Postnoon E-Paper for 27 april 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

COUNTER STRIKE These are men who are never seen, heard or recognised, even as they engage in the most dangerous missions known to man. Unlike the US Secret Service which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, we take a look at some of the deadliest forces in the world who never make headlines though they are the very best. Take a look. P16&17 Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012 HYDERABAD

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INFAMOUS BURGLAR GETS WINGS CLIPPED Notorious burglar, Ibrahim Siddique, has been arrested by the CCS. Nearly two kilogrammes of gold was recovered from him. Police has been on his trail from 2004 since he is involved in over 60 cases. REPORT ON PG 3

WEATHER: A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUD; 37°C

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DUI COULD LAND YOU IN JAIL Beware drunken drivers! Driving your vehicle after downing a few pegs too many could land you in prison. The City traffic police is now all set to send offenders to jail for at least six months.

Page Two

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

GREAT INDIAN ROPE TRICK

Workshop for kids

M ANIL KUMAR

The Literature, Intellectual and Cultual Hub (LICH) and Oxford Booskstore is hosting a workshop for kids called Enrich which deals with mathematics and science. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, Somajiguda When: May 1 onwards Contact: 92461 12461

Shifting terrain An abstract painting exhibition by Pandurang Deoghare, is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on till May 5. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 9849968797

Dramaybaaz Dramaybaaz — a theatre fest for solo performances is being held on April 28 and 29. Dramaybaaz provides an opportunity for those who do not belong to any theatre group to perform. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: April 28 and 29, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Lepakshi Mela AP Handicrafts Development Corporation is hosting a Lepakshi Cotton Mela. 25 weavers and manufacturers will be participating in the event which will feature a variety of handloom materials such as Bengali Cotton, Chanderi etc. Where: Lepakshi Emporium, Gunfoundry When: Ongoing, 10 am onwards

Dance with me Love to dance? A contemporary dance workshop by French dancer, Solenn will be held on April 22, 28 and 29 . Where: Alliance Francaise, Marredpally When: April 22, 28, 29 Contact: (040) 2770 0734

Chirag Ali Lane, Abids When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6712 2000

Live music Catch Hyderabad’s own band Witness Wide perform live at Inorbit Mall.The band members consists of musicians like; Jasper Paul, Jacinth Paul, Simeon Joseph and Dan Symonds. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: April 27, 7.30pm onwards

Anniversary sale If diamonds are a girls best friend, then Orra is the best place for them to hang out. Orra presents it’s anniversary sale with upto 25% discounton diamond lewellery and upto 50% off on gold jewellery. Where: All Orra stores When: April 6- May6

Cricket frenzy

A painting exhibition titled Twinkle is being held at Inspire Art Gallery. The exhibition features artwork by R Usha Vinod and B Usha Kumar. Where: Inspire Art Gallery, Hyderguda When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 3062 8447

Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas paying ode to the IPL teams and their spirits. Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Mocha Express — Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 23350144

Awadhi food festival

Spice fest

Painting exhibition

Get a taste of Awadhi food at the Awadhi food festival. The food festival called Shaam-E-Awadhi. Where: Mercure Hotel,

CINEMAS

Love all thing spicy? Head to any Mc Donald outlet for the exciting spice fest.The fest is on from

April1-June 1 and offers a variety of Mc Donalds products with a spicy twist. Where: Mc Donalds outlets When: Ongoing

Go Splash Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to unwind. There is also great music, martinis and aperitifs in the evening. Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

African barbeque fest Barbeque Nation offers a chance to experience Africa in Hyderabad. Where: Barbeque Nation, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6456 6693

Show and tell Books n more presents Show and Tell, an activity to promote good expression and communication for 3-8 year olds. The activity aims to improve your child’s ability to communicate well in English. Where: Books n more, Sivaramkrishna Colony, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 5pm to 6pm

Contact: 98859 56728

Yoga Camp The first part of a series of seven days yoga camp will be held by Yoga Healing Foundation in Kukatpally. Where: Bhujana Vijaya Ground, Kukatpally When: April 29 onwards, 5.15 am onwards Contact: 92905 45433

German film A 2009, German film Lila Lila ( My words, My Lies, My Love) will be screened at Lamakaan. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: April 27, 6.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Beyblade competition The “Beyblade Metal Masters Competition” will be held on April 28 at Landmark, Hyderabad. The winners of the competition will get to take home special gift hampers. Where: Landmark, Somajiguda, When: April 28, 4pm onwards

Street and style A street food special called Khao Galli—Street food night will be held April 25 onwards at Kebab Pavillion, Ella Suites. Head to Ella Hotel for great experience. Where: Ella Hotel, Gachibowli When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6628 8488

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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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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Infamous burglar nabbed, finally CRIME Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

notorious burglar, Ibrahim Siddique, has been arrested by officials from the Crime Control Station (CCS). Also recovered during his arrest was nearly two kilogrammes of gold. This is the first time in the CCS’s history that the Automobile Team, headed by inspector M Ravinder Reddy, and comprising sub-inspector Mohd Amjad and his team, has recovered stolen gold ornaments. Ibrahim has been wanted by City police since 2004,

and the police claim he has been involved in over 60 cases of burglary in Punjagutta and SR Nagar. His criminal file dates all the way back to 1985. The 48-year-old never stayed in one place for long

and has popped up in cities from Mumbai to Gulbarga, often travelling with his mistress Nirmala, 55. He had been in the City for a few months before his arrest. In school Ibrahim was bullied for the poverty in

Love gone wrong, cops flummoxed CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

hese days the internet is used for a variety of activities, from information-gathering to building a rather vast network of friends, and in some cases… looking for love. For Odisha native, Rudarnarayan Rout, the latter issue was upmost in his mind when he started chatting over the Web with who he thought was a woman living in Hyderabad.

The 27-year-old Rout who was working as an HR manager at a manpower consultancy in the City began his digital liaison with 25-year-old model and Red Cross volunteer, Nandita Das, five years ago. There was just one niggling aspect to this relationship that didn’t quite fit when one day Das turned up at the Tukaram Gate police station alleging that Rout had hurled abuse at her and accused him of assault and battery. You see Das is a eunuch, who alleges that Rout knew all about her ‘uniqueness’ and in fact, she states in her complaint, after their digital relationship had matured, often got together for some “physical fun.” Das stated that when they met, Rout would often express his love and promise to marry Das; something that perplexed the police no end, as the marriage — considering the sexes — would have been legally impossible anyway. But over the last few months, Das claimed that Rout had been giving her the cold shoulder, and then said that he didn’t want to marry her anymore. Hell hath no fury like a eunuch scorned, and Das promptly turned up in front of Tukaram Gate inspector CH Umesh Chary with her allegations. But when Chary refused to take the complaint, the determined Das went to the deputy commissioner of police North Zone, K Srikanth, who then booked a case against Rout after which Chary registered a case under section 506 and 420 of the IPC, and began his investigation. The crux of Das’s complaint is that when she met Rout to confirm she heard the jingling of wedding bells, he verbally and physically abused her. She also claims he threatened her with dire consequences if she continued to harass him. The police seem to be in a quandary as to how to pursue the case, but an investigation is under way.

which his family lived. It is alleged he took to a life of crime to alleviate himself from the embarrassment of his youth. Ibrahim selects homess to burgle during the day and then breaks into them at night (always when the owners are away). Ibrahim met Nirmala in Mumbai. She was being harassed by her husband and Ibrahim took her in, said inspector Reddy. The rest, as they say, is history. Ibrahim was arrested in 2004 by the Nellore police and was sent to jail for a few months before he was released on bail. He also took in Nirmala’s two children from her earlier marriage, and helped arranged their marriages.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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DUI could land you in jail POLICE

Statistics

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

4,628 `89.5 lakh

eware drunken drivers! Driving your vehicle after downing a few pegs too many could land you in prison. The City traffic police, which launched a special drive to prevent drunken driving in a bid to reduce fatal accidents, is now all set to send offenders to jail for at least six months. Given the rise in number of fatal accidents each year, thanks to driving under the influence of alcohol, the traffic police is now determined to curb them. As per the official statistics, a total of 441 people died in road accidents last year. The number stood at 494 in the year 2010. “We have no choice but to go ahead with our plan to send drunken drivers to jail. We held discussions with legal experts on the issue and got the nod. From next week, at court hearings will ask that the offenders be sent to jail,” CV Anand, additional commissioner of police (Traffic) CV Anand told Postnoon. He further added that this move came in light of the large number of accidents taking place each year. It may be emphasised here that during special drive in the last six months, the traffic police did not press for imprisonment of the accused and only confined themselves to seizing the vehicle and producing the accused in the court to pay the penalty imposed by the concerned magistrate. As per section 85 (a&b) of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, a person who is caught driving the vehicle in an intoxicated condition and detected to have 30ml of alcohol per 100 ml of blood is liable to be punished with six months imprisonment or by `2,000 fine or with both. However, Anand revealed that during the initial stages of their new drive, the police will only send those people to jail who had more than 150ml of

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alcohol per 100ml of blood. “By doing this, we can create fear among other drunk drivers and force them avoid driving under the influence of alcohol,” he said. The City traffic police took inspiration from Mumbai and Delhi, where a similar practice is in place to deal with cases of drunken driving. The traffic police in these metros have been implementing the Motor Vehicle Act in a strict manner for a long time to contain the incidence of fatal accidents. In Delhi alone, over 2,000 people were sent to jail for resorting to drunken driving in the last one year.

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Media should be proactive

nterestingly, many of the tipplers caught during the police drive, are well educated and from well off families. In some incidents, Tollywood stars like Nikhil, Navdeep and others have also been caught by the traffic police for driving under the influence. When Postnoon asked the commissioner whether this move of the traffic police would cause their image to take a beating, CV Anand shot back, ”Yes, many of the offenders are from well-to-do families and are well educated.

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But if these people feel responsible towards society, they should avoid driving under the influence. Even the media should take a more proactive role in spreading this message,” he said. The City traffic police, which launched its special drive on November 4 last year, has seized a total of 4,268 vehicles and booked an equal number of drunken driving cases. The police also imposed hefty penalty of `2,000 and above on all these vehicles.

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Court warns Pankaj Dwivedi U Srinivas

Total number of Drunken Driving cases booked (since November 4, 2011) Penalty imposed

Md Inkeshaf Ahmed

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srinvas.u@postnoon.com

igh Court Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy has warned chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi in his order pertaining to the case of the Telangana non-gazetted officers colony welfare association. The order said, “It has been made clear that if by the next hearing an appropriate report enumerating the action taken as mentioned in the additional counter affidavit of Pankaj Dwivedi, the chief secretary is not filed, this court may exercise the option of summoning him.” The issue was pertaining to the irregularities in the land allocation to employees in Gachibowli. The joint struggle committee of unions of Telangana officers, employees, teachers and workers stated that there were a lot of discrepancies in the allocation of lands. The chairman of the committee, T Prabhakar and secretary general E Venkatesham earlier appealed to the Governor and the CM to look into the issue apart from filing a case in the HC. The court has asked the government to look into the issue and file a detailed report but the government is yet to submit it. Now the court has warned the chief secretary that if the report is not filed, he would be summoned by the court. On the other hand the association has warned the government that if the issue was not resolved and if the real beneficiaries do not get the plots, they would go on an agitation . The court has directed N Kiranmayi, the officer of the Hyderabad district co-operatives to investigate into the issue of irregularities in the land distribution to the employees at Gachibowli. The land distributed was around 160 acres. But the officer is yet to submit the report to the government. Taking this into account the court has warned that he would be summoned to the court.

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

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It’s a tough call in Payakaraopeta U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

ith the bypolls nearing, the race for assembly seats is hotting up with TDP and YSRC leading the race at the Payakaraopeta and TDP having an upper hand. According to initial surveys, the TDP is slated to win in this constituency, but it remains to be seen which way the wind will finally blow.

2009 election statistics Total electorate: 2,09,526 G Babu Rao, Congress: 50,698 Chengala Venkat Rao TDP: 50,042 G Dhanraju, PRP: 49,264

Payakaraopeta assembly (SC) constituency, that has been the stronghold of TDP since the party’s inception in 1983, is poised to witness a tough tussle between TDP, YSRC and Congress. Even before the campaign can intensify in this constituency, some are of the opinion that the TDP will emerge victorious. However, the YSRC is also gearing up for a tough fight, while the Congress is yet to finalise its candidate. In the meantime, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu expressed confidence that the TDP will sweep the elections. The TDP is fielding Chengala Venkata Rao as its candidate from the said constituency. Though Chengala seems to have an edge over his Congress rival, he is expecting a tough fight from the YSRC candidate. Chengala is leaving no stone unturned to turn the tide in his favour. With the Congress undecided on its candidate, campaigning in the constituency is yet to begin. This is an SC-reserved constituency but nearly 40 per cent of the voters are from the Kapu community. Baburao of YSRC is likely to face a tough time against Chengala.

BJP places its feet on Andhra, T boats Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

JP president Kishan Reddy told Postnoon that the party is adopting a two-pronged strategy of taking up the Telangana agitation and Andhra movement. Soon after the victory in the Mahabubnagar by-elec-

tions, the BJP, which was lying low, has started making strategies for this purpose. A massive campaign in the Seemandhra region is

being planned to impress the pubic on the need to split the State There are reports that the BJP Party cadres in the name of Andhra Udyama Sangham has launched a campaign with posters leaflets apart from conducting meetings in the region. BJP national leader Venkaiah Naidu is to campaign in the region. “There are a number of Hindi speaking states. What is wrong if we have two Telugu speaking states?” senior party leader Ch Vidyasagar Rao asked. He was of the opinion that the Telangana would be a reality only when the BJP comes to power in the Centre. Another senior leader Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Telangana movement was in the final stages while the separate Andhra movement has just begun.

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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Rising jaundice cases a worry

Man arrested at airport with fake currency

The last three months has seen an increasing number of jaundice cases. This has put the residents of Picket, Lakshmi Nagar in Secunderabad on high alert.

HEALTH Sudeshna Koka Sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

ith the mercury soaring, the cases of jaundice in the City too are rising. In the last three months there have been over 70 cases of jaundice and one confirmed death in areas like Picket and Lakshmi Nagar in Secunderabad. Popularly known as ‘white jaundice’ amongst the locals, its rising incidence is causing widespread concern as people are now going to great lengths to prevent the disease. “Recently, my cousin took ill due to jaundice and a few days later, a neighbour who had been suffering from the ailment died. The incident really shook us. We sent my cousin back to his hometown as we aren’t confident about the treatment he will receive here,” says Naresh Kumar, a businessman.

Jaundice is usually caused by contaminated food and water According to doctors, an outbreak of jaundice is common in the summers. However, this year they have noticed a spurt in the number of jaundice cases they have been receiving. Jaundice is usually caused by contaminated food and water. It results in the skin, mucous membranes and eyes turning yellow, which is a result of bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. In extreme cases say doctors, it could even

lead to death. “It’s not white jaundice; residents have given this a new term. The incidence of jaundice in summer is nothing new. As soon as we get a chronic case we refer the patient to bigger hospitals. There has been an unusual increase in the number of jaundice since the last two-and-a-half months. I have been getting a minimum of two cases each day,” says Dr Samuel Nirmal Kumar, a

‘Govt should take over private lands on lease for mutual benefit’

admasri Private Limited has urged the State government to take over private lands on lease through Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) or Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructural Corporation and allot the same to the needy on lease and share the proceeds in the ratio of 50:50. Speaking on Thursday, company director Srikanth Reddy said that both private land owners as well as the government would benefit with this policy which is in vogue in other States in the country and other nations. Stating that necessity for land in the State and the country will increase in future, he urged the government to imple-

ment this new “land policy” for the benefit of multi-national companies and individuals. Stating that plots and hundreds of acres of land remained idle with the private persons, he urged the government to take over such lands through the HMDA or the APIIC and transfer the same on lease to those who needed land. Consequently, the government and land owners would get money. Thus, the money earned by the government would be useful for implementation of welfare and development programs. Advocate K Sudheer Reddy, Congress leader Mothe Parameshwar and others were also present. AGENCY

Steps on to protect forest wealth: Official

hief conservator of forests Malhotra said that his department has sent proposals to the State government with regard to filling of 1,184 vacant posts of

in Telangana region. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Malhotra said that the number of tigers in the State has decreased from 105 to 72. He said that red sanders will be available only in the State and in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu in the entire country. As there was no demand for red sanders in the country, the department was exporting it to other countries, he said, adding that his department will increase the number of check posts to curb smuggling of red sanders. He also said that vigilance will be increased to protect the forests by setting up 201 more base camps and appointing 86 armed teams. AGENCY

Postnoon News

physician. Most residents believe that it is the contaminated water supply that is resulting in people falling prey to this ailment. Worried residents are now taking precautionary measures to avoid falling ill. “Earlier we would only boil the water that we used for drinking and cooking. But ever since there has been a case of death due to jaundice, we are buying mineral water cans and boiling it as well to be safe,” says Nagamani K, a homemaker. “There have been cases of jaundice that I have been seeing. What is important is that people remember to drink clean and filtered water, regardless of the area they live in. Contamination can occur anywhere,” says Dr Kumda Raghavan, a general physician. Surprisingly, despite the spurt in cases of jaundice, the district medical health officer is unaware of the matter. “I have not received any information about deaths caused by jaundice in the recent past,” says Uma Maheshwari, DMHO, Hyderabad.

GI airport customs officials arrested a man by name Patnam Raju at the airport during the early hours of Friday morning and seized fake Indian currency from him. Raju, 24, who was returning from UAE, belongs to Nizamabad district. When the customs officials were checking his baggage at the airport, two bags were found to be suspicious. The police found `46.5 lakhs worth of fake Indian currency notes in the denominations of `500 and `1,000. The police arrested him and seized the cash. The customs officials then handed him over to DRI officials for further investigations. After the arrest of Patnam Raju, some police officials claim that the D gang was involved in this case. After many failed attempts to come to Hyderabad, they hired Raju, as he came from Dubai. Uptil now, neither the customs officials nor the DRI official have disclosed any information about the seized fake currency.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Summer camps with a twist ACTIVITIES Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

F CERTIFICATION

EDUCATION

ive years back summer camps meant sending children to craft, dancing, painting and cooking classes. But these days these just won’t do. Summer camps are taking on a whole new meaning and the courses offered are extensive. Correspondingly the fees for these summer camps are skyrocketing. With the number of summer camps mushrooming in the City, the race is on to offer something new and unique. The focus too has gradually shifted from keeping children busy during the summer holidays to equipping them with skills of various kinds. Some of the camps are offering workshops in robotics, filmmaking, vedic mathematics, animation, spirituality-based sessions and yoga among others. Amongst the wide genera, robotic workshops have been attracting a large number of teens and pre-teens. This year the City has several robotic workshops, and children as young as six or seven have been attending these classes to learn the basics of robotics. “We conducted a series of test sessions at a mall in the City and were amazed by the response. We now have full-fledged workshops

Sukriti Sen feedback@postnoon.com

Millennium Dental Clinic, film nagar main road, opp: cafe melange, jubilee hills, HydPh: 040-31000889

where students will be taught about the different aspects of robotics. We are also giving them home-kits that contain a robot guru software and kit. This will help them understand the subject better and they might take up the subject as a major if and when they eventually do their engineering,” says Shivani Upadhaya,

technical associate, Jay Robotics. Apart from this, filmmaking and post-production are some of the other most sought after workshops this summer, especially amongst high school students. Coaches say that students in Hyderabad are more inclined towards learning Photoshop, video editing and other

animation software. “These students are usually caught up with their studies and other activities during the school year and are hard pressed for time. This is why we have introduced a crash course in these software for them. We have already completed training one batch and the next one will start soon,” said Vaishnavi, chief operations officer, Mac labs. Breaking off from the run of the mill courses and busting the myth that spirituality is for the old and grey, Hyderabadi youngsters are also signing up for spiritualty-based summer camps. “I have enrolled both my children in a spiritual workshop. Here they learn yoga and Vedic chants along with other activities. Though this is an expensive workshop, it is a fun way to help my child get in touch with Indian history, culture and heritage,” says Usha K, a homemaker. Unique as they may be, these summer camps are also proving to be an expensive deal for most parents with their skyrocketing fees. Some of these camps charge as much as `12,500 for one month. “Sending children to summer camps is more of a herd mentality since everyone does it. Yet, this is a more productive way of spending vacations. But there needs to be a regulatory body to keep a check on the increasing number of summer camps. None of these camps charge less than `3,000,” complains Shradha K, an IT employee.

Public dustbins — need of the hour? CIVIC

HEALTH

o matter where you go in the City, plastic can be seen strewn everywhere. When people litter they may not usually think that this would cause environmental pollution. But the fact is that garbage can cause a drop in the quality of air and also cause water pollution. Thus, prevention and management of garbage has become an important task for us. While Hyderabad is known the world over for many aspects, the City is lacking when it comes too being clean and tidy. Many areas are littered with solid waste. Ashoknagar, near Hussain Sagar Lake is one such area. It has been provided with only a few garbage bins, which leads to the accumulation of garbage on the roads, footpaths and near parks. People living there face a lot of problems. “I strongly believe this is due to the irresponsibility of the GHMC. Since there is no proper planning of public dustbins in vari-

ous places, people are forced to litter. GHMC alone cannot be blamed, people are also responsible. If you change, you will see the change around you,” says Kaushik Choudhary, resident of Ashok nagar. The major sources of pollution in the City include rampant burning of fuelwood and biomass such as dried waste from livestock; lack of organised garbage removal services, sewage treatment operations; flood control and monsoon water drainage system and dumping of waste in rivers. “The amount of garbage keeps increasing every year. People want

their house to be neat and clean, but they will throw all the garbage outside. I am glad that they at least they don’t throw it in the middle of the road. I find piles of solid waste on the footpaths as well as in the corners of the road. I recently saw a few pictures of the GHMC office which disappointed me. It is sad to know that there is no proper maintenance even there. They spit and dispose garbage in the corner of the office. This leaves Total dustbins available Number required Number procured

3,000 4,000 1,000

a wrong impression, they are not to be blamed it is our mentality and laziness” says Megha Bhojwani, student . With no provision of dustbins at public places, people are littering in the open. “We are looking to solve the problems. We have 3,000 dustbins and require 1,000 more. The association is working on it and we have improved a lot. We have funds, but require a little more. We promises to make sure there are no complaints,” says, L Vandan Kumar, additional commissioner of health and sanitation, Hyderabad.

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DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

The business of deposits sle for you to do it every month. If you have an online banking facility, then it is easy. But since you do not have that facility, you will need to fill up the fixed deposit form every month. Instead, you can do a Recurring Deposit of your monthly savings. Laxmiamma was awed at all the facilities that the banking system offers. She asked, “How do I do that?” Prof. Nicky: You can fill up a form similar to the Fixed Deposit form and instruct the bank to take out a fixed amount of money every month from your savings account, and put it into a Recurring Deposit. The bank will do it every month, for as many months as you instruct them to do it in the form. You will not need to remind the bank. You only have to ensure that you have that money in your savings account. For a Recurring Deposit, you need to be reasonably certain about the amount of money that you can save every month. The interest rates are similar to those in the Fixed Deposit. Laxmiamma: So what you are telling me is that all three, Savings Account, Fixed Deposit and Recurring Deposit are going to be useful to me! Prof. Nicky: Exactly! Can you please get me another cup of the chai? The author is a senior researcher at Centre for Investment, Indian School of Business

Money Matters Nupur Pavan Bang

, Prof. Nicky, had a tet-e-tet with Laxmiamma three weeks back. I was curious to know if she had taken heed of my advise and started investing. So I strolled out of our lush campus and walked into the nearby GPRS quarters. It is in one of these quarters that Laxmiamma had been hoarding her cash every month since the past 10 years in the hope of collecting enough money to release her pawned jewellery. Laxmiamma was genuinely happy to see me and did not waste any time before showing me the account opening kit which she had got from her bank. She was the proud owner of a bank account now, which came with an ATM card and a cheque book. She did not waste any time in offering her famous Irani chai and shooting her questions to me. So while enjoying the chai, I answered her primary question related to the difference between a savings account, a Fixed Deposit and a Recurring Deposit. A Savings Account is meant for saving money, as the name suggests, from your income. The money deposited can be withdrawn any time and you can deposit money into the account

as many times as you want. It is generally like a temporary parking place for the surplus funds that you have. Earlier, the banks used to pay a very small interest on the amount in this account. However, the recent deregulation of savings account interest rates by RBI has resulted in the bank giving as much as 6-7% interest. Laxmiamma: I have opened my account by putting an initial deposit of `5,000/- Should I put my entire savings in the past 10 years into this account then Prof. Nicky? Prof. Nicky: You could do that. But, you will earn more if you deposit your savings into a Fixed Deposit. The interest that the Banks offer on this account are usually much higher. Though the

catch is that, you are expected to keep your money with the bank for a fixed tenure. The interest rates vary according to the tenure and, currently, may range from 7% to 10%. Laxmiamma: But what if I have a medical emergency and need the money urgently? Prof. Nicky: Hmmm... you can withdraw the deposit if you wish to. However, the bank will usually impose a penalty of 0.5% to 1% for doing so. Different banks have different rules regarding it. Laxmiamma: So I will keep my past savings as a Fixed Deposit with the bank. But can I do a fixed deposit of my monthly future savings too? Prof. Nicky: Once again, you could do that. But it will be a has-

World Bank to open in Myanmar

SBH sees 11% growth in profit

WASHINGTON: The World Bank will open an office in Myanmar in June, a bank official said Thursday. “In early June, we will be opening an office in Myanmar, which will be led by a new country manager,” said Pamela Cox, World Bank vice president for East Asia and Pacific Region, Xinhua reported. Cox said she will travel to Myanmar to gain a firsthand assessment of the situation. Before the Bank launches its program in Myanmar, the unpaid debts of the country should be cleared, which include $393 million to the World Bank, about $500 million to the Asian Development Bank, said Cox. AFP

SAI RAM REDDY

Prudhvi Raju K Prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

tate Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) has registered an 11.32 per cent growth in net profit to `1,298 crore for the financial year 2011-2012. The increase in profit is primarily on the back of higher net interest income which grew by 18.11 per cent to `3,364 crore compared to `2,849 crore in the previous fiscal. The bank’s net profit has seen a growth of 6.81 per cent to `481.04 crore for the quarter ended March 2012, compared to `450.35 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The bank’s total business touched `1,80,143 crore for the fiscal, which is a growth of 14.7 per cent over last fiscal. While, the total deposits crossed one lakh crore, and reached `1,01,806 crore, recording a growth of 11.19

per cent over `91,560 crore for the previous fiscal. “The revenues are in line with the our expectations. Achieving the targets in priority sectors like agriculture credit and weaker section credit is the most important achievement. This shows that we are also a socially responsible organisation. The percentages are not just beyond

mandatory requirements by RBI but well above it,” said M Bhagavantha Rao, managing director, SBH. SBH is expanding its network to reach 1,000 mark this year in AP. “ We are planning to open 175 branches this year, out of which 60 will be opened in coastal AP to take the total number of branches to 200 in that area,” said Rao. The bank was planning to recruit 2,200 employees, out of which 1,300 are probationary officers to be hired in June and 900 are clerical staff by January. Talking about the targets for this fiscal, Rao said, “We are aiming for a 20 per cent growth. About 90 per cent of it will come from interest income on advances and investments. The bank is also planning to increase other income share like fee based income to reach 12 per cent of the total income.”

`85.21

POUND FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012 8 NUMEROLOGY

$4.44

billion

is net profit recorded in the first quarter by South Korea’s Samsung Electronics on, largely due to strong smartphone sales.

THUS SPAKE “Energy has become an important resource and there is need to conserve it otherwise it could lead to imbalance. The challenge facing the country now is how are we to manage to realise a self-sufficiency in conservation of resources which is important,” Sunil Shastri, president, Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation

TOUGH GAME Online social games star Zynga stayed in the red in its second quarter as a publicly traded company but on Thursday promised better days ahead with the help of play on smartphones and tablet computers. Zynga posted a loss of $85.35 million on revenue that climbed to nearly $321 million from the $242.9 million seen in the first three months of last year. Zynga ended last year with a net loss of $404.3 million.

STORM CLOUDS The odds of an antitrust showdown with Google rose on Thursday with reports that the US Federal Trade Commission hired a veteran outside attorney known for winning cases to handle the investigation. Former Justice Department prosecutor Beth Wilkinson was brought in to head the team looking into whether Google abused its dominance in online search. Wilkinson’s formidable legal track record includes being a lead prosecutor on the team that convicted Timothy McVeigh in connection with the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.

India‑View

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

India unveiled

The threat to the environment Huge upfront payments make it easy for dam builders to gloss over environmental regulations and huge profits for private firms means there's plenty left over for government coffers, Jason Overdorf finds out A new paradigm

PART-2

rom the middle of a hanging bamboo bridge over the Siang River, the distant village of Pongging is barely visible. A light rain all morning, shrouds the village in mist. One day soon, Pongging won’t be visible for a very different reason. The Lower Siang hydroelectric project, one of the many controversial dam projects planned for Arunachal Pradesh, will submerge the village along with vast lands belonging to the Adi, one of the largest of the state’s roughly 20 indigenous tribes. Despite the fact that the planned dam would annihilate his village, Tone Daying, an affable young schoolteacher, says his people hardly get a say in the decisionmaking process. “These are our ancestral lands, so they have a very high emotional value for us,” he explains. “But my village does not have a large population, so our opinion does not matter in these decisions,” which ultimately belong to the government. Daying’s is a simple statement, and it neatly encapsulates the debate over the proposed construction of more than 150 dams in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. These aren’t your average dams, as far as India is concerned. Elsewhere in the country,

Confluence of Ithun and Dibang rivers, which is the site of a future dam in Arunachal Pradesh. dams have become controversial for displacing huge numbers of people and not properly compensating them for their land or providing adequate resettlement facilities. By contrast, Arunachal Pradesh is sparsely populated, and many in Pongging will actually be well compensated for the loss of their homes, at least judging by the

Anna asked to protect RTI Act MUMBAI: RTI activist Anil Galgali has asked Anna Hazare to prevail upon Maharashtra government to cancel the new RTI rules in the state. The new rules stipulate that any request for information must not exceed 150 words, should be related to one subject matter only and if required, separate applications must be made if it relates to more than one topic, Galgali, Chairman of Athak Seva Sangh, said. Amendments in the state’s Right To Information (RTI) rules could give discretionary powers to officials to deny information to the public, Galgali told Hazare here last night. The 150-word limit on applications may deter a majority of Maharashtra’s people, especially the semi-literate and underprivi-

leged sections who lack concise drafting skills, he said. Galgali said that these new RTI rules would restrict the use of the Act and give the PIOs discretionary powers to withhold information or harass the RTI users, leading to conflicts and increased number of appeals. He accused the government of including these rules ‘secretly’, without any public discussion, as mandated by Section 4 (1) of the Act. The government did not even bother to seek views of Hazare, who is a key member of the concerned committee, he said. Stipulation of a single subject information request mater would give discretionary powers to PIOs to reject applications, result in disputes and delays in getting information, Galgali said. PTI

standards of dam builders in Asia. The controversy in Arunachal Pradesh, then, is more about the potential loss of dwindling forests and rare tribal cultures — it’s following a different storyline, and a confusing one. Many say that dam builders and government officials have used this confusion to their advantage, trampling environmental

regulations and opposition from local activists. “The government of India says that Arunachal Pradesh will be the powerhouse of India, producing 50,000MW,” says Vijay Taram, a lawyer and spokesman for the Forum of Siang Dialogue. “But no government is concerned about how much forest we are going to lose for producing this power.”

DARING PROTEST

An activist of CPI (ML) carries a caricature of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a protest rally against the PTI state government in Kolkata on Thursday.

The issues confronting policy makers, dam builders and antidam activists here are different from those posed by previous Indian projects like the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat. Resistance to those projects has drawn international attention — and support from celebrities like author Arundhati Roy and Bollywood actor Amir Khan – because they would displace hundreds of thousands of poor villagers who have little power to negotiate on their own behalf. The contrast is sharp in Arunachal Pradesh. Though they are small in numbers, the state’s over 20 indigenous tribes have not been beaten down by powerful groups, the way that other tribal people and low-caste Hindus of the plains have been. Historically, first the British and then independent India protected Arunachal’s tribes from domination. Even today, non-tribals are barred from owning land, and Indians from other regions and foreigners alike require a special permit to travel even for limited periods in the state — so it’s not possible for dam proponents to crush local resistance with imported goons. So, too, community solidarity and cultural practices like the Adi’s traditional court system, called kebang, makes Arunachal’s people tough negotiators. But not strong enough to stop projects altogether.

Dogs maul girl to death SIRSA (HARYANA): Stray dogs mauled a minor girl to death in a village in Haryana's Sirsa district on Thursday, police said. The victim, Seema, was mauled by the dogs in agricultural fields near Bahia village in Sirsa district, 300km from Chandigarh. Police officials said that the victim, aged nine years, and her brother had gone to the fields to collect something, when they were surrounded by 10-12 dogs. While her brother managed to run away, Seema was attacked by the dogs. The parents of the victim were working in nearby fields but could not reach the spot in time to help her. IANS

India‑View

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

India unveiled

Green toilets will keep tracks from stinking BHOPAL: A city-based engineering major has inked an agreement with a Denmarkbased firm and the Defence Research Organisation to develop ‘green toilets’ for railways in a bid to keep trains, platforms and tracks clean and free from filth and corrosion. “Under the railways ambitious green toilet scheme two types of toilets based on vacuum and bacteria technology would be installed in trains in order to keep them green and clean,” Daulat Ram Industries Chairman and Managing Director, Satish Sharma said here today. The toilets, which will function on vacuum technology, would be installed in Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains as per the plan of the railways

while biological (bacteria) based toilets would be installed in other trains, he said. Vacuum toilets are like those at present operational in aeroplanes in which you need to collect the waste at terminal points and make arrangements

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would make a trip to India early next month ahead of the US-India Strategic Dialogue in Washington co-chaired by her and Indian Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna. The announcement on Wednesday of her decision to visit India on May 7-8 is seen as an attempt to iron out differences over potentially contentious issues like Iran before the June 13 dialogue.

Swamy levels claims against Chidambaram NEW DELHI: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy today levelled fresh allegations against Home Minister P Chidambaram, accusing him of delaying permission for the sale of Aircel to Malaysia-based Maxis in 2006 when he was Finance minister so that his son Karti was financially benefitted.

REINFORCED DEMAND

Naxals now want 17 cadre freed NEW DELHI: In a fresh demand, Maoists holding Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon hostage have asked for 17 of their jailed associates to be released, sources said after the mediators appointed by the government and the guerrillas met here on Friday. The second round of talks between the two mediators named by Maoists and two former bureaucrats appointed by the Chhattisgarh government began at 9 am. The first round of talks was held on Thursday. The Chhattisgarh government has appointed Nirmala Buch, a former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary, and SK Mishra, a former state chief secretary, while the Maoists have named Hyderabad-based Professor G Hargopal and former IAS officer BD Sharma. “It was a very constructive and positive talk,” Buch had told reporters Thursday. Official sources said the closed door meeting Thursday held at the government guest house went on for more than three hours. IANS

for their disposal, Sharma said. “It is good for aeroplanes and AC trains but not for the other types of trains for which the railways have decided to install biological toilets.” “The railways have made a provision of nearly `800 crore

for installing vacuum and biological toilets in trains in a phased manner,” Sharma, whose units have been producing several crucial parts for locomotives and air-conditioners among others for railways since 1973, said. For producing vacuum toilets the company has inked an agreement with Denmarkbased Glova company while for making biological toilets it has borrowed the technology from Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) at a cost of `25 lakh. The company will also pay royalty to DRDE for using this technology to produce bacteria, which will convert the waste material into liquid form and dispose of safely when the train reaches an isolated place. PTI

NATION AT A GLANCE Hillary Clinton to visit India next month

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (L) meets with PM Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today (Friday). AFP

Centre favours model Lokayukta law: Chavan MUMBAI: Pushing for a strong Lokayukta Act, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said the Centre is in favour of enacting a model law for an anti-corruption ombudsman so that it can be replicated by all the states. Chavan said his government was in the process of conducting comparative studies of Lokayukta Acts of various states.

Tribunal rejects plea against industrial park RJD chief Lalu Yadav (L) and JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav (R) join pro-Telangana MPs who were protesting at the main gate of the Parliament House in New PTI Delhi on Thursday.

Rural women demand their rights LUCKNOW: Seema Saroj, a resident of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, was denied payment under the rural jobs scheme for months. She then joined Nari Sangh, a women’s group working for the rights of people, and took on the authorities to get her pending dues. Saroj is one among over 80,000 women from 666 gram panchayats in nine districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh who have, under the umbrella of the Nari Sangh, been successfully fighting corruption in

schemes like the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). Launched in 2007 by the NGO People’s Action for National Integration (PANI) with the support of Mumbaibased Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the Nari Sangh is a project for empowering rural women. It focuses on developing leadership qualities among women and spreading awareness about their entitlements like the right to work, right to

food and right to health. As many as 522 women from the group have been elected to gram panchayats. Saroj told IANS, “Most of us did not know how much ration we were entitled to and used to take whatever the PDS shopowner gave us. Similarly we were told that under NREGA, work will only be given to men and even they were not paid. “I attended some of the meetings of Nari Sangh and came to know what I was entitled to,” said the frail woman. IANS

NEW DELHI: Rejecting a plea challenging the green nod given to a 1,127-acre industrial park in Tamil Nadu in August 2010, National Green Tribunal said it is “helpless” as it is bound by the statute which has fixed a timeline for cases it can hear. The tribunal also observed that being a special body to hear environment cases, “throwing away” a plea looks “unreasonable.”

Employees work with potato processing machinery in a factory at Sultanpur village of Gujarat on Thursday. AFP/ SAM PANTHAKY

Around the World

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Beyond Borders

Obama does the ‘slow jam’ CHAPEL HILL: US President Barack Obama “slow jammed” his call to prevent a spike in federal student loan rates during a comedy show appearance early on Wednesday aimed at the youth vote. During a swing through North Carolina — a key battleground in November’s presidential election — Obama appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where he not only sat for an interview but also took part in a running skit. The skit, entitled “Slow Jam the News,” features straightfaced guests speaking about something serious and then pausing as Fallon echoes their words in a throaty baritone reminiscent of soul singer Barry White. The show’s band, The Roots, meanwhile lays down a sultry R&B beat in the background and then breaks in with a comic refrain. In an appearance recorded before a live college audience Tuesday, Obama called on Congress to keep college loan

US President Barack Obama (L) and comedian Jimmy Fallon talk during a Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. AFP/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI interest rates from doubling on July 1, saying “Now is not the time to make school for expensive for our young people.” “Awww yeah!” a deep-voiced Fallon chimed in. “You should lis-

ten to the president, or as I like to call him, the preezy of the United Steezy.” “If Congress doesn’t act it’s the students who’ll pay/ The right and left should join on this like

Kim and Kanye,” The Roots sang in refrain, referring to tabloid rumours about reality TV star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West. A straight-faced Obama said his Republican rivals in Congress refused to act on the loans for fear of worsening the national debt but said they also rejected raising taxes on the superwealthy in order to help pay it down. Or, in Fallon’s words “The Barockness Monster ain’t buyin’ it.” US presidential candidates often appear on late-night comedy shows for light-hearted interviews but only rarely take part in comic sketches. Obama hopes to rally the youth vote that helped propel him into office in 2008 as he fights for another four-year term. His appearance on Fallon’s show came as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney swept five Republican state primaries, further cementing his grip on the party’s nomination, and essentially kicked off his general election campaign.

Pushing for a rescue

policeman in Connecticut went above and beyond the call of duty this week when he saved the life of a choking Shih Tzu dog by performing the Heimlich Manoeuvre on it. West Hartford K-9 officer Tom Lazure is trained in canine first aid and was called to the scene of the stricken pooch when no animal control officer was available. It was reported yesterday that the owners of the dog, named Harry, became frantic after it began to choke on a piece of raw hide. Named for Henry Heimlich, the famed manoeuvre involves the applying sudden pressure to the abdomen in order to dislodge food blocking a person’s air passageways. The version intended to be practiced on humans. Lazure was able to perform a modified Heimlich on the dog and then pull the raw hide treat out of the dog’s mouth.

iPad — replacement for traditional pacifiers? PARIS: Twenty-two-month-old George sits on a tiny blue chair, at a baby-sized desk, playing with a grown-up toy — an iPad, sign of a powerful trend that has set alarm bells ringing among child development experts. Leaning over the tablet, the little Parisian finger-stabs the duck icon on “Moo Box”, an application with animal images that let out moos, oinks and barks. For his mother Aurelie Mercier, 32, the beauty of iPad apps is they can expand her son’s world, like a virtual piano that lets him play music in the absence of the real thing. Fuelled by the likes of George, the number of baby and toddler apps is booming, according to Heather Leister who has reviewed child applications at US website theiphonemom.com since 2009. But psychologists and parents are divided on putting smartphones and tablets into such young hands, a high-stakes issue considering how pivotal the first couple of years are to child development. Experts at a panel discussion in New York last month entitled “Baby Brains and Video Games” urged parents to set limits on electronic device use — while acknowledging the magnetic appeal of iPads in particular. George, who spends a half hour per week with the iPad, first asked for it at 10 months by pointing and cooing in its direction.

Both graphic artists, his parents recently developed their first app, which generates firework-like images to save as screenshots. Though geared toward adults, Mercier lets George play with it, talking softly as he sends yellow stars swirling around the screen.

Pervasive culture of video Now they have seen first-hand what toddlers like — catchy colours, sound, large buttons, simplicity — the pair plan to develop child-friendly apps. “We’ll use George as our betatester,” Mercier said. For Katie Linendoll, a CNN technology expert in New York, apps are “the ultimate babysitter”.

Her favourites for using with her toddler niece — in moderation — include “Crazy Piano!” and “Crayola Color Studio HD”, a hightech colouring book where animals move once coloured. But some parents worry about computer culture interfering with the way their children play with

conventional toys. Sarah Rotman Epps, a Bostonbased consumer technology analyst, said her two-year-old son “loves drawing on paper with crayons. “But he gets very frustrated when the pictures don’t move, and I think that is really coming from the pervasive culture of video and animation.” In a nutshell: a hit YouTube video dubbed “A Magazine is an iPad that Does Not Work” shows a one-year-old trying in vain to scroll tablet-style through a print publication on her lap. This is what troubles Paris child psychiatrist Serge Tisseron who worries apps fail to teach children to properly apprehend threedimensional space, a key developmental milestone. “We know the toddler absolutely needs to engage all his senses,” he said. In the first two years of life the brain triples in size, synapses forming as young children experiment with objects they sniff, bite and throw. Despite the iPhone and iPad’s much-lauded interactivity, Tisseron says they remain limited in terms of sensory experience: they can engage sight, hearing and touch — to an extent — but not taste or smell. That’s where the simplest of toys, and baby games with no set rules, are crucial, says Texas paediatrician Ari Brown, lead author of a 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report on screen

use by children under two. “There are some pretty good apps and activities that encourage problem solving, memory, ordering, sequencing — virtual versions of games we used to play as kids,” Brown said. But “no app can replace the value in taking two blocks and figuring out how to stack them one on top of the other.”

‘You don’t need technology to play’ The AAP discourages passive television viewing in this age group, but the jury is still out on smartphone use, as the technology is so new that long-term research is not yet available. Apple’s app store opened in 2008 and the iPad came out in 2010. Brown suggests the main danger is a kind of opportunity cost: when youngsters play with iPads, they are not engaged in what may be more beneficial. That view is shared by JeanPhilippe Vieira, 46, a Paris-area cook who has neither a tablet nor mobile phone and limits his children’s television time to 20 minutes on Friday. He believes toddlers need space to invent their own games, the way he did growing up in Portugal. But for George’s mother Mercier, who never leaves her son unattended with the tablet, there is no harm in moderate use spaced out by other kinds of play. AFP

Around the World Laden family deported from Pakistan RAWALPINDI:

Osama bin Laden’s family were deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Friday, officials said, nearly a year after the Al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US raid. The 9/11 mastermind’s three widows and their children were detained by Pakistan after the Saudi was killed on May 2 last year in a secret US Navy SEAL operation in the garrison town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad. After being held for 10 months, the widows and two of bin Laden’s older daughters were sentenced by a Pakistani court to 45 days’ detention on charges of illegal entry and residency in the country and ordered to be deported. Around midnight on Thursday a minibus collected the terror kingpin’s family from the Islamabad house where they had served the sentence, which was completed 10 days ago. The family were believed to number 12 — three widows, eight children and one grandchild. AFP

Top US honour for Dylan, Morrison WASHINGTON: Music legend Bob Dylan and Nobelwinning writer Toni Morrison lead a list of 13 people who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor. “These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation,” President Barack Obama said. “They’ve challenged us, they’ve inspired us, and they’ve made the world a better place. I look forward to recognizing them with this award.” AFP

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Beyond Borders

Church enlists kids in anti-gay battle

DAMASCUS: UN leader Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that the Syrian government is “in contravention” of an agreed peace plan by keeping troops and heavy weapons in cities. Ban also said he was “gravely alarmed” by reports of shelling of populated areas in Syria, in a statement released after the death of scores of people in a massive explosion in the protest city of Hama.

US to move 9,000 Marines from Japan TOKYO: The US is to shift 9,000 Marines out of Japan in a move Washington hopes will ease ties with its ally over the huge American presence. The two sides said they remained committed to the relocation of the Futenma base from its present urban location to a coastal spot — a move that is resisted in Okinawa.

The church schools have been asked to rope in students to oppose legalising of homosexual marriages. LONDON:

The Roman Catholic Church has contacted its schools in England and Wales and asked them to encourage pupils to oppose gay marriages and promote traditional heterosexual relationships. The Catholic Education Service contacted a total of 385 secondary schools, and asked them to circulate a letter defending the traditional definition of marriage, the Telegraph reported. Schools were also invited to promote a petition by the Coalition For Marriage opposing the government’s plans to allow homosexual couples to marry.

Around 470,000 people have signed the petition, backed by the former archbishop of Canterbury. in March, a letter penned by the archbishops of Westminster and Southwark, defended marriage as a “natural institution” and said that redefining it would be a “profoundly radical” step. Schools were invited to use the letter in assemblies or distribute copies to parents. A pupil at a London secondary school wrote on the website PinkNews that they were “appalled” by the way the issue was being presented. Secularist campaigners warned that schools which

read the letter could be breaking equality laws as well as rules against promoting political causes in schools. “It was an explanation of marriage and a positive affirmation of marriage, celebrating the huge value that it brings to society - we are proud of the fact that these kinds of values are taught in our schools,” said Maeve McCormack, policy manager for the Catholic Education Service. Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said it was “a clear breach of the authority and privilege that the Catholic Education Service has been given in schools”. IANS

China blind lawyer flees from house arrest BEIJING: Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese lawyer who won global acclaim for uncovering rights abuses under China’s “one child” policy, has escaped from house arrest, his supporters said Friday. Chen had been held under house arrest since he was released from a four-year jail sentence in September 2010. He has reportedly endured several beatings and is believed to be in poor health. “He was able to get out of his home on April 22 and his friends were alerted and escorted him to a safer location out-

GLOBE AT A GLANCE UN chief says Syria violated peace plan

side of (his home province of) Shandong,” Bob Fu, a US-based activist in close contact with Chen, told AFP. The claim was confirmed by a China-based

supporter of the lawyer. Fu was unwilling to describe the exact circumstances of Chen’s escape for safety reasons, but said he had been in direct communication with the supporters who had escorted him to a safer location. He added he had been in contact with the US Congress, State Department, and the US embassy in China “to alert them and seek help for Chen Guangcheng and those who help him and are hiding him.” But he could not confirm rumours that Chen was currently at the US embassy in

Beijing, saying that while in hiding, Chen had expressed reluctance to leave the country. “We asked if he was willing to get out of China. He’s very reluctant and he said he wants to fight to the end inside China for his citizen’s rights. He wants to lead a normal life as a Chinese citizen,” Fu said. Reporters and activists who have tried to visit Chen during his house arrest have been unable to access his home, and some have even been roughed up by the thugs who stand guard at every entrance to his village. AFP

A woman and her child wait outside the Yida refugee camp registration center in Yida, South Sudan. AFP

Secret Service scandal widens to El Salvador WASHINGTON: The Secret Service said on Thursday it is investigating explosive new allegations of misconduct in El Salvador, broadening a sex scandal that a US lawmaker said may lead to changes in how agents do their work abroad. They are the latest claims to hit the force still reeling from a Colombia sex scandal that saw eight agents dismissed.

Court upholds spying charge on Wiki suspect MARYLAND: A US military judge ruled on Thursday that WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning can be tried for “aiding the enemy”— a charge that carries a potential life sentence. Manning’s attorneys had argued for the espionage charge to be tossed out unless the government was prepared to prove he had intended to help Al-Qaeda when he leaked the files.

Parents of Trayvon Martin at a rally to mark the two-month anniversary of their son’s death in Los Angeles, California.

Comment

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Talk back Changing times I loved the centrespread of the edition on April 25. It really is quite surprising when we look back at the pace at which there is evolution in technology that we are so accustomed to using in our day to day life. For examples, pagers and calculators might never be seen when a lot of applications on our phone like texting and the applications of calculator have come out of them. I feel sad for those people who are dependent on old technology. Mina Parvati Lakdi Ka Pul

Iconic Hyderabad I felt so proud to be a Hyderabadi when reading this column. The Karachi biscuits are certainly a heavenly treat. They just melt in the mouth, I wish they were more affordable but as rightly mentioned, they are totally worth every penny we spend on buying them. Nothing can beat the Karachi goodies; at least not in the next decade for sure. The milling crowds there is testimony to the fact that people simply cannot have enough of what is dished out there. Try the chocolate cake that these people serve and you will quickly understand what I mean. For that matter try anything there! Shalini Kumari Nampally

Drink to your health I would first want to say duh! Drink wine to improve health seriously? They are a million better ways to do it. It’s just a consolation to your heart that you can drink, it’s just a way to reduce your guilt. Maybe it really works but for orthodox people like me it’s a big NO! Now I really wonder what makes an institution that should be responsible promote such anti-social stuff. Buck up Postnoon, stand up to the responsibility that you are handling. Padmavati Setty Housewife

Girls outdo boys again Once again girls are back with a bang. I feel so proud to be a girl after succeeding in every field in the modern day I don’t find any reason why parents should get disappointed over having a girl child. On the contrary, I seriously think it is the other way around. And that too after availing better facilities, boys don’t match up. Parents with boys need to start worrying for times are changing... and fast. The sooner people realise this and take corrective measures, the better for humanity. That’s the way to go girls! Suhana Sharma Chikkadpally

Protectionism doesn’t protect you The Anonymous Alien

he argument for invoking protectionist measures such as high duties on imported cars and technologies and blocking or hindering competition in domestic retail from companies like Walmart goes something like this: India is a developing country, and its homegrown companies need time to mature, adapt and prepare for competition from companies in more developed countries. There are three huge problems with this argument. First, when you level 110 per cent duties on say, a Toyota, to protect, say, a Tata, you are in effect protecting one company and its tens of thousands of employees at the expense of hundreds of millions of Indian consumers. In short, consumers pay more — a lot more — for a Toyota so Tata and its employees don’t have to battle apples to apples with Toyota. That strikes me as unfair to millions of Indian consumers. Second, protectionist measures help fuel inflation. Why? Because when you raise prices of imports through duties, you are increasing the average price consumers pay for goods and encourage domestic companies to raise prices since they can do so while still undercutting imports. What, in turn, does inflation do? It eats at savings, distorts consumer buying habits and erodes confidence in the economy at large, which hurts economic growth. This too strikes me as unfair to millions of Indian consumers. But the third and biggest problem with these measures — even if you like them — is that they are unsustainable. At some point in the not-too-distant future and as India’s economy becomes one of the largest in the world, other countries simply aren’t going to put up with this. They are going to demand that India open its doors to foreign competition, and, if India refuses, the consequences could be dire. One can imagine retaliatory measures by foreign countries including high duties on exported Indian goods and — watch out for this one — measures to stop Indian BPOs in their tracks. The effect of all this on the Indian economy could be draconian. Exports — still small

Editorials

but growing — could drop off a cliff. And the million or so Indians employed by BPOs could find themselves jobless. What’s the solution? How do you protect the Indian auto industry from global behemoths like Toyota, Ford and VW when, frankly, most people would agree that Indian cars today just don’t measure up? And how do you save the tens of thousands of small retailers in India who are unlikely to be able to compete with the likes of Walmart? You can’t save them all, but you can give them a fighting chance. And here’s how: Start phasing out these duties, slowly and, most importantly, systematically and predictably over time, so that in, say, ten years, they are onpar with international import duties. Do this, and you accomplish several important things. First, you stop in its tracks inevitable calls from other countries to raise duties against India exports. If these other countries see India is on the path to global trading equality, they’ll most likely give India 5 or 10 years to get there. Second, it gives India’s industries the time and impetus to adapt. If, say, Mahindra knows that their one competitive advantage against imports — price — will be gone in ten years, they then have adequate time and motivation

DECISION ON UNDER-18 CONSENSUAL SEX is a step backwards

he Centre has decided to make sex between minors, even if it is consensual, an offence that would attract the same penal provisions as of that for rape. The move, though well-intended at curbing sexual violence targeting minors, is a step backward in time as it ignores the changed social realities. The onset of puberty has advanced by several years in the last couple of decades owing to changes in lifestyle. This would naturally mean teenagers would be exploring their sexuality at least three to four years ahead of the legally prescribed age. Recent studies have shown that sex among those under the age of 18 is on the rise. The extensive exposure of children to sexually explicit material in the media an on the internet means that they are mentally ready for sex years before the official ‘education’ reaches them. If the government wants to prevent sexual abuse and teen pregnancies, it should focus on raising awareness in these areas and provide adequate information on safeguards through education itself at a much earlier stage.

to start building cars that compete in quality, performance and price apples to apples with global players. Third, inflation will slowly fall (relative to not reducing import duties) because the price of imported goods will fall. This builds consumer confidence and helps to spur economic growth — important in an economy that is seeing slowing growth and high inflation. Finally, and most importantly, the threat of foreign companies competing in India on an even playing field with domestic companies will force these domestic companies to start behaving, well, better. Imagine a generous “no questions asked” return policy — available almost universally in the West — available to you in India at your local retailer. (Right now, whenever I buy something in India, I do it in fear that the product will break the next day or not fit and leave me with virtually no return options). Imagine domestic cars offering repair records rivalling say, a Honda’s. Imagine, overall, an economy that is more customer-service driven, in every way. Now that strikes me as very fair to the Indian consumer. A foreigner’s observations on living, working, surviving and thriving in India.

WHY WE LOVE... The Avengers

rowing up in a world dominated by superheroes, more fictional than real, Marvel’s Avengers have always been a breath of fresh air. Along with their ‘X’ counterparts they proved a superb counterpoint to the hopelessly and unrealistically moral juggernauts like Superman and the Flash that hailed from DC’s stables. The fact that the team’s first cinema outing is going to rake in the millions, if not billions is good news indeed.

Rhythm Nation

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Streetlight People bring the essential Goan experience to the city with their music

RHYTHM OF THE SEAS Sana Mirza DEEPAK DESHPANDE

sana.m@postnoon.com

ll of a sudden Hyderabad seems to be on a roll promoting an eclectic mix of art, music and culture. As compared to even a couple of

years ago, the number of live bands performing at every possible venue in the city have flourished tremendously. Remember how we wish there was music in the background for every moment in life, well, live bands fall somewhat close to the idea. So, The Streetlight People from Goa have become the latest to be a part of this cultural revolution. Having gathered a dedicated audience, the trio has

iTUNES Top 10 songs

1. Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye Featuring Kimbra 2. We Are Young fun 3. Glad You Came

– The Wanted 4. What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction 5. Boyfriend – Justin Bieber 6. Wild Ones – Flo Rida Featuring Sia 7. Starships – Nicki Minaj 8. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen 9. (Stronger) What Doesn't Kill you – Kelly Clarkson 10. Part Of Me – Katy Perry

emerged as a renowned blues and rock in the colonial city and are now all set to thrill music aficionados in the city. There is always an interesting incident behind why a certain name rings well with a band. One might be forgiven for assuming that the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey served as their inspiration but apparently it wasn’t so. “I remember I was walking back home in an inebriated state when I saw a bunch of hobbits huddled together under a streetlight,” recalls Krishna Gidwani, the band’s drummer. “When I went back in a more sober state, they were gone, but the name stuck. The Streetlight People, it felt right,” he adds. The boys have spent their whole life in Goa and so being part of a musical fraternity comes naturally to them. For Nevin D’mello, the guitarist, music was not an unfamiliar prospect as he belongs to a musical family. “I started playing the keyboard when I was 6years old. Then I moved on to the guitar and started to play more of rock and metal. Ironically, I don’t listen to metal at all,” he says. What lay as common ground for all three is their passion to make music

Top 10 albums

1) Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye Featuring Kimbra 2. We Are Young – fun

3. Glad You Came – The Wanted 4. What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction 5. Boyfriend – Justin Bieber 6. Wild Ones – Flo Rida Featuring Sia 7. Starships – Nicki Minaj 8. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen 9. (Stronger. What Doesn’t Kill you – Kelly Clarkson 10. Part Of Me – Katy Perry

and if given a chance, all three admit in unison that they would love to play alongside singer John Mayer. While Krishna and Nevin both started off as part of a metal and punk band, their third band member, Fernando Monte da Silva, who is a freelance journalist considers being in the band as positively fated. “I had jammed with them once on an earlier occasion but then three years later is when I actually met them again and we decided to form a band,” he says. Their music spells something for everyone as the two-year-old band plays a mix of blues, jazz, funk and rock all rolled into one trippy experience. “Through our songs, we mainly want to talk about the simple life. While we play a lot of covers, there are some original compositions too,” informs Fernando. The trio believes in entertaining people with their music and not become a niche band. “Age is something that we really don’t care about. We want to have a song for everyone,” says Krishna. The band will be playing at different venues in the city till April 29 Catch them live at Fusion 9 tonight at 8pm.

Bollywood Top 10 songs 3. Mann Jaage

1. Rab Ka Shukrana – Jannat 2 2. Sang Hoon Tere – Jannat 2

– Bittoo Boss 4. Jannatein Kahan – Jannat 2 5. Raabta (Night in a Motel) – Agent Vinod 6. Main Hoon Shab – Tezz 7. Mahe Jaan – Hate Story 8. Pani Da Rang – Vicky Donor 9. Jhallah Wallah – Ishaqzaade 10. Naina Re – Dangerous Ishq

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

ON THE DEFENSIVE

It is an autoimmune disorder with no know etiology or cure, but if Lupus is detected early and treated on time, it’s possible to lead a normal life specific symptoms are also seen since lupus can affect multiple organs in the body. Stress, both emotional and physical, may also exaggerate the symptoms of lupus. So if a person is suffering from lupus they should try and avoid stress as it will only worsen their condition,” adds Dr Manish. Other symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, easy bruising, decreased appetite and gastrointestinal disease.

Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

ou’ve just had a great day out with friends on the beach and are now gearing up for that party. But you suddenly notice this rash on your face covering your cheeks and nose – not the slight pink flush that looks attractive, but the angry red one. In fact, you notice that everytime you step out during the day you’re left with an angry red rash on your face. If you notice this happening all too often, don’t dismiss it as a skin allergy due to sun exposure. It could be some thing more serious like systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as lupus or SLE). Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body. “It is an autoimmune condition, meaning that your body's immune system attacks your own tissues, thinking that they are foreign. This can lead to pain, swelling, and damage to multiple organs. While we don’t yet know its etiology, there are treatment options available,” says Dr Manish Dugar, consultant rheumatologist at Apollo Hospital.

Treatment

While the exact cause of lupus is not known, as is the case with any autoimmune disease, it has been observed that it tends to run in families. “It also affects more women than it does men. This could probably be due to hormonal factors, though it hasn’t been established yet. While lupus can affect any age group it is most common between the ages of 16

and 55,” says Dr V Sarath Chandra Mouli, chief rheumatologist at KIMS. A person who develops lupus probably inherits the risk from one or both parents and then develops the disease when exposed to a trigger. Triggers may include exposure to sunlight, being ill with an infection, having surgery, or

being pregnant.

Symptoms “One of the most common symptoms of lupus is skin rashes, especially due to sun exposure, easy tanning, pigmentation on the skin, severe hair loss, ulcers in the mouth, joint pains and swellings,” explains Dr Sarath. “Frequent fevers and organ

“There are several treatment options available. We mainly use medications to treat this condition. Surgery is not required,” says Dr Sarath. Dr Manish adds, “Medications usually include steroids and immuno suppressants. While there is no cure for lupus it can be managed like any other chronic ailment like diabetes or hypertension. If the lupus is severe it can affect organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain etc. It is due to this that lupus is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.” “If lupus is properly treated and at the right time, a person can lead a normal life. While we can prevent the onset of lupus, avoiding sun exposure, using an umbrella and sunblock help,” explains Dr Sarath.

Obesity epidemic behind rheumatoid arthritis WASHINGTON: Obesity epidemic may be linked with the rising incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, a painful condition which causes inflammation of the joints, especially among women, says a study. Mayo Clinic researchers studied hundreds of patients and found a history of obesity that places women at significant risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA tends to initially impact the hands and feet and then spread to the knees, ankles, hips and shoulders. Complications can include heart problems, lung disease, osteoporosis, the journal Arthritis Care & Research reported. Researchers relied on medical records covering 1980-2007 and studied 813 adults with rheumatoid arthritis and 813 adults as the control group (without RA), matched by age, gender and calendar year. Height, weight were noted;

roughly 30 per cent of the patients in each group were obese and 68 percent were women, said a university statement. RA cases rose by 9.2 percent per 100,000 women from 19852007, the study found. Obesity accounted for 52 per cent of the increase. Smoking also is a substantial risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis, but smoking's prevalence remained constant over the years studied, ruling it out as an explanation for the rise in rheumatoid arthritis, the study found. “We know too that obesity is related to many other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, and now perhaps to auto-immunity,” said study co-author Eric Matteson, who heads the division of rheumatology at Mayo. “It adds another reason to reduce and prevent obesity in the general population,” added Matteson. IANS

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Take time out for exercise n The 4-7-8 (or relaxing breath) exercise

Kuldep Sethi feedback@postnoon.com

eople in the modern world do not have time to do much physical exercise due to their hectic work schedule and present day lifestyles. Stress due to work and today’s fast paced life is the sole reason for people to be inactive and lethargic. This in turn leads to the production of high levels of cortisol (stress) hormone in the body. It is a vicious cycle. Higher levels of cortisol in the bloodstream, like those associated with chronic stress have been shown to have negative effects, such as n Impaired cognitive performance n Suppressed thyroid function n Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia n Decreased bone density n Decrease in muscle tissue n Higher blood pressure n Lowered immunity to diseases and slowed wound healing n Increased abdominal fat known to lead to other problems such as heart attacks, strokes, metabolic syndrome, higher levels of cholesterol in the body In addition to the above, other very common effects of not being physically active are excessive mood swings, low self esteem, bad posture, lower sex drive just to name a few. We can start with some very simple exercises you can do at home. Warm up is an essential part of any workout. This helps to increase mobility, joints will loosen up and is a very good start for any body regardless of age and gender. It is recommended that you consult a doctor before you begin any kind of exercise program. It is also good idea to exercise at least 2 hours after a meal. n Stand upright with your feet slightly apart. Extend your arms in front of you to chest level. Slowly rotate your wrist, clock wise and then anti clock wise. 5-10 repetitions on each side. n In the same position, move your arms to your sides and place your fingers on the shoulders. Now rotate your arms clock wise and anti clock wise. 5-10 repetitions. Maintain normal breathing while doing these exercises. Slow controlled movements are recommended. n Stand upright with your feet hip distance apart. Slowly raise your arms above your head. Extend arms as far as possible. Bend sideways and stretch your arms as far as possible to the side. Perform this exercise alternatively on both sides. 5-10 repetitions on each side. n Stand upright. Extend your arms upwards. Breathe in. While breathing out start bending forward slowly. Extend arms outward and down trying to reach your toes. Extend as far as you possibly can and return to starting position. Do not do this exercise in a rapid fashion. People with back problems are recommended to consult a physician. 5-10 repetitions. n Stand with your feet hip width apart. Slowly raise your right knee up to 90 degree angle in front of you. Lower slowly back to standing position. Repeat with the left leg. 5-10 repetitions on each side.

This exercise is simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward. n Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. n Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. n Hold your breath for a count of seven. n Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight. n This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not

important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply. This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass. Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it. (The writer is a fitness expert and director of 360 Degrees Fitness, Hyderabad)

Eating berries may slow brain decline WASHINGTON: Women who eat plenty of blueberries and strawberries experience slower mental decline with age than women who consume fewer of the flavonoid-rich fruits, a US study said on Thursday. Based on a survey of more than 16,000 women who filled out regular questionnaires on their health habits from 1976 through 2001, the findings showed that those who ate the most berries delayed cognitive decline by up to 2.5 years. Every two years from 1995 to 2001, researchers measured mental function in subjects over age 70, according to the

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

study published in the Annals of Neurology. “We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women,” said Elizabeth Devore, a doctor with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults.” Devore added that the findings are of particular importance to the aging population, which is on the rise. Robert Graham, an internist at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital who was not involved with the study, said eating more berries is good idea for people of any age. “Large epidemiological studies, add to the basic science research that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of berries have a beneficial role in cognitive decline,” said Graham. “I would advise all, to eat more berries. Berries are an easy, nutritious way to preserve brain function.” Flavonoids are antioxidants that are found in berries, apples, citrus fruits, tea, red wine and onions, and previous research has shown they may reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. AFP

F‑folio

Because you are what you wear

Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

A hot trend this Spring Summer is chunky bangles. As seen on many

ASHION OR YOUR Fendi

ilvia Venturini Fendi the creative director of Fendi introduced beautiful metal cuffs that were stacked together and worn by the models on the runway. The inlay patterns on the cuffs were in colours from the collection – red, green, mustard. The designs were in uniformed linear lines and dots. These would look great worn even with casual clothing and elevate the elegance level of the look immediately.

Chanel

arl Lagerfeld’s vision for the Chanel woman this season is living underwater. With color tones of white, aqua, pearl, and crème, this collection was an ethereal introduction to Lagerfeld’s sea world vision. The bracelets in a knot pattern reflected metallic colours that are seen inside of sea shell. Even if you can’t afford to buy this collection to wear head to toe, these simple bangles will give you a good taste.

Balenciaga

alenciaga is one of those brands which are defining the trends to come in the near future. Its designer Nicolas Ghesquiere used worldly textures, prints and colors for this collection. The bangles were in transparent plexiglass stacked together over shirts to give a very futuristic look.

Giambattista Valli

his young Italian designer is a favourite of the European girls who love to party. His collection had many options for the girls to wear for an evening out this season. The arm jewelery especially stood out. For this SS 2012 show, he put serpentine and swirly animalistic shape bangles and cuffs all over the models’ arms. These cuffs would make any outfit a party outfit we believe.

Hermes

he signature Hermes orange colour was prominently seen on the runway for spring summer 2012. What was hard to miss were the luxurious leather stack of bangles in the same orange tone which gave a sense of opulent playfulness.

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

20&21

international fashion shows, here are a few examples of these accessories to wear now The writer is a fashion blogger

(www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gap between creator and consumer. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.

WRIST Carolina Herrera

angles in their true sense, the designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SS 2012 accessories resembled very closely the Indian traditional thick ones. Stacked together in a series of same colour but different shapes on models, this looked like a great amalgamation of western wear with ethnic.

Moschino

he Moschino wearing women loves to have fun and play with fashion. With a busy look of gilets, and embroidered dresses, the cuffs were kept as simple and similar on both hands of the models. In basic colours like black and white, these cuffs made the collection modern and wearable.

Marni

arni is an Italian label that loves to dress women in a very ladylike manner. But in no means does it indicate the label to be boring. The collection is a festival of colours and patterns which enjoys the maximalist bohemian heritage. The bangles shown here were in different shapes and in metallic gold and enamel white, green and blue.

Etro

t Etro the 20s art deco style was the inspiration for the collection. Flapper dresses with beads and mixed prints made this a modern day version of the swinging twenties. The metal cuff on one arm supplemented the busy collection very well. The cuff adds a nice jewelled detail to a summer evening wear look.

Balmain

almain spring summer collection celebrates the opulence that the brand is recognised for. Rich brocades, gold motifs, and jewelled accessories in sillhouttes like shorts, sports jacket, high waist trousers. The cuffs or bangles had gold work similar to the work on the belts and jackets making the hands accessory a very important part of the collection.

Spotlight

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Weaving dreams

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

There was style and there was the glamour quotient as well. City-based designer Shravan Kumar, on Thursday, displayed at the Novotel his collection aptly titled An ode to the Weavers & Weaves of AP.

Deepa & Rajini

Sapnie & Esha

A model walking the ramp

Lavanya & Sunitha

Deeksha Seth

Kavitha, Rummy Azad & Laila

Combating piracy musically

Yashoda

Anisha

Anusha

Producers Dil Raju, Suresh Babu and actor Lakshmi Manchu and Aditya Gupta launched an anti-piracy song at Prasads Imax on Thursday.

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Shradha

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The glamour behind the glitz

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

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The glamour behind the glitz

Pawan Kalyan heads to Europe

awan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan starrer Gabbar Singh is in last stages of filming. Recently, a couple of songs of Pawan Kalyan’s were canned and sources say that except for them, the rest of the film has been completed. Word is that the film’s core team flew to Europe to shoot those songs and Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan are expected to join them from today. The audio of the film has become a chartbuster and music director Devi Sri Prasad has been receiving rave reviews from film fraternity as well as fans of Pawan Kalyan for his work in the film. Harish Shankar is directing the film and Ganesh Babu is producing it. Gabbar Singh is going to hit the screens in May and the buzz surrounding the film is so high that quite a few producers who had planned to release their films in May are keeping a close eye on Gabbar Singh.

Nagarjuna’s next film titled Love Story

agarjuna is all set to start shooting for his next film which will be directed by Dasarath. The duo, who had worked together for Santosham, is teaming up after a gap of almost ten years. Nayanthara is going to play the lead role in this film. We hear that the film has been titled Love Story. D Siva Prasad Reddy is going to produce this film under Kamakshi Kala Movies banner and S S Thaman is going to score the music. Anil Bhandari has been roped in as the cinematographer. The film is being touted as a mature love story. Nagarjuna and Nayanthara had acted in a film titled Boss few years ago. Currently, Nagarjuna is shooting for K Raghavendra Rao’s Shiridi Sai and Nayanthara has two telugu projects in hand including Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum and Gopichand’s untitled film.

Mohan Babu clarifies on Ravana Brahma

ver since Mohan Babu announced that he would playing King Ravana in a film titled Ravana Brahma there have been several rumours about the rest of the star cast. Recently, rumours were rife that Mohan Babu’s team were in talks with Sridevi, Shriya Saran and several other actors in Bollywood to play important roles in the film. However, Mohan Babu has quashed all these rumours and clarified that none of the names doing rounds are being considered. “A lot of names r doing rounds as the cast of ‘Ravana’. None of which we have approached. Interesting how people assume so easily. Vishnu will announce soon the details of ‘Ravana’. He is producing it. One of his dream projects (sic),” Mohan Babu revealed on Twitter. K Raghavendra Rao is going to direct the film and JK Bharavi, who had earlier teamed up with K Raghavendra Rao for Annamayya, Sriramadasu and Pandurangadu, is writing the script for this film. Manchu Vishnu, who’s producing this big budget film, has roped in Hollywood technicians.

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@richyricha I hear the classical musical composer Yanni yest at a wedding after ages. now i have his track santorini stuck in my head!

@Actor_Siddharth If one prioritises any 1 film over another based on their prediction of its success, there couldnt be a more foolish mistake around! Idiocy!

@shraddhadas43 In love with this song called raabta from Agent vinod. Set it as my caller tune n playin it on repeat 24/7,for any1 who is in/out of love!

@trishtrashers Thank u guyssss so much for all the wishes..Fingers crossed..Kip me posted ... Hugssss

@Shrutihassan Switzerland is soooo stunning! Can I stay here for ever and ever and ever? Pwetty pweeeeze?!

@taapsee Lots n lots of interesting n hopefully fruitful meetings were conducted 2day. Now ending d day wid a sound sleep. Zzzzzzzzz

@tashu_02 My fav hangout place in Mumbai is Colaba....n finally I am here after a long time....yay...feels grt...remembering my college days.. :-)

@PriyaWajAnand Vicky Donor is full of Spunk! Always nice to watch a film that's casted soo well! Ayushmann Khurana is super! My fav film this year... Urs?

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Half a 1960s foursome 6 Establish as the truth 11 Prohibition, for one 14 Rock concert venue 15 Fit for Muslim consumption 16 Woodpecker's tool 17 Thrilled to no end 19 Like some martinis 20 Pageant bands 21 Thick and sticky 23 Puts on, as a show 26 Has control over 27 Golden Fleece carrier 31 Palindromic honorific 32 Fifth-century warrior 34 Futile 35 Trueheart of comics 37 Barrel slat 41 Blissful 44 Curriculum ___ (career summary) 45 Group of three singers 46 Firewood purchase 47 Worker among players 49 Quaint motel 50 ‘___ the night before Christmas...’ 51 Nutritional regimen 54 When kids get a break 57 Cattle contagion 59 Speaking with a grating voice 64 Vowelless degree 65 Thrilled to pieces 68 Poet Prior's ‘prior’ 69 Giant squid's home 70 Blacksmith's work site 71 Note after fa 72 ‘Vita’describer 73 Barely flows through the cracks DOWN 1 Butter servings 2 Operafeature 3 Lifter's pride 4 Egyptian life symbol

5 Marketing data 6 Goal of some candidates 7 Spoken-word genre 8 Martini must 9 Become invisible 10 Lodge fellows 11 Provide financial backing 12 TV staple 13 Immeasurable chasm 18 Country spread 22 Help for a spy 24 Performer's promoter 25 Gut-related 27 Tel ___, Israel 28 Punjabi queen 29 Heart of the matter 30 Where many wish for peace 33 Employ 36 Rain alternative

38 Speak bluntly 39 Wang of wedding wear 40 Odds' partners 42 Air show formation 43 Chief Japanese island 48 He reigned in Spain 51 Claire of ‘The Rainmaker’ 52 Many a frosh course 53 Mertz or Kennedy 55 Do really well 56 Bottler's offerings 58 Cathedral cross 60 ‘Rachel Getting Married’ star

SUDOKU

Hathaway 61 Cut in half 62 Scissors' sound 63 Aquatic shockers 66 ‘Fond du’ finish 67 Next to nothing PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. – Antoine de Saint

Chai Time STAR POWER

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 28-4-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Though ﬁnancially there are no prob‑ lems, inﬂow will be slow. Expenses and income will be equal, hence saving is not possible right now. Businessmen can expect good opportunities to earn.

Your stock is set to pile up. You will ta‑ ke necessary efforts to improve com‑ forts of the family and increase income. Neighbours will be more co‑operative. Retain friendship with all.

Businessmen might face a delay in com‑ pleting certain important work, but do‑ nʼt need to worry as ﬁnally they will su‑ cceed. Friends/ relatives might pressur‑ ise you for ﬁnancial help; avoid them.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

All your works will get completed with‑ out hurdles. Your actions and words will be respected. Employees will get appreciation of superiors. Businessmen will sign new contracts make proﬁts.

Businessmen will get good support fr‑ om friends staying abroad. Some will undertake pilgrimage with family mem‑ bers. You will feel happy to meet with old friends. Court issue might delay.

Work may seem difﬁcult as you will have to struggle hard to get them exe‑ cuted. Couples will have minor clashes and will not see eye to eye on any issue. Some have bright chances to go abroad.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Be careful while expressing your opin‑ ions, as chances of getting blame and bad name. Some will try to interpret your views in a different way to spoil your name. Be alert and avoid them.

Govt ofﬁcials need to act with alertness, as there are chances of going wrong in certain issues which will go to the exte‑ nt of dismissal or suspension or forced leave. Marriage talks too will delay.

Those who put in their efforts and hard work properly can achieve anything they want. They will be respected well and get a good fortune. Businessmen though faced with delay, succeed.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Self‑conﬁdence, clearcut plan, bold deci‑ sion, belief in the future, strict adher‑ ence to policies and practical goals will ensure you success. Businessmen will concentrate in new efforts and succeed.

Unexpected fortune likely. Hurdles faced in making income, business prob‑ lem, tensions in the family and debts problems will get cleared. Friends and relatives too will extend their help.

Expected work might get delayed but unexpected things will take place and surprise you, which make you happy. New efforts and plans will be success‑ ful. Happy events to take place at home.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 28-4-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Three of Pentacles – Youʼre skeptical abo‑ ut something and this is eating you up from within. If you had better self‑conﬁ‑ dence, you would be doing a better job.

The Tower – There are going to be chan‑ ges in your life and the sooner you acce‑ pt this, the better. Ch‑ allenge your ego, dr‑ op high‑headedness, come down to earth.

The Fool – If some‑ thing is not working out, learn to quickly change track instead of holding on to som‑ ething you know is harming you. Change is good, and needed.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Judgement – An old issue crops up when you thought it was over. It will set the record straight and you might get to kn‑ ow what you were thinking all along.

The Sun – An over‑ seas trip in the off‑ ing. Youʼre feeling conﬁdent about meeting new people and making new business contacts. Youʼre on a roll.

Justice – Are you not listening properly? Someone may be try‑ ing to tell you some‑ thing important and youʼre just not giving them the attention they deserve.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Page of Wands – Someone is pretend‑ ing to be on your side but is not. Donʼt trust easily and be careful about who you give out crucial information to.

Nine of Cups – Busi‑ ness project works out wonderfully – better than expected. You will get much needed conﬁdence to do more, strike out on your own.

Five of Pentacles – You get a good salary hike but are disappoi‑ nted with the politics in your ofﬁce. Wake up to reality. Orga‑ nise your priorities.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Page of Swords – You may be feeling young, adventurous and imp‑ ulsive. Nothing wrong with that since your time is going so good and all your actions can only do good.

Four of Wands – Some disappointment on the way. A job offer may not have turned out the way you expected. Donʼt worry too much and focus on your next assignments.

King of Pentacles – Too much expecta‑ tion may play spoil‑ sport. Keep your expectations low but work hard. Bosses are watching and will give you a break.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle PEAR PLUM PEACH PINEAPPLE

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 285 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

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Kailash Kher heads for US tour

fter staging his maiden concert in Pakistan, singer Kailash Kher is set to entertain audiences in the US with his band Kailasa. “Today, dubbed 2 songs for good movies. Off to USA for 16 concerts. Kailasa is excited, Namaskar Mere Bharat, see you all after 35 days,” Kher posted on his Twitter page. He performed in Karachi earlier this month and entertained music enthusiasts there with numbers like Teri Deewani, Tauba Tauba, Saaiyan and Dhol Bajda. IANS

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@RGVzoomin Its absolutley wrong when people assume that I think 2 much of myself... I actually think 33 much of myself!

@realpreityzinta Morning! Still sick but feel a little bit better now. Need 2 get well soon so I can go into da speedy Gonzalez mode & b everywhere :-) Ting!

@rampalarjun Yes super excited about Lost, the name of the music festival Percept and I will be creating it will be something very special. I promise u.

@NeilNMukesh

Ali Azmat sings for Jism 2 P

Boman happy to shoot with Rishi

ctor Boman Irani, who shares screen space with Rishi Kapoor in Student Of The Year, says it was quite an experience working with the yesteryear’s star. The Karan Johar movie also marks the Bollywood debut of Boman’s son Kayoze. “Back from Bangkok. Spent time with Kayoze and shot with Rishi Kapoor for SOTY (‘Student Of The Year’). One of the most generous actors I’ve worked with! Mazaa aa gaya (Had great fun),” tweeted Boman. Student Of The Year is also set to launch three other newcomers in Bollywood - Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. - IANS

ooja Bhatt has once again collaborated with Pakistani singer Ali Azmat for her directorial Jism 2. This time the singer has sung two songs for the movie. “Grateful to my friend Ali Azmat for absolutely ROCKING 2 tracks from Jism2. Visa or no Visa, you prove yet again that music has no boundaries,” tweeted Pooja.. Azmat, the lead vocalist of popular band Junoon, gave his song Garaj Baras to Pooja for her directorial debut Paap. Jism 2 will launch IndoCanadian porn star Sunny Leone in Bollywood. - IANS

Haven’t seen underworld awakening as yet. So want to see that film. Huge fan of the series. But its not officially out on dvd in india! :(

@FarOutAkhtar My work on BMB first schedule complete. Back home in Mumbai. Time to Rest. Recuperate. Recharge. And then... Resume.

@SrBachchan T 725 — More edge of the seat IPL games... yesterday MI vs KIXP .. and football Real vs Bayern, shootout in end..so many penalties failed...

@RahulBose1 The reason why summer’s my favourite season is because time seems to stand still, with the sun and sweat your constant friends.

@bomanirani When I was a kid I thought that a credit card was like a FREE token card. Unfortunately Zenobia still thinks she’s a kid!!!

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

METRE

6 321

Chris Gayle (RCB)

19 4S771

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

HIGHEST SCORE

103*

Ajinkya Rahane (RR), Kevin Pietersen (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)

Daredevils in cruise mode Finally on the board, a great effort, especially by Cameron White. We played Rusty for a purpose and he was outstanding. And young Ashish Reddy played well too.

G Aparna Sai feedback@postnoon.com

hen this season’s IPL began, not many would have anticipated that Delhi Daredevils would at any point of time find themselves at the top of the points table what with their dismal performance last year. The Daredevils were at the bottom-most rung on the points table having won just four of their 14 matches. But this year, Delhi have a different tale to narrate. Having literally turned tables in their favour by winning five of the seven matches they have played so far, the Daredevils are comfortably placed at the top with 10 points when take on Mumbai Indians today. Led by Virender Sehwag, DD are being touted as the favourites for winning the title this year.

Kumar Sangakkara DC Captain

Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 332 runs

Morne Morkel (DD) 16 wickets

Pressure bowling to Tendulkar I

t's not everyday that a domesticcricketer gets an opportunity to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar in a competitive match and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem is the first one to admit that there is a lot of pressure. Nadeem has been a surprise package for the DD. "I have bowled against Sachin paaji in nets during IPL-III but I will be bowling against him for the first time in a competitive game. Of course there is additional pressure but I know that I have to perform well," Nadeem said. Ask him if he has some strategy planned for Tendulkar, he says "Can anyone succeed by just having a particular strategy against a batsman of his calibre? My job will be to perform to the best of my abilities." PTI

DD KKR CSK RCB RR PW MI KXIP DC

P 7 8 8 8 8 9 7 8 7

W 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1

L N/T PT NRR 2 0 10 0.857 3 1 9 0.432 3 1 9 0.033 3 1 9 -0.192 4 0 8 0.190 5 0 8 -0.064 3 0 8 -0.073 5 0 6 -0.436 5 1 3 -0.708

P-played; W-win; L-lost; N/T-no result/tie;NRR-net run rate; PT-points

DD VS MI AT 8 PM ON SET MAX

SCORECARD

DD's Morne Morkel currently holds the purple cap with 16 wickets, while Shahbaaz Nadeem has also impressed his bowling. Irfan Pathan too seems to have regained his lost form and it may not come as a surprise if he finds his place once again in the national side. Delhi have little to worry about their batting as Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen have done well. MI on the other hand need a win to figure among the top four. They huffed and puffed their way to victory against Kings XI Punjab in their last match. If not for the heroics of Ambati Rayudu, Robin Peterson and Rohit Sharma, MI would have found it difficult to reach the coast. MI certainly have players who are boastworthy but their position on the table has a different tale to tell. If last year's runner's up do not pull up their socks soon, then them may end up cutting a sorry figure.

BACK IN ACTION

DECCAN CHARGERS VS PUNE WARRIORS Deccan Chargers innings PA Patel c Pandey b Kumar 24 S Dhawan run out (Pandey/†Uthappa) 16 CL White c Thomas b Samuels 78 KC Sangakkara b Sharma 12 JP Duminy not out 26 IR Jaggi not out 10 Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 2) 11 Total (4 wickets; 20 overs) 177 Bowling O M R W Econ A Nehra 4 0 29 0 7.25 AC Thomas 4 0 27 0 6.75 MN Samuels 4 0 39 1 9.75 B Kumar 4 0 34 1 8.50 R Sharma 4 0 39 1 9.75

Pune Warriors innings (target: 178 runs from 20 overs) MK Pandey b Theron 21 Ryder c sub (DJ Harris) b Ankit Sharma 7 Ganguly c sub (DJ Harris) b Gony 23 RV Uthappa† b Ashish Reddy 29 Samuels c Sangakkara b Ashish Reddy 3 SPD Smith c Duminy b Theron 26 M Manhas not out 22 AC Thomas run out (†Patel) 12 B Kumar not out 7 Extras (lb 3, w 5, nb 1) 9 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 159 Bowling O M R W Econ Ankit Sharma 2 0 11 1 5.50 JP Duminy 3 0 24 0 8.00 MS Gony 4 0 27 1 6.75 J Theron 4 0 37 2 9.25 A Mishra 3 0 25 0 8.33 A Ashish Reddy 4 0 32 2 8.00

Deccan Chargers won by 18 runs

Yuvraj Singh (L) jokes with Murali Kartik before the start of the match between Pune Warriors India and Deccan Chargers in Pune on Thursday. Singh vowed to return to cricket after AFP/PUNIT PARANJPE recovering from a cancerous tumour.

89 DAYS TO GO FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Bolt can improve 100m world record KINGSTON: Usain Bolt has the speed to lower his 100-meter world record below 9.5 seconds, the coach of the reigning Olympic 100 champion said on Thursday, but weather could foil his efforts at London. Glen Mills, who has coached Bolt since 2004, said Thursday in a conference call with the IAAF after conducting a workout that Bolt could reach 9.49 or lower and shatter his current world record of 9.58. “I don’t think it is impossible," Mills said. “But he would have to have the right conditions. I’m not sure if London (weather) is going to be kind." Mills said that he expects Bolt will be 100 percent healthy when he runs his first 100 of the season on May 5 at the Jamaica Invitational, the same meet where world 100m champion Yohan Blake is set to run in the 200. “Usain is in good condition, doing well," Mills said. “He is ready to run next week. I expect him to do well. He’s in good shape. I’m expecting him to run a good race." Denying tales that Bolt hurt himself in a charity football match, Mills said his star pupil has learned from the false start in the final at last year’s world championships in South Korea, one that cost him his world title. “The lesson he has learned from Daegu is you can never be too complacent or never take anything for granted," Mills said. “You have to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. “He is quite aware of that going into the Olympics and of not being a victim of a false start." Bolt won 100 and 200 Olympic gold at Beijing in 2008 and helped Jamaica to a 4x100 relay title, all in world-record time. At the 2009

worlds in Berlin, Bolt lowered his world records to 9.58 and 19.19 at 200. Mills, 62, said he sees no problem with Bolt having to potentially race at London against athletes who have served doping bans such as Britain’s Dwain Chambers and American Justin Gatlin. “I don’t believe somebody should be banned for life," Mills said. “You should be given a chance to redeem yourself. “One would hope the persons who have found themselves in trouble with that would have learned their lessons and operate under the fairness of competition and stay away from drugs. “The rules are that if you commit an

offence you are punished and after you serve your time you are reinstated. We have to compete under the rules. I don’t really have a problem... Even people who commit murder are given pardons." Bolt has spoken often about securing his status as a living legend, but Mills said that catchphrase is Bolt’s way of focusing on his main goals, defending three Olympic titles. “He has set that ‘Living Legend’ theme as a motivation to maintain his high standard of training and level of performance," Mills said. “He has set his criteria of defending his gold medals in London as his objective.” AFP

Hurdles champion switches to rowing SYDNEY: Two-time 400m hurdles world champion Jana Pittman is aiming to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a rower, a report said Friday. Pittmann, who won the 400m hurdles at the 2003 Paris world championships and four years later in Osaka, Japan, recently hung up her spikes after a foot injury ruined her plans to compete at this

year’s Olympics. The Sydney Daily Telegraph said she had taken up rowing instead and had been identified as a potential star. “We have tested her and we know she has got a lot of the goods. I think the challenge for her, and for us, is to see if she can make the changes," Rowing Australia elite development manager Peter Shakespear said. AFP

I’m watching Ali and Sugar Ray Nicola Adams

’m writing this in the blurry, way-too-early hours of a freezing Monday morning, just before I fly to Crete for my final training camp ahead of the world championships next month. For the next three weeks, everything will become magnified in importance. Diet, training, conditioning, focus – you name it. And with good reason because these world championships, which start on 11 May in Qinhuangdao, China, double up as Olympic qualifiers. The fork in the road is stark. One path, which I’ll take by making the quarter-finals or better, gets me a place on the Team GB squad for London 2012. The other leads to, well, in truth I haven’t thought about that. Because it’s not an option. It can’t be. Not now. Some people might be fearful of the pressure, but to be honest it drives me. This is my one chance to shine, and I plan to take it. I started boxing when I was 12 years old. Now I’m 29. I want to show all the years of hard work have been worth it. I’m doing all the right things – eating grilled chicken instead of Big Macs, plus getting in lots of vegetables, strawberry whey protein shakes and vitamins to lower the chances of getting ill. I’m also watching YouTube videos of Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali, my idols when I was growing up, to see how they boxed when they were amateurs and hopefully learn from them. I want to achieve what they did and win gold in the Olympics.

Things have been going really well in Sheffield, but a training camp offers something different. At home, I spar with the same fighters – men and women – week in, week out (the men obviously hold back on the power and work on skills). So you get used to the punches they throw and the combinations they like to attempt. But in Crete there will be fighters from across the globe, so I will tackle different styles and approaches. Such preparation will make a huge difference of course. As does having a performance analyst on the Team GB boxing squad. It’s their job to film all the fights we go to, pick up on things we can improve, and maintain a database that tells us the nitty-gritty about every potential opponent, including their wins and losses.

Playing Field

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

The games people play

Australia eye victory Chanderpaul, playing in his 140th Test, had reached the 10,000-run landmark when he went to 14, taking his career Test average above 50 in the process.

West Indies batsman Shivarine Chanderpaul (R) is dismissed lbw by Australia’s Michael Clarke as Matthew Wade (C) and Michael Hussey look on during the fourth day of the third test on Friday. AFP/EMMANUEL DUNAND ROSEAU,

DOMINICA:

Australia captain Michael Clarke dismissed West Indies stalwart Shivnarine Chanderpaul with the last ball of the day to put his team in sight of victory in the third and final Test on Thursday. Clarke trapped Chanderpaul lbw after the

37-year-old, who had earlier become just the 10th player to make 10,000 Test runs, looked like surviving until Friday’s final day. But his dismissal left the home side teetering on 173 for five at stumps, chasing 370 to win and level the series.

It was Clarke’s third wicket of the innings but, initially, umpire Tony Hill had turned down the appeal. Clarke only had one review left and risked it in the hope of seeing the back of the West Indies anchorman who had faced 122 balls for his 69 - his 58th Test half-century.

“It felt really good to reach this milestone. I have been batting well and spending a lot of time at the crease and to reach 10,000 Test runs is something special for me,” said Chanderpaul. “It was one of the goals I set myself and I believe I have reaped the reward for the hard work I put in over the years.” Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo had looked comfortable earlier in the session as they built up a 110-run partnership for the fourth wicket, taking their side from a precarious 45 for three to 155 for four. Bravo had made a patient 45 off 148 balls when he played a loose back foot drive to a Shane Watson delivery and wicket-keeper Matthew Wade dived to his left to take a neat catch. Australia coach Mickey Arthur described Chanderpaul as “outstanding”. “Shiv’s been quite brilliant. He’s certainly thwarted our bowlers. He’s shown why he’s got 10,000 runs in Test cricket,” said Arthur. AFP

TN’s Priyadharshan in lead I

nternational master K Priyadharshan of Tamil Nadu is alone at the top with six points from seven rounds of the NMDC All India Fide Rated Chess Tournament organised by Cyber Chess Academy at Suchithra Academy. Eleven players are on the second spot with 5.5 pointseach. Three more rounds remain to be played. In the clash between the top two seeds, Debashis Das and Priyadharshan, the latter adopted Nimzo Indian defence and both drew the game in 29 moves without taking any risk. In another game played IM Rahul Sangma, gave up his queen to formernational champion P Konguvel of ONGC on the twelfth move.

Results Name Debashis Das Konguvel Ponnuswamy Krishna C R G Koshy Varugeese Trailokya Nanda Dhar Rajib Srija Seshadri Abhilash Reddy M L Roshan Rangarajan Srikanth K Aravindh Chithambaram Vr Saranya J Anudeep V Naga Shashank D Chakravarthi Reddy M Lakshmi Krishna Bhushan D Shakeel Ahmed Potluri Saye Srreezza

team ORI (ONGC) (AP) (ONGC) (ASM) (ASM) (TN) (AP) (MAH) (SSCB) (ONGC) (ONGC) (AP) (AP) (AP) (AP) (AP) (AP)

drew with drew with drew with beat Cholleti lost to beat lost to lost to beat lost to beat beat lost to lost to lost to beat lost to drew with

Name Priyadharshan K Sangma Rahul Ravi Teja S Sahajasri Purushothaman T Harsha Bharathakoti K Praneeth Surya Krishna Teja N Deepthamsh Reddy M Praveen Prasad P Kishore V Sai Akshay Y Dave Kantilal Chakravarthi Y V K Aneesh R Chaitanya Srihari Y Durga Prasad V Jayesh M

team (TN); (Rly); (AP); (AP); (AP) (AP); (AP); (AP) (AP) (AP); (TN); (AP) (RAJ) (AP); (AP); (AP); (AP); (TN);

SPORT SNIPPETS PCB wait for BCB response Cricket Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is

waiting for an official response from their Bangladeshi counterparts on its request to try and vacate the stay order of the Dhaka High Court which has prevented the Bangladesh team from touring Pakistan this month. Sources in the PCB said the Board was still waiting for a response from the BCB on the last letter sent to them, urging them to file an appeal to the stay order.

“

Frankly, I am at a loss for words. I never realised these things interested him. He’s not one to express his views publicly and this would be a test. Sanjay Manjrekar on Sachin’s RS seat

Durant win scoring title NBA Kobe Bryant sat out the Los

Angeles Lakers’ last game of the NBA regular season in Sacramento on Thursday, ensuring Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant won the league’s scoring title. Bryant would have needed to score 38 points to deny Durant a third straight scoring title. The Lakers ended up losing the meaningless contest 113-96 to Sacramento and before the game coach Mike Brown said his superstar would sit out.

is the number of shots stopped by Henrik Lundqvist as the New York Rangers edged out eight seed Ottawa to win the first NHL playoff series in four years. The New York Rangers defeated Ottawa by winning the match 2-1.

Tringale, Duke share lead Golf Cameron Tringale and Ken Duke

shared the lead at the $6.4 million Zurich Classic on Thursday, with defending champion Bubba Watson six adrift in his first start since his Masters triumph. Duke and Tringale both shot sevenunder 65 on the par-72 TPC Louisiana course. Tringale had surged to his share of the lead with birdies at the last four holes, recovering from his early bogey at the par-three third with eight birdies overall.

Playing Field

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

The games people play

Real to focus on league Tim Hanlon

MADRID: Spanish hopes of a mouth watering Champions League final between Real Madrid and Barcelona evaporated this week with both sides crashing out at the semi final stage but at least Real have the consolation of being on the verge of claiming their first la liga title since 2008. Jose Mourinho’s side now prepare to face Sevilla after their elimination by Bayern Munich knowing that they need just six points more to win the league and so if they win and Barca lose against Rayo Vallecano they will

be champions. It will be a tough task for Pep Guardiola to raise his Barca side after a couple of morale sapping games where they lost any realistic hope of winning the league with defeat in the El Clasico

last weekend and then followed that up by defeat by Chelsea on Tuesday night. An impressive run had seen Barca reduce the gap at the top to four points and they knew that a victory at the Nou Camp over

To stay or not to stay, that is the question Speculations are rife that Barcelona’s coach, Pep Guardiola, is likely to announce if he will be staying on with the team or not

MADRID: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is likely to announce on Friday whether he is staying or leaving the Spanish champions, a source close to the team said Thursday. “Everything points to the coach possibly making a statement on his future on Friday,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The fact that Guardiola has yet to sign a new Camp Nou contract has led to intense speculation on his future with rumours rife that he will quit on Friday. Guardiola, 41-year-old architect of one of Barcelona’s most successful footballing eras, said Tuesday that he would be speaking to Barca president Sandro Rosell in the

coming days to decide his future. The Barca coach revealed he would be holding the pivotal meeting at a news conference after Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea. Barcelona’s Champions League exit and their loss to Real Madrid on Saturday — which led Guardiola to concede the league title will go to Madrid — has led some to speculate about a minislump. But Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said Monday he was convinced that Guardiola will continue at the helm. “I think he’s going to keep going -- he loves this club, he loves his profession,” he said. “I think

there is no bigger passion for him than football and FC Barcelona. So really I bet he will be with us next year.” Spain’s press was filled with rumours Thursday about Guardiola’s possible departure but none of the reports quoted named sources and the club declined to comment. In April last year Guardiola told Italian television Rai Sports that he felt his time as Barcelona coach was coming to a close. “I feel good here but I believe my time at Barcelona is ending,” the coach said. “I’ve already done three years, one more will be four years. And in four years a big club needs a lot of courage to keep the same coach. Everyone should know when it’s the right time to go, as I always heard when I was a player.” The coach extended his contract with Barcelona by a season in February 2011 and his new deal expires in June this year. Guardiola, who spent most of his playing career at Barcelona, coached Barcelona’s B team before taking control of the firstteam squad in June 2008 from Dutchman Frank Rijkaard. AFP

Real would really put the pressure on the leaders but instead their star players looked weary and they failed to rise to the occasion. Similarly against Chelsea after a bright start where they turned the tie around to lead 2-1 on aggregate, they conceded a goal on the counterattack and Lionel Messi missed a penalty before they ran out of steam. The main question now at the Catalan club is the future of a project which has up until now brought an astonishing 13 trophies from 16 competitions as Guardiola is still deciding on whether to stay for another season.

We need to go out on Sunday with pride. It is disappointing to have gone out of MOURINHO the Champions League.