Postnoon E-Paper for 15 March 2012

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012 HYDERABAD

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PTI/SHAHBAZ KHAN

IS THE FM LISTENING? Captains of industry and services in Andhra Pradesh point out some crucial debilitating factors which the finance minister must address to ensure the ambitious nine per cent growth. We summarise the issues involved in P7 our pre-budget special.

TRIVEDI DRAMA DRAGS ON His trademark smile was missing when Dinesh Trivedi parried questions from reporters about party chief Mamata Banerjee seeking his expulsion from the Union ministry. Trivedi said he has not resigned yet but will put down his papers if directed by the PM. Though Pranab Mukherjee stated that Trivedi has not resigned, both Houses were adjourned due to Opposition’s demand for PM’s statement on the issue.

REPORT ON PG 11, 14

Matching the high-voltage drama at the Centre, Ramarao, a member of the political JAC at Vizag created quite a flutter when he scaled a hoarding tower this morning demanding a special railway P6 zone for the region.

AIR SHOW SPECIAL

P8, 9

N SHIVA KUMAR

‘MAKE VIZAG SPECIAL ZONE FOR RAILWAYS’

FLASH

WATER SUICIDE IS WARNING In the first-ever incident that paints a grim trend ahead, a 45-year-old man set himself ablaze in frustration at the lack of water in Moulali. He died in hospital today.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

The seed giver The play — Seed giver will be presented in French at the Nift auditorium. This dance-drama is based on a french producted L'homme Semence. It is based in the BassesAlpes Region of France.

Where: Nift Auditorium, Madhapur When: March 15, 7.30pm Contact: (040) 2311 1938

COLOUR CO-ORDINATED M ANIL KUMAR

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that it represents the traditional home-style cooking.

Where: Spice Junxion, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Acting workshop Samahaara — an acting and dancing workshop is being held to help you hone your acting skills. The workshop focusses on a variety of topics such as understanding the basics of stage acting and character analysis, stage geography etc.

Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pm Contact: 98854 04784

Temple Art A painting exhibition titled, Temple Town is on display at Iconart Art Gallery. The exhibition presents art work by Karunakaran and Satheesh Kanna.

Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 6879

Go Splash

Catch the bands Head Motif, Independent Artist and The Upper Basement compete at the Battle of the Bands being held at Hard Rock Cafe.

Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: March 15, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 4476 7900

Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to unwind.

During the evenings, there is great music, martinis and aperitifs.

Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Unique buffet

Sacred Women

Battle of the bands

Yellow Chilli is offering a lunch buffet which is truly different. The Buffet which costs `199 (Monday to-Friday) and `249 (Saturday and Sunday) includes a cold drink. The dinner buffet costs `299 and `349.

Where: Yellow Chilli, Rd No 12, Banjara Hills, When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 23383838

Children’s play English children’s play Bobby will be performed at Lamakaan. The play

by Nishumbita deals with a child who learns to live on his own due to his unrelenting and working parents.

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: March 15, 7.30 pm Contact: 96427-31329

Water colours Iconart is hosting Aquarelle as a part of it's Buy Art initiative. It features water colour paintings by 15 artists.

Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: March 20 onwards, 11.30 am Contact: 98499 6879

Celebrating vivah Wedding shopping on your mind?

Head to Celebrate Vivah 2012 — Wedding Exhibition, a luxurious wedding exhibition. The exhibition

CINEMAS

is being held from March 15.

Where: Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre, Tank bund When: March 15 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Women in India Women changing in India is an exhibition of books and paintings that depict women. The exhibition is being presented by Magnum Photos and Zubaan.

Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Bengali food festival A Bengali food festival is being held at Firdaus, Taj Krishna. Sample a variety of Bengali delicacies.

Where: Firdaus, Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards

Contact: (040) 6666 2323

Reflection of women Aiana — Reflection of Women, a painting exhibition is being conducted at Kala Bhavan, Saifabad.

The exhibition is by Bhavana and Sindoor.

Where: Kala Bhavan/ ICCR Art Gallery, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 6398

Mystic Five Alankritha Art Gallery presents Mystic Five. The exhibition is by Anand Panchal, Arvind Kolapkar, Dilip Chaudhury, Nityam Singha Roy and Sanjay Raut.

Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Thaali festival Spice Junxion is offering a variety of favourites from different regions such as Rayalseema and Telangana.

The unique aspect of the thaali is

On the occasion of Shrishti Art Gallery’s 10th anniversary an exhibition called Women-Sacred and the Temporal is being held. The exhibition displays 10 eminent women artists.

Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Silk Utsav Madhya Pradesh Khadi & Village Industries Board, Bhopal is hosting an MP Silk Utsav. Head to the exhibition for a variety of exotic & colourful bagh Khadi sarees, Maheshwari sarees, cotton and poly khadi dress material along with products made by SHGs. Where: Institute of Engineers, Khairtabad When: Ongoing, 10am Contact: (040) 2339 4969

Vietnam Artworks Artworks from Vietnam, an exhibition is being presented by The Western Mindspace and Asia Art House. The exhibition aims to delve into the realm of Asian art.

Where: Westin Raheja Mindspace, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 6767 6767

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973

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Burn the bike to spite a rival!

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

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16-year-old boy in Banu Nagar had developed an infatuation with a girl from the nearby Mumtaz colony. But her father, Mohd Sardar, took umbrage at the ‘adolescent nonsense’ and he forbade the boy from meeting his daughter. His several bids to get at her proved futile as the dad had kept a vigil when she went out. Frustrated, the boy one night brought a bottle of petrol and doused her father’s bike parked before his house and bolted from the scene. It happened on the night of January 27.

Madanpet inspector KV Surya Prakash took down the complaint of Mohd Sardar and decided to pick up the boy. At the initial interrogation itself the boy broke down and confessed the crime. He was sent to a juvenile home.

In another incident on March 7 at Farhath Nagar under the Dabeerpura police station limits, some unidentified per-

A file photo of a vehicle that had been set alight sons torched G Laxmaiah’s bike parked in front of his house. The house is located in a congested, narrow by-lane and an outsider is hardly expected to come there.

Police therefore surmised, and correctly too, culprits are somewhere nearby. Inspector of Dabeerpura, D Prasanna Kumar constituted a special team that went into the case. It was found that some relatives living nearby had developed a grudge against Laxmaiah and they wreaked their vengeance on his vehicle.

“We did a quick job and saved the situation or else other community members would have been suspected and a chain reaction started,” Kumar said.

Inspector Surya Prakash has come across with many such incidents. The Old City areas have seen 30 bike-burning incidents in the last three months, a record of sort. It had even led to communal tension and the situation would have flared up if incidents had not been exposed and the guilty arrested, police

said. The police officer explained how some local politicians tried to give the events a communal colour.

Police officers said though on many occasions the bike burning had started to develop into a communal trouble, the police were able to crack the case and save a possible mayhem. He further said that police are investigating this matter from many angles to find out the psychology of those who set afire to vehicle to spite their rivals. Police inspectors also believe that the young men who are seen involved in this crime are suspected to be inspired by crime scenes in cinema where here’s devilry goes unquestioned. They gave the example of Narasimha Naidu and Summer Simha Reddy, the action movies of Balakrishna, and Rakta Charithra by RGV. According to Afzalgunj Inspector T Chandrashekhar Reddy, most of the bike-burning incidents are found to be acts of spite.

Not one communal incident could be detected. But Reddy said there had been attempt to portray a bike-burning as a communal revenge but the police stood firm and thwarted it.

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CRIME BRIEFS Unidentified men snatch woman’s chain HYDERABAD: Two unidentified persons snatched a gold chain weighing six tolas from the person of a woman at Malkajgiri area near Tirumala Gardens on Wednesday night. The incident occured when 45 year old Saraswathi, was returning home after attending a function in the colony.

Two men who were on a motorbike came zooming and drew close to her.

When they were within reach, one of them snatched her necklace before speeding away.

The Malkajgiri police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

Hit on the head by husband, woman dies HYDERABAD: A man, identified as Prakash, is alleged to have killed his wife on Wednesday in their HUDA apartment under the Chanda Nagar police station limits. Prakash and Mary, natives of Tenali, had got married in Guntur three years ago. However, the couple had developed differences and used to quarrel over some matters.

According to neighbours and relatives of the couple, Prakash would routinely torture Mary physically. On Wednesday night he hit her on the head. She later died in hospital. Prakash has been arrested.

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Dough for all, GHMC to deck the City like a bride for CBD ENVIRONMENT

COUNTDOWN TO 11TH CBD

Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

T

he GHMC is on a makeup mode, the largest it has ever taken. The Corporation entrusted with decking up Hyderabad to host the world leaders (CBD) summit in October this year is

We will make it a memorable event (COP11) for the residents of Hyderabad and a pleasant memory for the world leaders.

M T Krishna Babu, Commissioner, GHMC excited, to say the least.

The GHMC Commissioner has, in a detailed discussions with Postnoon on the jumbo meet in October, which is termed as the largest world gathering in Independent India where leaders from 193 countries will congregate and debate for 19 long days, said that the GHMC’s Diwali gift to the 8 million people of Hyderabad will be a freshly beautified and spruced up city. The Corporation is entrusted with the task of beautifying the City for the world meet by the State Government. It in turn has sought `577 Crore from the government.

The Commissioner had

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: Commissioner & Spl Officer 23262266

The restoration works for the upcoming CBD event will give City roads like this a required facelift. recently held a meeting with the officials of GHMC, members of Fine Arts College and architects on the various infrastructure and other beautification works to be taken up for the forth coming summit. He agreed that a mammoth work lies ahead. Mending and maintaining roads, developing greenery, improving traffic regulation and signal system, street cleaning and proper lighting, making footpath, drainage, removing dirt and stray dogs and hundred such things are to be attended to.

Babu said the GHMC is planning to clean and paint street walls and flyovers depicting Hyderabad heritage. He has

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

Renovation plans in a nutshell n 20 corridors along 125 km

of roads to be modernized n Paintings on walls high-

lighting heritage of City n Sculpture display under

various flyovers n Renovation of graveyards

and storm water drains n Revival of existing 75

fountains sought proposals from artists on this score. GHMC has identified 20 corridors with 125 kilometre stretch to involve major companies/ organizations to adopt a

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

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

particular stretch of road for beautification and to request the companies/organisations to take up the work, in which they can have a chance to advertise their organisation, he said. The Commissioner also said that he will personally take up the issue with the companies and asked the fine arts experts to submit their proposals by March 15 with cost implications and an innovative idea to improve the image of the Hyderabad city.

The Commissioner also informed that the Government is planning to take up the Biodiversity museum with the help of Agriculture and Forest departments and GHMC is also plan-

39879999 27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332

ning to develop City level parks as theme parks and requested experts tocome up with their ideas. He also directed the officials concerned to collect the information from tourist places and GHMC parks to prepare brochures on tourism and biodiversity.

The Commissioner requested Mr O Diwakar Reddy, consultant for fountains, to review the existing 75 fountains in GHMC limits and also to submit the proposal for construction of new fountains. The Commissioner directed the Engineer – in – Chief to depute one executive engineer to assist O Diwakar Reddy in this work.

GHMC will be using LED lighting for illumination purpose, which is eco-friendly, the Commissioner said.

Kishan Rao, former C&MD, APTDC has informed that this is a fine opportunity for the artists in Hyderabad to showcase their talents and wisdom. He also requested the Commissioner (GHMC), to improve the parks which are already in existence in Hyderabad like Jambagh, Basheerbagh and Bagh-e-aam.

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

For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999

UK Visa Office VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

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

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Ministers served notices to be summoned by CBI POLITICS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

T

he Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who has been placed on a cleftstick with the Supreme Court issuing notices to six AP ministers on controversial government orders issued during the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime has resolved to stick to the dictum that ministers are to be considered innocent until proved otherwise.

In an informal chat with the media Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the apex court only served notices and ministers were in no way connected with the disproportionate assets case. “Though the SC has served notices, the probing agency was yet to prove the charges against the ministers.

Until the charges are proved, they are innocent,” he said. The ministers on the other hand clarified that they cannot be implicated.

It is learnt that the CM is con-

sulting legal luminaries in this issue. The experts will prepare a strategy to tackle the issue which will then be followed by the ministers. The idea will be to postpone the issue for some time or prevent the CBI from directly calling the ministers for the probe. Sources in the CMO told Postnoon that the CM has suggested that the ministers tackle the cases individually.

Meanwhile the IAS officers’ association decided to put the ball in the government’s court. The IAS officers opined that if the GOs

issued were not correct the government should have scrapped them and the ministers should not have agreed to the same. However, the ministers will start acting once they receive the notices.

Speaker Nadendla Manohar has informed the members of the opposition that the Supreme Court notices to the six ministers for having facilitated issuing government orders favouring the YSR family have not yet received them.

However, Postnoon learnt that the notices are not to be issued directly to the ministers but to the CBI, the probing agency, which in turn will summon the ministers for questioning. Meanwhile, the TDP was trying to derive maximum political mileage out of the notices episode; the congress was trying to put a brave face.

On the other hand, it is learnt that the CBI has sought permission from the government to initiate a probe against senior bureaucrats LV Subrahmanyam and BP Acharya and a final decision in this regard will be taken after consulting other IAS officers.

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JANA HOPES FOR A MIRACLE IN 2014 POLITICS

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n an ill-timed comment, the Congress senior leader and Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy has said that nothing short of a miracle could ensure victory for the Congress party in the 2014 elections. He hastened to add that he was hoping that such a miracle would occur.

Talking to the media, he said K Kesava Rao would get one more term in the Rajya Sabha.

Stating that everyone in the Congress party was facing one problem or the other, Jana Reddy said he was confident that they would all overcome these hurdles and somehow manage a victory for the party in 2014. Achieving Telangana was still on top of his agenda, he said.

When asked about the Supreme Courts notices to six ministers in the Jagan assets case, Jana Reddy said that there was no need for the Opposition to make so much noise about it.

He went to add that only

notices were issued and they were not indicted.

However, he did feel that it would have been better if Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had offered an explanation on the issue. He said that it would be wise on the part of the CM to discuss with seniors when serious problems arose.

Jana Reddy opined that he should give an impression that it was all a collective affair and create confidence among ministers. He also lamented that even the ministers were doing whatever they wished.

Sex then, infatuation now Unicef and Sarvasiksha Abhiyan have chosen infatuation among school girls as the topic to be dealt with U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

U

ntil a few years back, sex education was the pet subject chosen by some organisations for school children.

However, soon these classes were replaced by awareness about AIDS and the importance of using condoms. In

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Tollywood film, 100% Love starring Naga Chaitanya dealt with infatuation.

The movie was a hit across the State.

The film also has a song on infatuation, but now the tutors will explain the difference between infatuation and love to their students.

fact, giant sized condoms were displayed at public places on World AIDS Day. School and college students were discreetly taught about safe sex. Some funloving students blew the condoms into balloons and frolicked with them creating mirth and awareness on AIDS Day. Not to be forgotten is the advice of Renuka Choudhary asking women to carry a condom in their bag as ‘men can’t be trusted.’

But the scenario seems to have changed now. Infatuation has captured the imagination of educationists.

Following tragic stories of school girls getting infatuated and suffering untold miseries, many now want to create awareness about it among students.

Schools in the City will soon have classes on infatuation and how not to get carried away by that.

Tutors from United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef ) and Sarvasiksha Abhiyan will go around schools and talk to the girls on how to handle infatuation or fatal attraction.

Devi, the co-ordinator of the team working for the Unicef told Postnoon that the project was funded by Unicef and supported by Sarvsiksha Abhiyan in terms of logistics. It is aimed at the safety and bright future of the girl child in the schools. The idea is to create awareness on this attraction so that girls can take care of themselves without any inhibitions.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

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REAL ESTATE GACHIBOWLI TO VATTINAGULAPALLY ORR FACING HOUSING PLOTS FOR SALE. NEAR MICROSOFT, WIPRO, ICICI, INFOTECH, KOKAPET IT SEZ. CONTACT - 9989354333

MODULAR KITCHEN

Era comes to an end Yesterday, the Encyclopedia Britannica ended publication of its print edition. But in our City, a few tears were shed

DL continues anti-CM rant Postnoon news

M

inister for health DL Ravindra Reddy continued his tirade against the Government. While ridiculing the attitude of the Ministers over the Supreme court notices, he opined that the matter should have been clarified by now. He also visited the media lounge.

padmini.c@postnoon.com

AFP

is in mortal peril, particularly books which do not enjoy the support of the prevailing popular culture.

A CCE at Landmark, Sujoy highlights an interesting aspect to the story – the price. The flagship edition of the collection is priced at approximately `15,000 while the Britannica student edition aimed at ages 8-12 costs a whopping `19,000. “The Britannica collection is quite a favourite. But we only have the multivolume set which a lot of people shy away from because of its price. We are hoping that next editions will be individual volumes, so they will move faster,” states Sujoy.

Sadly, there will be no next editions. The oldest English Encyclopedia, which was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland in

THE FACES OF HYDERABAD Ashok M, Scrap dealer, Banjara Hills

T

he first impression one gains when they meet Ashok is that he is a very content man. Call it resignation or satisfaction, but he seems to be happy either way. dealing with scrap had been a family business and for the the 15 years, Ashok has been managing it.

Ask him if he has any other interests or if he ever wanted to pursue any other kind of profession and his easy answer is that he never wanted to do anything else.

Hi scrap shop in

Aishwarya Yerra 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

U Srinivas

W

Padmini C

I COMPUTERS

‘Make Vizag special zone for railways’ srinivas.u@postnoon.com

BOOKS n the days before internet became synonyms with information, there was an unbridled joy in owning books, particularly a set of gold-lettered tomes especially dear to those with a penchant for the esoteric.

Door to door salesmen came around selling these volumes, for which many often paid in installments, unable to afford all the 32 volumes.

The Encyclopedia of Britannica was an integral part of many a childhood.

“My dad was a complete bibliophile. So, when he finally bought a set of the Britannica collection in the ‘80s, it was a source of great pride for him. Now that we have the internet and the Google, it seems funny but back then, for him, having the volumes meant having the world in his grasp. Every time we asked him a question, he would direct us to them. But that was back in the day. Now, I think we should face it — the time for printed dictionaries and encyclopedias is gone. We have to move on,” says 27 year old medical student Varoon P. Many would agree with Varoon. After all, publishers worldwide testify that rule of the digital era means that the fate of the printed word

6

Banjara Hills buys old newspapers, magazines, glass bottles, iron scrap and reusable waste of any kind. He charges `8`9 per kg of newspapers and everyday he buys an average of 100 kgs of old newspapers. He sells the scrap to wholesale dealers in Begum Bazaar.

When asked if he has any future plans of expansion and he says that he has no such plans.

He wants his children to get jobs in private companies and not end up in his raddhi shop.

1768, shut down its print edition earlier this week. The company’s president Jorge Cauz, said that they will now be concentrating on their online products. But the larger question is, will there be any takers?

“Wikipedia is of course the go-to source when you want to look up something basic. But we have all realized that its largely unreliable. When we need a more authoritative and trustworthy source, it will be something akin to the Britannica.

But it all comes down to if they are willing to make some changes and allow for free references and maybe move to an ad-based model for revenue. Because, if they continue at this rate, they are bound to lose” opines Vibha Mehta, a student in economics at St Josephs.

hile the Minister for railways has resigned at the Centre, Ramarao one of the members of the Political JAC at Visakhapatanam climbed up a hoarding tower and created a sensation this morning.

Knowing this the Minister for ports, Ghanta Srinivas rushed to the Centre and assured Ramarao that the issue would be taken up to make Visakhapatnam as the special zone for the railways.

After coming down Ramarao said that if the assurance is not implemented then he would agitate again. He gave the Chief Minister a months time.

The issue has been pending since a long time and he blamed the MP Purandhareswari for not having done anything for Visakhapatnam.

Assembley adjourned Postnoon news

S

peaker Nadendla Manohar was forced to adjourn the house today as soon as it assembled for transacting the business.

The Speaker disallowed the adjournment motions given by the members of the opposition.

Later the members of the TDP shouted slogans demanding the resignation of the ministers whose names figured in the notices.

The Speaker tried to convince the members in proper form, but the members did not obey.

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Pre‑Budget Special BUDGET Prudhvi Raju

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Is the FM listening?

Captains of industry and services in Andhra Pradesh point out some crucial debilitating factors which the finance minister must address to ensure the ambitious nine per cent growth.

Postnoon summarises the issues involved

Put all energy on power generation or else...

MV Rajeshwara Rao, secretary-general FAPCCI The most disappointing thing about the Indian scene today is the poor power generation. The economy is growing at 9 per cent but power generation is woefully lagging behind. We can’t depend too much on thermal power as coal plants are highly polluting.

Nor can we do much about the conventional hydro projects. We will have to tap both solar and nuclear power if we want to forge ahead. This is the most urgent thing the FM must address. Without addressing this issue all other talks will be futile and the country will be pulled back from its march.

Acquiring land for power plants is another Achilles’ heel.

The government must come out with a viable and acceptable national law to acquire land for power plants.

The second most urgent thing to stabilise and take the country ahead is fiscal control.

Expenditure control and curtailing non-plan expenditure are important.

Rationalisation of direct taxes is overdue. Prevailing tax structure is unscientific and irrational.

mended that the new direct tax code, which aims to offer investment-linked tax incentives, should instead, link tax rates to employment. This approach is espoused by many countries, will create more jobs as also help MSME which by definition have limited capital investments and are labour-intensive.

The vexatious issue of delayed payments to MSME can be dealt with by applying interest on payments beyond the 45 days. CII is strongly in favour of the implementation of the public procurement policy, recommending that large industry could be entitled to tax benefits, if transactions with the MSMEs are completed within 45 days.

Public procurement policy mandates 20 per cent purchase of goods and services from MSME for public sector enterprises.

The MSMEs would be averse to bearing any additional incidence of tax, duties or complexity in procedures.

Ramesh Datla, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry — National MSME Council The CII has strongly recom-

industry. The industry is losing 50 per cent of its revenues, around `4,000 crore, to film and music piracy. It’s atrocious.

The custom duty on raw film has to be called off for some time to encourage film laboratories.

The movies produced with the use of film have been decreased to 25 per cent with the entry of digital technologies.

Why this discrimination against the industry?

Stop this piracy, scrap ST, and save us

No more weight on us, please

7

D Suresh Babu, producer, Suresh Productions, Film Industry The film industry is requesting the government to wave off the 10 per cent service tax which was enforced sometime back.

The industry is already paying entertainment tax and value added tax (VAT) in some states.

Paying service tax is an extra burden on the industry.

There is a need of an independent body with certain fund allocation from the government to curtail piracy and to save the

JA Chowdary, co-chairman, FICCI, Andhra Pradesh State Council, IT and Education There is an urgent need for a special package with incentives for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the IT sector.

Earlier, the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) scheme has offered tax benefits for small companies in the sector.

However, with the cancellation of STPI, MSMEs could not enjoy any tax benefits that are enjoyed

by IT majors in SEZs. It is very important to have incentives like a tax holiday and 15 per cent service tax exemptions like SEZ companies to have healthy competition in the industry.

There are three lakh IT graduates every year, out of which only 15 per cent are employable.

The government should take the necessary steps and implement serious reforms in education system to improve the quality of education. There is also a need of service tax exemption on the fees paid by students to private institutes for quality education.

The Indian education system is hindering innovation and cre-

ativity. Indians are unable to come up with innovative technological ideas in. The education system has to be reformed from being an exam-centric system to being a knowledge-centric system. If the quality of education is not improved, the human resource, which is often called the strength of the country, would be a burden.

BPO firms spend a lot of money on providing transport and security to the employees, as there were no proper services in place by the government.

Employees spend a lot of time on travelling to the workplace losing their valuable time and energy.

BPO firms want to expand to Tier2 and Tier3 cities to decrease the operating costs. However, there is no adequate infrastructure in these cities for operating BPO units.

There should be clarity and transparency on transfer pricing mechanism. The government should clearly define it rather than leaving it to the tax officer’s discretion.

We’re a young industry and treat us well Mukesh Aghi, chairman and CEO, Steria India, IT The industry was disappointed with the implementation of 18.5 per cent minimum alternate tax (MAT) on SEZ units and developers last year. This led to a significant drop in investments in SEZs. We are hopeful that the finance minister will waive off MAT in the upcoming union budget and boost the slackened sentiments of the IT service providers and the infrastructure industry.

There is also ambiguity on whether the government considers software as goods (subject to VAT) or as service (and subject to service tax). We would request that the government provide clarity on this, to ensure that the tax payers can comply with the provisions of the relevant laws.

Give us infrastructure, for Pete’s sake!

Vish Sivaswamy – Head –Global practices, Anthelio Business Technologies BPO Sector The government should seriously focus on power, infrastructure, transport and security. The

Raise tax rebate on housing loan and boost realty PV Ravindra Kumar, CEO, Vasathi Housing Limited, Real Estate Sector Establish a national real estate regulatory authority for instilling greater confidence in the investors and promote better practices.

Provide us with subsidies for opting for green solutions. Give infrastructure status to large integrated township projects.

To boost the real estate sector, the government needs to increase the ceiling on deduction in respect of interest on housing loans from the present 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh per annum.

To achieve a 9-10 per cent GDP growth, the government needs to take into consideration the construction sector which is the second largest employer in the country after agriculture, and directly impacts core sectors such as cement or steel.

Business

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Matters of saving and spending

8

NUMEROLOGY

36.5bn Is the value, in dollars, of the loan set to be given to Greece by the IMF.

THUS SPAKE...

“We don’t comment on deals that we’ve done. But I can tell you we’re not writing anybody a cheque for $500m. I see nothing that leads me to believe that we won’t deliver all the 787s.”

Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing, on Prashant Sukul’s statement that Boeing aggred to pay $500mn to Air-India for delayed 787 deliveries

APPLE WATCH Apple will be looking to tighten its grip on the tablet market on Friday with the release of its newest iPad, increasing pressure on Google to make rival Android devices more enticing. Hordes of gadget lovers are expected to lay siege to Apple stores to get their hands on third-generation iPads when they debut at 8am local time in the US and nine other countries including Australia and France.

Fuel efficiency is the key Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has admitted that the government cannot control fuel prices, as manufactures introduce fuel-efficient aircraft Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

F

uel expenses account for 40 per cent of the total operation costs of airliners in India as compared to 24-25 per cent costs for airliners in other parts of the world. As a result, the domestic air fuel prices here are 50 per cent higher than the world average. Even the Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh admitted that the government cannot have any control on the fuel prices.

Against this background, commercial aircraft manufactures are introducing fuel efficient and low maintenance aircrafts.

Boeing has introduced the 787 Dreamliner, a 250 seater aircraft which has 20 per cent lower fuel consumption than other airlines with similar capacities. The airliner has achieved seven per cent fuel efficiency by simply changing the wing design. The aircraft would also decrease mainte-

nance costs by 30 per cent on the airframes. Over all, the aircraft would decrease operating costs by 10 per cent, said Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice President, Sales Asia Pacific, Boeing.

Boeing have also switched to using composite material in the manufacture of the aircraft and have introduced Gust suppression systems which would also reduce turbulence up to eight times, he said.

Air India is the first Indian company to buy 27 Dreamliners followed by Jet Airways with 10. The aircrafts are scheduled to be delivered to Air India in the next quarter and to Jet Airways by 2014.

“This aircraft will help AirIndia to have first mover advantage and also decrease the operating costs in this turbulent scenario. People will definitely prefer Air India over the other airlines to have the feel of this newly designed aircraft, which will operate a flight from New Delhi to Seattle,” said Dinesh.

BOEING IS ALSO TO INTRODUCE 737 MAX WHICH WILL BE A FUEL EFFICIENT UPGRADE TO THE EXISTING 737. THE MAX WOULD DECREASE FUEL USAGE 12-15 PER CENT.

Boeing is also to introduce 737 Max which will be a fuel efficient upgrade to the existing 737. The Max would decrease the fuel usage 12-15 per cent, compared to Boeing 737.

To counter Boeing’s new offering, its rival Airbus has come up with the Airbus A350.

Its first aircraft will be ready to be delivered in the 2014 for the airliners. It has 555 orders from different parts of the world.

The A350 features 53 per cent of composite material and 8 to10 per cent lower cost per seat than the 787, said Aymeric

Dupront, Airline marketing director, India at Airbus The Airbus had a market share of 64 per cent in units in 2011 as compared to Airbus which claims a 75 per cent market share in terms of orders and services in India, he said.

Airbus has also launched A320neo, the re-engined version of the A320, which will reduce fuel consumption by 15 per cent, compared to existing A320. IndiGo and GoAir has ordered 222 aircrafts of these models and are expecting to receive their first orders in October this year.

Company officials of Airbus say they have achieved a lot with the introduction of wider new technology engines and the installation of sharklets. “The arch-enemy of the A320, the Boeing 737, might find it hard to implement the same ameliorations because of its ground clearance which would prevent an extension of the engine fan diameter,” Dupront said.

TWEET, TWEET The US Federal Reserve said it would try its hand at Twitter to improve communications with the public. The central bank’s board launched its official Twitter channel — @federalreserve — “with the aim of increasing the accessibility and availability of Federal Reserve Board news,” it said.

The Fed’s website is www.federalreserve.gov.

NAME IS BOND Britain will next week unveil plans for issuing state-bonds lasting 100 years, a Treasury source said on Wednesday, as the government looks at locking in low interest rates.

Britain’s finance minister George Osborne will use his annual budget statement on March 21 to launch a consultation on century-long government bonds, or gilts, the source told AFP.

N SHIVA KUMAR

Air Works bets on the inside job Postnoon News

HYDERABAD: Air Works, an aviation maintenance provider, has forayed into interior designs for executive jets. The prototype of the aircraft’s interior designed

by Dilip Chabria is being showcased at the India Aviation 2012 show. The company is aiming at the refurbishment market for the existing 425 private aircrafts in the country.

Air Works will offer its services for 25 per cent less than its foreign counterparts. The interior design can range from $1 million to $10 million.

It means that Indian businessmen no longer have to travel to other parts of the world when they want a makeover of their aircraft’s interiors. They can simply head to Air Work’s facility in Pune to customise the interiors as befits their interests. Ravi S Menon, executive director of Airworks announced that everything in the range of interiors like seat cushions, pantry, bar cabinets and more can be fully cus-

tomized according to the needs of the customers.

Air Works will offer their services for 25 per cent less than its foreign counterparts. The interior design can range anywhere from $1 million to $10 million based on the design. The company is not targeting any major revenues from this facility at this point of time.

Airworks stall is located at A 29 and Chalet 15

Business

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Matters of saving and spending

Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

O

n the corner of a runway on Begumpet Airport, dwarfed by the massive passenger aircraft, were three helicopters on display — OSS Air, Eurocopter EC135 and Eurocopter AS 350 BE. The sheer visual contrast and disparity makes us wonder, is there a market for private helicopters?

“The market is very young”, says Rishi Malhotra, general manager (India) of Bell Helicopter, a world leader in the segment. “There has been a lot of growth in India, especially among business houses and the corporate sector. People are starting to realise the advantages that come with buying a chopper,” he said.

NUMEROLOGY

Dragonflies jostle with Falcons

$100m Is the amount Singaporebased GIC paid for a minority stake in Vasan.

THUS SPAKE...

GOROON MCBRYDE

“It makes me ill how callously people [at the bank] talk about ripping their clients off.

Over the last year I have seen five different managing directors refer to their own clients as ‘muppets’, sometimes over internal e-mail.”

Bell Helicopter Textron INC Hall A- Stall 26 Deccan Charters Limited Hall A- Stall 38 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hall A- Stall 25 Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited Hall B- Stall 14-15 and 22-23 Bell aims at an annual growth of 15 to 20 per cent in the Indian market. A heliport in the Rohini area of Delhi, the first of its kind in India, is a sign of times to come.

Greg Smith, former Goldman Sachs employee

THE GRADE Fitch lowered Britain's longterm outlook Wednesday to negative from stable, while confirming its top-level AAA rating. The ratings agency said the revision "reflects the very limited fiscal space to absorb further adverse shocks in light of such elevated debt levels and a potentially weaker than currently forecast economic recovery". The change represented a more than 50 per cent chance of a downgrade over the next two years.

Cost of chartering a chopper: `65,000 to `1.25 lakh per hour

Hovering advantage “Unlike private jets, you don't need a runway to take off and land. Even a school playground is enough. It is ideal for businessmen who don't want to waste time tackling the land route and related delays. A helicopter can go just about anywhere,” says Bala Murali Done, an engineer with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a PSU that manufactures civilian and military helicopters.

The fuel economy in a chopper is also far lesser than a private jet. “A jet uses turbo fan engine which consumes a lot of fuel, while a helicopter has an engine which uses rotor. This rel-

atively uses lesser amount of fuel,” pointed out Murali.

On an average, a helicopter can travel up to 250 nautical miles (NM) for a duration of up to two hours, and it typically costs anywhere between Rs4 crore and Rs200 crore depending on the model and customisation.

To buy or charter Though there is a consensus that operating choppers are affordable compared to jets, the lot is divided on whether chartering or owning a helicopter is a better option.

“When somebody buys one, they also have to maintain it —

Privately owned helicopters in India: 36 Non-scheduled (NOSC) operators: 188 Number of private helicopters in USA: 10,826 Eurocopters in India: 80 (7 variants) Cost: $2 million to $20 million per unit which can be quite a challenge.

Chartering is easier and affordable,” says Gautham CB, marketing manager of Deccan Charters Limited.

Hari Praveen, sales manager at Eurocopter, said, “If you travel more than 15 hours a month, it is economical to own a helicopter. But if you use it for anything lesser, it’s best to charter a flight,” he said.

“Buying a helicopter is easy, maintaining it is difficult. You need to have enough knowledge and expertise as well. Chartering a flight is literally just making a call,” said a senior manager at Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited, India's premier helicopter service provider. He predicts the rotatory wing segment to grow by about 50 per cent in the next five years.

RBI FILES The Reserve Bank of India kept interest rates on hold, saying that worries persisted over inflationary risks due to rising crude oil prices. The RBI left its repo rate at which it lends to commercial banks unchanged at 8.50 per cent and the reverse repo rate, which it pays banks for deposits, at 7.50 per cent.

The RBI has kept rates on hold since late last year.

HYDERABAD: The Indian airlines industry has a bright future with the ever increasing passenger traffic contributed by the growing middle class segment in the country. The government is encouraging public-private-partnerships (PPPs) to construct world-class airports, said Minister for Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh.

India is the fastest growing civil aviation market in the world and by 2020 will be amongst the leading markets in the world

with over 420 million passengers being served through the Indian airport system as compared to the 140 million in 2010. This growth in India will also create exciting opportunities for the aerospace industry in the region and will also develop dependent sectors like hospitality, he added.

According to Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Boeing India, the fares should be raised by at least 15 per cent to save the industry. It may decrease the demand for a while but it will be better than to operate at no margins, he stated.

N SHIVA KUMAR

Exciting times ahead for airlines: Ajit Singh Postnoon News

9

GLOBAL INVESTOR Canada will lift foreign ownership restrictions on small telecommunications firms, Industry Minister Christian Paradis announced. The current limit of direct foreign investment in broadcasting and telecommunications carriers is 46.7 per cent. Paradis said the restriction would be lifted for companies that hold less than a 10-per cent share of the market.

India‑View

10

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

India unveiled

Failure to crack irks House Security agencies unable to decode intercepted communication NEW DELHI: Security agencies are still unable to decrypt some intercepted communication into readable format even after multiple efforts by the government to ensure real-time interception of messages transmitted through telecom networks in the

country, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

“Security agencies are able to intercept the services, including Blackberry Messenger (BBM), Nokia Pushmail, Skype, Yahoo, Gmail, etc through lawful interception... However, security agencies have inti-

mated that they are not able to decrypt some encrypted intercepted communication to readable format,” Minister of State for Telecom Milind Deora informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The government has been insisting that telecom opera-

Report on Italian firm’s role in copter deal sought

India, China, Japan will co-ordinate

NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry has sought a report from the Indian Embassy in Rome on reports suggesting alleged unethical dealings by an Italian firm in purchase of 12 helicopters by it, government told the Rajya Sabha.

“There was a media report stating that the scope of a probe by Italian prosecutors into allegations against unethical dealings by Finmeccanica has widened to include the Indian contract signed with Agusta Westland for purchase of 12 helicopters,” Defence minister AK Antony said.

“Defence Ministry has asked for a report on the matter from the Indian Embassy in Rome.”

tors provide access to all communication send through their network, mainly for the national security reason.

Deora said telecom service providers have stated that they have provided the requisite interception facilities to security agencies.

Govt recovers penalty from RCom, Reliance Telecom NEW DELHI: The government imposed and recovered a penalty of `4.63 crore on Reliance Communications (RCL) and `1.07 crore on Reliance Telecom (RTL) for interruption in mobile services during November, 2010 to February, 2011, Parliament was informed today.

“RCL and RTL switched off their mobile Base Transreceiver Stations at 1,191 and 228 Universal Service Obligation

Fund supported sites, respectively causing suspension/ interruption of mobile services in certain areas during Nov, 2010 to Feb, 2011,” Telecom minister Kapil Sibal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

A penalty of `4,63,22,000 has been imposed and recovered from RCL and `1,07,67,500 on RTL for period of interruption in mobile services caused due to shutting down of services, he added.

NEW DELHI: Strengthening their anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, India, China and Japan have agreed for better co-ordination among their navies for deployment and escorting merchant vessels.

Informing the Rajya Sabha, Defence minister AK Antony said, “India, China and Japan have recently agreed for better coordination amongst their Naval ships deployed for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.”

He said that as per the convoy coordination plans implemented with effect from Jan 1, 2012, one of the navies is designated as ‘Reference Navy’ for a period of three months, which first proposes its escort schedule for a similar time period.

PTI

Cong MP demands surveillance of NGOs receiving foreign funds NEW DELHI: A demand was raised in the Rajya Sabha today that the Government should put in place a strong surveillance network to monitor inflow of foreign funds to NGOs besides creating a data base in the interest of national security.

“Government should establish a database of NGOs to whom foreign contribution is increasing day by day. There are reports that funds are being utilised to fuel unrest in government projects,” BS Gnanadesikan (Cong) said.

Seeking a strong surveillance system he said it was needed “in the interest of national security” as government records show that nearly 22,000 voluntary groups have received `10,000 crore donations from abroad for social service during 2009–10.

Of these NGOs, a large number “belong to Tamil Nadu which together received `1663.31 crore as contribution from abroad, mostly from the US, the UK, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands,” he said.

He said there is “no central data base of the number of NGOs, most of them do not file statutory annual returns even as foreign contribution is increasing day by day.”

A recent government report has said, “21,508 associations reported a total receipt of `10,337.59 crore as foreign contribution.”

In another mention, Prabhat Jha (BJP) stressed the need for a strong legislation for stringent action against traders of spurious and adulterated drugs.

PTI

Indian music unique, why copy West: Mueller Priyanka Sharma

GULMARG (J&K): There is innovation and impressive growth, but the Indian music scene is still ruled by film songs and tends to lean on the West for inspiration, says Mumbai-based German arranger and composer Thorsten Mueller.

“There is no reason for India to copy one to one from the West.

It has its unique musical culture and if that can be combined with modern technology and instruments, it would be awesome. It is happening, but in a very limited manner. Some more work can be done in that direction,” Mueller, who has spent six years in India working on jingles and has also composed background scores for TV shows like ‘Magicskool’, told IANS in an interview.

“Music companies don’t really worry about alternatives. They go for the big bucks, which is in Bollywood,” a concerned Mueller said on the side-lines of the

Gulmarg Winter Festival that saw various bands and musicians participating from various parts of the country.

But he is impressed with the growth and innovation in the

music scene. “It is nice to see that people have started developing their own style. Now you see lot of people making their own music.

“Earlier, bands used to be a copy of European 1980s rock

bands. It has come to musicians now developing own flavours. I would love to see much more Indian elements... not just Hindi vocals, but also the rhythm.”

He is happy with the fact that

the Internet is helping independent musicians reach out to wider audiences. “With Internet, the idea of music distribution has changed. Nobody is buying music. Now anyone can upload a track and chances are if you are good and people like you, you get exposure.

“You might not be making money but it is a good promotion... you get famous, you get work; so I think that is the future of music distribution,” he said.

“People using old channels of distribution are crying over how much money they are losing.

Exorbitant prices are keeping people away from buying music.

Earlier, there were vinyl records, then came CDs but they were introduced in the market almost double the actual price,” he added. Mueller came from Germany to India six years back and started working in Goa but shifted to Mumbai due to financial constraints.

India‑View

11

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

India unveiled

$4.3bn World Bank aid to India WASHINGTON: The World Bank has announced USD 4.3 billion financial aid to India through a new innovative and flexible financing arrangement to help the country fight poverty.

This arrangement, while facilitating a USD 4.3 billion increase in support to India, is designed to maintain International Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (IBRD) — which is its lending arm — net exposure within the limit of USD 17.5 billion established by it.

In a statement, the World Bank said the new arrangement will allow for special bonds to be issued by the World Bank and purchased by India, to offset additional planned lending.

This will enable India to continue accessing long-term, lowinterest IBRD finance for development projects aimed at improving the lives of its people, one third of whom are yet to make their way out of poverty.

"Without taking this action, it would have been difficult for the Bank to assist India meaningfully as it tackles the remaining large challenges of lifting some 300 million out of poverty," said WB vice president for South Asia Isabel Guerrero. "This new arrangement will work towards supporting India's development needs," she said in a statement.

PTI

Trivedi says he has not resigned, yet

NEW DELHI: Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, whose removal has been demanded by his party leader and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee, today said he has not resigned as yet.

However, he made it clear that he would resign the moment the prime minister or Mamata Banerjee ask him to do.

Trivedi said he has to answer questions in Parliament today and he would be doing that.

“I will not leave my duty,” he told Bengali news channel

Star Ananda when asked about media reports that he has already resigned.

Trivedi said either the prime minister or his party leader Mamata Banerjee has to tell him to resign. “It will not take him a minute to go,” he said.

He again justified his budget yesterday in which he had proposed a hike in passenger fare which earned him the wrath of his party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee.

He said what he had done

was in the interest of the railways and the country.

He said as a disciplined soldier of the party “I will abide by whatever the leader says and the discipline of the party”.

The minister is being briefed by senior railway officials about the railway question answers due in Lok Sabha today. Angered by Trivedi’s proposal contained in the Railway Budget yesterday, Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night seeking his removal and replacement by Mukul Roy, currently minister of State for Shipping who had earlier served in the Railway Ministry.

“Yes, I have written to the prime minister seeking his replacement with Mukul Roy, another Union minister,” Banerjee had said.

Banerjee also spoke to the Congress leadership in Delhi to press for removal of Trivedi and is said to have been assured that it will be done.

She is said to have been assured that Trivedi will be replaced by Roy after the presentation of the General Budget by Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday.

PTI

Inmates in Colombo feel betrayed MR Narayan Swamy

NEW DELHI: Amid allegations of Indian indifference towards Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian prisoners serving long sentences in Colombo's main prison say they feel badly let down by Indian authorities.

A spokesperson for the 30 Indian men and three women in the Wellikade Jail said that despite the existence of a bilateral pact, New Delhi was making no efforts to take them back so that they could serve their sentences in Indian jails.

Most Indians in Sri Lankan jails are either from Kerala or Tamil Nadu. They were arrested for a variety of criminal offences.

"We know that all our papers have gone from Colombo to Delhi," said the prisoner, speaking to IANS on a borrowed telephone. "It has been months now. Our medical tests for repatriation took place four months ago.

"Officials here (Sri Lanka)

say the moment these documents return from Delhi, the repatriation will start. We have spoken to MPs, even ministers in Kerala. They are doing what they can but we continue to rot here."

Both this prisoner as well as another who returned home to India recently after completing his 14-year jail term complained that Indian High Commission officials in Colombo rarely ever

visited them. "Our people in Sri Lanka are really suffering," said MD Durai Manikkam, who spoke from Trichy in Tamil Nadu.

"I was in jail for 14 years and three months. You will be shocked to know that during this long period, I saw our high commission officials come to meet us only eight times in all.

"They would not come even on occasions like Pongal, Onam, Diwali and Christmas.

"This was in contrast to the regular consular visits that prisoners from other countries get.

Pakistani diplomats regularly come. Those from the West and also Singapore even bring books for prisoners from their countries.

"What we got was indifference. Is it because we are south Indians?" he asked.

The prisoner who spoke from Colombo said while Sri Lankan prison officials were kind, there were often shortages of medicines. "This is one major problem."

IANS

NATION AT A GLANCE 381 wives of NRIs seek government help NEW DELHI: The ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) has received 381 complaints of women being deserted or harassed by their non-resident Indian (NRI) husbands, a majority of them from Punjab, the Lok Sabha was informed Wednesday.

After. There were 68 complaints by women from Delhi. Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vyalar Ravi said that Andhra Pradesh-related complaints stood at 36.

112 govt websites hacked in 3 months NEW DELHI: A total of 112 government websites, including that of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), were hacked in just three months, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. "During the period December, 2011 to February, 2012 a total of 112 government websites were hacked," Minister or Communications and IT Sachin Pilot said.

A lion rests on dry leaves at the Patna zoo on Wednesday.

PTI

Plot to bomb envoy’s car hatched in 2011 NEW DELHI: The conspiracy to bomb the Israeli diplomat's car here was hatched in early 2011 when two Iranian nationals came to India to conduct recce of the embassy besides monitoring the entry and exit timing of diplomats, official sources said here today.

The two— Syed Ali Mehdi Sadr and Mohammad Reza Abolghasemi — had been allegedly accompanying arrested journalist Syed Mohammed Ahmed Kazmi in their mission.

Woman succumbs to Swine Flu in Pune PUNE: A 48-year-old woman died of H1N1 virus infection here, in the first Swine Flu fatality in the city since a year, health officials said today (Thursday). The woman, who developed cough and breathlessness tested positive for H1N1 on March 12 and subsequently succumbed to the virus in a hospital here last night after being put on ventilator support.

Women hold a candle light protest on Wednesday against the recent gang rape of a woman in Gurgaon.

PTI

Around the World

12

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Beyond Borders

Starcraft playing good samaritans

A Saudi youth ‘awakening’?

I

S

n an incredible outpouring of support, fans, players, and pro gamers of Starcraft II, a realtime strategy game, banded together to help send a disabled but passionate Starcraft II gamer to South Korea, where professional Starcraft players are treated like NFL super stars.

Matthew “LookNoHands” Fink, a 23-year-old international relations major from Minnesota is a Starcraft II fanatic. The game is incredibly competitive and to be a successful professional requires something like 400 actions per minute, resulting in what looks like a piano concerto being played out on a keyboard. But amazingly, Matthew Fink is able to play the game at a relatively competitive level with no hands.

Fink was born without a spleen, making him vulnerable to certain types of infections as an infant. Because of an infection, all four of his limbs were amputated when he was 18 months old. Fink claims that Starcraft puts him on a level playing field with all other able-bodied people and that is why the game is a confidence booster for him.

After graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota, Fink was awarded a Watson fellowship.

The Watson fellowships gives funding to graduating college seniors that want to leave the US and live abroad for a year simply to travel and live in places that are unfamiliar. The fellowship awards $25,000 to its fellows to live aboard. Fink, however, requires extra funding to help pay for personal care and attendants to help him perform day to day tasks.

Having learned of his plight, the Starcraft community is banding together to help Fink raise the money through a tournament fundraiser. The LookNoHands tournament has invited huge names from the professional Starcraft world including Ukrainian sensations White-Ra. The tournament will take place on March 20-22 and will be streamed daily online. Go to postnoon.com to see exclusive interview of Matthew Fink.

GLOBALPOST

Disenfranchised students show a rare flash of public dissent eventy percent of the Saudi population is under 30, and as many as 40 per cent of those young people are unemployed.

According to the kingdom’s own statistics, holding a college degree almost doubles the chances of failing to find a job.

The frustration of being young and Saudi, led by a monarchy viewed by critics as arrogant, incompetent and repressive, is finally producing a youth protest movement in a country where public dissidence is exceedingly rare and severely punished.

Last week 1,000 female students at King Khalid University rallied against the school’s president after the university cancelled its cleaning services and garbage began to pile up and stink in the intense Saudi heat. The demonstration was dispersed with batons and water hoses, injuring more than 50 women. Then on Saturday an estimated 500 male students took up the cause, calling for the resignation of university president Abdullah AlRashid.

Some of the protesters told media outlets that their demands were not political, expressing loyalty to Saudi King Abdullah.

But local governor Prince Faisal bin Khaled condemned the protests, warning, “We will not be lenient with anyone, whoever may it be, who play with the security of the country.”

Amnesty International reported this week that the Saudi government continues to incarcerate at least six men who had planned to take part in a ‘Day of Rage’ last March 11. Only one of the men is believed to have actually demonstrated and Amnesty’s Middle East director Philip Luther said the yearlong detentions were preposterous.

“Holding people for a year merely for intending to protest is completely unconscionable,” he said.

A Saudi youth during celebrations of the 81st Saudi Arabian National Day in the desert kingdom’s capital Riyadh on September 23, 2011.

Saudi Arabia has largely resisted the ‘Arab Awakening’ that swept the region in 2011, as the royal family used a combination of force and distribution of subsidies to nullify protest.

King Abdullah has announced limited social and judicial reforms in recent years, including granting women the right to vote last September. But Saudi women are still banned from driving cars, running businesses or entering major government buildings and must cover themselves in head scarves and abayas in public.

Saudi remains a highly conservative society rooted in the very conservative Wahhabist Islamic tradition and led in part by the ulema — a body of Islamic religious leaders.

This month’s student demonstrations, however, represent a side of

Saudi society that has rarely been seen before, confirmed GlobalPost senior correspondent Caryle Murphy, who last year authored a comprehensive series titled, Saudi Arabia: The Road Beyond 9-11.

As GlobalPost executive editor Charles Sennott reported in the same series, many Saudi youths are “drifting,” both metaphorically and literally as they engage in a dangerous hobby wherein drivers intentionally lose control of their luxury vehicles at extremely high speeds “with tires burning and brakes smoking.”

As traffic fatalities pile up among bored and angry youths and garbage piles up at one of the Middle East’s largest universities, it appears that Saudi Arabia may have an “awakening” on its hands after all.

GLOBALPOST

The ‘hiding tribe’ discovered in Paraguay As loggers encroach on the previously unknown tribe, they are warned that making contact would be illegal LIMA: Paraguayan officials confirmed earlier this month that a previously unknown tribe is living in a section of the country’s vast Chaco forest. The group, dubbed the “hiding tribe” by Paraguayan authorities, is thought to belong to the Ayoreo Totobiegosode culture, many of whose members have been driven out of the forests by logging and cattle-ranching.

Paraguay’s agency for native affairs, called INDI, first found evidence of the unknown tribe — including footprints, broken branches and holes dug to capture tortoises — near a remote cattle ranch. “We have been able to verify certain signs that reveal a human presence in this place and that would be the Ayoreo, who are in a situation of voluntary isola-

tion,” INDI President Oscar Ayala Amarilla said.

Outside of Papua New Guinea, South America has the largest concentration of indigenous tribes still living a traditional lifestyle in isolation from the modern world.

Worldwide, however, their numbers are rapidly declining.

Most are in remote stretches of the Amazon. But some still remain in the Chaco, a huge plain of tropical dry forest that runs between Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, and where the Ayoreo have lived for thousands of years.

But in recent years, ranching —

by Paraguayan and Brazilian companies as well as Paraguay’s large Mennonite community — has squeezed the Ayoreoout of the area.

Due to their lack of previous

exposure, most isolated indigenous groups, including the Ayoreo, have little or no immunity to a range of common infections, from colds to measles, which can quickly wipe out entire tribes after first contact with outsiders.

In addition to epidemics, first contact with indigenous groups also frequently results in violence, as terrified natives respond aggressively to what are, for them, unprecedented intrusions in their world by strange interlopers.

Under the United Nations’ binding ILO Treaty 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, which Paraguay has signed and ratified, it is illegal to make first contact with such groups, unless the tribe initiates the process.

GLOBALPOST

Around the World

13

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Beyond Borders

Not ‘tuned’ to reality Besieged president, wife shopped online and bought pop music on iTunes

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s hundreds of Syrians fought and died for their freedom, President Bashar al-Assad and his wife ordered Harry Potter films and pop music, a sweeping new investigation from The Guardian reveals.

The English newspaper obtained thousands of emails it says are the personal accounts belonging to Assad and his wife, Asma.

Activists say a disgruntled Assad insider leaked addresses and passwords, and they were able to monitor conversations in real time.

“It was clear who we were dealing with,” an activist told The Guardian. “This was the president and his wife. There was no doubt.”

The Telegraph reported that the Guardian could not rule out the possibility of forgery.

The emails, which were shut down after Anonymous hacked the Syrian government’s computer, showed Assad receiving advice on everything from strategy to media relations from a trusted circle of advisers that included sources inside Iran and Hezbollah, Foreign Policy reported.

Iranian contacts urged Assad to “tighten the security grip” as western journalists began reporting from Homs.

The Guardian published its investigation as Russia’s foreign minister showed irritation with

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, walk in Paris during an official visit to France in 2010.

Assad, stating that the ruler has been slow to implement the long-needed reforms in Syria.

“Regrettably, he hasn’t always followed our advice in his activities,” Sergey Lavrov told the Associated Press. “He has approved useful laws reviving the system and making it more pluralistic. But it has been done after a long delay, and the proposals about launching a dialogue also have been slow to come. Meanwhile, the armed confrontation is expanding and

its inertia may sweep and engulf all.”

The emails bring to light a bumbling regime, the Telegraph wrote. At one point, a trusted source told Assad to stop blaming al Qaeda for attacks inside Syria.

“I have received contacts from Iran and Hezbollah in my role as director of many Iranian-Lebanese channels and they directed me to not mention that al Qaeda is behind the operation,” Lebanese executive

Hussein Mortada wrote, The Guardian reported. “It is a blatant tactical media mistake.”

Meanwhile, GlobalPost reported earlier that ordinary Syrians are suffering under the now crippled economy. State oil revenues have been slashed under international sanctions.

Tourism is nonexistent, and confidence in the economy is at an all-time low. Staples like rice and eggs have tripled in price over the year, while that of cooking oil has doubled, according to residents of the capital.

Over the past year, Asma shopped for shoes and furniture worth thousands of dollars using fake names and foreign addresses. The couple used iPhones and iPads to order music on iTunes

by Chris Brown, LMFAO, Blake Shelton, New Order and even Right Said Fred.

Asma also received warnings from friends suggesting the Assads flee Damascus.

Mayassa al-Thani, the daughter of Qatar’s emir, urged Asma to snap out of the “state of denial” regarding “the opportunity for real change.”

“I only pray that you will convince the president to take this an opportunity to exit without having to face charges,” she wrote. “The region needs to stabilise, but not more than you need peace of mind. I am sure you have many places to turn to, including Doha.”

GLOBALPOST

Mitt can’t handle South heat BOSTON: It could have been the awkward “y’alls” that did it, or the forced references to “cheesy grits,” but the South roundly rejected former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on Tuesday night, giving him third-place showings in both Alabama and Mississippi.

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was the big winner, placing first in both states. Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came in second.

Romney did win handily Hawaii and swept American Samoa, but neither provided much consolation for a candidate whose aura of inevitability is melting away like ice cream in the Alabama sunshine.

“If you’re the frontrunner and you keep coming in third, you’re not much of a frontrunner,” said Gingrich, in a combative speech following he announcement of the results.

It has been an eternity since Iowa, the abortive straw poll in January that had originally billed Romney as the winner, only to have a recount hand the victory to Santorum a few weeks

later. While Gingrich briefly took the position of chief rival following his win in South Carolina in late January, the contest has really been between Romney and Santorum all along.

Romney was clearly rattled by the losses in Mississippi and Alabama; for the first time in this drawn-out campaign he skipped his post-primary speeches.

Instead, he left it to the spindoctors and green-eyeshade folks to resurrect his candidacy.

“I don’t think anyone expected Mitt to win in Alabama or Mississippi,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior adviser to the Romney campaign, speaking to CNN on Tuesday evening.

“This was an away game.”

That might have been part of the problem: Romney treated the South, a traditional Republican stronghold, a bit like a foreign, and somewhat hostile, land. As in previous

appearances, he had a hard time convincing voters that he was one of them.

His attempts to gain local credibility with his repeated “I like grits” speeches fell flat, and he did not even stay in the South to watch the results, flying off to New York City for fundraising.

But Fehrnstrom refused to acknowledge that Romney had suffered a serious setback.

“It’s a delegate contest,” he said. “Our goal was to take onethird of the delegates, and we will do that.”

Romney did pick up some delegates Tuesday night, thanks to the proportional allocation system that has been the rule in most Republican contests so far.

Out of the 110 delegates at stake in Tuesday’s four races, Romney got 31, Santorum 29, and Gingrich 24. There are still 26 up for grabs: They will be allocated at a later date.

GLOBALPOST

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Malaysia seeks to extradite blast suspect KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities on Thursday applied for a court order to extradite to Thailand an Iranian man suspected of involvement in an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. Masoud Sedaghatzadeh was arrested at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on February 15, a day after the alleged plot was exposed by an apparently unintended blast at a Bangkok house.

Senior Chinese leader sacked in rare scandal BEIJING: Bo Xilai, Communist Party leader of China’s Chongqing metropolis, has been removed from his post. The move, which comes ahead of a major leadership transition in China’s ruling party later this year, follows weeks of intense speculation about Bo’s future after a key aide reportedly tried to defect to the US.

Congolese former rebel chief Thomas Lubanga at the International Criminal Court, Hague.

He was convicted on three counts.

Georgia’s TV stations face propaganda claims TBILISI: When newscasters on Georgia’s three main TV channels read out almost identical reports on a controversial death in custody case this month, critics alleged the government was dictating their scripts.

The incident renewed speculation that the authorities influence reporting on sensitive topics by the state broadcaster and the top two private nationwide stations.

News Corp rules out selling print assets SYDNEY: News Corp president Chase Carey said the company had no plans to offload its underperforming print assets despite the damage done by the British phone hacking scandal. Carey acknowledged that some shareholders had talked to the company about spinning off the newspaper arm, but that was “not a path we are pursuing”.

Syrian refugees go about their daily lives at the Reyhanli Refugee Camp in Antakya, on Wednesday.

AFP

Comment

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Editorials TRIVEDI SETS A model to emulate

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ailway minister Dinesh Trivedi’s refusal to toe the unrealistic, yet populist line of party chief Mamata Banerjee may cost his job but the bold Trinamool leader has set an example of professionalism for the ruling class. Maybe it was the inevitable sack that led the minister to state in the House that for him the responsibility of the ministry and the task of doing the best in the interest of the country preceded everything else (read party diktats).

Whether it is the Centre or states, policies have always been determined by their popularity and seldom have we seen examples where ministers risk their political careers by defying parent parties to do a good job in public interest — what the voters expected when the representative was given their mandate. By seeking Trivedi’s expulsion from the ministry and her stand on issues ranging from NCTC to river-water sharing, Mamata has underlined that a populist leader can be pathetic as an administrator.

Vision, and not emotion, should be the guiding force for governance.

WHY WE LOVE air shows

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rom Farnborough to Dubai, air shows are always a joy to behold. While there may not be an aerobatic extravaganza in Hyderabad, the industry has turned out with all the bells and whistles. We love two exhibitors in particular. Go Bombardier and Embraer! It’s great to see the Big Two looking over their shoulders.

14

Kony 2012 flops in its native land of Uganda This Is Africa Jocelyn Edwards

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ony 2012 may have received more than 73 million hits on YouTube since its release on the Internet on March 5. But in Uganda it is a flop.

Top Ugandan officials denounce the video — created to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, the leader of the brutal Lord's Resistance Army operating in central Africa — as false. Kony's LRA, they say, has not operated in Uganda for years.

Other Ugandans slam the video as the work of privileged young foreigners. Critics around the world have been vociferous, too.

But most Ugandans have not even seen the Kony 2012 video, produced by the American NGO Invisible Children, because the Internet is not widely accessible.

Among those who haven't seen it, but are still outspokenly critical is Pius Bigirimana, who is in charge of the reconstruction of northern Uganda from the devastation of the LRA. “Anybody portraying Uganda to still have insecurity is a sadist. That person is a liar and is peddling falsehoods,” said Bigirimana.

In Uganda, Kony “is of no consequence.

He is a peripheral issue,” said Bigirimana, the permanent secretary in the prime minister's office. “It’s some of these people from outside who get excited over these things.”

Many have criticised the campaign for misrepresenting the situation in Uganda, implying that conflict with the LRA is still being fought.

President Yoweri Museveni's government urged “that any awareness campaign fully takes into consideration the current realities of the situation.”

“Misinterpretations of media content may lead some people to believe that the LRA is currently active in Uganda. It must be clarified that at present the LRA is not active in any part of Uganda,” said the government statement.

The Lord’s Resistance Army was expelled from Uganda six years ago and has been reduced to a force of about 300 fighters now

Child labour shame

Don’t kill trees

India is home to more than 12.6 million children who are forced to work in order to survive. These children are working as domestic help, on streets, in factories and farmlands silently suffering abuse. Over 50 per cent of Indians today come under the ‘rich’ category. A quick calculation reveals that if the rich Indians only mind, child labour can be eradicated from this country, because poverty is the main reason to wean a child away from school, home and most of all childhood.

It is sad that, while a big hue and cry is made out at the loss of life of a human being or even an animal, no mercy is shown when trees are chopped down.

Don’t they have life? Don’t they have a right to continued living? What if they don’t bleed? What if their cries cannot be heard? And invariably the damage is always done by us human beings. Stop this murder in the name of progress, development or whatever.

Rekha Reddy Habsiguda

Swathi Shastri Krishna Nagar

operating in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR), the government statement said.

The LRA is currently being pursued by the Ugandan army with the support of 100 US military advisors deployed late last year. US President Barack Obama sent the team last year to help hunt Kony and the LRA to achieve stability in the volatile region. Commitment by Ugandan and Congo militaries is crucial to stopping Kony's mobile militias, according to the International Crisis Group.

Betty Ocan, a member of parliament for the town of Gulu, where Invisible Children bases its operations in Uganda, said she had only seen a short clip of the film on international television news.

The LRA is no longer high on her constituents’ agenda, she said.

“For the people of northern Uganda, it’s not so much a priority,” Ocan said. “Most of the time, the people will say, ‘The most pressing thing for us right now is that we want our children to go to school.’”

Ugandans displaced by the war against Kony's LRA are also worried about resettlement and getting compensation from the gov-

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

ernment for property lost, Ocan said.

For the people of northern Uganda who suffered because of the LRA’s violence, the film is a historical document, according to Ocan.

“The people of northern Uganda know that this was just a documentary which was taken during the bad times,” said the member of parliament. “Some people say that it reminds them of the past, so they do not like it so much.”

“If (Westerners) watch it, they should think about the impact (of the war). They are watching something that is past. Kony has not made it back to Uganda since 2006.”

Despite the fact that Kony is no longer a factor in Uganda, Ocan added that the people of northern Uganda remain concerned for the welfare of populations where the militia is still active. “We feel bad if the people of (other countries) are suffering because of Kony. We don’t want people to suffer.”

The film, which features extensive footage of Invisible Children’s founder and other — mostly white — activists campaigning against the LRA in the United States, has also been criticised as neo-colonialist.

Jocelyn Edwards is a correspondent with Globalpost

Brides no commodity

Periodic eye-opener

Your story ‘Brides still up for sale’ made for an interesting read. No place, no country seems to be safe for girls of all ages. What I fail to understand is as to why the police took two years to join the pieces of the puzzle together? Have they managed to arrest the qazi now? What about the girl?

Has the family been compensated? These men should be subjected to severe punishment and their passports should be taken away lest they repeat the same thing again.

The story on brides still up for sale was an eye-opener. I was under the illusion that all this happens only in films but this article woke me up to the reality. Women are still being sold as commodities. But it’s equally horrifying that parents are willingly entering this flesh trade. In this incident the parents were involved because they were worried about their daughter being stuck forever in their care or else why would have even bothered, when they did not bother about marrying her off to this old sheikh.

Nazakat Ali Kukatpally

Qanita Rahim Ameerpet

Telly Tales

Small screen, big idea

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

15

STAR OF THE WEEK – MUSKAAN CHOWDHRY

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uskaan Chowdhry is a popular anchor on ETV Urdu and she has also been part of two highly successful TV serials —Chakravakam and Mogali Rekulu

l How did you get into TV? I have always wanted to act since my childhood and when I was in college, I auditioned for a role in a movie. Fortunately, I was the only one who got selected from the entire college. Since then, I have had some or the other offer to act in TV or films. I acted in a couple of TV serials before Chakravakam happened.

Chakravakam, Mogali Rekulu are rated among the best TV serials made in recent times. Do you consider yourself lucky ?

Of course. Initially, it was very difficult for me to get a big break because I don’t speak like a Telugu girl.

My mother tongue is Sindhi but I can read Telugu and have lots of friends who speak Telugu. Srikanth Production took the risk and they take a lot of care of their team. I am glad that I have been part of these two mega hit serials. They are on par with the best of Hindi serials and I must add that no other Telugu serial has so much reach. l

A SHOW OF INTEREST Imagine a show that's part Minority Report and part Bourne Identity plus some twists and minus all the adrenaline and thrill. That's the new show, Person of Interest for you Padmini C padmini.c@postnoon.com

W

hen you have names like Jonathan Nolan (Dark Knight) and JJ Abrams (Lost) come together to present a new crime series on TV, it comes fraught with excitement and expectations. Especially, as it looks so great on paper and more so because it comes during a rather dry spell between series. So does the show live up to its hype? Not really.

To put it simply, Person of Interest operates on the same premise as the 2002 hit, Minority Report. You know, the one in which a special police unit is able to

identify crimes before they are committed. Only, in PoI, there are no oracles and needless to say, there is no Tom Cruise.

Instead, what we have is a mysterious billionaire “Mr. Finch” (Michael Emerson) who has designed a computer programme for Homeland Security, which data-mines through social surveillance for signs of terrorist activities and spits out social security numbers of the person(s) of interest. Correspondingly, it also determines a set of numbers relating to those that will be involved in murders.

The government concerns itself only with the former, so Finch takes it upon himself to deal with the latter. Which in short, means that he needs a Jack Bower to help him prevent these crimes.

Enter rogue ex-soldier and former CIA operative John Reese (James Caviezel) who is just the man for the job.

Even as he seems to be off on a bender after the death of his love interest, in two minutes of his entrance on screen, he effortlessly packs off a bunch of thugs in Bournesque fashion, assuring us that dishevelled and unkempt as Reese may be, his killer instincts remain top notch.

“What you need Mr Reese is a purpose, more specifically, a job,” says Finch, hard-selling his pet vigilante project, which Reese laps up like a starving dog.

To give it credit, Person of Interest has undoubtedly more potential than most series on TV today. In the bigger picture, it explores the post 9/11 paranoia in the West and America's increasing willingness to trade privacy for security. More importantly, it puts the spotlight on the unlimited access of the powers that be to our lives through omniscient surveillance in the form of public cameras, cctvs, cellphones, emails, phone taps and more.

And it exposes the Big Brotherish techniques it's government is using with no qualms in the name of national security. However, the show is a let down with poor performances, gaping holes in the plot, too much banter and too little action. And that's not even counting its lackluster visualisation and vapid characterisation. While Michael Emerson still lends a credible act, James Caviezel looks like a cardboard cutout that's being forced to emote. Unless it gets its act together, Person of Interest will have no interest among the audiences.

The serial is being aired on Star World

What’s the toughest part of acting in TV serials?

Acting isn’t tough but you need a lot of patience.

Sometimes, there’s absolutely no work on the sets.

Moreover, I get angry very easily but of late, I have been trying to control that. l

Have you been dabbling with anchoring as well?

Yes. I have been hosting a show named Dil Se on ETV Urdu.The channel is aired in 52 countries and I have got a lot of recognition from this show. When you are acting in TV serials, your life is in the hands of the production house but as an anchor I had a lot more freedom to do what I wanted to. Recently, I began anchoring another show where I interview doctors. So every week, I log onto the Internet and search for topics to ask the doctors. Now, I am as good as a doctor because I have been reading so much. It’s strange because my mother wanted me to be a doctor and in Mogali Rekulu I play the role of a medical student. l

l How do you handle the limelight?

It does get quite intimidating. Sometimes people want to take pictures at odd occasions. But I have managed to draw a line and I don’t like people invading my privacy.

Favourite shows on TV? Friends, Big Bang Theory, Outsourced, Sex & the City l

l

Best compliment you have got?

Someone told me that I am a balanced actor.

One incident which you’ll never forget?

I played a small role in Jai Chiranjeeva and I had one full scene with Chiranjeevi. I can never forget that moment because it’s something special which I can share with my kids.

BY HEMANTH KUMAR

l

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

PLAYING SICK? Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

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any of us tend to scan the internet and ask doctors questions with the aim to stay healthy. Falling ill and undergoing tests with the hope to find some dreaded disease is the last thing on our minds. But imagine if there was an illness where people actually got obsessed with the feeling of being ill. That can’t be there right — wrong! It exists and has a name — Munchausens syndrome.

“Munchausen’s syndrome basically refers to a rare condition in which people tend to go again and again to doctors without having any actual disease.

In other words, it is also reffered to as medical shopping,” mentions Dr MS Reddy, consultant psychiatrist, Asha Hospital. Dr Minhaj Nasirabadi, consultant psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, Hyderguda mentions that in this syndrome people feel the need for the care of a doctor, unneces-

sary admision into a hospital and undergoing treatments.

Many might confuse hypochondria with Munchhausen but there is a difference. While hypochondriacs tend to be worried about getting diseases, in Munchhausen’s the patient creates the symptoms. Says Dr Minhaj, “In hypochondria people feel that they have an illness but in Munchausen’s Syndrome they are aware that they are not ill.

It’s just the security which they feel when they visit a doctor that makes them go back again and again.”

Dr Reddy adds, “They manufacture symptoms and visit doctors to such an extent that they end up undergoing a number of surgeries.” Dr Mihnaj adds, “When the doctors do tell them that they are not ill but may be suffering from Munchausen’s they tend to run

18

Munchausen’s syndrome much like its name is an illness with many mysteries surrounding it

away and go to other doctors.”

Causes “The causes of Munchchausen Syndrome are quite unknown.

The syndrome itself is mostly restricted to textbooks and very little practical understanding of the same is present. There were a few cases like this centuries ago but now it is rare. It is believed that the disease originates from a neurotic desire. It is like a defense mechanism resulting out of internal anxiety,” mentions Dr Reddy.

“It is basically due to a neuro-hormonal imbalance, a psychological illness arising out of a death in a family or if someone in the family has suffered a majot illness and has spent a longer time in the hospital, but it’s difficult to pinpoint a particular reason. The person just feels comfortable in a hospital,” states Dr Mihnaj.

What’s in a name The name Munchausen is not only tricky to pronounce but also has a unique origin. It is said to be derived from the name of a German nobleman Baron Munchausen.

It is said that he was known to tell various impossible tales about himself. A book based on his stories was published as The Suprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

Munchausen by proxy Another similar illness arising out of Munchausen’s Syndrome is called Munchausens by proxy.

As the name suggests in this form of illness, a person creates symptoms of a disease in another person, hence the term by proxy. “In this case the patient tends to bring his/her child to the doctor again and again demanding tests or procedures be conducted on the ‘sick/ill’ child.” Munchausens Syndrome by proxy is said to occur mostly to a mother or a caregiver. Certain extreme cases have been reported where the syndrome in the mother has led to the death of the child and in some cases the children have grown up to suffer from Munchaussen Syndrome.

Treatment “The problem with those who suffer from this syndrome is that they are not ready to accept the same. Treatment can be provided in terms of councelling and medication such as anti-depressents and other medicines to treat anxiety,” mentions Dr Minhaj.

Weak muscles lead to prolapse

Dr Divya T Sudershan

What is a pelvic organ prolapse? How does it happen?

A woman’s pelvis contains the uterus, urinary bladder, rectum and small intestines. The most important factor for keeping the organs inside is a well supported pelvic floor, when for any reason due to strain, injury, surgery the muscles are weakened, then there is a slow sliding out of the contents of the pelvis. The patient typically says, “I feel something coming out of the vagina.”

The commonest reason for pelvic organ prolapse, till date is previous difficult deliveries. The so called ‘normal’ deliveries where heroic efforts are made to pull out the baby results in injuries to the vaginal tract and perineal floor muscles. Over the years the angle of the vaginal outlet changes and due to lack of support there is a drag on the organs.

Prolapse also occurs with chronic constipation, violent coughing and heavy lifting. Genetics is known to be another cause.

I would expect one in 10 women suffer a prolapsed pelvis and most of them would be post vaginal deliveries.

If caesarians have reduced anything at all, it is organ prolapse, as the pelvic floor is not involved at all (though with operative deliveries, the incidence of incisional hernias, and bladder injures increase).

In order of frequency, uterine prolapse would be the commonest followed by bladder, rectum and small intestine. A prolapsed bladder is called cystocele, a prolapse of the rectum is called a rectocle and small intestine is enterocele.

(This column will continue next week. The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

19

GREY MATTERS

Space missions may damage Spot the signs astronauts' eyes, brains I Postnoon News

Spending long periods of time in space can result in deformation of the eyes and brain, according to a study of NASA astronauts

Jessica Phelan

A

stronauts who spend more than a month in space are at risk of potentially serious damage to their eyes and brain, a new study suggests.

A team led by Larry Kramer of the University of Texas Health Science Center conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on 27 NASA astronauts who each spent at least 30 days in orbit.

The findings appear in the journal Radiology.

According to The Guardian, the researchers found a pattern of deformities in the crew's eyeballs, optic nerves and pituitary glands.

The complications are similar to those associated with intracranial hypertension, a rare medical condition in which excess pressure builds up within the skull.

Nine of the astronauts studied showed expansion of the space surrounding the optic nerve that's normally filled with cerebrospinal fluid, six displayed flattening at the back of their eyeballs, and four had a bulging optical nerve, the BBC reported.

Three of them displayed changes to their pituitary gland – which is located between the optic nerves and secretes hormones that regulate functions including growth, sex organs and the thyroid gland – and its connection to the brain.

The changes may be explained by the absence of

gravity in space, ABC News suggested, “On Earth, the human body is attuned to gravity, with the heart pumping to keep fluids from pooling in the legs. In weightlessness, the body keeps forcing fluids upward – even though there’s no gravity. So most astronauts report a feeling of fullness in the head.”

Some of the effects are reversible, but some seem to translate into permanent

changes in astronauts’ eyesight, the head of NASA’s Astronaut Office, Peggy Whitson, told ABC. Spacefarers have reported problems focusing their eyes, finding themselves in need of glasses having previously enjoyed 20/20 vision. A few have reportedly been advised against flying in space or piloting aeroplanes.

This latest study raises particular questions as to the safety of longer-term space mis-

sions such a flight to Mars, which would likely involve astronauts spending more than a year in space, the BBC said. William J Tarver, head of the flight medicine clinic at NASA, said the space agency was aware of the problem and had placed it “high on its list of human risks,” Space.com reported. Its specialists are looking into the symptoms, which remain unexplained, Tarver said.

GLOBAL POST

f you’ve always thought that your child was simply incorrigible or a student in your class was driving you up the wall simply because he was the proverbial Dennis the Menace, you could be wrong. Often children with ADHD are mistaken for brats, while on the other hand they may just need to be treated with care. If you’re a teacher with a bunch of rowdy students here are a few things to watch out for to identify if any of them has ADHD. n Can the child pay attention in class? Some ADHD kids can pay attention for a while, but typically can't sustain it. Other ADHD kids cannot pay attention to just one thing at a time. There are many different aspects to "attention," and the ADHD child would have a deficit in at least one aspect of it. n Is the child impulsive? These kids often cannot stop and think before they act, and they rarely think of the consequences of their actions first.

Impulsivity tends to hurt peer relationships. n Does he have trouble staying in his seat when he's supposed to? How is he on the playground? Can he wait in line, or does he run ahead of the rest of the class? Does he get in fights often? n Can he wait? Emotionally, these children often cannot delay gratification. n Is he calm? They are constantly looking for clues as to how they are doing. They may display a wide range of moods, which are often on the extremes: they act too sad, too angry, too excited, too whatever. n Is the child working at grade level? Does he fidget a lot? Most ADHD kids have trouble staying on task, staying seated, and many have terrible handwriting. n Does he lack awareness about "personal space" and what is appropriate regarding touching others?

Many children with ADHD also have Sensory Integration Dysfunctions (as many as 10 per cent to 20 per cent of all children might have some degree of Sensory Integration Dysfunction). SID is simply the ineffective processing of information received through the senses. As a result these children have problems with learning, development, and behaviour. n Does he seem to be immature developmentally, educationally, or socially? It has been suggested by research that children and teens with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may lag 20 per cent to 40 per cent behind children without ADHD developmentally. In other words, a 10 year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a seven year old to behave or learn. A 15 year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a 10 year old to.

Source: newideas.net

Spotlight

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

20

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Hena & Shalini

Priya & Neharika

Deeptha & Shikha

Ritika & Bhoomika

In the groove Ibrahim & Alisha

Harish & Esha

On Wednesday, the pretty ladies of the city came out dressed in their best outfits to party the night away. It was ladies night at the Kismet pub and fun was the theme.

Ali & Tamana

Vinay & Nikitha

Mounica Sonia

Anjali

Neha

Sonia

Divya

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

Sangamithra Arts announces more films

N

eelima Thirumalsetty, one of the producers of Panjaa has announced that she’s going to produce three more films under the Sangamithra Arts banner. Earlier this year, in order to encourage new talent in the industry ,she invited aspiring writers and filmmakers to send their stories. The response was overwhelming and, they received over 1,000 entries. Out of these entries, the team selected three scripts and Neelima has announced that she’s going to produce all three of them .

The three films are named Alias Janaki, A Shyam Gopal Varma Film and Arere Arere. These films will be directed by debutant directors Chandu, Rakesh Srinivas and Shashikiran Tikka respectively. From April onwards, one film will be launched every month. More details about these films will be announced soon.

Abhishek Bachchan to reprise Mahesh Babu’s role

M

ahesh Babu, Kajal starrer Businessman will soon be remade in Hindi and after a long suspense over who would act in the Hindi version, RGV has confirmed that Abhishek Bachchan will play the lead role.

Interestingly,couple of months ago, Puri Jagannadh, who directed the film, said that Abhishek Bachchan doesn’t have the intensity which the character requires and he tried convincing Mahesh Babu to act in the Hindi version as well.

However, Mahesh Babu had reiterated that he’s happy doing Telugu films for now and there are a lot of commitments which he has to fulfil before going to Bollywood. Meanwhile, Puri Jagannadh, Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu was launched yesterday in Hyderabad and it’ll go on floors in some time.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

21

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@LakshmiManchu Been shooting day and night to finish #ukup... mind boggling stuff :) time to sleep now.. Later tweeples.

@me_sushanth “@GreatestQuotes: "If you're going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big." Donald Trump”

@richyricha Going home after 9 months!

First time in 3 yrs I'll be home for my bday! Can't wait to jump into my bed and sleep all day haha. And fluffy!

@shraddhadas43 Packed up finally,what a long day its been,almost 18hrs of non-stop shootin! Next the 2 hrs of travellin to ramoji, with my crew, fun ride.

@actressanjjanaa Jus got Ear pearcings in 3extra holes each ear !! hurting !!

Ahhhhhh !! God save meeee !!

Hows it looking, temme fast?

@shrutihaasan

Taapsee, Gopichand

to team up again?

T

aapsee has been roped in as the female lead in Gopichand, Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s upcoming action adventure, if the latest rumour is to be believed. This will be the second time after Mogudu that Taapsee and Gopichand will act together if she has indeed signed the project. The film is about a common man who goes on a treasure hunt and it’ll be shot in exotic locales across Jordan, Ladakh and Rajasthan.

BVSN Prasad is producing the film along with Reliance Entertainment. Sri is going to compose the music and Shamdatt is the cinematographer of the film which will go on the floors in the first week of April. Ever since Taapsee made her debut in Jhummandhi Naadam, she has been going places with back to back big projects including Mr.Perfect, Veera, Mogudu and this year, she’ll be seen in Daruvu, Gundello Godaari and Shadow.

Living the life you want is very different from making do with the life you have.courage and strength are truly in short supply these days.

@vennelakishore What more can I ask for??

Acting with two legends of comic timing... Not sure if I could be in sync with them while...

@RGVzoomin Finally its confirmed..Me nd puri jagan together are making the remake of the block buster telugu hit 'Businessman' with Abhishek Bachchan.

Magic Screen

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Akshay misses Delhi's smooth roads in Mumbai

B-TOWN TWEETIES

B

ollywood star Akshay Kumar, who grew up in the bylanes of Chandni Chowk in Delhi, is proud of the growing infrastructure of the city. And he says he misses the smooth roads and well-connected bridges back in Mumbai. “I have spent my childhood in Delhi and I know each and every road very well. But Delhi has changed a lot. It has changed for the better... the roads are smooth, the Metro has made life easier, there are lovely bridges and great roads. Unfortunately, we don’t have them in Mumbai,” Akshay said. The ‘hiladi is in the capital shooting for Neeraj Pandey’s Special Chabbis. He was busy shooting a scene in Connaught Place. He is loving the experience, but wishes he could have shot in the city in January. “I like the weather to be more cold, I love it when it’s very cold. I miss that weather in Mumbai,” said Akshay.

IANS

22

@TheShilpaShetty So true, thot I' share it with all of you... "Most of us can forgive nd forget, we just don't want the other person to forget tht we forgave!"

@ajaydevgn At wrk 2day with a heavy hrt. Feeling low bt strangely determined. Life truly is uncertain an all v hv is 2day.

Tmrw is a maybe!

Aamir Khan turns 47 A

ctor-producer Aamir Khan turned 47 on Wednesday and celebrated his big day with journalists at his residence in Mumbai “I am humbled that you all are here to wish me. My day starts with you, with your good wishes,” said an overwhelmed Aamir who welcomed the media outside his Pali Hill residence. He cut a cake and spoke to reporters. “I would thank God who has given me all the success and the happiness he has showered on me in my personal life. We were recently blessed with a kid named Azad so I am thankful to God,” said the actor.

With each passing year, Aamir looks younger and says that it is all because of his parents’ genes.

“There is no secret behind this. I would only thank my ammi and abbajaan who have given me these genes.

Whatever we are, it is given by our parents. I try to live a healthy life,” he said. IANS

I love going back to theatre: KALKI KOECHLIN

W

hen she is not busy shooting films, actress Kalki Koechlin goes back to her first love — theatre. "I love theatre, and as long as I have time. It's great to be able to go back to it and give time to it,” Kalki said. “I am happy doing theatre, and it’s been film after film for a while...so it’s nice to get back to theatre, it’s a welcome break,” she added. The Indian actress of French descent has studied theatre and featured in several plays before trying her luck in Bollywood. She landed a role in Anurag Kashyap's 2009 film Dev D and went on to feature in films like Shaitan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,That Girl in Yellow Boots and My Friend Pinto. She will next be seen in Dibakar Banerjee's Shanghai and Vishal Bharadwaj’s Daayan. In her free time, she had been writing a new play. “I have finished writing a new play, which I am very excited about. I haven't titled it yet.

The subject of the play is death, but the play is actually comical.

It's dark comedy,” she said. IANS

@NeilNMukesh Time to unwind with my keyboard. So music, photos, a little bit of reading and a movie will be the perfect combination for tonight !

@ameesha_patel The awful summer is here. Feel like I'm shooting in an oven at filmcity... yukkk... what awful weather

@iamsrk Cycling in the park... sitting on a log... spotting birds...dropping hot chocolate... cold red noses...

I love lil girls.

@priyankachopra Off to shoot barfii and then rehearsals for the Balaji awards Tom! Phew!

Shud b a good day... “don’t worry, be barfii...”

@DuttaLara Its been a busy day and its not done yet!!:-). Looking forward to unwinding with a little bit of the Homeland series tonight!

@shreyaghoshal Sang a beautiful Malayalam song today! The movie is a remake of Julie now named Chattakari.

M Jayachandranji has again given me a gem!

Magic Screen

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

24

Peter Facinelli confirms divorce

A

fter 11 years of marriage, Twilight actor Peter Facinelli and his wife, Beverly Hills, 90210 darling Jennie Garth, are splitting, their reps jointly confirm to People. “While we have decided to end our marriage, we both share the same deep love and are devoted to our children. We remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. We ask for privacy and respect during this time,” they told People in a joint statement. Facinelli and Garth — who have three daughters, Luca, 14, Lola, 9, and Fiona, 5 — met on the set of TV movie, An Unfinished Affair in 1996, and married in 2001.

Jeremy Irons joins cast of Beautiful Creatures T

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

he British actor will join beautiful actresses Viola Davis, Emma Thompson and Emmy Rossum in Alcon Entertainment’s big screen adaptation of the young adult novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, which is part of a series that includes Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Chaos. Irons will play Macon Ravenwood, who the authors describe as the local boogeyman. “He’s also an old-fashioned Southern gentleman with a penchant for cigars and controversy, not necessarily in that order,” they write. It sounds like he's loosely based on Bill Clinton.

Nicki Minaj:

Magic Screen

25

I want to dethrone Jay-z as rap mogul N

icki Minaj has said that she aims to "dethrone" Jay-Z as the top rap mogul. The Roman Reloaded star revealed that she plans to continue pursuing all areas of art outside of music in an effort to be at the top of the entertainment industry. "I never thought about music as just being the end-all, be-all. I always looked at it like a business, something that I could create an empire out of. So that's why I'm only about to put out my second album and I'm already thinking about this," Minaj explained in a new interview with Allure. "I had a little conversation with Jay-Z at the Victoria's Secret fashion show. He said, 'Congratulations on all your success.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I'm coming for you. I'm coming for your spot, Mr. Mogul'." Minaj recently revealed that Roman Reloaded, the follow-up to her 2010 debut Pink Friday, has "no boundaries". The 29year-old Super Bass rapper also promised that the record will be important to hip-hop.

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

26

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Donkey, sound-wise 7 Abbrs. on city maps 10 Canned meat brand 14 Donned again 15 Medieval launcher 17 Be overflowing 18 Swift heroine of Greek myth 19 Fourth day of Christmas arrivals 21 Spinks and Uris 22 Certain Fords 26 TV broadcast band 29 Medium's claim 30 He's a Hur 31 Gay Nineties, for one 32 Second day of Christmas arrivals (with 38-Across) 34 Word with "first" or "financial" 35 See 28-Down 36 Eclipses and comets, to some 37 Disreputable newspaper 38 See 32-Across 39 Act like a hot dog?

40 Poseidon's province 41 Revolutionary rider Paul 42 Company abbr., sometimes 43 Little white lie 44 Cartoon collectible 45 The "S" in CBS (Abbr.)

46 Having missed the boat?

48 Stated further 50 First day day of Christmas arrival (with 55-Across) 55 See 50-Across 58 Doesn't go to a restaurant 59 Nice 60 ___ Dan (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band) 61 Appetizer or entree 62 Compass direction opposite NNW 63 Mother with a Nobel prize DOWN 1 Bric-a-____ 2 Country's McEntire 3 Base truant 4 "___ be sorry!"

5 Golfer from South Africa 6 Rudolph's bright feature

7 Workers who cross the line 8 Jacques of French cinema 9 Initiated 10 Writer's cramp, e.g.

11 Many a puzzle clue ending in "?"

12 Key below Z, on PCs 13 Overseer of NYC subways 16 Mayflower Compact signer John 20 Econ. measure for a country 23 "Pet" sources of irritation 24 Downright mean 25 Disrespects 26 An ideally perfect place 27 Men and women, boys and girls 28 They arrived on the third day (with 35-Across) 30 Oversized 33 It can be a real blast

34 Remote battery size, perhaps 35 ___ lane (carpoolers' convenience) 37 Civil War soldier in gray 38 Assign 40 Rugged mountain ranges 41 Most embarrassed, colorwise 43 Places for pledges 44 One-fifth of MMV 47 Namesake of OWN 48 Sharp mountain ridge 49 Discourage from proceeding 51 Sawbucks 52 "That clears it up"

SUDOKU

53 E Street Band guitarist Lofgren 54 "Dragonwyck" author Seton 55 Not requiring COD 56 Gin-maker Whitney 57 D.D.E. two-time presidential opponent PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Setting a good example to children takes all the fun out of middle age.

– William Feather

Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 16-3-2012

thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118

TAURUS

GEMINI

A bank loan gets approved for purchase or construction of own house. Financial flow will improve. Govt work might get delayed. Avoid hurting anyone with your talk, which might spell doom.

Opposition you had will weaken. Frie‑ ndship with powerful officials likely.

Relatives will come in search of you and favour you. Sops from govt will come. Businessmen make fresh plans.

Mother's health problem will be over.

You will sell the old house at expected price and buy a new one. Financial flow will be very good. Those trying for a job will get good and favourable news.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Your approach will do the magic to get things done successfully. Your applica‑ tion for a bank loan to purchase or con‑ struct your own house will be favourably considered. Govt work will get completed.

All work you undertake will get comple‑ ted perfectly within the timeframe. Your value will go up in the family. Bank loan applied will get approved. Children will realise their responsibilities.

Financial flow is good. Vehicle you got repaired will be alright now. Govt work might get delayed. Exercise caution in sharing secrets with friends and rela‑ tives. You might face unexpected blame.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Your self‑confidence level will be at a high. Daughter's marriage will get set‑ tled with a good match. You will pur‑ chase an asset and register it also wit‑ hout hurdles. Court verdicts favour you.

You will think from new and different angles and solve age‑old problems. In‑ come will start coming from ancestral property. Friends and relatives will sup‑ port you well. Couples need to adjust.

Friendship with persons of high esteem likely. Children's higher education and marriage will be taken care of success‑ fully. Renovation of ancestral property on the cards. Expected help will come.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Administrative skills will increase. You will achieve whatever you want by your wise approach. House construction stu‑ ck half way will resume and get com‑ pleted. Your stock is set to pile up.

You will be smart in actions. Money from expected sources will come.

Kids will work in co‑ordination with you as a result of good understand‑ ing. Marriage talks end successfully.

All expectations get fulfilled. Financi‑ ally, a good position is possible. You will take part in a function held at a place. Some have bright chances to shift to their own new residence.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 16-3-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Nine of Wands – You have planned your future course of action rather well.

But you meet with a few obstacles and need to tackle them without worrying.

Four of Wands – Youʼre making a deeper commitment to an important rela‑ tionship. It may be a marriage or a crucial business partnership.

You feel more secure.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Ten of Pentacles – You wish to have all that happiness and joy that is the stuff of happy joint family stories. You dream of making it happen.

Judgement – You ne‑ ed to release the past and refresh your life.

Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming or judging others for your lifeʼs path.

The Hermit – You want to be left alone today. Youʼre work‑ ing on finding ans‑ wers to a tricky problem and would rather be on your own.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Queen of Swords – You have a sharp focus and all deci‑ sions are drawn by that objective you wish to achieve. You may have to give up much along the way.

Page of Wands – Expect good news about a romantic pa‑ rtner. You hear that they got a better job or just cracked a go‑ od deal. Celebrate to spread the love.

Five of Pentacles – Your worry is unnec‑ essary. Lack of faith in your own abilities is leading to tremen‑ dous self doubt. Trust yourself. And do stop worrying.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Four of Pentacles – Youʼre at a comfortab‑ le, stable place in life where youʼre inching toward what you want.

Financially, a very go‑ od time. And that adds to your confidence.

The Moon – Headaches and other minor health irritants will make you restless and moody. Be patient and treat any health problems before they get out of hand.

Four of Cups – You have more choices now than youʼve ev‑ er had before. This also puts the pressu‑ re on you to make the right move. Wei‑ gh options carefully.

Strength – You have it in you to face the obstacles and come out a winner. Donʼt give up or give in.

Stick to your stand and itʼll fall in place.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle CANADA FRANCE POLAND ISRAEL SWEDEN

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

27

Vol: 1, No 242 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 Kodala Kodala Koduku Pellama 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Missamma 2030 Edureetha 2100 Challenge 2200 CID 2300 Challenge 0730 Maa Shakti 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Chaganti Sanatana Dharmam 0900 Money Money 1000 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu

1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Sumangali 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 Swathi 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Nippu Special 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] Gumrah 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] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 2030 [V] Humse Hai Life 2100 [V] Vignettes 2130 [V] Trailers 2200 [V] Gumrah 2300 [V] Humse Hai Life 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 0700 [V] Trailers 0730 [V] Zabardast Hits 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs

‘[V] Humse Hai Life’ at 1930 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]

1300 News Now at 1 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 Newshour’ at 2100 Hrs only on TIMES NOW

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings

1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Genes 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Super 2245 Movie 0800 Subhamastu 0830 Jeevanajyothi 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi 1230 Star Mahila

1400 Nagani 1430 Movie 1800 Meera 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Luckku Kickku 2230 Shree 2300 Bindass 2330 Latest Songs 0800 Subhamastu 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam 0930 Mahadevi 1000 Bindass 1030 Chittam Chittam Prayaschittam 1130 Jeevana Vignanam 1200 Mee Inti Vanta

‘Global Business Report’ at 1900 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 Starting Up 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Markets Tomorrow 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At 10 2230 Brand Equity 2300 Investor's Guide 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

‘Breaking Point’ at 2100 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL Rampage Swamp Brothers Factory Made Man Vs Wild Wild Discovery I Almost Got Away With It? Nature's Power Revealed Breaking Point Dual Survival Tattoo Hunter Deception With Keith Barry 1100 How Do They Do It? 1200 Dual Survival

1440 Whacked Out Sports 1510 Wipeout 1605 The Challenger Muaythai 1700 Supernatural 1800 Chuck 1900 Wipeout 2000 Supernatural 2100 Minute To Win It 2200 Fear Factor 2300 Top 20 Countdown 0700 Infomercial/30 Min 0730 Sky Teleshopping 0830 Infomercial/30 Min 0900 Sky Teleshopping 0930 Whacked Out Sports 1000 The Rachel Zoe Project 1100 Minute To Win It 1200 Wipeout 1250 The Voice 2

‘The Rachel Zoe Project’ at 1000 Hrs on AXN

‘B B G C’ at 2100 Hrs on IMAGINE 1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 1530 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1600 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1630 Jamuna Paar 1700 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1730 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1800 Jamuna Paar 1830 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1900 Haar Jeet 1930 Gyaan Guru 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Jamuna Paar 2130 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet 2300 Jamuna Paar

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 - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 2200 Uttaran 2230 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2300 Na Aana Is Des Laado

‘Uttaran’ at 2200 Hrs on COLORS

‘Punarvivah’ at 2230 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1500 Afsar Bitiya 1530 Chhoti Bahu 2 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1630 Dance India Dance 1800 Hitler Didi 1830 Punarvivah 1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Chhoti Bahu 2 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milaye Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Punarvivah 2300 Afsar Bitiya 0900 Punarvivah

1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1530 Crime Patrol - 2 1600 Crime Patrol - Dastak 1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak 1930 Shubh Vivah 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 Kahani Comedy Circus Ki 1030 CID 1200 Shubh Vivah 1300 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada

‘Dekha Ek Khwaab’ at 2030 Hrs on SONY

28

‘Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein’ at 2200 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein 1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum 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

1400 The Cave 1550 Butterfly On A Wheel 1740 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 2100 Lara Croft - Tomb Raider 2300 Batman Begins 0825 Friends 0855 Nikita1 0945 It's A Boy Girl Thing 1135 Demolition Man 1350 Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

1340 Superman Returns 1650 Cop Out 1900 The Diamond Of Jeru 2100 United 93 2320 Clash Of The Titans 0800 Running Scared 1030 The Diamond Of Jeru 1230 Clash Of The Titans

1400 My Kitchen Rules 1500 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 1530 America's Funniest Home Videos 1600 My Wife And Kids 1630 The Big Bang Theory 1700 Rookie Blue 1800 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 1900 Outsourced 1930 The Big Bang Theory 2000 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 My Kitchen Rules 2200 Rookie Blue 2300 Outsourced 2330 My Wife And Kids 0900 America's Funniest Home Videos 1000 Outsourced 1100 My Kitchen Rules

1400 1600 1630 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 1000

‘My Wife And Kids’ at 2330 Hrs on ZEE CAFE

Hawaii 5-0 Storyline - When Five-0 gets too close to the truth about Wo Fat and his associates, the criminal mastermind retaliates by trying to destroy the team.

‘Hawaii 5-0’ at 2100 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Storyline - The entire Singhania family is worried when the plan to bring Nikhil – Rashmi together backfires. Will Akshara and Naitik be able to handle the situation?

‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ at 2130 Hrs on STAR PLUS

‘Two And A Half Men’ at 2000 Hrs on STAR WORLD 1400 Supernatural 1500 Missing 1600 The Big Bang Theory 1630 The Simpsons 1700 Castle 1800 Supernatural 1900 Desperate Housewives 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Supernatural 2200 Unforgettable 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Two And A Half Men 0700 Unforgettable 0800 Las Vegas 0900 The River 1000 Unforgettable 1100 Desperate Housewives 1200 Two And A Half Men 1230 The Simpsons 1300 The Big Bang Theory 1330 Friends

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 I Luv My India 1700 Gutur Gu 1730 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1900 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1930 Lapataganj 2000 I Luv My India 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 1030 I Luv My India

‘R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya’ at 2130 Hrs on SAB

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The games people play

29

A HISTORIC DAY FOR HENDERSON Nicky Henderson who became the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival sounded modest: “I’m lucky we’ve had good horses all the way through.”

CHELTENHAM, UNITED KINGDOM: Nicky Henderson became the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival after saddling four winners on a sensational second day of the 2012 edition here on Wednesday.

The Englishman broke the longstanding record held by the late Fulke Walywn of 40 Festival winners when Simonsig won the Novices’ Hurdle.

That was the first of a treble of wins in conjunction with jockey Barry Geraghty that saw the Irishman ride Henderson’s Bobs Worth and Finian’s Rainbow to victories in the RSA Chase and Queen Mother Champion Chase respectively.

An incredible four-timer was completed with Jeremiah McGrath aboard 40/1 shot Une Artiste in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, a race named after the man under whom Henderson was an assistant trainer in the 1970s.

Henderson, who trains in Lambourn, southern England,

The horse ‘Finian’s Rainbow’ (C) ridden by jockey Barry Geraghty jumps a fence on his way to winning the Queen Mother champion steeple chase race on the second day of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival, in Gloucestershire, western England. AFP/ANDREW YATES said after clinching the Festival record: “It’s nice. But I’m lucky we’ve had good horses all the way through, good owners and a good team back home.”

Sprinter Sacre’s win in the Arkle Challenge Trophy on Tuesday had seen Henderson draw level with Walwyn’s mark and the 61-year-old handler smashed the old record in style.

First grey horse Simonsig beat Felix Yonger by seven lengths in the Novices’ Hurdle, his path to victory smoothed when Cotton Mill, who was in

second place, dumped jockey Denis O’Regan from the saddle after refusing at the second last.

Henderson and Geraghty then had a double to celebrate when Bobs Worth won the RSA Chase in a race where the strongly backed Grands Crus faded on the straight to finish fourth.

Then came a controversial renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase where Finian’s Rainbow edged out favourite and defending champion Sizing Europe in a race where horses

Britain’s Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, (R) and her son Tom Parker Bowles, watch the action on the second day of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival.

had to avoid the final fence after an earlier fall.

Wishfull Thinking’s fall, which saw rider Richard Johnson catapulted over the barrier into a group of watching spectators, meant the last fence was cordoned off.

Sizing Europe’s jockey, Andrew Lynch, was trying to hug the inside rail before he was forced to alter course to avoid the last and so lost impetus.

The horse’s trainer, Henry de Bromhead, said: “We were beaten which is about all I can say

on the matter.

“Andrew didn’t know he was going to have to miss the last.

We haven’t really discussed it but he just said ‘the last cost me the race’.”

But a joyful Geraghty said: “It’s a brilliant day -- you dream of days like this. I’m genuinely so delighted for Michael Buckley (the owner of Finian’s Rainbow).

“He’s had a good few disappointments this season, but he’s had patience with this fellow (Finian’s Rainbow) and I really am delighted for him.”

AFP

Trainer Nicky Henderson (R) congratulates jockey Barry Geraghty after winning the Neptune Novices Hurdle on the horse ‘Simonsig’.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

The games people play

30

Rice’s fourth fastest at trials ADELAIDE:

Defending Olympic champion Stephanie Rice was fourth fastest into the final of the 400metres individual medley at the Australian Olympic selection trials in Adelaide on Thursday.

The 23-year-old, triple gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is under pressure to make July’s London Games after surgery last December to repair damaged tendons in her right shoulder.

Rice, who did not speak to reporters after her heat win, needs to finish in the top two in Thursday’s night final to compete in the event at London, but her time of 4min 45.70sec ranked her fourth.

Blair Evans topped the qualifiers in 4:42.54 ahead of Samantha Hamill (4:44.11) and Amy Levings (4:44.65).

Rice’s coach Michael Bohl believes it will take a sub-4:35 time to grab a 400m medley berth in the Australian team at the Olympics. She posted a world record 4:29.45 to win the gold medal in Beijing.

“Her shoulder has been good but we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, she just did what she had to to get through to tonight’s final,” Bohl said.

“She knows there’s a fair bit of pressure on her tonight, she’s got to perform, she’s not going to make the team because her name’s Stephanie Rice.” Another defending Olympic champion Libby Trickett swam the fastest time of her comeback to qualify fifth fastest with 59.90sec to go through to the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly.

AFP

Rafael Nadal of Spain (foreground) serves to Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine during their men’s singles 4th round match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. AFP/ROBYN BECK

Nadal races into quarters R Greg Heakes

afael Nadal raced into the Indian Wells quarterfinals with a dominating win, while Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer needed three sets each to oust unseeded opponents on Wednesday.

Tennis’ big three moved on in the California desert as the world No. 2 Nadal had the easiest time, storming into the quarters by beating 21st seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-2 in just 76 minutes.

World number three Federer scrambled for the secondstraight day to eliminate an upand-comer he was facing for the first time, coming from behind to beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 36, 6-3, 6-4.

Defending champ and world No. 1 Djokovic lost a second set tie-breaker en route to a 6-0, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 win over Pablo Andujar.

“In the end I was lucky to get through some points,” said

Djokovic, who has won the last three Grand Slams. “I am happy to go through to the next round.”

The 24-year-old Serb came into Wednesday’s fourth round match with a 12-1 record on the year, having already captured the fifth Grand Slam title of his career at the Australian Open.

In the quarter-finals, Djokovic will face Nicolas Almagro, who surprised seventh seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0.

Djokovic looked to be charging his way into the quarters after dominating the first set 6-0 in just 28 minutes.

But he quickly found himself in the middle of a dogfight in the second as unseeded Andujar started to get his serve cracking, winning the set in a tie-breaker to level at one each.

“I think I played one of my better sets in the last couple months in the first set,” Djokovic said. “He surprised me with his aggressive approach. He was taking the ball early.

“In the second set I started playing a little bit more defensive and that allowed him to come back into the match.

“In the third set I regrouped. I managed to stay calm mentally and find my rhythm again.”

Djokovic fired four aces and saved eight of eight break-point chances in the two hour, 16 minute match.

He said he is playing some of his best tennis of the season at Indian Wells.

“The way I played in that first set and the third set today is as well as I was playing at this stage last year,” said Djokovic, who started 2011 with 41 consecutive match victories.

Nadal next plays unseeded David Nalbandian of Argentina, who came from behind to stun sixth-seeded Frenchman JoWilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Nadal, who finished with four aces, challenged a call and won to get to match point. The line judge called a shot on the baseline which Nadal disputed. He won the point thanks to a video review that showed the ball was out.

That got Nadal to match point and he clinched the victory when Dolgopolov hit a forehand long.

AFP

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

The games people play

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Mourinho wants Blues in final

Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (right) shoots to score their fourth goal while CSKA’s Vasili Berezutski looks on during their Champions League football match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Wednesday.

AFP/JAVIER SORIANO

Cristiano brace graces Real win MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as nine-time champions Real Madrid eased into the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, a 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow giving Jose Mourinho’s men a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema were also on target as Real joined bitter rivals Barcelona in the last eight, the draw for which will be held on Friday.

“It was a good game, we’ve all played well and we have qualified. We knew what we had to do. We had to win,” said Benzema. Afterwards, Madrid coach Mourinho was happy with his team but underlined how difficult the match had been until Ronaldo got Madrid’s second goal of the evening.

“We suffered more than we should have until the second go-

al and the game was demanding until the end but all Champions League games are,” he said.

“We gave a mature and balanced performance and now we’ll take on whoever the draw pairs us with on Friday.”

The only negative on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Xabi Alonso that means he will miss the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Mourinho decided against bringing in fit-again Frenchman Benzema from the start, preferring instead to field Higuain.

CSKA arrived in Madrid having not lost away in the Champions League all season and they started the game looking well-organised and determined.

Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia shot high on eight minutes when put clear by Alan Dzagoev.

That produced an instant reaction from the home side when a Ronaldo shot was wellsaved by Sergei Chepchugov in the Russians’ goal.

On 12 minutes, Doumbia came close again to converting a right-wing cross from the quick Nigerian Ahmed Musa.

Mesut Oezil looked to French referee Stephane Lannoy when felled in the area on 14 minutes but the contact by Russian centre-back Sergei Ignashevich was

HIGUAIN AND BENZEMA WERE ALSO ON TARGET AS REAL JOINED BITTER RIVALS BARCELONA IN THE LAST EIGHT, THE DRAW FOR WHICH WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY.

judged to have been minimal.

Madrid’s quick passing increased in intensity and it was no surprise when Sami Khedira and Kaka combined on 26 minutes to set up Higuain for his third goal in this season’s Champions League.

Zoran Tosic, for CSKA, and Xabi Alonso, for the Spaniards, wasted good chances from dead-ball situations before Musa produced a stinging shot that Iker Casillas had to turn over the bar.

CSKA survived further damage before the interval before making a tactical change, bringing on Pavel Mamaev for Evgeni Aldonin for the second period.

On 55 minutes, Ronaldo tried his luck with a spinning shot from fully 40 yards that Chepchugov failed to block.

AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was hoping for a dream Champions League final against his former club Chelsea on Thursday after the Spanish giants cruised into the quarter-finals.

Nine-time winners Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the second leg of their last 16 tie for a 5-2 aggregate win with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo grabbing two of the goals.

No sooner had the night’s business been settled, however, than Mourinho was already eyeing Chelsea, who won an extratime thriller to defeat Napoli, as potential final opponents in May. “People can’t understand how much I love Chelsea and I know if I get them in the quarter-finals or the semi-finals, they would be great opponents,” said Mourinho, who has been widelytipped to retake the reins at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

“I’m happy Chelsea have got through, but I’d love to play them in the final.”

The Real coach was also happy to heap more praise on Ronaldo whose brace took his Real Madrid career total to 19 goals in 24 appearances in the Champions League.

Compared to 16 goals during his 55 outings as a Manchester United player, the Portuguese star is flourishing at Real.

“Ronaldo is unbelievable,” said Mourinho.

“You would have thought with the number of goals he scored last season you couldn’t improve, but he is at another level.”

Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema were also on target on Wednesday as Real joined bitter rivals Barcelona in the last eight, the draw for which will be held on Friday. The only negative on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Xabi Alonso that means he will miss the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

“It’s not a problem that Xabi can’t play, we are not going to cry about it, there is no problem for (Lass) Diarra or (Esteban) Granero to play with (Sami) Khedira,” added Mourinho.

The coach added he was happy with his team but underlined how difficult the match had been until Ronaldo got Madrid’s second goal of the evening.

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The games people play

The night the stars smiled on Chelsea

Chelsea’s Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic celebrates after scoring during their Champions’ League round of 16 second leg football match against Napoli at in London.

AFP/ GIUSEPPE CACACE Rob Woollard

LONDON: Branislav Ivanovic scored a dramatic extra-time winner as Chelsea completed a remarkable comeback to beat Napoli 4-1 and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League here on Wednesday.

Serbian international Ivanovic swept home emphatically in the 105th minute to give Chelsea — beaten 3-1 by the Italians in last month’s first leg in Naples — a 5-4 aggregate victory at Stamford Bridge.

It was only the fourth time in the modern history of the Champions League that a team has successfully overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit.

The match had gone to extra time after a pulsating period of 90 minutes that saw Chelsea battle to a 3-1 lead that left the tie locked at 4-4 overall.

Chelsea had taken a 20 lead on the night through headers from Didier Drogba and John Terry to put the Blues ahead on away goals.

But Gokhan Inler restored Napoli’s crucial advantage with a 55thminute strike before a Frank Lampard penalty 15 minutes from time hauled

Chelsea back into the tie to electrify a crowd of 37,784.

“It was a fantastic game with two great teams. We made history because we were in such a difficult position before the game,” said Chelsea’s interim manager Roberto di Matteo.

“We knew what we had to do to get through.

It was an outstanding performance.”

Terry said it was one

IT WAS ONLY THE FOURTH TIME IN THE MODERN HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THAT A TEAM HAS SUCCESSFULLY OVERTURNED A TWOGOAL FIRST-LEG DEFICIT. of the club’s greatest nights.

“We showed what Chelsea are all about. We were solid and resilient and fought until the very end. We’ve proved we’re a team. Players came in and we stuck together when it really mattered,” he said.

Lampard was delighted with the victory and believes it can be a platform for greater things.

“It’s an absolutely

huge win for us. It was crucial that whatever the result, we produced a performance to stay in the competition. We can really build on this now and hopefully move onwards and upwards,” he said.

Chelsea had carved out the first chance of a frenetic opening period when Drogba held off his marker to chest a long throw into the path of Daniel Sturridge, whose first-time volley was well saved by Morgan De Sanctis.

But thereafter Chelsea were rocked onto the back foot as Napoli’s fleet-footed attack, with Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani to the fore, repeatedly pierced the home defence almost at will.

Hamsik was the first to test Petr Cech on 10 minutes, the Chelsea goalkeeper just managing to block the Slovakian international’s low shot with his legs.

Napoli were soon on the attack once again, Christian Maggio bursting down the right flank to centre for Cavani, who just diverted into the side netting.

With Napoli causing havoc down Ashley Cole’s flank, the chances continued to come for the visitors.

AFP

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012

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