also had asked for the room. Speaking to Postnoon, AP Secretariat Employees Association president M Hanumantha Reddy said “Yes, the chamber is always in the news, both during and after KVP resigned. Many ministers had requested the CM to allot this chamber. I think he is showing his reluctance as too many are vying for it.” According to him, the chamber is kept clean and tidy by the GAD.
Aspirants K Murali
D Nagender
Others G Prasad Kumar D Prasada Rao
No more paper tigers POLITICS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
W
hile the Speaker is trying to take the Assembly proceedings the hi-tech way by making efforts to have a paperless budget presented, leaders, cutting across the party lines, have their own apprehensions on the use of laptops, wi-fi connections and touchpads. Of course, they are putting up a brave face, and saying it’s fine with them. Will Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy use a laptop to present the budget is a big question. Perhaps, yes, for he is a votary of use of technology.
They can’t tear off the budget papers in protest any longer. The MLAs are used to reading the hard copy, marking points on it, making a notes and then discussing the issues. Now, according to Speaker Nadendla
Manohar, the budget would be circulated in an electronic form — CDs. BJP floor leader E Lakshminarayana said that they know the use of computers, but it would definitely take some time as they have to get used to the new hi-tech systems first. He was happy that the mikes cannot be wrested. He was of the opinion that they must also give a hard copy so that some references could be marked on them. It may be difficult for at least some of those from the old school to follow the cursor, rather than to read the hard copy. Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen MLA Syed Pasha Quadri felt that it would have been nice, if the soft copy was also made available in Urdu, as they get the hard copy in Urdu. The Assembly Library sources said that there would be soft copy in Urdu also, but it has to be seen if it would be compatible in the present software being used by the Assembly. Minister for Labour, Danam Nagendar said that it was easy and one has to just read it on the computer screen, jot down a few points for discussion and prepare for debates. “There need not be any doubts, we will get used to it easily,” he said. Ramanarayana Reddy said that if one started using the laptop and got used to it, he would not go back to the hard copy. Paperless Assembly would become a reality soon, he stated. He recalled that all the budget proposals from the departments were received on line by the Finance Department.
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Tuk-tuks still take you literally for a ride CIVIC Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com
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WISHES Hi Meenu, You are that best thing that has happened to me. Just want to thank you for all your support. Happy Valentine’s Day — Vivek 9392437882
‘Cong leaders looting State’
C
handrababu Naidu today said that Congress leaders were looting the State either through sand mafia or liquor mafia. He found fault with the government for not taking action against Excise Minister, even after the ACB named him in its report.
ith the implementation of the new pre-paid auto system in the City if you are under the impression that the auto haggle is coming to an end then you are wrong. Eight out of 10 autorickshaws in the City have tampered meters. Most others function without a meter and demand exorbitant fares. The newly inaugurated and much hyped prepaid auto system in Secunderabad is also a big failure. “Last week I took a pre-paid auto from Secunderabad station and after reaching my destination the auto driver charged me double the amount. He demanded more money on the grounds that it was early morning. I tried fighting with him but then in the end I had no choice but to pay the amount he demanded,” said Neha S, a professional dancer. Neha is not the only one who feels helpless and gives in. There are hundreds of others who face problems with auto drivers in the City each day. One is often taken literally for a ride by the auto drivers with or without meter. Citizens’ auto woes are increasing day by day and this is a great cause of concern across the twin cities. Despite this, the City does not have an autorickshaw related help line service. Cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Ludhiana have dedicated autorickshaw helpline numbers. In case there is a problem related to autorickshaws they can directly call
Traffic Control Traffic Help Line
(040) 27852482 9010203626
up the toll-free number and register their complaints. Hyderabad, which has a terrible autorickshaw culture, does not have such mechanism in place to address the problem. “Yes, with the increasing autorickshaw problems in the City we need such a system in place but at the same time we are understaffed and are not in a position to spare manpower for such initiatives,” said CV Anand, additional commissioner of police (Traffic). The Hyderabad traffic police have a general traffic helpline number where one can call and register their complaints. This number is connected to the main traffic control room. Once a complaint is registered it’s transferred to the local sub-inspector. The local inspector solves the problems by speaking to the auto driver
and rarely is there any documentation of the complaint. The system of registering complaints and filing chalans is not yet being implemented in the City. “We used to register the complaints but with the increasing numbers making it unmanageable we stopped doing it. To restart documentation we need more manpower,” said CV Anand. The traffic police records an average of 150 complaints. Of these at least 80 are autorickshaw-related problems. However, an official at the police control room insists that the current system is not as bad as it is projected to be. “It’s the skill of the local sub inspector to handle the case which holds the key. If he is prompt and efficient then the problem is resolved on the spot. If not, it’s again the beginning of another red tape tangle,” said Ravinder, traffic phone line in-charge.
THE FACES OF HYDERABAD Dilip, 25, Window maker
H
e is the window to your world — literally! Dilip, a native of Solanki, Rajasthan, is a window maker. In case you are wondering what that is, Dilip makes different grills on windows that adorn your home. He has been in this business since he was 17, and it shows in his work. An absolute expert at his work, this man can make any design you wish. Dilip is a hard work-
Osama Salman A city is defined by the people who live and work in it. Here we take a look at the human threads that make up our urban tapestry
er. He designs windows working 15 hours a day and goes home to a famaily of three children after a tiring long day. But he isn’t just good at making windows. Dilip is just as good (if not better) at making door panels, the intricate design stands testimony. Having come from a small stint in prison recently, for reasons best known to him, Dilip is now looking for revival! We wish him well!
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IIIT-Hyderbad gears up for Felicity Postnoon News
I
t is the season of fests and this weekend it’s IIITHyderabad’s turn to host their college fest. On February 17, 18 and 19 they will be holding their annual techno-cultural fest, Felicity, on their campus. Organisers of Felicity have made sure that there is a vast variety of activities lined up for the three day fest so that all types of participants can be part of this occasion. Events like Art of Electronics, Fortress and Decryption will be held for the technical crowd. Literary and art enthusiasts can take part the many events lined up like The Big Ask, Word Wide Web, Façade and Graffiti. Cultural events like Euphonica, Sargam and Antakshari will definitely woo the culturally inclined. Even the gaming freaks have something special with “Zombie Zone” where LAN gamers can drown in the virtual worlds of DOTA, NFS and Counter Strike. No fest is complete without music and IIIT is making sure that there is ample presence of it. Scheduled on 18th night is performance by thrash metal band “Inner Sanctum”. Also “Riders on the Storm” will feature various bands from across the country. For those who love to dance on the beats of DJs there’s —War of the DJs. One of the major highlights of the fest would be the Felicity Talent Hunt. Bestselling author and teenage sensation, Nikita Singh will be the celeb guest of Felicity.
PIC: N SHIVA KUMAR
Bajrang Dal conduct first V-Day marriage
L
avanya, a college student, 23, was on a day out with her boyfriend, Rakesh, 27, to celebrate Valentine’s Day but they ended up a married couple, courtesy the Bajrang Dal’s eye. The couple who were on a bike in Moinabad were stopped by the activists and their parents were summoned. Last year more than 30 marriages were performed in the State by the group. “We have an elaborate and foolproof plan to discourage the alien culture called V-Day. We will surely conduct more weddings by the end of the day,” boasted N Vindod Kumar, the Bajrang Dal City convener.
Special
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
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Israel feels terror heat in Delhi The magnetic bomb used is akin to the one that killed at least five Iran nuclear scientists. NEW DELHI: Windows and mirrors shattered, its bonnet uprooted, engine burnt black and its metallic colour unrecognizable... the Toyota Innova car of the Israeli embassy was badly damaged in a suspected bomb attack shortly after it left the embassy premises. The car, with registration number 109 CD 35, was waiting at a red light at the Safdarjung RoadAurangzeb Road crossing, when a biker drove up, placed an explosive device on it and sped away, according to eyewitnesses. Shortly after, the car went up in flames. A 42-year-old Israeli staffer, the wife of the defence attache, was badly injured in the blast, and the Indian driver suffered facial injuries. The incident took place just past 3 pm and close to the 7, Race Course Road residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The rear side of the Innova car was badly burnt, and large oil smudges of spilled oil could be seen on the road. A red Tata Indica, driving alongside, also suffered the brunt of the explosion and was damaged. Two of its occupants, both Indians, suffered minor injuries. The glass from the smashed window panes littered the road. Commuters driving on Aurangzeb Road were shocked and horrified to see the car go up in flames. They managed to drag out the victims from the cars. Delhi Police team, including bomb disposal squad, Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team and fire brigade, reached the spot within a few min-
Iran behind attack on embassies, says Netanyahu JERUSALEM: Iran was behind a car bomb attack on Israeli officials in New Delhi and a thwarted attack in Georgian capital Tbilisi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday. Netanyahu said Israel will not cease its fight against international terror, of which he identified Iran as the “world’s greatest exporter”, haaretz.com reported. Standing behind Monday’s attacks was “Iran, the world’s greatest exporter of terror”, Netanyahu said. “In the last few months we have witnessed several attempts to target Israeli citizens and Jews in a series of countries, such as Azerbaijan and Thailand. “In all of these cases we were able to thwart these attacks in cooperation with local forces,” he said. AFP
Attacks on Iran nuke scientists
Passersby help the wounded Israeli diplomat after the bomb attack on her car in New Delhi on Monday. utes of the incident. Yellow barricades were put up by police for around 100 metres on Aurangzeb Road near the site of blast. Around 100 police were present at the site to prevent people getting near. The Special Cell of Delhi Police will investigate the blast , said Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta, adding that a hunt was on for the biker who allegedly attached the explosive. Top Indian officials, including external affairs minister SM Krishna, are co-ordinating sharing of information with Israeli authorities. IANS
PTI
EU, US slam attacks WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday joined the EU leaders in condemning attacks on Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia as “cowardly” and offered US assistance in any investigation. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the bombing of an Israeli diplomatic vehicle in India and the attempted attack on Israeli Embassy personnel in Georgia,” Clinton said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured personnel in New Delhi and their loved ones, the chief US diplomat added. “The High Representative condemns in the strongest terms today’s attacks targeting personnel of the Israeli embassies in India and Georgia,” European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton’s spokesperson said in a written statement Monday. AFP
n Last month Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, 32, a chemistry expert, was killed when two assailants on a bike attached a magnetic bomb to his car in Tehran. n In January 2010, nuclear scientist Massoud Ali Mohammadi was killed by remote-controlled bomb in Tehran. n In November, 2010, Majid Shahriari, another scientist, was killed in a terrorist attack and Dr Fereydoun Abbasi, the current head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, sustained injuries. n Physicist Darioush Rezai, 35, was shot dead by gunmen in eastern Tehran last July after being linked to the nuclear program. n Five times in two years scientists working in Iran’s nuclear research program have been the target of assassination. n The Iranian government has placed blame on both Israel and the United States for the recent assassinations. n The bomb plots in New
Delhi and Tbilisi also fell between anniversaries of the deaths of two top militants from Hezbollah, the militant group which has close ties to Iran. The anniversary usually sparks annual travel warnings from Israel.
We feel very secure, says Israeli envoy
Israel charge ‘sheer lies’: Iran envoy
NEW DELHI: India will not NEW DELHI: Iran rubbished Israeli accusations about its alleged involvement in attacks on Israeli personnel in India and Georgia, saying they are “untrue and sheer lies.” “Any terrorist attack is condemned (by Iran) and we strongly reject the untrue comments by an Israeli official,” Iran’s Ambassador to India Seyed Mehdi Nabizadeh told IRNA, the Iranian news agency. “These accusations are untrue and sheer lies, like previous times.” The Iranian envoy was reacting to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments blaming alleged terror attacks on “Iran and its client Hezbollah”. So far no group has taken responsibility for the attack. IANS
Forensic experts collecting samples at the site after an explosion in an Israeli embassy car close to the mission in New Delhi on Monday. A biker placed a magnet bomb on the car as it slowed at a traffic signal and sped away, according to police officials and witnesses. PTI
tolerate attacks on diplomats on its soil, Israel’s envoy here said Monday, adding that Israeli diplomats “feel very secure” in India. “It is very clear to me that no one in India is going to tolerate such a vicious attack on diplomats on its soil,” Israeli ambassador Alon Ushpiz said. The ambassador, however, declined to discuss security issues related to the Israeli embassy and its staff in India. “We feel very secure in India, we have the full cooperation of your authorities, we have full confidence in the Indian authorities,” he said. He added that India and Israel had “very solid cooperation” in many areas. IANS
Focus
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The story behind the news
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HELP! MY BABY WANTS TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY
As far as parents are concerned, kids are asexual creatures, and they intend them to remain so as long as they live
Love Actually Mini Singh
D
uring one of his shows, Jerry Seinfeld, the stand-up comedian spoke about how we don’t like to acknowledge the possibility of our parents being sexual creatures. There are some universal truths, and one of them is that we feel grossed out at the idea of our parents being romantic with each other. The only idea that can be more revolting is that of our kids having any romantic feelings at all. As far as we are concerned, our kids are asexual creatures, and we intend them to remain so as long as we are alive! It is very difficult to watch our little ones grow up; and yet, grow up they must. What’s worse, adolescence now starts during the preteens, as opposed to a couple of decades ago when the rebellious years started during the mid-teens. We claim to be a generation of liberal parents who have found the balance between ruling with an iron hand, and being the child’s friend. And yet, we panic when we think of how times have changed since we were kids. Our kids are bombarded with explicit sexual images and content from all directions, what with the TV, Internet and moviemakers all looking to make a quick buck. Children’s channels are not spared of
adult content either. Programmes such as The Simpsons, Doraemon, Pokemon, Shin Chan; all use subtle or obvious sexual imagery to keep kids hooked to the show. These are scary times for parents who have to contend with fears of their kid going astray or getting hurt during this very impressionable age. Alcohol, drugs, sex are all on the agenda of many teen parties. Given this background, how does a parent decide where to draw the line? Should we live in denial, pretending that our kid is incapable of making any mistake, and let him/her take his/her own decisions? Or should
ALCOHOL, DRUGS, SEX ARE ALL ON THE AGENDA OF MANY TEEN PARTIES. GIVEN THIS BACKGROUND, HOW DOES A PARENT DECIDE WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE? we keep an eagle eye on our child’s every move so that we can scoop them up before they get hurt? Whether we like it or not, it is a fact that teenagers – some of them at least – want to date. What would you do if your teenager asks for permission to go out on Valentine’s Day? The responses from parents were surprisingly uniform. Nisha Talwaar, mum of a 17-year-old girl says, “I share a very good rapport with my daughter, and she tells me everything. As of now,
she has not expressed interest in anyone, and has never asked for permission to go out on a date. If, however, she wants to go out on Valentine’s Day, I would give her conditional permission.” The conditions being that the parents know the guy and his family, and also that the kids go out for lunch or an early evening date. Dinners and clubs are a strict no-no at this age, says Nisha. Most parents interviewed echoed a similar sentiment. The idea was to instil the right values and teach their children to make wise choices so that later, when the children are older, they are able to take sensible decisions. And what do parents think of preteens celebrating Valentine’s Day? “The international trend of children taking candy or cards or gifts for the entire class is catching on here too,” says Ruchika Kapoor,* “My 11-year-old son will take candy bars for his entire class. Also, our entire family is making little handmade cards for each other where we share what we love most about the other person,” she adds. From an 11-year-old to whom Valentine’s Day means celebrating with his family and classmates, to a teenager on the threshold of adulthood, to a stressed-out parent who worries about the well-being of her child, Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. However, one constant all over the world is that Valentine’s Day continues to be another excuse to celebrate love. *Names changed on request
India‑View
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
India unveiled
Prank call to Hina lands Karnataka man in soup
BANGALORE: The mobile phone number of Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will not be known to many people, including VIPs in that country. But a 22-year-old man in a north Karnataka town, who knows only Kannada, had the shock of his life when police knocked at his door sometime
back to ask why he telephoned her. Amaresh Gangappa Buddini, of Buddini village in Raichur district, about 400 km north of Bangalore, was questioned but no case was filed as the number was dialled unknowingly, Inspector General of Police Mohammed Wazir Ahmed told reporters in Raichur on Monday. The call was made some two months ago and Amaresh was quizzed after Pakistani foreign ministry alerted their Indian counterparts, he said. Amaresh, who works as an assistant at a coaching centre in Sindhnur near his village, told police that some students might have used his phone to make a prank call to a random number, which happened to be that of Khar. The incident came to light following reports in local media that a Raichur youth has been questioned for making a lewd call to Khar. PTI
CATCH THEM YOUNG
Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti (left), and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi (right) are seen PTI at election rallies in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
Khurshid offers truce
NEW DELHI: Law minister Salman Khurshid on Monday night sought to cap the stand-off with the Election Commission over his Muslim sub-quota remarks by writing a letter to the poll body in which he is understood to have said that he has all the respect for the constitutional authority. The letter by Khurshid to the CEC came a day after Congress party went public disapproving of his confrontation with the EC. Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi had said
on Monday that EC is a constitutional body and the party wanted all Congressmen to speak “as per norms of public life and law of
9
the land”. In obvious disapproval of Khurshid’s spat with the Election Commision, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said that Congress has made it clear that “people occupying posts of responsibility should speak responsibly”. Even after the Election Commission’s censure, the law minister reportedly told an election meeting in Farrukhabad that he would continue to fight muslims sub-quota even “if they (EC) will hang me”. PTI
Cops save 25 girls from ‘slave auction’ PATNA: Police rescued 25 minor girls who were forced to dance naked at a theatre in a rural fair near the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar’s Araria district and arrested 44 people under human trafficking charges during a raid, police said on Monday. Araria Superintendent of Police Shivdeep Lande said that minor girls were forced to dance naked, not only for entertainment but to “attract good buy-
ers” from outside the State. “Police have been investigating it by interrogating rescued the minor girls and arrested people,” Lande said. All the rescued minor girls have been handed over to the district children’s welfare committee for rehabilitation. Lande said that all the girls are minors and the arrested people are from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and other parts of Bihar. IANS
Eve cops too have no respite from lewd callers NEW DELHI: “What’s your phone number, sweetie”, “Main tumse shaadi karna chahta hoon”... are some of the pesky calls that female cops handling Delhi Police’s women’s helpline have to contend with daily. Over 40 per cent of the female cops who handle the women’s helpline receive abusive or obscene calls. The callers are not even deterred by the fact that they are speaking to policewomen. Set up more than five years ago to protect the capital’s women from abuse and harassment, the helpline 1091 receives around 60 to 70 calls daily. At one time, there are four constables handling the helpline in each eight-hour shift. A total of 12 women police work round the
clock in three shifts. Of the daily calls, over 40 per cent consists of men being abusive to the female operators or indulging in lewd talk, Additional Commissioner of Police (Police Control Room) G C Dwivedi said. “On a daily basis 21 per cent of the calls they get are regarding domestic violence, 17 per cent calls are regarding eve teasing and 22 per cent are related to cybercrimes involving women victims,” he said. “However, around 40 percent of the calls daily are obscene and abusive,” said Dwivedi. According to Dwivedi, there are two categories of callers who make the 40 per cent frivolous calls. “In the first category are the people who call just for entertain-
For representational purposes only
ment. They register false complaints and use the pretext to trouble and abuse the female operators just for a laugh.
The second category is of those who indulge in obscene chats with the operators,” said Dwivedi. A woman helpline operator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said she has been working on the helpline desk for two years and has been receiving such calls everyday. “Such callers do not care that they are talking to a Delhi Police officer. Only youngsters make such calls from phone booths so that they are not caught,” said one of the woman constables. According to the woman constable, some people even call up from the landline number of friends or relatives against whom they have a grudge in order to get back at them because as they
know the police will take action. However, police get the culprits in the end. If it is an offensive call, the number and address is forwarded to the Delhi Police anti-obscene and anti-stalking cell (1096) under the crime branch. This cell was launched in 2010. The number and address of every caller is tracked by the ‘call tracker’, said another woman cop. “As only women operators are deputed to manage the helpline some people take undue advantage of this,” said another senior police officer who did not want to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media. “But it’s not easy to escape us. We get them at the end,” the official added. IANS
Around the World
10
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Beyond Borders
Syria ignores Arab peace plan DAMASCUS: Syrian troops pounded the protest hub of Homs on Monday, as an Arab League peacekeeping plan for the country went ignored and the UN rights chief said crimes against humanity had probably been committed. Syrian President Bashar alAssad swiftly rejected the Arab League initiative for a joint mission with the United Nations to end the bloodshed, and shelling resumed in Baba Amr, a rebel bastion in Homs, rights monitors said. The latest violence came as Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered a stark verdict on the consequences of the international community’s failure to pass a UN resolution condemning the deadly crackdown. “The nature and scale of abuses committed by Syrian forces indicate that crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed since
The Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood of Tripoli after clashes between those hostile to Syria’s regime and Alawites. AFP March 2011,” she told the UN General Assembly. “The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have
emboldened the Syrian government to launch an all-out assault in an effort to crush dissent with overwhelming force.” The United States said it was
considering whether a peacekeeping force would work while Russia, who with China vetoed a second UN resolution , said a ceasefire was needed before peacekeepers can be deployed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Baba Amr was hit by artillery. Regime forces killed 18 civilians, among them four in Homs and two in nearby Rastan. Security forces also raided homes to arrest people in the southern Daraa province. Some denounced Assad and others supported the rebel Free Syrian Army, according to videos provided by the Local Coordination Committees. “Arab League!!! Thank you but we need more,” said a placard students carried at a rally in Jabala, in Idlib province.” A government official said Syria was determined to crush dissent, regardless of the latest Arab initiative, the official SANA news agency reported. AFP
GLOBE AT A GLANCE US favours independent probe in Maldives COLOMBO: The US government backs an independent mechanism to investigate the transfer of power in the Maldives, the US State Department has said. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake on Monday told reporters at a media briefing here that the present Maldivian President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has agreed to such an investigation, Xinhua reported.
Amsterdam airport evacuated after threat THE HAGUE: Two terminals of the Schiphol airport in the Netherlands capital Amsterdam were evacuated on Monday after a bomb threat, police said. The threat came around 11 am and it was decided that terminals 1 and 2 to secure the safety of passengers.According to reports, a man in the toilet of claimed to have a bomb.
Obama unveils his election-year budget
US President Barack Obama speak on his FY 2013 Budget to students. AFP
45 missing as Philippines boat capsizes MANILA: A sea vessel carrying at least 45 passengers capsized on Monday in southern Philippines, said the police. According to Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal, the vessel M/B BenJun heading for the Island town of Basilisa in the province of Dinagat Islands, had left the port of Surigao city around 1.00 pm, Xinhua reported. The boat capsized after being hit by big waves when it reached Hikdop Island. The Philippine Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue operation. IANS
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget on Monday packed with tax hikes on the rich and jobs programs, fleshing out a populist vision that he hopes to ride to a second term. But the blueprint immediately sunk into the toxic mire of Washington politics, with Republicans branding it an insult to taxpayers, a mere campaign document and an example of an America drowning in debt. Obama said his 2013 budget would sustain new economic growth, create jobs, change an economic system tilted towards the wealthy and make long-term cuts to deficits now set to top $1 trillion four years in a row. “We have got to do everything in our power to keep this recovery on track,” Obama said, as he unveiled the document, the embodiment of his election message of restoring a fair shot for average Americans in a recovering economy.
“The last thing we need is for Washington to stand in the way of America’s comeback,” said Obama, in symbolic territory in swingstate Virginia, which he hopes to win in November’s election. There is little chance of much of the document becoming law in a divided Congress in an election year. But Obama used the budget to set political snares for Republicans he wants to brand as obstructionist foes of the middle class. He called for more than $600 billion in construction, research and development, training and innovation spending designed to create jobs, and nurture a newly skilled American work force and 21st century infrastructure.Obama would modernize 35,000 schools, repair roads, railways and airport runways; pour billions of dollars into education; and require the Pentagon to spend $487 billion less than planned in 10 years. AFP
Sarkozy to announce re-election bid
PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to announce his bid for re-election this week, setting the stage for what he hopes will be a dramatic comeback against his poll-leading Socialist rival. With only 10 weeks before the first round of France’s presidential vote on April 22,
right-wing Sarkozy is lagging in the polls, struggling with image problems and burdened with a moribund economy. But his team is confident that once officially in the race Sarkozy, a seasoned and charismatic campaigner, will be able to quickly make up ground on frontrunner Francois Hollande. “The game is far from over. The polls, the comments, all this will be wiped away in the three weeks before the election,” Prime Minister Francois Fillon, a long-time Sarkozy ally, told Le Monde on Monday. “He has maintained his close relationship with the French people. During the campaign he will find the words and ways to reach out to them.”Right-wing newspaper Le Figaro, often used for semi-official statements from the president’s camp, wrote on Monday that Sarkozy will officially announce his candidacy by Thursday. Quoting anonymous members of his campaign team, it said Sarkozy will hold his first campaign rally on Sunday in Marseille. AFP
Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire, celebrates, after signing marriage equality legislation into law in Olympia, Washington. AFP
UK extremist preacher released from jail EVESHAM: Abu Qatada, accused of being one of the UK’s most dangerous extremist preachers, has been released from Long Lartin top-security jail in Evesham. He was seen hiding his face in the back of a van which left the Worcestershire jail.The UK government says he is a threat to national security but has been blocked from deporting him.
Afghanistan: Six Taliban killed, 19 surrender KABUL: At least six Taliban rebels, including a commander, have been killed in a clash with security forces while 19 have surrendered in separate incidents in Afghanistan, officials said on Monday. Two Afghan policemen were also killed on Sunday night in the clash in eastern Paktika province, Xinhua quoted the interior ministry as saying.
Tibetan protesters shout slogans against China during a protest on Monday in front of the White House in Washington DC . AFP
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Innovation centre to power IMIMobile’s smart growth A.Saye Sekhar saye@postnoon.com
I
MIMobile, a mobile data infrastructure company, will soon be launching an ‘innovation and thought leadership centre’, opening a huge opportunity for technology buffs to research and come up with new ideas. The company is also planning to work on the technology to support the backend operations of smart TVs which are interactive and supported by apps. Already Samsung has launched its smart TVs in the market. While working on technology backbone is the core theme of the company, IMIMobile, which
has witnessed more than 100 per cent growth year on year since 2009-10, expects to grow further. The company, which has a strong operational base in Africa and Western Europe, offers services to a billion subscribers, 80 operators in 64 countries with its 650 employees, says an unassuming Viswanath Alluri, chairman and CEO. The
IT Czars from India HYDERABAD: Indians working for global giants like Microsoft, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, Google and Motorola, who are influencing how the global technology business will shape up in the next few years, are made in to list of ‘20 Indians who are making a difference’ by Cyber Media’s flagship technology journal, Dataquest. This issue will be unveiled to coincide with the Nasscom annual conference starting February 14 at Mumbai. Google tops the list by having three Indian top executives. HP has two executives and the only company that does not have any Indian top executive is IBM (USA). Cisco’s CTO Padmasree Warrior is the only woman on this list.
There are 12 people, who are in their 30s and 40s, Dataquest editors expect that the people would move to CEO roles in the coming few years to play even more significant role in shaping the technology.
mobile technology company acquired Win Plc, which was listed in AIM (London) for $26 million in 2009, and had it delisted. This was a semi-organic growth, for IMIMobile found synergies with Win Plc, which had big-ticket customers like Vodafone and BBC, and provided access to the Indian company an access to European markets. Viswanath says the data communication is growing at 16.5 per cent compounded annual growth rate, while voice is increasing by 0.3 per cent. Value-added services such as voice mail, SMS and MMS are just specks in the company’s business. The company could foresee that 40 per cent of revenues on mobile phone communication would come from data services. Operators and service providers have challenges in ensuring seamless data communication. “That is where I want to play a role. We innovate and think ahead of times and see the future. Application programming interfaces (APIs) and enablers are the future. And it is a huge opportunity,” he said. Asked if he is considering any more acquisitions,
n Abhijit Talwalkar, 47, CEO, LSI n Amit Singhal, 43, Google fellow, Google n Aneesh Chopra, 39, federal CTO, US Government n Arvind Sodhani, 57, EVP and president, Intel Capital, Intel n Dilip Wagle, director, McKinsey and Co n 6 Nikesh Arora, 44, chief business officer, Google n Om Malik 45 blogger, investor, GigaOM n Padmasree Warrior 51 SVP, Engg and CTO, Cisco n Prabhakar Raghavan, 51, chief strategy officer, executive vice president Yahoo! Labs n Prith Banerjee, 51 SVP, research, and director, HP
Viswanath says: “We, so far, went for a natural love.” If there is a right match to suit technological infrastructure and market access, the company may consider it as an opportunity. “I am not on an acquisition spree. I never went on a desperation mode. This company has been a journey for me. We have got enough on the plate,” he asserts with a grin of confidence. The tie-up with MTN in Africa with operations in 20 countries, partnering all major operators in France Telecom, and Zain in Saudi Arabia have all fortified the technology backbone of IMIMobile. Simply put, IMIMobile can develop technology for a service provider to deliver one message or a clip to multiple users based on the demographic and geographic specifications of clients. “We never sold our software licences as a package. Instead, we chose to sell software as a service (SaaS) which enables operators to pay per use or we work on a revenue-sharing model.” The virtual network operating centre (VNOC) in IMIMobile’s office provides 99.99 per cent seamless data service, monitoring 1,000
Labs Hewlett-Packard n Sanjay K Jha, 48, chairman and CEO. Motorola Mobility n Satya Nadella 43 president, servers and tools business, Microsoft n Shantanu Narayen, 48, CEO, Adobe n Sundar Pichai, 39 SVP, Chrome Google n Thomas Kurian 44 EVP, Oracle n Vinod Khosla, 56. founder, Khosla Ventures n Vishal Sikka, 44, CTO and member, exec board, SAP n Vivek Kundra, 37 EVP, Salesforce.com n Vivek Ranadive, 54, CEO, TIBCO n Vyomesh Joshi, 57, EVP, Hewlett-Packard
servers across the globe. As for the new technologies, he says the company is trying something new with SKY TV (UK) on interactivity with audience through social networks. IMIMobile works with all major telcos in India. He says the company is creating new revenue streams and models for customer retention to businesses. To a query on whether he is planning to go public, Viswanath says he isn’t thinking anything on that at the moment. Spark Ventures, UK, First Mark Capital of New York, and Sequoia Capital are the venture capital investors in the company.
Indiasoft in City Postnoon News
HYDERABAD: India Soft 2012 is going to be held on March 21-23 2012 in the City for the third time in a row. This will showcase India’s IT solutions to over 400 foreign delegates from about 50 countries. The event will have 200 IT firms from India participating in it. The delegates include representatives of governments, private sector and nongovernmental organisations from developed countries and also from emerging markets like Latin America, Middle east and Africa. There is an opportunity to establish IT educational institutes and to provide end to end solutions in IT development to the businesses in African countries, said DK Sareen, executive director, Electronics and computer software export promotion council (ESC).
Comment
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
Wanted urgently: A statue code
Editorials WHY DELAY ACTION on Balakrishnan?
T
he Central government has been caught off its guard once again when the Supreme Court sought the status of the probe into allegations of misconduct against former CJI and current NHRC chairman KG Balakrishnan. His son-in-law Srinijan had to resign from the Youth Congress due to charges of disproportionate assets and recently the income tax department has confirmed that three of Balakrishnan’s relatives possessed large amounts of black money. Justice Balakrishnan, during his tenure with the apex court, as a judge and as the CJI, was instrumental in passing several landmark judgements. The government needs to hasten the probe into the charges against him so that a legal luminary is not forced to live under the shadow of doubt and questionable integrity.
WHY WE LOVE... Salman Khurshid
N
ot every politician has the right combination of guts and grace, Union law minister Salman Khurshid is an exception. He showed the courage to say that he will fight for the rights of the marginalised sub-sects. When Election Commission pulled him up on quota announcements, he refused to back down and the poll panel took it to the President. Attacked by the Opposition and disowned by the Congress, Khurshid showed the courage to write to the EC saying he was willing to address any shortcomings on his part. Now, that’s a statesman.
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Hard talk PK Surendran
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our decades ago a social leader of Kerala, then in his eighties, heard of some people collecting funds to erect his statue on his death. He promptly summoned them and asked for the money. The money they collected, he willed, would be spent on building a school in his memory. He said, “I don’t want people to ogle at my image and spit at the base though I have no objection to little birds shitting on it. If you can’t remember me by my works, what good is the statue?” Great thinkers don’t want the folly of erecting their statues. Shakespeare or Tagore does not need a statue. They live in us. A statue lover is a suspected egoist. But, what happened to India is a different story. Statues in India have become a cause of political war where every other political party and social forum is vying with one another to put up statues along the road. Nobody has taken a census of statues in India but one could say safely it would match the population! Think of the millions of statues, busts and symbols (political, literary and religious) blocking the precious public space and you get the idea. The recent Amalapuram incident of Ambedkar statues being defiled and the Mayawati’s statue installing spree are not alone, though the Maya issue takes the cake. Mayawati even claimed that the BSP founder Kanshi Ram had willed erecting his and Maya’s statues! Ever heard of one willing public land for erecting one’s statue? Now, look at the AP news of last month: “According to a source in the Congress, Jagan supporters plan to erect not less than 30,000 statues across the length and breadth of the State and half the number of these statues have already been installed in the last couple of years. “Assuming that the average cost of a statue is `50,000, the total expenditure being incurred on YSR statues alone could be anywhere between `150 and 160 crore," the source said. And, now comes rubbing salt onto the
Watch out for glitches
Dekker story great
I found WOMEN HALL OF FAME interesting. However, there were a couple of howlers, small though, in the introduction. 16-yearold Dutch, Laura Dekker is the youngest ever to solo circumnavigate the globe — this was how it was written. It should have been “16-year-old Dutch Laura Dekker is the youngest ever to circumnavigate the globe solo”. The comma before the girl’s name was not required. Also, an adverb comes always after the verb: in this case circumnavigate is the verb and solo the adverb. Please be more careful. And oh, it’s WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME, actually. Swati R Secunderabad
Laura Dekker’s story is a fascinating read. The kind of opposition that her decision was met with is something to know. The focus page story of yours may have given an insight into other super-women, but by just mentioning Dekker and writing about the others, there is not much we get to know about Dekker herself. I think you should also focus on her story and then move on to the others. An interesting read, nonetheless. Patrick Koch Red Hills
wound. Not being content with encroaching on precious public land, many want the government to protect these statues! Do they mean to say any government, be it the State or Centre, should deploy security forces to safeguard millions of statues? A statue of a great man who marked history is an iconic landmark in any city. In fact, such a statue should reflect the socio-cultural heritage of that city. New York would not be complete without the Statue of Liberty. A Gandhi or an Ambedkar is reflective of our obeisance to nation builders. Meditating Buddha is India’s cultural renaissance. But,
TALK BACK Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
should we allow all Lilliputs to have their statues erected? And, how many statues of one should we have? I am sure, no country in the world is as zealous a statue erector as India is. Statues, originally intended to represent that place’s cultural past, now sows the seeds of discord and violence. Therefore, I plead for a strict statue code. Delay will cost us heavily. Tailend: A moratorium on statue erection for a quarter century should precede the statue code. It would save many great souls embarrassment and valuable public land.
Whitney Houston
Security addressed
The death of Whitney Houston is really a big loss to the music industry. I can still remember her in The Bodyguard. Her powerful singing is what attracted me the most. However, drugs, music and fame seem to go hand in hand. In the past ten years we have lost so many celebrities to substance abuse and drug overdose. This sort of irresponsible behaviour from adults is very harmful to the young generation who consider these stars their idols. Karan Thapa Begumpet
Making high-security number plates for vehicles mandatory is a welcome move by the government. Even though it comes as an additional burden to the common man already staggering under regular fuel hikes, the safety it brings along is more than welcome. If a vehicle can be continuously monitored by the traffic department, not only tracing a missing one would become that much more easy, illegal activities using vehicles will also come down. The sooner this is brought into practice, the better for the security of vehicle owners and the country at large. Sumera Mallepally
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
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Beautiful minds Anishaa Kumar feedback@postnoon.com
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hen a 15-year-old boy, in a fit of rage, stabbed his Hindi teacher in a Chennai school, the nation was shocked. The otherwise calm teenager could not digest the adverse remarks the teacher made on his performance in class tests. In his father’s own words, he’d never imagined that his son would vent his anger in such an extreme manner. The boy who has been remanded to a juvenile home, is now terrified of facing his parents. No matter how shocking the incident, the question that arises here is, are we doing enough to address behavioural problems in chil-
dren? “India unfortunately does not have many specialists (paediatric psychiatrists) to deal with the problem and it is mostly adults who come with these problems,” says Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy, child psychiatrist, Rainbow Children’s Hospital. “Younger children tend to have academic problems while slightly older children have behavioural problems,” adds Dr Diana Montero, a psychologist.
Therapies for kids The three therapies picking up around the world include social phobia counselling, anger management and grief counselling. Social phobias could be of two kinds; reactive and non-reactive, explains Dr Chakravarthy. Reactive problems imply problems that have been generated due to situations such as the child being publicly humiliated. He cites
Therapies may be effective in various scenarios such as n Behavioural problems such as anger, bed wetting: n Post-traumatic behavioural problems n Drop in school performance n ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) n Autism n Children complaining of illhealth in spite of no diagnosed problem n Speech and learning problems an example of a child who was reprimanded and embarrassed at school after which he became fearful of all adults. The second kind is genetic which implies that the child is shy because his/her parents are also shy. Anger is a very complex emotion hence it is important for children to be taught to understand this
emotion. The third kind is grief counselling. Grief counselling is the term given to a kind of counselling for people who have gone through some kind of bereavement, explains Dr Diana.
The process Children often find it difficult to express themselves. Hence a variety of alternative methods are used to help them do so. The most commonly used is play therapy, explains Dr Diana. The other forms include drama and art therapies. In play therapy, toys and different kinds of games are used. Through these games the children are able to express their feelings in the form of a story, a painting or through “The therapist spends time with both the child and the parents and through this are able to come to a conclusion as to what the problem is,” says Dr Diana. Such problems are growing in society. But what could be the exact cause? Explains Dr Chakravarthy, “Children nowadays have to deal with a lot of pressure, friendship issues and absence of social interaction. The cause of a drop in attention in children is basically the excessive exposure to video games in which they are so used to a quick victory.” He mentions that parents nowadays also want quick solutions to the children’s problems hence they bring their children for therapy but it is important to understand that if the parents do not practice what is done during therapy then it is of no use. “How children behave when they are at the age group of 9-14 is how they will be as an adult hence the problems should be tackled as early as possible,” he concludes.
The recent incident in Tamil Nadu where a schoolgoing boy hacked his teacher to death has brought the topic of child psychology to the fore. Parents, especially in foreign countries, are sending children to a variety of behavioural therapies.
Breathing device helps kids with sleep apnea WASHINGTON: Children and adolescents with obstructive sleep apnea fared much better in terms of attention, anxiety and quality of life after treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP). It delivers a stream of air through a mask into the nose. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a condition of interrupted breathing caused by a narrowing in the throat or upper airway, related to large tonsils, obesity or other medical
problems. Using PAP commonly relieves OSAS in adults, among whom it has been studied extensively. However, there have been few studies of PAP in children with OSAS, the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine reports. “The benefits occurred even when children didn’t fully adhere to the treatment,” said study leader Carole L. Marcus, sleep specialist and director of the
Sleep Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Sleep Center follows thousands of children and adolescents with sleep problems, according to a Children’s Hospital statement. “The vast majority of children with OSAS undergo surgery on their tonsils and adenoids instead of receiving PAP therapy,” said Marcus. “It is difficult to get children to wear the mask used in PAP
treatments.” However, surgery is not always effective in treating OSAS in children, especially in obese children, added Marcus. She said that many children who require PAP therapy have underlying chronic illnesses such as Down syndrome, or developmental delays. Furthermore, the rising incidence of obesity among children and adolescents has also increased the rate of OSAS in young people.
Researchers found significant improvements in attention deficits, daytime sleepiness, behaviours such as anxiety and shyness, and quality of life when they used PAP therapy. “We found that improvements occurred even when children were only using PAP as little as three hours a night,” said Marcus, who noted that higher compliance would be expected to yield greater benefits. IANS
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
Puffing could expose your kid to
LEUKAEMIA SYDNEY: Smokers beware. Your heavy puffing around the time of conception greatly increases the chances of your child developing the most common form of childhood cancer, known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a study reveals. The study investigated the link between parental smoking and the occurrence of ALL in offspring. “The first step towards the development of leukemia is thought to occur in utero in a lot of cases,” said Elizabeth Milne from Western Australia’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, who led the study. “So we look at prenatal exposures as it has to be something to do with what’s happening before the baby’s born. Tobacco is a known carcinogen and, in terms of childhood leukemia, there is a plausible biological pathway whereby paternal smoking could actually contribute to disease risk in the offspring,” said Milne. In a comprehensive exposure questionnaire distributed nationwide to 388 families with cases of ALL and 868 control families, the group asked mothers and fathers to state where they lived, their
occupation and how many cigarettes they smoked for every year of their life from the time they were 15, according to a university statement. “Using this information and knowing the year the child was born, we were then able to look at smoking levels around the time of conception,” Milne said. “The results indicated that the risk of ALL, when compared with dad’s who did not smoke during the year of conception, increased by 35 percent when fathers smoked more than 15 cigarettes a day around the time conception,” said Milne. The effect was only apparent amongst heavier smokers, with fathers who smoked less than 15 cigarettes, as well as former heavy smokers, not showing any increased risk. Based on evidence from lab studies of sperm, the group believe that paternal smoking may cause adverse changes in sperm DNA structure that may then go on to effect the development of the baby. “Oxidative damage to the DNA is the main type of damage seen as a result of smoking in sperm,” added Milne. IANS
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FITNESS TIPS
Lose weight as you work
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any office-goers complain of putting on weight due to lack of exercise but all we do is sigh and submit to it as though it is just another evil of modern lifestyles. Here are some tips to lose weight while at work n Look for opportunities to stand Whenever you get an opportunity to stand do so. It’s a great way to burn calories. Move around while talking on the phone. n Take a fitness break We all love to take those coffee or snack breaks to distress. Instead of that take a fitness break, ie go for a brisk walk or do some gentle stretching. Don’t want to walk alone, then you can get a group of office friends and make a walking group. It’s a great way to socialise and lose weight as well. n Walk to work If you stay close to your workplace then it’s an ideal scenario. Walk to you workplace as often as possible. If you don’t want to walk then you could even try cycling to work. It’s a great work out for those pins. n Stuck at an airport? Great! This is ideal for those whose work makes you travel a lot. While at the airport grab your bags and take a brisk walk. Take a walk down to your hotel fitness centre or carry easy and small exercise equipment with you such as jump-ropes and resistance bands. n Meetings on the go Depending on the situation you could have a meeting or a discussion with your colleague while walking. An outdoor meeting would be great to rejuvenate both you and your co-worker ! n Ditch the elevator In these days of high-rises and swanky office premises, we’re guessing your office is equipped with numberous elevators to offer you a ride up. How about giving them a miss? Take the stairs. The higher your office, the more calories you’ll burn. Besides, it’s a great way to escape that boring music in the lift. n Get chatty We’re sure your desk has a bunch of intercoms that you use to call a colleague. Now, try walking up to his/her desk and conveying the message yourself. It’ll also be a refreshing break from the otherwise boring computer screen.
At the workplace
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The appraisal affect Shiba Minai shiba.m@postnoon.com
M
ost employees think that appraisals only scare the reporting members and not the managers who appraise their teams, but that is a myth. The boss feels as much pressure as his team does. A good manager wants to ensure that he keeps his employee, satisfied and tries his level best to be fair. But when you work closely with your team, invariably you tend to know more about them than just work. Sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes the plain ugly truth. Does the kind of equation you share with your colleague make a difference on how the appraisal fares? Celina Menon, manager business development in an international bank, recalls an incident when she was an assistant team leader, “I have to be honest, when I was assisting my team leader in appraisals, I was influenced by the relationship I shared with my team members. For instance, I had a lady in the team who always gave excuses for extra responsibilities, but was great with her own performance. But, when employees are not team players it impacts the whole team especially the mid-level people like me are impacted even more.” She continues, “During that year I had to do the first round of appraisals, and I marked her down on grounds of being a bad team player. This was the time I was told by my boss that I had been harsh on her, although I didn’t agree that time, today I understand that I could not see beyond that one negative
Performance reviews or appraisals is that time of the year that makes both the appraiser and the candidate nervous. More often than not the biggest challenge is being able to rise above the ‘impression or bond’ one has with their subordinate. We share the challenges
aspect of the employee. I almost disregarded all her advantages.” Sometimes, it can be difficult to segregate professional versus personal. But one can ensure that the Key Result Areas, popularly known as the KRA’s must be clearly communicated. Mohsin Farooq, deputy manager in a BPO talks about his appraisal experience, “One of my ex bosses and I shared a great rapport, so much so that I would fill in for him if he ever had any work. And when I was appraised, I had the best rating in my team. It’s not like I had done no work to get a good rating, but I definitely knew there were other colleagues who deserved better. I knew our bond had worked in my favour, however since I didn’t think it was fair I spoke to my boss and told him my point of view and luckily he understood and acted accordingly.” What can be done to ensure that the ‘personal aspect’ does not become the obstacle that stops growth? Farrell Leone team leader at Apollo Health Street says, “It’s very important that as managers you realise that being a good team leader means better performance and in turn adds to your growth. It is best to align your goals with your team and vice versa.” He further adds, “Also, appraisals is not your chance to demoralise or degrade someone, neither is it a time to display which team member you stand by the most. It’s a time to review performance in a fair and square manner.” Like someone said, "People leave bosses, not organisations", so it's important to ensure that there is clarity and transparency at every step, and no matter what your personal rapport is like, you learn to call a spade, a spade!
CARL DWYER
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Resolving complaints HR consultant Farida Naaz
H
ow often have you come across this situation: you have some complaint that's been forwarded to your company's HR personnel and they have taken ages to resolve it? In any given organisation, at any given point in time there will be employees whining about HR practices and how they wish their complaints were solved as soon as they were posted. While this may not be humanly possible there are ways in which the HR personnel can help their employees. Simple steps can make your lives easier, like believing in and practicing transparency by both parties — HR and employee. It could start right from the interviewing procedure, to inductions and to every formal interaction. Whenever there is a concern, complaints are lodged. For the employee it's just that one concern, but for the HR there are hundreds more which are equally important. A lot of times, the response time can be long as background checks and investigations need to be carried out for every concern raised.Sometimes you could feel frustrated and blaming the management might seem right! But I would suggest you always have a chat with the management about the difficulties/challenges that you are facing first, then have a word with the HR and if that does not yield results, please proceed to the next step.
Scent of a co-worker Sana Mirza sana.m@postnoon.com
W
e have all heard that disclaimer preceding a comment that might actually embarrass a recipient. Similarly, how do you tell someone, he is stinking up the whole room because of his body odour. Body odour may not land up on the list of "things to discuss at a meeting" but it automatically labels itself important. It specially is a matter of concern if the
PET PEEVES person in consideration puts his hands up and rests them behind his head, exposing his sweaty patch on his shirt. The smell is preposterous, and it un-fazes you, the whole time, making it difficult to concentrate on your work. What's surprising is that you can name all the expensive perfumes and colognes that are available in the market, but fail to really acknowledge it for its real purpose.
“Many people coming from far off to work by train or by bikes, often forget the fact that humans tend to sweat. No matter how much powder or deodorant you apply at home, you ought to carry it to work too so that you can use it when you are in the company of other people,” suggests Bandhur Bajaj, a copywriter. How to tame: Send them an mail regarding the issue saying anonymous. It becomes awkward if you confront these people so it’s best to send them an email.
F‑Folio
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Because you are what you wear
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New York Fashion Week kick-started the season by ushering in some sizzling new trends in the world of accessories. Today we check out a list of renowned accessory designers who showcased their work at the event
BLOOMING SPRING Gio Diev
Fallon
A sleek pump from the designer's Spring 2012 collection. This New York-based designer after working with brands like Chanel, D&G, Fendi, came out with his own label. His work is inspired from his life and his passions and experiences during travel.
It’s a whole of brands for this designer who has worked with names like Gucci and Donna Karan and eventually taking to designing in 2006. She has also been associated with Proenza Schouler, Thakoon and J Crew. A statement necklace from the designer's Spring 2012 collection.
Jerome Rousseau A strappy sandal from the designer's Spring 2012 line-up. Alma mater of Cordwainers college in London, Rousseau launched his shoe line in 2008.
Albertus Swanepoel
Annette and Phoebe Stephens
Nominee for names like Swarovski and WGSN, Albertus has been associated with designers like Marc Jacobs and Rodarte since 2004. A hat from the designer's Spring 2012 collection.
An eye-catcher, the shine on this ring is simply brilliant. The sister duo Phoebe and Annette Stephens, founded their jewellery line Anndra Neen in 2009, with designs inspired from their childhood in Mexico.
Alexis Bittar
Pamela Love
Phillip Crangi
A midwestern-inspired necklace from the designer's Spring 2012 collection. An assistant to painter Francesco Clemente, this New Yorker started making her designs a really early and are an inspiration from folk art and nature.
Phillip has been associated with Vera Wang and Jason Wu for their runway shows and had launched his own jewellery and costume line in 2001 as Giles and Brother and is also a trained goldsmith at RISD. A tribal-inspired bracelet from the designer's Spring 2012 collection.
Alejandro Ingelmo An architectural shoe from the designer's Spring 2012 collection. Alejandro debuted with his collection in 2006 and launched his first boutique in September 2011.
Denis Colomb
Ornate bracelets from the designer's Spring 2012 collection. Having collaborated with Michael Kors and Jason Wu, this jewellery designer has come a long way from selling his jewellery on New York streets.
This travel lover has gone a long way in the fashion world from his scarf collection in Nepal in 2003 to his exclusive scarves and shawls collection, to womenswear and menswear as well. An array of colourful scarves from Colomb's Spring 2012 line-up.
SOURCE: HARPER’S BAZAAR
Spotlight
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
PICS: A. SUDHEER REDDY
Bala & Varsha
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PICS: N SHIVA KUMAR
Porneeta & Girish
Sudir & Hema
Cupid’s guests Y
oung couples of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) at a pre-Valentine party on Monday night. The theme of the party was based on the film Ek Main Hu Aur Ekk Tu.
Sangeetha & Mahaveera, Hema & Sudir, Susheela & Milap
Tasty chicken Sachin & Dimple
Akansha & Uttam Kumar
Alok & Shashi Nehata
Milap & Susheela
Susheela, Sangeetha & Hema
Sheetal & Kishan
T
aapsee visited the Venkys Xpress outlet at Banjara Hills on Monday. The actor was all praises for the food and hospitality at Venkys.
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
Ishq releasing on February 24 N
ithin’s upcoming film Ishq is gearing up for release on February 24. Directed by Vikram K Kumar, the film may give a new lease of life to Nithin’s career, if the first look of the film was anything to go by. Nithya Menen is paired up with Nithin for the first time and thanks to PC Sreeram’s stunning cinematography, the first look got a fabulous response. Anup Rubens, Aravind-Shankar composed the music for the film. Most part of the film was shot in Hyderabad, Goa, Kerala and Manali.The film’s post production is going on in full swing to meet the deadline and Nithin is leaving no stone unturned to promote the film.
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T-TOWN TWEETIES
@shrutihaasan Epic insomnia has happened and have an early morning flight..Eeeks!i know cupids busy but seriously Mr sandman I could use some help here :/
@richyricha Happy Valentine’s Day tweeps. Hope ur day is filled with lots of affection,warmth n love frm ur near and dear ones :). Enjoy the pampering!
@Actor_Siddharth Really wanted a Feb 14 release for #KSY & #LoveFailure ... But it's a tuesday. That's why we had to wait for Friday Feb 17... Get ready :)
Manchu Manoj makes way for Sunil
@shraddhadas43
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anchu Manoj, Kriti Kharbanda and Sana Khan starrer Mr.Nokia is not going to release on February 17, as planned earlier. While the film is in the final stages of post production, we hear that Manoj has requested his producer D S Rao to postpone the film’s release since Sunil starrer Poola Rangadu was also slated for release on the same weekend. “Cant release NO.KIA on 17th as my brother sunil anna is releasing his movie POOLARANGADU:) will release a week after his:) pls bless and support SUNIL anna’s POOLARANGADU movie:) he’s done an excellent job with his dances and comedy:) gr8 hardwork and gr8 effort,” (sic) Manoj posted on Twitter praising Sunil. Yuvan Shankaraja’s music for Mr.Nokia has already become quite popular and Manoj has reportedly pushed the bar with respect to the action sequences.
Happy valentine’s day to all singles n couples!! Celebrate it whatever is ur status!! Mwaah!!
@taapsee Just visited Venky’s outlets in Banjara hills n hi tech city in Hyderabad. Amazing hospitality n e1 more amazing food. Yummmm.
@actor_nithiin Post production of ISHQ going on in full swing. ISHQ releasing on FEB 24... get ready for an ISHQFUL fun ride!
Balakrishna’s new avatar
B
alakrishna’s upcoming film in Ravi Kumar Chavali’s direction has been named as Srimannarayana. Parvathi Melton and Isha Chawla are pairing up with Balakrishna for the first time. The film was launched last week and it’ll go on floors very soon. K Atchi Reddy is producing the film and Chakri is composing the music. Co-incidentally, Srimannarayana was Balakrishna’s name in his superhit film Simha. Meanwhile, Balakrishna starrer Adhinayakudu is expected to hit the screens in March and there’s a rumour doing rounds that he might soon team up with Krishna Vamsi.
@RanaDaggubati #NaaIshtam being the first to release will be in screens last week of March with the audio releasing in the end of Feb.
@ramsayz For all those who have been asking -The title for #ENDHUKANTEPREMANTA in Tamil is Yen Endraal...Kaadhal Enbein! ... means the same thing..
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
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TECHIE TO TUNE SPINNER Singer Nandini Srikar tells us about her inspirations, successes and what made her enter the world of music Indira Atluri indira.a@postnoon.com
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he is the reigning Tzarina of ad-film jingles in India and her resume just doesn’t stop at that. A singer, music composer and a guitar player, Nandini Srikar recently sang for Ra-One, and has a line-up of projects in waiting. Though singing was her first love, she did not join the industry immediately, she was first working in the software industry. Telling us more about her shift from a techie to a tune spinner, she says, “When I was a kid my aunt had left her veena at my place. I have no recollection of watching anyone play one before but I could play any tune I heard on the instrument without any training. It came quite naturally to me, so my parents soon enrolled me for veena classes. None of them lasted long enough though, but I did give my first public performance at the age of four and a half years.” Nandini’s love for music is interesting as she learnt to play the acoustic guitar at the age of 12. She is also well versed in music like Carnatic, Hindustani, Western classical, Rock, Blues and Jazz. Nandini’s entry into the industry was purely by chance when she was spotted by singer Hariharan at a private gathering in 1997. Soon after she pursued her love for music and has never looked back since. She tells us, “I met Hariharan when he had come to perform for the Colonial Cousins gig at the Pune Festival. He had heard me sing and in the next 15 days recommended my name to Vidyasagar for a Tamil film song. After that song became a huge hit in the south, I quit my job and became a fulltime musician.” Nandini has to her credit, a few hundred ad jingles, in the last 14 years. Notable among them is her songs for Samsung X200, Kingfisher Airlines, Bru Cappuccino, Sunfeast Dark Fantasy, Muthoot Finance and Life Insurance Corporation. She has collaborated with several internationally renowned jazz musicians on a fusion platform, sung for both Bollywood and Tollywood, and has played the
guitar for Shaan and Hariharan's albums. When asked about her journey, Nandini says, “I do not want to be stereotyped. I don’t see why you can't be all of these if you have the capability. Personally, my sense of success or achievement comes from what I have learnt over the years, and not from anything else.” On interests other than music, Nandini tells us, “I read a lot and I love Math and Physics and allied subjects like Astronomy, Astrophysics and Quantum Physics. I read a lot on Psychology, Philosophy and History (particularly related to ancient cultures and civilisations). I love travelling to places of historic significance as opposed to modern cities. Nandini’s song Bhare Naina was loved by the audience, and received a lot of critical acclaim. She tells us excitedly, “I am fortunate that the song was loved by everyone. I do have other great movie projects lined up, but my work as music director will continue as usual. I've released my album Beete Pal recently and will be promoting it with live gigs. I’m also looking forward to some interesting collaborations which I am excited about. I have composed, programmed, produced and performed all the songs in my album.” Nandini’s success was far from easy. She tells us, “Creating my own music seemed a very difficult task to accomplish. All artistes are totally dependent on record labels for their production and promotion, and record companies had gotten into the bandwagon of doing only remixes and sexy videos. However, the last 15 years ushered in the era of the Internet, download sites like iTunes, Amazon etc. that have made record companies obsolete, creating new platforms for independent artists.” Her album ‘Beete Pal’ is now available on Amazon and iTunes and 30 other sites. With a multitude of projects in offing, Nandini is living her life to the fullest. And as an audience – we can’t wait to see what’s next – well, in this case, hear what’s next.
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
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B-TOWN TWEETIES
@realpreityzinta Happy Valentines Tweeple! Hope every one of u has had the privilege 2 love & be loved at least once in this lifetime! Love U all :-) Ting!
@RGVzoomin “@sirasri: Producers PRAY for cinema, Censor members PLAY with cinema, Critics PREY on cinema.”
Drug abuse part of Hollywood’s heritage: Mahesh Bhatt
@TheShilpaShetty Follow my husband @TheRajKundra for latest details on #superfightleague as they become available.
F
ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt is saddened by the sudden death of singer Whitney Houston and says that drug abuse has become main part of Hollywood’s heritage. He also pointed out that even Bollywood has this culture. “The pressure of stardom cries out for relief. The taste of success cries out for celebration. Drug abuse is a part of Hollywood’s heritage,” Bhatt posted on micro-blogging site Twitter. The 63-year-old says that not only Hollywood, even the Hindi film industry faces such problem. “Even here in Bollywood it is all available. It’s whether you want to take part in it or not. It’s all there. Anyone who says it isn’t is wrong,” he added. IANS
Priyanka wears Gauri-Nainika sari at Grammy red carpet
B
ollywood actress Priyanka Chopra walked down the red carpet at the Grammy Awards in a sari created by designer duo GauriNainika. The 29-year-old flew to Los Angeles from Berlin on Sunday night to attend the function where biggest names from the music industry came. “Ok guys!! Grammy time! Just landed into LA.. options of gowns.. Indian designer or western..?Hmmm..I’m biased towards wearing Indian talent..(sic),” Priyanka posted on twitter Monday morning. “A special behind the scenes pic only for you. On my way to the Grammy. In a Gauri and Nainika original! What say guys?,” she tweeted. IANS
@NeilNMukesh Sometimes u just start thinking of ppl u don’t want to. Guess when ur heart is pure the feelings get stronger. But it’s time to eliminate them.
@bipsluvurself
Vikram Bhatt got me into acting: Bipasha
B
ipasha Basu, who delivered one of her biggest hits with Vikram Bhatt, gives credit to the director for inspiring her to get into acting. They teamed up for 2002 ghost movie Raaz and now they are working together after a decade in Raaz 3D. “Raaz was a golden jubilee and none of the actors of my age had ever had it. It’s amazing working with Vikram after so many years. It’s very nostalgic
because Vikram actually got me interested in acting as I was lost,” Bipasha said. “I didn’t go to college. I dropped out of school and started modelling. I was very young and I was going through that flux where everyone decides what am I going to do. After modelling, I was wondering what to do. I was bored of modelling. That time actually Vikram got me to focus on this profession. So, coming back and working with him after so many years is fabulous,” she added. IANS
Today is a Special day to say 'I love u' to all the ppl who r an imp part of ur life! But say these 3 words only if u really mean it!
@iamsrk New KKR logo launched... was so good to be with ppl who have positive goals in heart and mind. I love my KKR team and friends Juhi & Jay.
@AnupamPkher It is NEVER a Farewell to The Best Dad in D World. Thank You Friends 4 making it d Most Celebrated day of our Lives :)
@deespeak Spread the love!!! Every day! Love, laughter and happiness to you all :) Happy Valentine's Day :)
Magic Screen
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For Further Details Please Contact Abhinay 9989399972 Nandlal 9951467988 Ravi Chander 8106039919
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
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Magic Screen
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
24
Jennifer Evans says,
Jennifer Aniston says Miss You Already
G
oing purely on box-office rather than critical reaction, Jennifer Aniston had a successful 2011 with comedies Just Go With It and Horrible Bosses. And now she’s aiming to blend a little more drama into the comedy sauce, signing on to star in Paul Andrew Williams’ Miss You Already. Williams wrote the script with Morwenna Banks, and the story follows how two life-long friends’ relationship is negatively affected when one becomes pregnant and the other falls seriously ill. It doesn’t sound like a laugh-riot, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Entertainment One will bring the film over here, and Williams plans to start shooting this summer. Aniston’s name is helping drum up other sales at the European Film Market.
she’s pregnant T
he 25-year-old wannabe chef, who is married to Wayne, said that she was shocked to discover that she had conceived a child while filming the Seven Network reality cooking series. Evans told a magazine, “We were not trying because I was concentrating on My Kitchen Rules and I wasn’t thinking about anything else. Then I missed my period and just ignored it completely, so we found out quite late. I didn’t really get that excited because I knew anything could happen. So we didn’t tell anybody.” The star said that she is convinced the baby is a boy, while her husband believes it to be a girl. She added that whatever
the gender, their child will be spoilt, saying: “[It] will have little designer booties and clothes.”
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
25
CLOONEY LEARNS ABOUT LIFE THE HARD WAY The Descendants ROAD TO OSCARS
Alexander Payne's touches upon the emotional conflict of a workaholic who finds himself in an unusual situation Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com
G
eorge Clooney has come a long way from being just an onscreen hottie. Considering the way he has been choosing his recent films like Up in the air, Micheal Clayton and Men who stare at goats, his recent film The Descendants will remain as one of the finest films in his career. There's something awkward about watching actors like George Clooney cry or talk
about their problems on screen. The problem is you expect them to be charismatic and be a superhero every time they appear on-screen. But The Descendants has none of those clichés. Based on a novel, of the same name, written by Kaui Hart Hemmings, the film touches upon themes like loneliness, love and protecting one's legacy. It’s interesting to see how Matt (George Clooney) reacts, once he learns that his wife has met with a freak accident. Moreover, his daughter reveals
that his wife has been having an affair. Matt is angry at his wife and also mad at himself for not being there for his wife when she needed him. Even his father-in-law blames Matt for being too selfish. Alexander Payne, who had earlier made films like About Schmidt and Sideways, once again put his characters through so many emotional conflicts that it’s hard to say who is on the wrong side. There’s absolutely no sense of urgency in Payne’s narration. Perhaps, it does make sense as
the story is set in Hawaii. We are shown the other side of people’s lives in the island, far from the beaches and tourist destinations. Matt struggles to come to terms with the reality in his life, but for the first time in his life, he’s concerned about his family. George Clooney is wonderful in his role and Shailene Woodley dazzles with her fiery performance. The Descendants isn’t the kind of film which will blow you away immediately, but it depicts the complexity of relationships so well that it’s hard not to empathise with the characters.
Chai Time
KAKURO
How to Play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: “How do you play Kakuro?”, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells - called a run - any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two - it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
SCRIBBLING PAD
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
26
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Somedeadly snakes 5 Letter opener? 9 Put an edge on 13 Board sticker 14 Waste maker of adage 15 Distinctive atmosphere 16 A dish with some of this and some of that 17 Exhausted 19 Hoopster's classical dance? 21 Kelly the clown 22 Grazing ground 23 Diddly-squat 26 Female sib, briefly 27 Goldberg and Field roles 30 Video-store section 32 What the president's advisors came down with? 34 "I could ___ horse!" 37 Understood, as a punch line 38 Alleviate 39 Parisian stinger? 44 Needle worker's art 45 The Grateful ___ 46 Boxer that can lick anyone? 49 Sault ___ Marie, Canada 50 Male sib, briefly 52 Completely cuckoo 54 Assignment in a chilly art class? 57 Apartment for trips to the city 60 Punch-in-the-stomach sounds 61 Concept 62 Conclude by reasoning 63 Tribe met by Lewis and Clark 64 Like the details in horror films? 65 Greek mountain 66 Sour-tasting DOWN 1 Pueblo bricks 2 Deli offering 3 Light benders 4 Feed the fire 5 Paint unskillfully
6 This, below the border 7 Coral-islet chain 8 Think quietly and inwardly 9 Light bulb unit 10 Rainbow gradation 11 Victorian, for one 12 ___ -o'shanter 14 Soaking spot 18 ___ Tranquility (region on the Moon) 20 Large European volcano 23 Saint Petersburg's river 24 One 13th of the month? 25 Ancient stringed instrument 28 Near, to a poet 29 Cafeteria worker's headwear 31 Encounter 32 Is unable 33 Raison d'___ 34 Baby salamanders 35 "I smell ___!"
("Something's fishy here!") 36 Place for your chapeau 40 Snake that can flatten its neck 41 Rags-to-riches writer Alger 42 Hammer user 43 Bart Simpson's teacher Krabappel 46 North or South state 47 ___ the road 48 Phrase before "Go!" 51 Jesse of the 1936 Olympics 53 Haughty sort
SUDOKU
54 Famous invasion nickname 55 Comic-strip barks 56 La ___ Tar Pits 57 Animal Farm critter 58 Single person's last words? 59 Auction conclusion? PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Love... It surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be. – Khalil Gibran
Chai Time STAR POWER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot
Date 15-2-2012
THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
You will encourage your children and support them, which will benefit in their growth. Some will undertake a joyful trip with family members. You will involve in religious activities.
Income will be directly proportional to your hard work. You will have to spend for good events that are to be perform‑ ed at home. Happy news from a dis‑ tance on the cards. Health looks fine.
Income will look up rapidly. You will act with responsibilty, control expenses and start saving for future. Blood relatives will respect and seek suggestions from you; avoid giving impractical commitments.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Avoid buying luxury items. Employees will get their demands fulfilled. However, col‑ leagues may not be co‑operative and hence avoid entrusting them any of your work. Businessmen might experience a dull trend.
Businessmen might consider contemplat‑ ing small investments to expand. Help your blood relatives and earn their affection. Employees will feel retaxed at workplace. Superiors will be favourable to them.
Parents will value your suggestions and support. Postpone plans to change resi‑ dence. Blood relatives will behave like water on a lotus leaf. Income will be steady and will gradually look up.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Be co‑operative with family members. Avo‑ id irrelevant and hurting talk. Those plan‑ ning to change residence can go ahead. Employees will be suitably rewarded for their hard work. All work will get done.
Sound financial position is seen. Be strict with your children and put them in the right direction. Be prompt in maintaining accounts to avoid embarrassment by govt officials. Bond with blood relatives.
By helping in time of need, you will occupy a place in the hearts of blood relatives. Employees will look cheerful as work will be completed as per plan. Income too will be satisfactory.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Parentsʼ health needs to be taken care of. Marriage or happy events to take place in family. Employees try to complete wo‑ rk within scheduled time. Remuneration for your hard work is not ruled out.
Strained relationship will resume. Good turning point likely in court issues. Hap‑ py events to take place at home. Emplo‑ yees will get surprise relief. Superiors will be favourable and supportive.
Health will be fine. Income will look up and keep you in good spirits. Income from various channels likely. Avoid taking important decisions based on commitments of friends and relatives.
SUMAA TEKUR
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Nine of Swords – Youʼre anxious about a new beginning or something unfamil‑ iar in your life. This may be affecting your sleep. Learn to relax and let go.
Queen of Swords – It always get lonely when your focus is only work, work and work all the time. Try to take time out to socialise more often.
Temperance – Youʼre on a short fuse with too many things to do and too little time. Beware of getting impatient and upset‑ ting someone very important.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Ten of Cups – Family is in focus. Emotions run high and youʼre getting a lot of ener‑ gy from family mem‑ bers. Spend time with them and take them out on a weekend.
Nine of Cups – This is the wish card. It, however, cautions you to be careful of asking for the wrong things, which may end up seeming frivolous.
Six of Wands – Projects are moving ahead successfully to your satisfaction. Take comfort in knowing that your planning is good and is being appreciated.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Queen of Cups – Emotions are in focus. Youʼre wearing your heart on your sleeve and those around you may or may not see this the right way.
Eight of Wands – This is the card of good fortune. If you have prepared well for this day, a really good opportunity will fall in your lap.
King of Swords – Youʼre working hard on something and youʼre using more of the head and less of the heart. Loose up and go with the flow.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Four of Pentacles – The focus is on money. You feel secure and stable only when you know that there is enough in the bank for a rainy day.
Four of Wands – Home life needs more attention. You may be too caught up in career to focus on the home and loved ones. You can change it if you want.
Eight of Swords – Nightmares may be disturbing your days. Bonds are being sev‑ ered and new ones are being made. The only way to deal with it is to accept it.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle PLAYER HELMET FUMBLE TACKLE
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
27
Vol: 1, No 212 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
Chai Time 1400 Naadi Aadajanme 1430 Pavitra 1500 Movie 1800 Sri Shanidevuni Mahimalu 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Missamma 2030 Edureetha 2100 Bhale Chancele 2200 CID 2300 Challenge 0700 Silver Screen 0730 Just For Fun 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Chaganti Arunachala Mahatyam 0900 Bhale Chancele
1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Jeevitha Chakram 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 No. 23, Mahalakshmi Nivasam 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Anveshana 2300 Gemini Vaarthalu 0800 Gemini Talkies 0830 Movie 1130 Aha Emi Ruchi 1200 Jeevitha Chakram 1230 Maa Inti Aada Paduchu 1300 Chittemmaa 1330 Gorintaku
1400 [V] Vignettes 1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1500 [V] Humse Hai Life 1530 [V] Trailers 1600 [V] Steal Ur Girlfriend 1700 [V] Zabardast Hits 1800 [V] Fresh Songs 1830 [V] Humse Hai Life 1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1930 [V] Humse Hai Life 2000 [V] Dare 2 Date 2100 [V] Vignettes 2130 [V] Trailers 2200 Love Kiya To Darna Kya 2300 [V] Humse Hai Life 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 2355 [V] Fresh Songs 0700 [V] Trailers 0730 [V] Zabardast Hits 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs 1200 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance
‘[V] Humse Hai Life’ at 1930 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]
1300 News Now At1 1330 News Now 1800 6 Pm 1830 Live Report 1900 Primetime 1930 The Game 2000 News Now At 8 2030 Live Report 2100 The Newshour 2200 The Newshour - Plus 2230 E Now 2300 News Now At 11 0800 The Morning News 0900 News Now 1200 Live Report 1230 News Now
‘The Game’ at 1930 Hrs only on TIMES NOW
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings
1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Super 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Ali 369 2245 Movie 0800 Jeevana Jyothi 0830 Tollywood Time 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi 1230 Star Mahila
1400 Ardhangi 1430 Movie 1800 Veera Naari Jhansi Laxmi Bhai 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Comedy Club 2230 Shree 2300 Bindas 2330 Latest Superhit Songs 0800 Gopuram 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam 0930 Ayurveda Jeevana Vignanam 1000 Zee 70 Mm A.C 1200 Mee Inti Vanta
‘Business Tonight’ at 2100 Hrs only on ET NOW 1400 The F And O Show 1430 Closing Trades 1530 Tomorrow's Trades 1600 Business Day 1730 Markets Tomorrow 1800 Rush Hour 1830 Brand Equity Special 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Markets Tomorrow 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At10 2230 Leaders Of Tomorrow 2300 Starting Up 0900 First Trades 1000 Hot Stocks 1100 Buy Now Sell Now - The Stock Game 1130 Buy Now Sell Now 1200 Market Sense 1300 Business Day 1330 Markets Now
1250 Movie - Paycheck 1510 Wipeout 1605 Breaking The Magician's Code 1700 Got To Dance 1800 Chuck 1900 Wipeout 2000 Supernatural 2100 Minute To Win It 2200 Fear Factor 2300 Guinness World Records Smashed 0900 Sky Teleshopping 0930 Criss Angel Mindfreak 1000 The Millionaire Matchmaker 1100 Minute To Win It 1200 Got To Dance 1320 Movie - Kiss The Girls
‘Chuck’ at 1800 Hrs on AXN
‘S S S – P’ at 2030 Hrs on IMAGINE 1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 1600 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1700 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1730 Haar Jeet 1800 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 1830 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1900 Haar Jeet 1930 Gyaan Guru 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 2130 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet 2300 Gyaan Guru
‘Balika Vadhu’ at 2000 Hrs on COLORS
‘Bhagonwali’ at 2230 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1500 Afsar Bitiya 1530 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1630 Shobha Somnath Ki 1730 Ram Milayi Jodi 1800 Hitler Didi 1830 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Choti Bahu 2 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milayi Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Bhagonwali 2300 Afsar Bitiya
1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1530 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada 1600 Crime Patrol - Dastak 1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak 2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2030 Dekha Ek Khwaab 2100 Saas Bina Sasuraal 2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 2200 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada 2230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 2300 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2330 Crime Patrol - Dastak 0900 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 0930 Dekha Ek Khwaab 1000 CID
‘Saas Bina Sasuraal’ at 2100 Hrs on SONY
‘Diya Aur Bati Hum’ at 2100 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak? 1500 Navya 1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool 1700 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1730 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 1800 Navya 1830 Ruk Jana Nahin 1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool 2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum 2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2200 Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein 2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?
MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
1328 The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King 1700 Shrek 2 1840 The Mexican 2100 You've Got Mail 2320 Deep Blue Sea 0752 Friends 0822 Blast From The Past 1013 Dumb And Dumber 1209 17 Again
1410 Laws Of Attraction 1610 The Back-Up Plan 1825 Valentine's Day 2100 Sherlock Holmes 2345 The World Is Not Enough 0845 Greenberg 1050 Dirty Dancing 1255 Sherlock Holmes
Yeh Rishta Kya Kuch To Log Kahenge Kehlata Hai Storyline - Naitik has planned a valentine’s day surprise for Akshara. Will Naitik’s plan be successful, and Akshara Naitik be able to celebrate Valentine’s day?
Storyline - Nidhi is excited as it’s her & Dr. Ashutosh's first Valentine's Day together. But she gets upset when Ashutosh shares that he doesn’t believe in Valentine’s Day.
‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ at 2130 Hrs on STAR PLUS
‘Kuch To Log Kahenge’ at 2000 Hrs on SONY
1400 Better With You 1800 E News 1900 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 2000 Outsourced 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 Rizzoli And Isles 2200 Rookie Blue 2300 Outsourced 2330 Scrubs 0800 In Plain Sight 0900 Parenthood 1000 Outsourced 1030 America's Funniest Home Videos 1100 Rizzoli And Isles 1200 Rookie Blue 1300 Slot 1330 America's Funniest Home Videos
‘Man Vs Wild’ at 2100 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1400 Dino World 1600 One Man Army 1700 Discovery Showcase 1800 Wild Discovery 1900 Man Woman Wild 2000 Culinary Asia 2100 Man Vs Wild 2200 One Man Army 2300 The Survivors 1000 Man Vs Wild 1100 Wildest India 1200 Get Out Alive 1300 Wild Discovery
1400 Parichay 1430 Balika Vadhu 1500 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1530 Uttaran 1600 Phulwa 1630 Parichay 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Hawan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Phulwa 2130 Parichay 2200 Uttaran 2230 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2300 Na Aana Is Des Laado 2330 Balika Vadhu
28
‘Castle’ at 1400 Hrs on STAR WORLD
‘Better With You’ at 1400 Hrs on ZEE CAFE
1400 Castle 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Supernatural 2200 The Shield 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Two And A Half Men 0700 The Shield 0800 Castle
1400 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1430 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1500 Lapataganj 1530 F.I.R 1600 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1630 Chidiyaghar 1700 Gutur Gu 1730 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1900 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1930 Lapataganj 2000 Chintu Chinki Aur Ek Badmash Family 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 2100 Chidiyaghar 2130 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 F.I.R 2300 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 2330 Chidiyaghar 0900 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 0945 Ring Wrong Ring
‘Lapataganj’ at 2200 Hrs on SAB
‘Sherlock Holmes’ at 2100 Hrs on HBO
1430 Storm Chasers 1530 Discovery Science Classics 1630 Toughest Military Jobs 1730 Weapon Masters 1830 Best Of Discovery Science 1930 Machines 2000 Oddities 2030 Sports Science 2130 Mythbusters 2230 Future Weapons 2330 Some Assembly Required 1030 Toughest Military Jobs 1130 Storm Chasers 1230 Best Of Discovery Science 1330 Machines
‘Style Strip’ at 2000 Hrs on ZOOM 1400 Movie 1730 Star Bonanza 1800 Letz Go! 1900 Planet Bollywood News 1930 Link'D 2000 Style Strip 2030 Letz Go! 2100 Zabar 10 2130 Link'D 2200 B - Tonite 2230 Let's Design 4 2300 Bollywood Bonanza 0700 Fresh Mornings 0800 Red Carpet 0805 Fresh Mornings 1100 Zoom Box 1200 Garma Garam 1300 Planet Bollywood News 1330 Page 3
‘Mythbusters’ at 2130 Hrs on DISCOVERY SCIENCE
‘Frasier’ at 1930 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME 1400 Frasier 1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Big Wheels 1600 Galileo Extreme 1700 Survivor 1800 Entertainment Tonight 1830 Galileo Extreme 1930 Frasier 2000 Entertainment Tonight 2030 Galileo Extreme 2100 Hawaii 5.0 2200 Jerry Springer 2300 Survivor 0700 Big Wheels 0730 Aspire 0800 Galileo Extreme 0900 Survivor1000 Bellator 1100 Jerry Springer 1200 Big Wheels 1230 Entertainment Tonight 1300 Galileo Extreme
Playing Field
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The games people play
29
Aaron Shingler looks forward to Morgan date CARDIFF: Aaron Shingler has said he would “love the chance” to play against Scarlets teammate Ben Morgan when Wales bid for the Triple Crown against England at Twickenham later this month. Shingler impressed on his Wales debut when starting in place of injured captain Sam Warburton during the 27-13 Six Nations win over Scotland at the Millennium Stadium here on Sunday. The 24-year-old openside flanker did not appear overawed at all as Wales made it two wins out of two in this season’s Six Nations to move top of the table. Having beaten Ireland in their tournament opener, World Cup semi-finalists Wales can complete a clean sweep of the other three ‘Home Unions’ and so claim the Triple Crown trophy if they defeat England at Twickenham on February 25. But although Warburton, if fit, should return to the starting lineup for the third leg of what Welsh fans hope will be the third leg of a Grand Slam, Shingler’s display in Cardiff could well see him retained in the matchday 22. Meanwhile Scarlets No 8 Morgan is in line to start after impressing off the bench during England’s Six nations wins over Scotland and Italy. “I’ve had plenty of contact with Ben,” Shingler said. “Whether I will get a chance to play against Ben, who knows? But I would love the chance to play against him.
“Ben is a superb player, and he is certainly in a bit of form at the moment.” Shingler’s call-up at the weekend meant he beat brother Steven to a first Test cap. Steven Shingler, a centre with English Premiership side London Irish, was selected in Scotland’s Six Nations training squad last month, qualifying through his Dumfries-born mother. But the Welsh Rugby Union contested his eligibility on the grounds he’d already played for Wales Under-20s. The International Rugby Board are set to hand down a ruling on whether Steven can play for Scotland and Aaron said: “It would have been great had Steve been involved (in the Wales-Scotland match), but it was not to be. “I think he has got a hearing at the end of this month, and good luck to him,” he added. Wales coach Warren Gatland praised Shingler’s performance after the Scotland match, saying: “He had a good game, he made a couple of good carries. He has to be pretty happy with his debut in front of 74,000 at the Millennium Stadium, winning his first cap and getting a win.” Born in Aldershot, southern England, Shingler was once a promising young cricketer with Welsh county Glamorgan. “I was with Glamorgan for a few seasons, but then I decided to play a bit of rugby,” he said. “I would have gone back to cricket, but the rugby went well, and here I am.”
French clubs angry about schedule PARIS: French club sides have weighed into the debate over when to re-programme the France versus Ireland Six Nations game, demanding that it be held after their season finishes in June, informed sources said. Saturday night’s game at the Stade de France fell victim to the frigid conditions just minutes before referee Dave Pearson was due to whistle for it to start, leaving 80,000 fans to vent their frustrations. The Six Nations organising committee were initially looking at playing the match in one of the two upcoming “free” weekends during the course of this year’s tournament, which were next weekend or the weekend of March 3-4.
But following a Six Nations Council meeting on Monday, the committee confirmed that the match would “not take place this weekend (February 17/18/19)”. “A further meeting of the Council will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) to hopefully resolve the issues of rescheduling and ticket policy,” it said. “There are very significant logistical issues arising from this situation, and we would wish to be in a position to give a comprehensive clarification following the meeting.” The French Rugby League has written to the committee pointing out that 10 out of the 17 Top 14 weekends this season had already clashed with international fixtures, mainly due to the
FOR THIS REASON, THE FRL ASKED THAT THE GAME BE HELD OVER UNTIL THE TOP 14 SEASON ENDS ON JUNE 9 WHEN THE FINAL IS HELD AT THE STADE DE FRANCE. World Cup in New Zealand. For this reason, the FRL asked that the game be held over until the Top 14 season ends on June 9 when the final is held at the Stade de France. The Six Nations committee were aware of the request and were pondering their options, the informed sources said. Toulouse manager Guy Noves evoked the possibility of playing
before the summer tours but added that they would comply with whatever decision was made despite missing up to eight of their players to Six Nations duty. “For me from a sporting point of view after having already played half of the championship without players the interests of rugby are the obvious priority. “I won’t go against it (the FRL decision), that’s not my role.” Noves added: “Trying to make up what happened now is going to be complicated. “The only victims were the 80,000 people who came to Stade de France and who have still not have their ticket reimbursed and knowing there will be a lot of expense involved in the next match.”
Alas! Scots may miss Strokosch EDINBURGH: Scotland flanker Alasdair Strokosch could miss the rest of the Six Nations with a broken hand, it was announced on Monday. The 28-year-old suffered the injury during Scotland’s 27-13 loss to Wales in Cardiff on Sunday and, in a statement issued by the Scottish Rugby Union, team doctor James Robson said: “Recovery from such an injury takes typically between four to six weeks.” The Six Nations is due to end on March 17, when Scotland are away to Italy. Strokosch, who won his 25th cap against Wales, was replaced at the Millennium Stadium by John Barclay, who could now start in the back row against France at Murrayfield on February 26. Meanwhile Scotland were also waiting on news over wing Max Evans, who went off early against Wales with an ankle injury. “Max will be seen by the specialist ankle surgeon John McKinley at Spire Murrayfield Hospital today and we will await a further update later this week,” Robson added. Back-row David Denton (foot) and prop Ed Kalman (neck) also needed medical attention after the Wales game and will be monitored ahead of the France clash. Sunday’s defeat was Scotland’s fourth straight loss in all competitions and their second in as many Six Nations matches this term, following the 13-6 reverse against England at Murrayfield. Scotland have now lost nine of their 12 Six Nations matches under Andy Robinson, the former England coach. The Scots now face yet another battle to avoid the wooden spoon and they next play World Cup finalists France, a team they’ve beaten just once in their last 12 Six Nations matches.
Playing Field
The games people play
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
India’s bowling coach Eric Simons sacked
GOOD JOB
India celebrate the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera who was caught by Virat Kohli (2nd from right) off R Ashwin during the AFP One-day International cricket match in Adelaide on Tuesday. Lankans posted 236 for 9 as LD Chandimal top scored with 81.
Ponting to lead Aussies SYDNEY: Former skipper Ricky Ponting will lead Australia in the place of injured Michael Clarke for Australia’s tri one-day series international against Sri Lanka in Sydney, officials said on Tuesday. Ponting, who was replaced as Australia captain last year, was named as the stand-in skipper for Friday’s match after Clarke injured a hamstring in the team’s four-wicket loss to India in Adelaide last Sunday. Team officials said they hoped that Clarke would recover from his low-grade hamstring strain in time for Sunday’s ODI against India in Brisbane. “After careful consideration the selection panel has asked Ricky Ponting if he would captain the Australian ODI team in Michael Clarke’s absence,” chief selector John Inverarity said. “The panel appreciates the fact that Ricky is prepared to accept this responsibility in the wider interests of the team.” Paceman Brett Lee and senior batsman Mike Hussey return to the squad with fast bowler Ryan Harris rested, but there was no place for Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who has yet to play in the tri ODI series. Selectors also named opening batsman
30
David Warner as team vice-captain in the continuing absence of Shane Watson, who will try to prove his fitness in a Sheffield Shield match this weekend. “Michael Clarke will not be considered for the ODI in Sydney this Friday due to a lowgrade hamstring strain,” Inverarity said. “The medical staff are hopeful that Michael will be fit to play in Brisbane on Sunday and that is why he has been included in the squad.” Inverarity said some players in the squad were showing signs of fatigue after a demanding summer of Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 cricket. “Ryan Harris has been omitted for this reason and for the fact that he is carrying some minor niggles,” he said. “The selectors have refreshed the squad with the inclusion of Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus. “Brett is making a good recovery from his toe injury and will be given rigorous fitness tests before Friday’s ODI, and as expected Michael Hussey returns to the squad.” Inverarity said new vice-captain Warner had the potential to helm the team one day. AFP
CHENNAI: The BCCI has sacked India’s bowling coach Eric Simons, who becomes the first casualty in the wake of India’s Test debacle in England and Australia. In a decision taking at the board’s Working Committee meeting in Chennai on Monday, it was decided that Simons would be relieved of his duties at the end of the ongoing ODI tri-series in Australia, reported cricketnext.com. The BCCI has also already identified a replacement, with former Australian paceman Joe Dawes set to be appointed as the new bowling coach. Queenslander Dawes, 41, played over 75 first-class matches for the Australian state team, but did not get a chance to feature in the national side. Simons joined the Indian team as part of Gary Kirsten’s support staff in January 2010. However, after a run of eight consecutive Test defeats abroad in which India’s bowlers failed to impress cost him his place.
Cook, Finn set up England win ABU DHABI: Paceman Steven Finn took a career-best 4-34 and Alastair Cook hit his highest score to help England beat Pakistan in a 130-run win in the first daynight international here on Monday. Finn, reduced to serving the drinks during England’s 3-0 defeat in the preceding Test series, destroyed Pakistan’s batting with four early wickets off 29 balls to dismiss them for 130 in 35 overs after Cook’s 137 helped his team to 260-7. The win gives England a 1-0 win in the fourmatch series after a disastrous Test series — their first as world number one in the five-day format. Pakistan looked all at sea against Finn who used the wind to move the ball. The 22-year-old lanky paceman, who showed his frustration at being sidelined in the Tests, trapped Mohammad Hafeez (five) and Asad Shafiq (nought) off successive balls in his second over.
Playing Field
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
The games people play
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US gals eye fifth gold COLORADO SPRINGS: A pool of 21 players, nine of them Olympic gold medalists and most from the Women’s NBA, were named by USA Basketball on Monday as finalists for spots on the 2012 London Olympic roster. The Americans will seek their fifth gold medal in a row next August, having beaten Australia in the past three Olympic finals as part of a 33-game win streak that dates back to a loss in the 1992 Barcelona semi-finals. Seattle’s Sue Bird, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi and Indiana’s Tamika Catchings hope to play for a third
SEATTLE’S SUE BIRD, PHOENIX’S DIANA TAURASI AND INDIANA’S TAMIKA CATCHINGS HOPE TO PLAY FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL SQUAD. consecutive Olympic gold medal squad. All three played on the 2010 world championship squad that earned the US women an Olympic berth.
Other past US Olympic champions up for a 2012 spot include Swin Cash from 2004 in Athens and Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Candace Parker and Cappie Pondexter from 2008 in Beijing. Others seeking a US roster spot for London include Jayne Appel, Rebekkah Brunson, Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Lindsey Harding, Asjha Jones, Angel McCoughtry, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Sophia Young and collegian Brittney Griner. AFP
Sue Bird
Lin’s the name on everyone’s lips The 23-year-old has caught the fancy of the world with his performance BEIJING: The rise to stardom of Jeremy Lin, the first US-born NBA player of ethnic-Chinese heritage, has taken China by storm as the New York Knicks player becomes the focus of adulatory interest online. Lin, the 23-year-old point guard for the Knicks, has captured attention worldwide after coming off the bench last week and helping New York to five straight triumphs while stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire were absent. He was already popular among Chinese basketball fans after he joined the Golden State Warriors last season in San Francisco. In 2010, he also participated in charity basketball games organised by China’s famed Yao Ming. But ever since he dropped 38 points on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday morning Beijing time, the number of followers of his Chinese Twitter-like weibo microblog
has shot up, reaching nearly 850,000. “I have once again found a reason to be infatuated with the NBA after Yao Ming retired, and it’s because of you,” one fan said on Sina’s weibo service. Chinese press reports said Yao — a huge star who retired from the NBA last year — had sought to sign Lin to the Chinese Basketball Association’s Shanghai Sharks during the NBA lockout last year but Lin opted against playing in China. While difficult to match the huge interest generated by Yao over the years, Lin’s sudden stardom means that basketball fans in China have another person to focus on beyond Yi Jianlian, currently the Asian nation’s only NBA player. On Sunday, China’s state television CCTV even adjusted its NBA schedule, broadcasting New York’s win over Minnesota and announcing it planned to show more Knicks games this week.
When I get on the court and I play with our team, none of us are thinking about all of this other stuff that’s going on. Jeremy Lin Lin has also become a fixture with leading sports newspapers like Titan Sports Weekly and the Basketball Pioneers, while search engine Baidu.com turned up 1.6 million Internet postings under Lin’s Chinese name. His Chinese Wikipediastyle Baike page, meanwhile, has generated 3.5 million hits. From Lin-sanity and Linning to Super Lin-tendo and Shots are Fal-Lin’, the
headlines and catchphrases are multiplying for the 23year-old guard, the first American-born player of Taiwanese and Chinese heritage in the NBA. “I didn’t know that you could turn Lin into so many things,” Lin said on Friday. “Me and my family were just laughing last night because I guess we underestimated how creative everyone could be.” Lin had a difficult start in the NBA. He was undrafted after playing at Harvard University but eventually reached a contract with Golden State in July 2010. They waived him in December last year. The Houston Rockets then briefly claimed him but Yao’s former team also ended up waiving him. But he eventually found a place with the Knicks late last year, and became the first player since LeBron James to average 20 points and eight assists in his first two NBA starts.
Playing Field
The games people play
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
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Mancini treated me like a dog, says Tevez LONDON: Carlos Tevez headed back to England accusing Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini of treating him “like a dog” in the incident that led to his exile from the Premier League leaders. The Argentina striker said Monday that an angry Mancini swore at him during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich in September, where the forward’s refusal to warm-up incensed his Italian boss. Tevez hasn’t played for City since that September 27 match in Germany but is due to return to Eastlands on Tuesday in a bid to revive a career that has effectively been suspended for more than three months. Mancini has indicated his willingness to make peace with Tevez if the player apologises to him. And Tevez, during a Fox Sports interview broadcast in translation on Britain’s Sky Sports News on Monday, said: “I do not think I was wrong, but if they (the club) think so I apologise. “I am ready to return, to win and do the best for the club’s shirt,” he added. “Hopefully I can help City to be champions again.” But given his description of events in Munich, it may take more than Tevez saying ‘sorry’ to repair his relationship with Mancini. “I was kind of in a bad mood and when he brings on (Nigel) de Jong and takes off (Edin) Dzeko and we’re losing 2-0 I thought it was a defensive substitution so I decided to sit back on the bench,” Tevez recalled. “I had already warmed up for 10 minutes and he has this attitude that he wants to lose 2-0 instead of 4-0. “So I sat down and at the same time Dzeko comes off and is really angry and has a go at Mancini. He then sees the tunnel is closed so he has to sit down next to him and they start to have an argument. “Dzeko was speaking Bosnian and Mancini would swear at him in Italian so it was a real mess. “So I go and sit down and he doesn’t see me because he’s having this discussion. But then he turns around and sees me and you can imagine what happens. “He’s in the middle of an argument so then he tells me to keep on warming up and treats me like a dog. “So when he spoke to me in that tone of voice, and I said ‘No, I’m not going out’. So I was willing to play, but the coach was in such a foul mood because he had that argument with Dzeko.”
Alves urges Barça to get back to winning ways Brazil LEVERKUSEN: defender Dani Alves said holders Barcelona need to win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in the first-leg of their Champions League Round of 16 to restore their winning habit. Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves 10 points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in La Liga after their shock 3-2 defeat at Osasuna on Saturday and face an uphill challenge to repeat last season’s Spanish league success. Barcelona won their
Champions League group at a canter, but find themselves second in the Spanish league and Alves says a good performance at Leverkusen can help the confidence flow as they look to bridge the domestic gap with Real. “We are realistic, 10 points is of course a big distance to bridge, but we have to keep believing in ourselves and fighting, there is no other alternative,” said the 28-year-old. “We need a win here, we have to concentrate on our-
selves. “We have an enormous desire to keep winning, it’s what we are used to. “The mood in the team is unusual, because we aren’t used to being in this situation, but we have to stay strong. “We have to see that we have to keep working and hopefully things will come good at the end.” Guardiola insists he is only concerned about leaving Germany with a good result with the return leg in Spain on March 7.
Thierry Henry to give Gunners farewell gift MILAN: Thierry Henry will be looking to give the club he loves a farewell gift as he makes his final appearance for Arsenal against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday. Henry’s second spell at the North Londoners is set to come to an end on Thursday when he will return to the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer. And having bowed out of his Premier League commitments on Saturday with a vital winning goal at Sunderland, Henry will be hoping to leave an equally lasting impression at the San Siro. These two sides meet at this stage of the competition for the second time in four years. Back in 2008/09 Milan came away from the Emirates with a goalless draw but two goals in
the final six minutes in Italy from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor saw Arsenal triumph 2-0 on aggregate. That was the start of a miserable run for the rossoneri who were also knocked out at the second round stage by English opposition in the next two years with Manchester United and Tottenham both winning at the San Siro as well. Until that juncture Milan had never lost at home to an English side but now they will be looking to end this run of three successive reverses. And they will have to keep an eye on Henry who at 34 proved during his six-week spell with Arsenal that he can still cut it at the top level, even though he was mostly used as a substitute.